#my little plum pie

[ellehightopp]

Silly doodle poodle of lil' Jack before I sleep♡⁠˖⁠꒰⁠ᵕ⁠༚⁠ᵕ⁠⑅⁠꒱

[riaki]

a spritz of peppermint | megumi fushiguro x reader

pt.6 of christmas event! cw: petnames i think idk, not proofread, there’s probably other stuff i’m missing but wtv happy birthday the prettiest king pls come back the food is cold

today is a very special day.

megumi notices that you rise early— mostly because when he wakes up in the morning, rubbing his sleep-heavy eyes groggily with a groan, he notices you’re not there. he rolls over, and smacks his face into cold sheets, devoid of your heat.

it pisses him off. so he starts his special day out as a grouch.

when he eventually crawls out of bed and makes his way into the kitchen after pulling on some sweats, though— he stops just short of the threshold to that sweet smelling cozy haven you love to spend your time in. the scent of pine needles and fresh chocolate orange wafts across the space, warm and welcoming and awfully wintery. he’s impartial to the cold— but he likes seeing your nose get red, so he guesses that’s one point positive.

“megumi?” your soft voice drifts across the open space, and the frost around his grumpy heart melts just a little; a crack in the frozen surface of the lake.

he reluctantly emerges from the shadow of the hallway, past the bundle of mistletoe hanging from the ceiling. the thought causes a memory to flash across his mind— your sweet smile and your prettier laugh; a distinct feeling of fuzzy warmth like a knitted sweater spreading across his cheeks when you pulled him close by the sleeve of his shirt and leaned in—

he shakes his head, trying to dash the stray thought. he’s supposed to be mad. it has no right to be there.

“why’d you get up so early?” he sighs heavily as he joins you at your side, scratching the back of his neck and running a hand through his unruly hair. you smiled sheepishly, turning to face him and you wrap your arms around his middle, squeezing lightly as a silent apology. he takes it with a grumble, snaking his arms around your waist and resting his face in your hair to bask in the scent of home before pulling away.

“it’s a secret.” you grinned, and he glares down at you, clicking his teeth in annoyance. you just laugh like the angel you are, leaving no room for guilt. you’re wearing one of his sweaters; you smell like him, and he supposes it makes up for the way you ditched him this morning.

“i expect compensation.” he grumbles, leaning against the counter as he watches you move about the kitchen, pale winter sunlight painting you like an ethereal dancer beneath the surface of misty lake water, crystal clear in your beauty. it’s mesmerizing.

you laughed, and his teeth dig into his bottom lip. “what, missed me? were you feeling lonely, gumi?” you smiled.

he just shoots you a piercing glare, the color of icicles in his eyes, but the warmth of your grin melts it away. you spend the next few moments in a comfortable silence, preparing a french toast topped with sweet berries and powdered sugar that looks so soft megumi could probably sink into it, until your lovely voice breaks the crisp morning silence.

“want black coffee?”

…

that’s weird. he never hesitates. and you know he takes his coffee black; of course you do. not because he wants to look cool, or look suave in another person’s eyes… well, except for you, of course. but not in the area of caffeine doses. and to be perfectly clear, all he needs is a dose of you to get him going.

he clears his throat. “can you make me hot chocolate?”

you pause, and he almost wants to bite his tongue off. why is he so embarrassed? but you just chuckle, like morning bird song across fresh dew on the grass.

“switching it up, huh? that’s cute.” you hum, and his face burns hot like embers in a brick fireplace. he coughs, throat scratchy like the pricks of a pinecone— but you make no note of it, simply going about your day.

he’s content to watch as you fish around in the rum-colored cabinets, pulling out a crinkly bag of cocoa powder. you put him on milk microwaving duty and he busies himself, lithe pale fingers unscrewing the carton of milk and pouring it into his favorite little painted dog mug. you were the one who’d made it; that silly little ceramics class you insisted on taking clearly didn’t help you too much in the way of smoothing down the bumps and blotches on the mug, but it holds your fingerprint, so he might as well memorize the shape of your hands when you’re not there.

megumi’s snapped back to reality when you grab a candy cane from the mini tree you decorated together sitting on the kitchen counter, smashing it up in the wrappings to mix the pepperminty dust with the cocoa powder. he eyes the pile of holiday drug warily as he brings the steaming mug over, placing it before you and leaning against the counter again to watch you work your mystery magic.

“that looks like brown cocai—���

“shh, megumi. keep your pretty mouth shut, please.”

he’s about to butt in again, lips parted before he presses them together irritatedly and resigns to sulk in silence.

you pour the hot chocolate mix into the milk, swishing it together as it forms a pretty spiral of cocoa; the color of dark chai and chocolate tart. he’s content to watch in silence, humming some christmas carol he’d overheard you listening to one gray afternoon— until he realizes you’re opening a bag of those sickeningly sweet and fluffy marshmallows he’d bought you on a whim. he only did it because his mentor told him they made the best gifts, but he’s beginning to realize it was the sweet tooth talking.

“hey— wait… are you going to put those in there, pretty?” he asks, putting a gentle hand on your wrist to stop you from vigorously emptying the bag into his poor victimized hot chocolate mug.

you glance up at him and flash a toothy grin, giving him one of those looks that makes his heart skip a beat. “trust me, gumi! you’re gonna love it.” you laughed, shrugging his hand off, and his lips curve downward. less because of the marshmallows that are toppling into his mug with a splash and more so because you freed yourself from his grasp.

obviously, you notice— your eyebrows knit together, a pinch of guilt weighing upon them like the snow on the streets outside. but it’s wiped away as quickly as it comes; before he knows it, you’re walking away with a bounce in your step, disappearing behind the counter before re-emerging with something behind your back.

“don’t look so sad, gumi. here,” you say, the cadence of your voice as soft and playful as he ever remembers it being when you pull a bunch of roses from behind your back. the bouquet is small and there’s dirt clinging to the stems— but his heart melts at the thought that you hand-picked them, prickly thorns and all, for him. “happy birthday,” you whispered, and his walls break.

“you’re not so different from them, you know.” you hummed, smiling as he takes them from you and gives you an inquisitive, quiet look. “you might be a little prickly on the outside, but you’re just as beautiful. you just have to look a little past the thorns.”

he feels his face flush; at this point, it’s probably as red as the stray candy cane shavings melting in his mug and the vibrant petals of the roses. he splutters and mumbles something annoyed under his breath, but he’s sure you can hear the undercurrent of fondness and affection weaves into each syllable like the beats of his heart, where you’re so close to. megumi thinks you might’ve just cut him open and made a home in his ribcage.

the bunch of handpicked roses for his special day sit on the marble counter dusted with cocoa powder and candy cane shavings, marshmallows bobbing at the surface of his hot chocolate like apples in a bucket as he wraps his arms around your waist and pulls you in to press his lips insistently to yours, slow and tender like the way he always loves you. his hands curl around your sides, as if to ground you there; freeze the time in this bubble of warmth, forgetting the chill outside to warm his hands on your skin. you’re so little in his arms; he wants to hold you and never let you go, to keep you under his tree and have you make hot chocolate for him instead of black coffee every morning he wakes up, because it’s fine if you’re not there in bed— as long as you’re waiting for him with open arms elsewhere.

and when he kisses you, he realizes he might not need his hot cocoa to warm his stomach— your lips are as soft and pillowy sweet as the marshmallows melting in his mug, filled with steaming hot cocoa and all the love he could ever wrap his heart in this cozy winter; his christmas gift to you.

he’s grateful today is a special day, if only because of you and his sweet little painted dog mug filled with your heartwarming love.

stop this was so close to being late my (riaki) stuff. don’t repost and/or plagiarize !

[tojiscrack]

NO WAY i literally just read liar liar on ao3 and boom you’re on my tumblr feed! i love the story so so much omg and i absolutely ADORE how mc is a total menace! plusss the way u write megumi and the dynamic between him and mc ughhhhh like oh my god???!!! anyways yeah ur amazing mwah

wait i feel like i’ve seen this comment before but now i can’t find it? 😭 idk if i’m going crazy but i swear i was gonna respond, i’m just a little lazy with it 😔✌️ (cringing at the idea that if it wasn’t actually you, this is gonna sound weird to you LMAO)

anyway, it’s like tumblr just KNOWS who my beloved little liars are that my shit is then magically appearing on ur feed (we love to see it 😮‍💨).

our main character is a little unhinged (a little is probably an understatement). you’ve only seen the beginning really, i’ve still got multiple flashback scenes i need to write out because her shenanigans didn’t just stop there (megumi would know 💀). i’m flattered that you love her character sm! writing it was amazing knowing that people like you would take the time out of ur day to send me a message about how much you adore her <3

this leads me to talk about her dynamic with megumi, you’re gonna make me cryyy, i’m touched that you really like it 🥹 it’s a lot of effort trying to get his character to mesh well with hers, i have to rethink sometimes and ask myself whether he’d really do some of the things i’d made him do, but then i’d backtrack and delete everything, you have no idea 😭 now i just chalk it up to the fact that no, he wouldn’t do any of these things (prank-calling his dad, writing a step-by-step guide for a girl about oral hygiene, fighting over a seat that puts some distance between him and a disgusting-looking child, laughing about literal mommy milkers, etc) at all. but yes, he would do these things if he was around such an influencer like y/n (majority of the time, she forces him to do stuff. he does enjoy it though.)

sorry this ended up being so long, i just get very giddy talking about this story with anyone. i love you anon <3

[1004tyun-archive]

thank you for 50 followers i love yall so much!!!

[blushinggray]

Omg I’m reading wind breaker and— look at him

Look at my sweet baby boy 😭😭😭 letting himself have fun. I adore him so 😩🤧😭

[hedgehog-moss]

what do you usually make for dinner? i’m looking for new things to try and the food you show in your photos always looks so tasty

Hi :) I have very seasonal menus, here are some of my go-to summer dishes:

Rice salad with lentils, maize, tomatoes, hard-boiled egg, rocket. My salad dressing is olive oil + sunflower oil + cider vinegar + Dijon mustard + whatever herbs I have at hand (usually thyme, basil, sage, rosemary)

I also make a salad-salad with the same dressing but with just lettuce and some rocket + walnuts + goat cheese + my homemade spicy plum-raisin chutney, or a fig chutney. Classic but delicious.

My laziest salads are potato-herring-red onions salad, or just grated carrots & black radish (and dressing obvs)

I love cold tomato soup in summer—I don't think I'm allowed to call it gazpacho because I don't like cucumber and have banished it from this recipe. It's just normal tomato soup with some olive oil, onion, garlic, Espelette pepper, and herbs, and I keep it in the fridge. I'm proud to say all the ingredients save the olive oil are from my greenhouse! Cold beetroot soup is also great, I often have cold soup with croûtons + a hard-boiled egg for supper (and then cheese + bread, and often dark chocolate + bread for dessert if I haven't made any dessert. Plus a fruit)

The chocolate tart I described here is to be eaten cold so it's a nice summer dessert (and breakfast). I keep carrot cake in the fridge too and since my recipe makes for a very moist cake it's very refreshing (I am positive I shared this recipe on here before but tumblr's blog search is useless :( It's my abuela's pastel de zanahoria esponjoso made with biscuit crumbs instead of flour, it's somewhere on this blog I swear, I remember illustrating it with a little carrot drawing 😭)

Another refreshing summer dessert is compote (or do you call it fruit purée?) Right now my favourite flavour is apple-plum (mostly because that's what I currently have and your own fruits always taste better<3) I just put a few (three?) apples to cook in a pan with a bit of water, a couple of tablespoons of sugar, a dash of lemon and a bunch of red plums, let it cook then blend it and put it in the fridge. Three weeks from now I will be drowning in blackberries and apple-blackberry will be my favourite flavour.

