#rolling up a Yule log

[dandysworldhcs]

Le sigh

My Fruitcake petname headcanons. (Might do the same with berryfunny later......)

Cosmo's nicknames:

- Shortcake (he's a bit shorter than Sprout and he's a cake roll)

- sweetheart (his heals cost a heart and are sweets)

- Mahal (Tagalog for "love" (Filipino Sprout until I die.))

Sprout's Nicknames:

- Buddy (plants bud and I feel like Cosmo could appreciate a good pun (when he understands them))

- chéri (the masculine version of the French word for "Darling" (it's believed that the concept of edible yule logs (what I hc Cosmo as) is from France))

- yêu (Vietnamese for love (Yule log cakes are a traditional Christmas dessert in Vietnam)

(P.s. if anything here is wrong, I got a lot of this off Google/Wikipedia but tried to fact check this stuff. Sorry if I messed anything up)

- Fishbowl anon

AAHH THESE ARE ALL SO CUTEEE!!!!!! anon youre gonna make me sob with joy

[foodshowxyz]

Chocolate Yule Log (Bûche de Noël) Recipe below

Chocolate Yule Log (Bûche de Noël) Recipe

Ingredients

For the Cake:

• 4 large eggs

• 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar

• 1/4 cup (30g) cocoa powder

• 1/4 cup (30g) all-purpose flour

• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Filling:

• 1 cup (240ml) heavy whipping cream

• 3 tablespoons powdered sugar

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

For the Ganache Frosting:

• 1 cup (180g) dark chocolate, chopped

• 1/2 cup (120ml) heavy cream

Decorations:

• Fresh cranberries

• Sprigs of rosemary or fir

• Powdered sugar (for dusting)

Instructions

1. Make the Sponge Cake:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a 10x15 inch (25x38 cm) jelly roll pan with parchment paper.

• In a mixing bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar until pale and fluffy (about 5 minutes).

• Sift in the cocoa powder, flour, baking powder, and salt. Fold gently until combined. Add vanilla extract.

• Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly.

• Bake for 10-12 minutes, until the cake is set and springs back lightly when touched.

2. Roll the Cake:

• While the cake is still warm, turn it onto a clean kitchen towel dusted with powdered sugar.

• Carefully peel off the parchment paper and roll the cake up tightly with the towel. Let it cool completely.

3. Prepare the Filling:

• Whip the heavy cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla until stiff peaks form.

• Gently unroll the cake and spread the filling evenly over it.

• Re-roll the cake without the towel and place it seam-side down.

4. Make the Ganache Frosting:

• Heat the heavy cream until it simmers, then pour it over the chopped chocolate.

• Let it sit for 2-3 minutes, then stir until smooth. Let it cool slightly until thickened.

• Spread the ganache over the rolled cake, using a fork to create a “bark” texture.

5. Decorate:

• Garnish with fresh cranberries, rosemary sprigs, and a dusting of powdered sugar for a festive snowy effect.

Enjoy your Chocolate Yule Log!

[local-crying-boy]

🅂🄸🄻🄲🄾

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ℝ𝕦𝕤𝕙𝕖𝕕 𝕔𝕖𝕝𝕖𝕓𝕣𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟𝕤

𝙿𝚊𝚒𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐: 𝚂𝚒𝚕𝚌𝚘 𝚇 𝙶𝙽!𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛

𝙶𝚎𝚗𝚛𝚎: 𝙾𝚗𝚎-𝚜𝚑𝚘𝚝, 𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚊𝚋𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚑𝚎𝚍 𝚛𝚎𝚕𝚊𝚝𝚒𝚘𝚗𝚜𝚑𝚒𝚙, 𝙲𝚑𝚛𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚖𝚊𝚜 𝚏𝚒𝚌, 𝚏𝚕𝚞𝚏𝚏

𝚆𝚊𝚛𝚗𝚒𝚗𝚐𝚜: <<𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛>> 𝚒𝚜 𝚒𝚖𝚙𝚕𝚒𝚎𝚍 𝚝𝚘 𝚑𝚊𝚟𝚎 𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚕𝚎𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚈𝚞𝚕𝚎 𝚕𝚘𝚐 𝚐𝚒𝚟𝚎𝚗 𝚝𝚘 𝚂𝚒𝚕𝚌𝚘, <<𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛>> 𝚒𝚜 𝚛𝚘𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚕𝚢 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚊𝚖𝚎 𝚊𝚐𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚂𝚒𝚕𝚌𝚘 𝙰𝚛𝚌𝚊𝚗𝚎 𝚂1 𝚊𝚌𝚝2 (𝙸'𝚖 𝚗𝚘𝚝 𝚖𝚊𝚔𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚠𝚎𝚒𝚛𝚍 𝚋𝚒𝚐 𝚊𝚜𝚜 𝚊𝚐𝚎 𝚐𝚊𝚙)

𝚂𝚞𝚖𝚖𝚊𝚛𝚢: 𝚆𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝙲𝚑𝚛𝚒𝚜𝚝𝚖𝚊𝚜 𝚗𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚜, 𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚛𝚢𝚘𝚗𝚎 𝚜𝚎𝚎𝚖𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝚕𝚘𝚜𝚎 𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚔 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚒𝚖𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚏𝚊𝚜𝚝 𝚊𝚙𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚊𝚌𝚑𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚑𝚘𝚕𝚒𝚍𝚊𝚢. 𝙵𝚘𝚛 <<𝚁𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛>> 𝚊𝚗𝚍 𝚂𝚒𝚕𝚌𝚘, 𝚊𝚏𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚊𝚕𝚕 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚒𝚛 𝚢𝚎𝚊𝚛𝚜 𝚝𝚘𝚐𝚎𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛? 𝚆𝚎𝚕𝚕, 𝚒𝚝'𝚜 𝚜𝚊𝚏𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚜𝚊𝚢 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚗𝚎𝚒𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚖 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚗𝚘𝚝𝚒𝚌𝚎 𝚑𝚘𝚠 𝚚𝚞𝚒𝚌𝚔 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚑𝚘𝚕𝚒𝚍𝚊𝚢 𝚊𝚙𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚊𝚌𝚑𝚎𝚜 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚒𝚛 𝚋𝚞𝚜𝚢 𝚕𝚒𝚟𝚎𝚜.

𝚆𝚘𝚛𝚍 𝚌𝚘𝚞𝚗𝚝: 1k words

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Being two busy individuals made it, basically, inevitable to lose track of the time and have holidays, or even birthdays, show up, seemingly, randomly. It was a sad truth, but it was, unfortunately, an undeniable fact.

Silco, being the leader of the chem-barons, he found himself often being buried in work, his nose deep in paperwork. Then, there was you. You were always being sent out to work for your beloved, checking over trades and supervising cargo when it was being sent away or taken in.

Despite working for Silco, you were barely able to see the man. It meant that the little time you spent together was spent carefully, always calculating what was worth doing or talking about.

Thus, once the Christmas season rolled around, the climate growing colder and the flu gong around quickly, you made sure to keep an eye out for some time to spent with your husband. However, work waited for no one, even if was Christmas. It meant that, amongst doing the work needed and looking for free time, the holiday rocked around much faster than anticipated.

When it was the late evening of Christmas day, you managed to pull yourself together and straight head towards Silco's office. here was only a few hours until Christmas was over and you'd be damned if you weren't able to spend, at least, an hour with the man you loved.

You 'knocked' on the door with your elbow, not waiting for permission to come in as you pushed one the door, failing to actually use the doorhandle once, then twice, with your hands full.

"What now?" He asked with a harsh and cold tone, clearly not realising that it had been you who walked in.

You let out a huff of amusement, continuing to walk over to him. "Now, I haven't had a proper conversation with you in... how long? Is that really how you greet your partner?"

That was when his head moved upwards, his one blue eye and other red meeting yours. There was a subtle softness when he fixated on you, but it was only a shift in his expression that you ended up noticing, nowadays.

"<<Reader>>, I thought you were meant to be overseeing the cargo shipments right now." The man sitting behind the desk said, his hand propping up his head, glancing down at the paper in front of him before looking back up at you.

You nodded, placing the little Yule cake you had balanced in one of your hands and the two drinks you, somehow, managed to carry on the small coffee table Silco had opposite the red sofa in his office. "I did, it went by quick. Everything is fine there, too. You didn't have to send me and Jinx, you know she has it handled."

"I wanted the precaution, I told you this." Silco simply responded with, his eyes lingered on the food and drink you placed on the table, motioning with his hand as he continued to speak. "And... what's all this?"

"Ah." You pointed at the Yule log. "It's a yule log, and, well, it was going to be hot chocolate, but... I couldn't find any so it's just whisky in mugs."

Silco stared at you for a few moments, his eyes fixated on yours as they narrowed in almost-confusion.

"It's Christmas, dear." You stated with a small grin.

The older man didn't say anything, but there was a slight look of shock on his face. He almost looked out into space, his gaze wasn't exactly on you for a few moments before you spoke up again.

"Right? That's how I reacted!" You laughed out, placing your hands on your hips as you looked over at him from his place at his desk. "Buuut... there's a few hours left of the day, so I managed to, ah, get this cake just in time."

"Get this cake?" Silco repeated with a raised eyebrow, how vague. Well, the more he looked at the Yule log, it did look a little too good to be from Bottomside.

You waved your hand dismissively. "We move on, c'mon, come sit with me for a bit. It'd be nice to spend Christmas with you."

"You just said we've only got a few hours left, and when have we ever celebrated it?" Silco said, his voice laced with a quiet hint of amusement, but he still stood up from his seat and made his way over to you.

You moved around the table, slumping down onto the sofa, groaning out quietly. You needed a rest, you'd been running around far too much recently, you weren't as young as you used to be. Sure, you had no problem doing this in your late thirties, or early forties, but now it seemed to start getting a little harder.

"Long day?" He asked, sitting beside you, an arm draped over the sofa and around your shoulder, a silent invitation familiar to you.

You sighed quietly, taking the invitation and leaning your head on his shoulder gently. "Cold too."

"It is Winter." Silco mused, glancing down at your exhausting figure.

"Really?" You exaggeratedly gasped, looking up at him. "I didn't realise!"

Silco only let out an amused scoff, rolling his good eye and shaking his head. "Alright, you."

The two of you ended up falling into a comfortable silence, soon Silco ended up picking up the two mugs you, for some unknown reason to him, decided to pour the whiskey in. The two of you didn't need to speak to spend time together, or bond, you never really needed to, it was much easier to sit in silence simply enjoying one another's presence.

"You think we should have done something with Jinx for Christmas?" You wondered quietly, after taking a sip of your drink.

"I can guarantee she's found someway to entertain herself." Silco responded with a little smirk on his face. "She usually does."

