#meanwhile this holiday celebrates us taking our home back

[jewishbarbies]

do anti zionists celebrate hanukkah? what are they even celebrating? this is one of the most zionist jewish holidays. do they just use it as jewish christmas?

[fawninthesnow]

𝐀𝐝𝐨𝐫𝐞: 1 | Maternal! figure | Caracalla & Geta

Summary: You visit the young princes in the palace.

Warnings: Fluff, (slight) angst

Work count: 400~

a/n: Keep in mind they are around 14-16 here and orphaned already. After looking through some deleted scenes from the script, I found that all the boys want is to be adopted and loved. Here is something short for that with the holidays and all.

More on my Master list! + follow & like pls

Caracalla hovered over his brother's slumbering form in bed and gently shook his arm. “Is she coming?” The young man nudged him harder. “Are you awake?”

Geta groaned and turned over. “I am now.”

“Is she coming?”

“She said she would, but I am unsure.” He groaned in the dark of his bedroom. He reached for a candle, “You need to go back to bed. Come on.” Caracalla trailed behind his brother as they made their way down the hall. A noise emanating from the emperor’s foyer piqued their interest. The two boys cautiously approached the source of the sound.

You stood in front of the fire, removing the fur coat from your back. “Yes, that would be perfect.” You replied as a servant offered tea. “Are the boys asleep?” The two peeked into the room from the corridor.

“Yes, the princes are still in their beds.”

“She is here early.” Caracalla whispered with a giggle.

“I can hear you two.” Your voice was rich and velvety as you called the two out. The two brothers stepped out from the shadow of the pillars. “Come here.”

                                                          ****

You held Geta to your bosom as Caracalla lay on your lap. Your fingertips buried in the eldest son’s hair; your opposite hand rubbed Caracalla’s back. “They treat us like we are our father.” Geta murmured.

“The people of Rome should be grateful for you two.” Caracalla turned up, staring at you. “Rome, she will soon see, my boys.”

Geta closed his eyes, breathing in the sweet aroma of lilies and vanilla that surrounded you. Your skin was smooth and sun-kissed, reminiscent of freshly harvested honey. Caracalla nestled against your thigh, soaking in the warmth emanating from you. “The people are now celebrating with their families.”

“Yes, the winter solstice.” Caracalla leaned close, speaking softly into your clothing. Meanwhile, his brother stepped outside onto the open veranda, gazing down at the bustling city square below. The square was alive with people—some joyful, some inebriated, and others lost in dance.

“You both used to celebrate with your parents, yes?” The two went silent. Your fingertips cupped Caracalla’s face. “Well, you can celebrate with me.” Geta accepted your soft gaze finally, looking into your eyes. “Ah, I nearly forgot. I brought gifts from home!” You stood and Caracalla followed you.

From your trunk, you take out a few velvet boxes. “I, I have been reading your…your letter at night.” Caracalla fished for a worn paper from his robe.

“Aren’t you cute…” You present the two of them with a variety of gifts. “I have missed you both so much.”

Part 2 <3 Happy holidays, everyone!!

More on my Master list!

follow & like pls

[edgeray]

Hi Ray! 🍅 Anon here~

Have fun on your holiday and enjoy it to the best you can! Be sure to stay hydrated, the weather is really mental these days.

Just wanted to share a bit of brainrot I had regarding soft Arle, whether or not you choose to make it into a fic is up to you!

Arle with her frame and demeanor is most definitely the Top + Dom in the relationship with reader, but how about when she’s insecure? Seeing reader take care of the children and feeling as though she doesn’t deserve to be as loved as said children, then reader after putting the kids to bed embraces Arle and puts her head against their chest so Arle can hear their heartbeat more clearly while patting Arle and assuring her that they love her for her and that she DEFINITELY deserves to be spoilt… (reader knows Arle too well to not pick up on her tells and knows that Arle’s being harsh on herself)

Or maybe reader writing in to the Tsaritsa (without Arle knowing) to ask if Arle can take a 2 week break just to take care of the children and spend time as a couple (What if!! Tsaritsa was the one who wed them!!! And just closes both eyes and approves time off). Then reader proceeds to spoil Arle in every way possible - breakfast in bed, a warm bath after sparring with the children (no, not that kind of bath, but a fluffy one where Arle gets a shoulder massage and scrubbed clean and gets lots of loving kisses everywhere she’s insecure of), a feast of sashimi and steak tartare for dinner and a soft bed and loving wife in the night. I wanna spoil Arle like that but 😭

Oh! And since Harbingers are like celebrities in Snezhnaya, do you think Arle would have a fanclub there? Think about it! She’s young, has a boatload of money (you CANNOT convince me #4 doesn’t have money when #11 has an unimaginable sum at the bank), can handle kids well (she runs the HotH), and as a Harbinger who fights she probably is ripped (RIP her actual body proportions, they’re limited by Hoyo’s models, nobody is convincing me her body type isn’t like Lady Maria’s from Bloodborne, with abs, guns and muscular. Thighs.)

0 chance that she doesn’t have a line of sapphics lining up for her in Snezhnaya, even with the rumors of her being ruthless and cruel (I mean. If the rumors worked in making people back off. Arle simps like us wouldn’t exist to begin with lmao)… Imagine Arle trying to placate Jealous!Teasing!Reader!! Like Arle coming home on Valentine’s day a bit late to find reader teasing her about having a new lover meanwhile Arle was actually out buying a new dagger for reader to protect themselves with… reader being melodramatic because she knows and trusts Arle enough that Arle would never do anything like that (and Arle knows but plays along)

R: “Oh, woe is me! My wife came home late on Valentine’s with a dagger to end our relationship, whatever should I do?”

Arle: “My love…”

And if the children are around? They’d be busy either pretending they didn’t see anything or resisting the urge to claw their eyes out or handing each other eye bleach. Sending condolences to Lyney when one of the younger children ask something along the lines of

“Brother Lyney, do you think we’ll have another sibling soon if Father and Mother are this loving with each other”

(I headcanon that Arle does teach them sexuality education but not until they’re 10 and before that the older children tell their younger siblings that children pop into existence when Papa and Mama love each other lots)

I’m so sorry this is getting really out of hand but Arle has me in a brainrot when I should be focusing elsewhere 💀

Rest Your Worries, Lax Your Heart

(Arlecchino x GN! Reader)

A/N - Thank you, I did have a fun vacation :). Wow that is a lot and I love every single bit of this ask 🍅 anon. It'd be unfair if I just wrote one part and not all of them, so what did I do? Combined all of them as best as I can, but of course some details had to be omitted/changed because of that–hopefully you don't mind. I'm a fucking genius. Also considering that Arle has an anime, but never got a beach episode, this is said beach episode. This took so long because this turned out to be pretty self-indulgent (I'm sure you know which scene it was). This is a long boi, way over what the request range is supposed to be, but hope this is worth it? Somehow, my brain was able to focus for at least like… 4 hours. Started this at 23:00 something, and it's nearly 04:00. 🍅 anon, I enjoy your asks, so I hope you personally enjoy this one :)  Content warnings / info - a bit of suggestiveness, reader is referred to as ‘Mother’ but is otherwise gn!, 3.2k words 

It took a lot of back and forth over the span of four months, writing to the Tsaritsa, but you had finally been able to arrange this without the knowledge of your husband. The Archon, generous as she is, approved of your proposal for a two week long break without much pushback or questioning, saying that loyalty was rewarded and as one of her more productive Harbingers, Arlecchino’s efforts warrant her a break. All the Tsaritsa asked for was the general details of the vacation: when, where, and the activities you would be doing, which was easy enough to answer to. Surprisingly, she bought an entire section of the Sumeru coast along with a sizable cabin for the two of you and the children for the duration of your respite when you told where you plan on the location being. You're not one to turn down such a gracious offer so you accepted it. As a Pyro user, she would surely enjoy somewhere as warm as Sumeru. 

Currently, you're holding the letter from the Tsaritsa, which contains a direct order from the Archon addressed to Arlecchino to stay at Sumeru. No matter how much you plead for her to rest, your husband only says that she can keep working and for you to not worry. Tracing the envelope stamp, you breathe in deeply before knocking on the door.

“Yes?” Called from beyond the door. 

“Can I come in, Arle?”

“Yes, my love,” she says with a lilt. 

You come in, striding towards her, holding up the back of the envelope while trying to suppress your smile. “This was addressed for you.”

Arlecchino takes it with a bit of suspicion at the crack in your facial expression. Turning it over, she notices the stamp, which is the mark of the word of the Archon. She narrows her brows and takes out a letter opener, taking out the letter with a bit more urgency. You watch her expression morph from confusion to mild shock to indifference again. 

“What does it say?” You inquire her, biting your lip to hide the smile.

“It says that I'm going to Sumeru in three days. For a respite.” She eyes you carefully, her eyes glinting red. “But you seem to know that already.” 

You nod, a smile forming . “I thought… you were working so hard, and you deserve a break. I asked the Tsaritsa if it was possible and she agreed to it, even paying for our stay there.” 

Arlecchino's face flicks to something indecipherable, like there was a hesitation, but it quickly disappears before you can think too much on it. She gets up from her desk chair, strutting to you before wrapping her arms around your midsection, pulling you into an embrace. She presses a tender kiss against your forehead. “Thank you, my dear, for your thinking of me. I'm sure the children would appreciate being out of the House. I'll tell the children about this, and we should begin packing.”  

But does she appreciate it? It's for her, after all. You chew on the inside of your cheek but your smile remains in place.

You tilt your head up to kiss her cheek. “I already packed for us. And I told the kids, already.”

“Hm, that's why they seem so antsy lately. Thank you,” Arlecchino hums. “You picked for us already?”

“Yes. Including your clothes,” you chuckle, deviously imagining her in the attires you picked out for her. At that, she raises her eyebrows.

“Oh? What are you planning, my love?” She teases, seizing your chin in her hands and tilting your head up to lock her eyes with yours. You can't stop the giggle that bubbles out. 

“Nothing too… scandalous…” you answer back. “Don't worry, it's nothing too bad. This is all for you to relax, remember? You've been working so hard, been such a good husband, so…”

You lean forward to kiss her on the mouth. Whispering against her lips, you say, “As your partner, it's my duty to make sure you're happy. Isn't that right?”

If she physically could at that moment, Arlecchino would melt underneath your words. 

—

Upon your arrival at Sumeru, you were glad you picked the outfits that you did. Travel with around twenty kids was difficult, but luckily the older kids, the twins and Freminet especially, helped a lot. Everyone was practically vibrating in excitement, with the exception of Arlecchino, though you knew it was mostly because of how inexpressive she usually was. 

Right? 

Currently, the two of you lay on the sand by the crystal clear waters, enjoying the sight of the children playing. The little ones are playing in the sand, presumably sculpting a castle, and the older ones are either engaging in a heated battle involving smacking a ball around or with Freminent in the ocean. Here, you forget that they’re a part of the Fatui, child soldiers for the Tsaritsa; here, they look like normal children and it makes your heart swell. 

Unfortunately, you're stuck in a dilemma–observe your children and take in their contagious laughter, or ogle your husband who is in the most delicious and mouth-watering attire possible. Underneath her short gray collarless jacket, was a cropped, sleeveless turtleneck that exposed her lower half of her toned stomach, including her v-line. Below are tight, black leggings which do little in hiding her muscular thighs. Everytime you look at her, a flush runs to your cheeks and you find yourself too flustered for your stare to linger because of the growing amount of indecent thoughts. You breathe deeply in an attempt to calm the raging storms of desire in your stomach, distracting yourself by observing the waves and digging your feet in the sand. For the sake of your children, you'd like for your mind to be as pure as possible. 

Blackened arms wrap around your waist, pulling you into a lap. You squeal at the sudden contact. Your husband's mouth hovers beside your ear, hot breath brushing against the shell of your ear. 

“Something interesting?” Arlecchino huskily whispers, making you shudder. One hand strokes over your stomach, invoking shivers from you. You inhale sharply before glancing at Arlecchino's face. 

“Just… watching the waves. It's calming,” you lie quickly, wondering if your racing heartbeat can be felt underneath her fingertips. 

“Your heart says otherwise,” she chuckles, turning your head over your shoulder so she can kiss you. 

After a few moments, you pull away from the kiss, and your eyes flick over to the children in the sand, still tossing around that ball over a net. “Why don't you join them? I'm sure they would love it if their Father joined their game.”

“My dear, I would destroy them,” Arlecchino bluntly remarks, and you chuckle. 

“Fair enough, I suppose.”

The two of you watch them in silence until Arlecchino breaks the silence. 

“I like what you picked for me.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Your reaction is adorable.” 

Something white-hot pricks the back of your neck. “I-I'm glad you like it. I like it too,” you stammer out, your abashment evident in your voice. 

“I can tell. Perhaps… you'd like to help me put on sun protection?” Arlecchino teases with a small smirk, removing her jacket off to reveal her lean biceps. “Over the pants, if that's alright.”

This handsome–sexy–woman is going to be the death of you, you’re sure of it. Your heart is going into overdrive, and you would be terrified of going into a stroke if you aren't more focused on your husband's physique. If it's not your heart that's going to kill you, it's the pending combustion inside of you. You squeeze your thighs against one another, pooling heat forming between your legs. 

“Y-yeah, sure,” you manage in between your laboring breathing, getting off of her lap to face her. Spreading the paste in your hand, you first venture over her neck, tenderly rubbing over her throat and then her nape, down to her sides. Her skin is hot to the touch, as expected of a Pyro user, but it somehow retains softness and flawlessness despite all the combat and harshness your husband deals with as a Fatui Harbinger. Still, unlike her composed facial features, you can feel that her pulse is as frenzied as yours–it gives you comfort that you’re not the only one feeling this. Your husband hums with contentment, watching you carefully. 

Next, you slide your hands over to her broad shoulders before feeling down her upper arm, deliberate attention to her biceps. A shuddering breath comes from you as she shifts, extending her arms more out towards you. You trace down the markings of her arm before caressing her inky elbow and forearms. Finally, you get to her wrists. An idea pops in your head as you bring her hands to your lips, kissing her knuckles and rings, giving special focus onto her engagement ring. An amused huff escapes from her, and you glance back at her. Her eyes gleam with such a rare fondness, reserved only for you. 

You glance down at the only part of her that's yet been touched, your stomach churning in itself when you're able to get a closer, longer look. You gulp considerably, your hands shaking slightly as they hover over it. 

A charcoal hand wraps around your wrist, gently guiding your palm to her until it's flushed against her skin. “Don't be shy now, love.” She smirks wickedly and you have the sense to kiss that smile off her face. 

“Shut up,” you murmur meekly, but place both hands on her stomach, your fingertips traversing over every dips created by her well-muscles stomach. It feels like your body will implode at any second now, as her body heat infects your fingers and spreads to the rest of your body. You coat her waist before your touch lingers lower, just above the waistband of her pants. You trace the indent of her v-line, your fingers nearly dip underneath her leggings. Before it can, she stops you, grasping both of your wrists with one hand as she leans in to whisper hotly near your ear.

“Let's save that for later, hm?” 

—

“Lyney, what are they doing?” One of the children inquires, as they point at Mother and Father still by the water. Father remains on top of Mother, seemingly applying sun protection, though Lyney isn't quite sure if their position is truly that… innocent. 

“Oh… Father is just helping Mother, like how I helped with the sun protection on your back,” Lyney quickly comes up with an explanation, looking away from them. 

The child remains silent, observing the older male's expression, before looking back at them once more. “Lyney, you said that when a mother and father love each other a lot, a new child comes right?” 

Lyney isn't sure if he was going to enjoy what comes next, though he has an inkling that he won't. “Yes…” 

“Does that mean Mother and Father will bring us a new sibling soon?”

Lyney sputters, looking to Lynette for assistance. 

—

After a nice day at the beach, Arlecchino takes you and the children to a local restaurant. Luckily, she was able to find one that was relatively empty, so there was no problem with fitting you and your twenty children inside. You find that the two of you rather enjoy Sumeru dishes; while you enjoy the variety of flavors, Arlecchino rather indulges in the spiciness of them. Your favorite is between the tandoori roast chicken and the lambad fish roll. Though, something bothers you during your time at the restaurant.

Arlecchino is an attractive woman; that much is undeniable, and you're well aware of the fact that she's pleasing to both men's and women's eyes. It is a common occurrence for her to attract the sights of those around her, for whatever the reason, though among the women, it is typically out of admiration. Here, this is the case as well, wandering eyes from other customers, and subtle flirting from the audacious waitress. 

After finishing your dinner, you excuse yourself to the bathroom, only to return to the two of them chatting up, although in reality it’s more like a one-sided conversation and Arlecchino is ignoring her– you're well aware of this, but you find the waitress’ presence pervasive. You approach your table quickly, kissing your husband on the cheek before glancing at the waitress.

“My husband and I would like to order dessert. Can you fetch us a menu, please?” You ask, disguising your ire with a practiced smile. Instantly, the waitress's flirtation dies and she walks away. 

