#rowing the rarepair rowboats

[doyelikehaggis]

25 Days of Sleighpairs: Paige Krasikeva x Violet (Teen Wolf) + “Chocolate”

Requested by @mariedemedicis

"I have a surprise for you."

Paige lit up as soon as she laid eyes on Violet, slipping into the empty music room and closing the door behind her. She kept her hand behind her back for dramatic effect.

"I like the sound of that."

Putting her cello aside, Paige raised her eyebrows and waited - impatiently - as Violet dropped into the seat beside her, their knees touching. Finally, she produced the gift, wrapped up in brown paper with a deep purple satin ribbon tied around it. Paige's favourite colour, of course.

"You know Christmas isn't for another week, right?" she teased, but she eagerly took the present.

"It's nothing big," Violet said quickly, watching her delicately untie the ribbon, making sure to keep it intact. The paper was a different story.

As soon as she got into them, Paige lit up like the Christmas tree that she always complained her family put up too early. Violet liked it; it was definitely better than her foster parents' attempts to "make her feel included" in their traditions. She forced the smile to stay on her face, but as soon as Paige started squealing in delight, it didn't take much effort.

"I love these," she said, already opening the box of chocolates. "They're my favourite kind."

"I know," Violet said softly.

Paige lifted her gaze to her, and her smile stretched. She leaned over and kissed her cheek, startling her. But Paige didn't seem to notice as she pulled back, saying, "This is the best gift ever. I'm totally going to eat these before Christmas, you know that?"

Violet laughed, trying to ignore the warm flush beneath her skin. Paige popped one in her mouth then insisted that she eat one, too. And she could never say no to her.

They stayed in the music room, messing around with the instruments. Paige didn't do a whole lot of proper practicing, but she didn't seem to mind Violet's distraction. As they were mid-laughter, there was a knock on the door and a head popped around it. A boy. His beaming smile fell a little when he saw them both sitting there.

Violet was about to ask if he wanted something, but Paige spoke first with a roll of her eyes. "Derek, what are you doing here?"

"I was just coming to see if you were in here," he said with a shrug, trying and failing to be totally smooth. "Wanted to say hi. And see you."

Violet's stomach turned. Violently. She glanced from him to Paige, trying to gauge her reaction - annoyance, right? She hated Derek Hale, they both did. He was loud and annoying and was always disrupting the class.

But Paige was smiling. "Well, now you have. So, you can go."

"Right. See you later."

He left, but Paige was still smiling. Violet coudn't muster one. Her heart was almost beating too fast to hear her as she said, "I forgot to tell you" and launched into a recollection of how he had talked to her and what they had said the other day. The chocolate aftertaste turned sour in her mouth as Paige's cheeks turned pink and her smile grew wider with every word.

Finally, when there was a pause, Violet asked, "Do you like him?"

"What?" Paige rolled her eyes again and scoffed. "No, definitely not. I mean, he's kind of cute. In an annoying way. But I don't like him."

She avoided looking at her. The bell went, perfectly in sync with Violet's heart as she watched Paige get up, suddenly worried about being late for their next class. She waited for her, holding the door open, but Violet knew, deep down, that she had already lost her.

[alfhildr-the-word-weaver]

I got thinking too much about Marwa from What We Do in the Shadows again and how she was canonically making observations of Jupiter and Saturn in the 1200s. Then I thought about how Elena took Damon to go watch a meteor shower, and I decided that Marwa and Elena should get away from all the vampire drama B.S. in their lives and go nerd out about astronomy together, and this moodboard sort of happened. I also thought about how Elena becomes a doctor and went ah, they are both women in STEM! So I ran with that as a theme too.

But yeah, Marwa needs a friend who will actually support her interests and engage with her intellectually (no shade to Nadja and the Guide, I'm glad they had a fun weekend watching Mamma Mia together which was literally the only time we got to actually see Marwa happy onscreen, but they have never demonstrated much interest in science that I can recall and I want Marwa to have an astronomy buddy), and I think Elena would be fascinated by her and her perspectives on astronomy from centuries ago, and they could learn about modern astronomical advances together. If I find the time and energy I might even write fic about it, but for now, here is a moodboard so that we can all bask in the vibes of my beautiful crossover vision together.

Image sources: x x x / x (the first frame of x gif + a screenshot from x) x / x + x x x

[mythosaur34667]

Being hit with nostalgia a little over a year after The Believer first aired... Do you guys remember when there were only six Dinfeld fics?! I do! Thanks to everyone who posted early on and launched the ship! And to everyone who keeps writing, drawing, and/or appreciating Dinfeld! ^_^ For me, this ship and the people involved in it have been one of the most positive things about 2021! Let's keep rowing our little rarepair rowboat of a ship into 2022! ♡

Guys

There are 6 stories under Migs/Din on Ao3

3 of those 6 stories have the same name

Brown eyes

[doyelikehaggis]

25 Days of Sleighpairs: Sciles | Scott McCall x Stiles Stilinski (Teen Wolf) + “cold”

"Don't say it," Stiles said before Scott could even open his mouth. He rubbed his hands together, scowling. "I swear to all that is holy, Scott, don't you dare even think it."

To his credit, Scott managed to hold out for all of ten seconds with that big smug smile, before he burst out with, "I told you to bring gloves. Or at least a jacket with pockets."

"Yes, I'm aware of that, thank you," he grumbled, shoving his nearly numb hands into his armpits and hunching in on himself as they continued down the road. The one day that the jeep had finally had to be taken in to a garage to be fixed, it just happened to be the coldest day in history. They were still at least twenty minutes from Scott's house and the roads were too icy for his bike.

Scott sighed, but it was obviously fond exasperation. He took off a glove and offered it to him, which Stiles gratefully took and shoved on his left hand. Then Scott held out his ungloved hand to him.

"Take it," he said, and Stiles hesitated for just a second before he obliged. He tucked their clasped hands into his pocket. "Better?"

Still begrudging the fact that Scott had been right when they had left his house to make their way to the preserve for a stupid "pack meeting" as Derek had described it, he grumbled a bit then finally admitted, "Yeah, it is."

Scott just smiled, and they walked the rest of the way to his house with their hands tucked into his pocket. It only occurred to Stiles when they were five minutes away that Scott could've just given him both of his gloves and stuck his own hands into his pockets to keep them warm. He didn't point it out, though.

[doyelikehaggis]

7 Days of Scarepairs: Denzo | Damon Salvatore x Enzo St. John (The Vampire Diaries) + "Trick or Treaters"

The door went for the millionth time. Damon didn't bother to stifle his groan of annoyance this time, but Enzo was already on his feet and greeting the stupid little brats as they screamed for a treat. He indulged them, chuckling as they shoved their greedy little fists into the bowl and shovelled more than the polite amount of candy into their buckets and bags.