You let out a chuckle, but soon nodded to yourself. "Maybe."

The two of you didn't share many words more, simply sitting in that sofa, taking in each other's warmth as you spent the last few hours of Christmas together.

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Masterlist

[garagepaperback]

i recieved a gorgeous tag from @citrusses along with the additional gift of holiday updates from her harry's and draco's, so here are most of mine:

this heaven of mud: first holiday back together, or, actually together? foal-hoofed shaky. draco deeply under-buys on gifts, relying mostly on memories of harry's relationship to getting presents in school and harry vastly over-buys with a similar warped reasoning. intimacy born through the exhale, in the shivered cracking open of a smile whenever they catch each other out in this sort of moment—wrong but, an attempt. it's lovely and perfect in every single not-quite-right

coyote ugly: sloppy phanaeng curry flavored blowjob in malfoy's stifling, terrible, weirdly comforting loft bed

ready, able: the one year anniversary for the office holiday party where they—well. everyone knows now, anyway. the night is spent blatantly and half-sarcastically holding hands, eyes rolling in endurance of every clumsy joke about the sweet, stupid day in the office after when they had to admit draco didn't in fact need the antidote, since they—well. even more often, it confirmed the rumors about their coat closet hookup the year prior, so there's a few unsubtle mentions about that. eventually draco's cheeks get tipsy-pink enough that the showy hand-holding becomes a steady leaning on each other, fingers threaded loose and sure at their sides, the simple affection too easy and ordinary to avoid

isn't a kingdom: the crashing ocean surges steadily through every glass pane in the house, the hum like breathing. draco falls asleep to it, wakes to it, all while curled against a second wonderful, enormous impossibility, another sublime thing. harry's the same as the sea. he doesn't seem to start or end, either.

a barely lit path: harry spends the week and most of actual christmas morning cooking. draco stays close, draped all over him. he's been back a week from his course, and they see each other every weekend (not to mention the owl's suffering leg strains from the sheer weight of draco's letters) but he's home. they're happy. in the afternoon they cart gratin dauphinois and buche de noel to ron and hermione's, though harry suspects it's mostly a flimsy setup so draco can talk about marseille without bringing it up himself. it's new and nice he wants to talk about it, anyway. charlotte puts her entire little hand in the yule log and babbles baby nonsense, which ron translates to: looks like actual shit, mate.

javelin (to have and to hold): nothing special, only they're together, which is impossibly, wonderfully even more so

-

okay tagging @eleadore (THE TIME ONE ESPECIALLY), @yiiiiiiiikes25 (CROWGUYS TOO), @flightspathfic , @tackytigerfic , @jtimu , @oknowkiss , @kamaela , @faiell , @hollyhawthorn + anyone else who wants to play

[perseephoneee]

yule (kai parker x reader) {ficmas 2023}

꒰ ࿁ ˙ ˖ ໑ happy day 6 of ficmas!

authors note: this is short bc i'm lame, but i really love kai and thought it would be fun to highlight one of the holidays i celebrate during the winter season.

“I don’t care much about the holiday season,” Kai said, lounging on your couch and eating chips. You lifted your head from his shoulder and looked at him with raised eyebrows.

“How could you not care? The holidays are awesome,” you gasped. Kai just shrugged, returning his attention to the TV. You were currently watching Die Hard, your favorite Christmas movie. 

“The holidays were never special to me,” he mumbled. “Just another day, I was reminded that my Dad didn’t care.” You looked at him with a sad expression, and you could see him get slightly uncomfortable with your show of emotion. “Babe, you’re doing the puppy eyes again.”

“We have to do something for the season,” you pouted.

“We could have sex?”

“Kai!” you scolded, hitting him with your hand. He winked at you. 

“What? I think it’s special,” he munched on another chip, looking offended as you grabbed the bag out of his hands. 

“Kai Parker, I will give you one good holiday if it’s the last thing I do,” you exclaimed, crossing your arms defiantly. Kai rolled his eyes at your you-can’t-change-my-mind face, which usually meant he had to do whatever you wanted. Early on, before you were dating, it used to drive him up the wall. You were incredibly obstinate. But now, he found it slightly endearing, albeit annoying. 

“So what? We’ll get a tree, wrap presents, sing carols?” Kai chuckled. 

“No,” you hummed, twiddling your fingers. “I don’t celebrate Christmas.”

“You don’t?” Kai asked, gesturing to the TV and the green and red lights you had strung up around your apartment. 

“I celebrate Yule.”

“Oh, so super traditional,” Kai nodded. You were both witches, but while Kai grew up in a family devoid of love and happiness, you grew up in a traditional coven. The whole community raised you, as was tradition. It meant that when Christmas came around, while you enjoyed the cookie-cutter capitalistic nature of it all, you still celebrated Yuletide at your roots. “I’ve never celebrated Yule.”

“Then I’m going to show you how it's done.”

Yuletide started on December 21st, and you made Kai go to the market to get a Yule log to burn. You had to shoo him out after he began to crack many innuendos about his wood. Kai didn’t entirely understand the purpose of burning the log. 

“To ask for the light to come back as we sit on the coldest night of the year,” you explained, sitting in front of your fireplace. Kai sat next to you, sipping on mulled wine. 

“I don’t need the light to return; I already have you,” He winked. You gave him a pointed look, even with the blush coating your cheeks. 

“Where’d you hear that one?”

“Sounds like something a more romantic man would say,” Kai sighed. 

You kissed him before the fireplace before beckoning him to wear his winter coat and follow you. You took him out to the forest behind your house, covered in a fresh coat of snow. The tiny white crystals coated the ground and the evergreens. Even the birds were quiet. You loved watching Kai try to catch snow on his tongue, ever the child. He peppered you with questions about where you were going as you walked further into the woods. Eventually, you came upon a clearing where many of your covens stood around with lanterns. A bonfire was in the center, and witches exchanged gifts and ate hot food by the firelight. Kai looked around with a sense of awe and confusion. 

“Its…”

“Beautiful?”

“Peaceful,” Kai settled on. He looked around with slight discomfort. As Kai struggled to identify and process his emotions, you got better at figuring out the things he was feeling. In this case, you had seen this look on his face before and knew what he was feeling. 

“You are allowed to feel peace,” you put a hand on Kai’s arm, capturing his attention. “Love isn’t conditional, and I’m sorry you were taught it was.”

Kai had a single tear cross his face, and you put up a hand to wipe it away. He nuzzled into your palm, kissing it and giving you a look of adoration. 

“I…thank you,” Kai said, speechless. Kai still struggled to say I love you, and you didn’t hold it to him. You knew by the fact that you managed to shut him up that he was overwhelmed. 

“C’mon,” you took his hand, leading him deeper into the clearing. You waved hello to several of your fellow covenmates and laughed as Kai kept sneaking food from the buffet tables around the clearing. After eating, you told Kai that you wanted to show him something. He followed you into the forest, a flickering candle in your hand. You brought him to a section of the forest where the coven liked to grow specific herbs and plants. It was under one tree that you stopped Kai. “Take a guess where we are.”

“The forest,” Kai deadpanned. You pulled off some of the berries from the tree. It took Kai a second to recognize them. “Is that…?”

“Mistletoe?” You answered, putting your candle down in the snow and smiling coyly. “I think someone owes me a kiss.”

Kai smirked, leaning in and kissing you passionately. His lips were cold from the temperature, but you didn’t care as you felt yourself melting into him. If there’s one thing Kai excelled at, it was kissing the living daylights out of you. When you parted, you smiled as you noticed the tree had grown even brighter around you. You didn’t even see when Kai siphoned you, inadvertently affecting the wildlife. 

“Thank you for making the holidays worth it,” Kai whispered, kissing you again. 

To him, you had made it all worth it.

[9haharharley1]

I wiiiish

You would write more of domestic tooth rottingly sweet PomPep and BlackIce to start off the new year right, cuz GOD we're gonna need it-

Also, tis an Ace 👀

Blackice

Jack bounced in place as Pitch fell back on the couch with a dramatic sigh. He then yelped as the man toppled over, raising his phone up so Pitch didn't hit it before his head landed in Jack's lap. He rolled over, burying his face in Jack's sweater as his long arms wrapped around Jack's waist. His wet hair soaked into Jack's pants. Jack grinned down at him.

"Long day?" he asked. Pitch grumbled into his sweater and exhaled hot air against the fabric. Jack giggled when it tickled a little.

"Remind me to ban you from the kitchen when I'm baking," Pitch pulled back long enough to say, glaring up at Jack with one visible bright eye. Jack only laughed louder.

"Like I'm gonna listen," he said. He placed his phone on the back of the couch to run his hands through midnight black hair. "It was Emily's idea."

"Emily knows not to reach over the stove when I'm cooking," Pitch said. He rolled into his back to meet Jack's laughing eyes properly. "You spilled sugar all over the counter and covered us all in egg batter."

Jack grinned, even if he did blush a little. "It was fun, though! Besides, I cleaned it all up!"

"Only because I had to give Emily a bath," Pitch grumbled back. "She had egg in her hair, Jack."

A snort left Jack. "We all did, babe. That's what the showers are for."

Pitch snorted in response, lips twitching in a grin. Jack reached for one of his hands, bringing it up to place a gentle kiss to his scarred knuckles.

"Emily go down OK?" Jack asked after a moment, nothing but the crackling of the Yule Log on TV filling the silence.

"Oh, yes," Pitch hummed. His eyes had fallen closed, and they opened again as contentment soothed his rough edges. "She had an exciting day. Was out like a light in seconds." He reached up with his free hand to cup Jack's cheek. "Thank you for cleaning up, love."

Jack kissed his palm before nuzzling into his touch. "Of course. It was my fault."

"He admits it," Pitch smirked. Jack pursed his lips to hide a smile.

"Oh, shut up, you!" He leaned over to kiss his lover, shutting him up quite effectively. Pitch moaned softly, and Jack almost regretted pulling away to stare down at him lovingly. Pitch stroked his cheek with an equally adoring smile on his face. Jack bit his lip. He tugged Pitch's hair gently. "You're starting to go gray." Pitch snorted around a laugh.

"Brat."

Pompep

Maddie Cat purred loudly in Danny's ear from where she sat curled up on the back of the couch, Danny scratching her gently behind the ear. She tilted her head for him, and he got those hard to reach places that made her purr louder. The fire crackled in the hearth, casting a warm orange glow on her white fur, flickering over his own gray sweater, and for once, he had never felt so content during the holidays. He smiled.

The cushions dipped beside him as Vlad sat next to him, a book in one hand. Danny's attention was pulled from the feline, and she flicked her head when he stopped petting her.

"Found it," Vlad said, snaking his arm around Danny's waist as he curled towards him. Danny snuggled into his side.