You huff at the sight of the woman. “How could you, Arlecchino? After all we've been through? Talking so casually with her when I'm gone?” You jest with a gasp, faux jealousy in your tone once you notice the relieved sigh from her. Her claws release its hold on the tablecloth, leaving behind tattered sheets. 

“Oh, how I've been caught,” Arlecchino responds monotonously, playing along. “My affair with an unnamed, rather plain-featured woman has been discovered.” 

You giggle as her hand finds yours, interlocking with your fingers. “I'm in disbelief, betrayed by who I thought was my true love.”

“Oh hush now, love. Will Baklava buy your silence and heart again?” 

“Perhaps.” 

The House of the Hearth children gag as Mother and Father conciliate. 

—

“Mother, can't we stay up any longer? We're on vacation. Pleaseeeeee,” one of the children pleads as you usher them to bed, pulling the covers over them. 

“It's not healthy for you to stay up. Besides, you have plenty of time tomorrow and the rest of the two weeks to have fun. Your Father and I can't keep watch over you during the night,” you respond with, kissing them on the forehead. 

“What if Lyney or Lynette watches us?” 

“Lyney and Lynette are probably just as tired. When you wake up, we can go to the beach again, does that sound okay?” 

“Okay… good night Mother.”

You hum in delight, caressing their head. “Good night. Sweet dreams.” 

You silently walk towards the door. Arlecchino leans against the doorframe, observing you wordlessly–again, that unreadable expression appears over her, but this time it lingers. You shut the door as quietly as you can, before turning to your husband.

“Is there something you need, Arle?” You inquire. 

She shakes her head. You don't quite believe her, but you don't address it. “I'm going to go take a bath. Get all this sand off of me. Would you like to join me?” 

Arlecchino nods, and soon the two of you are in the bathroom. You let the faucet run, filling the bathtub with water as Arlecchino removes her clothing. It only takes a few moments before the two of you are seated in the bathtub, but it's a change of position this time. Arlecchino sits in between your legs, facing away from you.

“It's been a while since we've bathed like this, right?” You question softly, lightly carding your fingers through her untied hair. 

“It has been,” she merely replies, her voice almost far-away; like there’s something else on her mind. Even though you only face her back, you can tell from her lack of movement that she’s in deep contemplation.

“What are you thinking about, Arle?” Your husband bristles a bit at the question. Even after being married to you for a couple years, she's still unaccustomed to how you can read her so easily, especially when she prides herself in being incomprehensible to others, even her children. 

“Do you… not enjoy this?” You ask hesitantly with a lump in your throat. You know that she knows what you meant by ‘this’– the vacation; the entire notion of taking a break is foreign to Arlecchino, but you hope that she was able to find this beneficial. If she hates this and this vacation is supposed to be two weeks long… you don't want to say you'd be disappointed but you'd hope she'd at least be able to relax from her Harbinger duties. 

Arlecchino is silent for a few moments. “I admit… I am uneased by this, to be so vulnerable and open to assaults now that we're not in the House of the Hearth. I feel unproductive and restless without my usual work. However, at the same time, I can see how beneficial this is to the children, and it is a nice change for once to see them like this. Being able to spend time with you like this is also rather indulgent, but I cannot complain about it.” 

You smile, a weight lifted off your chest as you lean forward to press a kiss against her nape. “I’m glad. This was for you after all.”

“Although I am gratified that the children are able to experience this as well … I cannot see why you would put this much effort for me. After all, I am…” Arlecchino pauses, raising her blackened hands to her view. She doesn’t finish her sentence, but you're able to get a sense of what she’s trying to say, and another weight is placed heavy on your heart. For as confident and assured that Arlecchino likes to present herself, when it is just the two of you, she reveals a rawer, more unguarded side to her. Often, she confides in you how she grapples with why you can so fondly view her, and every time, your heart sinks. How could your husband think this way? 

Laying your chin over her shoulder, you gingerly place both of your hands underneath hers, stroking the inside of her palm with your thumb. “I know where your thoughts are leading to, Arlecchino, and they're wrong. I love you, Arlecchino. You deserve this. You deserve this treatment, you deserve a break, you deserve to be loved. Your curse, your past… it doesn't matter. These hands…” 

You continue caressing her hand with your fingers. “...They are not cursed. These hands are not unloveable. These are the same hands that protect and care for our children. The same hands that hold me. The same hands that please me. They are a part of you, and they aren't evidence that you are a monster. If you are, you wouldn't have me, and you wouldn't have the children.” 

You kiss down along her bare back, gaining shivers from the woman. “Enjoy this, my love, for me at the very least. You are my husband, so let me do my part in loving you. You've done an innumerable amount of things for me and the children, so consider this to be our repayment for you.” 

“That is why I am doing this for you, do you understand?” You whisper against her skin. 

Arlecchino nods, a shaky breath escaping from her. You finish your treatment around her shoulderblades and gesture for her to turn around. When she does, the first thing that you do is kiss her hands, peppering them with as much devotion as you can give them. To you, nothing is more beautiful. 

“You deserve everything and more. Don't forget that, Arlecchino. So let me do this for you.” It isn't an ask. It is a demand from the one person whose authority is higher than the Tsaritsa: you. 

Arlecchino closes her eyes, and lets herself melt into you. 

[sanyu-thewitch05]

Can we please get more of ‘What if F! Yuu's dad got transported to Twisted Wonderland with her headcanons’ but with angst where yuu dad is thinking about your mou and musing her?

Sure!

F! Yuu Dad headcanons: Missing Your Mother

For the last couple of days your dad had been looking at his ring finger. Staring at the mark his wedding ring made.

Today was your parent’s wedding anniversary. Usually, you’d make a nice homemade gift like a set of coffee mugs or a bracelet for your parents.

But now you only have one parent to celebrate with at the moment.

You hated seeing your dad sad, so you thought you’d go above and beyond for this anniversary.

❤️: You want us to go back into that mine? Are you serious?

♠️: Yeah, usually we’d be down for an adventure, but we’re trying to stay low. Riddle has been cracking down lately ever since Leona did better than him on an Alchemy exam.

🦐: Please! It’s for my dad!

❤️: I’m sorry…we’d love to go but I don’t want to be collared and kicked out again. You know how your dad feels about me staying in your dorm.

🦐: Ok…

And so you asked around for help until eventually you were left with only yourself.

So you, grabbed a basket and ventured into the woods.

Meanwhile, your dad was hugging Grim on the couch and musing about your mother.

🦀: She’s so beautiful. You would’ve liked her, she looks just like Yuu. She always made the best food and helped me with presents for the holidays. I hope she’s ok…I hope she knows her daughter and I are alive.

🐈‍⬛: Nya! She sounds great and all but you’ve been stroking me since this morning.

🦀: Give me break! It’s our wedding anniversary and both Yuu and I aren’t there for her.

Eventually the sun starts to go down and your father starts to wonder where you are.

❤️: *Barges into Ramshackle* Ok, so don’t get mad, but Yuu is went into an abandoned mine to look for an anniversary present for you and she got stuck in the abandoned mine from the beginning of the school year.

🦀:…just when I thought this day couldn’t get any worse.

And so your father goes to the woods in a white undershirt, underwear, socks, and sneakers. He follows the trail until he hears your voice.

🦀: Yuu! It’s me your dad! Where are you?!

🦐: I slipped and slid down into another part of the cave. The only exit is a pool of water and I don’t know if I can hold my breath for that long.

🦀: Don’t move. I’m coming down to get you.

Your dad slides down the same opening and finds you in the corner with a basket full of gems.

🦀: Yuu, did you seriously come into this mine for gems?

🦐: I just wanted to make you happy! I noticed how sad you were that it we were here instead of with mom so I thought I’d make bracelets from the gems for the both of you! I’m so sorry! I just wanted to cheer you up!

You burst out into tears and your dad sighs.

🦀: Yuu, I know you love me and your mom. I’m sure your mom knows it all the way at home. So why don’t we leave the basket here, put the gems in your pocket, and swim out of here. Then we can make bracelets together.

Yuu looks up at her dad and hugs him tightly.

Your father helps you into the water, then you both take a deep breath. You two go underneath the water. When you two reemerge, your in the lake. You two swim to shore and climb onto the boardwalk.

🦐: Thank you for saving me, dad!

You hug your dad, savoring his touch.

♥️: Yuu!

♠️: You’re ok!

🦐: Hi guys! I got the gems I wanted!

In a typical teen boy fashion, Ace’s eyes go straight to wear your heart is.

♠️: Don’t get banned from Ramshackle again! *Covers Ace’s eyes*

🦐: Hahahaha!

🦀:🙄 Let’s go inside and dry off.

After you and your father are dry, the two of you are on the floor making bracelets. You make one for your mother, while your father makes one for himself.

Your mother’s bracelet is covered in purple and blue gems, while your father’s is covered in red and orange.

When you’re both done, the only gems left on the floor are the purple, black, white, and orange ones.

🦀: There’s enough left to make another one.

🦐: Yeah…

Your and your father make a bracelet for yourself with the remaining gems.

🦐: Wait! I need to grab something!

You race upstairs to your room and grab the Ghost Camera.

🦐: I’ve got it! Come on, let’s take a picture of the bracelets together!

You and your dad get into frame with the bracelets on your wrists.

🦐: 1! 2! 3!

🦀 and 🦐: Happy Anniversary!

You take a couple of photos with your dad and a sleeping Grim then put the Ghost Camera away.

🦐: Happy anniversary, dad.

You look at your dad admiring your mother’s bracelet and smile.

🦀: Your mother would love the bracelet. But, I think she’d love the fact you made a lot of new friends than you did at home.

🦐: I think she’d say the same about you and the rest of the staff.

🦀: She’d never believe any of the nonsense we went through.

🦐: Yeah…I miss her.

🦀: So do I, Yuu. So do I.

[anonniemousefics]

An idea for fic between Kaz x Inej has been running through my brain for month now . I don’t have any motivation to write it tho so I’m putting it here in case you or anyone else would like adopt the idea into a fic. Here’s the basic synopsis:

Inej has dragged a reluctant Kaz back to her home to attend a traditional Suli celebration that is dedicated to girls in her community becoming women and celebrating 1st love (kind similar but not similar to our worlds version of Valentines). However Kaz doesn’t know the significance of the holiday because Inej chose not to elaborate. (She already knows he feels uncomfortable being outside his environment away from Kerch) However she is overall excited about celebrating the holiday and basically drags Kaz around the entire encampment attending shows, dancing, torturing home with spicy food he can’t handle lol etc. and meanwhile Kaz is a nervous, confused, blushing mess because he can’t for life of him understand why Inej is putting so much effort into participating in every single event at the festival.

(I’m even envisioning for Inej to take him for a smutty tumble in a caravan that’s their staying in that’s right next to her parents caravan and Kaz is a nervous wreck because he’s worried about getting caught lol )

The real reason that Inej wants to do all these things with Kaz tho is because she wants to re write her stolen childhood with happy memories. I keep thinking how Inej’s room back in the menagerie was modeled to be a racist imagining of a Suli caravan, and by being intimate with Kaz in her authentic home with her family is important for her to rebuke her awful time as a sex slave and relive all of her stolen first’s with Kaz.

Kaz is still oblivious to why Inej is acting this way until a female family member (probably Inej’s cousin) explains to him the significance of celebration and helps him put 2 and 2 together. When the celebrations start to die down and Inej slips away from the celebration and becomes depressed that it’s over Kaz finds her and performs a magic trick similar to one the shows they went to during the festival and comforts her by telling her something sweet like

“ it might not matter much, but for what it’s worth, I’m glad that your my first with everything”

Inej the tears up, kisses hime, they have lovey dovey smut again, this time being slow and more intimate.

+

Inej’s parents being polite but still wary of him because they know of his reputation in Kerch. Eventually they warm up to him because they see how sweet and affectionate he is with their daughter. (I would imagine Inej’s father being more distrustful him at first)

Also one her parents (probably Inej’s mother) implying to Kaz that she heard him and Inej being intimate the night before, teases him about it, and assures him that she’s okay with it

And Kaz being a speechless red blushing MESS!

The end!

I’m with you, my friend, someone should write us this gem for the holidays. Any takers??? Please, we’ve been very good this year 🙏

[biographygen]

Winter Hair Trends Stylist says Everywhere This Season

Discover the latest winter hair trends as stylists reveal the must-try looks for this season. Elevate your style with expert tips and inspiration. The holidays mark the beginning of winter, which is the ideal time to change up your favorite hair color or style. Choose one of the hottest winter hairstyles of 2024 for a change of pace rather than starting the season with a do you've done a lot already. Some of the leading voices in the hair industry claim that layered bobs, deep side parts, clavicuts, dramatic layers, and curtain bangs are the most popular hairstyles. Warm brondes and cool blondes, meanwhile, set the tone in the color world.

The top 8 Winter Hair Trends Stylist

1. Dramatic Layers of Curtain Bangs

Celebrity hairstylists curtain bangs and voluminous dramatic layers are possibly the most popular winter haircut hair trends. Carpenter is currently taking over our feed. According to Lordet, owner of the voluminous blowouts will be a popular look for parties because people tend to want to go more glam for holiday parties than any other time of year. Updos work well with curtain bangs for dramatic, glam looks." Lordet advises bringing in a few photos of Sabrina to get ideas for your desired style, and be ready to spend more time styling your hair every day. 2. The Hot Side Part The side section is back! Garren, a stylist and co-founder of R+Co, says that Eiza González is the best source of inspiration. He remarks, This is a gorgeous, seductive side part over the eye with a dipped, flippy style. For girls who are embracing shorter hair, this is for you. Garren advises using a light-hold hair tonic and a root-boosting volume spray to spritz damp hair, then blowing it out with a round brush to replicate the look at home. Apply a flexible hairspray last. 3. The Clavicut, also known as the Clavicle Cut

A new name and a new 15 minutes of fame have been given to the lob. According to Lordet, long bobs are being dubbed 'clavicuts' they are simply a shoulder-length cut that is popular as people grow out their bobs. People prefer hair long enough to show under hats for winter hair accessories, and this intermediate length provides just enough. Lordet advises asking your stylist to cut to your clavicle in order to get the desired effect. He tells us, "This can be tailored to any hair texture." 4. The Bob with Layers

You have been swooning over Gigi Hadid's hair trends lately, if you're like us. Whether she wears her layered, tousled bob blown out, sleek, or wavy, it always looks so effortlessly stylish. Hairstylist and IGK co-founder Franck Izquierdo says, This cut is great because it's versatile and easy to maintain, which makes it perfect with static that comes from the cold weather and the layers will give hair movement and volume. Izquierdo advises starting with a body-building spray on damp hair in order to style the popular cut at home. The IGK Body Language Rice Water Plumping and Thickening Mist is what he recommends. To smooth out ends and prevent static after blowing out your hair, use Crybaby Smoothing and Finishing Serum, he continues. 5. The Victoria's Secret Blowout

Although we did love seeing a little more body representation, this year's Victoria's Secret Fashion Show may not have been as iconic as it once was. However, the hair continued to grow. The Victoria's Secret bombshell blowout will always be hair goals, according to Snyder and Russell. Big, bouncy waves with tons of volume, shine, and movement are the hallmark of the Victoria's Secret-inspired blowout. This glitzy look gives hair a rich, runway-ready finish with its lifted roots, silky lengths, and loose, voluminous curls. It's ideal for the winter months when you want to give your appearance a little more glitz and coziness. 6. Slicked-Back Fashions

A slicked-back look is a fantastic choice for the holidays and beyond, regardless of whether you have freshly washed hair trends or a day-two do. While celebrity hairstylist prefers a traditional fully slicked updo, Snyder prefers a half-up look with a faux slicked-back headband. According to Russell, a UNITE brand ambassador, to achieve a slicked-back updo, rake the UNITE SMOOTH&SHINE Styling Cream through roots to ends and secure the hair in a sleek bun or ponytail. After the hair has been smoothed back, secure any loose hairs with a flexible hold hairspray. 7. Winter Blonde

Celebrity hairstylist hair trends winter blonde shade if you want to switch up your hair color this winter. Both Gigi Hadid and La La Anthony have worn stunning variations of the hue. According to Snyder, a UNITE ambassador, Winter blonde shades give blonde hair a cooler, more neutral tone, creating an icy, high-shine look perfect for the season. Ashy or platinum colors are popular right now, and they go well with winter outfits and suit a variety of skin tones. 8. Warm Balayage Bronde

Winter hair trends colors can also benefit from warm tones! Rich, warm hues like bronde this season add dimension and warmth, making them ideal for enhancing winter complexions, according to Izquierdo. He advises asking your colorist for a balayage that blends warm blondes and rich browns to get the look. Incorporate a color-depositing mask into your hair care regimen to preserve your color, or use purple shampoo or toning drops if brassiness is a concern. Video Credit - Hair Trends Stylist FAQ Q1. What is the winter 2024 hair trend?Ans. While short hairstyles in general are popular, long bobs are among the most requested lengths.Q2. What is the hair trend in 2025?Ans. Get a bob cut if you're looking for a new hairstyle for 2025.Q3. Is long hair better for winter?Ans. For most people, getting a little longer hair is ideal during colder months.Q4. What are butterfly haircuts?Ans. Short and long layers are combined in a butterfly haircut to give your hair body, movement, and dimension.Q5. Which hairstyles hair trends are popular right now?Ans. The Most Common Women's Hairstyles Ponytails will be among the most popular hairstyles for women in 2024.Q6. What is the new hairstyle hair trends for 2024?Ans. The blunt bob is a must-have haircut for 2024 because of its more contemporary and edgy look. Read the full article

[cha2sourcing]

Seasonal Scents: The Enchantment of Halloween and Christmas Incense Burners

As the calendar pages turn and the festive spirits of Halloween and Christmas draw near, the air in our homes becomes a canvas for expression through the fragrances from themed incense burners. These burners, far beyond their aromatic offerings, act as centerpieces of seasonal decor, each enhancing the festive atmosphere with designs that capture the essence of their respective holidays.

