#sapphic christmas

[wttnblog]

10 Exciting October 2024 Book Releases

We’re deep into fall now, and that means we’re starting to see Christmas books hit the shelves. I love the warmth of the holiday season, and so this list includes quite a few romances on it. Since I know a lot of you are cynics at heart, I’ve also mixed in some nonfiction and thrillers, so there’s something for everyone. Happy Autumn! Make the Season Bright Author: Ashley Herring…

[aubreyplazawife]

she’s so hot in this movie

[tangerineginie]

Christmas follow up to my human, vampire, werewolf girlfriends post from a while ago, kindly commissioned by @indeedjaffa!

[vxsellie]

⋆⁺₊❅.┆WARMTH - E.W

summary. you'd have to be a fool not to notice the cloud of stress that embodies your girlfriend whenever she returns from patrol. in an attempt to salvage the singular ounce of patience she's been desperately hanging onto for the past few weeks, you've yet to address it. but when she's assigned to go on patrol on christmas eve — which she'd been looking forward to spending in your company in hopes of being able to decorate your shared home prior to christmas — that seems to snap the thread. in her absence, you do all you can to alleviate a bit of the tension in her shoulder before her return. notes. the one, the only, jackson!ellie (cue everyone cheering bc ik i am). i've been dying to write something that aligns a bit more naturally with canon bc everything i have on his acc is an au. i love my stories, don't get me wrong, but i can't lie and day i'm happy with that fact. anyway! here she is!! merry chistmas to all who celebrate it, i love u guys <33333 wc. 1.6k

the moment the words left maria's mouth, ellie was already planning how to strangle the woman despite it not having been her fault. she's been on patrol day after day, making it nigh impossible for her to catch a fucking break.

it's her first christmas with you, the two of you having started dating in early march. she was so excited to spend the holiday with you, drinking cocoa by the fire and decorating the tree you'd picked out together. she had woke this morning with the widest smile in knowing it was christmas eve, waking you by peppering kisses across your face until you started giggling. the stark contrast between then and now is almost dizzying.

she'd been so happy in your company, nestled within the plaid covers on the bed. you skin radiated a gentle heat that she found herself clinging to. but then she was assigned this expedition and all the contentment instantly drained from her body as she dreaded sharing the news. but you weren't mad. you just gave a sad smile, an even sadder kiss, then told her to be safe. your lack of irritation almost made the entire thing more tragic.

it's been weeks since the two of you have been able to spend an entire day without interruption. something always arises — whether that be her abundance of patrols, your own mass of them, or one of you being called to speak with someone or work a shift at one of the shops. hence her excitement for christmas eve.

she's currently trudging through the snow with a deep scowl on her face. her boots crunch with each step, the sound only aggravating her. there's a low hum of civilization as she walks through the streets of jackson toward home. a few people attempt to speak with her, only to be dismissed rather harshly as she continues her march through the snow.

the weather is unbearable, a biting cold that makes her bones rattle. on top of that, the moon is high in the sky. meaning she was gone all day as she'd left at dawn.

she reaches your shared home, stomping up the steps of the porch before fumbling with the key. the metal feels like icy against her already frozen fingers as she struggles with it. she's about to give up and sleep on the porch when the door creaks open and your head pokes out. instantly, you beam at her. she gives a weak smile in return despite her personal distaste for the whole of today.

you reach for your coat, step into your slippers and join her on the porch. she's a bit confused by this, but says nothing. you're wearing a pair of festive pajama pants. they're adorable, though she knows they likely do nothing for the cold. you're shivering as you pull the jacket tight around your shoulders.

"what're you doing out here?" she asks, having to put an effort to keep her irritation out of her voice. after all, it's not you she's mad at. it's the situation. you're honestly the best thing that's happened to her today, providing her with warmth this morning as well as a kind smile right now in spite of her harsh tone.

"i have a surprise for you." you say through chattering teeth, which are upturned into a bright smile. "close your eyes before you go inside."

"babe, we agreed no presents until tomorrow." she huffs.

you shoot her a look and she instantly quiets, knowing what you're wordlessly conveying — a reminder to keep her attitude in check when you're done naught wrong. she obliges, offering an apologetic frown before placing her hands over her eyes. her frozen fingertips freeze the skin of her face and she shivers. but when she feels your hand wrap around her bicep and begin guiding her inside, warmth spreads across her at the feel of your comforting familiarity.

she steps inside and is assaulted by the scent of chocolate and pine. the scent of christmas. she's yearning to remove her hands, but withholds from doing so. for your sake. god, you're lucky she loves you so much or she'd not be doing this when her mood is so shitty.

she hears the door shut behind her, your footsteps moving about the living room as she continues to stand in place by the door. your now bare feet pad across the wooden flooring, her sense of smell and hearing heightened in the absence of her sight. the domesticity of your body moving around your shared home is almost overwhelmingly intimate. she knows the sound of your feet, hearing them all day every day. well, not so much recently. she hadn't noticed how much she missed such tiny details of you. like your footsteps — which are suddenly approaching her.

she expects your voice to come first, the order to remove her hands from her eyes. but instead, another sense is brought to her attention as she feels the gentle press of your lips against hers. it feels like the first time she'd ever kissed you. the way it shocks her, then comforts her, then an array of sparks and nerves trace through her body. she desperately wishes she could pull you closer, but her hands are currently unable to be used.

"okay." you breathe after pulling away, voice laced with childlike excitement. "you can open them."

she doesn't hesitate to do so, removing her hands from her eyes. the first thing she notices is you standing a mere two inches from her. everything else dulls in the wake of your brilliance. your festive pajama pants hanging from your hips, your coat still lazily draped over your shoulders, your hair clearly not having been brushed all day as it's frayed on the ends. she finds herself staring at you adoringly, her pupils blown in a sense of fondness.

you giggle, "stop looking at me, look at the house!" begrudgingly, she does. and, needless to say, she's not disappointed.

your guys' house is in the structure of a cabin, the walls and floors made of wood. it's small and open, allowing her to see the entire interior from where she stands. the christmas tree you two had chosen a few weeks ago is now adorned with yellow lights, casting a warm lighting across the space. a few presents sit beneath it, wrapped neatly with ellie's name scribbled onto the tags. the mantle above the fireplace is covered in cute decorations as well, snow globes and little glass deer sitting idly atop the wood. the kitchen is decorated as well, a ceramic santa sitting on the counter atop a plaid table runner. next to him sits two mugs, steam pooling over the edges of them — one red, one green. the perviously cold, empty house is now made into a cozy home.

you two haven't yet been dating for a year and you've already moved in together (lesbians smh), so the house has been rather empty. you've put in all the furniture with help from joel and jesse and tommy, but it's been missing something. the touch of love. the touch of you.

"do you like it?" you ask, nerves evident in your tone. she turns to notice you're wringing your hands, fiddling with your fingers in anticipation for her reply. you instantly rush out an explanation. "i know i probably should have waited for you because i know how excited you were to decorate, but i knew how stressed you've been and wanted to get something out of the way. so you wouldn't have to worry about it. i left a few things still empty, like your boxes are still in the bedroom and a few walls are blank because i don't know what you want hung there. also, i was struggling with the bathroom, so—"

she interrupted you by grabbing your face, cradling your warm cheeks in her frozen fingers. she smiles at you softly, "i love it."

a wide smile breaks across your face and you lean to kiss her. she kisses you back, now able to hold you as she wants. she pulls your body against hers, but you suddenly yank backward. she blinks a few times, worried she'd hurt you somehow.