"And what is this?" Danny asked. He took the offered tome and opened it, realizing quickly it was an old picture album. On the cover was an embossed M.

"My old family album," Vlad explained. "The last one I really kept before my uncle died, and I went off to college." He smirked a little, subdued only by a sad glint in his eye. "Thought you might like to see embarrassing childhood photos of me."

Danny chuckled, and maybe it would have sounded mocking just a few years ago, but now held a genuine happiness he thought he might never feel. "Yeah, sure." He glanced down at the first page, his heart swelling at the old baby pictures presented to him and a woman with similar sharp features to the man beside him holding a sleeping baby Vlad and beaming at the camera. "Tell me there's some of you in cute little sailor outfits!"

"Oh, there's bound to be at least one," Vlad said. He pulled Danny closer, kissing his cheek. He pointed to the woman, smiling that side smile. "That was my mother. She died when I was young, but she was nothing but gentle to me..."

Add he went through each photo, explaining the stories behind every one, Danny glanced up at Vlad from the corner of his eye. The man was smiling, his voice soft, his touch gentle. His eyes crinkled with half-remembered jokes, and he looked happier than Danny had ever seen him. The fire danced over his white hair and jumper, and Danny snuggled a little closer, warmer, and more content than he had ever been.

Maybe the holidays wouldn't be so bad this year.

---

Are these cavity-inducing enough?

The pompep one is absolutely based on this!

[sulumuns-dootah]

19. 12. Barachiel - Traditions

      ༺☆༻

⟡ Masterlist ⟡ 

⋆꙳·❅‧The Yule festival of Hell 2‧❆ ₊⋆

A/N: At first I was gonna write about Christmas traditions, but I imagine angels would know all about those. And since I'm pagan, I decided to write about pagan traditions ^^

      ༺☆༻

“Y/N? Wh-what is this?” the black angel blinks a few times at the piece of log with a slit in the middle on your dining table.

You look up with a start from the extremely painful wreath to make since you - regrettably now – chose to use Holly as one of the materials, “What? The log? Oh, that's gonna be a yule log once I'm done with this.”

“Huh? And what's that?” Barachiel tilts his head to the side and takes a seat across the table from you.

“Pretty much just a candle holder with extra magickal meaning.” you squeak as yet another painful prick of the pointy leaves interrupts your winding of wire around the base to attach more evergreen sprigs.

“Y/N~! We're back!” Jegudiel bounces into the room and sets a small basket full of pine cones on the table in front of Barachiel like he's serving him a delicious meal. Behind him, in the entrance to the room, is Selaphiel standing impatiently, “Okay, they've got the basket now let's go! There's still so much we've gotta do!”

The happy angel skips out of the room while giggling and without sparing any of you any glance to not anger Selaphiel any further.

“Aaand what are these for?” Barachiel amusedly chuckles at the sudden and brief intrusion.

“Wish cones. You write your wishes for the new year on pieces of paper and stick them into it. Then we burn it on the New Year's so the wishes come true.”

“Oh? And can I make one myself?” he picks up one of the rather large cones and inspects it.

“That's why I asked those two to get me so much. Whoever wants to make one can. Raphael agreed to even make a bonfire and everyone who made one can toss it in.” you chuckle. When you came up with the idea of introducing wish cones to angels, you imagined only the lower angels getting interested, so the idea that a higher ranking angel would want to partake was kinda surprising.

“Hm... You've got a paper and pen on you?” the black angel finally pushes the basket out of the way and looks around the table.

“I do have... my notepad.” you flip the page with your design for the wreath and yule log out of the way in search for a blank piece of paper. You rip the clean page out as clean as you can and had it to Barachiel, who managed to produce a pen in the meantime.

It only takes the angel a few minutes and he's already ripping the paper apart and rolling the tiny pieces of paper to stick them into the cone. You're kinda wondering what he's wishing for, but choose to not inquire or secretly look after he leaves the room to cause some mischief elsewhere.

But if you did, you'd be able to read things such as:

'God comes back' 'All demons die' 'Y/N is mine and only mine'

      ༺☆༻

But wait, this angel also has a gift for you!

"Staying in heaven with us has to be really hard for you since you don't have any wings. I came across this one lowly angel with wings that would look amazing on you so I snatched them. Don't worry, he doesn't need them as much as you!"

[jadeshifting]

🫀 SHIFTMAS

day 21. WHAT CHRISTMAS TREATS ARE YOU BAKING IN YOUR DR? are you rolling out gingerbread dough and decorating them with icing? baking buttery mince pies or indulgent yule logs? who’s helping, and who’s sneaking bites when you’re not looking?

˚　　　　✦���　　.　　. 　 ˚　.　　　　　 . ✦　　　 　˚　　　　 . ★⋆. ࿐࿔

baking occupies most of a weekend around the holidays, where my connections and Lorenzo’s goodwill with the Hufflepuffs gets us more access to the kitchens than usual. the smell of sugar and melting chocolate fills the air, and while Lorenzo, Millicent and Blaise are helping to bake, i’m pretty sure those like Pansy, Mattheo, and definitely Theo only stick around to steal what they can

— PEPPERMINT & CHOCOLATE CAULDRON CAKES . rich chocolate cakes shaped like bubbling cauldrons, filled with molten peppermint ganache

— FROSTED SNOWFLAKE SUGAR WANDS . thin sugar cookies enchanted to sparkle like real snowflakes, iced in shimmering silver and frosty blue

— GINGERBREAD ANIMALS . forget houses—my gingerbread game is all about little enchanted familiars: cats, owls, snakes, and toads that wiggle their sugar-dusted tails. (Thyra’s likeness, of course, gets pride of place)

— YULETIDE BERRY TARTELETS . bite-sized tarts filled with spiced berry compote and topped with enchanted sugared holly leaves

— SPICED HOT COCOA BOMBS . i handcraft emerald and silver cocoa bombs, infused with a hint of cinnamon and cardamom. pop one into hot milk, and bam—a swirl of festive flavor with glittering marshmallow snakes

— STAINED GLASS COOKIES . butter cookies with “windows” of melted sugar in jewel-toned reds and greens, charmed to glimmer faintly under candlelight. they’re almost too pretty to eat—almost

— VELVET YULE LOG ROLL . a decadent chocolate sponge rolled with peppermint cream filling, dusted with enchanted powdered sugar that sparkles like fresh snow

— FIREWHISKY-SPIKED FRUIT MINCE PIES . mini pies filled with dried fruits and a dash of Firewhisky, perfect for warming up after a snowball fight. a sprinkle of powdered sugar adds just enough sweetness to balance it out

— LEMON LAVENDER MOON BISCUITS . dainty crescent-shaped biscuits infused with bright lemon and floral lavender, iced in pale pastel hues

— DARK CHOCOLATE GANACHE TART . a sleek, no-nonsense tart with rich, silky ganache and a hint of sea salt. i decorate it with gold-leaf accents and edible star charms for that added sparkle

— BUTTERBEER BLONDIES . chewy blondies infused with butterscotch and Butterbeer syrup, topped with a drizzle of caramel and enchanted snowflake sprinkles

— ELDERFLOWER MERINGUES . feather-light meringues enchanted to shimmer faintly, flavored with elderflower and a hint of lemon

— VANILLA CARDAMOM CRESCENT SCONES . soft, buttery scones with just a whisper of warm spice, shaped into crescents and dusted with snowy sugar

— TRUFFLE ORBS . glittery chocolate truffles in flavors like spiced orange, dark raspberry, and salted caramel, each wrapped in edible silver foil

— CRANBERRY PISTACHIO BISCOTTI . crunchy biscotti studded with ruby-red cranberries and emerald pistachios, perfect for dipping into enchanted hot cocoa

— CARAMELIZED PEAR & ALMOND GALETTE . rustic but elegant, this flaky pastry is topped with spiced caramelized pears and slivered almonds, then baked to golden perfection. a little earthy, a lot luxurious

— EMERALD FIZZ MACARONS . pale green macarons filled with champagne-infused buttercream, topped with edible glitter

— MIDNIGHT CHOCOLATE-DIPPED SHORTBREAD . rich shortbread cookies half-dipped in dark chocolate and sprinkled with gold dust

— FROSTED PUMPKIN MOONCAKES . mini mooncakes filled with spiced pumpkin custard, their intricate patterns iced in snowy white

˚　　　　✦　　　.　　. 　 ˚　.　　　　　 . ✦　　　 　˚　　　　 . ★⋆. ࿐࿔

[clouseplayssims]

So, sim holidays.

I sat down and really focused on my mega list of things to do and implement in Edirann, and one of the bigger chunks was a functional holiday system. I plan on the general holidays being based on a mix of real holidays and sims-canon holidays, which are below the cut, and I'll be using this mod as my baseline.

But it did make me remember that I'd like religion traits, potentially with holidays of their own. My question there would be: is it possible for a trait (item in inventory essentially) to trigger pop ups at all? Like "It's x, time to begin morning prayer." etc.

Anyway, time for my rough drafts for holidays!

WINTER ---The Purge First Day of Winter Celebrate in home.

Clean all objects, place brooms outside every door, reset fields for spring. Said to purify the home and keep Our Lady of the Glitch at bay. In the evening set lighted candles at the front door.

---Winterfest ? Celebrate in home.

Sims should decorate their home, put up a traditional Winterfest tree in their front yard, and have a holiday meal. The king provides 1 butcher parcel of duck to all indentured and peasant families.

---Snow Flake Day & Bonfire Night Last Day of Winter Celebrate in home, the fields, festival grounds, and feasting grounds.

Give gifts to friends, neighbors, and family - apples, wheat and oranges favored. The king will also provide gifts. Ice skating, snow activities. Followers of Zeus should make promises for accomplishments for the year to come. Bonfires in the fields. Toast tress and crops with spiced cider. Decorate the home with evergreen boughs. Hang mistletoe above main door - it will also be hung in public spaces. Chop down tree on land and burn in small ceremony (yule log) with the mantle decorated with evergreen and dusted with flour. Keep fire going for 2 days. Common to set out gold pillar candles, wreaths, holly, poinsettias. Feasting grounds serves all who attend a turkey dinner and dessert.

SPRING ---Feast of Fools First Day of Spring Celebrate in the festival grounds.

A child sim is randomly selected as King For A Day.

---Love Day Third Day of Spring Celebrate in the field, festival grounds, and feasting grounds.

Traditional day to celebrate courtship and romance, as well as fertility and the first bloom of spring crops. Sims should send love letters, go on dates, and kiss under the mistletoe. Dancing is common, and a lucky woman will be crowned the Queen of Love & Beauty and hand out prizes. It's good luck to gather flowers on this day.