Halloween Incense Burners: Capturing the Essence of Autumn Magic

Halloween incense burners often take shapes that echo the eerie and fantastical elements of the holiday. Imaginative designs like jack-o-lanterns, haunted houses, and mystical figures are not uncommon, and they typically come adorned in colors of black, orange, and deep purples. These burners do more than fill the room with scent; they conjure a visual tale of Halloween lore and mystery.

The fragrances favored in Halloween incense burner—such as smoky cedarwood, sweet cinnamon, and earthy patchouli—create an ambiance befitting tales of autumn nights and spooky tales. The scents are rich and deep, often with a hint of sweetness to balance the smokiness, perfect for setting the mood for Halloween festivities, from costume parties to ghost story gatherings.

Christmas Incense Burners: A Warm Embrace in Winter

When the chill of December rolls in, Christmas incense burner come alive with warmth and light. These burners often feature motifs of Santa Claus, snowflakes, reindeer, or nativity scenes, painted in vibrant reds, greens, and golds. Materials range from finely crafted ceramics to hand-carved wood, each adding a touch of holiday spirit to the room.

The scents associated with Christmas—pine, peppermint, cinnamon, and orange—evoke the quintessential holiday experiences: decorating Christmas trees, baking cookies, and gathering with loved ones. These fragrances warm the heart and home, filling the air with comfort and joy that elevate the holiday spirit.

Cultural Significance and Personal Reflection

Both Halloween and Christmas incense burners do more than scent the air; they stoke the fires of imagination and nostalgia. Halloween burners bring a touch of the mystical, the magical, and the eerie, enhancing the cultural practices of trick-or-treating, costume wearing, and horror film watching. They remind us of the thin veil between worlds, a key theme of the holiday.

Christmas burners, meanwhile, anchor us to traditions of warmth, generosity, and community. They are a call back to gatherings around the hearth, the joy of giving, and the simple pleasure of a well-told Christmas story. In both cases, these burners are not just functional items but keepers of tradition and storytelling.

Conclusion

Incense burners tailored for Halloween and Christmas serve as guardians of their respective holiday's spirit, each offering a sensory experience that complements the visual and emotional tones of the season. Whether through the mysterious, shadowy notes of a Halloween evening or the warm, inviting scents of a Christmas gathering, these burners enrich our celebrations and deepen our connection to the time-honored traditions that define them. Through these scents, we remember, we celebrate, and we dream—of ghosts, of snowfalls, of magic, and of memories yet to be made.

[ireceived-p8250000]

February 9-15, 2013

This week was exam week. I had informed my brother that I wouldn't be able to practice today because I needed the entire day to study. Hollmae came over and we spent the day studying together. I helped her with Physics and Biochemistry, and we found Hank Green's Crash Course on YouTube very helpful, especially for memorizing the elements.

Despite our efforts, the whole day wasn't enough. Hollmae ended up staying over, but her mother was understandably upset. Meanwhile, my mother, who was still sick, required our attention, so the three of us handled cooking duties. I took care of my mom, and she mentioned feeling better afterward.

Exams lasted from Monday to Thursday and went relatively smoothly, with less stress. I felt reassured by my decision to quit something.

On Thursday night, we focused on preparing our booth for the next day, particularly the serenade services. Charlene was more experienced than I was, but the assignments and chords were straightforward.

Friday morning, we opened our booth for Generation Love, distributing packets and condoms, albeit in limited quantities. In the afternoon, we participated in serenading sessions.

Walt teasingly asked what my boyfriend had gotten me for the day, but I shrugged, not expecting much. He's romantic, but not overly so.

Later in the afternoon, though, he surprised me with a cactus, which I found very cute and much better than flowers. It reminded me of the herbs I hadn't tended to in months—mom was taking care of those.

"Do we need to do something special as a couple today?" Mansoor asked.

"No, we don't have to. We don't need to participate in every little thing," I replied.

"I've felt pressured before to follow traditions to be a better boyfriend—carrying bags, doing something for every holiday, chocolates, flowers..."

I squeezed his hand as we walked. "I'm fine with that. We're still students; we don't need to buy into every consumerist expectation society throws at us."

"I just want to be good for you."

"You already are."

We celebrated Valentine's Day after our Psychological Assessment by enjoying street barbecue behind Lakandula Street.

The next day, Saturday, I seemed to catch the flu, and so did Dad. I spent the whole morning taking care of them, cooking chicken rice porridge and ensuring they were comfortable and fever-free. I bought a humidifier and medicine. During my classes, my mind was at home, worrying. I asked Roxanne to check on them when she got home.

I rushed back after classes to find them doing fine. Once again, I slept downstairs, taking on the role of night nurse.

My grades came in:

Psych 110: 93

Psych 111: 86

Biochemistry: 87

Physics: 85

Humanities: 94

SocSci: 95

Some of my grades were lower than I hoped, but they didn't fail, which is what matters.

[mtdthoughts]

OK, I have just finished writing Chapter 12 of the "Dolphins" fanfic, and will post to AO3 soon.

In the meantime, since it's not too long this time, I decided that it can go here too.

Beginning Notes:

This is written in a weird, joint POV that is a combination of the twins, and sometimes switches back and forth between them. Think of it as a journal that the twins are writing together at the same time. 😊

You can also think of this as the headcanon (mine) chapter, though I try not to speculate too much.

CHAPTER 12 – Family

After we finally became a part of the Sonoyama family, we started becoming more different just as we expected.

Dali developed an interest in math and science and could often be found conducting experiments or reading books while enjoying a cup of coffee. While he was reading, I would always bring a slice of cherry pie to him, and he would proceed to tell me about the story he was reading while we ate pie together. I always listened with perked ears as this reminded me of all the times we read together when we were little.

Meanwhile, Migi developed an interest in the arts, particularly avant-garde art, and he could often be found painting or sculpting unconventional pieces which can now be found everywhere throughout the house. He would also occasionally have small picnics in various places such as our backyard, the nearby lake, or the park, often with our parents, Akiyama, Maruta, and of course me. I almost always made sure that I was there.

I agreed to have Mom cut my hair regularly, though Dali decided to grow out his hair.

Nonetheless, Mom was very supportive of my decision, and she said that someone like me would surely look very handsome with long blonde hair.

We also began wearing different clothes and sleeping in different beds, though some things never changed. We still bathed together since it was helpful to wash each other’s backs, and from time to time one of us would slip into the other’s bed at night, and we would fall asleep together without a single word.

Funnily enough when we told our parents that we’d been scrubbing each other using a broom, they couldn’t help but laugh as we looked at each other in embarrassment.

We made many fond memories together in the Sonoyama family. We played a lot together during summer vacation, and we celebrated many fun holidays together.

At school, we had to apologize and confess to the staff that we were twins pretending to be one boy, though like our parents they were actually very understanding and allowed us to continue the rest of our year in 1-5. Akiyama couldn’t have been more thrilled to have seen both of us in class every day.

And just like at home, we became more different at school too.

Because Dali was really smart and always studied hard, it was easy for him to advance to Class 2-1 during our second year. In fact, he became the second-year representative since Eiji was no longer here, and he even gave the farewell speech to the seniors that year. I’ll admit, I was a little bit jealous from all the attention that Dali got, and it was a bit annoying whenever someone mixed me up with him, though I know that Dali certainly deserved the praise that he got.

Meanwhile, Migi stayed behind in Class 2-5, which wasn’t surprising since he never enjoyed studying. Well, I suppose it’s okay if it’s okay with him, though I couldn’t count how many times I had to step in and hold his feet to the fire to stop him from failing a test. Strangely, he would still get motivated to study every time I put on a wig, even though he already knew it was me.

Dali also joined the student council and eventually became the student council president. Sometimes Dali would come back late because he needed to take care of paperwork, though I would sometimes stay behind to help.

Migi joined the art club and occasionally did volunteer work around the school. His unconventional art would eventually become quite well-known, and his artwork would always be a big hit whenever their club had an exhibition. I always made sure to be in attendance even if I still had work to do.

Though we were now in different classes and in different clubs, we always made sure to spend as much time with each other as possible. We regularly caught bugs with Akiyama and played video games with Maruta on the weekends, and we frequently hung out with them during lunch and after school. We would share our lunches with each other, study in the library together, and we would compete with each other in gym whenever our classes competed.

Truly, the time that we spent apart only made the time we spent together even sweeter as we would always look forward to each other’s company.

After some time, Eiji’s father arrived at our house, asking us to have a chat. He now knew who we were, and he apologized profusely for not realizing the truth any sooner, and for everything we had gone through with our mother. He told us that he truly loved both our mother and his wife, and he apologized for his role in everything that happened.

As he bowed his head in shame, we looked at each other and nodded. Though this man’s actions were undoubtedly foolish and reprehensible, we could strangely understand him and what he felt. We told him that that as long as he would never do something like this again, that we would forgive him. Immediately, he burst into tears and hugged both of us to our surprise. We slowly hugged him back.

He asked us if we would like to visit Eiji. We agreed, and a few days later we found ourselves at the correctional facility, waiting for our brother to see us.

Well, there is one detail I need to add. Before we left, I suddenly had a great idea. I was certain that Eiji would be nervous seeing us while he was in prison, so perhaps seeing his first love might ease his nervousness a bit. As soon as I told Dali my idea, he immediately flipped in anger, telling me that I was out of my mind. However, after explaining my reasoning, he couldn’t argue against it as he reluctantly put a wig and dress on.

Admittedly, I was a bit nervous seeing Eiji as I wasn’t quite sure what to say to him, though this feeling seemed to have been overwritten by my anger towards Migi for wanting me to wear this ridiculous outfit. Thinking about ways to get back at him served as a convenient distraction for myself.

As soon as Eiji saw us, he froze in shock with his eyes widened and mouth agape. After a while, he slowly walked up to us as he chuckled.

“So, it was you. It really was you all along. I had a feeling, yet I must admit that this is still quite a surprise. Still, you look quite good in it,” he said with a gentle smile on his face.

I couldn’t have been more embarrassed to hear that, and to make matters worse, I caught Migi leering at me and giggling. Frustrated, I tore off the wig and threw it in Migi’s face to put an end to this nonsense.

We then talked with Eiji about everything that’s happened in Origon Village while he was gone, and we exchanged stories of our pasts.

He seemed genuinely sad to hear what we went through, but also glad to know that we finally found a family and friends that loved us.

At the same time, I could tell from his eyes that he still longed for his mother when he shared his childhood with us. I knew that this would be the case, and I couldn’t help but feel a bit sorrowful. But I needed to do this, I needed to face these feelings head-on.

We bowed our heads as we apologized for our part in causing everything that’s happened to him.

A few moments later, Eiji patted us on the shoulders, saying that it was alright and that there was nothing to apologize for.

We looked up.

With a soft look in his eyes, Eiji told us that no one person could be blamed and that we only did what we could to survive our world. He said that he deeply regrets what he did and that he’ll have to carry this burden for the rest of his life, and that his time in prison would be nothing compared to the vast, uncertain future he would face without his mother, one that he couldn’t fathom, and one that he feared to face.

We responded by placing our hands on his shoulders as we said that he would never be alone, that we’d always be with him.

Eiji looked at us in surprise for a while before forming a warm smile, his eyes almost forming tears. He told us that he looks forward to the day that he’ll see us again, and the three of us hugged for a while.

As we were about to conclude the visit, I decided to poke a bit of fun by holding up the wig and asking Eiji if he wanted to kiss Dali again before we left. Dali immediately tackled me down and shoved the wig onto my head, yelling that I should kiss him instead. Still, I couldn’t help but laugh, and I think I could hear Eiji chuckle a bit too.

When the dust settled, Dali took out a camera and told us to gather together and asked the nearby guards to help us take a picture. After they did, Dali took the printed photo and handed it to Eiji, telling him to stay strong with a brave smile on his face.

Eiji’s eyes brightened as he nodded and took the photo, looking upon it quite fondly. We then waved goodbye to him as he left to return to his cell.

After we finished our visit, Eiji’s father took us home. We got out of his car together with him, and as we approached our house, he thanked us for seeing Eiji. He told us that he would move to a faraway town with Karen, and once again he apologized for everything that happened to us and our mother. He told us that he had no right to call himself our father and that he couldn’t possibly ask us to come with him, though he felt at ease knowing that we would be in good hands in the Sonoyamas. He then told us to let him know whenever there was any trouble he could help us with, and that it was the least that he could do for us.

We nodded, and then he proceeded to hug both of us one last time before saying goodbye. We waved goodbye to him as he drove away.

After this day, life continued as usual. We would continue to live together in the Sonoyama house, each doing different things and pursuing different passions. But this was okay because we were always close by to each other. Truly, life was a constant and stable bliss.

That is, until the day a certain letter arrived.

End notes:

I am not entirely certain if their school has a student council. I assume it does.

I am not entirely sure what holidays are celebrated in Origon Village. We know that Halloween and Christmas seem to be celebrated, but I don’t know if I can say the same about other Western holidays, or about traditional Japanese holidays.

I am not entirely clear on the rules about visiting prisoners, so perhaps the scenario I gave here isn’t entirely realistic, but whatever.

[changingplumbob]

Nishidake Household: Chapter 3, Part 2

Freezer Bunny day is 100% a rip off of Easter in my game. Kaori's grandparents adjust to living together again, and Charlie's family come to visit.

Trigger Warning: This part contains sim death from old age

No death is shown in this part but Olive Grimm makes her debut.

Freezer Bunny day is here! Despite the snow, it is spring. While not traditionally celebrated in Mt Komorebi Charlie has celebrated it growing up and has no desire to stop now. Goals include finding collectible eggs, attending a holiday ceremony, eating a grand meal and being thankful.

Being old is hard. Allie developed paws bright enough to guide a sleigh.

Charlie: What happened? I knew Cats and Dogs should have included booties! Darn snow

Allie: *whines*

Charlie: Hey now, it's okay. Guess who picked up a wellness treat at our last vet visit?

Allie: *gobbles*

Charlie: Better now?

My first thought was, aww, look at Charlie being worried for her dog, but no. Charlie looks like this because she has developed a fear of swimming. Pretty sure you can't swim in Mt Komorebi, definitely not at this altitude anyway. She also swims practically every time she visits her parents?

Sachiko: Good morning dear, did you sleep well?

Kaori: Yes I did, how about you?

Sachiko: Well enough, though I could hear Shigeru snoring through the wall

Geeta: I didn't hear that

Sachiko: They do say hearing goes rather quickly when you're old

Geeta: I AM NOT DEAF

Sachiko: If you say so

Geeta: Mind if I vacuum? I can’t stand dust bunnies

Kaori: Go ahead

Sachiko: Do you mind waiting until I finish breakfast?

Geeta: Did you say something? Seem I can’t hear after all Kaori starts on cooking a grand meal. It'll be Tofurkey, Kaori does not want to risk serving bad fish to Harvey.

Kaori: Are you feeling okay?

Shigeru: Fit as a fiddle kiddo. Why are you cooking so early?

Kaori: It's Freezer Bunny day and Charlie's family will be here for lunch

Shigeru: Freezer Bunny day?

Kaori: We're going to the holiday ceremony soon

Shigeru: They have ceremonies for everything these days

Kaori: Will you come

Shigeru: If you think it important. But don’t feel like you have to adopt all of Charlie’s traditions

Kaori: What are you talking about

Shigeru: Our traditions are important to

Kaori: I know that

Shigeru: But does she

Allie: *whines*

Kaori: Yes

Shigeru: I won't be here forever

Meanwhile Charlie is blissfully doing her morning garden check when she finds something.

Charlie: Hey babe, do you know how a frog got inside?

Allie: *whines*

Charlie realises she's walked into a tense situation

Charlie: Every thing good?

Kaori: Just discussing mortality

Charlie: Okay then... So, do we believe in a timeless save?

Shigeru: When I'm gone, who will be here to give you advice?

Sachiko: I'm standing right here

Shigeru: How can I face your parents if I haven't done everything I could?