Quiche!! Endless possibilities with quiche. I like to make a quiche-ratatouille combo—I start with sautéing whatever vegetables I have (often courgettes, tomatoes, a couple of potatoes, maybe an aubergine & bell pepper, + Espelette pepper, onions, basil) in a pan with some olive oil; while it's cooking I prepare the body of the quiche in a bowl (20cL of milk, 2 or 3 tablespoons of flour, 2 eggs, some herbs and a tiny bit of olive oil for luck). I make a pie crust with flour, water, salt, oregano and olive oil (sorry I'm from the Mediterranean, I put herbs and olive oil everywhere). I spread the ratatouille on the pie crust then add the milk/egg mixture on top of it, then add little bits of cheese on top (gruyère or bleu or St Nectaire personally). I eat it with a side of rocket, it's perfect. And very colourful:

When I'm too lazy to do the ratatouille (and quiche) steps I just make a tomato tart—the same pie crust as above, then I spread Dijon mustard over it then cover it with sliced tomatoes, and add some (obligatory) herbs and olive oil. It's less effort and also looks very summery:

Some favourite autumn-spring dishes: vegetable lasagna, chilaquiles, hachis parmentier with mashed pumpkin, fish brandade, potato-courgette gratin (with blue cheese)... Then winter is for comfort foods like camembert fondue, risotto, calzones, pumpkin-chestnut soup, and crêpes—the savoury kind with sarrasin flour, what we call galettes. I grew up eating a ton of fish and seafood but I've curbed this habit due to environmental worries—hence why I'd like to raise edible fish in my greenhouse tanks! I get to eat a lot of eggs thanks to my hens, but I don't eat meat very often—hardly ever in summer except if I'm invited for dinner at someone's house. Sometimes I buy a homemade duck terrine from my neighbour and have a tartine for apéritif. My cold-season dishes call for ham in galettes and chicken in chilaquiles / risotto / quesadillas, and I make my hachis parmentier with duck. But yeah soup / salad / 'ratatouille quiche' and pasta with veggie sauce are my staples.

This list lacks pasta, I eat a lot of pasta. But mostly in autumn and spring; I just prepare my sauce in summer and store it for later. I also prepare & freeze a lot of soup and vegetable mash in summer with my greenhouse harvests. I often eat green beans as a side with my crêpes or other winter dishes because they grow so fast and incessantly in summer, my freezer ends up stuffed with bags of green beans. My usual pasta sauce is pretty much the same ratatouille combo as above (minus the potatoes so it's less thick), sauté'ed in a pan with olive oil, I also add an egg, parmesan (sometimes extra blue cheese or emmental) and liquid cream, then blend everything. I have a lot of courgettes and tomatoes right now, industrial quantities of basil and rocket, and beautiful Ecuador purple chili, so I've been making lots of jars of this sauce and also my new basil-rocket-cashew pesto! October-me will be thankful.

[seattlesellie]

masterlist ໒꒰ྀི´ ˘ ` ꒱ྀིა

new masterlist !

please read my rules before reading or requesting 💗

ellie williams one shots ୨♡୧

♡ spoiled (part one)

♡ don't cross the line (nsfw) ♡ the space between us (nsfw) ♡ oops! (nsfw) ♡ a helping hand (ellie x reader x dina, nsfw) ♡ pretty when you cry (nsfw) ♡ blueberry pie (nsfw)

♡ moonflower (nsfw, fluff)

series ୨♡୧ ♡ not about love: part one (sfw) ♡ not about love: part two (nsfw) ♡ not about love: part three (sfw) ♡ not about love: part four (nsfw)

drabbles & blurbs & hc’s ୨♡୧ ♡ gf with plushies (hc's, nsfw) ♡ certified tits lover ellie (nsfw) ♡ guiding you through it (blurb, nsfw) ♡ worship (drabble, nsfw)

♡ at your service (drabble, nsfw) ♡ x abby (blurb, nsfw) ♡ eating you through (blurb, nsfw) ♡ mean brothers best friend (hq's, nsfw) ♡ color me (drabble, nsfw) ♡ loser lesbian ellie (blurb, nsfw) ♡ attention (drabble, nsfw) ♡ mommy kink (blurb, nsfw) ♡ ellie being ellie (blurb, sfw) ♡ finally (blurb, nsfw) ♡ breeding kink (blurb, nsfw) ♡ kissing ur tummy (blurb-ish, nsfw) ♡ just a lick (blurb, nsfw) ♡ sleepover w dina (blurb, nsfw) ♡ bikini tops (blurb, nsfw) ♡ netflix nights (drabble, nsfw) ♡ spit kink (blurb, nsfw) ♡ ellie and her boxers (blurb, nsfw) ♡ game over (mean brothers bff drabble, nsfw) ♡ sexting with ellie (texts, nsfw) ♡ soccer!ellie x cheerleader!reader (hc’s, nsfw) ♡ caught (drabble, nsfw) ♡ mall with els (hc's fluff & a little smut)

♡ degrading you for the first time (drabble, nsfw)

♡ gf with plushies pt 2 (drabble)

♡ bbf!ellie — plum (blurb, nsfw)

♡ painkiller (short drabble, nsfw)

♡ knight!ellie (drabble)

♡ training wheels (drabble, nsfw)

♡ breeding kink blurb

♡ jealous (drabble, nsfw)

audios ୨♡୧ ♡ number one (nsfw) ♡ number two (nsfw) ♡ number three (nsfw)

abby anderson one shots ୨♡୧ ♡ to new beginnings (one shot, nsfw) ♡ baby blue (one shot, nsfw) ♡ anything but me: part 1 (nsfw)

drabbles & blurbs & hc’s ୨♡୧ ♡ too tight (nsfw) ♡ x reader x ellie (nsfw) ♡ gf with plushies (hc’s sfw+nsfw) ♡ movie night with ellie x reader (blurb, nsfw) ♡ shoving her fingers in your mouth (blurb, nsfw)

♡ dbf! abby (blurb, nsfw)

♡ dbf!abby (drabble, nsfw-ish)

audios ୨♡୧ ♡ number one (nsfw)

[elyrch]

Shota Aizawa x reader headcanons...

a/n: YEOWW hes HOT!!!

okay, i don't think this guy does anything other than work and sleep. he's pretty busy, with the school, plus his hero work. he doesn't really get out much, either- he's usually too tired to actually be social or he's busy.

he doesn't really know how a relationship works. sure, flowers, chocolate, presents, dates, but he doesn't know what he should do if you're having a nightmare. he's a very fast learner though, so just tell him! he'd be happy to snuggle or give you time alone if you want it!

he talks in his sleep. i don't know why but i think he says the most insane shit while he's sleeping. he doesn't sleepwalk, though- he just yaps for no reason.

he runs VERY warm. not even a thing with his quirk, it's just how he is. he's not the kind of warm that makes you sweaty, either- just a very soft cozy feeling. it's actually quite nice to snuggle with him, since he's a pretty good person to cuddle.

he's a pretty quiet talker. almost whispering as he asks you what you'd like for dinner, or how your day at work was. he just doesn't want to scare you or make you uncomfortable with his voice- he, out of anyone, should know that loud people can be annoying, since he spends his time at work with loud teenagers.

he's not a wuss about confronting you if you're doing something that makes him uncomfortable. if he's feeling weird about it, he doesn't want you to think it's okay to do- so he just tells you straight up that it makes him feel bad.

he's an incredibly romantic partner, but not in the sense youre thinking. sure, he probably wouldn't book an entire restaurant for you to have dinner, but he would get takeout and move the dining room table into the living room so you could watch television while you ate. in this sense, he wouldn't get you overly grand presents- just little, yet very very personal, gifts.

he secretly loves when you braid his hair. do with that what you will

for nicknames, i think he'd call you a shortened version of your name. if you're doing a bit, he will use the most ridiculous names ever. sugar pie honey plum. sweetie pumpkin schnookums. he will win that war for sure

he doesn't blush. just doesn't. not really for any particular reason, it's just not something his body really does. if you do get him to blush, it's very cute (and he HATES it) so he tries to cover his face. don't let him!!!

scared shitless of horses. i don't know why he just is. maybe it's because it's so tall. or maybe it's because the domestic ones usually have big metal shoes. he just doesn't want to get kicked in the head.

absolutely puts stuff on the high shelf. says "what do you mean my sweet pookie bear? it's on a normal shelf" he's so damn mean

thank you for reading!! i hope you enjoyed this one :] please reblog if you enjoyed it!!

[kurishiri]

william v.s. darius . . . darius vogel END 🪽

— this translation may not be 100% accurate or contain creative liberties due to characterization or narrative flow purposes. if you enjoy, please consider reblogging, but don’t repost these or claim these as your own!

— cw: none, but you’ll definitely find out a thing or two about darius here.

Kate: I’ll go with Darius to find the boy. I would like to support him as someone who’s familiar with the streets here.

Darius: That makes me happy to hear. It was also because of you that we were so close to catching him too.

William: Indeed. I’m sure you will find it heartening to have the little robin accompany you to assist with the streets around here.

W: Kate.

W: You are one to jump to the fray for others, but you are also a clever little robin who never forgets about us and returns to her nest.

W: I am confident you won’t get lost on your way.

I stared back at the eyes fixed straight on me.

Kate: Alright, leave it to me.

(I will cooperate with Darius, as Crown’s fairytale keeper.)

Darius: You’re a reliable one, aren’t you. Well then, let’s venture down these streets, miss fairytale keeper.

After running the streets for a little while——

Darius: Oh? What’s this?

Darius pointed to something ahead of him, where on the stone pavement, it looked like some pebbles were all in one place.

It was an unnatural sight, to be sure, so we stopped to scrutinize it.

Kate: Are these... plum seeds?

Darius: From that box he flipped over, I take it.

Kate: Oh, then maybe it’s a trace that boy left behind after eating them?

Darius: Likely so. See, look over there, there are some more scattered over there.

Darius was looking toward a place ahead of us, but...

Kate: Umm... I’m really sorry, but I can’t see that far...

Darius: Ahh, is that so? I happen to have extremely good eyes. Oh, and a good sense of smell, too.

Kate: Oh, wow! I’m pretty jealous.

Darius: Mhm, it’s really convenient.

With an innocent smile on his lips, he looked at me with those honey-colored eyes,

and for some odd reason, I felt that those very eyes were looking down from above, in a place somewhere far off.

(...Is it because he said his eyes were good? No, I feel like there’s something more to it.)

Darius: Ah, I spot some pie crumbs. On the miss fairytale keeper’s cheeks.

Kate: Huh?

Darius: Hehe, over here.

He reached toward me,

and his gloved hands wiped it off.

Kate: T-thank you very much...

(Ack, that’s so embarrassing...! Does that mean it has always been on my cheeks?)

I felt my cheeks turning redder and redder, but I couldn’t move until Darius withdrew his fingers from me.

Darius: This path might have been the correct one.

When we hurried on——

I spotted a small back enter through a hidden entrance in the back road.

Darius: That’s him.

Kate: That road’s exit leads back here after a while.

K: If it’s alright, could you head to the exit up ahead and cover the path there?

K: I’ll go in to directly chase after him to drive him to the exit.