*Followers of St. Persephone should visit the grounds in hopes of creating a Luck Baby.

*Followers of Mara often marry on this day or propose. A child born on this day is considered a blessing from Mara.

---Flower Day ? Celebrate in festival grounds and feasting grounds.

A celebration of fertility and motherhood. All ladies wear flower crowns and hunt for colorful eggs. Men are expected to try and catch a live rabbit to bring good luck to their homes, presenting the rabbit to a sweetheart is considered the highest of regard. Stay up until midnight dancing and drinking around the maypole. Sims should also wake early the next morning to watch the sun rise. ( Traditional foods of the season include leafy green vegetables, dairy foods, nuts such as pumpkin, sunflower and pine, flower dishes, sprouts. Herbs and flowers of the season include daffodil, jonquils, woodruff, violet, gorse, olive, peony, iris, narcissus and all other spring flowers.)

SUMMER

---Leisure Day ? Celebrate at home.

Sims are to do no work on this day. They should spend the day relaxing, swimming, or exploring the festival ground. Many games are played on this day and the king awards ribbons and prizes to the winners of multiples tournaments like log rolling and axe throwing.

---Stendarr & Artemis Festival ? Celebrate at home.

Sims should do their best to earn a skill point or learn something new. Acts of charity are encouraged. This is the day before the first harvest and it is tradition to bake barley loaf on this day to eat.

---Humble Day ? Celebrate in festival grounds and feasting grounds.

The bones of St. Humble are moved to the festival grounds and displayed where they can be touched for luck before being returned to the shrine. (The custom of placing a cabbage on the doorstep of girls who had behaved imprudently through the year was a more novel method of social control. Regardless of the care they may have undertaken with their flirtations and indiscretions, they were surely to be found out on Mayday.) Foods traditionally served at this time include apples, grapes, crab-apples, pears, grains, breads and berries. Herbs and flowers favoured for the celebration include all grains, heather, blackberries and sloe.

FALL ---Harvestfest ? Celebrate in home and in fields.

Farming sims should take in their first harvest on this date. Other sims can symbolicly harvest in the royal fields. Cook a large family meal that all sims sit down and eat together. Socialize with friends and family. ( The Druids call this celebration Mea'n Fo'mhair and honor the The Green Man, the God of the Forest, by offering ciders, wines, herbs and fertilizer to trees. Symbols of Mabon include wine, gourds, pine cones, acorns, grains, corn, apples, pomegranates, ivy vines, dried seeds, tobacco, and horns of plenty. Herbs and foods associated with Mabon include acorns, benzoin, ferns, grains, honeysuckle, marigold, milkweed, myrrh, passionflower, rose, sage, Solomon's seal, thistle, vegetables, breads, nuts, apples, pomegranates, potatoes, carrots, and onions. )

*Followers of Kynareth sacrifice a small animal to the goddess.

---Spooky Day ? Celebrate in the home, field, festival grounds, and feasting grounds.

Sims should put out treats for friends and neighbors, paint faces with skull paint, and honor their dead. ( Bonfires were lit and fortune-telling were popular activities. Mask wearing was also part of the celebrations. The festivities were similar to those of Carnival, just before Lent, though on a smaller scale. There was much feasting, drinking and playing of games, as well as story telling and sometimes, plays. Cock fights, pig baiting and sport events such as racing, leaping or wrestling were other favourite activities. Food was plentiful right after the harvest. Meat, from the autumn slaughter of those animals that it was not possible to house and feed over winter, could be salted or smoked to preserve it, but sausages and other foods made from offal would not last long. They had to be consumed fairly quickly before they spoiled. It also was the day that marked the end of old contracts. Hired help moved on to new positions and there were farewell and welcoming banquets for them and the new staff.)

*Followers of Kynareth sacrifice a small animal to the goddess.

---Festival of Talos ? Celebrate in the field, festival grounds, and feasting grounds.

A large tournament is held and the best swordsman, archer, and fighter are provided places of honor at the feast and prizes from the king. ( This feast marked the sowing of wheat, the brewing of ales for winter and the preparations for the winter season. The feast of St. Michael and All Angels or Michaelmas fell about the time of the autumnal equinox. His feast was celebrated with a traditional well-fattened goose which had fed well on the stubble of the fields after the harvest. In many places, there was also a tradition of special large loaves of bread.)

LOCATIONS Festival Grounds Fields Feasting Grounds Humble Shrine

[bunny-lovers]

Any unanswered questions from the desserts ask game? ^^

Hope you & your f/os have a great day & thank you for the ask! 😊 @wildmxgic

caramel swirl brownie: what was the coziest moment with your f/o?

Snuggling up on the couch with a few blankets, nuzzling comfortably, & watching TV shows while having a warm drink.

coconut cake: have you ever been on vacation with your f/o? where did you go?

Yes, we went to the Grand Canyon National Park a few years ago.

cheesecake: best date with your f/o?

A long walk on the beach during the summer.

cinnamon rolls: who has the bigger sweet tooth?

I have the bigger sweet tooth.

yule log: favourite holiday? is yours different from your f/o’s?

My favorite holiday is Christmas. Yes, Rumi's favorite holiday is Easter.

cherry pie: do you like to cook together?

Yes, we do cook together.

cannoli: is your f/o more subtle or overt when showing their affection?

She's more overt when showing her affection.

macaron: do you and your f/o plan on having kids? how many?

Yes, either 1 or 2 kids.

petit four: do you and your f/o work together or have similar occupations?

No, we don't.

tiramisu: quirks or habits your f/o has that you particularly like or have picked up on?

Stop in the middle of aisles at the grocery stores & I picked up on that.

toffee pudding: how does your f/o feel about formalwear/black tie events?

She doesn't mind formal wear events. We've been to a formal events a few times.

lava cake: is your f/o messy or disorganized?

She's a little messy at times.

salted caramel cookie: do you and your f/o live in a house or apartment?

We live in a house together.

carrot cake: do you and your f/o own a lot of knick knacks?

Yes, we do own a lot of knick knacks.

bananas foster: would you say your relationship is old fashioned?

No, it isn't old fashioned.

turtle pie: how long have you been together? do you have an anniversary?

We've been together over 4 years. Yes, it's April 4th, 2021!

[banannabethchase]

Yule Burn Your House Down

~

Day 24 of Damn It December: Holiday related stress dreams

~

“Fuck!” Adam flails his hand out and smacks something warm. His eyes fly open in panic, his heart races, and he sits up to try and orient himself. He’s at home. There’s no smell of smoke, there’s no fire.

“Dude,” Mox mumbles, rolling over. “Save the hitting for the ring.”

“Sorry,” Adam says, his heartrate finally beginning to regulate. “Sorry, I – I thought…” He trails off, remembering the dream. The house filling with smoke. Him, asleep at the counter. The Yule Log he’d been baking turning to flaming charcoal in the new oven.

“Bad dream?” Mox asks. Adam looks over, still blinking the remnants of the nightmare from his eyes.

Adam nods. “Yeah. Uh. Yeah, I had a dream the house was burning down.”

“Gee,” Mox says, and Adam does not like the look of the smirk on his lips, “can’t imagine why that could be.”

“Fuck off,” Adam grumbles. He reaches behind himself and throws his pillow at Mox. “You’re the one going all Terminator on the entire AEW staff and talent.”

Mox shrugs. “It’s fun. Why was the house burning down?”

“Fell asleep while baking a Yule Log,” Adam says. “I don’t even know how to bake a Yule Log.”

“I’ll give Yule this Log,” Mox says. Pointing at his dick feels a little excessive.

“That was the stupidest thing you’ve ever said,” Adam says. He’s not not interested in Mox’s dick right now, but it’s really late and they should both go back to bed.

“You think this might be related to that video they posted on YouTube earlier tonight?”

Adam groans and flops down onto the bed. “Maybe.”

“You don’t like your whole house burnyness vibe anymore?” Mox asks. He rolls over and pillows his head on Adam’s chest. “Don’t like being reminded of how evil and bad you can be?”

Adam sighs. “Maybe? Maybe I just had too many of those chocolate oranges before bed.” He closes his eyes. “Just a nightmare, though. I’ll be okay.”

“Yeah, you will be,” Mox says. He pats Adam’s tummy. “I’ll throw water on you if you get on fire in your dreams again.”

“That’s not as comforting as I think you mean it, but okay.”

Adam does fall back to sleep. But this time, he dreams of Mox juggling knives, and somehow that’s miles more comforting.

[trashyswitch]

A Nostalgic Christmas Night

Clara and the Nutcracker are resting in the Pine Forest. When they're sitting there, Clara asks some questions about the Nutcracker's origins. Who is he? What was his family life like? When nostalgia becomes bitter, Clara is determined to turn that frown upside down.

This fanfic was suggested by @westerntails. I hope you thoroughly enjoy! And merry christmas one and all! I hope all your christmas dreams and wishes come true over the holiday season!

[FADE IN] 

[Clara and the Nutcracker are walking through the pine forest, enjoying the dancing snowflakes that were accompanying them on their journey.]

Clara: “Oh, Nutcracker…How long must it take to get to the land of sweets? My little legs are growing tired.” [She looks down at her legs.]  

Nutcracker: “My poor darling…” [Kneels down] “Do you need to rest?” 

Clara: “Yes, I do.”

Nutcracker: “Very well. Let us sit on the chocolate logs up here.”

Clara: “Thank you, sweet Nutcracker.”

[The Nutcracker and Clara sit down on a log stump. The log looks to be made of a chocolate Yule Log, similar to the classic christmas sponge cake.] 

Clara: “Thank you awfully. My little legs can only go very far. These slippers were not made for walking in this winter weather.” 

Nutcracker: “Ah, I had forgotten you are wearing simple slippers.” 

Clara: [smiles] “‘Tis no problem at all, dear Nutcracker.” 

Nutcracker: “My large boots have been built to withstand this snow.” 

Clara: “I see.” 

Nutcracker: “I suppose you did not plan to walk in this snow?” 

Clara: [Laughs] “I never could have planned a night such as this.” 

Nutcracker: “I suppose you are right. No one could possibly plan to experience being shrunk down to size and bombarded by gingerbread soldiers and evil mice.” 

Clara: [Laughs] “You could not be more correct! What a funny circumstance.” 

Nutcracker: [Laughs] 

[The Nutcracker and Clara go silent for a moment.] 

Clara: “Oh Nutcracker?” 

Nutcracker: “Yes, my dear?” 

Clara: “Who were you before you had turned into a nutcracker?” 

Nutcracker: “Well…” [shuffles feet] “Before I was the leader of the gingerbread soldiers, I was a boy just like you.” 

Clara: [Tilts head] “Really?” 