"you're freezing." you state before raking your eyes up her body. "your jacket is still covered in snow and so are your shoes. els, go change before you get a cold."

she frowns but obliges. you're right, her jacket — which she'd, admittedly, stolen from joel a few weeks prior — is coated with snow and rain and whatever else she got into while killing infected all day. her converse are also wet, the snow having melted and seeped into her socks.

she goes into the bedroom, instantly smiling when she sees how you'd decorated it. the pillows are changed into red and green silk covers and there's a knitted rug on the floor. there's a candle on each nightstand, the scent of cinnamon and clove filling the air. through the window's newly installed crimson curtains, snow falls to the ground in gentle flurries. if you ask ellie, snow is much more enjoyable from afar.

she notices that your dresser is now full rather than having your entire wardrobe shoved into boxes. hers isn't though, as you hadn't known how she'd like her drawers organized. that's fine, though. she digs through the clothing for a comfy outfit and changes into it, now wearing a white linen shirt and a pair of dark grey shorts.

she exits the room to see you sitting at the counter with the red mug between your hands. you're blowing on the hot cocoa, your hair still messy. she joins you, sitting on the wooden stool to your left and grabbing the green one. you see her and smile, pressing a kiss to her cheek before you rest your head on her shoulder.

in this moment, under the warm glow of yellow christmas lights, amid the scent of your candles and chocolate and pine, and most of all being near you, she couldn't imagine ever being happier.

⊹ ࣪ ˖𐙚 perm. taglist @luvsturniolo @kasqnxx @xlovla @ilovewomenfr @zzombiegirl @shawangel @defnoteleonor @fatbootymuncher

⊹ ࣪ ˖𐙚 fic taglist @kirammanss @serraphinm @dyk3miffy @vahnilla @mikellie @natgf123 @olkrai @ellieslittleslutt @gingerrgen @millersfinest @aliceellieswife @tthoroughfare

[violetrashie]

Happy holidays from the girlsss 🎄✨

Prinst stickers and more here on my shop <3

[forsapphics]

all i did this year was become more gay

[pedriache]

Moments 𖦹 Alexia Putellas !

summary. on your second christmas together, alexia can’t help but feel an overwhelming amount of love for you.

word count. 510+

disclaimers. fluff , wlw !!

bea speaks. merry xmas to those who celebrate!! if not, well just happy day! it’s actually xmas eve for me rn but i needed to post..

The snow was light in Barcelona, which you were grateful that there was even any—but the air had a wintery bite. Inside the warmth of your shared home, christmas lights sparkled throughout the room, casting soft glows of many colors over your faces and the walls. You sat beside Alexia, wrapping a few extra presents in a sea of colorful papers and ribbons.

Alexia had been quiet the whole night, her usual playful quips absent. You’d figured she was just tired and it’s not like you didn’t enjoy being in the silence with her, until it reached thirty minuted before midnight, and you could see her eyebrows pulling together the more she thought.

Finally putting the scissors aside, you nudge her knee. “What’s going on in that beautiful head of yours?”

She glances up at you, her expression tender but distant. “I was just thinking about how lucky I am,” she answers softly.

Smiling at her, although her tone gave you slight pause, you tilt your head to the side questioningly. “Lucky how?”

“For you.” She murmured, her eyes flickering over your face.

“For this. For us.” She picked up a small ornament on the tub beside her, one that had your names written in sloppy glittered letters. It was pink, you’d picked it out last Christmas—a small memento to your first holiday spent together.

“I’d never thought i’d have peace like this in my life. I’d always been so focused on football—too focused. You know? Like I was afraid I’d get too in deep if I let someone in.”

Your breath hitched in your throat, but you nodded anyways. “And now?” You ask gently.

“Now I can’t imagine my life without you.” She admitted, her voice raw as she gave you a half-lipped smile. “I’m always afraid of losing this—you.”

Moving closer, your heart aching at her words, you take the ornament from her hands and set it aside. “Cariño, you’re not going to lose me,” You say as firmly as possible, cupping her face lightly. “I’m going to be around for every moment, every Christmas, and everything in between. I am not going anywhere.”

The blondes lips quirked into an actual smile then, her eyes glassy as she looked at you. “You have a way with words.”

“I do.” You grin, brushing a thumb over her cheek, “I’m here because I love you, every moment with you.. I cherish, even the quiet nights like tonight.”

Alexia leaned forward, resting her forehead against yours. “Seriously, how do you always know what to say?”

“Because I’m just as lucky as you are?” You quip, Pulling away to smirk at her.

With a small chuckle, Alexia wrapped her fingers around your wrists, tugging you closer to place her lips on yours.

The warmth of her lips spread across you, spreading through your chest like the lights from the tree. Pulling away ever so slightly, you whisper against her lips, “Merry Christmas.”

“Merry Christmas, mi amor.” She murmured right back, now only feeling warm and full of love for you.

likes, comments, and reblog’s are all appreciated. lmk if you’d like to be tagged in future alexia posts.

ᝰ.ᐟ tags @halfwayhearted @lechrts @joaoflms @sakashq @h4vertzz @spidybaby

[beautytyphoonleaheaa]

A little progress post… this is only after some light snacking. The weight is starting to go to my hips, my dresses are tighter and I often have to unbutton them after a meal… looks like it’s time for my feeder to stuff my belly moreeeeee🥵 😈

[tinkerbitch69]

The Doctor: that’s a terrible letter. Awful sentence structure. You’re better off without him.

60s woman: I wrote that letter!

The Doctor: great letter! You should send it to him.

60s woman: to her!

The Doctor: Great! Glad I could help! ^^

The Doctor, ruining lesbians love lives since 1963. This menace must be stopped >:(

[taurasiscntybun]

Home for the Holidays

- DT x younger femme

- 18+ minors dni

-Fluff and Smut

-Warnings: Age gap, Mommy kinky, public sex, oral sex, strap on, praise kink, risky sex, breeding kink

-5.9k words (giving yall a long one to make up for lack of posting don’t yell at me)

- inspired by a h*rny idea dm from @taurasicomplex

“You have to behave Dee, I’m serious.” You sigh and turn in your seat to look at her. She hums in response and drums her long fingers on the steering wheel.

“You like it when I’m naughty though baby.” She teases and steals a glance at you at the red light.

“That may be true but my parents are already in a tizzy over the age difference; I don’t want to give them any more reason to dislike you.” You say with a sigh. Diana was closer to your parents age than yours and it had been the topic of plenty of heated family discussions. Now you were bringing her home for the holidays; meeting everyone at once.

“I know baby, I’m not gonna do anything I think will piss off your parents. I even wore this stupid ass sweater for you to show I’ve got Christmas spirit. But if they already hate me, what can I do?” She accelerates the car and you stare out the window again, not sure of a good answer. The twinkling lights of your ridiculous matching Christmas sweaters seeming to mock your intense thought. Diana had refused to wear the sweater at first; a giant rudolph with Christmas lights strung through his antlers, the Christmas lights that actually turned on.

“Well the good thing is. my cousins will be there and they’re all very excited I'm dating a professional basketball player, I’m sure they’d rather I be dating someone with an NBA salary, but whatever.” You joke, and Diana snorts a laugh.

“It’s not like you’re in need.” She raises an eyebrow and looks pointedly at your designer dress as you swat her arm.

“You bought me this for my birthday, you old witch!” You protest, but the laugh is evident in your voice.

“And you look fucking sexy in it; I should have made rules about when you can wear it. Although the giant reindeer covering your gorgeous tits is a bit of a bummer.” Diana groans, and you bite your lip. It isn’t a revealing dress but it certainly flatters your figure and shows off your legs. You’d made it even more modest by adding your sweater on top. Obviously you had to walk in looking the best; you hadn’t seen most of these people in a year. You probably already won bragging rights by dating a multi gold medalist, but it didn’t hurt to look the best too. The road opens up and Diana places her right hand on your thigh, not scandalously but as a casually intimate gesture; wanting to touch you as much as possible.

“People like you Dee, I’m sure they’ll warm up fast.” You cover her hand with your smaller one and turn to look out the window again.

“Everyone keeps staring at me.” Diana says through gritted teeth as she walks with you to the kitchen, a large stack of dishes in her hand.

“Well you’re the first girlfriend I’ve brought home, you’re significantly older, and you’re a professional athlete… there’s plenty of reasons for them to stare.” You answer in a resigned tone as you sit your pile of dishes in the sink.

“They could at least try to be normal.” She grumbles and scrapes her food into the trash before joining you at the sink.

“Well subtlety isn’t a family trait obviously.” You grab the sponge from the counter and squeeze dish soap on it.