Darius: So I see. We’re using the pincer movement here, yes?

Trying to keep as quiet as possible, I moved with quick steps.

When I did, eventually I could hear another set of footsteps.

(...There he is.)

Up ahead was a place where sunlight couldn’t filter through, and up ahead I spotted the small back of that boy.

Slightly dirty boy: !!

The boy, having sensed my presence, turned back, and surprised, he ran off.

I, too, ran after him, closing the distance between him and the exit.

And in the path the boy was taking, it was as though an angel’s wings had spread——

Darius’ coat fluttered, blocking the way.

Darius: Would you not say it’s about a good time to accept your defeat?

Slightly dirty boy: F-for what!? Because I sure don’t know...

Darius: You nabbed her things, did you not?

Slightly dirty boy: Grk, I-I don’t remember stealing anything!

Darius: But I do. I saw you bump into her before putting your hand in her skirt pocket.

Slightly dirty boy: ...!

Darius: Oh, that’s not all either. You also stole some plums in the midst of a small scuffle and ate them. The scent of fruit juice is quite strong off you.

D: But even without the smell, there are stains near your mouth and on your sleeves. One look is all one needs to know.

Slightly dirty boy: Urgh...

In a panic, the boy rubbed his sleeve.

Darius: And thanks to that, you left quite a big trace of your trail behind.

D: But, if you were going to leave anything, you could have been more clever about it. [1]

Slightly dirty boy: ...

The boy hung his head, balling his hands into fists in frustration.

Kate: ...Hey, can I ask why you’re doing these things?

Slightly dirty boy: ...And what could you do if I told you?

Slightly dirty boy: You know too, don’t you? A brat like me can do nothing but steal if I wanna survive.

Slightly dirty boy: All you rich guys fill your pockets with too much stuff.

Slightly dirty boy: So what’s the big deal in giving a little of that away!? I don’t got a home or anyone to call family!

Darius: ...Hmm.

D: Hey, miss fairytale keeper. I do doubt this boy has any relation to the organization.

Kate: Hm? Ah, yes, that may be the case. But still.

(I can’t simply overlook this.)

Slightly dirty boy: Organization?

Darius: Ahh, no need to worry your pretty head over it. We were talking to ourselves.

D: But anyway, would you be so kind as to give back her things?

Slightly dirty boy: ...Finders keepers. It’s mine now.

Darius: Oh, do you need me to spell it out? You did not find it; you stole it.

D: So that’s why, let’s return the things to their rightful owner, okay?

Slightly dirty boy: Urgh...

Darius was wearing a bright smile on his face, as if he were erasing the boy’s will to talk back.

Slightly dirty boy: ...Okay, fine.

He reluctantly reached into his pocket, taking out what was in it, before he curtly placed them in both my hands, which were outstretched.

Darius: Alright, that’s enough. Care to leave now?

Kate: Eh?

Darius: Isn’t it great, miss fairytale keeper? You got your things back, safe and sound.

Kate: I-I mean, yes, it is great, but also...

Slightly dirty boy: ...

As though currently assessing the situation, the boy stepped back before dashing off as fast as he could.

Kate: Ah, wait...!

Darius: What is it? Did the boy not give everything back?

Kate: It’s just I don’t think it would do him any good if we should just let him go like that.

K: He is already used to stealing, so he may end up doing so again. Especially if it’s to survive.

Darius blinked at my words,

before he let out a sigh.

Darius: A reward for the good child, and a punishment for the bad one... so you say, but is there really anything we can do for him?

Kate: ...Huh?

Darius: It’s hardly as though there’s only one or two children in the world in a similar situation as him.

D: See, even William is going through so much trouble to find all the children who may have relations to a crime syndicate.

D: ——That’s why I was thinking we may as well turn this into a world where no such children exist.

D: Don’t you think such a world is not just a dream, with the Cursed ones’ abilities?

The smile on his face seemed to sparkle as he made such a statement as though he were singing it praises.

(Could it be Darius wishes for a world... where there’s no poverty or hunger?)

(But, for some reason...)

It stirred a familiar sense of unease in me.

Darius was a friendly person who wore a bright smile, and he almost had a childlike air about him.

But in the most unexpected times, the space that fell between us seemed to widen so much, I could hardly jump over it.

It felt like, even if we were looking at the same thing, his perspective and thoughts would come from such a different place and direction.

Almost as though——I had come into contact with a different ‘living being’ altogether.

Darius: Ah, speaking of, what are those in your hand?

Kate: Hm?

Darius’ sweet voice pulled me out of my own thoughts.

Darius: Just what did he steal from you, I wonder?

He was looking down at what was in my hand, his smile filled with excitement and interest.

Kate: Oh——here, this is for you, Darius.

I took out a handmade white leopard plush from the things.

Kate: The moment I met eyes with this plushie at the wagon, I thought, ‘I really want to give this to Darius!’ to myself, so.

Darius stared intently at the white leopard plushie, which laid on the palm of his hand.

Darius: .........

Kate: Doesn’t it look a bit like you, Darius? With its white coat and those pretty, honey-colored eyes. It even has a similar shape.

K: So, maybe that’s why I really wanted to gift you this.

(But, I feel like there’s something more as well... I feel as though I could reach a deeper place...)

The space that fell between us seemed to widen so much, I could hardly jump over it——

I realized that such was an unconscious feeling, and I may have also felt that I would like to jump over to the other side.

Kate: And besides, isn’t it adorable? See, it looks pretty lethargic.

Darius: .........

D: ...hehe, you have quite a sense... pfft, hehe.

(Hm? For some reason I feel like I’m being laughed at for something different...)

Darius: ——Miss fairytale keeper...

D: Could it be you wanted to make me smile?

Kate: ...Ah.

I felt taken aback when he asked me so straightforwardly.

(But, he is probably onto something.)

Perhaps my own feelings were more simple than I had thought.

Kate: Well, yes, if I could make you smile, that would make me happy as well.

Darius: Really now? If a smile is enough to make you happy, I’d be more than happy to give you however many you’d like, miss fairytale keeper.

D: ——See, like this.

Darius’ head slightly tilted, he gave me an innocent smile.

His platinum blond hair, hardly fitting in with the surrounding back street, swayed,

as it glistened in the few rays of sunlight that filtered through.

The specks of light also seemed to reflect in those honey-colored eyes, leaving me enraptured, unable to look away.

And this very expression before me was, out of all the smiles I had seen on him the entire day today, the most perfect of them all... almost too much so to be true.

(Oh, I see, this must also have been one of the reasons why I had felt a sense of unease.)

(Because Darius had never been smiling from the bottom of his heart.)

Kate: Darius, I... I want to see you smile, from your heart.

Darius: Oh my, could it be you thought my smile was all a fabrication?

Kate: That is, um...

Darius: The fact you couldn’t answer back means I hit the mark, right? How mean, though, thinking other’s smiles are fabricated and all.

D: But, well, if that’s the case...

Kate: Ah—

No sooner did Darius take my hand than he ran back from where we came.

His coat fluttered behind him, his platinum blond locks that resembled a cat’s fur bounced with his steps, and I felt myself wrapped in his relaxing scent.

The hustle and bustle and zeal of the street fair rapidly approached.

Darius: ...then, miss fairytale keeper, see if you can bring a ‘true’ smile out of me, yes?

to be continued…

will vs darius jude vs nica alfons vs ring

← prev epilogue →

NOTES:

[1] He is probably referring to something like leaving a fake trail. Like, if you were going to leave a trail anyway, you could have used it to divert us rather than lead us, kind of implication. (I could be wrong though.)

full masterlist 🌹🪽

[luffysscraps]

Pet Names One Piece Men Call You;

Ft; Luffy.Zoro.Sanji.Ace.Law.Kid.Shanks

•Luffy

-“Silly!”

-“Pretty!”

-“Y/N!”

-(He’s a simple guy, he’s not very romantic day to day and, his list isnt very long but he loves you a lot.)

•Zoro

-“Clumsy girl!“

-“Baby.”

-“Babe.”

-“Cutie.”

-“Idiot.”

•Sanji

-“Mon amour~”

-“Sweetheart~”

-“Honey~”

-“Dear~”

-“Sweetie pie~”

-“Sugar plum!~”

-“Honey bunny~!”

-(God he’s so cheesy. Expect to hear a lot of long winded cute nicknames yelled through streets.)

-“Where are you My sweet strawberry, plump, honey drenched, snuggle bug, cutie patootie!”

•Ace

-“Precious~”

-“Smuck’ums~”

-“Big mouth~”

-“Sugar~”

-“Princess~”

•Law

-“Y/N-ya.”

-“Stupid.”

-“Little girl.”

-(ON SUPER ULTRA RARE OCCASIONS): “Beautiful~”

•Eustass Kid

-“Sexy~”

-“Dumb baby.”

-“Cutie~”

-“Little worm.”

-“Sweetheart~”

-“Nasty~”

•Shanks

-“Cutie pie!”

-“Wifey!”

-“Cum dump!”

-“Honey!”

-“Darling!”

-“Love bug!”

-“Pumpkin!”

[l3viat8an]

Ik I just sent something in but I was reading some of your thirsts (per usual) and was wondering what do you think the brothers would call mc on the norm? Like pet names and stuff!! Personally here's my take:

Lucifer is definitely a traditional man, so names like Darling and Sweetheart would be used by him the most!

As whiney as Mammon is I believe he would use Baby, Babe and Doll Face for Mc

Now, as cringe Levi thinks pet names are, I believe he would use Love and Sweetie for his player 2! As well as the occasional Love Bug!

Satan being the bookworm that he is would use the most romantic nicknames like Darling, My love, and Angel!

Asmo!! He would use the cutest nicknames like Cutie, Beautiful and Sweetheart!

Beel would most likely use sweeter pet names such as, Sugar, Pumpkin, And My Love!

Belphie is super annoying with his nicknames, normally going over the top like Honey-Bunch or Sweetie pie, but when he's not feeling silly he'll use Baby, Sugar and Sweetheart!

This is so much longer then my usual ask SORRY POOKIE<3 (also hopefully my other ask sent this time >_<)

-🕸

Omggg okay!!- I’ve gotta say that yours are spot on ‘n I agree!

Most of mine are the same but I’m the type of person that loves silly pet names too jsjsjsj

Lucifer usually sticks to darling ofc it’s simple and very sweet. Also; ‘little lamb / my lamb’, it’s so cute yk. and if Lucifer’s in a really playful mood he’ll call you ‘the apple of my eye.’

For Mammon ofc I gotta mentioned treasure. Because you are his treasure! Darlin’ which he always pronounces with an extra drawl. and ‘human / my human.’ yea it kinda started out as an insult- but now it’s probably his favorite pet name for you hkjkh

Levi has a hard time with pet names so usually he just sticks with lover, player two and ‘my Henry!’ But when he’s trying to be extra sweet or he’s just really happy he calls you angel! because in his eyes you really are an angel.

Satan uses ‘my love’ and darling the most- he also calls you ‘my sunshine.’ and I know it’s kinda overused but ‘Mi Vida’ (which means ‘my life’).

Asmo calls you every pet name he can think of the cuter the better! Sweetheart, sweetie, honey, sweet cheeks, hon, kitten, lovely, ‘my lover’- and so, soooo many more but I can’t list them all. If you can think of a cute pet name Asmo’s going to use it <3

Beel has so many food related pet names it’s just adorable!! Like; cupcake, sugar plum, pumpkin, sweet pea, buttercup, sugar- and that’s just the ones I can think of off the top of my head!- Beel has a million more lolol and ofc sweetheart.