Nutcracker: “I had grown up like most children like yourself. The food was plentiful and I had many toys.” 

Clara: [Looks at Nutcracker] “Did you have wonderful parents?” 

Nutcracker: “Well…No. I was raised by my uncle. I used to work alongside him, until the mouse queen had cursed me.” 

Clara: “If I may ask, who was your uncle?” 

Nutcracker: [looks at her] “...Drosselmeyer.” 

Clara: [gasps] “Drosselmeyer?” 

Nutcracker: “You know of Mr. Drosselmeyer?” 

Clara: “Yes, I do. He is my godfather.” 

Nutcracker: [Smiles] “That is wonderful.” 

Clara: [Smiles] “Drosselmeyer has known me since I was an infant. He is a charitable, jolly man.”

Nutcracker: “Oho, you fail to mention ‘mischievous’.” 

Clara: “Mischievous?” [She tilts her head.] 

Nutcracker: “Ah, I sense you have not seen that side of Drosselmeyer.” 

Clara: [scoots closer] “Do tell, dear Nutcracker.” 

Nutcracker: “I would love nothing more.” [He adjusts himself.] “As a young child, my uncle used to make the toys dance and roll around the house. It was wonderful to see, and it made my child oh so magical.” 

Clara: [Listens intently] 

Nutcracker: “My Uncle would make the wooden cars and the airplanes chase me around the house. He would make the building blocks move around as I played with them. The wooden animals would make noises to teach me the sounds of the animals.” 

Clara: “That’s so sweet. Uncle Drosselmeyer made the dolls dance before you were given to me as a gift.”

Nutcracker: “I see…I suppose my uncle is still making the toys play.” 

Clara: “He is.” 

Nutcracker: [Sits up] “One of my favorite things he would do…He would make his woodworking tools come to life. The carvers would carve, the saws would saw, the sandpaper would smooth out the wood and the brushes would remove the dust.” 

Clara: “That’s sweet.” 

Nutcracker: “Often, my uncle would catch me sneaking around his workshop. If he noticed me, Uncle Drosselmeyer would send one of the flying dust brushes after me and tickle me senselessly.” 

Clara: [Laughs] “That’s funny.” 

Nutcracker: “Those brushes were atrocious. The mischief…It lasted for ages.” [He sighs.] “I miss my mischievous uncle.” 

[The Nutcracker lowers his head with sadness. Seeing his sadness, Clara places a hand onto his shoulder.] 

Clara: “Oh Nutcracker…Please do not cry.” 

Nutcracker: “Oh, I would cry if I could.” 

Clara: “Oh…please. It will be okay. I…” [She pauses] “I will let Drosselmeyer know you are thinking of him.” 

Nutcracker: “Oh…You will?” 

Clara: “Of course I will! I would love to.” 

Nutcracker: [Smiles] “Thank you, Clara.” 

Clara: “You’re welcome.” 

Nutcracker: “It is very nice of you to pass on my message…” [Sighs] “However…I still miss him.” 

Clara: “I know…I miss him too.” 

Nutcracker: [sighs] I would do anything to experience those childhood memories again…” 

Clara: “Oh…” [She places a hand onto his shoulder] “It will be okay.” 

[The Nutcracker goes silent.] 

Clara: [thinks for a moment, and raises her finger as an idea enters her name] “Maybe I can help you?” 

Nutcracker: [Looks at Clara] “I beg your pardon?” 

Clara: “I could help you experience those childhood memories again.” 

Nutcracker: [Smiles] Oh Clara…I would love that…” [Looks away] “But how?” 

Clara: [looks down at her hands, before reaching out and grabbing his sides] “Like this!” 

Nutcracker: [Jumps and yelps] “Ah! What in the world?” 

Clara: [tickles him] “Tickle tickle!” 

Nutcracker: [Yelps] “Now hold on-” [starts laughing] “Oh goodness!” 

Clara: [Smiles] “I see you are still ticklish, Mr. Nutcracker?” 

Nutcracker: [Laughs] “I-I guess so!” [tries to leave the log] “Clara, please!” 

Clara: “Yes, Nutcracker?” [grabs his shirt] 

Nutcracker: [Gasps] “Uh oh…” 

[Clara pulls the Nutcracker down to the log, making him sit and lay on his back. His head rests on her lap.] 

Nutcracker: “Clara?” 

Clara: “Nutcracker.” [She starts tickling his belly.] 

Nutcracker: “No! [Laughs] “Clara! Oh goodness!” 

Clara: “This is so wonderful! You are so ticklish, Nutcracker!” 

Nutcracker: [Laughs] “I-I know!” [Laughs] “Th-Thanks for reminding me!” 

Clara: [Laughs] “My pleasure.” [winks] 

[The Nutcracker’s laughter continues as the dancing snowflakes fill the room, and the music starts playing. The snowflakes enter from all corners of the stage, continuing their previous routine from Act 1.] 

Nutcracker: “S-Snowflakes!” [Reaches out to the left] “Help me!” 

Snowflake 1: “No way!” 

Snowflake 2: “Sorry, Nutcracker~” 

Nutcracker: [Reaches out to the right] “Help!” [Pulls arm back as Clara tickles his armpit] 

Snowflake 3: “We can’t!” 

Snowflake 4: “We’re just snowflakes.” 

Snowflake 5: “You’ll have to get out yourself.” 

[The snowflakes start to dance off stage left, leaving Clara and Nutcracker alone.] 

Clara: “Oh Nutcracker~ Are you having fun?” 

Nutcracker: [Is wiggling around and trying to hide his belly.] “Y-Yes, but-”

Clara: “But what?” 

Nutcracker: [laughs] “This is too much!” 

Clara: “Oh, surely it is not. I have only tickled you for a few moments!” 

Nutcracker: “Oh Clara, please!” [laughs]

Clara: “Please what, dear Nutcracker?” 

Nutcracker: “A break!” [holds stomach] “I need a break!” 

Clara: “Oh dear!” [Stops tickling] “I am so sorry. I didn’t tickle you too much, did I?” 

Nutcracker: [Shakes head] “No no no. Do not worry, Clara.” 

Clara: “Thank goodness.” 

Nutcracker: “Because…” [Grabs Clara] “I’ve got you now!” [Tickles Clara’s belly] 

Clara: [Laughs] “Hey!” 

Nutcracker: “Now it’s your turn to be tickled, you silly goose.” 

Clara: “Nutcracker, no!” [Laughs] 

Nutcracker: “Oh, looks like the tickle monster is ticklish herself! What wonderful news!” 

Clara: [Laughs] “Nooo! No fair!” 

Nutcracker: “Poor Clara…” [tickles her armpits] “Don’t you know the classic words “As you sow, so shall you reap��?” 

Clara: “Noo!” [Falls back and Laughs] “You are cruel!” [Laughs and giggles] 

Nutcracker: “What a rude thing to say! I just might have to tickle you for that!” 

Clara: “No!” [Laughs and wiggles around] 

Nutcracker: “I wonder if these ribs are ticklish…” [Starts tickling Clara’s ribs] 

Clara: “NO!” [laughs and kicks feet] “Not the ribs!

Nutcracker: “And why’s that? Is it…ticklish?” 

Clara: [Shakes head] “STOP IT!” [Laughs] “Too much!” 

Nutcracker: “Ah, is it becoming too much for you?” 

Clara: [nods head while laughing] 

Nutcracker: “Very well. I shall stop for the moment.” 

Clara: [leans back with heavy breathing] 

Nutcracker: “Are you alright?” 

Clara: “Oh Nutcracker…” [giggles] “That was exciting.” 

Nutcracker: “Hm…You know what?” [Smiles and nods his head.] “I agree. That was fun.” 

Clara: “My legs are feeling a little better. Shall we proceed to the lang of candy?” 

Nutcracker: “Of course.” [Gets up] “And Clara…” 

Clara: “Yes?” [Gets up] 

Nutcracker: “It is called the land of sweets.” 

Clara: “Oh, my apologies. The land of sweets. Or as my family would say, ‘Страна сладостей’.” [winks]

[FADE OUT] 

[cheerycherrycandy-resurrected]

A Very Midwest Emo Yuletide

I didn't intend on posting this on Christmas, but here we are! Oh and hi @alwaysjustmina I believe I promised you this...

Found-family Yuletide meal, set in the Midwest Emo Ghouls AU. Mountain and Swiss are hosting the annual Yuletide meal and everyone's invited, even a special guest from New York...

Some Ghroup Yuletide meal found family fluff, not at all inspired by my uni-reunion-christmas-meal last weekend.

Rating: General wc: ~ 1600

Read below the cut or on AO3!

For the Midwest Emo AU, when there's multiple career hcs on the tag I chose my favorite, likewise sorry for any Britishisms. I’m saying this has the same “US-UK-hodgepodge" vibes as Sex Education did on Netflix...

“Give me a hand, Mount!” called Swiss, as he dragged a freshly-felled fir tree through the door. As always he’d left it to the last minute and, as always, he’d overestimated the size of tree they could realistically fit inside their low-ceilinged farmhouse on the edge of town.

Mountain chuffed in amusement, drying his hands on his apron, before helping Swiss bully the tree into a somewhat-upright position in the corner, into the holder he had made many years previously.

“Fewer squirrels still living in it this year then, Snapdragon?” Mountain laughed over his shoulder, bustling back to the kitchen end of the large room.

“I can’t promise!” Swiss paused to re-tie his boots, before grabbing a bucket and heading back out the door to dig up the root vegetables he had held back specially for their Yuletide feast. Almost everyone was coming this year, and they were sure to be hungry.

“Where are we on the schedule then Mounty?” asked Aurora, her rolled-up sleeves the only part of her not dusted in flour or icing of some kind. She bent down to glare at the cake she had in the oven, daring it not to rise.

“We’re making good time Ror, the Turkey’s ready to go in as soon as your cake is finished, I’ll make pigs-in-blankets later, then it’s just potatoes, parsnips, carrots, and sprouts as soon as Swiss is done. Have you heard how the girls are getting on this morning?”

“Lulu says Cirrus filled the car with bottles last night so we’re good for drinks, and she already made a Yule log and a plum pudding yesterday, and a trifle this morning!”

“Everything’s going to plan then. I hope Dew’s given Rain time to prepare everything they’re bringing…”

Across town, Rain was indeed pushed for time, thanks to his rather stressed husbands buzzing around his head all morning. He was incredibly grateful he’d made the stuffing and cranberry sauce the night before; he was running behind finishing his nut roast, and hadn’t even started on the cauliflower cheese yet. Dewdrop was panicking about his upcoming Yuletide sermon, a yearly occurrence (both the panicking and the sermon), and Phantom had somehow managed to lose all of the craft materials he needed for the youth club event he was running at the church with Sunshine.