They moved on, and Enzo closed the door just as Damon started to loudly say, "You know, it's called trick or treating. I suggest that next time, we give them a trick."

Enzo shook his head at him, giving him that familiar look as he reclaimed his seat beside him on the couch. "Oh? Let me guess: you want to show a little bit of fang, some black veins and red eyes?"

Damon spread his hands and raised his eyebrows.

"I'm not letting you scare some poor little kids on Halloween," Enzo said sternly, shoving the bowl back onto the coffee table, exchanging it for his glass.

"Why not?"

"Because they're innocent children," he countered like that was obvious before taking a drink of his completely victimless pint of blood. "But if it really means that much to you, then you can answer the door next time it goes and pretend you're wearing makeup."

The door went again, right on time. Damon grinned wickedly as Enzo lowered his glass, clearly already regretting his words. He looked at him warningly but he had already swiped the bowl from the table and crossed the room in a matter of a second.

He took a moment, his hand poised. Then he flung the door open and left his full vampire face on display. Instead of the expected screams, the two little girls shouted with pure joy. His face dropped as Lizzie and Josie clapped in excitement.

"Really, Damon?" Caroline asked, an eyebrow raised disapprovingly.

Bonnie smiled. "Nice face. Not the most realistic vampire I've seen tonight, though, I've gotta say."

He smiled mockingly back at her. He tossed a miniture chocolate bar into each of the twin's baskets, then he stepped aside to let them in. Bonnie swiped the bowl from his hands on the way past, her face lighting up.

"See, this is why I said we shouldn't answer the door on Halloween," he said loudly and closed the door. "We've been invaded by witches."

"Uh, hello?" Caroline said pointedly.

"Fine, it's three against three," Damon said, walking past her and reclaiming his seat beside Enzo, who was busy complimenting the twins on their very realistic witch costumes. "I'm still not happy about it."

It was Bonnie's turn to roll her eyes at him as she planted herself on the other couch, setting the bowl of candy in her lap. "Come on, I thought you'd get a kick out of Halloween."

"I do, in fact," Damon said. "I love Halloween. I love scaring people to death and drinking from open veins without anyone batting an eye. What I don't enjoy is being stuck in the house all night on the one day of the year when I could be doing any number of things instead."

"Well, most of the trick of treaters are going home now," Bonnie said with a shrug. "So, if you wanted, you could come out with us. We're going to get these two home and in bed, then we were gonna go to the Grill."

Caroline flashed a genuinely excited grin as she said, "They have themed cocktails."

Damon glanced at Enzo, who shrugged as if to say, I don't see why not.

"But one rule," Caroline said, and she pointed right at Damon, "you are not allowed to feed on anyone. At least not anyone in the Grill. It's Matt's rule, and I promised him that none of his employees would be running around with bandages on their necks or wrists."

"I guess dressing up as a mummy was off limits, then," Enzo said in amusement, knocking back the rest of his glass.

"Funny," Caroline said dryly, her eyes narrowing.

Damon helds his hands up. "Fine, we promise. Anything is better than hearing one more knock on that door. I might actually kill someone."

Bonnie threw a bonbon at him in warning. He popped it into his mouth and winked, but when prompted by Caroline, both he and Enzo promised that they wouldn't harm anyone at the Grill.

"Although, technically," Damon said as they were about to leave, shrugging on his leather jacket, "it's not harming them if they're not compelled and they want it, right? Halloween brings out all kinds of freaks, you know. A lot of people love vampires."

Caroline scoffed in disgust and ushered Lizzie outside to join Bonnie, who already had Josie in her arms and was using magic to move the detachable spider on her wrist, making her laugh as it crawled up onto her shoulder.

He raised his eyebrows at Enzo, who returned the gesture, a particular hunger flickering in his eyes. Damon grinned and followed him out. Tonight could be fun after all.

[doyelikehaggis]

7 Days of Scarepairs: Sciles | Scott McCall x Stiles Stilinski (Teen Wolf) + “Grief”

Requested by @joanthangroff (TW mention of suicide attempt)

It was a long ride back from the motel. At least, it felt longer. Stiles' gaze burning holes in the side of his face wasn't making it go any faster, either. Scott could see his bouncing leg, hear his racing heart and smell the anxiety radiating off of him. Even if he were oblivious to all of that, he would still know something was wrong with him.

"Stiles," he said wearily, looking at him properly for the first time since Coach snatched his whistle back off of Lydia and told them to sit down. "Are you okay?"

"What? Oh, yeah. I'm fine. All good."

The way he glanced at him said otherwise. Scott raised his eyebrows pointedly and the leg bouncing stopped. Stiles ran a hand over his thigh and nodded jerkily as if reiterating that he was fine.

"Look, we're gonna figure this out, okay?" Scott assured him as best he could. "From what Ethan said, there's a good chance that Derek is alive. Once we get back to Beacon Hills, we can find him, and we can make a better plan. No one else is going to get hurt."

He just managed to bite back a promise. He knew he couldn't. He only hoped that it was the truth.

But Stiles stared at him like he could see right through him, his eyes narrowing. He parted his lips like he was going to retort, as he usually would, but instead, he just shook his head and turned to face the back of the seat in front of him. As he ran a hand over his face, Scott frowned.

"You're angry," he blurted out.

Stiles shook his head again and sighed. "No. No, Scotty, I'm not angry." His heart skipped but he acted like Scott couldn't hear it. "I'm just... I'm tired. Last night was..."

"I know," Scott said softly. His own heart skipped. "But the darach's not going to catch us by surprise like that again."

Stiles nodded, but he didn't say anything else. In fact, he didn't say anything else for the rest of the ride. Scott wanted to, but something stopped him. He took to staring out the window and letting his eyes unfocus as he repeated his plan to find Derek in his mind the whole way home.

*

The bus dropped them off at the school. Stiles insisted on driving Scott home, even though he had his bike. He didn't put up a fight - he just wanted to go home and see his mom before he did anything else. That phone call back at the motel had felt too real. He just needed to see her.

Of course, she was at work. Scott sighed when he found the note on the fridge, but he told himself not to overthink it. She was fine.

"Alright, well, I think we should go to Derek's loft first," he said, turning to Stiles who was lingering by the back door, his arms folded. "He'd most likely have gone back there to try and heal."

He frowned.

"Although, if the alpha pack are looking for him, that might be too obvious. Maybe we should try the animal clinic first. He could've gone to Deaton, right?"