Kaori: You raised me

Charlie: I think you raised her great

Shigeru: Don't try to make me feel better

Sachiko: You've done well

Shigeru: If I did well I wouldn't have left

Charlie: Marital status doesn't dictate success

Sachiko: We were miserable in the end Shigeru, you couldn't have changed that

Kaori: By leaving when you were unhappy, you showed me not to settle, and I didn't

Shigeru: Forgive me Sachiko

Sachiko: Nothing to forgive

Holiday ceremony time! The family set off and Allie is pretty annoyed she can't go. It takes longer than I thought and Reece arrives early. Finding no one home he does what most teens do and takes a selfie. He also picks up the trashcan for me so now I can drag garbage there again!

The household get back and finally the grand meal can start. Things go pretty well, most of the family seem to enjoy the meal and the company. Reece and Carson even share a hug rather than exchanging insults. Keira makes sure to brew chamomile tea because someone always wants to use the tea pot.

Sachiko: I don't see what the Freezer Bunny has to do with anything

Kaori: I think they bring eggs

Sachiko: Rabbits are mammals

...

Kayleigh: Did we miss the food

Charlie: No mum, Kaori made plenty. Come grab a plate

Reece: Shouldn't you be at scouts

Carson: Shouldn't you be on your phone

Reece: Shouldn't-

Charlie: Stop arguing for five seconds

Charlie: So catch me up with the goss

Carson: He's just grumpy because he has boy trouble

Reece: I do not! How would you know if I did?

Carson: You have a journal

Kayleigh: Carson, journals are private

Reece: Keep your nose in your own twerp

Carson: I didn't read it! He talks loud on the phone! It's his fault

Kayleigh: Come help me with dishes Carson

Carson: But why

Kayleigh: Because I asked

Charlie: Boy trouble eh?

Reece: Kind of, have any closeted experience?

Charlie: Me? No bro, I had that lesbian flag on my wall soon as I was a teen

Reece: Kaori?

Charlie: When she realised she was out pretty quick

Reece: Figured. We're all too confident

Charlie: So the boy is closeted?

Reece: Maybe, I mean he could just be straight and I misread him

Charlie: Do you think you misread him

Reece: I don't know! I try think about it but then I get pulled into daydreams

Charlie: Crushes are like that, hang in there

Following clean up most of the family head into the lounge to relax. They haven't all been together since last Harvestfest so there's plenty to catch up on.

Kaori: Where are you going?

Shigeru: Just grabbing some water

Geeta: That's just a glitch, ignore it

Shigeru: Won't be a minute

Olive: Hello Shigeru

Shigeru: You know my name?

Olive: Of course I do

Shigeru: Why are you in the kitchen?

Olive: Kitchen?

Shigeru: Wait, I'm sure things didn't used to be this green

Olive: It's the nighttime Hitchcock effect

ME: Not helping Olive

Olive: Oops sorry

Shigeru: Is that dog, transparent?

Olive: Let's start over

ME: Good plan

Olive: Thanks

Shigeru: Are you talking to yourself?

Olive: Um, yes, yep, that's exactly what I am doing. Anyway I'm Olive, nice to meet ya

Shigeru: Shigeru Nishidake

Olive: This is Captain Whittaker. He looks transparent because he's appearing in many saves at once

Shigeru: Why are you in the kitchen

Olive: In the kitchen, you're too funny. Women don't need to be in the kitchen

ME: Olive he doesn't know

Olive: Ohhhhh

Shigeru: Did I miss something?

Olive: My husband apparently. He has a talent for being seen by everyone but the soul that should see him

Shigeru: Should see him?

Olive: I mean if you saw him you'd know what was happening

Olive: Your time is up

Shigeru: What do you mean

Olive: It's time for you to cross over, I'm here to help you

Shigeru: You?

Olive: I don't hang out on a fake boat for nothing

Shigeru: This boat isn't fake

Olive: It is

Shigeru: You actually think I'm dead?

Olive: Did the giant dinosaur not give it away?

Shigeru: I'm not dead

Olive: Captain show him how dead he is

*Captain plays dead*

Olive: Good boy!

Shigeru: I must have got lost-

Olive: You're not lost, you're found

Shigeru: But, dead?

Olive: It's okay, we're on the way to the timeless save

Shigeru: What?

Olive: The place you're meant to be

Shigeru: But my granddaughter, my wife-

Olive: One day, they'll join you

Shigeru: Are you saying-

Olive: Anyone who passes on is there

Shigeru: That means...

Olive: Now you got it! Your daughter Emica is excited to see you again

Shigeru: Emica!

Olive: And her husband Daiki of course, they're a pair

Shigeru: Let's go then

Olive: Happy to

...

Olive: So watcher, how was I?

ME: You were a bit blunt

Olive: Was getting Captain to play dead too much?

ME: Yep

Olive: Noted. But really it's my husband’s fault for not letting him know

ME: He'll never let them see him

Olive: Bummer. Okay, I'll try gentle next time, you'll see

Shigeru: Wait, where did the fake boat go?

Emica: The ferrying is a metaphor

Shigeru: Emica! Daiku! You're here

Daiki: Good to see you again sir

Shigeru: Have you been stuck here since the crash?

Emica: Stuck is not the right word. We're at peace here

Shigeru: Your daughter, I tried to tell her but I never found the right time

Daiki: We know

Shigeru: I should have told her about the guardianship, our role in Mt Komorebi. But I always see her as the toddler crying over your loss

Emica: Don't worry, she's got Sachiko, there's time

Shigeru: My time seems up

Daiki: Time is never up here

Shigeru: What do you mean

Emica: Have you not noticed?

Daiki: You're younger than I've ever seen you

Emica: You have hair again

Shigeru: I do?

Emica: We exist out of time here, aging is perception

Shigeru: So I won't have to bury you again?

Emica: You've got me forever

Shigeru: Promise?

Emica: Yes

With that, Shigeru is another resident of the timeless save

Previous Part ... Next Part

[jadelotusflower]

Obscure Christmas Movie Rewatch: Mrs Santa Claus

Are you looking for a feminist, multicultural, pro-union movie to watch this Christmas? Then Mrs Santa Claus is for you!

Not only does it star the late great Angela Lansbury, it features some catchy showtunes composed by Broadway great Jerry Herman, choreography by musical stalwart Rob Marshall, and costumes by the legendary Bob Mackie.

The story behind this one is also pretty interesting! According to this retrospective on Dame Angela Lansbury (RIP), much like she was a champion for older actors to guest star on Murder She Wrote to keep their SAG cards, she was also the driving force behind this tv movie in order to honour her friend Jerry Herman. While he’d had great success as a lyricist and composer for such seminal Broadway shows such as Hello Dolly!, La Cage Aux Folles, and Mame (the latter staring Lansbury), he was diagnosed as HIV positive in 1985 and by the mid-90′s needed a project to focus on. Enter Lansbury stage left, who had a deal with CBS for a number of tv specials, and pitched this film together with Herman.

Here’s the perfectly simple premise: It’s seven days until Christmas and the magnanimous Mrs Anna Claus sends all the elves home since they’ve finished the toys early. She also tries to improve Santa’s navigational route and wants to help him with his mail, but is utterly underappreciated by her husband (Charles Durning).

Lansbury brings her distinctive voice to her pleasant I Want song - “I've been manning the business and planning each holiday plan/And I'm tired of being the shadow behind the great man”.

She takes the sleigh and reindeer, but due to bad weather emergency lands in New York City, meeting Italian stable boy Marcello (David Norona) who shows her the immigrant melting pot via the song and dance number Avenue A (well, the Italian-Irish-Jewish pot at least). There’s tap and joyous dancing, all culminating in a Consider Yourself-esque street celebration extolling the “great kaleidoscope called Avenue A.”

There's also a cameo from Jerry Herman, suitably playing a piano.

We meet Sadie (Debra Wiseman), a young Jewish woman and Suffragette, with whom Marcello is in love with from afar, Sadie’s mother Mrs Lowenstein (Rosalind Harris, who memorably played Tzeitel in Fiddler on the Roof) who fears the police after fleeing pogroms in Europe, local gossips Mrs Shaughnessy and Mrs Brandenheim, and Nora (Lynsey Bartilson), a young Irish girl who works at child labor factory Tavish Toys. Nora's Irish accent is...look, I'm not here to rag on child actors. She tried her best.

Our villain is Augustus P Tavish, played by Broadway veteran Terrence Mann, crooning that his toys “Only have to last till Christmas.” If you want to hear his voice used to full effect however, check out the original Broadway cast recordings of Cats (Rum Tum Tugger), Beauty and the Beast (The Beast, particularly If I Can’t Love Her), and The Scarlet Pimpernel (Chauvelin, particularly Falcon in the Dive).

Mann is delightfully hammy in the role, in spats and spinning a cane, delivering every line on pitch as if it’s a song. It's CAMP and I love it. The movie's worth it for his dulcet tones alone.

Mrs Claus (taking the name Mrs North), is employed at Tavish Toys as a supervisor, singing and dancing around the factory floor, improving morale but aghast at the working conditions and poor quality of the toys.

Meanwhile, back at the North Pole, Santa only notices his wife is missing because his cocoa hasn’t been made right (ugh). It’s up to head elf (there’s always a head elf) Arvo is tell Santa she’s gone and deliver Santa some home truths.

Arvo is played by Michael Jeter, one of those delightful character actors with so many credits it’s impossible to identify where you would know him from (for me it’s Father Ignatius in Sister Act 2).

Santa bemoans that he can’t bear to think of Anna about her out there “alone and helpless.” Smash cut to:

What is it about Victorian/Edwardian garb that just feels like Christmas?

Sadie is literally on her soapbox (a manifestation of the trope), and Anna asks her advice about industrial action for the factory. In return, she gives Sadie advice for persuading other women to her cause, utilising the soft power of persuasion rather than shouting slogans. They go a recruiting through song, culminating in a suffragette march where they are joined by Nora, Mrs Shaughnessy, Mrs Brandenheim, and Marcello. I really like this one! It’s uplifting and upbeat, if a sanitised depiction of the struggle for women’s suffrage.

It musically echoes the opening number Mrs Santa Claus, even repeating lines that Anna sung for herself, now applied the the community of women who have embraced her: "We've planned our strategy and our flag is unfurled/For we have gifts of our own to offer the world."

Anna and Nora bond over missing the people they love - Anna her husband, and Nora her mother and little brother who are still back in Ireland (her father is working double shifts to raise the money to bring them over). It’s time for another song and dance number, Whistle - a tribute to vaudeville. This one is a bit overlong and unnecessary, the kind of number that works on stage post-intermission to ease the audience back in, but isn’t needed onscreen.

At the North Pole, Arvo and the Elves try to cheer Santa up by dancing to the tune of We Need a Little Christmas (first composed by Herman for Mame), but he remains sullen. Honestly, this Santa really sucks. He bemoans his predicament, and Arvo has to prod him to write down what his wife means to him. Of course he does it through song, promising to change but it’s a very shallow mea culpa.

Meanwhile Anna plays matchmaker, setting up local policeman Officer Doyle and Mrs Lowenstein, overcoming her fears when Doyle assures her he won’t be taking Sadie away for exercising her free speech. Mrs Lowenstein finally unpacks the bag she’s always kept ready in case they needed to flee again, including her grandmother’s silver candlestick - the matching one being lost when they fled the old country.

Marcello invites Sadie to the Policeman’s Ball, and they sing We Don’t Go Together At All, a pretty song I unapologetically love. However it does end with a trope I absolutely hate - where Marcello taps his cheek but when Sadie moves in to kiss it, he turns his head so she kisses him on the lips. It’s all played very sweet, but probably not something you’d see if the movie was made today.

At Tavish Toys, Anna leads the kids in a work slow down, and then a city-wide strike and boycott. Because this is fantasy world, this immediately leads to the mayor declaring that no child will again work under such conditions, and a call for child labor laws. I think its no coincidence that this passion project of Lansbury's deals with issues such as women's and worker's rights - however santitised. We must assume the elves have union benefits back at the North Pole!

At the policeman’s ball, Mrs North gets to wear this absolutely banger outfit, and gets toasted as “the Mrs Santa Claus of Avenue A.” Lansbury was 71 when she played this role, and all credit to Bob Mackie for dressing her not only with a stylish vibrancy in the earlier scenes, but putting her in a gown like this and going for glamour rather than the dowdy Mrs Claus cliche.

You may also recognise Nora’s outfit recycled from A Little Princess.

I also appreciate that Sadie hasn’t been overtly softened in her relationship with Marcello - she’s the one who gives the speech, engaging in some self-deprecation in decrying herself “the biggest mouth on Avenue A” and wearing a beautiful dress, but not torn down or diminished because of her activism - but rather celebrated and validated by the very people who used to deride her. She's learned the art of pitching your message to the audience rather than riding roughshod over them, but isn't any less of an activist.

But while Anna has finally been given the recognition and appreciation she’s craved, for some reason she misses her dropkick of a husband. “He Needs Me” is a nice song but undercuts the message a bit as she decides that “I need him much more”. You really don't Anna, go that extra step and stage a Santa coup - you deserve more than playing second fiddle to a dude who took two days to even notice you were gone!

She hurries back to the reindeer but is prevented from returning by Tavish, who has implausibly figured out who she is, and wants to stop Christmas so people will have no choice to buy toys from him again. It’s neatly and swiftly resolved by her recalling that as a boy the toy bear he’d received from Santa was stolen by his brother, and Mrs Claus gives him another one. Okay then.

Meanwhile, Santa is still sulking over his bad cocoa. WHY DON’T YOU TRY AND FIND HER YOU USELESS SACK OF SHIT?!? AREN’T YOU OMNIPOTENT? GET OFF YOUR ARSE AND DO SOMETHING!

This is a real false note for me - yes Anna has the sleigh and reindeer, but there is no way out of the North Pole other than that? He just sits and waits for her to come home - I suppose this gives her the agency, but it does feel like she is ready to return to her old life of being unappreciated, instead of going home to demand that he treat her right.

However Santa is slightly redeemed in that he declares that he will use her new navigation route, and also that she can join him in the present delivery duties. She also gets a new cape.

In New York, her friends also get their heart’s desire - Mrs Lowenstein her grandmother’s missing candlestick, Sadie and Marcello each other, and Nora the arrival of her mother and baby brother.

Overall I think this mostly holds up and deserves to be in the Christmas movie rotation. It’s a very female-focused piece - Mrs Claus is in the role of guardian angel, improving the lives of everyone she meets, but her solidarity is with Nora and worker’s rights, Sadie and women’s suffrage, and Mrs Lowenstein and her generational trauma.

It’s a charming little musical with a quintessential performance by Angela Lansbury and a nice parting message:

“As long as you love one another/You’ll have the best Christmas of all.”

[damonalbarn]

Hey I was wondering if you knew the article that Justine spoke about suzi in?!

It was in The Guardian in 2000. Here you go:

Sweet revenge

In the mid 90s, Justine Frischmann and Damon Albarn were the First Couple of Britpop. Then he used a Blur album to rake over their break-up, while she languished in obscurity amid rumours of heroin addiction. Now she's back with a new album, and it's her turn to exorcise her demons.

Caroline Sullivan

Friday March 24, 2000

As Alison Moyet once said, it's hard to write a decent song when you're happy. Rock bands thrive on romantic turmoil in their private lives, without which they would be reduced to padding out lyrics with football scores and the weather.

Thus it was for Blur's Damon Albarn in mid-1998 when he sat down to write what would become the 13 album. His eight-year relationship with Justine Frischmann of the chart-topping Elastica, whom he once described as **"the only person who's ever been completely necessary to me" **had just ended, at her instigation. Pained and humiliated, he decided to exact revenge by exposing their most intimate details to public scrutiny.

The outcome? Embarrassment for Frischmann, a number one album for Blur and a bit of a result for Albarn.

Break-up albums are by definition both embittered and yearning - in the case of Marvin Gaye's vindictive Here, My Dear, they're just plain nasty - but 13 got more up-close and personal than could be considered gentlemanly. Albarn portrayed his former partner as neurotic, even slipping apparent drug references into the single Tender: "Tender is the ghost, the ghost I love the most/Hiding from the sun, waiting for the night to come". Frischmann was the ghost, supposedly, who was on the verge of being consumed by what one music paper euphemistically called "the darkness at the heart of Elastica".

Frischmann's response can be found on a song called The Way I Like It, which appears on Elastica's first album in five years, The Menace (out next month): "Well, I'm living all right and I'm doing okay/Had a lover who was made of sand, and the wind blew him away".

This is unlikely to be her last word on the subject. As she ambivalently begins her first round of interviews since 1996, she's finding that everyone has the same three questions. Why did Elastica nearly sabotage a promising career by taking so long to follow up their million-selling debut? Had Frischmann taken leave of her senses when she walked out on Mr Britpop? And what about the drug rumours?

"One journalist said to me, 'Dahling, I heard you were on heroin - Mahvelous!' " she says with some amusement. "Drugs are around, but I'm not that interested and never have been, although there have been elements of party animal in my band. The rumours are a lot to do with rock'n'roll mythology, where people want to believe you're having a more exciting time than you are."