“Your parents don’t have a dishwasher?” Diana asks in astonishment. You laugh and shake your head.

“They do, but it’s a shitty one so everything needs a bit of pre-wash. Personally I think that defeats the purpose, but mom is happy. It just means big meals like this are a pain.” You swipe the sponge over the first dish.

“If you hand me them I’ll load the dishwasher.” Diana offers, having spotted the old appliance. You nod and hand her the dish. You two continue in silent domesticity.

“Alright the washers full babe, we’ll just have to do another load” Her arms wrap around your waist from behind, pulling you flush against her. You let out a quiet gasp and turn to look over your shoulder at her with a grin.

“Are you sure you know how to load a dishwasher? You’re a hazard in the kitchen usually.” You tease and spin around to face her. Diana’s hands quickly travel down to grope your ass through your dress.

“Not being able to help cook means I’ve cleaned up after plenty of meals, baby.” She leans forward slightly, forcing your back to arch against the sink.

“Well I’ll trust you then.” You concede, your tone breathier than you’d like. Diana squeezes your ass again and nuzzles her face in the crook of your neck.

“If you’d move in with me like I asked you’d know I can load a dishwasher.” She grumbles, her words muffled as she leaves open mouthed kisses up down the column of your neck.

“We…we’ll talk about that later, Dee, and this…” Your words trail off as Diana sucks lightly at your pulse point, her hands kneading your ass.

“Now we’ve gotten through dinner, are we allowed to leave? And we will talk about it later” Her words are gruff with impatience, the warmth of her breath ghosting across your neckline.

“N..not yet… we have the Christmas cake.” You stutter and grip the counter tighter, your breath growing shallow as her kisses move lower towards the collar of your sweater. Suddenly you hear voices approaching and you straighten up, Diana pulling away but keeping a hand on the small of your back.

“I think they’re gonna come looking for us, baby. Now tell me about this Christmas cake we have to be there for.” She gives your ass one last pat.

“Yeah I know, it’s a whole thing, basically there’s a coin somewhere in the cake and whoever gets that slice has luck for the year. So we all have to sit at the table and eat.” You explain and join the rest of your family in the dining room.

“That sounds fu-“ Diana is cut off by your mothers voice

“ ‘bout time you got back in here.” She calls, clearly a little annoyed at your delay.

“Sorry mom, but we loaded the dishwasher. And yes we cleaned them off first.” You placate and take your seat at the table, Diana next to you. She subtly scoots her chair a little closer to yours before sitting.

“Yes, well in your girlfriend's forty-two years you’d think she’d learn to load a dishwasher a little faster.” Your father mutters under his breath, clearly the most disapproving. You feel Diana’s hand on your thigh reassuringly. She’s told you the age comments don’t bother her much, but it bothered you. It didn’t matter how much older she was, you loved her and she cherished you like the most precious thing.

“I do keep telling you to get a new dishwasher.” You say out loud, calling him out for his comment.

“Oh well. It’s fine now, they’re here and we can cut the cake.” Your mother titters and brandishes a knife.

“Of course mom we’ll all be respectful at the table.” You shoot your father and other whispering family members looks. The cake had been your contribution to dinner, making sure the most fun aspect was vegan for Diana. The knife hovers over the cake as your mother glances at the table one more time before cutting; the spongy cake giving way immediately.

“The whole coin thing seems fun; what’s the success rate?” Diana teases and the table seems to take a breath of relief that she isn’t bothered by your fathers comments.

“Oh I don’t know, last year I got the coin, a couple weeks later I met you.” You answer before anyone else has a chance, turning to look at her.

“Your dad got it two years ago and had a promotion at work, so I’ll cross my fingers.” Your mom says and divvies out the small plates of cake to the table. Diana’s hand slips higher, her pinky teasing the hem of your dress.

“A good two years in a row? Maybe if I find it you’ll move in with me?” Diana asks, her voice barely audible as she leans over to whisper in your ear. You glance around the table at your odds.

“Fine.” You took yours and Diana’s plates from your mother, standing slightly to lean across the table. Diana uses the opportunity to slide her hand under your dress. The plates clatter down in front of you, rougher than you intended but the jolt of desire shooting through made your brain slow down.

“This is different from last year, did you use a new recipe, honey?” Your aunt calls from across the table, a fork full of cake paused at her mouth.

“Oh yeah, uh it’s a vegan cake so Dee can have some.” You state confidently and softly run your hand down her arm, the sleeves of the sweater pushed up to reveal her freckled skin. She squeezes your thigh in response, her pinky almost grazing the hem of your panties.

“Huh, I just think with family tradition..” your aunt starts but you cut her off.

“We’re still doing the whole tradition; I just made a cake that will include all of us.” You retort with an air of finality on the subject. Diana’s finger traces your panties as if rewarding you. She looks at you with warm eyes and gives you an appreciative smile.

“I’m glad to be included.” She says innocently her hand shifting so her ring finger circles your clit. You suck in a harsh breath and shoot her a glare. She ignores you; taking a bite of cake, her finger not stopping its maddening circle.

“D…Dee” you whisper and look up at her with wide eyes.

“Hmmm? Taste your cake baby, I wanna know if you got the coin.” She answers loudly, using her free hand to take another bite. You pick up your fork and take a moment to try and still your trembling hand. She smirks at you, middle finger moving to run up and down your clothed slit.

“Well I’m not the lucky one this year, and honey, the cake was great. I didn't even notice it being vegetarian or whatever.” Your dad proclaims and pushes his empty plate away.

“V..vegan” you correct and try to steady your breath. You know your skin must be flushing as your panties continue to dampen under her touch. Your dad makes a non-answer huffing noise and turns his attention to your uncle next to him. The rest of your family continues to talk, their voices and small laughs drowned out by the feeling of her nimble fingers against you, just a thin strip of fabric separating you.

“So what’s the plan for Christmas morning usually?” Diana asks and takes another bite of her cake. Her middle finger hooks in your underwear and she slowly pushes it to the side. You jump in your seat and paste on a smile as she finally touches your cunt.

“Honey, are you ok?” Your mother asks and looks at you concerned. You smile and quickly shovel more cake in your mouth.

“O..oh look I didn’t get the coin.” You say in a slightly high pitched tone. Diana teases your sensitive clit and you bite your lip.

“I got the coin!” Diana says happily and holds up the coin proudly, pulling her hand away from you like it was nothing. She subtly wipes her hand on her pants.

“Congratulations honey! I hope some of that luck rubs off.” Your mother looks from Diana to you and winks. Your brain stumbles to catch up as your pussy throbs for her touch.

“Oh my god! Yay Dee!” You compose yourself and lean over to hug her, deciding it was an appropriate amount of PDA. She grins happily and pats your arm around her lovingly.

The couch sinks under Diana’s weight and she immediately pulls you close to her. She takes a sip of her red wine before sitting it on the end table. After dinner everyone had either left for their hotel or had retired to the living room with a glass of wine. Since your parents were hosting, you and Diana would be staying in your childhood bedroom. Your family was nice enough to set her up a pallet of blankets on the floor to sleep on, of course in reality she would be squished in the full size bed with you.

“Yeah I’ve been to six Olympics.” Diana answers your cousin's question you didn’t hear, too focused on how your body feels on fire with need for her.

“That’s so cool, is it true there’s like anti-sex beds?” He leans forward in his chair, suddenly interested in your girlfriend.

“I googled you before you came, you’re pretty good at basketball.” Your dad tells her and reclines in his chair. Diana smiles politely at their words, used to this kind of questioning.

“Uh, yes they have cardboard beds, but I don’t know if the rumor is true they’re anti-sex beds, and thank you, I try.” Diana answers easily, her arm draped over your shoulder, fingers playing with the ends of your hair. You glance up at the clock on the wall hoping it was late enough that you could excuse yourself for bed. You needed a cold shower. As if reading your mind Diana drains the last of her wine and speaks.

“You know I’m pretty tired from the drive here, I hope you guys don’t mind if I head to bed early. Wanna be well rested for Christmas you know.” Diana says and stands from the couch. Obediently you stand up with her, your mother pauses her conversation and looks up at the clock.