He waited for Stiles to agree with him or suggest something he hadn't thought of because right then, all Scott had was a handful of guesses and maybes.

But Stiles didn't chime in. He shrugged when he realized Scott was looking at him.

"Stiles, are you sure you're okay?" he asked gently.

Stiles dragged a hand over his face and sighed again, his tongue in his cheek, and he could smell the irritation on him, just like when they were on the bus.

"You know what? No," he snapped, throwing his hand up. "No, Scott, I'm not okay, and, quite frankly, neither are you, and I don't get why we're just pretending that last night never happened. Because it did."

"Do you mean..." Scott couldn't quite get the words out, his throat closing up around them and forcing them back down. He shifted his feet, his gaze dropping to the ground for a moment. "The wolfsbane?"

"Yeah, I'm talking about the wolfsbane," Stiles said, his voice thick with emotion he was failing to contain. "More specifically, what the wolfsbane did to you, Scott."

Scott shook his head, his eyebrows drawing together as he tried to ignore the sick feeling weighing down on him. "It was just... you saw what it did to all of us. Ethan-"

"Tried to saw himself open, yeah," Stiles cut him off. "Probably something to do with his freakish ability to combine into one even more freakish mutation with Aiden. Isaac - he was hiding under his bed. Boyd and Lydia were hearing things. But you, Scott..."

He took a step toward him, and Scott watched his feet, observing every little detail of his shoes and the kitchen floor.

"Scott, you tried to kill yourself."

"It was just..."

"No. No, Scott, the wolfsbane brought out all of your biggest fears and just - just heightened your true emotions. Boyd's guilt about his sister, Isaac's fear of his dad, Lydia always being the one to find dead bodies. It wasn't the wolfsbane talking when you did that. Was it?"

Scott knew he had to give him an answer. He just didn't think either of them really wanted to hear it. The truth hung in the air between them, as suffocating as the gasoline that still clung to Scott's senses.

"It doesn't matter," he said quietly, then looked up to meet Stiles' disbelieving stare. "We need to find Derek. We can't waste any more time, we need-"

"Scott, stop! Can you even - you nearly died! Twice!"

"But I didn't-"

"Because someone stopped you! Allison literally had to sew you back together because you felt so guilty about Derek being dead that you were going to let yourself die, too! Scott, I had to talk you out of setting yourself on fire, how can you not - how do you not see how messed up that is?!"

"Stiles, I'm sorry about last night, okay? I shouldn't have... I should've fought the wolfsbane, or..."

Stiles just stared back at him, shaking his head incredulously. Finally, in a much softer voice, he said, "Scott, I don't want you to be sorry that I had to save you. I just... I just wanna know that you don't actually believe what you said last night."

It was a simple request. It would take just two words. And yet...

Scott opened his mouth. Then he shook his head and closed it again, looking away with a piercing pain where his healed wound was just yesterday.

"You have to admit that a lot of what we've gone through wouldn't have happened if I hadn't..."

"Hadn't what?" He looked back up to see the reason for the quiver in Stiles' voice; tears shone in his wide eyes. "Hadn't survived being bitten by Peter? That's what you meant, wasn't it?"

He tilted his head but he didn't get a chance to deny or confirm. Stiles already knew. He looked like he might crumble into a million pieces.

"Scott," he said, his voice cracking as he moved closer. "I don't care what's happened to us. I don't care about the murderous werewolves or - or the hunters, or any of the crazy supernatural things that keep happening around us, alright? Because we've survived it, but what I wouldn't have survived was losing my best friend."

Scott bit his tongue, his eyes stinging. Part of him wanted to point out all the bad things - the numerous times he's put his life in danger, the people who haven't survived the craziness of their world, and everything else.

Then Stiles really did crumble. "Scott, I meant what I said last night. And I can't lose you. I can't - you and my dad, you're all... you're all I've got, and I can't - Scotty, I can't lose you as well. I need you. And I know how selfish that is, but it's true. So, if you need a reason to - to believe that you should be alive, then there it is. Me, Scott. Make me your reason if you have to, or your mom, or even Allison, because I promise you that none of us would be better off if you weren't here."

"You'd be safe, at least."

He didn't mean to say it. It just slipped out.

"You don't know that," Stiles countered, then he shrugged. "And even if that was true - I don't care. Scott, I'd rather be in danger every day of my life from some supernatural threat than live without you."

He didn't know what to say to that. All he could do was surge forward and hug him. Stiles immediately wrapped his arms tight around him, as if he never intended to let go.

"I'm sorry," he repeated quietly into his shoulder.

"Just make me a promise, Scotty. Alright? Promise that you'll talk to me, so that, when you start blaming yourself for every bad thing that's ever happened, I can tell you what an idiot you are."

Scott chuckled and nodded. "I promise." Then, he softly added: "I mean it."

Stiles tightened his arms just a little more. Both of them savoured the feeling of the other against them. Solid. Real. Alive. Safe. For a moment, they were as physically intertwined as they were in every other way.

Scott knew they should look for Derek. They should come up with a plan to stop the darach. But he wasn't ready to let go of the first real feeling of comfort he'd felt in a while.

[doyelikehaggis]

25 Days of Sleighpairs: Bamenzo | Bonnie Bennett x Enzo St. John x Damon Salvatore (The Vampire Diaries) + “Glittering” & “Cozy”

Requested by @alfhildr-the-word-weaver

When Bonnie had gone to sleep, there hadn't been a single flake of snow. Now, it blanketed the path to the cabin. She peered out the window as the sun poked out from behind a cloud, turning the flakes into a sea of glittering diamonds. It was mesmerizing, and she had the urge to run outside and wade through it like she would have done as a child.

Arms wrapped around her from behind and she pulled the fleece quilt a little tighter as warmth encased her in a bubble. She smiled before Damon had even pressed his lips to her cheek while the soft strumming of Enzo's guitar filled the cabin. Her smile widened as she recognized the tune to "Baby, It's Cold Outside" and she nearly rolled her eyes at the cliche of it.

"Come on, sit down," Damon murmured, his breath warm against her skin. "I got the fire going."

The strumming paused. "Er, excuse me. I got the fire going."

She could practically feel Damon roll his eyes, and he chose to ignore Enzo as he rested his chin on her shoulder, gazing out the window with her as he said, "I know what you're thinking and it's a terrible idea."

"It's just a bit of snow," Bonnie retorted.

"Fine, catch a cold. I won't be taking care of you, though."

"Good thing I have another, much more caring boyfriend, then."

She didn't argue it, though; truth be told, she wasn't actually that eager to trade the comfortable warmth of the cabin for the kind of ice cold that seeped into your bones until your skeleton rattled. Instead, she slipped over to the couch and joined Enzo, who smiled, his eyes flicking up to her as he continued playing and hummed along under his breath.