When their doorbell rang, immediately followed by several loud knocks signalling Sunny’s characteristic impatience, Rain had breathed a sign of relief. She had whisked Phant away for the day, reminding him that she had all the construction paper and glitter, and promising to be at Swiss and Mountain’s on time for the meal later. Rain was glad she was driving, last year he’d still been vacuuming glitter out of his car in April. Sunny taught pre-K at the local school, and since the school term had already ended, she and Phantom were running an extended youth group session for the children and kits who’s parents had to work today. She had been over at the youth pastor’s house several nights this week already, trying to teach him how to make pipe-cleaner Yule goats.

Now just Dew remained, and Rain was splitting his time between packing his nut roast into a pan, and reassuring Dew that yes, his sermon’s message was clear, no it wasn’t boring, yes he would still love him if it went badly, and no he’s not fed up with him talking about it, and nor is Phantom. Eventually, he stuffed a wooden spoon into his hand, and told him to get stirring the cheese sauce while the cauliflower steamed.

Back at the farmhouse, Aurora’s cake was cooling on the side and the turkey was in the oven. Swiss had returned with enough vegetables to feed a small army which he was busy washing and chopping to roast with honey from his bees later. Mountain and Aurora were hurriedly decorating the tree, hanging almost a decade’s worth of decorations made and gifted to them by Mountain and Swiss’ scout troop. Cirrus and Cumulus were due to arrive any minute, and the hosts wanted their home to feel suitably festive before they put them to work helping to finish dinner.

“Ding dong!” trilled a voice entering through the open kitchen door. Cumulus bustled in, arms laden with goodies. “Cir’s just backing the car up.”

“Hey Lus, good to see you!” Swiss moved to pull her into a hug, remembering at the last minute to put down the large knife he was holding first.

“Lulu! My dessert queen!” squealed Aurora as she ran back into the kitchen, her socked feet sliding on the flagstone floor. She narrowly avoided toppling into Cirrus, bags clinking with bottles that no doubt promised a good time once they returned from church that evening. “Oh, hi Riri, did you bring the lavender syrup from the bar?”

“Let her breathe first, Petal.” Mountain also re-entered the kitchen, and laid one of his large and gentle hands on Aurora’s shoulder.

“Hello Rory, everyone, happy Yule!” setting the bags gently on the floor, Cirrus deftly extracted a small purple bottle from one of them. “Lavender syrup, m’lady”.

“Amazing, thanks Cir! Lu, will you help me taste the frosting for my cake? I don’t want to add too much lavender, I can’t feed Mist soap cake!”

Biting back a smile, Cumulus let herself be dragged over to the still cooling cake, and the bowl of frosting waiting next to it. Aurora and Her Yule Cake had been a much discussed topic all week: Aurora’s not-at-all-subtle crush on Mist, the ghoulette who owned the town’s small record shop, was not as secret as she may have hoped. After their last run-in at the coffee shop Rory worked in, during which Mist had briefly mentioned that her favourite cake was an Earl-Grey and lavender concoction she’d had in her art student days, Aurora had been obsessed with the idea of making it for their Yule celebration. Mist wasn’t due to arrive until later in the day, as she lodged in Zephyr’s spare room and had promised them and Omega a lift out to the farm straight after they finished work at the local GP surgery.

Mountain pottered back over to check on the turkey, and hummed in satisfaction at what he saw. He began loading Cumulus’ desserts into the fridge, before pulling out sausages and bacon to assemble Phantom’s favourite Yuletide trimming.

The next to arrive were Rain and Dew, both looking somewhat frazzled, arms loaded with foil-covered trays. Separately and silently, the pair dumped their offerings on the counter before beelining for the fridge for a drink to de-stress. Mountain snickered and shook his head at them fondly, before putting Rain’s nut roast into the oven and removing the turkey to rest. There was a reason Rain, Dew and Phantom never hosted Yule, after all.

Phantom and Sunny showed up a while later, both with hair full of glitter and even some in Phantom’s eyebrow. The children and kits from the youth church group had made them their annual Yuletide decorations, which they hung on the tree with Cirrus. Phantom proudly showed off his best attempt yet at a Yule goat to Dew, the horns almost even this time.

Last to arrive, as expected, were Omega, Zephyr and Mist, Omega still loosening his festive tie as he walked in the door and trading it with Swiss for a beer. Aurora was very glad she had changed her flour-dusted outfit after her baking escapades: Mist had clearly put in effort, her short shock of icy platinum hair meticulously styled to look effortless. As she laid a cool hand on Aurora’s arm, wishing her a happy Yuletide in her low, soft voice, Aurora had blushed almost as red as the sequins on her dress.

Eventually, Swiss managed to wrangle everybody into a mis-match of seats around the table, and Mountain led the charge of serving up the food. In a flurry of plates, side-dishes and serving spoons, everybody soon had a plate piled high with their annual Yuletide feast.

Just as Mountain was taking the final seat, there was a knock at the door. While the others shared confused glances, Mountain and Swiss exchanged a knowing look.

“Get the door would you Dew? You’re closest.” asked Swiss.

Dew huffed and rolled his eyes, but there was no heat behind it. He moved to the door, throwing it open to meet a pair of warm, violet eyes above a soft and almost sheepish grin.

“Aether!” he had all-but shrieked, throwing himself into the larger ghoul’s chest with such force he almost pushed him straight back out the door.

“Hey there Firefly, Happy Yule.” Aether brought large arms up to encircle Dew in a hug, slowly walking them far enough into the house to close the door.

“Glad you made it Aeth!” Swiss smiled, clapping him on the shoulder as he pulled another chair up to the table, squeezing it in between his and Dew’s.

“Just in time too!” Mountain placed a hastily filled extra plate of food in front of the new chair, and leaned over a still-attached Dewdrop to gently knock horns with Aether. Aether deposited Dew back into his seat before taking his own, exchanging greetings with the other ghouls, both old friends and newer.

After a very merry Yule feast, but before stuffing themselves further with dessert and cake – or getting lost to Cirrus’ lethal cocktails – they piled into a selection of cars to head to church, all of Dew’s nerves forgotten in the excitement of Aether’s return.

[weyesbloodgf]

the cakes I made for christmas — gingerbread cake with cream cheese frosting and a yule log! unfortunately the yule log cracked like 5 times while I was rolling it up but luckily the ganache hides it and it still tasted really good :)

[sxilor-1010]

Yule Log

Words: 1074

☾★☾★☾★

Getting caught up in work, it’s easy to forget to have time for yourself, especially during the holidays. She’s heard a lot of concerns and reminders from her coworkers, and all of them went by her head saying she’s “relaxed a bit.”

It was her day off, and she had been fighting off the urge to work through celebrating Christmas. Or, in her case, Yule. Now, she wouldn’t say she was a witch. She liked magic, but magic in a world full of technology isn’t known too much.

Why do magic when you have many robots already doing stuff for you? Well for starters, they don’t know how to make a proper Yule log. Which is exactly what Emilyn is doing to celebrate her day off.

Sure she had to go some shopping for some of the things needed, but a little shopping never hurt her. Her table was dawned in bright red plaid, courtesy of Djenne and its amazing fabrics, with a fresh wooden log and other things.

Emilyn hummed to herself, holding a knife as she approached the table. With the log in her hands, she began to carefully carve holes big enough for the candles to fit. The wood emanated a nice scent, and she couldn’t help but close her eyes to admire it all. Her mouth moved on its own, just mumbling a song she remembered hearing while scrolling through YouTube earlier.

“God rest ye merry, pagan folk,

Let nothing you dismay.

Remember that the Sun returns

Upon this Solstice day.

The growing dark is ending now

And Spring is on its way.

Oh, tidings of comfort and joy,

Comfort and joy!

Oh, tidings of comfort and joy…”

Before Emilyn could continue singing, the distant noises of an aerial jet had caught the wind in her ears. Her hands stopped carving and she opened her eyes, looking towards a nearby window to see a familiar face smirk at her. “I didn’t think you’d stop by today, Starscream.” Emilyn approached the window, opening it to look at his face.

“My plans haven’t been the greatest this year, and I’m tired. What better way to relax than to accompany my little moon~?” He said slyly, Emilyn blushing just a bit as he moved a digit to caress her cheek. “You’re lucky I’m in a good mood to handle your flirts. Might as well come in.” Starscream smirked, drawing back his digit and walking to her door. Emilyn closed her window and opened the door, the Decepticon now mass displaced.

It wouldn’t be long before Starscream took notice of Emilyn’s little project, and he walked over with curiosity. “What are you making here?” Emilyn turned, smiling just a little bit before taking a seat back down. “It’s a yule log, just something to celebrate for this year…” Her words slightly drifted when turning to face Starscream, confusion glinted slightly in his crimson optics. “Oh, right… You’re probably not aware of Yule or Christmas, huh?”

“No, I’m not. Perhaps you can give me some insight later…” The Decepticon spoke, grabbing a chair of his own to sit next to Emilyn. She chuckled, keeping that as a mental note in the back of her mind. “Alright well, you can watch what I’m doing if you want. Up to you.” With that, Emilyn got back to carving, and Starscream watched intently, curiosity soon drifting towards the other items around her. There were a few candles, greenery branches of pine and cedar, not to mention dried fruits and pinecones.

“Quite the inventory of primitive materials, but what does one do with all of this?” Starscream spoke, plucking a pine branch in between his fingers to get a feel. Emilyn turned towards him, grabbing that branch and placing it back into the nearby pile. “You decorate this log, and supposedly it brings good luck and warmth to those who light the candles. It also wards off bad energy from harming you.” Ah, superstitious stuff. He should’ve guessed. “Peh, superstitious and magical nonsense. Humans are weird.”

That was enough to have Emilyn frown at Starscream, who laughed and smirked. “Well, not nonsense to you, my dear.” She rolled her eyes, grabbing the nearby hot glue gun and the pine branch he was fiddling with earlier. “Does magic not exist as a concept to you guys?” She turned to face Starscream, who placed a couple of digits on his chin in thought. “Not as much as you’d like to think. It exists in concept, but it was never said to be shown.” Huh, so it did exist in some way at least.

“That makes sense, given you and the Autobots are from a planet of metal, right?” Starscream nodded, albeit frowned a bit at the mention of the Autobots. “Magic can’t exist in a place that has metal, or iron. One of the two.” Emilyn spoke, Starscream watching carefully with curious optics as she glued the various nature pieces she had gathered onto the log. “I like to believe that even within today’s times, there’s still magic in this world. Hell, there might be pixies and fairies dancing outside my house right now and I wouldn’t even know it.”