“We’ll uh see you in the morning?” You smile and notice Diana already heading up the stairs, clearly not caring for approval.

“Oh…ok well, goodnight sweetie.” Your mom furrows her brows but no one else presses the subject as you follow Diana up the stairs. Out of sight Diana pushes you against the door to your room, her lips immediately finding yours in a frantic kiss.

“W..wait Diana we.. we can't, my whole family is down there.” You protest weakly and fumble behind you for the doorknob. Diana kisses up your neck, hand tangled in your hair.

“You’ll have to be quiet then baby, don’t want your mom to hear you call someone else mommy.” She whispers in your ear, her voice low and husky. Finally you find the knob and you stumble into your room. She quickly follows and closes the door behind her, twisting the lock. It doesn’t take much for you to give in; you wanted her, your body aching for her touch. She was right, you’d just have to be quiet. Diana walks you back against the bed.

“First, I’m taking off this fucking sweater.” She unceremoniously tugs the light up sweater over her head, balling it up and tossing it into her suitcase.

“Take your dress off baby.” She instructs, her tone hushed and starts to undo the buttons of her shirt. Quickly you rip off your sweater too and fumble behind you for the zipper of your dress. Your fingers trembled with excitement.

“Too slow” Diana softly chides and reaches behind you to drag the cool metal zipper down your skin. You tug the dress off as she sits her shirt to the side and unbuckles her dark jeans.

“I don’t know if you’re going to be mad or excited..” Diana speaks softly and bends over her suitcase, digging around a moment before pulling out a… familiar sight.

“You brought the fucking strap to my family Christmas?!” You whisper yell and she raises her hands placatingly, the object in question still in one of her hands.

“Baby, I think it’s gonna come in handy, don’t you?” She asks and starts to pull her jeans down. “Come in handy so you don’t have to cum from a handy.” She jokes, clearly proud of her wordplay and you snort a laugh.

“We can’t make noise Dee.” You warn softly, but don’t say no. Diana gives you a wild grin and steps out of her jeans and boxers, walking back to you on the bed in a few quick strides.

“Th..the headboard” You whisper worriedly and glance over at the wooden headboard.

“Don’t worry baby, I’m not gonna move an inch. I’m gonna lay on the bed, and you're gonna ride mommy’s cock.” She hooks the harness in place around her hips as she speaks softly. Diana pushes you back onto the bed, her taller frame covering yours as she trails kisses down your neck and collarbone.

“Take everything off.” She whispers in your ear, her voice laced with her own need. You nod quickly and unhook your bra, and Diana pulls it off you, same with your damp panties.

“Fuck baby, I’ve been thinking about this all day.” She groans and sucks one of your nipples into her mouth eliciting a moan from you. One hand braces herself on the bed and the other grips your inner thigh as she speaks. You arch your back, pressing your chest more into her.

“It was so sexy seeing you stand up for me, I think you deserve a reward.” She says against your skin, swapping to lavish your other nipple with attention. Her tongue circling the sensitive flesh before sucking it into her mouth.

“Diana… mommy please.” You moan and writhe under her.

“Shhh baby, you don’t want anyone to hear do you?” Her fingers run down your slit and she gently presses her middle finger into your wet pussy. You bite your lip, stifling a moan.

“Gotta test how wet you are for me.” Diana’s voice is soft as she thrusts her finger maddeningly slow.

“M..more please” You whisper and she chuckles, adding her index finger and scissoring them open.

“Fuck” You whimper quietly at the delicious stretch.

“You’re so tight baby, gotta get you ready.” She groans in response, flicking her tongue over your nipple. Diana moves her thumb to your clit, her fingers moving at an achingly slow speed.

“Please.” You beg softly and she grins against your breast. She speeds up her thrusts, curling her fingers inside to tease your most sensitive areas. Diana kisses and sucks from your breasts to your mouth, kissing you passionately, her breathing almost as ragged as yours.

“M..more, mommy” You whisper, your voice strained with whiny need as you break the kiss.

“You want my cock baby? Ask again properly.” Diana half growls, her voice a deep whisper as she pulls her fingers from your wet cunt. She sucks her fingers into her mouth, cleaning your arousal off them.

“Please mommy, I..I need your cock…please” you whine softly and she nods.

“Good girl” Diana rolls off you and pushes herself into the middle of the bed, her back against the headboard, thick dildo jutting up from her hips.

“Come let mommy fill you up baby.” She pulls you toward her and you obediently straddle her hips, her big hands holding your waist and stopping you from sitting.

“Remember you have to be quiet or mommy will have to stop.” She warns and slowly guides you down onto her cock. Diana watches in rapt attention as the dildo pushes into your wet heat. You bite your lip to stop from crying out as you fully seat yourself in her lap; your pussy stretched full.

“Shhhh just like that babygirl, such a good girl.” Diana whispers and reaches for the small remote she’d tossed on the bed. Clicking a button a small vibration starts against both of you. Diana stifles her own moan and starts to guide you up and down her cock.

“So fucking pretty.” She groans softly and pulls you towards her a bit. Diana brings her lips to yours hungrily, half to taste you and half to quiet both your noises. She uses your slightly shifted hips to her advantage and thrusts up into you slowly; meeting your downward movements with her own in a sensual rhythm. One of Diana’s hands wanders from your waist to your abdomen, and pulls you down so she’s fully seated inside you, and then pushes on your belly.

“You feel how good I fill you up baby? Your pussy is mine.” Diana whispers against your lips before thrusting her tongue back in your mouth. You let out a low whimper, your body tightening with your impending orgasm. The combination of the slow thrusts and vibrations making the pleasure build quickly.

”Cl..close” You whisper into her mouth, your body trembling. You feel her lips curl into a smile, her own breathing coming out in short pants.

“Good.. good, fuck, so good baby. I’m close too” She says in a breathy tone, her thrusts growing more erratic as she approaches her orgasm.

“Fuck, I’m gonna fill up this pretty pussy so full baby” She groans and you slide down her cock one last time; your pussy spasming around her as your orgasm slams through you. You open your mouth in a silent sob as she starts to move you up and down again, chasing her own high.

“I’m so close baby, fuck you’re such a good girl for me baby, I can’t wait until we finally get home after new years and I can fuck you into the mattress.” Diana speaks through gritted teeth, clearly trying to control her noise. You cover your mouth with one hand, not trusting yourself to keep silent, the only sound in the room is your shared pants, quiet moans and the subtle squeak of the bed.

“Fuck! So good for mommy; I’m gonna fill you up so good, fuck, so breedable for me, a perfect little cumslut. Fuck you’re so good, take me so good” Diana groans, her words hardly making sense as she babbles in pleasure, her body stiffening then shuddering under you as she climaxes. After a long while of breathing in unison, she helps you roll off her, your cum dripping out as you do. She pitches forward, collapsing on your chest then rolling over and pulling you into her arms; both of you slick with a light sheen of sweat. Diana smiles up at you, a genuine grin showing her dimple.

“I don’t think I want to be done with you yet baby, you’ve been so good and quiet for me, can you go a little longer?” She mumbles, and buries her head in the valley between your breasts.

“C..clean up?” You whisper back and pull her head away to look at her in question.

“I’m going lay back, and you’re going on all fours, I’m going to eat your sweet cunt while you clean me up too.” Your eyes flutter shut as you picture it.

“Oh fuck, Diana.” You whimper softly, and she lays on her back, lifting her head to grin at you.

“Come here.” Diana says in a soft but demanding tone. You obey immediately, turning and climbing over her, backing until your hips hover over her eager face, your own above her cunt.

“You have the prettiest pussy” She groans quietly and blows a breath on your sensitive folds. Your legs wobble and you sink your head between her open thighs to stabilize yourself. Diana follows your actions, burying her face in your cunt, sucking hungrily at your dripping entrance. Her strong hands hold you open as she devours you. Wanting to match her hunger you thrust your tongue in her core, twisting and curling to tease her inner walls. Her hips buck to meet your face and she moans against your cunt. Both of you were already sensitive from your orgasms, and it wouldn’t take much to send either of you over the edge. You brace your hands on her strong thighs, keeping her legs pushed open. Changing to sucking you move up her folds to her clit, sucking the sensitive bundle of nerves into your mouth and flicking your tongue.