Damon followed and squeezed between her and the arm of the couch as she stretched a leg out to let the heat of the fire warm her skin. It was so cozy, she felt she could drift back off to sleep. Instead, she propped her head up in her hand, listening to Enzo play. Even Damon shut up for a minute or two.

For the first time since they arrived at the cabin a few days ago, Bonnie was confident that they'd made the right decision in ditching the big Christmas festival that Caroline was planning back in Mystic Falls for a quiet week far away from anything that could disturb them. It was just the three of them, tucked away in their own little snowglobe.

[doyelikehaggis]

Rarepair Rowboat: Kennett | Kol Mikaelson x Bonnie Bennett (The Vampire Diaries)

Requested by @nikkiruncks

It was a bad idea. Bonnie repeated that to herself on a loop as she stood outside the house, invitation clutched in her hand. She could feel the magic in the air around her - the prescence of more than one vampire behind the doors. She was taking her life in her hands.

But they agreed; there had to be a reason that the Original witch wanted a formal meeting with her and Elena. It couldn't just be a coincidence.

She took a breath and calmed herself, before she slipped the invitation into her purse, walked up the steps and into the house. Inside, it reminded her of every Miss Mystic Falls pageant she'd attended. It was similar to Tyler's house, but it was lavishly decorated, with glittering chandeliers and champagne fountains.

As she moved further into the room, she noticed people staring. A warm flush crept up her neck but she ignored it and searched the crowd of ballgowns and suits for Elena.

She found her mid-argument with Stefan and Damon. They had both agreed to stay away from the ball. Evidently, neither of them could stay away from Elena.

Bonnie moved to approach them when someone stepped into her path. Annoyanced prickled beneath her skin. It wasn't helped much by the smirking face staring down at her. Even if he was sort of attractive.

"Please, tell me you didn't come with either of those idiots," he said, and her heart dropped at the lilting accent as he nodded in the direction she had been headed. "It would simply devastate me."

She pressed her lips together and swallowed, trying to ignore her thumping heart and the fact that he could hear it. He was one of them.

His head tilted, and his features pinched together as if amused.

"I'm sorry, I'm being ungracious. My mother would kill me for not introducing myself to a lady. Kol Mikaelson."

His smile grew wider as he held his hand out to her, expectant. He waited as Bonnie hesitated, raising an eyebrow ever so slightly. She kept her hands by her sides and he chuckled, dropping his hand back to his side.

"I understand your distrust, but I assure you, Bonnie, I am nothing like my siblings," he said. "For one, I'm far more charming."

"Agree to disagree," Bonnie said tightly, offering up only a dry smile in return. It only seemed to fuel his amusement, and her eyes narrowed as the realization hit her. "Wait. How do you know my name?"

"My mother informed us there was to be a Bennett witch in our midst tonight," Kol said simply, and he shrugged. "She seemed worried that my siblings wouldn't greet you with the warmest regards."

Bonnie raised her eyebrows. "What, so, she sent you to make sure none of them ripped my throat out? How do I know you aren't going to do the same?"

"Because unlike my siblings, I have an appreciation for witches," he said. "Considering I, myself, used to be one."

She wasn't buying it. "Well, then, you can appreciate that I can look after myself. I don't need a vampire bodyguard, but thanks for the concern."

She managed to side-step him this time and hurried through the crowd. She located Elena, who was one Salvatore less than before. As she explained what they were doing there, Bonnie caught Kol watching them, smile still intact.

She quickly looked away again, that warmth creeping back up her neck as she tried to forget their encounter and put him out of her mind. They had a plan. Focus on the plan and maybe they'd be able to get out of there alive.

[doyelikehaggis]

25 Days of Sleighpairs: Finn Hudson & Marley Rose (Glee) + “Family”

Neither of them had said anything in the last ten minutes. They were just walking aimlessly. Finn was pretty sure he was supposed to say something, anything, but he didn't know what exactly he should say. Maybe this was a bad idea. Of course it was, he was so stupid.

They stopped in front of the reindeer pen. Marley folded her arms on the fence and rested her chin on them, snow clinging to her coat and hair. There was even a thin layer of it on her hat from how long they'd just been walking around. Why did he suggest this?

"I'm sorry," he blurted out, and Marley looked up at him in surprise. "For... all of this. It was a dumb idea. I just thought... I thought that it would be good if we could hang out and... I don't know."

He sighed. For the first time all day, she smiled. It was tiny, but it was there. It was funny how he was suddenly questioning if his was the same. His mom always told him he looked like his dad when he smiled, so, maybe Marley did, too. How had he never noticed that before?

All those weeks in glee club, and it had never struck him that there was something familiar about her. Now, he was desperately searching for everything he had missed.

"I've never had a sibling before," he tried again, watching two reindeers eating side by side not too far away. "It's funny, I always thought it would be so cool to be someone's big brother, to — to have this person who was like me and who would look up to me. Who would need me to look for them and would come to me for advice about stuff."

His eyes darted to Marley. His heart sank and he deflated, leaning against the fence as he smiled sadly and looked away again.

"I guess it's a bit late for all of that now." He shook his head and sighed. "I feel like I... like I let you down. I know neither of us knew, but I feel like I should've, somehow, you know? All that time we spent in glee club and I had no idea. Some big brother I am."

The reindeers had stopped eating and were now making their way over to them. They came close enough to touch, and they both reached out, Marley straightened up.

"For what its worth... I think you're pretty cool."

Finn looked at her in surprise and found she was smiling up at him. "You do?"

"Yeah. Of course I do. Do you know how much I admire you? You're, like, this big celebrity at McKinley."

"I'm not," Finn protested, his brow furrowing.

"You kind of are," she said, her smile twitching higher. "But that's not the only reason I think you're cool. It's because you were nice to me whe no one else wanted to be around me. You didn't blame me for messing up. Your lessons are a little weird sometimes, but you put so much effort into glee club and making sure we feel like a team."

He listened, stunned to silence. He had no idea anyone in the glee club felt that way.

"I just kind of figured you all thought I was an idiot," he said with a nervous chuckle and a shrug.

"Of course we don't," Marley said, with meaning. "I definitely don't. When my mom told me about our dad, and how you were my brother, I was... well, obviously, I was shocked, but I was also unbelievably happy. Because I always wanted a big brother, and I couldn't have asked for a better one."

Finn didn't know what to say. He smiled, hesitated, then quickly asked, "Is it okay if I hug you?"