The only drugs on her person today, as she perches on the edge of an armchair in her publicist's north London living room, are Marlboro Lights. Her other indulgences are two cups of herbal tea and a Cadbury's Flake cupcake, which she nibbles with well-bred pleasure. Her dark eyes are clear, and her long, tanned body is a testament to the virtues of a daily swim in a pool near her Notting Hill home. Only Elastica know whether they really succumbed to heroin and hedonism after their self-titled debut made them more famous than they'd ever expected to be, but if they did, Frischmann, 30, seems little the worse for it.

Given the current predominance of damnable boy bands, the Britpop mid-90s are beginning to seem like a halcyon period for English music. It was a time when the underground went overground, and a self-described "little punk band" like Elastica could sell 80,000 albums in a week.

More than a few loser guitar groups saw Britpop as a licence to print money, but Elastica, led with cool elan by the androgynous Frischmann, were one of its gems. The Blur connection was a marketing godsend (Frischmann and Albarn met on the London indie circuit, she as guitarist in an early line-up of Suede and girlfriend of frontman Brett Anderson, he as a cherubic baggy hopeful), yet the spiky-haired Elastica LP embodied that euphoric time like nothing else.

Frischmann, guitarist Donna Matthews, drummer Justin Welch and bassist Annie Holland were unprepared for the album soaring to number one in its first week. When they signed their record deal, Frischmann, whose great-grandfather was a conductor of the Tsar's orchestra at the Summer Palace in Byelorussia, was five years into an architecture degree at London University. A liberal north London Jewish upbringing - her engineer father built the Oxford Street landmark Centrepoint - had instilled expectations of success, but the reality of being photographed in the supermarket and having her rubbish stolen was a shock. Fiercely independent, she also resented her unsought role as half of Britpop's First Couple.

There was more. Two of Frischmann's musical heroes, The Stranglers and Wire, decided that two Elastica songs were suspiciously similar to two of their own tracks, and won royalties. Meanwhile, there were malicious rumours that Albarn had done much of the work on the record. He hadn't, but he did find Justine's success in America, where she was substantially out-selling Blur, hard to endure.

"It was very hard for him to deal with and he's very confrontational," she says, with the flattering openness of someone who prefers interviews to be more like conversations. She admits she often says too much, but in an era of image control and spin, her honesty makes her a one-off. Not that she's likely to land herself in it too badly - she possesses the intellectual ammunition to look after herself, which must have been instrumental in attracting two of rock's more articulate stars, Albarn and Anderson.

She's been accused of being a professional rock girlfriend, though it was probably they who were lucky to get her. She spent the cab ride over reading the Sylvia Plath letters in Monday's Guardian, and muses on the irony of the poet's subjugating herself to Ted Hughes when she was the more gifted. (Her new boyfriend, by the way, is an unknown photographer, "though that'll probably change, because men seem to get famous when I go out with them".)

"I reacted the way a lot of women do, by being passive," she continues. "He put a lot of pressure on me to give up Elastica. He said, 'You don't want to be in a band, you want to settle down and have kids.' " In so many words? "In so many words. He kept putting on pressure till I started to believe him." She adds bemusedly: "I've met his new girlfriend, and one of the first things she said was that he wanted her to give up travelling with her work to stay home with the baby [Missy, born last autumn]. I'm surprised he's got away with being thought of as a nice person for so long."

After 18 months, during which they did seven American and three Japanese tours, Elastica came off the road to record company demands for an immediate second album. Annie Holland's response was to quit the group, while Donna Matthews became renowned for hard partying on the nocturnal west London scene. They lethargically recorded some demos, but their heart wasn't in it. By 1997, when a second album should have been ready to go, Frischmann and Matthews were barely speaking, and there was nothing useable down on tape.

Holland's replacement, Sheila Chipperfield (of the circus Chipperfields), was deemed not good enough and left by mutual consent. By 1998, their continued lack of productivity was being likened to the Stone Roses' lengthy and ultimately self-destructive holiday between their first and second LPs.

"I didn't think Elastica were going to continue at that point, and we did kinda split up," she says, absently stroking her publicist's cat. Frischmann is a cat person; she's owned a tabby called Benjamin since she was 10. "Unconditional love," she coos. The pet's place in her life is so assured that prospective boyfriends are subjected to his feline scrutiny before she'll go out with them.

On top of everything else, in early 1998 her relationship with Albarn was in trouble. Frischmann retains enough of the indie ethic to detest the phenomenon of celebrity couples, and was dismayed when they became one. "I really hated the tabloid interest, and I went out of my way not to be photographed with him. Only about three pictures of us together exist, I think. In many ways, I think the media interest broke us up, because it made me feel the relationship was quite ugly, and I had to get away from it. There were other factors, too, obviously, because we were together for eight years, and I finally felt it was better the devil you didn't know, really."

Albarn's ego seems to have been severely undermined by having a girlfriend who was nearly as successful as he was, and something of a sex symbol to boot. Despite adopting a resolutely boyish T-shirt-and-jeans uniform, she's thoroughly feminine, a mix that got her voted fifth most fanciable woman in a lesbian magazine.

"I'm completely heterosexual, so I didn't know how to take that. It scares the shit out of me, the idea of being with a girl. I'm glad I've narrowed it down to half the people in the world."

She seems to view Albarn with indulgent exasperation these days, simultaneously praising his intelligence ("The Gallaghers just couldn't compete") and ticking off his flaws. "Damon adores being in the press, and sees all press as good press. He orchestrated that rivalry thing with Oasis. He really wanted kids, and I didn't feel our relationship was stable enough. He was a naughty boy, and he wasn't the right person to have kids with. I had this cathartic moment..."

At which point they split up. Albarn wrote 13 and then met Suzi Winstanley, an artist. "She was pregnant within three months," Justine observes wickedly.

Of the acclaimed 13, she's tactful, describing several songs as "really lovely". She studies her cigarette for a while before adding, "but I'm cynical about selling a record on the back of our relationship". But you're doing the same now. "It's true, but at the time I had no right of reply."

Elastica finally pulled themselves together last year, just as the music industry was about to write them off (their American label had already "very kindly let us go", as she puts it). Holland rejoined, Matthews went to Wales to sort out her life and the band banged out an EP and played the Reading Festival. Things came together quickly after that. They spent the last £10,000 of the recording budget on re-recording a dozen tracks, finishing the album, after years of procrastinating, in six weeks. They've called it The Menace "because that's what it was like to make".

It's dark and resolutely uncommercial - all wrong for 2000's pop-oriented climate. It's unlikely to match the success of the first one, which is fine with them. Call it (though Justine doesn't) their White Album. Its 70s punk aesthetic brings to mind angry girls such as the Slits and the Au Pairs, although the defining mood isn't anger so much as catharsis. None of the songs is specifically about Albarn, she claims. "The dark feeling is due to the sense of isolation, tasting success and getting frightened by it. I was questioning whether I wanted to be in a band any more, and there was no one I could ask for advice. Getting success and everything you ever dreamed about is hard to handle, and makes you question everything."

She's better prepared for success, if it comes again, this time. Already the privacy-preserving barriers are in place. The next interview of the day is with Time Out magazine, which wants a list of her favourite restaurants. "I'm not telling them where I eat," she says reflexively. "I'm gonna lie."

[issaxcharlie]

Always You

Pairing: Charlie Gillespie x Fem Reader

Summary: {We Play Pretend Series} Charlie decides to stop overthinking and finally proposes to his best friend at his very own way.

Songs Used: Black and White by Niall Horan and I’ll Follow You by Echosmith

Word Count: +2k

Charlie finally finishes preparing the fire as Y/N comes out of the tent in his orange hoodie, one of his bandanas adorning her high ponytail. Her dazzling smile blanks him for a few seconds, and the day he asked her to be his girlfriend for the first time appeared on the back of his head.

He was maybe even more nervous than he is right now, and he blurted out the question without realizing it. It wasn't until Y/N jumped into his arms and pressed her lips against his that he finally understood what was happening. That day was the happiest day of his life, but then it was overcome by the day their paths crossed again, then by the day they became a couple again, then by the day they moved in together, and if everything goes well, now it will be overcome by this one. He smiles fondly at the memories. One thing is for sure, with Y/N everything always gets better.

She sits next to him, reaching out to sink her face into her boyfriend's neck. When he suggested for them to take a little camping trip before they returned to Canada for the holidays, she said yes without hesitation. First of all, because she loves to experience moments like this with him. Memories of all the times they camped in the Gillespie's backyard when they were children lighting up her heart. And secondly, because she knows that he needs the peace and calm that being here gives him, after all, she has no doubt that Charlie has planned to propose to her during the trip back home.

“Did you enjoy the day? I know you wanted to rest before the trip, it means a lot to me that you agreed to come.” He confessed while wrapping his arm around her, lifting the hoodie slightly to caress the sensitive skin on her waist.

“Char, we spent hours blasting our favorite albums, we elegantly ate ridiculously delicious gas station hotdogs, you spilled the soda down your pants which was quite entertaining, and now I'm under the stars by your side on a beautiful night. If you ask me, this is the perfect day.” She declares without hesitation, raising her head a little to give him a soft kiss in his jawline.

Charlie blushes, happiness flooding his soul just as always with his precious girl. “I couldn’t agree more. Everyday I get to spend with you is a perfect one.” She smirks at his words, her raised eyebrow indicates she's ready to fight him.

"Oh yeah? Even the time I convinced you that Santa was obviously born in Canada and we searched for his house all over the city?" He snorts thinking about two really small ten year olds doing mischief around the town.

"You had very convincing arguments. Shame our parents didn’t think the same and punished us for a month."

“It’s not really punishment if we get to spend it together anyways.” Y/N added, remembering all the hours of fun they managed to have in the Gillespie’s leaving room.

"They had no other choice, we were attached by the hips. I mean, we tried to elope and live in the park a year earlier just because we were sick of saying goodbye every night.” Charlie reminds her while breaking into laughter.

“Mom had to convince us to come back, telling us that one day we could get married and be together in a way nicer place than the park. And you didn’t believe her because what could be nicer than the park?” Y/N recalls, the image of their 9 year old selves swinging with their backpacks full of important prized possessions like Charlie's collection of rocks or Y/N’s toy microphone making them laugh.

“She had to explain to me everything about that marriage thing she was talking about on the way home.” Charlie says with a smile.

“And then you propose a few days later in your backyard, with a red ring pop and a beautiful original song you played on your guitar.” She hugs him tightly, giving him a sweet kiss on the cheek.

“I was nine, I'm sure it wasn’t beautiful. It probably didn't even make sense. But, I wrote it with a lot of love, just for you to eat the ring five minutes later.” He calls her out, sticking out his tongue in a playful way.

“And I’ll do it again.” He pretends to be offended but Y/N just needs to kiss him and whisper that she loves him against his lips for him to smile again. “We were quite intense children, huh?”

His eyes light up, and he winks cheekily. “We still are.”

Charlie gently kisses her hair and gets up to take his guitar, meanwhile she sits a little further away from him to give him enough room to play, and he tries to control the shaking of his hand while playing a soft sound he has been working on.

Once he finally calmed down a little, he starts to play the song he drove so far away to play, deciding it’s time. “That first night we were standing at your door, fumbling for your keys, then I kissed you. Ask me if I want to come inside, 'cause we didn't want to end the night. Then you took my hand, and I followed you.” Y/N had never heard that song before, which immediately surprises her because they live together, how come she never heard it? She puts attention to the lyrics and realizes he is talking about the night they became a couple again, after the Stand Tall presentation.

“Yeah, I see us in black and white, crystal clear on a star lit night, In all your gorgeous colors, I promise that I'll love you for the rest of my life. See you standing in your dress, swear in front of all our friends there'll never be another. I promise that I'll love you for the rest of my life.” Then everything clicks. How nervous he has been all day, his "sudden" desire to camp before the holidays, the eyes full of emotion with which he has looked at her all night. And suddenly this day is even more perfect than she ever believed it could be.

“Now, we're sitting here in your living room, telling stories while we share a drink or two. And there's a vision I've been holding in my mind, we're 65 and you ask when did I first know?" Tears begin to fall down her cheeks, the purest smile she has ever had stuck on her face. “I always knew.” They whisper at the same time in a broken voice, Charlie trying very hard not to cry at their matched answer so he can finish the song.

“I want the world to witness, when we finally say I do. It's the way you love, I gotta give it back to you. I see us in black and white, crystal clear on a star lit night, In all your gorgeous colors. I promise that I'll love you for the rest of my life.”

He finishes the song, puts down the guitar while taking a deep breath and kneels carefully in front of her. “It has always been you. It was you when we were 8 years old and only you could borrow my best crayons, It was you when we were 16 and I learned to drive because you had no one to take you to your auditions, and It was you when we were 22 and I asked you to move in with me because I couldn’t stand be apart from you again. You are the only one with whom I feel as ecstatic as when I jump into the sea, and all you have to do is look at me to achieve it. You are light, Y/N. This beautiful bright star that for some reason, always chooses me. I love you so much, beautiful. You are the love of my life, It will always be you.”

She can't stop the tears falling down her face, her hand lovingly caressing the cheek of the man in front of her. "Y/N Y/L, will you marry me?" She doesn’t give him time to react and joins their lips hard, trying desperately to make him feel everything she is feeling in those moments. He responds fervently, taking her with one hand firmly by the thigh while with the other caresses her neck, confidently putting his hand inside the hoodie.

She bites his pouty lower lip to smoothly slide her tongue, and he strokes her breasts gently before removing his hand from the collar of her clothing. When they finally separate to breathe, Y/N's eyes move to what Charlie is holding in front of her, a precious ring dangling from a golden chain that she has apparently been wearing as a necklace for who knows how many hours.

“Yes, yes, yes. I would always choose you Char.” Y/N gets up and helps Charlie to his feet, only to pull him close and bring his body against hers, her hands entwining in his hair while his arms wrap around her hips. His face shining with happiness. “The necklace was a smart move. Since when have I been wearing it?” She asks while staring deeply at his dazzling green eyes.

“You are unable to keep a ring on your finger for more than three days, there was no other option. I put it on after you fell asleep on the road.”

"This is the first time you managed to fool me. I totally thought you were going to propose in Canada."

“I know it wasn't glamorous but-”

“Shh, it was perfect. The song is beautiful, the ring looks just as I always dreamed of and you are all I want and more. I have never been happier. Heck, you could have asked me this morning while we were in our pajamas watching cartoons and I would have cried with joy anyway. Char, you're everything I need.” He kisses her deeply, releasing all the emotions that had had him stressed throughout the day, enjoying the company of his future wife and the way that only she knows how to melt him.

He lets go briefly to search something in his phone, and the melody he just played starts to fill the comfortable silence.

“It’s my favorite song already.” She whispers against his lips, a small smile in the corner of her mouth.

“It’s all yours, just like me.” Both laugh at how cheesy it sounded, dancing in each other's arms under the stars. Silently thanking God for having found their soulmate in this life.

Although he swears he has enough energy to dance the night away, after an hour Y/N notices just how tired Charlie actually is, and drags him to the tent to get some rest.

“Baby, I’m okay. I want to celebrate all night with you.” He whispers in her ear, catching her by the waist the moment she leans his head against the pillow to prevent her from getting up.

“Easy there, tiger. You can't even keep your eyes open. You drove nonstop for hours without complaining once just because you know I don't like driving. You did the hardest work with the tent and the fire, plus all the time we spent hiking. You need to rest.” His grasp on her loosens and she moves quickly to his side. He turns over his shoulder and leans on her chest, wrapping his arm around her waist.

She smiles at the sight and starts to softly play with his curls while singing him to sleep. “I fell in love at first sight, green eyes that fix it all. Your heart, it feels it all.” All the times she seeked the comfort in his beautiful eyes during the years replaying in her head. The way they shined with love and confusion that first day at the jatp bootcamp replaying in her mind.

“And I, I can't believe that you're mine.” She lets go of his hair to admire the ring around her neck with more attention, but his hand instantly reaches for hers and puts it back on his hair, making her chuckle. “You take away every breath. I can't believe I'm still speechless.” She whispers, planting small kisses on his hair, inhaling the scent of his shampoo as she wraps him in her arms.

“Charles Gillespie, It will always be you.”

Thanks for reading ✨

Taglist: @writerinlearning @strangerthanfanfiction713, @thebloodthirstyvampress @kinda-really-lost, @kcd15 @magnet-girl @aliandthephantoms, @stxrkspidey, @pinkrockstar19, @s0uz4s, @shycupcakealissa @cookiebuba, @fangirlangioma, @sageellsworth05 @twist3dtinkerbell @sunsetcurvenotsunsetswerve @caitsymichelle13, @ifilwtmfc, @bibliophilewednesday, @totomoshi, @siennanoelle01 @lunashadow6955 @bookfrog247, @morganayennefertyrell, @kiss-themoongoodbye, @rachelle3musicals, @imsydneywalker @really-dont-forget-it @agentstarkid @talksoprettyjjx @kaitieskidmore1 @lukeys-giggle @katie-navarro @crybabyddl @cocopuffs0211 @marvel-ousnesss @blackhood5sos @dpaccione @tuttigunner @calamitykaty @owensgoathat @magicalxdaydream @sunsetcurvej @ss-tipton @rangerelik @badwolf00593 @fobobozobo @justalittleweirdoo

[kisskeiji]

7. Lottery.

Lost & Found.