Belphie like you said already is a bit…over the top with his pet names like honey-bunch and shmoopie. but when he’s not just teasing you he’ll use sweet pet names like; ‘my star’, starlight, sweetheart, love, lover and even darling occasionally. 

(‘n don’t be sorry I LOVE hearing about pet/nick names they’re always so cuteee!!!- ‘n I just saw your other ask 🤭 that’s gonna be fun~)

[nescaveckwriter]

Hey, lovely! 🥰

So I'll put the request here too to make it easier for you to answer: can I request a fic from you where Dean falls asleep on Y/N's shoulder when they're hanging out with her family like that dream I told you about 🥹 something sweet and fluffy, and maybe she'll later tease Dean, but just a little 😆🤭

Love you and thank you! 🤍☀️

❤️. Awww @k-slla 🐞... I really hope this is what you had in mind, Oh goodness 🤭 its such a cute request 🥰 and I love you too 💕... Also I'm going to tag @artyandink for my first post on the #Jensenathon and then @anyfandomgoesbingo for my fist square ('Game Night, will be in bold') 🤭🥰 hopefully y'all like this . 🥰🤭🐞

Warnings: I'm going to say 18+ only ya know just for precaution 😅 but honestly there's none, just fluffy and sweetness.

Words: 1015

A little fun !! 🤭❤️❤️

He's hand runs over his freckled face, it's been a rough couple of days, he's been struggling more to sleep, than in a while, everything weighing so heavily on his shoulders, so when I came running towards him, big smile plastered on my face, almost excitedly jumping up and down, like a two year old, "Dean! Babe?" His green eyes stare into mine, and I feel butterflies swirling around again, "Sweetheart? Don't you seem all excited!" 

Laughing "I am, it's been awhile since we had a fun time" giving him a Bambi-like glaze "so, my parents invited us to Game night, please can we go?" 

He couldn't keep the smile from tugging at the corners of his perfect plum lips, "That sounds like fun sweetheart"

 "Really?" I yelped.

He pulls me into one of those breath stopping hugs, tugging his head into the crook of my neck , the hot air of his breath tickling against my skin , while he whispers "your the only bit of light in this world you know that?" I just hugged him back, unsure how to reply, the emotion welling up in my eyes, so instead of saying a single word, I held him tight, wrapping my arms around his shoulders, just lightly running my fingers, in his hair. I'm not sure how long we held each other in that heartfelt embrace but without saying a single word, it spoke of love, trust, peace, maybe the only sense of peace we had in our lives.

Blasting the radio loudly, playing Dean's favourite Led Zeppelin songs, on the drive over to my parents house, we got out, in a quite cheerful mood, well I could still see the heaviness in those emerald green orbs of his, but I made a quick promise to myself that, I'll do anything in my power, to make sure he has a little fun and relaxes a bit. So without further due, I grabbed his hand, which in return he held the beer and some of the snacks. We rang the doorbell and got welcomed as if we were long lost. We walked in and the living room, spoke of fun with the board games all stacked up, there was wine, and beer, finger foods, it spelled laughter and fun.

 As the night got started and we were teamed up together we laughed and shared stories throughout the games. When Dean ate all the pie and some other snacks, me and my mom went into the kitchen, to get some more snacks. When she smiled looked at me and said, "Sweetie,you look so happy are you?" 

My eyes glistened, "Mom! I'm not happy, I'm overjoyed, I simply adore Dean, I love him more than anything in this world" soft tears rolled down my mom's cheeks, "Sweetie I'm so happy for you, he looks like a good man" I nod, "He is mom, he has his problems but when it comes to me, he treats me like a queen". And with that we walked back to where Dean and the rest of my family were sitting. He gave me that smirk, of his, the one that made my knees weak, and I smile back, he pats the seat next to him, and I gladly obliged, he placed a sweet kiss on my cheek, I placed my hand on his thigh, giving him a slight squeeze, after my father cleared his throat he said we should maybe play a card game, and so we started.

The rest of the night was filled with laughter, an accusation of cheating every now and again, but it was all playful, and light hearted fun, and as the night went on, everyone taking turns, when it came to Dean's turn, I felt his head resting on my shoulder, and when I looked down, I saw his eyes were closed, the man fell asleep in the middle of room filled with people. I didn't have the heart to wake him up, or even stir a little, so I took the beer out of his hand, and the left over cards and sat it down with mine, mouthing to my parents that we are done playing for the night so I just watched them play further on, until one for one got up and either went home or to bed, leaving me and Dean in the living room, his head still on my shoulder. It didn't take long for my eyelids to fall close, my head gently rested against him.

The night turned into early morning sunrays lighting up the room, my eyes fluttering open only to be met by his forest green orbs, his voice gruffly "Sweetheart when.. what... How?" Smiling, I look at him, my own voice a little croaky from the sleep, "No! Apparently we're so boring and not good company at all, you fell asleep while we were playing cards" 

Dean looked shocked and ashamed "Sweetheart it's not that, it's, I'm so sorry okay, I don't..." I pressed a finger on his lips , "Shhh, babe I'm joking, I know you were tired" A smile tugs at his plum lips, "really you had to make me feel bad didn't you?" Shrugging my shoulders, chuckling a bit "I couldn't help myself, sorry my love" he looks at me as if he's looking into soul, "I love you, you know that right?" Nodding about to answer but before I could, he's lips crashed against mine in a searing kiss, his fingers tangled in my hair, I couldn't hold the small moan escaping my lips, the grin on Dean's lips was unmistakable, he shifted slightly, gently guiding me to lay on the couch, I giggled, whispering "My parents'' pressing his finger against my lips, "shhh sweetheart, we don't want to wake them up do we?" with that he captures my lips in a passionate kiss, after a little while, he pulls back, hoarsely whispers "I like game night!"  planting yet another kiss, in that moment I knew, I Will always love this green eyed man, even if he falls asleep mid family events.

@jackles010378 @winchesterwild78 @angelbabyyy99 @cevansbaby-dove @bookishtheaterlover7 @cutedisneygrl

[kimetsu-no-yaiba-writings]

Maybe making a bento for the kamaboko squad?

Anon (´∀｀•) This was such a nice request to receive! It just instantly sent my head into fluffy territory and it was just a pleasure to write.

It also made me want to make a bento?

if you have any other requests like this one - or literally any other type of request - then please send it in because your more than welcome too <3

Making a Bento for the Kamaboko Squad!:

Tanjirou Kamado:

Ok, first off! Tanjirou would literally eat anything and everything you made him - seriously, head AND stomach of steel

Obviously if you took the time to make it all pretty and presentable he would look it in awe and eat it slowly to properly savoir the presentation and flavoring

Loves it when you pack him all the home cooked meals

He's happy with food that were left over from breakfast or dinner from yesterday - so long as its something you've made

Enjoys your Miso Yaki Onigiri with Honey Soy Chicken with a side of cherry tomatoes + sauteed cabbage

Anything yummy makes him happy - well... anything that you've put time and effort in is always gonna make him happy

Wouldn't say he has a big sweet tooth but he really can't turn down your desserts - especially if freshly made!

Particularly loves your Matcha Marble Pound Cake

If you ask him, Tanjirou will help you make your's and his bento's

Nezuko Kamado:

Nezuko loves your bento's

She loves the bright colours of the food that you use - it always makes her happy to see that you've added something into the rice to make it slightly pink

Nezuko also has a soft spot for sweet things so when you add extra Tamagoyaki (sweetened omelette) from breakfast to her bento it adds a little pep in her step

She really loves forward to the bento's you make during cherry blossom season cause everything is cherry blossomed themed - lots of cherry blossom themed desserts too! e.g. Cherry Blossom milk pudding

Oh! Enjoys abit of Sweet and Sour in her bento - specifically when you use the lefter overs from your sweet and sour chicken + vegetables with steamed rice

Sweet and Sour Chicken with Japanese Potato Salad and steamed rice with sesame seeds and umeboshi (pickled plum) + cherry tomatoes

Will absolutely help you make the bento's

Inosuke Hashibira:

He's still getting used to receiving a packed bento - Inosuke was really confused when you first gave him one

Doesn't see the point of all the pretty food shapes and colours to begin with but he does secretly enjoy it when you shape and do all that stuff with his food - it just helps prove that you love him cause your making him food and making it into things he likes

Cackles when he opens his bento up and there's onigiri shaped like boars + pigs

Will eat anything that's smothered in teriyaki sauce or tempure-d

Absolutely adores sweet potato pie and will eat an entire one to himself.... - its safe to say that you put at least a couple of slices in his bento when you make a pie to hold him off

To give him his vitamins in the form of fruits, other than berries, you usually pack him a Fruit Sandwich/Fruit Sando - a taste sweet dessert in sandwich form that consists of sweet milk bread, fresh whipped cream with strawberries, kiwi and orange - which you usually have to give him extra as he scoffs down the first one

don't ask him to help make the bento's.....he'll eat everything as your preparing them...

Zenitsu Agatsuma:

Absolutely sobs when you give him a bento.... actually that happens every single time you make him a bento

Enjoys literally all of your food

Will absolutely sob while eating it...

Really enjoy when you use ginger and honey in the foods

Has a softspot for your Ginger Pork Onigirazu

Although he really loves when you pack Nikujaga (Meat and Potato Stew) with Shirataki Noodles with a side of Miso eggplant in his bento

Loves all the desserts/sweet things that you pack him

Doesn't matter what type of dessert - cake,mochi, crepe, etc. - its going into his stomach

although if he had to pick a favourite, it would have to be your Warabi Mochi

You can ask him to help prepare the bento's but he will add more stuff than needed or add the wrong decorations and/or seasonings

[volturiprincess]

Cheri Cheri Lady

Felix Volturi x fem human reader

Summary: Cherry pie making with the gentle giant Warnings: foul language, a bit of sexual tension, mention of a delusional child, fluff and I think thats it? A/N: This one right here has to be my favorite one, its just cute and I loved working on it, I started it before I left for my trip and wanted to finish it before but I'm glad I didn't because I was enjoying writing this one to much. I always add a bit of myself in my writings, like some of the things I add for dialogue is things I have said or heard or the inspiration to write are things I went through or saw. My biggest inspiration for this one were two things; one I did made a cherry pie a couple of weeks ago and two by the song "Cheri Cheri lady" by Modern Talking. Anyways.....Enjoy💙

Word Count: 2.5k+

(Fuck why is he so fine??? Oh to be approach by him like this😩)

The summer days in Volterra are one of my favorite times of the year, first being winter. I am able to lay out in the sun for hours without the fear of having to run inside for warmth. I could watch the sky that is filled with the fluffiest of clouds and try to spot any recognizable shapes. There was a time I managed to spot a little duckie with my darling of a mate. He spotted a baby on that same day. I don't know if that was a hint or something but it made me blush at his discovery. That day we spent talking about our delusional baby, we decided to have a girl who would have been named Flor. We somehow got into a small argument about how we would react when our ‘daughter’ introduced us to her spouse. I would be warm and welcoming while Felix would be full on cold and distant because ‘no one will ever be enough for my little princess”. 