Starscream looked in quiet awe seeing the once naked log now adorned in pine branches and dried fruits, not to mention the interesting scent it gave off. It surely was something magical, but it felt like something was also missing. Luckily, Emilyn was just about to get to that when grabbing ahold of the long candles. “Alright, I’m gonna need your help on this one. You’re gonna hold these perfectly still while I add glue onto the bottom.” The Decepticon looked in confusion but grabbed one of the candles nonetheless. It felt waxy amongst his digits, but it was a nice shade of red. He watched as Emilyn took the glue gun, adding a nice warm dollop to the bottom.

“What do you do once you’re done with this… ‘yule log’?” He asked curiously, Emilyn moving the glue gun away to glue the sides of the holes she carved out earlier. “Well, you just kinda leave it somewhere nice to burn until the end of Christmas. There’s not much else to it.” He nods, Emilyn taking the candle and placing it on the far right. “Only two more and then we’re done.”

“Maybe after we’re finished, I can explain Yule to you.” Hearing that, Starscream smirked lightly and chuckled.

He’d appreciate that very much.

[swan-of-sunrise]

Hawkeye (Part IV)

Summary: Christmas Day arrives and while (Y/N) and Steve enjoy a quiet day with their daughter, a familiar face pays them an unexpected but ultimately welcomed visit.

Pairing: Steve Rogers X Fem!Reader

Word Count: 3.8k

Warnings/Disclaimers: None

A/N: Hi guys! We've finally made it to the last chapter of this little mini-series and trust me, there's no content warnings but you'll for sure wanna read this with a box of tissues nearby lol thank you for reading, I hope you all enjoy!

Hawkeye (Part IV) December 25th, 2024 The Home of (Y/N) (Y/L/N) and Steve Rogers, Brooklyn (Previous Chapter)

Christmas Day had finally arrived, and the Rogers-(Y/L/N) family spent their morning amidst a flurry of shredded wrapping paper, discarded ribbons and cast-off decorative bows, their home overflowing with holiday cheer. The television was turned on to a broadcast of the Yule Log and while Christmas music played faintly in the background, the scent of (Y/N)’s famous hot coca and Steve’s homemade cinnamon rolls combined with the smell of fresh pine emanating from their sizable tree to create a warm, heavenly aroma. Outside, snow leisurely came down from the cloudy sky, dusting their lawn and the near-deserted street and creating a tranquil landscape that (Y/N) couldn’t help but admire each time she glanced out their windows.

Carina, after tearing through all the presents she’d gotten from her parents and her many aunts and uncles, was sitting content on the floor of the living room and playing with her brand-new Mega Bloks while Indy, whose fur had been lovingly decorated with bows by the enthusiastic fifteen-month-old, was curled up in his dog bed by the heat vent and munching on his new bone. (Y/N) and Steve took advantage of the peace and quiet to exchange gifts with one another; they initially agreed on giving something small and possibly handmade, but it quickly became apparent that they both went behind each other’s back and splurged on one another. (Y/N) beamed with joy when she opened her expertly wrapped package to reveal a handmade cassette mixtape, featuring various songs that had special meaning to the two of them and their relationship, and her jaw subsequently dropped when she withdrew a gorgeous antique pearl necklace. Steve laughed in delight when he pulled a custom Viewmaster out of his box, marveling at all the pictures of their life together she’d added to its many reels, and his azure eyes went wide when he saw the autographed 1941 Pee Wee Reese – one of his all-time favorite Brooklyn Dodgers players – baseball card tucked into a hard protective sleeve.

It was then that (Y/N) and Steve finally unsealed the envelope that Dr. Prince had prepared for them together, scanning their most recent sonogram and gasping in unison when they read ‘It’s A Girl!’ printed along the bottom. “We’re having another girl!” Steve exclaimed and (Y/N) laughed in delight as his hands came up to cradle her face and he captured her lips in an enthusiastic kiss; when they came up for air, he pulled her into a tight hug and murmured into her ear, “I told you so…”

(Y/N) playfully dug her fingers into his sides, smirking at his surprised yelp and leaning back to meet his mirthful gaze. “Come July, you and Indy are going to be outnumbered around here.”

Grinning, Steve trailed kisses along her jaw and towards her smiling, kiss-swollen lips. “We wouldn’t want it any other way, sunshine.”

Some time later, they FaceTimed their friends one by one to share their happy news with them. The Barton’s and Kate Bishop were thrilled, and (Y/N) was pleased to see how much the young archer was enjoying spending Christmas Day with her new partner and his family; the Wilson family was equally ecstatic, with AJ and Cass letting out a cheer at the news and Sarah immediately listing off various foods that would help with her lingering nausea, and they all burst into laughter when a disgruntled Sam reached into his wallet and handed a folded bill over to a smug-looking Bucky. Everyone else they contacted – Bruce, Scott, Rhodey, Pepper, Brunnhilde, Carol, Wong and the Guardians of the Galaxy – seemed to be enjoying a wonderful holiday season with their own families and they all eagerly congratulated them on their second pregnancy; none of them said anything, but (Y/N) could tell that they were relieved to see another signal that life was slowly but surely returning back to normal after Thanos and the Snap.

“Shouldn’t you put the ham in the oven soon?” (Y/N) asked, her arm outstretched to grab a wayward scrap of wrapping paper that somehow ended up underneath the armchair. When she finally succeeded in grabbing it, she sat up with a tired huff but frowned once she realized that her husband hadn’t answered her; glancing over her shoulder, she smiled to herself as she watched Steve and Carina stacking her new blocks together, both wearing near identical looks of concentration as they completed their task. Like father like daughter, she thought with an inward chuckle before pointedly clearing her throat. “Sweetheart? The ham?”

Steve’s head shot up and his brows rose in surprise as he craned his neck to look at the clock hanging over the entryway. “Time sure flies when you’re having fun, doesn’t it? I’ll be back in a minute, angel.” He kissed the top of the infant’s head and let her continue playing before standing up and walking over to where (Y/N) was kneeling, offering her a hand and helping her clamber to her feet. “What’s that look for, sunshine?”

“Do I need a specific reason to admire my handsome husband and his newfound appreciation for toddler architecture?” She countered with a teasing smile.

Chuckling, one of Steve’s hand rested on her waist while the other moved to cradle her cheek. “I suppose not, but I’m afraid it’ll cost you a kiss.” He leaned in and planted a swift kiss onto her forehead. “One more.” His lips brushed against the bridge of her nose and she giggled at the ticklish sensation. “Wait a sec, one more.”

“Steve!”

“Nope, that last one didn’t count.” Steve gave her cheek an over-exaggerated kiss, a devious smirk playing on his lips as she laughed. “One more, baby.”

“Steven Grant Rogers, I’m carrying your child and if I don’t eat something soon, I promise that you’re going to live to regret it.” Her half-hearted threat went unnoticed by her husband, who was preoccupied with peppering kisses along her jawline, so she was forced to place her hands on his chest and firmly push him away with a laugh. “Go!”

With a playful wink, Steve turned and sauntered into the kitchen to prepare their Christmas Day dinner, and (Y/N) looked over at Carina with an exasperated sigh. “Your Dada’s silly, isn’t he, lemon drop?” She chuckled when the infant giggled and clapped her chubby hands together, leaning down to ruffle her daughter’s (Y/H/C) hair and letting her continue stacking her blocks while she gathered up the rest of the wrapping paper; after she crammed the last of it into her brown recycling bag, she carried it into the kitchen and set it down by the back door to dispose of later. Steve was setting the oven’s timer when she sidled up beside him and leaned in to kiss his cheek, but the sound of their doorbell ringing throughout their otherwise quiet home interrupted her.

“We didn’t invite anyone over, did we?” Steve asked and when (Y/N) shook her head, the muscle in his jaw clenched as his brows furrowed in worry. “Guess we should’ve left Brienne activated after all…”

“I sincerely doubt that any of Kingpin’s lackeys would be dumb enough to announce their presence by ringing the doorbell,” She reasoned, but her own logic didn’t stop her from bringing a hand up to her lips and whistling Indy’s command to guard; they exchanged a look before leaving the kitchen and heading down the hallway to their front door, and she spared a brief glance into the living room to see their senior German Shepard standing alert beside an unaware Carina as she continued to play. They passed by their entryway table – stopping for a moment to retrieve several stun discs they’d stashed away in its hidden compartment for emergencies – and Steve wrapped a protective arm around her waist as she unlocked the door and cautiously pulled it open.

Standing on their porch was a young woman, with long blonde hair intricately braided over her shoulder, numerous silver ear piercings decorating her ears and dressed in a stylish emerald-green winter coat. She looked to be in her mid-twenties and while her pale green eyes were outlined with dark blue liner, the makeup couldn’t mask the uncertainty and the hint of fear in her gaze; her lips were pursed and her hands were shoved into her coat’s pockets as she looked between them both, and after a tense moment she finally spoke. “I’m so sorry for imposing on your Christmas, but I was in the city on a work trip and I couldn’t leave without stopping by. My name is-”

“Yelena,” (Y/N) interjected, her eyes widening in surprise; Natasha’s description of her little sister was spot-on, but it wasn’t until she heard her thick Russian accent that she fully realized who she was.

Steve, who was doing a far better job of hiding his shock, opened the door wider and gave the young woman a tight-lipped smile. “Please, come in.” Yelena hesitated for a moment but stepped through the doorway, her eyes carefully scanning their festively-decorated entryway as she slipped off her coat and black leather gloves. She allowed Steve to hang her coat on their coat-rack and followed them into the living room, and (Y/N) caught the blink-and-you-miss-it smile that formed when she spotted Carina and Indy. “Would you like something to drink, Yelena? Water, hot coca, hot coca with a splash of whiskey…?”

“I won’t lie, the third option sounds very good right about now,” The former Black Widow replied with a wry smirk, although it was still easy to see the apprehension that she was trying so hard to hide. “Thank you.”

Steve’s azure eyes briefly met (Y/N)’s before he turned and headed into the kitchen, whistling the command for Indy to join him, and (Y/N) scooped Carina up before sitting on the opposite end of the couch from Yelena; the infant squirmed on her lap, seemingly displeased to have been taken away from her Mega Bloks, but she was quickly distracted by the stuffed Hulk – a Christmas gift from her Uncle Bruce – that (Y/N) wriggled in front of her. “If it wasn’t for this little gumball,” She patted the side of her baby bump with her free hand. “I’d have a spiked hot coca the same as you.”

Yelena smiled politely. “Congratulations. Do you know whether it’s a boy or a girl yet?”