Her face split into a grin. She practically launched at him, and he laughed, then wrapped his arms around her. It was strange how unfamiliar yet totally familiar it felt. She mumbled something into his chest, but he didn't hear her and he didn't ask her to repeat it, not wanting to ruin the first good moment they had had since finding out they were related.

He spotted two people cradling steaming cups and a sign by a little cafe across the street. "Hey, what do you say to getting some hot chocolate?"

Marley pulled back. Her eyes were a little teary, but she quickly wiped them and said, "I say yes, obviously. Who doesn't like hot chocolate?"

His grin widened. "Come on."

Marley was bouncing with excitement as they ordered, and she asked for little marshmallows and sprinkles. A lot of people liked hot chocolate with marshmallows and sprinkles, it was completely insignicant — but it meant the world to him in the moment.

[doyelikehaggis]

25 Days of Sleighpairs: Forwood | Tyler Lockwood x Caroline Forbes [+ Lizzie & Josie] (The Vampire Diaries) + “Ribbon”

Requested by @mariedemedicis

Wrapping presents was a lengthy process and a very precise art. Tyler looked at Caroline funny when she said exactly that to him years ago after she had criticized his wrapping skills on her birthday present. However, they had vastly improved over the years; the pile of presents he had already wrapped was growing steadily next to her own.

"We need to pick the girls up soon," she said with a glance at the clock on the wall. "I hope everything went okay. They were so excited to go ice skating, and I know that it's a school trip and that Bonnie will be there, so nothing too bad will happen."

Tyler raised his eyebrows. "But...?"

Caroline slumped, caught out, and sighed. "But I'm worried! I mean, between that girl in Lizzie's class that she keeps saying hates her and Josie being so... withdrawn, I'm just worried that something will happen."

"Like... something bad?" Tyler prompted meaningfully.

She hadn't wanted to voice her concerns out loud to him, but she realized by the look on his face that he already knew. She was worried about them triggering the werewolf curse. They had talked about it a little at first, when the girls were first born, how it was likely to have passed down to them. Lizzie and Josie knew bits and pieces, like, Mommy was a vampire and Daddy was a werewolf.

"The girls are turning twelve in just a few months," Caroline said with a shake of her head. "Even without a dormant werewolf gene, I was a nightmare at that age. There are hormones and teen drama, and god knows what could happen. You've seen how easily they get worked up."

Tyler set aside the present he had just finished wrapping, securing it with a pretty pale blue ribbon. "They're kids, Care. They're going to get into arguments, and they're going to get worked up. That's why we taught them how to handle it when they start to feel like that."

"I know," Caroline sighed, shaking her head again. "I know. I'm sorry. I'm overthinking this, aren't I?"

"No, you're being just like any other mother who cares about their kids," he said kindly, and he leaned over to kiss her. It was soft and gentle, and just long enough to pull her out of the bubble of anxiety she had put herself in. When he pulled back, he held up another blue ribbon and said, "But right now, what you should be worried about is this mess. Seriously, there is glitter, like, everywhere in this house right now."

"Well, there wouldn't be if you were more careful," she retorted, but her face split into a grin and she kissed him once more before saying, "Right. We need to finish wrapping these presents immediately or Christmas will be ruined."

"Oh, well, we can't have that," Tyler said teasingly.

"Definitely not," she said firmly and held out a hand. "I need a purple ribbon. STAT."

"Right away."

[doyelikehaggis]

25 Days of Sleighpairs: Blam | Blaine Anderson x Sam Evans (Glee) + “hot chocolate”

The Lima Bean wasn't exactly the ideal place to try and keep two kids distracted, especially when all they wanted to do was go and play in the snow that Sam had hoped would stop once they got into May. They whined, but he did his best; he gave them his phone to fight over and play games on, regretfully thinking about how he planned to sell it if his dad came home with that look on his face again for the millionth time in the last few weeks.

His parents hadn't wanted him to because they were worried about not being able to get a hold of him in an emergency, but he knew he'd probably get a few bucks for it, at least. Hopefully enough to convince the motel owners to switch their heating back on.

He was praying it would be.

"Sir." He looked up as a waitress approached their table in the far corner with a sheepish expression. She stopped close enough to be able to speak in a hushed tone. "I'm so sorry, but my manager's told me I need to ask you to leave. You haven't bought anything, and there's a policy..."

His heart dropped straight through his stomach. He had hoped that no one would notice them if they stayed in the corner and kept the noise down.

"Seriously?" he asked, and she nodded, a sympathetic look pinching her features. She was obviously just hoping he'd go without a fuss, but he felt the icy chill of winter hanging around long than it was supposed to every time the door opened. "Okay. Okay, uh, is there any way that we could just stay for another half hour?"

At least his parents should be back by then, hopefully having managed to find some money or sweet-talk the motel owners into turning their hot water back on. But the waitress shook her head.

"I'm really sorry," she said again. "It's policy. You've already been here over two hours, so, unless you buy something, I need to ask you to leave."

He glanced at Stacey and Stevie and fumbled in his pocket for his wallet, his fingers still stiff from the cold. His heart was pounding against his chest as he opened the wallet and found exactly what he knew he would. A few cents and quarters. Barely enough to make up a dollar, at most.

Flushing hot with embarassment, he quickly put it away again, dragging a hand over his face. He had to bite his cheek to stop his eyes from blurring as he cleared his throat.

"Okay. Uh, Stacey, Stevie," he said, getting their attention, "we're leaving now. Put your hats and coats back on, and I'll help you with your gloves and scarves."

"Where are we going?" Stacey asked.

"I don't know," he said honestly. They couldn't go back to the motel without heating, but walking around outside in the snow wasn't any better. "Maybe..."

"Sam?" The waitress stepped aside, allowing Blaine to move closer to the table, wearing a friendly smile as he furrowed his brows. "It's Sam, right? We've never been properly introduced, but I'm Blaine. Kurt's friend from Dalton?"

"Yeah, I know," he said as his embarassment grew. Just what he needed: an audience.

"Do you have time to talk? I'd love to finally get a chance, especially after all the good things Kurt had to say about you. That performance you did with Quinn at Sectionals was just beautiful." Hand on his heart, he casually added: "Please, stay. Ten minutes of your time is all it will cost, I promise."

Sam didn't know what to say. His eyes darted to the waitress, and she gave him a small smile and a nod, as if to tell him another ten minutes wasn't going to get the police called on him. When she left, he slumped in his chair out of relief, but he glanced at Blaine uncertainly.

Truthfully, the last thing he wanted to do was talk to anyone, but he had just saved them from being thrown out into the street. He was grateful, but he didn't even know the guy; they'd only seen each other in passing, which was what made it all the worse when he realized what was going on.