WARNINGS: mentions of alcohol and smoking, like one mention of sex (i think) and atsumu being sentimental. 

  Winter was your favorite season. You would always stay in for the holidays and spend the winter break at home. Iwaizumi never understood why you enjoyed sleeping with nothing but your underwear  and a pair of fuzzy socks if you were going to sleep with three covers anyway, you loved the cold and everything that came with it. Your wardrobe was always full of sweaters and coats and your shared apartment was carefully decorated with things you collected over the years. 

Now they remained in the box where you left them the last christmas you spent with him, untouched, since he wasn’t one to celebrate especially now that he is spending the season by himself, refusing to go home with Hanamaki. He still missed you and he tried to do everything he could to get you out of his mind, he even worked on Christmas day but couldn’t stop thinking about you and how you would be wandering around the kitchen cooking dinner for your friends, but he ruined it. You weren’t with him and it was all his fault and he hated it. 

There was no one else to blame, but his pride and jealousy tried to blame you too, convincing himself it was your fault too for running away, for not facing him, for moving on before him. Ever since he called you that night and another guy answered the phone his chest tightened to the thought of you with another man. His friends tried to set him up with several women but he never caved in, he didn’t wanted to give himself another chance, he wanted you, and if he couldn’t have you then there was no other person for him, you were the one, and he knew that since you started dating but he gave in to his selfish needs. 

It was New Year’s Eve and his boss urged him to take a break. He had no other plans, he called his parents and texted his best friends wishing them a happy New Year because he was going to sleep early that night. Someone knocked on the door when he was on his way to the shower. Hanamaki and Matsukawa greeted him when he opened the door.

“At least act like you are glad to see us.” Matsukawa said.

“I thought you guys were in Miyagi.” 

“Yeah, but we knew you were going to mope around all day so we came to see you.” Hanamaki sat on the couch.

“Iwaizumi-san!” Kindaichi entered the apartment along with Kunimi and Watari. 

“You guys too?” He asked, hugging all of them, his mood slowly getting better.

“Yahaba and Kyotani are coming too.” Watari informed him before walking to the kitchen to drop the bags of takeout they all brought. “We thought a team reunion would pick you up.” 

“You didn’t have to, guys.” Iwaizumi took his laptop and a few papers that were on the coffee table to make some room. 

“But you need it.” Kunimi said with evident concern. Iwaizumi’s expression softened and his eyes watered, still wishing you were there but certainly not alone anymore, his friends still cared for him. 

“Don’t tell me you are crying!” Matsukawa teased him with an arm around his shoulders. 

“Of course not, you idiot, I’m just happy you are all here.” Everyone laughed at him, the ever so indifferent Iwaizumi almost crying was a rare sight, but warmth ran through everyone’s veins in that moment. 

Just like Watari promised, Yahaba and Kyotani joined shortly after, with tons of beer and baked goods Kyotani cooked for everyone. Hours passed, sharing laughs and reminiscing their high school days, the alcohol started to get the best of them, even Kunimi was cracking jokes every now and then, a few cigarette ends scattered around the table and empty plates piled on the sink. Iwaizumi laid back on the couch and stared at the ceiling, longing for something. 

“Makki told me you tried to call her.” Matsukawa said casually, lighting another cigarette. Iwaizumi sighed and looked at him inhale the smoke.

“I did, but we didn’t talk.” Matsukawa raised an eyebrow. “A guy picked up the phone and I hung up.”  Iwaizumi heard a ‘tsk’ from Matsukawa.

“That’s tough. But she has never mentioned anything about dating when we talk, maybe it was just a friend.” Issei reasoned and Iwaizumi nodded, still unsure.

“Have you seen her recently?” Iwaizumi asked. 

 “We went out the last time she went to Miyagi a few weeks ago. My girl loves her.” Matsukawa took out his phone from the back of his pocket and tapped the screen a few times before showing a picture of his girlfriend and you at some bar, smiling brightly at the camera, cheeks flushed and drinks on the table. Iwaizumi smiled to himself, you looked beautiful yet different, a different kind of light shined in your eyes. “She’s doing great.” 

“I miss her.” Words weren’t enough to describe how much he was hurting.

“I know, but you need to get over her, she already figured things out, you can’t hold to the past any longer. What you did was dick move, but give yourself a chance, you don’t have to date right now but try to get yourself out there, have fun and please get some. I’m begging you.” The last comment earned him a smack on the back of his head from Iwaizumi. 

“How do you know I’m not getting any? You don’t live here anymore.” Iwaizumi questioned. 

“Because Makki won’t stop bitching about your attitude.” Matsukawa explained and brought the cigarette back to his lips and laughed at Iwaizumi’s frown, exhaling the smoke in the opposite direction of his friends. “It’s almost midnight.” He announced. 

“Yeah you are right.” Iwaizumi looked back at the rest of the guys currently crowding his living room, smiling to himself once again. “Thanks.” He paused and looked at the former middle blocker. “For this, I mean, I really needed it.”

“Always.” Matsukawa gave him a pat on his shoulder and smiled, he still had hope for Iwaizumi and he wished nothing but the best for his friend, even if you were not together anymore, both of you deserved to be happy. 

*

Meanwhile in some five star hotel in Tokyo, you struggled to check-in, with a small suitcase and a dress bag hanging on your shoulder, you tried to make the receptionist understand you were part of the required staff for the night and not a reporter trying to get in, but you forgot your team ID. Hideko was nowhere to be seen and none of your higher ups were staying at the same hotel. You were screwed until someone could prove you were in fact working that night and you were losing precious time to get ready, you had less than 6 hours before the party started. 

“Is there a problem?” You heard someone ask from behind you. Meian and his girlfriend walked to the counter and the receptionist’s attitude changed instantly, he explained the situation politely to the two of them while sparing you a nasty side eye when they referred to you. 

“Meian-senshu, please tell them I work with you, they won’t let me check-in and I forgot my ID. My name is on the reservation but they refuse to give me my room.” You pleaded, your dress bag feeling heavier with every minute. 

“Y/N does work with the Black Jackals, I assume you know who I am, please let her in, she’s coming to the party too.” He pointed at the access pass on your wrist. 

“I’m really sorry, ma’am, I will register you right now.” The receptionist typed quickly and gave you the room key. Sighing heavily you thanked Meian for his help as he checked-in himself. His girlfriend started a small chat with you about what you would wear tonight, she was really excited to wear her gown and complemented yours.

“You are going to break hearts tonight, Y/N!” She teased. 

“Well if your dress is how I imagine it is then Meian-senshu is taking two awards tonight.” 

“You are not wrong.” Meian added, sneaking his arm around her waist and passed her the key. “Eleventh floor.” He said as she held the card. “Atsumu isn’t here yet?” He asked and you shrugged. 

“I don’t know, I’ve been here for a good thirty minutes and I didn’t see him come in.” You explained. “Bokuto is not here either.” Meian hummed.

“I’ll give them a call before we go up to our room, they are always late to these things.” 

“They are always late.” You corrected him and he laughed. “See you at the party.” You said before making your way to the elevator, wanting nothing but to get to your room and take a shower. 

Your room was rather big, but definitely not a suite, there were two beds, a desk and a closet right beside the bathroom door, and you had a really nice view of the city. Once you hung up your dress you walked to the window and stared at the city, the sunset claiming the sky and the city lights started to shine brighter. You missed Tokyo. Is not like Osaka was boring or anything, but Tokyo brought memories from your first days of college and all the friends you left behind. Sighing, you turned back and opened your suitcase to get the things you needed to shower and get ready.  

You styled your hair right after showering and did your makeup heavier than usual, you needed to be ready at least two hours before the actual party to have a small meeting with Hideko and the other teams management and make it in time for the red carpet. Struggling to zip your dress by yourself and accepting that you got half a size too small with your shoes again, you were at the door adjusting your earpiece, holding your clutch bag under your arm just in time to meet Hideko and the Jackals assistant coach in the elevator. “The red carpet shouldn’t take long, I’m trying to call everyone so they can get in at once, Y/N I’ll leave them to you.” Hideko ran you through. “Two minutes on the mark, two or three questions and done, you get in once they are all set.” 

“Got it.” You assured her.

“Great.” She sighed in relief. “There’s an after party tomorrow, the big boss wants to have brunch with everyone.” She emphasized the word ‘brunch’ to make it sound fancier and she rolled her eyes. “It is mandatory.” She said before you could ask. 

“I’ll be there then.” The door opened and you stepped out to meet a few people that told you the same thing Hideko said earlier, you talked to some acquaintances from other teams that were told to manage the red carpet along with you. 

“I’m going to strangle them, every single one of those volleyball players.” Hideko gripped her phone in her hands and you laughed. “They are all going to be late.” She massaged her temples and stomped her heels loudly, you could tell her stress was getting the best out of her. “Can you call Atsumu? I’m sure he’ll pick up if he sees it is you.” You complied to her request and dialed Atsumu’s number and turned the speaker on. After three rings he greeted you. 

“Hey, beautiful.” Your cheeks turned pink at the nickname.

“You can flirt later, Romeo, now tell me why you won’t pick up your damn phone.” She gritted her teeth and you cringed. She walked away with your phone as she gave Atsumu instructions to gather all of his teammates and meet her at the lobby. She gave you back your phone and practically ran to the lobby to wait for them. You decided to kill time talking to some people from the event management. After twenty minutes or so, the reporters and paparazzis were lined up in front of the step and repeat and you heard Hideko calling you from your earpiece. ‘They are ready, we go first. I’ll send them one by one, remember, they go first and then their plus one.’ 

You got yourself in position to receive the players, Inunaki was the first to walk in, you smiled at him and walked right behind him, setting him on the mark and stepping aside to let the photographers do their job. Repeating the same process with everyone from the team and their partners, you were ready to set the last three players, Atsumu, Bokuto and Sakusa. 

“You look so good, Y/N!” Bokuto exclaimed when he saw you, Akaashi trailing behind. 

“You two look amazing too!” You checked their outfits up and down. Both of them had tuxedos, Bokuto wore a dark grey suit that matched his hair and Akaashi a classic jet black, hair slicked back and their colognes mixed if you were standing too close.

“Akaashi helped me with my tie.” He said proudly and looked at his boyfriend who smiled back at him. 

“Are you alright?” Akaashi asked. 

“I must look rough, huh?” You chuckled and he rolled his eyes. “My shoes are killing me and I walked on this carpet twenty times already, I don’t think I’ll make it to the end of the night.” You held Bokuto’s bicep. “You ready?” You asked and they both nodded and you guided them to the marks on the step and repeat, Bokuto answered all of the questions cheerfully, excited for his nominations. Once he was done and you were at the entrance, Akaashi tapped your shoulder and made you look back. 

You saw Atsumu talking with Sakusa, their tall figures standing out from the crowd of distressed staff surrounding them, you made sure Bokuto and Akaashi were in before walking to them. Atsumu noticed you coming up to him and shamelessly checked you out —you weren’t that subtle either— smiling brightly once you were in front of him. “Who wants to go first?” You asked. 

“I’ll do it, I want to get over with this as soon as possible.” Kiyoomi huffed, taking his mask off and throwing it in the nearest trash can. “Let's go.” As always you walked him to the mark and waited for him to answer a few questions. Kiyoomi was a great actor, his stance and expression changed as soon as he faced the interviewers, answering calmly and politely. Atsumu was laughing his ass off, knowing that his friend was most likely planning how to get away from the ceremony, maybe faking a headache or even a fainting. You signaled Atsumu to start walking as Sakusa said his goodbyes to the press, you stepped back when Atsumu made it to the white cross mark on the floor and announced you were done with the red carpet on your radio. 

All of the reporters called for Atsumu, yelling questions and complimenting him, he smiled lazily with his hands in his pockets. 

“No plus one tonight, Miya?”  Atsumu laughed at the question.

“My mom was busy” A few of them laughed with him, but it was barely noticeable, the sounds of clicks and flashes from the cameras filled the area. 

“A young man like you showing alone at these events is hard to believe, you sure you don’t have a special someone, Miya-senshu?” 

Atsumu looked at you for less than a second and you saw clearly how his smile widened. “Maybe next time, guys.” He said, looking at you once again waiting for his queue to go, you nodded and he made his way to the main entrance, you following behind. “You look stunning, by the way.” He said as he walked past you when you held the door open for him to get in, you stared at his back until he was out of sight. Hideko dismissed you after that, so you could enjoy the party with the rest of the staff, she promised to join you later to have a drink because according to her, you deserved it. 

The rest of the teams invited to the ceremony were still coming in, but the salon was already filled with people, from sponsors to team owners, and some volleyball legends you recognized from the countless rambles Bokuto and Atsumu absorbed you in. It was different, it felt different, it wasn’t until that moment you realized the turn your career took after joining the team, it was crazy to think that you were part of this world now. A few taps on your shoulder were enough to snap you back to reality, Aran and Hana greeted you warmly and they looked amazing with Aran’s tie matching Hana’s red dress. “I think I’ll never get used to this.” She said and you agreed. Aran got abducted by some other players and you were left alone with her, the bar was conveniently close to you, so you opted to get something to drink to start the night. “Where’s Atsumu?” She asked. 

“I have no idea, he walked in and I lost him, maybe with the rest of the team” You pointed to a table near the center where most of the team members sat, waiting for the ceremony to start. He was indeed sitting with coach Foster and Barnes, laughing fondly and having their first glass of wine. You smiled to yourself in satisfaction, everything was going well, and hopefully everyone would take an award home. 

“That man over there is totally checking you out.” Hana said and you turned your head back to see her. “To your left.” As soon as you looked where she told you, you felt your soul leave your body and come back right after. 

“I’ll be back in a second.” You announced and walked towards the man that was ‘totally checking you out’. “Don’t you know staring is rude?” 

“Oh shut up, I couldn’t recognize you from here.” He defended himself. “I forgot my glasses at home.” You hugged him.

“You’ll  never learn.” Giggling he nudged your shoulder and stepped back to have a better view of your face. “My friend thought you were checking me out.” 

“Come on, I have higher standards.” He teased. “Where 's Bokuto? He said to meet him here earlier.” 

“He’s with the team, over there.” You pointed with your head and he hummed when he saw the grey haired man standing next to his boyfriend, talking with people you didn’t knew. You caught a glance of his smirk before he said:

“Does everyone here greet you with death stares or is it only that guy walking over here?”  Kuroo asked. You turned your head back to see Atsumu approaching you, pushing past all the people that tried to intersect him on his way to you. 

“Hey, uh, Hideko is looking for you.” He lied, you looked at him weird, you were pretty sure that Hideko was busy talking with the event management. 

“That’s weird, she would’ve rang me if she needed me.” You said showing your radio. Picking up on his jealousy tantrum by the way he was standing protectively in front of you, you grabbed his arm and pushed him to the side and made him turn around. “Kuroo, this is Miya Atsumu. Tsumu, this is my best friend Kuroo, the one I talked you about before.” Atsumu’s frown softened a bit but he was still suspicious — and jealous— about Kuroo and his smug grin. 

“Kuroo Tetsuro, I work with the institution.” He extended his hand and Atsumu did the same. 

“When you say it like that you almost sound important.” You mocked.

“That’s because I am important, baby.” Kuroo said, knowing exactly what he was doing by using that pet name. “Now, I’ll leave you both to it, I need to talk with Bokuto.” He excused himself and you were left alone with Atsumu, with your hand still on his arm, you walked him to the bar  where Hana waited for you.

“What was that about?” You asked. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, I saw a suspicious man near you and I thought you needed help.” He shrugged. 

“Yeah, right, there’s nothing suspicious about Kuroo, he’s an idiot, don’t mind him.” You reassured him. “That was my best friend, not a man checking me out.” You said to Hana when you made it back to her side.

“He looks like a pervert.” Hana admitted. 

“See? I’m not the only one who thought there was something wrong with him.” Atsumu looked at you with wide eyes. The lights dimmed and the last call before the ceremony started was heard. “This is going to start soon, let’s take our seats.” You accompanied Hana to the Red Falcons table and then headed to your team’s seats with Atsumu’s hand in yours at all times, unbuttoning his jacket he sat right beside you.

“Are you nervous?” You asked him. 

“Not in the slightest.” He lied to you for the second time that night. He was terrified, he didn’t wanted to lose the award, especially in front of you.  

“I hope you prepared an acceptance speech.”  He sighed soundly and squeezed your hand. 

“No need, Tobio-kun is here, that award is his.” He sounded defeated, it was your turn to give his hand a squeeze. While you knew many sides of Atsumu he didn’t show often, you weren’t familiar with his pessimist persona, it was a sight you didn’t like at all, defeat wasn’t a good look on him. 

“Stop that, award or not, you are still one of the best setters in the country and no one can change that.” He let go of your hand to call the waiter to get you whatever you wanted to drink, whining for your long forgotten gimlet you left behind when you were talking to Kuroo, you asked for water. “You made me waste a drink.”