We don't always do that, we like to switch it up once in a while, I noticed lately that Felix likes to do domestic things with me. As of now me and him have our hands interlocked while I lead him into the Volturi’s fruit trees. It’s odd how they have a whole section in their garden just dedicated to fruit trees.  They have all kinds there; apples, pears, guava, oranges, plums, and the one i'm currently searching for, cherries. I have been craving cherry pie for a while so I convinced Felix to come with me to pick them out and then we will spend a majority of the day creating this sweet treat. He of course would never question me or even say no, heck he would even let me dye his hair pink if I asked. My sweet loving mate.

We continued our little stroll through the trees, not all of the fruit has bloomed its flowers still linger in the trees. With the small breeze it would weave through the trees, releasing the remaining flowers from its branch and it would land all around me and Felix. 

We found the tree we needed, and it was glorious. I haven't had the time to come and witness it in person but Master Caius' endless paintings of the trees were pretty accurate. But there was a small issue, all the branches were a whole foot taller than me, Felix could easily grab but not me for sure. I looked at the mentioned giant who was already looking at me with a smug smirk.

“Is there an issue little rose?”

I pout at his comment because he obviously sees my dilemma.

“Put that pout away doll, now come here”

I walk over to him and I see that he is getting down on his knees. Deciding to joke with him since he bullied me earlier I said to him “Wow there, take me out on a date first at least” I covered my mouth to hold in my laughter but he beat me to it.

“Doll I have pretty much taken you all over Italy at this rate and don't even get me started on our late passionate nights” 

I blush at his comment and he gives me his infamous shark like grin. “Now don't make me repeat myself come here” 

I hurried to get behind him and he helped me get on to his muscular broad shoulders, that I would so like to munch on if I could. Once I was settled and comfortable enough he rose up to his full height. And I got to say, the weather is nice up here. I feel like I can reach the sky now or I can grab a star like an apple. So this is the tall life that I've been missing out on? It's nice but I like the short life because I can look up at my hunk of a mate and he can look down at me with his cute little smile. 

“Earth to my little mate”

“Oh sorry mi vida, the tall life got to me for a minute, what were you saying?”

I giggled in embarrassment thinking he would tease me but he responded with a small chuckle “No worries tesoro , I just asked where do you want to start?”

I quickly scanned the area and spotted a thick branch with the richest looking cherries, they were these dark red, juicy looking orbs. The sunlight was even hitting them like a spotlight, these will be perfect for the pie. 

“Those one’s right there”

He held onto my thighs while I held onto my small basket. When he got to the area I was eyeing I started to grab them.

“Here let me hold your basket pitufina”

I handed him the basket to his outstretched hand and paused for a minute at his nickname.

“Did you just call me pitufina?”

“I did”

He didn't even hesitate to answer me either, in a sarcastic voice I answer him “Wow what a darling you are”

“Well it's not like its not true, you're literally sitting on my shoulders because you were to short to reach the cherries”

“Well yeah but I mean your just abnormally tall, and by the way I didnt even know you knew that word”

“Pitufina? Well I needed to do some research and I might of heard it when you were watching ‘Smurfs’ in Spanish the other day”

I started to pick cherries again and continued to talk to him “Mmm but my skin is not blue”

“Well obviously but your short like a smurf”

I love his humor “You know what, Demetri would never hurt my feelings by pointing out my shortness, at least he calls me cara and that's nice compared to pitufina”

“Oh well sweet Demetri is not here to compliment you”

I mumbled as I continued to pick more cherries to fill my basket. 

“Your adorable when you mumble, and by the way I can hear everything your saying too so watch that mouth of yours or else”

“Or else what? Gonna ground me or something”

“No its either between a punishment I will enjoy or no Demetri”

I stop picking mid reach “WHAT! Oh that’s just crossing the line, how can you say such a thing, he’s my best friend, we bond over shopping, who’s going to do that with me now?”

“You have Heidi”

“Well yea but how can you take away my sweet Demetri like that, I need both Heidi and Demetri to go shopping”

“Well watch your mouth and there won't be an issue then”

“Fine, man your on fire today with the sass but I love it”

He laughed at my comment “Of course you do”

I eventually, after our bickering, filled my basket with the pretties of cherries I found. Felix set me down gently and he held the basket while I clung to his arm. Oh his arms, how I admire them so much. The way it seems his arms fit perfectly around me, as if his arms were meant to be around me, maybe it’s true because we are mates after all. I swear everytime I see him after training the newborns with Demetri, his arms look more muscular than usual. I don't know if I'm just imagining things but I can guarantee you Felix's arm was not the size of a tree trunk when I first saw him. Or maybe it was, honestly when I saw him all I could focus on was his sweet smile, it was nothing I have ever witnessed, there's no other words to describe it but sweet. Sometimes he will flash me his canines, and I can say they are not fangs, the disappointment I faced when I found out vampires don't actually have fangs. Nevertheless Felix is everything I could ever ask for, I sometimes question myself how I got so fortunate to have someone like him in my life, and to think we have forever. 

“Earth again to my little love?”

I blink a couple of times to clear my mind from my endless thoughts on my lovely mate and look up at him with a confused look. Has he been talking to me this whole time since we left the gardens? Wait, how are we in the kitchen already?

“You've been pretty distracted lately doll, what's happening in that pretty little head of yours?”

I chuckled nervously at his observation “I was thinking about you”

“When are you not”

I slap his arm playfully while he laughs at my failed attempt to ‘harm’ him. Cocky son of a bitch, the day when I am turned I will make sure I kick his ass but at the same time I don't think I could actually fight him, it might go a whole other way if I get my hands on him. 

“Well you are my lover, want me to think about other people?” before he could interrupt me I decided to tease him “Maybe I should think about Demetri, I seen he has changed his hairstyle lately, and he looks absolutely gorgeous as always, or I could think about Alec, I noticed he is growing his hair out, I need to witness that version of Alec for my own sake”

I didn't even realize as soon as I was done talking I was pinned against the wall and he was looking down at me with his infamous smirk that I love so much.

“Are we done talking now? Or you want to hit at Master Caius too? Hmmm?” He tilted his head at an angle to toy with me. I gulped nervously which only made his smirk widen more as if that were even possible, it was me versus him, him and I, a prey and a predator, a little lamb and a big bad wolf. We had our gazes glued onto each other, we didn't even look away from each other when Demetri waltz in saying 

“Hey guys I don't smell pi- oh damn, pardon my presence” and not even when he ran off screaming for Heidi. Felix finally pulled away and instead of his smirk, he flashed me with his cute smile

“Don't we have a pie to make, little rose?”

I nodded, unable to form words yet from his earlier action and scrambled to get the ingredients for the crust out. He decided to sit on the island to watch me and to be there in case I need his help. He looked adorable sitting there, such a big guy and here he is swinging his feet, watching me with his adorable little smile. Why must he be such a cutie patootie, how can this same vampire be also the executor? Literally right now he looks harmless like a kitten, where is the wolf that was close to devouring me on the spot just minutes ago? And I thought Alec was bipolar, news flash it's Felix. 

As I was rolling out the dough I felt a small breeze and then pain in my eye.

“Owww my poor little human eye, Felix you son of a bitch you got flour in my eye, owww”

I dropped the rolling pin and was about to blindly search for the sink when I felt another small breeze and was met once again with relief. I blink a couple of times to be met with intense wine red eyes who had the most playful look. I had my eyes narrowed at him while he laughed wholeheartedly. How can I be mad at him when his laugh is the most contagious laugh I have heard? I smiled slightly which only caused him to laugh more 

“There it is” He pulled me into his arms to kiss the top of my head “I'm sorry doll, I didn't mean to get it  into your eyes but…”

“But what?”

“What did I say about cursing?”

Shit. I'm done for.

“Um only in the bedroom”

“Exactly, I'll let it slide for now since you were pain but next time I won't”

I nod but continue to snuggle into him, whenever he has his arms wrapped around me like this, I feel so protected and safe. He basically has me in a cocoon, there was one time Alec and Jane didn't realize I was in Felix arms and they started to ask him about some grotesque thing that left me traumatized. 

“You need to finish that pie doll come on I will help and no more flour play”

“I better not suffer from flour in eyes again mi vida, that did hurt, my eyes were burning”

“And I said I'm sorry already, at least I stop the pain, no?”

“Well yeah but just don't do it again”

“How bout I do this instead”

I saw him reach around me and he dabbed his finger on the remaining flour on the table and bopped my nose with it. I smiled softly again and returned the act instantly. We both started to giggle at our state until he turned me around so I was facing my unfinished pie. 

After 6 hours of baking, it took longer than usual because someone could not keep their hands to themselves, the pie was finished. It smelled amazing and it came out beautiful. Felix is weirdly perfect in doing a weave, I didn't even have to show him how, he even managed to add little rose designs to it (in honor of me). 

“I think it's too pretty to eat”

“Well I eat you frequently and I always think your to pretty to eat also”

I blush profoundly at his very vulgar statement, he has such a dirty mouth sometimes. I shy away from him from embarrassment and cover my face to hide my red face.

“Hey now, don't shy away, you never get shy in mentioned acts”

“FELIX!?”

He snorts at my outburst “You cannot deny it little love”

“Still, what if someone hears you”

“Love? Demetri has seen you naked before, even though he vowed to never bring it up to you, he has also heard those cute little noises you make”

I snap my gaze at him and stare at him like a fish out of water, damn no wonder Demetri wiggles his eyebrows at me whenever he sees me in the mornings. 

I turn away and look at the pie again and back to him “Is that what you and him talk about then, me?”

“Always”

“Wow, i can't wait to be turned so I can kick yours and Demetris ass, maybe Jane will help me too”

His smile dropped and he clutched his chest and dramatically exclaimed “You would want to see your own mate in pain? I thought you loved me? I thought you couldn't bear to see me in pain?”

“Well with the things you put me though I might need Alec too”

“Damn betrayed by my own love of my life”

I chuckled at his theatrics.

“I love you my dramatic amor”

“I love you too pitufina”

Yes this is the life I can't wait to live for eternity with him, my sweet loving mate who has a secret teddy bear side.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A little translation:

Amor: Love

Mi vida: My life

Pitufina: a nickname for someone who is short or it actually translate to smurfette

[thethirdromana]

You have done cheeses. How about dessert.

Ooh, good idea.

See, the thing about Victorian food is that a lot of it sounds pretty unappealing from the vantage point of the 21st century. There were a lot of overboiled vegetables and stodgy meals designed to get you through winters with no central heating.

But Victorian desserts? Much more reliably delicious. So I can restrict myself to the desserts that these characters might actually have eaten. No tiramisu (1960s) or banoffee pie (1971).

Starting off with an easy one, RM Renfield is the traditional Scottish fruit slice (which I already highlighted in my food guide to Dracula) known as flies graveyard. I'm going to trust that one doesn't need any additional exploration.

Lucy Westenra is light (literally: "Lucy" means light), pretty, and appealing to small children. OK, admittedly the eater-eaten relationship goes the other way around with the small children vs Lucy-as-dessert, but I think it still works. She's a bombe glacée, a spherical ice-cream dessert that first appeared on restaurant menus in the 1880s.

I had a fun browse through Dutch desserts before I found the perfect one for Abraham van Helsing. He's the old man of the story, but he's still a little bit spicy and a little bit divisive - much like anise, which flavours Dutch oudewijvenkoek, or old wives' cake.

For Quincey Morris, there could only be one option. He's from Texas, y'all, he is obviously peach cobbler.

Continuing with the suitors, the obvious answer for Arthur Holmwood would be a dessert associated with wealth and privilege - perhaps Eton Mess, traditionally served at the annual cricket match between Eton and Harrow Schools, and first mentioned in print in 1893. But Eton Mess is a light, sweet, inconsequential sort of dessert and that just doesn't seem right for Arthur. Instead, I'd associate him with a rich, indulgent, traditional, solid plum pudding.