"I'm just going to get a coffee, do you want anything?" he asked with big, innocent doe eyes as he pointed over his shoulder. "My treat, as a thank you for letting me steal some of your time."

Stevie chose that moment to interject. "I'm hungry. Can we get food?"

Rubbing his temple, Sam sighed, shifting uncomfortably in the chair as he shook his head and quietly said, "No, buddy, we can't. You can have something when we get home."

"But we don't have any food," Stevie protested, too loudly.

He cringed, wanting the ground to swallow him whole. He was about to scold him and deny what he had said, but it only got worse when he made eye contact with Blaine. He knew that expression on his face too well. He pitied him.

That was enough to make him want to walk out there and then. But he didn't. He looked at Stacey and Stevie and thought about the one slice of dry toast they'd had to share between them that morning. His own stomach churned uncomfortably. It wasn't fair on them.

Catching the look of defeat that must have been on his face, Blaine turned to the twins and said, "If it's alright with Sam, why don't we go and have a look at what they have? I think I saw them bringing out some fresh cookies..."

Sam watched him take them up to the counter until his vision started to blur. He bit his cheek and scrubbed at his wet eyes, trying to will himself not to have a breakdown in public. He had managed to avoid it so far.

When they returned to the table, they both had a cookie in hand and were already devouring them. It might have been all sugar, but at least it was something. Sam managed to compose himself, though the humiliation of it came crashing back down on him when Blaine placed a steaming cup in front of him.

"I didn't know what you liked, so I played it safe and got hot chocolate," he said as he pulled a chair over from the table next to them and sat beside him. He flashed him that smile again. "You seem like a hot chocolate kind of guy. Was I right?"

"You didn't have to... you didn't have to do that."

He glanced at him as Blaine brushed it off.

"We're not a charity case," he said more firmly, and he lowered his voice as Blaine's smile finally dropped. "I know that you know about... we don't need your pity."

"Sam, I don't pity you," Blaine said softly, and he cut him off when he tried to protest. "Look, maybe I overstepped. I'm sorry. But I wasn't lying, you know. I have actually been hoping we'd get a chance to meet properly.”

Sam leaned back, his eyes darting back over to Stacey and Stevie. They were covered in sugar and crumbs, but they looked happy. If their parents didn't come back with good news, it might be the last thing they had to eat until tomorrow.

"Thanks." He gingerly pulled the hot chocolate toward him and gave him a small smile. "You were right, by the way. I love hot chocolate."

Blaine chuckled, his mouth curving back up into that beaming smile as he ducked his head. He then said, “I can go, if that's what you want."

"No, it's cool," Sam said, "you can stay."

"I was hoping you'd say that."

Blaine caught his eyes for a moment as he took a drink of his coffee. Heat crept up into Sam's face, but it wasn't embarassmet this time. He wasn't entirely sure what it was, to be honest. At the very least, he wasn't cold for the first time in a while, so it was a welcome feeling.

They stayed and talked for a little while, long enough for Sam's parents to text and tell him they were back at the motel and had semi-good news.

As they were getting ready to leave, Sam said, "Thanks again. I appreciate it."

"It was my pleasure," Blaine said sincerely and got to his feet. "Maybe we could hang out again soon? I know we have Nationals coming up, but maybe after?"

Sam hesitated, helping Stevie into his coat. "Uh, I don't know. I mean, I want to, obviously," he hastily added, averting his eyes under the guise of concentrating on helping Stacey put her scarf on. "It's just that I don't really know what I'm going to be doing after Nationals. Things are... rocky right now."

"Well, how about I give you my number?" Blaine suggested. "At least that way, we can keep in touch."

Sam swallowed down his protest. He didn't have the heart to turn him down again, even if he knew he probably wasn't going to have a phone for much longer.

"Yeah, sure."

Blaine wrote it down for him on a napkin and Sam took it with a forced smile. Without thinking, he jokingly said, "I've never gotten hot chocolate and a guy's phone number for my birthday before."

"Wait, it's your birthday? How old are you?"

"Sixteen."

He could tell from the look on his face that he was wondering why anyone would spend their sixteenth birthday in a coffee shop instead of throwing a massive party with all their friends.

"It's not a big deal," he said with a shrug.

"Of course it is," Blaine argued. "Sam, it's your sixteenth. Does anyone even know it's your birthday?"

He shook his head. "Just Quinn."

"Well, do you have any plans? With your family?"

"Not really. Like I said, it's not a big deal."

Blaine looked like he wanted to argue, but he didn't, and Sam was grateful for that. His parents had felt awful that morning for not being able to get him anything. He had assured them it was fine, he understood, they needed all the money they had just to keep a roof over their heads.

They walked out together, then they parted ways with Sam promising to text Blaine later so he had his number. When they got back to the motel, they were greeted with warmth. His parents had managed to scrape some money together to get the hot water turned back on.

He nearly cried when they pulled out a sponge cake for him. His mom apologized that it wasn't more, and she did start crying. He pulled her into a hug, his eyes darting over the few belongings they had managed to squeeze into the room. He landed on his guitar. It had to be worth something. Something was better than nothing.

While his parents were putting Stacey and Stevie to bed, he slipped outside, huddling into his coat. He pulled the napkin out of his pocket and took out his phone.

All he sent was a simple: hey its sam :)

The response was almost instant. He found himself smiling as he typed back. It was easy to forget all of his problems for just a little while as they texted back and forth, even the fact that it was freezing and his hands were stiff.

[doyelikehaggis]

25 Days of Sleighpairs: St Hudson | Jesse St James x Finn Hudson (Glee) + “Music”

Finn startled when Jesse plucked his phone from his hands and crossed his arms, obviously demanding his attention. He looked up at him, frowning.

"I don't want you to take this the wrong way," Jesse started, "but I need to ask you something. Why are you still here?"

Sitting up a little straighter, Finn said, "I'm not sure how to take that the right way." He dropped his gaze and swallowed. "But I get it. I said I'd only be here a few days, I should be gone by now. Don't worry. I'll get my stuff and I'll get out of your hair."

He went to stand up, but Jesse raised a hand between them.

"That's not what I meant."

Finn frowned again. "Then what did you mean?"

"I meant... why are you avoiding going home? You still haven't told me what happened when you finally went to see Rachel, either. I assume nothing good since you came right back here."

"Oh." He dropped back onto the couch, deflated. "Right."

Jesse took a seat beside him. He sighed, and it sounded like the kind only a performer would use in the most casual situation. Everything he did was sort of exaggerated and theatrical, like a camera crew was about to appear out of thin air.