“I didn’t do anything, you are the forgetful one here.”  Your banter was cut short by Adriah’s voice, the ceremony started without the two of you noticing. 

“It’s an honor to be hosting the twenty-seventeen Volleyball Association Awards. Tonight the best players of all three divisions will be rewarded for their performance during the last two seasons. How are you feeling tonight, Komori?” Adriah looked at the EJP Raijin’s Libero. 

“Thank you for that introduction, Adriah, and I’m really excited to see who will win in each category, and speaking of, our categories for tonight are: coach, setter, middle blocker, wing spiker and libero of the year; best captain, and best new comer.” A screen behind both hosts showed the nominations at the same time Komori listed them. 

“Both men's and women’s leagues will be presented by our wonderful co-hosts, let’s get started with our first nomination, we leave you with Tsukasa Iizuna from the Deseo Hornets.” Adriah and Komori walked out the stage after shaking hands with Iizuna. He introduced the nominees for wing spiker of the year.   

After an hour or so, Inunaki was the only one in the team with an award, sadly Meian lost to Fukuro Hirugami and Suna won best newcomer over Bokuto and Sakusa. “Presenting the setter of the year nominees, Kanoka Amanai, wing spiker of the women’s National Volleyball Team for the 2016 olympics and the Hisamitsu Springs.” Komori introduced a tall girl in a beautiful yellow dress, she smiled nervously and held the envelope with the winner tightly. 

“A lot of people often think that us spikers do all the job at scoring points, but the truth is, that setters are the ones that rule the court from both sides, we wouldn’t be anything without our setters. That’s why I’m honored to present to you the nominees for the setter of the year award.” The screen in the back showed pictures and the names from each nominee, Atsumu’s name right beside Kageyama’s. 

“And the winner is…” Kanoka said, opening the envelope. “Miya Atsumu, from the MSBY Black Jackals.” She read after a few seconds and everyone cheered. Atsumu looked at you with wide eyes and hugged you instinctively. The rest of the team practically dragged him out of his seat to receive his award. He almost tripped trying to hug Aran on his way to the stage but he made it eventually. He took the golden statue in one hand and stood in front of the microphone with his mouth agape and laughing nervously. 

“Wow.” He said, now wishing he prepared an acceptance speech. “This is unbelievable, really. I didn’t expect to win something like this in my first year playing professionally.” He looked at the statue and then back to the crowd. “ Sometimes I push myself too hard for the sake of my team and the weight of losing is always devastating, especially playing this position, but I’m thankful to everyone. My teammates, coach Foster and our management for trusting me and pushing me to do my best. I also want to thank my friends and my brother, who is not here tonight, but he was the best spiker I’ve ever had and the one that trained with me everyday since we were kids, I know he is going to see this, so, thank you ‘Samu, I wouldn’t be here without you.”  He was talking really fast and barely breathing. “This means a lot to me, thank you so much.” He finished and the crowd cheered for him, your table was the loudest of them all. 

He walked back to his seat where everyone waited to congratulate him but he went straight to you and hugged you again, tighter this time. “I told you that you were going to win. I’m so proud of you.” You said before breaking the hug. 

“Thank you.” His eyes were watery and his lip quivered. You made him turn to celebrate with his teammates before he cried and everyone gave him aggressive pats on his back and teased him for being so cheesy. He was happy. So happy he couldn’t stop smiling even when the ceremony ended. 

The party went on smoothly but it was quite boring, everyone wandered around the room talking and congratulating the winners, you grew tired of following Hideko around, big parties weren’t your thing if you were honest. You excused yourself and found your way to a huge balcony that worked as an outdoor smoking lounge. The cold air against your skin made you regret your decisions but it was too late to back down. You placed your hands on the railing and tried to get used to the freezing weather, looking down, you saw a restaurant across the street, the customers wore hats and drank happily celebrating the new year. Right. It was New Year’s Eve. After your realization you checked the hour. 

11:47 P.M.

“What are you doing here?”  Atsumu asked and closed the door behind him. “I’ve been looking for you.” 

“I needed some air.” You stated. 

“Aren’t you cold?” You felt his breath on your ear and smiled. 

“Not really.” You said turning around. He knew you were lying.“Why are you here? You should be celebrating.” You fixed his tie as you spoke, your eyes met his. Taking a better look of his face you smiled to yourself. Atsumu was stunning. Sure he looked good everyday but tonight it was different, it was maybe the tuxedo  or the victorious smile gracing his face, he was the definition of beauty, in its purest form; happiness. 

“Got bored, and I wanted to ask you something.” He explained and placed his hands on their usual spot on your hips. 

“Oh god, please tell me you are not asking me out on New Year’s Eve.” you hooked your arms around his neck and played with the back of his hair. 

“That’s exactly what I’m doing, now shut up and let me make this special.” He tried to bring you closer to him and looked at the moon for a second. “I know it has been hard for you to give yourself another chance to live your life like you want to, and you don’t know how thankful I am for being a part of it. I also know your last boyfriend was an asshole and hurted you beyond repair” 

“Well that’s a way to put it.” You interrupted him and laughed.

“Let me finish.” He laughed along with you. “I promise you, I will treat you so much better if you let me. I know maybe I’m not what you are looking for but you are all I want.”  He was sincere, you could tell by the way his eyes pierced into you, eagerly waiting for you to say something. 

“I don’t know where you got that from, but you are wrong, ‘Tsumu. You are all I want too.” You looked at him with the same intensity but you had tears in your eyes. He didn’t waste another second and kissed you. It was long, and passionate, and loving. He wanted to tell you everything he couldn’t with that kiss. 

He was yours. 

“Now I’m the real winner tonight.” He joked when he pulled apart. 

“Shut up.” You kissed him again before he could say something stupid. 

“Are we interrupting something?” Aran and Suna peaked from the door. “Get in before the countdown starts.” Suna ordered without waiting for an answer, you did as he said, walking hand in hand with Atsumu, something that wasn’t strange for you but this time it was different, because he was yours. 

You had to walk faster to stand with your friends and some team members and the countdown started. Ten. Everyone chanted excitedly to receive the new year. 

Nine, eight, seven, six.

“Ready?” Atsumu asked, staring at you lovingly. 

Five

“I am. But what if I don’t want this to end?” 

Four

“Too late for that, babe, let’s make the most out of this year too.” He kissed the back of your hand and giggled. “Let’s ditch this party first.”

Three

“Please.” You agreed and looked around to spot your friends standing near you with glasses full of champagne.

Two

He brought you closer to him with his hand on the small of your back, lips painfully close to yours.

One

“Happy new year, Y/N.” 

“Happy new year, ‘Tsumu.”  With that said, he gave you a New Year’s kiss you’ll never forget, once again telling you that he was yours. 

And you were his.

(a/n: look who finally came back!! the worst writer ever. so uhm, i literally have no excuse this time, depression has been kicking my ass lately and i had a huge creative block, there was nothing going on in my head, it was just me and mitski against the world. anyways, there you have it, iwaizumi being miserable and a wholesome seijoh reunion without oikawa because he is booked and busy. ALSO !!! ATSUMU!!! WHAT THE HECK MARRY ME IM SO IN LOVE WITH HIM. and no i don’t know what complying to canon is, im sorry kageyama but it was atsumu’s moment to shine, you’ll get it next year... or not. tell me if you liked this chapter, i love reading y’all. i hope everyone is safe and healthy, remember to take time for yourself and that atsumu is the only man ever!!)

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TAGLIST (closed): @aonenthusiast @wiseeggspickleslime​ @koushisun​ @airheadpillar​ @sunflwrsandprettyskies​ @bbkiyoomi​ @daphnxy​ @shephard17895​ @avatarkyoshithewarrior​ @for-rebloggery​ @vv-bee999-vv vv @fi16ns @asdfghjkl7things @glassykaashi @strawhatshepard @hawkssnugget @msby-kei @toobsessedsstuff @a-moon-fairy @cuteissei @ramblingsofagoofyperson @pinoyrella @kiyoomisimp

[sturchling]

Turn the Page- Final Part

Part One      Part Two

Here is the final part!

So Marinette has decided to attend the Wayne Gala. Will Lila finally be exposed? How will the class react? How will everything end for our favorite designer?

Hope you like it!

Marinette and Chloe were working at a fever pace. Mr. Wayne had agreed to let Chloe coming too. Marinette’s parents were hesitant at first, but eventually relented when they heard that Mr. Wayne had offered to let them stay at his manor while they were in Gotham. Tom and Sabine knew they would be safe there. Chloe had been working with Marinette on their two dresses. Chloe’s dress was a mermaid style golden dress. She had some black shoes and gloves to compliment the outfit as well. She wanted it to be a tribute to her time as Queen Bee. Marinette had decided to make a scarlet cheongsam with some golden and black floral embroidery. Marinette had also snuck in some small ladybugs into the embroidery, as a nod to her superhero identity. Marinette had finished the suits for the Waynes pretty quickly, and had already sent them to Gotham. She would make any final adjustments when she arrived in Gotham.

 -----------------

Time had flown since the original email inviting Marinette to the gala. Marinette had been making plans with Mr. Wayne to reveal her identity at the gala. Before Marinette knew it, the gala was a week away. It was the last day before the winter holidays start. Marinette and Chloe were leaving for Gotham in on Monday. The Gala would be next Friday night. As the two girls sat in the back with Nino and Nathaniel, the rest of class excitedly talked about their plans for winter break. Chloe had been right. The class was planning on meeting to watch the red-carpet of the Wayne Gala. The class was practically buzzing about the show. Mr. Wayne had announced that MDC would be attending the gala and planned to reveal their identity to the public. The MDC website also announced the plan as well. When questioned why her friend suddenly didn’t mind sharing her identity despite the ex-boyfriend situation, Lila said, “Well, she decided to stop living in fear of him. I convinced her that it wasn’t a healthy way to live and that she needed to put herself out there again.” Marinette just rolled her eyes and didn’t say anything. Everything Lila was saying would be revealed as a lie soon anyway. Lila turned to face Marinette and said, “What will you and your friends be doing over the break?” “Chloe and I will be going to visit some friends in America. That is about it.” The class just rolled their eyes. They assumed that Marinette was lying about it because she had no plans. Little did they know that not only did Marinette have plans, but they would be watching her on the TV in a few days.

  -----------------

That next Monday, Marinette and Chloe went to the airport and got on their flight to Gotham. When they arrived, they were met by an older man named Alfred who drove them to the manor. They quickly got settled in. Marinette got to work making the final adjustments for the Waynes’ suits. Afterwards, Chloe and Marinette went sight-seeing throughout Gotham. Jason and Damian had come with them, to make sure they were safe. Chloe and Marinette’s social medias became flooded with pictures of their trip. While they were there, Marinette and Damian became close. Then the night of the gala drew close. Marinette was nervous. She was about to reveal her secret to the world. And she still had a semester to go at school. She knew school would be a lot tougher once her secret was revealed. Lila would be furious, and Marinette had no idea how the class would react.

  -----------------

The day of the gala had finally arrived. Marinette and Chloe were getting ready together. Alfred had gone to drop off the Waynes at the venue and would be coming back to pick up the girls. While they got ready, Chloe was coaching Marinette how to deal with the paparazzi and press that would be on the red carpet. They would also be let into the gala so they could be there for the MDC announcement. Chloe was also going over what Marinette was going to say during the reveal. To say Marinette was nervous was an understatement. Before they knew it, Alfred was there to pick them up and they were on their way to the red carpet.

  -----------------

Meanwhile, in France, the class had gathered at Alya’s home to watch the red-carpet. Everyone was excited to finally see Lila’s friend who was MDC. Lila was talking about how sweet the girl was, and how considerate she was. “MDC even donated to one of the go green charities I work with. She is such a sweetie.” The red-carpet broadcast started and the class waited with anticipation for Lila to point out the girl who was MDC. But Lila made it clear that she was going to leave it a surprise until MDC revealed it later in the night. Imagine the classes’ surprise when they saw Chloe and Marinette arrive in a limo and walk into the gala. They couldn’t believe it. How could those harpies get an invite to one of the biggest social events of the year? Lila was furious. How dare Marinette take the spotlight off her? Lila took the opportunity to make Marinette look worse to the class by asking, “Why did Marinette not tell any of us she would be there? Why didn’t she get us an invite either?” The class quickly was filled with rage at Marinette and was ready to tear her apart.

  -----------------

Back in Gotham, the gala was in full swing. Everyone was having a wonderful time. Even though Marinette was becoming more anxious by the minute, she was still trying to enjoy herself. She and Damian had been dancing together for a while now, when Bruce signaled to Marinette that it was time for the announcement. Chloe gave her a thumbs up and Damian gave her a nudge to the stage. Marinette swallowed her fear and walked towards the stage, waiting for Bruce to introduce her. “May I have everyone’s attention please?” The hall quickly quieted and everyone turned to face Mr. Wayne. “As some of you may know, I had announced that MDC would be here tonight and was planning on revealing themselves to the public. Well, they are here and ready to speak to all of you. Here she is, you all know her as MDC, but I know her as Marinette Dupain-Cheng.” The crowd applauded while Marinette climbed on stage. Cameras were going off all over the room, and Marinette saw all the video cameras and microphones pointed at her. She was incredibly nervous, but knowing there was no going back now, she began to speak. “Good evening. I decided to reveal myself tonight for a few reasons. Firstly, I thought it was time to step into the light, seeing as I am about to graduate. It just seemed like the right time. Secondly, there were some people trying to claim they were me or knew me to get advantages or fame in their life. I do not enjoy liars, especially ones that are lying about me. It has been a rough year, since I started this brand, in my personal life. This work has given me an outlet for all the stress in my life. I am glad that my work has resonated with so many people, all over the world. I am incredibly honored that you all have supported me, gave me work, and helped me to chase my dream. I hope to have many more successful years to come. Thank you.” The crowd applauded again as Marinette left the stage to celebrate with her friends.

  -----------------

Little did Marinette know on the other side of the world; her class was shocked to their core. Marinette was MDC? That doesn’t make sense. Lila said they were best friends, but Lila and Marinette hate each other. And why would Lila call Marinette the sweetest girl in the world? According to Lila, Marinette had been anything but. All of the lies that Lila had told about MDC rang in the ears of the class, as they realized that none of what she had said was true. Lila was fuming. How was Lila supposed to know that Marinette was MDC? She was just going to see who the girl was at the announcement and then claim to have known her all along. Lila could see all her plans falling to pieces. The class also began to realize that if Lila had lied about this, what else had she lied about? Alya discreetly googled some of Lila’s stories, desperately hoping to find some proof. Something to prove she hadn’t been taken in by a trickster. But all Alya found were posts from the Ladyblog. Lila had slipped out of the room, and the apartment while the class stared at the screen in shock. By the time they realized what had happened and went to confront Lila, Lila had already left. The class just sat there horrified as they realized that they had abandoned their friend for some liar with honeyed words. They had pushed away a dear friend and believed the worst in her, with no real proof. Worst of all, Marinette had tried to warn them. She had tried to tell them Lila was a liar from the very beginning and none of them had listened. And now, Marinette was lost to them. They doubted she would want to be friends again after how cruel they were. They eventually all went home, lamenting the lost friendship.

  -----------------

Back at the gala, Marinette had a wonderful night. She danced the night away with Damian and Chloe and spoke with a few reporters about her plans for the brand. She was exhausted by the end of the night, but in a good way. The end of their trip came far too soon, but it was time for Chloe and Marinette to go back to Paris. Before they left, Damian asked Marinette to be his girlfriend. She was flustered, but agreed. Now the two planned to have skype dates as often as possible, until Marinette came back at the next holiday. When the two got back to Paris, they avoided their classmates, hoping to avoid the inevitable confrontation. Whether the class would apologize or attack them, they didn’t know. Eventually though, classes resumed and they had to face the class. When they walked in the class pounced and apologized profusely. Lila sat in the back glaring at the young designer for ruining everything. She had tried to convince her mother to let her transfer schools, but it hadn’t worked. So, now Lila had to sit in this class full of idiots who were mad at her even though they were the gullible ones. Marinette did accept the classes apology, but told them that she wasn’t ready to be friends again. “Will we ever be friends again?” Rose asked in a quiet voice. Marinette answered them honestly, “I’m not sure. You all really hurt me. It will take time. But, maybe someday.” With that, Chloe and Marinette went back to their seats. Mrs. Bustier came in quickly after that and began the lesson.

  -----------------

The semester went by in a flash, and before the class knew it, they had graduated. Things between the class and Marinette were still rocky, but they were at least civil to each other. Lila resented that Marinette had ruined all of her lies in the course of a single evening. But Lila was already planning her next batch of lies for whatever poor fools she met in university. Marinette’s fashion brand was more popular than ever. She actually had to hire other designers to follow her designs, so she could keep up with the commission request. Chloe had taken over management of the business aspect of the brand and managed all the social media as well. Nino was officially Marinette’s personal MC for all of her fashion shows. And she also asked Nathaniel for help coming up with a Miraculous inspired fashion line. She still saw Damian frequently, and after graduation, she moved to Gotham, along with Chloe to set up the first real office for the MDC brand. Marinette and Damian quickly became the power couple of Gotham. Life for Marinette was amazing, and she wouldn’t change it for anything. The times in Mrs. Bustier’s class had been tough, but it made her stronger and turned her into the girl she is today. And she couldn’t be happier with how things turned out in the end.