“I’m not gonna last much longer baby.” She rasps, lapping at your core, her hips grind against your face as her orgasm approaches. You continue your gentle sucking and lapping at her, wanting to send her over the edge but not make her over sensitive. Diana seems to have no issue with making you cum to the point of pain, her mouth and tongue moving furiously, all the way from your clit to your sensitive asshole.

“Oh my fucking god, oh fuck mommy I’m cumming. I’m cumming.” You start to cry out but stifle your moans in her pussy, suckling at her core as she arches off the bed under you, her pussy spasming around your tongue as you continue to lap at her, cleaning her up once more. Your own core throbbing as you cum, your body trembling above. Diana mirrors your actions, licking your cunt clean once more before pulling away.

“E..enough baby, come here.” She says, her voice gruff from her release. You swing your leg over her and turn around, the whole process slightly awkward as your body recovers from your back to back orgasms. As soon as you’re close enough, Diana gathers you in her arms; pressing a kiss in your hair as she holds you against her chest.

“You’re so fucking amazing baby” She says in a sleepy tone, and you wiggle to pull the covers over both of you.

“You’re so fucking amazing too” You reply in an equally sleepy tone. Diana pulls away and tugs her sports bra over her head, finally completely naked. Immediately you shove your head between her tits, kissing roughly at the slightly sweaty skin. She inhales sharply as you do.

“Such a greedy little thing, now go to bed baby; don’t wanna end up on the naughty list on Christmas Eve.” Diana teases and nuzzles her face in your hair. You fall asleep like that, listening to the steady beat of her heart, her breath ghosting across your skin.

“I don’t understand why we had to stay with your family until New Years” Diana mutters turning to look down at you as she snacked on yet another plain cracker. Your family had tried to include her, deciding after a while that they did like her despite the age gap. Unfortunately, they didn't seem to know the difference between vegan and vegetarian; proudly showing the meatless charcuterie board before the party, of course it was still covered in cheese and honey. You started to explain, but Diana had stopped you, thanking your father for being so thoughtful. It filled you with joy to see Diana put in so much effort for your family; you were used to her not giving a fuck what people thought so it was both endearing and a bit jarring to see her try so hard.

“Well mom misses me, I’m her baby girl and dad loves having the family all under one roof even if he doesn’t show it.” You say and heap cheese onto your own hors d’oeuvres plate. She was right, it had been a long week, while you loved your family it was a difficult dynamic. They treated you like the kid coming home for the holidays, meanwhile they treated Diana as a peer. It shouldn’t bother you, you were their kid, of course they were still going to treat you like a child. Still you couldn’t wait until New Year’s Day when you and Diana could finally leave and start the drive back to Phoenix.

“If your cousin starts listing NBA players and asking if I could beat them again I think I’m going to cuss someone out.” She complains and takes a long sip of her Cabernet.

“He, uh, means well? I think he just doesn’t know anything about women’s basketball and is trying to talk to you.” You pick up a cracker, stacking a slice of cheese on top then dipping it into the honey.

“The charcuterie board was a nice gesture, I’ll, uh, explain later the difference between vegetarian and vegan later.”

“I mean, the thought would count a lot more if there were more things for me to actually eat.” Diana bends down to whisper in your ear, her tone a half teasing grumble.

“I swear to god, your mother even put butter on the fucking vegetables.”

“Duh, how else would you make them good? I know you’re limited, but I made the candied yams, mashed potatoes and sugar cookies for you; but I uh, didn’t tell anyone I changed the recipes to be vegan.” You pop the cheese covered cracker into your mouth and she raises her eyebrows.

“When did you do that?” Diana asks, sipping her wine.

“While you were being forced to play basketball with all the men today.” You say, rolling your eyes; of course your family members had gone home and googled Diana, returning for new years celebration with a host of new questions and of course bringing basketballs. She’d spent the better part of today trying to fix your little cousin's jump shot.

“God that was exhausting, I’d rather run laps” She mutters and finishes her wine, sitting it the empty glass back on the kitchen counter.

“So now we’ve done the polite snacking with your close family; we have to have an actual New Year’s party with who?”

“Well uh with everyone else so all the relatives and friends; that’s when we’ll have the real food.” You glance up at the clock.“About an hour before everyone arrives, I should go get ready.” You motion down to your casual jeans and flannel. Then to her sweatpants and tee shirt.

“I guess you want me to change too?” Diana groans and straightens from her lean against the counter.

“If you could wear a nice button down and trousers maybe? I’m going to wear the black sweater dress I got the other day.” You say before shoving the last of your cheese cracker in your mouth. Diana grabs your empty plate and her wine glass and places them in the sink.

“Fine, fine. I think I have a white shirt I can wear.” She complains, and follows you up the stairs to your room.

“Quit acting like no ones ever done your makeup before.” You scold and grip Diana’s head in one of your hands, turning her back to face you.

“Yes I have, I’ve been having my makeup done since before you were even born babygirl, but no one was this fucking rough!” She complains and you roll your eyes, shifting in her lap a little, her hands come up to rest on your waist, stroking absent circles with her thumbs.

“I could have done my own makeup you know, I am capable of concealer and mascara.” She teases and you huff.

“I wanted to try winged eyeliner on you but every time I get the pen even near your eye you flinch like I’m holding a knife!” You grip the top of her head and use your finger to pull her eyebrow up.

“Yeah all the pros do it just like this.” Diana snorts and you smack the top of her head gently.

“Be still, I'm concentrating; and stop. talking.” You chide and start to draw a small wing with your eyeliner. She sighs but doesn’t move. Satisfied with the first eye you sit back and look at her.

“Fuck Dee, you look incredible.” You say reverently, and she grins, batting her lashes at her teasingly.

“I feel like the eyeliner is probably getting lost in my crows feet” She tries to turn and look in the desk mirror but you stop her.

“Oh hush, and close your eyes, I need to do the other one.” You repeat your actions, giving her nearly perfect small wings and tight lining her eyes, making their caramel hue pop. You kiss her nose, leaning forward and she wrinkles it.

“You look beautiful.” You whisper in her ear and kiss right below her ear. Diana shivers and squeezes your waist.

“Stop teasing baby, you know I don’t have enough time to fuck you before the party… and.. thank you.” She responds and shifts in her seat to get up, helping you crawl off her. Diana takes mascara out of a tiny makeup bag and crouches to look in the small desk mirror, pausing a moment when she sees her eyes.

“The eyeliner is nice, baby” She somewhat roughly drags the mascara wand through her lashes, miraculously getting none on her skin. You squish in next to her to apply your lipstick, a red lip stain that was supposedly everything proof. Diana pulls away and looks you up and down, red heels and a black sparkly dress, the picture of New Year’s Eve. She matched you in a black button down and black slacks, paired with some ‘classy’ Nikes. You blushed under her rapt gaze and she smiled before holding a hand out to you. Taking it, the two of you walk down the stairs to meet with the rest of your family for a late dinner.

You rested your head on Diana’s shoulder, the champagne causing a fuzzy feeling in your brain as you watched the countdown on the TV. Two minutes until midnight. You pick your head up and look at her.

“Come on the deck with me real quick, I want to talk to you about something.” You say in a hushed tone; Diana knits her eyebrows in puzzlement but stands up after you. She slides the deck door closed before speaking.

“What’s up? What’s wrong?” She asks and takes a step closer to you, her hands resting on your forearms as she looks down at you.

“Nothings wrong Dee, if.. if you remember a few days ago you said if you found the coin in your cake I had to move in with you?” You say and look up at her; her brown eyes search yours before speaking.

“I wasn’t really going to make you if you’re so against it.” Her words are soft, her vulnerability peaking through.

“No, no.”

“Damn you could be nicer about it.”

“No, I mean yes.”

“Are you moving in with me or not?” Diana finally clarifies.

“That’s what I’m trying to say; yes, I want to move in with you. I can figure out breaking my lease when we get back” Diana pulls you into her arms happily, peppering your hair and face in kisses. She opens to speak. but gets cut off by the loud cheering inside the house and the sound of distant fireworks.