Although, he had noticed that the act dropped every now and then when he wasn't paying much attention. Like, sometimes he'd start talking before he had finished eating, or when he passed him on the upstairs landing on the way to the bathroom in the middle of the night and he was half-asleep, his hair a mess and wearing just a T-shirt and bottoms, or when he'd get really invested in a reality show. It was weird. He had never really seen him so... human.

"Is this about your injury?"

Finn had forgotten how direct he could be, despite living with him for two weeks. He just gaped back at him while trying to ignore how aware he suddenly was of the slight twinge in his leg. It didn't hurt so much anymore, but it still flared up every so often.

"No," he said, his brow furrowing. "Well, it's not... it's not just that."

He glanced at Jesse, expecting him to already have lost interest. Instead, he raised his eyebrows the tiniest bit, silently prompting him to go on. He was watching him so intently, so expectantly, that Finn flushed hot with embarassment and had to look away.

"It's all of it," he finally said defeatedly. "Rachel. The injury. I was discharged from the army before I even did anything - aside from shoot myself in the leg, that is. I was supposed to go there and - and do something, make a difference, for my dad. Instead, I just... made a fool of myself."

He stared into the bowl of cereal in his lap, but he wasn't hungry anymore. Actually, he felt sick.

"So, you think that hiding away is the solution?"

"I'm not hiding," Finn said defensively, "I'm just..."

Not ready. The words lodged in his throat, and he swallowed.

Jesse sighed, and finally, he got up, presumably bored of the pointless conversation. To Finn's surprise, he turned to him and motioned him to his feet.

When he didn't move, Jesse said, "Come on. Prove it. If you're not hiding away out of some stupid shame, then you're going to leave this apartment. I need to do some last-minute shopping and there's a market a few blocks away. You're coming with me."

"I don't..." he started to protest, but Jesse's face made it clear that if he finished, he might as well be admitting defeat. As much as that thought appealed to him because at least it meant he didn't have to go anywhere, he couldn't do it. It wasn't true. He didn't want it to be true.

Sighing, he asked, "Can I at least get dressed and finish my breakfast first?"

Jesse's mouth quirked into what Finn used to think was an obnoxious smirk but he now realized was more of a smile.

"Don't be long," he told him, pointing at him sternly. "I have a very strict schedule for today."

"I thought we were just going shopping?"

"Oh, no," Jesse said, his features crinkling in amusement. "Shopping is just one stop on what is going to be an eye-opening adventure for you, courtesy of me. Think of it as my gift to you. Although, if you stay here any longer, I'm going to be obligated to get you an actual gift."

He slinked away and over to the piano, declaring that the only way to get him truly inspired was, of course, a song. Finn found that he was smiling for the first time in a month as Jesse started playing the opening to a song he hadn't heard before; it was almost comical how alike he and Rachel were at times. Something in Finn’s chest ached a bit, and he wasn't sure why. It was better than the ache in his leg, though, so he didn't mind too much.

[doyelikehaggis]

7 Days of Scarepairs: Yennskier | Jaskier x Yennefer (The Witcher) + “Candy”

Requested by Anonymous

A hazlenut fell into Yennefer's lap. Her brow scrunched and she looked up at Jaskier inquisitively as he planted himself beside her at the table. He took a bite out of an apple and flicked another hazlenut into her lap.

Shaking her head at him, she picked one up but didn't eat it, simply rolling it between her fingers as she said, 'You do know these are for the rituals?'

She eyed him.

'As is that.'

He swallowed and shrugged. 'They are hardly going to miss a few, are they? Besides, do not tell me you actually believe in all that witchy-'

His gaze snapped to her amused expression. He gave a short, nervous laugh and nodded, as if agreeing with himself that he should stop talking lest he risk being on the end of a nasty Samhain curse.

Yennefer looked back out at the shadows casted all around them by the fire blazing away, embers carried away on a night breeze, masquerading themselves as stars in the sky. It's almost hypnotising.

'Oh, my - is that a smile I see?' Jaskier teased, leaning forward to better inspect her face in mock awe. 'No, it cannot possibly be!'

'Are you really incapable of being quiet for five minutes?' she retorted with a roll of her eyes. 'Even shovelling food down your throat isn't a sufficient distraction.'

'Well, that's just rude.' He slumped back against the table and took another chunk out of the apple. A moment of chewing later, he added: 'I could always sing instead.'

'Please, no.'

'Alright, fine, then.' He sat forward again, with a new determination as he planted a hand on his knee and gestured his apple around. 'But why exactly are you here if you're not going to have anything resembling fun?'

'Ciri wanted to come.' She turned to him, defensive. 'And how do you know I'm not having fun?'

He gave a dramatic groan only a perfomer could emit and rolled his eyes just as hard. 'Well, are you?'

She didn't answer that.

'Right. Come on.'

He stood up, and she frowned, but he simply held out a hand to her as if that explained everything. She didn't move.

'Do you have so little trust in me?' he asked, exasperated.

Her eyes flicked from his hand to his eyes, and she softened. She slipped her hand into his, already faintly thinking of ways to scare the shit out of him for whatever he was about to do.

'We,' he said, taking a step back, 'are going to dance.'

[doyelikehaggis]

25 Days of Sleighpairs: McReyesinski | Scott McCall x Stiles Stilinski x Erica Reyes (Teen Wolf) + “Snowball”

"Don't even think about it," Erica said.

They were all frozen to the spot - and in Stiles' case, actually frozen because of course he had only grabbed a hoodie before stepping outside. The three of them looked at each other, waiting to see who would make the first move.

"Screw this."

Stiles lobbed the snowball in his hand blindly as he immediately ducked to avoid the two that came flying at him a second later. One pelted him, while Scott groaned, having been caught by Stiles' snowball.

War had begun. Snow went flying everywhere, including right in Scott's eyes. Erica shrieked as Stiles caught her right on the back of her head. The snow clung to her hair and went down the back of her coat. Her shrieking turned to laughter, and her promise of revenge was short-lived as Scott wrapped his arms around her, stopping her from grabbing another handful of snow.

In the midst of the chaos, Stiles slipped on a sneaky patch of ice hiding under the blanket of snow. He fell right into them, and the three of them went toppling to the ground. The snow cushioned the fall, but still, there were groans.

"You suck," Erica said, then started laughing again. It was a ripple effect; the sound of her joy jump-started a chain-reaction in Scott, then Stiles.

"That was my bad," Stiles finally managed to get out.

"Obviously," Scott said as Erica scoffed and said, "You think?"

He lifted his head to look at them and raised his eyebrows. "Last one back to the apartment has to make hot chocolate?"