[broadstflyers]

A/N: Alright, here it is! Chapter two. Thanks for the support on the first chapter! As always, you can add yourself to the tag list for this series or give constructive feedback here. This chapter is still in the past tense. This one is a longer chapter, sorry! Although I have a feeling most chapters will be this long. If you like this series and want to read more, give it a like or reblog or pop into my asks, it encourages me to continue. any feedback is appreciated :)

Word Count: 3.4k

Warnings: None

Summary: They say at fourteen you’re too young to know you’re in love. But what if you aren’t?

Navigation: chapter one

October

Grade: 9

Age: 14

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

Ever since that class, you and Joel became inseparable whenever you were within talking distance. You just seemed to gravitate towards him, and he seemed to do just the same. When you needed a pep-talk before a big test, he was there. Whenever you needed a laugh, he was there. He seemed to just always be there. He even noticed when your hands started to slightly shake before a quiz or test. How would he respond? He’d do what any nice, respectful, and caring teenage boy would do: goof off. The way he did so was completely up to how rambunctious he was feeling that day.

Would he throw crumpled up paper at his friends and just smile as the teacher yelled at him?

Or try and balance the close by meter-stick on his head (that was soon taken away after)?

Or would he possibly take a different turn and re-explain a topic you were still shaky on?

He was just unpredictable in that sense.

Now how were you feeling about this newly kind Joel?

“Your face is the reddest I think I’ve ever seen it,” Luna teased while you both walked out of the classroom after the bell rang, “and if I held up my bright red backpack to it, I don’t know which one would be redder.” She was on a roll that day.

You scratched your eyebrow in a lame attempt to hide your glowing cheeks. See, on that day, Joel decided to calm your nerves by drawing a star on your hand. Yes, your hand. It went sort of like this:

Your right hand was resting on the table so the back of your hand was facing Joel, who was also on your right. He was messing around with an orange marker, threatening to draw it on his friend just a table over.

“Draw one on y/n,” the friend slyly suggested with a devilish smirk. Joel’s eyes widened to the size of hockey pucks and he whipped his head around to look at you. He glanced down at the marker and then regained his cool facial expression.

Meanwhile your blood ran cold and your head started to pound uncontrollably. You glance at Luna and she nods vigorously. You ball your hand into a fist and shakily stick it out, the adrenaline causing your hearing to slightly go. He offers a light smile, and you swear you can see him slightly exhale from relief. He positions the marker in his hand to get a good grip on it, because if he was going to draw on your hand, it had to be perfect.

He rested his hand under yours to hold it steady. Yes, his hand. He cleanly knocked the breath out of your lungs. You could feel the warmth radiate from his hand. He carefully and neatly (well as neat as a fourteen year old boy can) draws an orange star on the center of your balled up fist.

When his hand finally let go of yours, the touch felt too brief but also like forever.

You literally wanted to jump out of your skin. A mix of different colors felt as though they were swirling around your head in an intense blur. You wanted to throw up color and those sickeningly sweet feelings.

At this point, unlike the first time you guys were civil to each other, you surpassed the point of being screwed.

No. As soon as he touched your hand, you knew one thing for certain: you were in love with Joel Farabee.

“Now that’s one perfect good luck charm,” he says with a smirk.

Man, you just wanted to kiss that stupid smirk. That stupid yet adorable smirk….

And that’s how you ended up almost falling over in the hallway with Luna. In the hallway, she takes your hand and looks at the perfectly messy star.

“You’ve got that boy head over heels for you,” she sassed and laughed.

You playfully shoved her, but your heart skipped a beat.

You couldn’t help but wonder, did you really?

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

“LOVE?” Luna practically yelled in your room. Your parents let you guys hang out after school that very same day because it was yet another Friday. Which is how you ended up with Luna screaming at you on your bedroom floor.

“SHHHHH,” you aggressively said as you tried to calm her down. You pointed downstairs to your parents. You had told them earlier that Luna drew the star on, not Joel. They didn’t even know Joel existed.

“Sorry,” she whispered, “but LOVE? You’re in love with him? Are you sure? Aren’t we too young for that? At least, that’s what my mom says.”

You sigh deeply. “Look, I know, Luna. But there’s just something so different about him. Something I can’t explain.”

“Okay, but you also haven’t liked more than two people,” Luna counters, “and we’re fourteen.”

“But have you looked into someone’s eyes before and felt safe? Have you wanted to cling onto them and never let go? You’ve got to listen to me, these feelings are so intense that I want to throw them up in a glittery mess. He runs in circles around my mind 24/7. I wonder how his hugs feel, I wonder how I would act if I met his parents.” You pause for a moment and stare her in the eyes.

“I barely understand how I feel, myself,” you whisper. “I am so screwed, Luna, but I don’t care.”

Her face relaxes and she slowly nods her head. She breaks out into a smile.

“I hear you,” she calmly states as she takes one of your hands. “I will be here with you while we figure this out, okay?”

“Okay,” you nod in a soft whisper tone.

Maybe it was the cumulation of him constantly caring for you in his own way. Maybe it was the way he never made dumb jokes at the expense of your feelings. Maybe it was the way talking to him came so easily and naturally to you, like you’ve known him for lifetimes. Or maybe it was just the fact that you were young, like Luna said.

But you knew deep down you couldn’t wholeheartedly buy into that logic.

Because in the end, you knew you were right.

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

You turned fifteen on November 25, so you’re always exactly three months older than Joel, which he definitely did not appreciate. He found out when the teacher wished you a premature Happy Birthday the day before Thanksgiving Break.

“I cannot believe you,” he said in a mockingly defensive manner.

“Joel, I can’t exactly control when I was born you know,” you jokingly shot back. The playful banter was your favorite part of the day. You’d be lying if you said you didn’t look forward to it now.

“Well, how am I supposed to wish you a happy birthday when we won’t be in class?” He dramatically pouted.

I could give you my number, you thought. You’d never actually say that, though.

Suddenly, he turned and snatched a random piece of paper from one of his friends, and judging by the sharp “Hey!” that came out of the friend’s mouth, it probably was of some sort of importance. He grabbed your pencil and borderline slammed them down in front of you.

“Here, write down your number and all of our problems will be solved.”

Did he just? Did what you think just...happen? Fourteen year old you was absolutely dumbfounded.

“Sure,” you said as nonchalantly as possible, when in reality you were about to black out.

You scribbled down your number and handed it to him.

He opened his mouth to say something, but the bell rang, and you both scrambled for your things in the midst of chaos.

“I will be looking forward to that birthday wish,” you called out as he headed for the door. At first, you didn’t think he heard you, but at the last moment, he turned around and winked before stepping out the door.

You would have melted onto the floor if it wasn’t for Luna squealing in your ear like it was a holiday morning.

November 25 couldn’t come soon enough. Yes, you were excited to turn fifteen, but now you had another reason.

The question was, was that a good thing?

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

November 25

Age: 15

Grade: 9

You woke up on your birthday morning with adrenaline coursing through your veins. After a fun Thanksgiving with family the day before, you were excited to finally celebrate your birthday with just your mom and dad, like you always did.

You’d be lying if you said the first thing you checked was not your phone. But, It was the first thing you reached for on your nightstand. Not your glasses, like normal.

You quickly scrolled through your notifications looking for an unknown number. There’s a text from your aunt, uncle, grandma, grandpa, cousins. Your heart sank when you reached the end. Nothing from him.

You placed your phone down and shook your head to clear out the negative energy that engulfed your body.

It was your birthday, you weren’t going to let anyone ruin this day for you. Even him.

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

It was after dinner, which was your absolute favorite meal. You had gone to the mall with your mom and dad for some birthday shopping, a tradition you were very grateful for.

On the way home, you were happily thinking about the new outfits you were gifted, until your phone buzzed. Your heart quickened.

Luna!!: did he text you yet?

You exhaled sharply.

You: no, he hasnt :(

Thanks for the reminder, Luna.

Luna!!: bummer. i’m sure he will soon.

Luna!!: he’d be an idiot not to, don’t worry, love!

You mindlessly stared out the window of the back seat, hoping the blur of the trees would take your mind off of him.

You could sense your dad glancing at you using the rearview mirror.

You turned to look at him. “What?”

“Everything okay?” He asked.

You plaster a huge smile on your face and say yes, of course, because your parents have done so much for you that day that you should have been fluttering from happiness. You mean, you were happy. You couldn’t have been more thankful. Your heart just yearned for him to fulfill his promise.

Because you didn’t know what school was going to be like if he didn’t, and you weren’t ready to face that reality.

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

That night, you brushed your teeth and got ready for bed. Your heart felt heavier each time you checked your phone and “No Older Notifications” was displayed instead of seeing the one you longed for. You glanced at your clock on your nightstand. The bright red numbers glared at you. It was close to 11:00.

You sighed and spun your phone around in your hands as you thought. Call it delusion, but you refused to put your phone down. You knew he was going to follow through.

Did you know why you knew? Not a clue.

Without warning, your phone vibrated in your hands. You couldn’t have flipped it upright faster if you tried.

Maybe: Joel

Maybe WHO?

Maybe: Joel: Happy birthday math partner 🥳

Maybe: Joel: This is Joel by the way, that’s probably important to add

Maybe: Joel: Although you do only have one amazing math partner

You really thought you died there for a second. They were, like, a handful of words (excluding the Joel part) but they were enough to make you hug your pillow from overload.

You spastically texted Luna.

You: JESFEUN You: HE IFHUHF You: HE TEXTED ME LUNA

She must have been waiting for this text all day, just like you. She responded right away.

Luna!!: YAYAYA WHAT DID HE SAY?

You: Happy birthday math partner with the 🥳 emoji and he forgot to say his name until the second text lmaooo

Luna!!: aww thats so cute! he sounds like he has an empty head but you go hon!!

Luna!!: now text him back idiot before you forget or he goes to bed

You: yep one sec

Your thumbs circled aimlessly around the keyboard. You wanted to say so many things. You settled on this:

You: thanks, math partner :)

You hit send on that, hesitated for a moment, then typed:

You: and yes you’re a pretty great one

You took a deep breath and pressed send. You changed his contact to “Math Partner”

You wanted to throw up, but in a good way? You sighed into your pillow. Almost as quick as you sent it, you felt another buzz.

Your hand shot out to grab your phone.

Math Partner: Hey, anytime you need a star, I’m here

You glanced down at your hand, where the orange star was just a few short days ago. It was gone. You wished it didn’t fade.

You: the orange one has already faded :(

Math Partner: Well, to make up for the late birthday wish, I can give you another one once we go back to school since we have another big test

You nodded vigorously, as if he could see that through the screen.

You: maybe in red this time? it’s my favorite color

Math Partner: Whatever you want, birthday girl

What a simp, you thought. Also, you were surprised you still had a pulse at that point. Birthday girl?

Math Partner: I have to go now, I have hockey super early tomorrow. Goodnight 😁

“Hockey?” you whispered to yourself.

You: yay, thanks :) and goodnight!!

He plays hockey? you thought. Shouldn’t you have known that?

You frantically Facetimed Luna and whisper-yelled every word you two exchanged. Luna beamed with so much happiness that you could have sworn she was getting the guy.

“This is literally the best thing EVER,” she quietly exclaimed.

You just laughed a giddy yet nervous laugh. You still had no clue what was happening, but you were ready to embrace it.

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

January 25

Age: 15

Grade: 9

When the teacher switched around the seating charts during the year, she mostly kept you and Joel within talking distance each time. If that thing about teachers sensing when kids like each other was thought to be true, she definitely proved it to be so.

Thankfully, she kept this trend going when she switched the seats around on Joel’s birthday. She moved you guys back next to each other for the next quarter. Before, she briefly separated you guys for about two weeks (when Joel wouldn’t stop yelling to his other friend who was near him). During that time apart, you both were noticeably droopier and mopier than normal. He still joked with his friends, but you only heard his loud laugh a handful of times instead of….too many.

As for you, some kid you’ve never even talked to asked you if you were okay. The answer was of course no, but you couldn’t say that.

So when the brown haired boy sat down next to you for the first time in two weeks, it felt like the day he drew the star on your hand all over again. You wanted to reach out and hug him so he’d never leave you, much less say something, anything, but you just couldn’t still. Thankfully, he did the talking for you.

“Miss me?” he joked with his trademark smile.

“Very much so,” you said with a balance of sarcasm and lightheartedness. “Happy birthday, by the way.” You lightly shoved him, not entirely knowing where the guts to do that came from.

“Thank you, thank you. Did you get me anything?” he teased. He lightly shoved you back.

Your heart beated frantically. Your impulsivity urged you to do something you never would have a few months ago.

“Actually…” you paused for a moment. He raised his eyebrows. You reached for an orange marker and uncapped it with a pop.

“May I?”

He could hardly believe it.

“Do what?”

You playfully rolled your eyes. “Draw a star, dummy.”

“Ohhhhh,” he said as he connected the dots. He stuck out his clenched fist as he fought back a huge grin.

You couldn’t believe you were actually doing that.

You tucked your hand under his to keep it steady, just like he did with your hand a few months back. You took your time making sure each corner was connected precisely. You also didn’t want to let go of his hand, like, ever.

You finished way too soon for both your likings. You pulled away and closed the cap.

“Happy birthday, Math Partner.”

“Thanks,” he said. He had his eyes glued on the star you just drew. He didn’t even try to fight the grin that was creeping on his face.

Now you were the cause of his smile. Warmth flowed through your body. You just wanted to keep him that happy forever.

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

That night, Luna called you on Facetime because apparently talking about those events in the hallway afterschool wasn’t enough.

“What’s up?” you calmly asked, as if you didn’t know why she was calling.

“What’s up? What do you mean what’s up? I mean, first you lightly shoved him. Yes, I saw that. But then you draw a star on him? I don’t know where this confident you came from, but I am living for it. I am so proud of you,” she sincerely said through a smile.

“Aw thank you, I appreciate it. Yeah, I don’t know either, honestly. He just brings out this good side of me now.”

“I can see that, and I love it. So...” She dragged out the “so,” and that was never a good sign.

“So?” you asked.

“What are you going to do about it?”

“About what?” You played dumb as best you could.

She didn’t buy it. “Oh come on, y/n. You know you love him, why don’t you tell him?”

You shuttered at that idea. By doing that, you risked losing what you’ve created so far. You were texting him roughly once or twice a week at that point about random stuff and talking to him in class every chance you got. Losing that was just something you were not prepared to face. And you told Luna that.

She (mostly) understood.

“I respect that,” she said. “But if you guys don’t hang out in the summer and keep this going, I will kill him.”

You snorted. “Me too, honestly.”

Could you guys keep this going for that long?

Only time would tell, you told yourself.

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

April

Grade: 9

Age: 15

Every time you saw Joel, you came home with a pep in your step. It was like clockwork. You would bounce into the house with a grandiose “Hello Mother” and hum a song stuck in your head. Today it was “Love Story” by Taylor Swift.

“How was your day?” your mom asked with a hint of suspicion. After months of letting your intriguing happiness spell go, it was too obvious for her to ignore.

“Good,” you said. You didn’t really want to tell her much about Joel because you knew she wouldn’t believe you if you told her how you really felt about him. Those strong feelings didn’t waiver once over the last few months. Okay, maybe once on the day that he accidentally spilled water on your homework. But you couldn’t stay mad at him after he willingly placed his own homework in the same water.

“You’re very happy today. Anything happen in particular?” She prodded.

“Nope,” you pop the letter “p”.

“Who’s the boy?”

You froze. “Boy?”

“There has to be, you haven’t been this happy to go to school pretty much ever.”

You sighed. It was your mom after all. Maybe she would believe you if you told her.

“His name’s Joel, he’s in my Algebra class,” you mumbled.

“Is he nice? Is he smart? Does he play hockey?” The questions flew from left and right.

“Yes, he’s nice. He’s really sweet to me. He is way better at math than me. Yes he does,” you rattled off the answers to her bombardment.

“Excellent,” she smiled. “You like this boy?”

“Yeah, I really do. A lot actually.”

She raised an eyebrow. “A lot?”

“Yeah, honestly, I might love him.”

That confession froze the kitchen over. She paused.

“Honey, you’re too young to know that,” she tried to reason.

Your chest stung. “What if I’m not?” You questioned.

“You’re fifteen.”

“I know Mom, I know.” She opened her mouth to talk, but you said, “I have to go start homework.” You charged up the stairs and crashed on your bed.

So what if you were fifteen? You didn’t care how old you were. Call it being naive, but you were sure you knew everything when you were young.

You just had to wait for timing to fall into place to prove everyone wrong.

tagging: @teamcanadasimp :)