“Happy new years, baby, I love you.” Diana says in a soft tone, bringing her lips to yours in a gentle kiss full of feeling. You pull her down closer, deepening the kiss to pour your passion into it. Finally you pull away breathlessly.

“I love you too.” You respond and rest your forehead against hers.

“Honey champagne!” Calls your mother from the doorway and you both turn to look at her.

“Oh” she says and you turn to look at Diana; smeared across her face is your ‘smudge proof’ lipstick and you’re sure you look worse.

“Thanks we will take some champagne.” Diana plucks the two glasses from her hands and passes one to you. She clinks her glass against yours, deciding to ignore your scandalized mother.

“To new beginnings in a new year baby”

[blue-willow-tree]

I want a pretty switch wrapped in a pretty bow for Christmas

[watchinghallmark]

[vxsellie]

LMK IF U WANT A TAG!!

she’s short n sweet but i love her

this will be posted on dec. 24 ⭐️!

[padchai]

chapter 2 of my lennabel/whiteraven fic is out!! If you love toxic lesbians, phantom of the opera, or both, you should give it a try!

(I’ll make more text posts eventually but here’s a little early Christmas gift)

[forsapphics]

THE CHRISTMAS LOTTERY (2020)

directed by Tamika Miller

[corralinesage]

Learning you by heart (1/?)

Natasha Romanoff/ Reader Christmas romance <33

Summary: You lock eyes with a stranger in the audience of an opera, her troubled appearance piquing your interests immediately, the thought of her sticking around to haunt your mind that demands answers for her predicament. Turns out that there might be more to her than you could have ever imagined.

Rating: General audiences

A/N: Let me know what you think!

Chapter 1: Columbus Avenue

Your body was cold, your armpits clearly sticky with sweat. You felt like you couldn’t quite breathe deeply enough despite the amount of breathing exercises and vocal warm ups you had already done. You fiddled with the fabric of your costume, playing with the pearls embedded into the corset of your gown. You had already gone through it many times that week, hell, you had already been on stage that day, yet it somehow didn’t stop being as nerve racking as it had been the first time. You stood behind the curtains, eyeing the brightly lit stage apprehensively, going over lyrics in your head almost obsessively, slowly starting to whisper them to yourself to make sure your mouth was capable of moving how you wished it to. The low tenor of your coworker’s voice bellowed across the stage as he held the final note ceremoniously until his lungs would no longer allow him to continue. You took one final inhale before taking steady steps onto the stage, the strobe lights nearly enough to blind you despite how used to it you were by then. You got into character, taking one more deep breath before beginning to sing.

You knew the piece by heart, it flowed out of you on its own, requiring little to no conscious effort from you, just like it had during rehearsals and the opening night. Your body moved with the music as you acted out the lyrics you were singing, the gorgeous red gown you were wearing dragging slightly behind you. The song was a dramatic monologue. You sang to the audience, telling them your version of the events that had taken place just a few minutes prior. You could tell from your tone that you were nervous. You could tell it from the way your voice threatened to slip into vibrato when it wasn’t needed. You struggled to get a proper grip on controlling your voice. You didn’t quite know why, but you felt on edge, worn out, and unsteady. You couldn’t see the audience, their ominous dark figures seeming undeniably unresponsive to your display of emotion. You looked at them with your wide eyes, the higher notes demanding a kind of concentration that wouldn’t allow you to think about anything else. You scanned the audience, deciding to make the mass of people less intimidating by choosing an individual to focus on. You had found it to be helpful when stage fright caught you by surprise, your gaze moving down from the higher levels of the theater to the front.

There was a woman there, a woman roughly your age, her grim exterior forcing your attention on her. She looked pained, the gaze of her light eyes weighed down by something that you couldn’t decipher. Your heart suddenly beat a little louder in your chest, from the strain of the high notes or the demeanor of that woman, you couldn’t tell. Whatever it was, you couldn’t stop it, nor could you tear your eyes off her. She had red hair, messy and unkempt, which stood out to you in the mass of nobility who usually dominated the crowds. She looked like she had dirt on her face, maybe even blood, but you weren’t sure if it was simply her hair curling against her cheek. She wore black clothes, almost like a uniform. She could have passed as a security guard, almost, had her uniform not resembled one of a dystopian warrior. You briefly noted the elderly couple beside her dressed in a dress and a sharp suit, their demeanors exuding high status. She didn’t fit in.

Suddenly her eyes met yours, the intensity of her gaze nearly making you choke on your own breath. She looked unwell, tears pooling in her eyes, eyelids red rimmed and raw. Her lips were pink and swollen. She was in distress and very obviously so. You felt the sudden need to help her somehow, yet all you could do was keep singing. You held her gaze, all your energy going on keeping your voice steady. You felt the way your eyes suddenly filled with tears. It happened sometimes when you were truly in character and able to channel the pain that you were communicating to the viewers, but this wasn’t that. You felt helpless, completely captivated by her grim gaze, your powerful voice and the orchestra filling the otherwise silent theater. She wasn’t okay. She was hurt, the look in her eyes longing, pained, troubled. You couldn’t explain it. You didn’t understand.

Your tears spilled over, the final long notes demanding every ounce of focus from you, yet you couldn’t tear your eyes off the red-headed woman. Your body ached, your heart throbbing ruthlessly. She kept looking at you, eyes staring at the other without a single interruption. You allowed your arm to rise up slightly as if to give your lungs more room to produce the desired notes, your other hand finding your stomach to remind yourself to keep your core tight to avoid slipping into your head voice. The final note resonated everywhere around you, on the stage, in the audience, in your head, rising into a crescendo before reaching its end. There was a brief silence, the lights turning off and breaking your eye-contact with the mysterious woman, before booming applause erupted in the audience, filling in the silence to the fullest extent. The lights came back on, the people in the front rows standing up to show their appreciation for you and the rest of the cast that walked onto the stage to receive their praise. You looked frantically around for the red-headed woman, your eyes blurry from tears, head fuzzy from whatever you had just experienced. You couldn’t see her.

“Holy shit, Y/N”, Beatrice whispered discreetly as she came to stand beside you, gently turning you to fully face the audience as you clasped hands. You looked at your cast member, unable to really say a word. “Way to end the show.” Her tone was filled with positive astonishment, so you decided to take her statement as a compliment, hoping that your performance had been up to standard because in all honesty, the only thing you remembered from it was those pained eyes that you had now lost into the crowd. You forced a smile on your face, focusing back on the applauding audience to bow for them.

“Girl, are you okay?” Beatrice asked you once you had managed to get backstage and escape the eyes of the audience. The show was finally over.

“Yeah, why are you asking?” Your hands came to your ear to remove your earrings as you both finally reached the dressing rooms, followed by a few more cast members. You looked at the Christmas decorations that were littered in the already chaotic room filled with makeup and clothing, walking to your designated vanity.

“I don’t know. You seem off.” She let out a slight chuckle. “You really sold me with that final scene.” You gave her an amused smile.

“I’m fine. Just got a little carried away maybe.”

“It was phenomenal”, she sighed, almost as if enamored by you and your talent. She was a few years younger than you and played a much smaller part in the opera, but she was nonetheless your favorite person in the cast. She knew when and how to be quiet. She knew how to give you your space, which you appreciated greatly.

“Thank you. I guess I was feeling it a little more today”, you chuckled. “You did really well yourself.” Beatrice was practically glowing.

“Thank you.” She had a childish glint in her eyes and an intense blush on her face. You knew she admired you greatly. “Care for a cupcake?” She approached your chair with a plastic container of peppermint cupcakes in her arms, offering you the selection.

“Who are these from?” You looked at the packaging for a card of some sorts, the room slowly filling with the rest of your cast members, some chattering enthusiastically, others clearly looking forward to withdrawing socially.

“On the house. It’s a little holiday treat. They brought it over right before the show.”