Jack Seward is in some ways the most modern of the suitors. Also the most highly strung. He's cherries jubilee, a brand-new dessert in 1897 as it was (probably) created that year for Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee. It's full of liqueur (suitably for Jack, who's full of chloral) and it gets flambéed at the table.

I have to admit that I struggled with Jonathan Harker. Maybe I just love him too much to caricature him, you know? But what I came down is that he needed to be a beloved treat, available on menus across the UK, not wildly expensive, not wildly luxurious. And also, Jonathan goes through a lot of trials and drinks a lot of tea in this novel. Jonathan is a toasted teacake.

As for Mina Harker née Murray, it seemed appropriate that she should be a similar sort of dessert to her husband. So he's a bun with dried fruit and she's a bread with dried fruit. Specifically, she's an Irish soda bread (since Murray is an Irish surname) that is known either as Spotted Dog or - more suitably for Mina - railway cake.

[snowyslytherinowl]

The First Perfect Christmas

PAIRING: Severus Snape x Reader

SUMMARY: For the first time in Severus's life, he won't be celebrating Christmas alone. This time, he'll spend the holidays with you, his girlfriend. Since it's your favorite holiday, Severus tries to get you every Christmas gift on your wishlist. But when not all the items you want are available, Severus worries that he'll ruin your Christmas and disappoint you.

Warning: a very brief reference to child/domestic abuse and there's angst, but there's nothing intense. Merry Christmas to those who celebrate and even if you don’t, I hope you have a wonderful day! I know I haven’t published in a while since my life has been busy, but I wanted to at least write something for the holiday season. Also, I tried my best to use British English terms (I know I didn’t use British spelling, though) but I may not have gotten them all since I’m ✨American✨.

*GIF isn't mine; credit to @smilingformoney

For the first time in his life, Severus Snape’s Christmas won’t be one of loneliness. He spent his childhood Christmases with his parents, but being with his parents was like being with no one at all. Every Christmas was the same; his father drank himself into a violent rage and his mother sat on the couch in silence. Severus envied the children who received the newest toys and ate warm meals beside a grand tree. At the very least, Severus wanted to spend time with his family even if there was no tree in the corner of the living room. Wasn’t Christmas time supposed to be full of holiday cheer and merry greetings? 

You are the only person who makes him feel happy during the holidays. He stuck his nose up at the Christmas decorations around Hogwarts and not a single tinsel could be found in his quarters. But when the clock struck midnight on the First of December, you required him to add some holiday cheer to his quarters. He placed a mini tree in the living room, hung stockings above his fireplace, and lined the doorframe to his bedroom with garland. The colorful ornaments you gave him for the tree are a little too bright and tacky, but it doesn’t matter; he’d do anything to make you happy. 

On the other hand, you decked out your Hogsmeade cottage in the spirit of the holidays. A train chugs around a miniature Christmas village, the large tree displays red globes and floating snowflakes, and a beautiful snow globe with white horses rests on your mantle. The aroma of gingerbread cookies and plum cake wafts from your kitchen as Severus walks into your cottage. You peek into the living room from the kitchen and smile widely as you see him come in. 

“Come here!” you say enthusiastically to him, but you run towards him and pull him into the kitchen before he even has a chance to oblige. There are many baked goods on the counter, ranging from gingerbread cookies with iced smiles to a Yule log that actually looks like it was cut from a tree. Without warning, you shove something in Severus’s mouth and he almost spits it out from the surprise. 

“How’s the plum cake? I’m in between giving my neighbors a plum cake or a plum pie. They said they like anything with plums, but a pie and a cake aren’t the same thing. So, what do you think I should bake them?” You look at him expectantly as he chews on the plum cake. It is absolutely delicious; it’s moist and not too sweet. Severus swallows the last bite and is about to respond when your eyes widen and you gasp. “Oh wait! I forgot to give you the pie!” Once again, Severus almost chokes as you shove the plum pie into his mouth. 

“Now what do you think?” you ask him. Severus stares blankly at you. He doesn’t want to make the wrong choice and therefore disappoint you, especially since you’re looking up at him with expectant eyes. What if he chooses the cake and the neighbors deem it not moist enough? Or what if he tells you to bake the pie and the neighbors don’t like doughy desserts? It’s a minor decision to make, but he never wants to upset you; so, he chooses the sweet he likes more. 

“I prefer the cake,” Severus says, pointing at the dessert on the counter. You beam at him and wave your wand to pop another cake into the oven. 

“Thanks! Now why don’t you sit down on the couch and I’ll clean the kitchen up?” Before he can oblige, you gently push him out of the kitchen to immerse himself in the Christmas wonderland of your living room. 

Severus sits next to the arm of the couch and looks around the room as he patiently waits for you. He notices an open journal on the side table and leans forward to look at the top page. It’s a list of some sort: a snow globe, notepad, pillow, and Iridescent Ink. Every wizard knows what Iridescent Ink is and he thinks the ‘pillow’ is the one he saw you looking at in Hogsmeade. The snow globe on your list likely refers to the one featuring Diagon Alley with reindeer flying overhead. He remembers how you gushed over how cute the reindeer were and how magical Diagon Alley looked… Wait, is this supposed to be your Christmas wishlist? 

Severus’s head snaps to the snowman Christmas countdown, which lets him know that there are twelve days until your favorite holiday. Twelve days should be plenty to find all the gifts you want, but he still internally smacks himself for forgetting to buy gifts until now. 

He immediately straightens in his seat and rips his gaze from your journal when you enter the room, carrying two mugs of steaming liquid. You wrap your arms around him and Severus blushes crimson. Even though you’ve been dating for almost a year now, Severus reacts the same way whenever you touch him. “I can’t wait to cuddle with you tonight. It’s been extra cold recently.” You rest your head on his shoulder and gaze up at him.

Yes, his thoughts about the pillow were definitely right. The pillow shapes itself around both sides of your body and adjusts when you move. He remembers how you teased him when you said, “I need something to cuddle with when you’re not here to be my body pillow every night.”

“I regret not being here to keep you warm every night, though you know that my responsibilities at Hogwarts are the only factors keeping me away from you.” Severus blushes again at your closeness and looks down. On the weekends, Severus stays overnight at your Hogsmeade cottage. You snuggle so closely and wrap your legs around his so tightly that your bodies are practically fused together. Although he isn’t particularly fond of being confined underneath your body, he does appreciate the warmth that envelopes him. “Even when I am slaving away under Dumbledore’s orders, you can always use a warming spell on nights like these.” 

“Mmm, but I prefer it when you keep me warm.” Any thoughts about the hot chocolate awaiting him on the table flee his mind when you cup his face and kiss him on the lips.

After a night of suffocating cuddles, Severus untangles himself from your arms and slips out of the bed. When you stir awake and attempt to pull him back into the bed, Severus whispers an excuse about needing to retrieve essays to grade. You press a wet kiss to his cheek, murmur a farewell, and fall right back to sleep. He’s thankful that your shift at Scrivenshaft’s is later in the day since you won’t catch him apparating to Diagon Alley. 

Stores in Diagon Alley have just opened when Severus apparates there. He heads straight for Scribbulus Writing Implements to buy Iridescent Ink for you. Rows and rows of ink line the shelves, making it impossible for him to find Iridescent Ink among colors like Eccentric Emerald and Plum Paradise. After he finds three jars, he heads for Rosa Lee Teabag. Even if you didn’t ask for tea on your wishlist, Severus still buys a box of your favorite tea. Then, a book with moving illustrations displayed in the shop window of Flourish and Blotts catches his eye. His cheeks burn when the cashier asks if it’s for his child, but his momentary embarrassment is worth it since you love books with colorful, detailed illustrations. Perhaps it could be passed on to his future child too. 

He remembers seeing your desired snow globe at Ethereal Embellishments Emporium. House-themed snow globes line the top shelf and snow globes with a crackling fireplace lie below. Severus’s brow furrows when he notices that the Diagon Alley snow globe is missing. Try as he might to scavenge through the store and rearrange the shelves, Severus can’t find it. 

Even when he asks the store clerk if there are any Diagon Alley snow globes in their inventory, his inquiry remains unsuccessful. She comes back with a box containing a snow globe in the shape of a lantern. A snowman and snowwoman hug each other and wave at the person outside the glass while snow falls around them. Severus frowns as he turns the snow globe in his hand. One reason why you like the Diagon Alley snow globe is because of the cute reindeer flying overhead, and this snow globe has cute snowpeople. Even though it’s nice, it isn’t the one you wanted. After handing it back to the store clerk, her thanks her for her time and leaves the store. 

Awkwardly standing in the middle of the street, Severus feels a sense of dread as he considers where else he can find that snow globe. Dazzling Decorations Depot and Hartigan’s Holiday House both sell Christmas decorations. Though when he visits the two shops, he finds out that Hartigan’s has sold out of snow globes and Dazzling Decorations Depot doesn’t even sell snow globes. 

His dread turns into panic. He only bought the Iridescent Ink, which can be bought at any stationery shop. The Hogsmeade store that sells the pillow is closed on the weekends. He’s afraid that if he purchases it on Monday, you’ll catch him walking back to Hogwarts with the pillow in hand. He can’t buy the notepad from Scrivenshaft’s either since you work there today and it’s closed on Sunday. The only other day you have off is Tuesday, but it may be sold out by then. 

Of course, Severus can gift you items other than what’s on your wishlist. But what if you get angry that he didn’t get you everything on your wishlist? What if you don’t like the gifts he’s chosen for you? Would this ruin your Christmas? Examining the contents of the shopping bags from Rosa Lee Teabag and Flourish and Blotts, Severus can't shake the thought that the items he purchased aren’t good enough for you. 

After returning to Hogwarts, Severus drops off what he bought and retrieves the essays he actually does need to grade. He returns to your cottage and sits at your kitchen table, grading the essays. Reading his students’ subpar papers on the properties of Wolfsbane Potion does nothing to distract him from his thoughts, especially as he hears the toot of the train chugging around the Christmas village. You decorated your cottage in the Christmas spirit, make him Holiday Blancmange every weekend, and send sweet notes to his office in Hogwarts Castle. Meanwhile, he hadn’t even thought to start buying gifts until yesterday. 

Severus’s eyes brighten as you return home from work, but his gaze holds a bit of sadness as he thinks about what a poor excuse of a boyfriend he is. You laugh as you close the front door and quickly hide something behind your back. “Give me a second!” you say enthusiastically to him and dash into your bedroom. He finishes marking an essay as he hears you rearranging items in your room. 

You come back into the kitchen and wrap your arms around him from behind. “How was your day, sweetheart?”

“It can only ever be average when I must read my students’ atrocious papers,” he drawls and rests his hand over yours. “How was work? You are slightly later than usual.”

“It was stressful and the store was packed with people throughout my entire shift. You know, with it being the holiday rush and all.” You lean forward and kiss Severus’s cheek. “But I got something special for you.”

Feelings of guilt eat away at Severus’s heart and his shoulders droop, but he tries to shake it off before you notice. “Oh? Where is it?”

“You won’t get it until Christmas, silly.” You laugh and playfully push him. “By the way, what do you want to do for Christmas? I was thinking that we could just stay in and cook together. Oh! And what do you want to eat? We must have roast beef and I’ll bake any dessert you want.”