“We actually just found out this morning; it’s a girl, and we’ve already decided on her name.” (Y/N) took a steadying breath before continuing. “Natalia Austen Rogers-(Y/L/N).” When they were initially brainstorming various baby names, she and Steve came to the agreement that they would find a way to name their little boy or girl after Natasha and Tony; Natalia, being the spy’s birth name, and Austen, being the long-lasting nickname that the billionaire bestowed upon her the very first time they met.

The younger woman’s green eyes misted over, but she was quick to duck her head to hide her emotional reaction. “That’s…um, that’s a wonderful name. Natasha would like that.” She anxiously began to twirl one of her many rings around her finger. “I’ve been working up the courage to speak with you for quite some time. I came close earlier this week, at the pizza parlor in Greenwich Village, but I…” Trailing off, Yelena’s eyes flicked up to meet (Y/N)’s, carefully reading her before continuing on. “Judging by the overwhelming tension that is emanating from you and your husband, it would be safe to assume that you’ve been in recent contact with Clint Barton.” When (Y/N) mutely nodded, Yelena sighed to herself and threaded her fingers together in her lap. “Firstly, I would like to assure you that you and your family are not in any danger. I was hired to remove an obstacle and while it was an assignment that I was admittedly eager to complete, I ultimately decided against completing it; Barton was not responsible for my sister’s death, and I couldn’t see that until it was almost too late.”

“But you did see it, and that’s what really matters,” (Y/N) reassured her as she gently smoothed out her daughter’s hair, smiling when the infant waved at the former Black Widow and babbled away in excitement when she waved back. “And if it makes you feel any better, Clint’s not really the type to hold a grudge…well, except for that one time when Nat bit him during a fight. He still likes to bring that up from time to time.”

The corner of Yelena’s lips briefly twitched upwards before she sobered. “Secondly, I would like to thank you for helping my parents arrange for Natasha’s memorial. Ohio was…it was the first place where she was truly happy, and I’m glad that there is something there to honor her memory and her sacrifice.”

Swallowing the lump in her throat, (Y/N) adjusted her hold on Carina and cast her eyes downward. “It was the least I could do. Nat told me a little about her past after she went on the run and helped take down the Red Room, but she opened up more in the years after you Vanished.” She glanced up and met Yelena’s gaze with a sad smile. “She was so proud of you, Yelena, for traveling around the world and making it your mission to give all those Widows their freedom. Everything she did to help us reverse the Snap she did because she loved you, and she never once gave up trying to get you back.”

Yelena, overcome with emotion, nodded in thanks as she wiped a wayward tear from her cheek. A moment later, Steve walked back into the living room with a full mug of hot coca cradled in his hands and Natasha’s old knapsack slung over his shoulder; the former Black Widow murmured her thanks when she accepted the mug and while she took a cautious sip, Steve shrugged the knapsack off and leaned on the arm of the couch beside (Y/N). “I’m so sorry for your loss, Yelena. Your sister wasn’t just one of a kind, but she was a hero.” One of his hands moved to rest on (Y/N)’s shoulder and she briefly brushed her lips against his knuckles in comfort as he continued. “As I’m sure your parents already told you, Nat left you a message before she died; we’ve kept it safe since then, along with a few of her things that survived the Battle of Earth.”

After another sip of hot coca, Yelena set her mug down onto the coffee table and gingerly accepted the knapsack, her expression unreadable as she examined the faded name patch sewn onto the sturdy canvas. “Can I…?” She cleared her throat and looked up at them, her green eyes tinged with red. “Would you mind if I listen to it now?”

“Of course not,” (Y/N) assured her with a tight smile, allowing her husband to help her stand and positioning Carina to sit against her hip. “We’ll, um…we’ll just be in the kitchen, if you need anything.”

Yelena nodded and while she tentatively reached into her sister’s knapsack, the Rogers-(Y/L/N) family made their way to the kitchen to give the younger woman some much-needed privacy to finally face her grief head-on.

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

“So, what’s Yelena like?” (Y/N) asked, reaching into her satchel for another apple and offering it to the massive rhino behind the wooden fence; the Border Tribe had been gracious enough to allow both the visiting members of Wakanda’s new outreach program and the fugitive Avengers to visit their impressive herd of rhinoceros and since (Y/N) hadn’t seen the spy since she’d gone on the run after Siberia, she invited Nat to join her at the enclosures.

“She’s strong, much stronger than she realizes. She’s funny, smart as hell and although she can be a little bit of a pain in the ass, she’s the kind of person who’ll have your back no matter what.” Natasha’s sincere smile turned playful as she arched an appraising brow at her. “Come to think of it, she sort of reminds me of another person I know…”

(Y/N) sighed in exaggerated exasperation. “You better not let Sam hear you saying that, ‘cause his ego’s inflated enough as it is.”

Rolling her eyes, Natasha lightly shoved her shoulder as she burst into giggles. “You know damn well that I was talking about you, hot-shot, and I meant every word of it.” Both women shared a look of understanding and while her heart burst with affection for the spy, (Y/N) patted the rhino’s neck and fed her another apple. “She likes music almost as much as you do, you know, and lately, she’s turned into a bit of a fashionista. Hopefully, you’ll get a chance to meet her someday; you guys would totally get along.”

“I think so, too. We can talk about music, clothes and all the best ways to annoy the hell out of you,” (Y/N) chuckled as Natasha shook her head in disbelief, giving the rhino one last pat before looping her around hers and smiling brightly, “C’mon, we should head back to Bucky’s farm and make sure he hasn’t fed Birdbrain to his goats.”

(Y/N) smiled to herself as she recalled her conversation with Natasha so long ago and leaned down to kiss the top of Carina’s head. It had been nearly a quarter of an hour since they’d left Yelena alone in their living room with Natasha’s final message for her, and they were trying to distract themselves from the emotionally-fraught situation with their daughter and their dog; Steve was crouched on the kitchen floor and scratching a pleased Indy behind the ears while (Y/N) entertained Carina by singing various Christmas songs, beaming with pride as their daughter sat on the kitchen island in front of her and happily babbled along with her.

“At this rate, she’s gonna be singing her ABC’s before she even turns two,” Steve remarked with a proud grin, standing up and watching Indy stroll over to his water bowl for a moment before leaning against the kitchen island and jiggling her stuffed Hulk in front of her. “Aren’t you, angel? You’re so smart, just like Mama.”

“Mama smart!” Carina exclaimed and clapped her chubby hands together in glee.

“Yep, but so’s Dada! He’s very, very smart, lemon drop, just like you.” The infant giggled when (Y/N) gently booped her nose with her index finger, and she glanced over at her husband and smirked when she saw the bemused expression on his face. “Don’t sell yourself short, sweetheart; your intelligence is one of the many, many things that I love about you.”

Steve’s brow playfully arched and he hummed in interest as his arm not-so-subtly moved to wrap around her waist. “Is that so? Mind tellin’ me what the rest of ‘em are, or is that classified intel?”

“Not necessarily, but it is the sort of intel that comes with a hefty price-tag.”

“I’ve got a pint of A Hunka-Hulka Burning Fudge and two Three Musketeer bars stashed in the downstairs freezer-”

“Sold!”

Just as a chuckling Steve leaned in for a kiss, Yelena hesitantly entered the kitchen and cleared her throat, giving them an awkward sort of smile when they both looked over at her; her pale green eyes were puffy from crying, but (Y/N) could see that for the first time since entering their home, the younger woman’s features were free of any anxiety and trepidation. I hope that Nat’s final message helped her find some closure, she thought to herself as she watched Yelena gently place the empty mug onto the counter before finally speaking. “I want to thank you both, for the delicious hot coca and for inviting me into your home so that I could accept my sister’s personal items.” She hugged the knapsack close to her chest and gave them a tiny smile, and (Y/N) could’ve sworn she spotted a hint of longing in her steely gaze as she continued. “I’ve taken up enough of your time, so I should leave you to enjoy the rest of your holiday.”

Steve and (Y/N) exchanged a look as the former Black Widow turned to leave, an unspoken agreement passing between them before Steve spoke up. “Yelena?” She turned back around to face them and Steve gathered Carina up into his arms, his trademark smile of sincerity spreading across his face as they walked around the kitchen island to stand before her. “I know that you’ve only just met us and that there’s probably other ways you’d rather be spending your Christmas Day, but we’d be honored if you joined us for dinner.”

Yelena froze, seemingly unsure of how to respond to their invitation. “I…that’s very cool of you to ask, but I-I wouldn’t want to intrude…”

“You wouldn’t be intruding at all,” (Y/N) promised as a smile of her own began to form. “It’ll be great, so long as you don’t mind listening to a fifteen-month old incoherently sing along to Christmas songs and fending off an adorable German Shepard as he begs for some of your dinner.”

As she looked between them both, Yelena’s pale green eyes softened and a softer, more genuine smile slowly illuminated her features. “Well, I do like your American Christmas songs and adorable dogs…”

At the start of the holiday season, (Y/N) planned on spending her picture-perfect Christmas with her beloved Steve and Carina, and she assumed that the biggest surprise in store for them would be finally learning the sex of their new baby. But after over ten years of living the life of a superhero, it should’ve come to no surprise that even the best-laid plans could change in the blink of an eye; in a week where she’d watched a Broadway musical loosely and hilariously adapt her husband’s entire life, helped her favorite archer and his biggest fan take on one of New York City’s most notorious criminal organizations and finally met her deceased best friend’s mysterious little sister after she nearly killed their friend, it just made sense that they’d add another place setting to their dining room table and enjoy their Christmas Day dinner alongside a talkative and overall happy Yelena Belova.

Neither (Y/N) nor Steve dared ask Yelena about Natasha’s final message to her, both unwilling to dampen the younger woman’s cheerful mood, but if her sparkling eyes and joyful laughter was anything to go off of, then (Y/N) knew that the message succeeded in helping Yelena finally find some closure. Yelena, being the sort of person that was quick to open up once she felt at home, was a delightful guest; while they enjoyed their dinner, she regaled them with stories of hers and Natasha’s childhood in Ohio and her journey of self-discovery since being freed of the Red Room’s chemical subjugation and in turn, (Y/N) and Steve shared their happiest memories of Natasha with her. If this is any indication of what the future Rogers-(Y/L/N)’s Family Christmases will be like then I’m all in, (Y/N) thought to herself with a smile as Steve and Yelena laughed at her story and Carina nodded off in her highchair, stroking a hand over her growing bump and basking in the cozy holiday cheer that occupied their home.

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

A/N: And there you have it, a little Christmas fluff for ya'll in April! Thank you all so much for reading and commenting! I’ve created a Spotify playlist inspired by this series, and I’ll be updating it every time I upload a new chapter. Enjoy!

Spotify Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3ziGMhEsAw833GQ9eV44nR?si=6dfead09c76848d5 

Stumblin’ In Book VII: “Superhero Snapshots” Masterlist 

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