“Don’t mind if I do”, you hummed, picking one out of the box for yourself. You were starving. Beatrice grabbed one for herself, sitting down beside you as you began to debrief the success of the night. You tried your best to remain present for her as you ate the cupcakes, removing your false eyelashes, jewelry, and hairpins as you talked, but you could barely keep your thoughts in check. The image of that woman returning to the forefront of your mind time and time again. Was she okay? What had happened to her? You stayed in the dressing room for hours, the rest of the people filing out to go recharge themselves for the shows of the following day, but you and Beatrice were in no rush. The lights got turned off aside from the ones on your vanity, gentle Christmas music sounding from the radio that somebody had left on by accident. It sat on a table across the room beside a box of leftover Christmas ornaments. The atmosphere was comforting, so much so that you didn’t even notice the time pass as you munched on the cupcakes that you and Beatrice might have hogged for yourselves.

Even hours later, when you had gone to a very late dinner with Beatrice, you found your mind plagued by the woman’s grim eyes and distraught face. You parted ways with Beatrice around midnight, which made your predicament even worse because she was no longer there to distract you and your compulsive mind. Who was the woman and why had she made such an impact on you? You tossed and turned in bed, unable to wipe the woman’s face from your mind, unable to shake the creeping sense of… something. You couldn’t tell what it was, but it didn’t even matter because regardless of what it had been it was clearly there to stay. You slept poorly, your dreams an odd jumble of stress from the shows you had coming your way paired with the woman and her mysterious presence.

All in all, you were able to recognize how ridiculous of you it was to fixate on such an insignificant detail in the crowd, especially a few shows later when you had caught yourself scanning the audience as if she would have attended the show twice in the span of a few weeks, let alone even the same year. It was more than likely that she would never come see that same performance again. You caught yourself staring intently into the dark crowd time and time again with the woman on the very forefront of your mind. Every time you opened your mouth and began to sing on the stage during the weeks leading up to December, a ghost of that feeling of the opening week would linger in your body. You had never been so captivated by a gaze. You had never witnessed such intensity in anyone’s eyes. You tried to look back on the most meaningful people in your life, your mother, your siblings, your best friend and roommate, your ex who you had thought to be the love of your life yet came up short. You even considered the people who had looked at you with hatred in their eyes, but it couldn’t compare to the red-headed woman.

You quickly became frustrated with the idea of her. What right did she have to look at you with such intensity, with such reverence, with such agony? Who was she to plague your mind so ruthlessly and consistently? You stared daggers ahead of you as you once again waited for your turn behind the curtains to bring the show to its finish. You fiddled with your gown until you realized you were about to rip off the pearls from anger, so you left them alone, focusing your frustration on your cuticles and bottom lip instead. You watched your coworker, Daniel, belt out his last note which functioned as a cue for you to get into character. You took a deep breath, counted to five in your head, like you often did, and headed onto the stage.

You slipped into character with familiar ease, waltzing across the stage in an emotion filled frenzy as your lips formed each of the rapidly sung words, allowing yourself to get fully immersed into your role to escape the thoughts that dominated your mind, thoughts that had been dominating your mind for most of November. You directed your rage at the audience, communicating your character’s frustration through not only the tone of your voice but your expressions and gestures. And then you nearly slipped right out of your character when your eyes found an unexpected figure a few rows off from her designated seat in the audience. You had sworn to yourself that you would stop obsessively checking the seat she had once occupied, yet the habit proved to be harder to shake than you had expected to. However, all of a sudden none of that mattered.

She was there. It had to be her. Either that or you were seeing hallucinations. Had you not been met with such an intense wave of dejavú that her gaze inflicted upon you, you could have disregarded her as someone who merely shared a resemblance with the red-headed woman, but you knew you weren’t mistaken. Your voice nearly faltered, your body stilling for a fraction of a second. It was just enough for the woman to be able to tell that your reaction was her doing. You felt like you couldn’t breathe, but that simply wasn’t an option for you when you were singing. You needed air, filling your lungs in a spastic inhale before continuing to sing, your eyes glued on the woman and her now much more serene features. She looked more put together than the first time. She looked more like she belonged in the audience, her clothing allowing her to blend in.

You felt dizzy, your eyes remaining intently on her so that you would not have the chance to lose her again. She had beautiful features, even more beautiful than you remembered. Her intense eyes held your gaze just the same, a gentle smile pushing up the corners of her mouth. You felt a pull to her, a pure sense of childish curiosity that couldn’t be explained. Holding her gaze, singing to her, felt safe, yet at the same time you felt like falling apart, like you had forgotten to put on your dress before walking onto the stage. There was something in those eyes, something that couldn’t be explained. You felt your eyes fill with tears. You didn’t know why. Once again, it wasn’t part of the act. Her smile widened, your tears spilling over. You couldn’t control it, the anger of your character fading into defeat, into helpless silence as your final note reverberated around you, bouncing from the walls of the theater.

The lights went off, panic rising to your chest. You were going to lose her again. You could barely breathe as you waited patiently for the lights to turn back on, the rest of the cast joining you on stage. You saw the woman stand up among the other people in the audience, your eyes nailed on her as the applause roared into life. You felt your hands being grabbed from either side for the bow that your cast did after every show, but all you could focus on was making sure that she didn’t have the chance to escape. The lights above the seating area turned on, illuminating the crowd better, your brows drawing into a horrified frown when you saw the woman give you a fond smile before dropping her clapping hands and turning to the side to leave the row of seats. You didn’t even realize that you immediately let go of the hands that held your own, rushing off the stage without giving it so much as a single thought. Your heels clicked against the floor as you ran behind the curtains, hurrying out of the backstage area. You nearly stumbled over your feet, but you didn’t let it hinder you, rushing down the hallways to the entrance of the Metropolitan Opera House. There were some people lounging around but since your show happened to be the last one of the night, most of the people in the building were still clapping in the theater.

You looked around frantically, scanning for even a lock of red hair among the people, your feet already carrying you toward the exit. She couldn’t have gone far. You saw that one of the front glass doors slid shut, a lone figure heading for the street. You had no idea what your intention was, why you needed to see her face again, to see more of her, nor did you stop to ponder the matter. You ran after her, pushing the glass door open, your bare arms greeted by an icy gust of wind. It was snowing outside, the large snowflakes floating down from the sky in the darkness of the night, clinging to your hair and dress, melting on your warm skin. Your heels sank into the pillowy layer of snow with each step you took. There were Christmas lights and streetlamps around you, the glistening, fresh snow illuminating your surroundings. For just a moment you felt your heart stop at the magical sight. First snow.

After recovering from your sudden experience of pure awe, you started to look around at the people on the plaza that was in front of the opera house. You scanned them frantically from head to toe in search of your mysterious woman before spotting her walking along the lit-up Lincoln Center fountain toward Broadway. You picked up your speed, your arms gathering your gorgeous gown up and out of the way after nearly falling face down in the snow on your slippery heels, but you managed to keep yourself upright somehow.

“Hey!” You didn’t know why you shouted, a few heads turning your way immediately, but none of them belonged to the person you were after. “Hey!” You wished you would have had something to call her, something specific that would attract her attention. You were getting closer to her, only a dozen feet between you when she glanced back at the sound of your footsteps. Her eyes widened in shock, but she didn’t stop, discreetly picking up her speed.

Fuck, what were you doing? Why were you coming after her? Natasha’s chest squeezed with anxiety. You weren’t supposed to- She wasn’t ready, she felt exposed. She rushed forward in the powdery snow, trying her best not to look like she was indeed running away from you. How could she be such a fool, such a wuss? She should have been able to face you just fine. You were no one. She was no one. It would have meant nothing; two strangers meeting. Except none of that was true. You were everything and meeting you would mean everything. Natasha came to the intersection of Columbus Avenue and Broadway, crossing the former street to Dante Park. She glanced back once more to see you drown momentarily into a small group of people passing by which gave her the perfect opportunity to change direction and continue to Columbus Avenue down south.

You slowed down, noting that the traffic was abnormally slow for the night as you crossed the street, trying to relocate the woman again, but with significantly less enthusiasm. You were shivering, trembling from the cold, your sudden frenzy starting to fizzle out. What were you after? You were harassing some innocent stranger without any proper justification. You yourself didn’t even know what you were after and you could no longer even see her auburn curls as you reached a large, abstract clock statue that stood in the middle of the strip of walkway between the two roads, always as hideous as ever.