Severus thinks you look the most beautiful when you’re excited about something. Your eyes shine, you smile widely, and you shake his shoulders as you go on about whatever makes you passionate. He doesn’t deserve you, especially when you look as beautiful as you do now. He just smiles at you and mumbles,  “Whatever you want, I will be happy with.”

After classes end on Tuesday, he walks down to Hogsmeade to buy the pillow and notepad. Lumos Living is swarming with customers when he walks into the store. Unfortunately for Severus, the shape-shifting body pillow is so popular that there are none on the shelves.

Severus’s pointer fingers pick on his cuticles as he approaches a store clerk restocking the shelves in the bedding section. “Do you have any of the shape-shifting body pillows in stock?”

“Unfortunately, we don’t. But we’ll restock on Friday morning, so you can come back and check on that day!” Great, just great. Yet another item on your wishlist that Severus can’t buy. He huffs and thanks the clerk as he stomps out of the store.

Scanning the streets of Hogsmeade, Severus ensures you’re not around as he makes his way to Scrivenshaft’s. Just as you described your shift on Saturday, the store is packed with wizards and witches alike. He hasn’t seen the notepad you want before, but he remembers how you described it to him after you came home from your shift several weeks ago. Every time you pull a sheet out, the next sheet morphs into a completely different shape and design. 

The notepad and notebook section isn’t as busy as the rest of the store. There are flying notepads, notebooks that you can have conversations with, and notepads in the shape of a twinkling Christmas tree. Severus thanks Merlin when he finds the notepad you described and snatches it off the shelf before anyone else has a chance to grab it. 

Severus walks toward the long checkout line with a slight pep in his step only to freeze as he catches sight of you. Tuesday is your day off; why are you even here? He ducks behind a table displaying a stack of notebooks as you turn to look in his direction. It doesn’t seem like you notice him since you calmly walk over to your coworker at the register. 

The two of you have a brief conversation before your coworker hands you something. When you start walking in his direction, Severus dashes from the table to the opposite side of the store. You press something inside the keyhole of a door, which he assumes leads to the stockroom, without spotting your boyfriend. 

Severus feigns interest in the limited edition holiday quills as he waits for you to leave. He slowly sorts through the boxes of Festive Featherflame Quills and pretends to look for the best quill. Another customer gives him an impatient look when he takes too long, so he awkwardly steps to the side. He turns around to look at the door to the stockroom, but you still haven’t emerged. 

“Sev?” Severus jumps and begins to pick at his cuticles at the sound of your voice. He quickly shoves both the Festive Featherflame Quill and the notepad to the side. His eyes dart to a door beside the quill section, which has just closed shut. Realizing that this door also leads to the stockroom, Severus internally curses himself for not noticing it when he sprinted over here. “What are you doing here?”

“I… well, I am in need of ink and a quill,” Severus attempts to say nonchalantly. When your eyes wander to the shelf behind him, he turns his body to hide the two items from your sight. 

“Okay…” you say and frown. “I just wish you bought it during my shift.”

“I apologize, my love, but I did not realize that I needed these two items until this morning,” Severus lies again, but feels a genuine twinge in his heart as you frown. “Further, why are you here today if you are not working?”

“I left my coat here last night.” You still look a little upset, but you peck a kiss on his cheek nonetheless. “I’ve got to run. See you in a few days, okay?”

With a sigh of relief, he watches the front door close behind you. He quickly retrieves the notepad he threw to the side and makes his way to the checkout line, which is even longer than before. 

A bell from the second register rings, beckoning the next customer in line. He recognizes the store clerk helping him at the register as Mary, your favorite co-worker and the reason why you two are together. One chilly day in late November, Severus popped into Scrivenshaft’s to buy jars of ink. You caught Severus’s eye as he searched for ink and he could barely string a sentence together when you helped him at the register. Under the guise of buying ink and quills, he visited the store every few days, secretly reveling in the opportunity to admire you and exchange a few words with you. After several weeks, his office stationery drawer overflowed with ink and quills, and Mary noticed how enamored he was with you. During every free moment of your shifts, she teased you about him and eventually convinced you to make the first move. 

“Severus, hey!” Mary says enthusiastically and louder than he would’ve wanted. Several other customers and employees glance at Mary and him. “How’ve you been? What are you getting today?”

“I am well. I would like this.” Severus hands over the notepad, causing Mary’s eye to twinkle. 

“This one is so cute!” she gushes. Then, something seems to click in her mind and she gasps loudly, of course. “Wait! This is the one that your girlfriend wants!” 

Severus looks around to see even more people looking at them, causing him to sigh. Keeping this purchase a secret from you is practically an impossibility at this point. “Mary, please quiet down. I do not want her to know that I am purchasing this for her,” he attempts to say calmly, but a hint of impatience leaks into his voice. 

Mary makes a zipping movement over her lips and smiles giddily. “Don’t worry! I promise not to say anything.” She scribbles down the item and price on a record and then looks back up at him. “That’ll be five galleons.”Swiftly handing over the coins, Severus leaves the store with the notepad clutched firmly in his hand. 

When his final class before lunch concludes on Friday, Severus shoos his students from his classroom and rushes down to Hogsmeade. He’s nervous that he won’t make it back to Hogwarts on time since the lunch period isn’t long and the village is full of cheery citizens participating in holiday activities. Though what makes him sweat is the possibility that Lumos Living has already sold out of all the shape-shifting pillows they restocked this morning. He can’t afford any more bad luck when it comes to gift-giving. 

But unfortunately for Severus, his already minimal good luck has completely drained. There are no more shape-shifting pillows, no matter how many times he ransacks the store and sticks his hands into the crevices between the shelves. He mutters curses under his breath and stomps back to Hogwarts for the final classes of the day, where the students note that he is in an especially foul mood. 

His only consolation after all classes end for the day is that the Christmas holidays have just begun, so he can spend two whole weeks at your cottage. His heart soars with excitement as he heads down to Hogsmeade, yet simultaneously sinks with self-disappointment for not buying everything you asked for. 

When you arrive home from your shift, you stomp the snow off your boots and joyfully display a bottle of eggnog in your hands. “It was a little expensive, but why not? It’s Christmas and I get to keep you here for two weeks!” you cheerfully say as you hand him the eggnog. Severus waves his wand and pours two glasses as you continue, “I was thinking of going caroling after my shift tomorrow and I know you don’t like it, so I won’t drag you along. But I’ll make up for my lateness tomorrow night with smoked salmon for tonight’s dinner, okay?”

“That sounds delightful, my love,” Severus says quietly and sips his eggnog. Turning over the bottle in his hand, he sighs at your sweet gesture, which he feels he is unworthy of. 

As you wave your wand to summon all the ingredients for tonight’s dinner, you turn to Severus and frown at him. “Is everything all right, sweetheart?” you ask, concern clear in your voice. 

Severus looks into your eyes and sees genuine worry. He can’t bear the thought of ruining your day, so he forces a small smile and pulls you close to him. “Do not worry. I am fine. My head is merely spinning at the thought of the potions I have to brew for my stores over the Christmas holidays. At least those pesky students will not give me headaches for the next two weeks.”

You smile back at him and nuzzle your nose against his. “And I’ll start making dinner so you can get your head off things. But I still expect you to make one of your special drink concoctions.” 

As the evening progresses and you eat a delicious dinner, he enjoys spending time with you and listening to you rave about what your friends plan to do for Christmas. But no matter how hard he tries, he can’t shake up the feelings of guilt building inside him. 

As you head off for work and caroling the next day, he takes advantage of the time alone to do some final holiday shopping. The store clerks at Lumos Living inform him that the shape-shifting pillow won’t be stocked until after Christmas, so Severus resorts to buying a body pillow that changes temperature based on your body temperature. Pillow stuffed in a bag, he apparates to Diagon Alley to find the elusive snow globe. Neither can the Diagon Alley snow globe be found in any of the shops. After carefully inspecting all the other substitutes from Ethereal Embellishments and Hartigan’s, he decides to buy the snow globe with a ​​snowman and snowwoman hugging each other. At least you might appreciate the cheery, adorable faces of the snowpeople. 

As Severus wanders aimlessly around Diagon Alley with his store bags in hand, he ponders over whether to get you something from the surrounding stores. His memory flashes back to the first gift he gave you: a red glimmering potion that released tiny floating animals. Nothing has ever made him nearly as happy as when you threw your arms around him and gushed over it for weeks. Instead of buying other items at Diagon Alley or Hogsmeade, he resolves to brew something similar to that potion. At least he knows you’ll like it. 

Upon his return to Hogwarts, Severus immediately sets up a large cauldron and assembles the required ingredients. Since it’s not an overly complicated potion, he adds extra details to make the gift even more special. Stirring the boiling water and dropping ingredients in as they’re required, he makes the potion sparkle green, gold, and red. After he waves his wand over photographs of you and him, the cauldron releases floating, moving images of the two of you. He smiles as two tiny figures float in the air: you and him standing in front of a zoo enclosure of mooncalves. 

He pours the finished potion into a large bottle and mulls over what else he should make using his potion skills. It may be too late to hang new ornaments on the tree, but Severus still decides to make liquid-filled ornaments for the following year. He prepares a potion similar to the one he made earlier, which also glimmers in the cauldron. Then, he transfigures clean potion bottles into the shapes of icicles and eggs and adds tiny, colorful glass pieces to design the eggs. Severus frowns as he inspects his uneven placement of the glass pieces on the eggs, but he hopes the ornaments still look enchanting enough as the potion swirls inside the glass. 

Over the next several days, you occupy almost every minute of Severus’s time. As a child, he never built snowmen or lay on the ground and made snow angels. Neither had he been brave enough to challenge the other children to a snowball fight or ride a sled down the small hill near his home. But when you two aren’t relaxing at your cottage or walking hand-in-hand at a Christmas event, you pull him outside and have fun in the snow. A snowman and snowwoman fashioned after the two of you still stand outside your front door, and Severus adjusts their twig arms so they continue to hold hands despite the harsh wind. No matter how many times you ride a sled together, his arms wrapped around your front remain stiff; yet when the two of you roll off the sled after crashing into something, he can’t help but crack a smile. And every evening that the two of you spend together, you walk through an enchanted Christmas wonderland the village of Hogsmeade has set up. Throughout all these festivities, Severus almost forgets how he’s failed in getting all the gifts you want. Almost. 

In the middle of the night between Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, Severus rushes to retrieve the gifts from Hogwarts and properly package them. With only a candle lighting up the room, Severus hunches over the kitchen table and waves his wand over the wrapping paper. The process of wrapping the Iridescent Ink, notepad, and potion gifts go smoothly. However, he pauses as his eyes roam over the snowpeople globe, temperature-changing pillow, box of tea, and illustrated book. Would it be better to not give you the second-best gifts or not give you a pillow or snow globe at all? Perhaps you would think he didn’t bother to find you everything on your list, so Severus reluctantly wraps up those two things. Along that same train of thought, he covers the box of tea and illustrated book with silver wrapping paper. Before he can overthink the gifts he’s wrapped, he waves his wand and sends them to rest at the foot of the tree. 

At precisely eight the next morning, Severus is shaken awake by you. He slowly opens his eyes and sees your eager face and messy morning hair right above him. “Wake up, Sev! Happy Christmas!” you squeal. You kiss him on the lips and scurry out of the room. 

Severus yawns and slogs out of bed. When he enters the living room, you run into his arms and kiss him. “When did you put all those gifts under the tree?” you ask excitedly. 