"What? Wait, that's not fair," Scott protested. Then he shot up and took off toward the building, with Erica and Stiles scrambling to chase after him, shouting loud enough that they were probably going to get a noise complaint from their neighbours as they raced back up the stairwell to the apartment.

[doyelikehaggis]

25 Days of Sleighpairs: Quinntana | Quinn Fabray x Santana Lopez (Glee) + “Shopping”

It wasn’t meant to escalate quite so far. Really, Santana had never expected that one drunken fumble in a hotel would be enough to turn Quinn's head. She thought they'd forget all about it and go back to "hating" each other like normal.

Instead, they'd kept in contact. Like, a lot. More than they ever did in high school, which was really weird, but it was also kind of nice. Santana had visited Quinn's dorm a few times, too. That was something a little more than just nice. She had no idea what was going on, but she figured it would end the second that Quinn found herself a new man to latch onto. They didn't talk about what they were doing or "what they were" and that was absolutely fine.

Until Quinn said, "I was doing some shopping, and I figured you were going to be busy Christmas day, so, I wanted to give you your present early."

"You got me something?" Santana said, stunned as she pushed herself up onto her elbow. Her heart was also racing in panic because she had talked herself out of getting Quinn a gift, thinking it was inappropriate in the little grey area they had found themselves in.

"It's not much," Quinn said with a shake of her head, highlighting her new haircut; she cut it short again, falling just below her chin. It looked really good. She eyed Santana's expression and grinned, her eyebrows furrowing. "Relax, it's not a ring. I told you, I'm not the U Haul type."

"Alright, first of all, that's incredibly offensive. And let's not pretend you weren't considering marrying Sam while we were still in high school. Yeah, he told me about that."

"Completely different," she argued.

Santana rolled her eyes but didn't press her on the how and why it was different. She wasn't sure she actually wanted to know; she didn't mind whatever it was they were doing and the fact that it would definitely end with less than a moment's notice, she also didn't want to psychoanalyze something she was actually enjoying. Feelings ruined things. She knew that all too well.

She waved a hand to say, come on, then, and Quinn retrieved a small white bag from under the bed. Santana immediately grabbed it and peered inside before pulling out the sleek black box. Inside was a simple yet surprisingly beautiful heart-shaped necklace inset with shining stones.

"I don't..." she shook her head and clamped her mouth shut, trying to block out the words that flowed in. "I don't know what to say. It's beautiful. Thank you."

She didn't admit that she hadn't gotten her anything. Instead, she promised herself to go out as soon as she left and pick something up. She could always make the excuse that she wanted one last "visit" before she had to return home to Ohio to see her parents. Quinn was planning on staying at Yale for the holidays, seeing as how she hadn't properly spoken to her parents since leaving. From what Santana knew, the truth was that she had barely spoken to them at all since Beth was born.

Immediately, guilt flooded her. Should she invite her to spend Christmas with her and her family? It would be a little weird, but... it had to beat spending it alone, thinking about everything she didn't have around her.

Just as she opened her mouth to pop the question, Quinn spoke again.

"I have another present for you, actually." Her sheepish smile had transformed into something wicked. Santana could imagine it was a look that went down well with all the guys back in high school, and she certainly wasn't immune, either. "Sort of."

"You're spoiling me, Q. Careful, there's still time for me to get that U Haul."

Quinn laughed, and that definitely went down well. Her laugh had always entranced Santana, all the way back to when they had first met in elementary school and she had fallen just a little bit in love with her because she had heard that laugh.

"Trust me, you'll like it," she said, and reached down to pull out another bag.

Santana immediately recognized the pink and white stripes and the black writing. She raised an eyebrow, and Quinn's expression had lost all of the former cheerleader innocence now.

"I figured you might want to... unwrap it now."

"Oh, I definitely do."

"Then" - Quinn slipped off of the bed, taking the Victoria's Secret bag with her- "you stay here, and I'll be back in a minute."

Santana grinned back, her stomach fizzing with that familiar excitement. She watched Quinn disappear into the bathroom, her heart thumping in anticipation of her return. She shot her parents a text to let them know she'd back a day later than planned, then waited while she tried to think of what to buy for her.

It was going to have be something that didn't feel over the top, but she knew it had to be something good, too - especially when she laid eyes on the white slip of lace and not much else.

[doyelikehaggis]

25 Days of Sleighpairs: Haya | Hope Mikaelson x Maya Machado (Legacies) + “Gingerbread”

Hope startled then kept walking, her smile growing as she approached Maya. She was leaning against a tree, scrolling on her phone behind her scarf. Despite the winter chill, the sight of her warmed Hope. Purely because she looked so snug in her fluffy scarf and jacket, of course.

Taking a quick breath, she said, loud enough for her to hear, "Hey!"

Maya looked up. Her tinted lips quirked up into a smile and she pushed away from the tree. There was somthing so effortless about everything she did.

"Hey," she greeted, tucking her phone away.

"I thought we were meeting in town?" Hope said, her eyebrows dipping slightly. "You didn't have to come all this way."

Maya shrugged. Again, effortless and smooth.

"I wanted the walk." Her gaze dropped down, then flicked back up as she tilted her head. "I like your makeup."

Hope opened her mouth but all that emerged was a fluttery, nervous laugh. She quickly swallowed it down, saying, "Thanks. I had a really good teacher."

Maya's smile grew as gave a humble little shrug. "So, where do you want to go today? I would suggest somewhere warm, with internet."

"The Grill? I have it on good authority that their gingerbread lattes are really good."

"Then what are waiting for?"

They set off in the direction of town, talking and laughing the whole way. Hope's heart was fluttering the entire time, just like it did every time they would hang out - which had been a lot the last few weeks. With school closed for the holidays, Maya had a lot of free time, and apparently she would rather spend it hanging out with Hope in town than sitting at home.

Hope didn't mind, either. It got her out of the school, which was abuzz with festive cheer but also on the emptier side what with a lot of people going home to their families. And she liked Maya - she liked spending time with her. It was nice, for just a few hours, to be able to forget about the other world she would eventually be dragged back to. Right now, she was just another teenage girl giggling with her friend too loudly in public as they clung to each other to stop the other from slipping on the icy streets.

She slipped on the curb, but Maya, still holding her hand, pulled her to safety - nearly sending them both tumbling in the process. Fortunately, they steadied themselves together. Hope's face was burning hot, closer to Maya than she had been since their first meeting in the girls' bathrooms at Mystic Falls High.

Maya grinned. "Hi," she softly said.

"Hi." Hope could barely breathe until she forced herself a step backwards and raised her eyebrows. "The Grill?"

Maya didn't say anything, just smiling as they headed inside.