The snow-covered branches of the trees of Dante Park gave Natasha enough coverage to blend into the rest of the pedestrians lounging on the street. Ten seconds later she had completely lost you. She had no doubt that you would give up on your search when the two of you shared no connection. She could have easily kept going and carried on with her night, but she couldn’t. Her heart ached so violently that she could no longer take another step. She looked at the row of snow-covered benches on her left, briefly contemplating if she should sit down for a moment. The pain was immense. It was brutal. She looked back toward the crossroad where she had last seen you, spotting you by the large, ugly clock. You brushed your hands over your bare arms, shivering very visibly. You looked around, taking a few blind, aimless steps toward her direction, but you clearly had no intention to continue your chase.

You were so close to her, Natasha’s heart beating out of rhythm as she watched you briefly glance her way again, prompting her to step behind a street map post to avoid being caught. What a loser she was. There was no point in trying. She should simply leave you alone. That’s how things were meant to go, that was your designated path. She didn’t belong there, she didn’t belong in your life. She waited for a moment to be on the safe side before peeking her head from behind the post, needing one more look at you before she would be ready to let you go. Her heart jolted. You were closer, walking her way as you rubbed your hands together violently in an attempt to warm yourself up. You and your lacking clothing received a few appalled looks from bystanders, but you paid them no attention, your focus moving back to the opera house. You brought your hands up to your mouth, huffing a warm breath over them despite how little it did to stave away the cold.

You stepped off the sidewalk to cross the street, slightly off where the crosswalk had been marked, too busy warming yourself up to look around. Every cell in Natasha’s body stung in fear when she saw the way your gown glistened under a pair of headlights that appeared from nowhere, the driver taking advantage of the unusual lack of traffic by going slightly over the speed limit. Natasha didn’t waste a single breath, charging right at you without a second thought or even half a consideration for her own safety. All she could see was a car that was seconds away from running you over, and all she could think about was not letting it happen. Her body collided roughly with your own as she pushed you off the street and out of the car’s way just as the driver hit the breaks. You didn’t scream, you didn’t let out a single sound. You couldn’t. Natasha heard shocked gasps and a few horrified shouts from the sidewalk, but they disappeared into oblivion as she looked at you lying beneath her in the powdery snow.

Your eyes were wide, staring up at Natasha in pure terror as you lay on your back, your icy hands gripping her waist over her wool coat. You couldn’t process what had even happened, but you could feel her hand beneath your head, protecting it from the roughness of the collision with snowy asphalt, her hips and thighs pinning you down to the ground. You felt the way your chest rose and fell rapidly, your corset making the process of breathing feel even more laborious, your head spinning alongside the world around you. All you could do was stare up at what you had just now discovered to be green eyes. The streetlights illuminated her red hair, giving it a gentle glow, snowflakes clinging to her curls as more snow came down from the sky. Her cheeks were a soft pink from the cold, the tip of her nose matching the color, plump lips an even deeper shade of rose. You couldn’t feel any pain, the coldness of your body preventing you from feeling anything at its full intensity, yet you felt like you could feel her.

“Are you okay, dorogaya (darling)?” A hint of inappropriately possessive worry bled into her tone as she uttered the words, the endearment slipping out by pure accident, reminding her to take some mental distance from you despite your very intimate position. You continued to stare up at her, your lips parting but nothing came out. You nodded your head, but it came off as more of a tremor.

“Y-yeah. I’m- I’m-” Your teeth started clattering. You were freezing out of your mind.

“Are- are you okay?” The voice belonged to a panicked boy on the driver’s seat. Natasha glanced back at the scene behind her, noticing that the car had done a full one-eighty on the snow and ice when hitting the brakes, a few cars piling at the scene, waiting to get past, some drivers exiting their cars to see if an ambulance was needed. Natasha could tell the boy was young and clearly an inexperienced driver, anger flashing within her, hot and ruthless.

“You could’ve killed her”, she said in a voice icier than the snow pressed up against your skin as she moved carefully off you, barely sparing the boy a single glance before her attention was back on you. She knelt in the snow, her helping hands pulling you slowly to sit upright. You looked at her, you looked at him, you looked at the car, the snowflakes above you. It all felt so surreal.

“Are you hurt? I’m so sorry. Oh my god, I’m so fucked.” He was seconds away from crying, his whiny tone getting on Natasha’s nerves. She turned to him again, her stoic face conveying every bit of disdain that she felt toward him.

“Get lost.” The boy was clearly taken aback by her hostility, but he didn’t seem to be the type to defy authority, his hand fumbling for the car key. “And learn how to fucking drive.” He nodded his head, some bystanders watching the scene unfold, a few coming closer to ask if you needed help, but they were quickly convinced that you had made it through without a single scrape. Or well, not exactly. Natasha brushed the melted snow off your bare arms and shoulders, taking notice of the irritated skin there. Parts of it had been peeled raw by the rough collision with the ground, but they were barely enough to be considered wounds.

“Thank you”, you blurted out suddenly after she had helped you back on your feet.

“You’re welcome”, she smiled softly, a hint of something, something that was driving you insane, behind that expression, her hand coming up to your face to brush aside some of your hair. You looked at her, observed her carefully, unsure of what to say to her or how to voice why you had come after her in the first place. You felt like you needed to explain yourself to her, but you didn’t have the words for such a feat. “Turn around.” You followed her instructions, feeling like your brain was a bit behind from the current moment. “You’ve got…” She brushed her hand down the back of your dress, saving whatever she could from your gorgeous apparel. “A bit of snow.” Your arms curled against your body automatically as you continued to shiver like a leaf in the wind, your lower lip trembling, teeth chattering. “Here.” You turned to look at her. She had removed her dark brown coat and was offering it for you to wear. It looked warm and comfortable, the effect amplified by the fur neckline of the coat. You shook your head immediately, noting that she was only wearing a thin, satin blouse beneath it.

“No, you’ll freeze”, you protested weakly, but Natasha simply shook her head.

“I’ll be okay. Besides, you’re practically already frozen. I’ve still got a few minutes.” You tried to chuckle at her joke, but you were far too cold to produce such sounds. She wrapped the coat tightly around you, making sure it fit you snuggly to stave off the cold.

“Thank you”, you mumbled, feeling a pleasant but weak heat bloom on your cheeks from her considerate act.

“Keep it. It looks good on you.” Natasha brushed her hand over your shoulder as if admiring the fit on you. It brought her comfort and serenity to know that you would own a piece of her.

“W-what?”

“I have to go, and you probably should too.” There it was again, that look, that look in her eyes. You felt a visceral reaction in your body for being looked at that way. You felt unbearable disappointment even if you didn’t expect a complete stranger to want to hang out with you for longer than necessary. She had only acted out of basic human decency. She noted the hesitant look on your face. “It’s okay, detka (baby), you can keep it.” It was only fair that she would get to slip in one more endearment before leaving. You couldn’t really react to her words, still trying to process the fact that you had just gone through a near death experience. “Look both ways when crossing the street. Please, for my sake and my sanity.”

“I will.” Natasha started backing away, a bitter smile on her lips.

“Wait.” You felt hurt, abandoned, but you didn’t understand why. “What’s your name?” She pursed her lips, wiping the smile off her face as she looked away as if contemplating whether your question was worth answering or not.

“Natasha.” You smiled. “Yours?” She already knew the answer.

“Y/N.”

“I’ve always loved that name. It suits you”, she hummed softly.

“Thank you and thank you for saving my life. I owe you everything.” She shook her head in mild amusement as if you didn’t quite know what her words entailed.

“You owe me nothing.” She took a few more steps back. “Take care of yourself, Y/N.” She gave you one last smile before turning around and walking away, hopefully heading somewhere away from the cold. You stared after her, feeling distraught by the intimacy of the way she has said your name, an odd shiver going down your spine. You hugged the coat tighter around you, watching her disappear into the city covered by a blanket of snow.