“When you were sleeping last night,” Severus says groggily and pulls you close to him. It’s an irrational thought, but he thinks that you might not open up his gifts if he holds you here all day. 

You wrap your arms around his neck and gaze adoringly up at him. “You know you’re the best boyfriend, right?”

He feels a twinge in his heart, but he forces a smile onto his face. “Do not flatter me, my love.” You laugh at him and gently push him away before he can hold you closer and prevent you from sitting under the tree. 

Severus holds his breath as you sort through the gifts, but then you pull out a package that he doesn’t recognize. You pat the floor next to you and hold the package above your head. “I want you to open all my gifts first.”

He takes the package from you and tenderly runs a hand over the green bow and red wrapping paper adorned with flying hippogriffs. Reluctant to rip away or lazily flick his wand over the wrapping you obviously put effort into, he slowly unties the bow and gently removes the wrapping paper. Inside is a packaged set of books on the Dark Arts, specifically rare volumes that he had expressed interest in several weeks ago. How did you even find these? How did you even remember that he wanted these? Severus looks up and notices the hopeful look in your eyes. He genuinely smiles at you and leans forward to kiss your cheek. “Thank you, my love. You are so very thoughtful.”

“Of course, Sev!” You turn to look for another gift and hand him a package even bigger than the last one. Again, you eagerly watch him as he carefully unwraps the gift. His mouth drops in awe as he uncovers the exquisitely crafted wooden box that serves as a travel potions case. The outside of the box is carved in the design of a tree and when he opens it, his name is engraved on the top section. Jars of potion ingredients are also stored inside the box, ranging from bat spleens to boomslang. You smile shyly at him and say, “I wasn’t very good at Potions, so I don’t know if those ingredients will be useful to you. But I did find a list of ingredients you’re running short of, so I bought those.”

Severus sets the box aside and embraces you. “No, no. This is the most beautiful trunk I have ever set my eyes upon and I am in need of all of those ingredients. You should not have done all of this for me,” he says quietly and his voice even breaks. His heart pounds wildly and his mind swarms with thoughts of how he doesn’t deserve this, how he doesn’t deserve you. You gave him this and the best thing he’s giving you is a silly lovey-dovey potion. Some tears form in his eyes and he quickly blinks them away before you notice them.

“Nope, I would get anything for you, Sev. I’m just afraid that the other gifts aren’t as nice as the last two,” you say as you rub his back. You pull away and summon a small present into your hand. “I know you like practical gifts, so I hope you like this one.”

Underneath the blue bow and icicle-themed wrapping paper, the clear box contains several red rubbers. You laugh as you spot the unintentional look of confusion on Severus’s face. “They’re Flubber Rubbers. I know you can’t usually remove the ink from your students’ essays, but these rubbers actually do remove ink and write encouraging comments in the margins. I thought these would help you stay more positive after Minerva scolded you for being too harsh.”

His cheeks burn and he glares at you, sending you into an even louder laughing fit. “I do not know if I should feel insulted or be grateful, though I suppose I can use these on essays that fall short of atrocious.” Internally, Severus is secretly very grateful that you would try to help him with his work as a professor. He takes in a deep breath and blinks, yet again fighting the tears that threaten to spill from his eyes. How did he ever manage to make you, an angel, his girlfriend?

Your hands grasp onto a large box with a red and green bow on the top, but then you pull your hand back and pass him another present. “I also got this one from Scrivenshaft’s. I hope you don’t already have this one,” you say a little nervously. 

Severus cocks his brow as he unwraps the gift, pondering over what you meant by “I hope you don’t already have this one.” Almost every stationery item he owns is from Scrivenshaft’s since he wants to support the shop you work at, but he doesn’t buy unique stationery items. He mostly purchases black and red ink, basic quills, and journals. Perhaps this is a leatherbound journal?

Severus lifts the lid of the box. Inside is what he assumes is a limited edition Christmas quill. He doesn’t recognize the bird from which the feather was plucked, but the feather has been dyed a deep red and flutters to increase and decrease in size. It’s nice, but he wouldn’t choose Christmas quills over basic ones. Why did you get this? Then, it clicks in his mind. Last week, you spotted him in the limited edition holiday quill section at Scrivenshaft’s. You must have thought that he wanted one of those quills, especially the Festive Featherflame. 

His lip trembles and he frowns deeply as he holds the quill in the palm of his hand. You notice everything about him, from the wanting looks at potion ingredients to how he lingers around a particular corner of the Dark Arts section of bookshops for too long. Severus now thinks that he isn’t nearly as observant as you are. What if you clearly wanted something, but he didn’t buy it for you because you didn’t verbally express interest in it? How many items has he now missed out on buying? Out of all the things you’ve given him so far, the item he didn’t necessarily want finally forces the tears out of his eyes. Severus’s shoulders shake and he pinches the quill a little too forcefully in his hands. What an utter failure of a boyfriend he’s been.

“What’s wrong? Do you not like it?” you ask quietly, but the concern is loud in your voice. You scoot closer to him and wipe the tears flowing down his cheeks. 

“No, it is not that. You notice everything about me and all of these gifts have been incredibly thoughtful,” he sobs. “Meanwhile, I could not even find you all the gifts on your wishlist.” Severus accepts your loving embrace and buries his face in your shoulder even though he knows he doesn’t deserve this. 

You pull back and furrow your brow in confusion as you ask, “Wait, what? How do you know I made a wishlist?” 

“I found it inside your journal around twelve days ago, I believe,” Severus says shyly and his cheeks burn with embarrassment. “I apologize if I invaded your privacy by looking at your journal. Though I swear that it was already open when I looked at its contents.”

“Hey, it’s fine. I was just wondering how you knew since I didn’t tell anyone.” You push a strand of hair behind his ear and kiss his cheek. As more tears pour down his face, you summon a handkerchief from a cabinet and hand it to him. “You really didn’t have to get me any of those things, Sev. I planned on buying all of them when they went on sale tomorrow.”

“But then what would I have given you for Christmas? You have given me so much and I bought gifts that are unworthy of you.” Although your loving touch has slightly calmed him down, his body still shakes and his voice breaks as he speaks. 

“Really, you didn’t have to give me any presents. This is corny to say, but having you here for Christmas is all that I wanted. I didn’t ask you for your wishlist nor did I give you my own since I think it’s better to give your loved ones thoughtful gifts rather than ones they’ve been begging for for months.” You pull away from him and sweep your hand over the gifts under the tree. “I was going to have you open all my presents first, but why don’t you let me open the ones you got for me?”

Severus shakes his head and looks down. “I do not want to disappoint you. I know Christmas is your favorite holiday, so I do not want to ruin your day.”

You sigh and cup his face again. “You could never disappoint me or ruin my Christmas, Sev. The fact that you’re even crying about this shows how much you care about me. You are the best boyfriend I’ve ever had and there is nothing that you can say that will convince me otherwise.”

Severus grunts a “fine” under his breath, but he glows internally at what you’ve said. He decides to hand you the present with the notepad first since he doesn’t want to get your hopes up with the potions present or disappoint you with the second-best gifts. 

As you carefully remove the wrapping paper like he had, Severus can tell you’re holding yourself back from ripping at it. When you uncover the notepad, your face lights up and you throw your arms around him. “This is why you were at Scrivenshaft’s without me! You’re so sneaky!” 

“You nearly caught me multiple times. Then, I nearly had a heart attack when you said hello to me.” He laughs at the memory and runs his hand over your hair. 

“Yeah, you looked pretty nervous.” You join him in his laughter and place the notepad on a nearby table. “What’s next?”

“This.” He points out the small box in golden wrapping paper. He realizes that his wrapping, even when he used a spell to do it, isn’t nearly as good as yours. “It is not special, but it was on your list.”

“If it’s from you, then it is special,” you say with a smile. Normally, he would roll his eyes when Dumbledore makes a statement like that. Yet you say things like that, he rolls his eyes and smiles. 

You quickly remove the wrapping paper from the Iridescent Ink and you embrace him again. “Thank you, Sev! I’ll use this to write notes when I’m at home. It’s too special to use at work.”

His hands shake as he hands you the pillow and the snow globe at the same time. Although you promised that this wouldn’t ruin your Christmas or that you wouldn’t be upset at him, Severus’s mind always goes to the worst. You reach for the snow globe first and squeeze the wrapping and padding before opening it. 

“Ooh, what’s this? It’s probably something fragile by the feel of it,” you comment. When you spot the cute snowman and snowmen waving at you, you squeal. “They’re so cute! That’s us! And they remind me of the snowman and snowmen outside too!” You run up and place your new gift on the table with your snow globe collection. “You know what? This is even better than the Diagon Alley snow globe.” And that makes a genuine, wide grin break out on Severus’s face for the first time that day. 

“I am glad. I hope you like the next one as much.” Once it’s free of its covering, you squeeze the temperature-changing pillow and sigh at how it adjusts to your body temperature. 

“I’m going to find a way to make this one Severus-temperature on the nights you’re away. But for now, I’m going to put this in the closet so it doesn’t get dirty.” 

After you get back, you open the tea box and the illustrated book. You promise to make two cups of that tea right after opening all the gifts, and your eyes light up at the moving illustrations. He tells you about the store clerk assuming that it was for his child, and you bury your face in your hands and laugh. 

“I saved the best two for last,” he says quietly and first gives you the potion ornaments. “I made everything myself.”

You unwrap the potion ornaments and your mouth drops in awe. The liquid swirls inside the glass and casts a mesmerizing glow onto the walls and the floor. You immediately wave your wand and hang each icicle and egg ornament on the tree, then tap them to change the color of the potion inside to match the colors on the tree. Severus anxiously watches to see how else you’ll react, but then feels a surge of relief when you turn to him, tears in your eyes. You embrace him for the millionth time that day and kiss him so passionately that he can hardly breathe. “This has to be the best gift I’ve ever gotten. Either this one or the animal potion you gave me several months ago,” you say breathlessly. 

Severus cries again and presses his forehead against yours. “That means you will adore the last present I have for you.” You pick up the box right beside you and tenderly open it. You sniff and continue to cry as you uncover the large bottle. Cradling it in your hands, you uncork the cap and are mesmerized by the tiny images of the two of you floating into the air: clinking your drinks at the Three Broomsticks, standing outside a glowing Diagon Alley shop, and wrapping your arms around him as he sits in his Hogwarts office. Your lip trembles and you sob even louder as you stare at the sentimental gift. With steady hands, you carefully place the bottle on the side table and hug him again. 

“I keep hugging you, but you deserve something even better tonight,” you whisper suggestively into his ear and laugh gently. Severus blushes and twiddles with his thumbs, trying to ignore the heat rising in other parts of his body. 

Every other present Severus opens jerks even more tears from his eyes: a scrapbook with photos of you and him, a vintage book on spells, and a candle set with subtle Christmas scents.  

After you both put your presents away, you brew the tea as promised and prepare a light meal. For the rest of the day, Severus helps you cook roast beef, roast potatoes, parsnips, rolls, smoked salmon, Holiday Blancmange, plum pudding, and chocolate cake. He continually fears that he’ll burn something or start a fire, but everything tastes delicious once you two finally sit down and eat. During the evening, you relax by the fireplace and the Christmas tree, sipping hot chocolate and talking for hours. When you two go to bed, well, Severus receives his last present of the day. Although the day isn’t full of sled riding down steep hills and he never expected to burst into tears as you exchanged gifts, Severus deems this the first perfect Christmas he’s had in his life.