#soran imagine

[13uswntimagines]

Bah Humbug (Soran x Reader)

Summary: R really really hates Christmas. So much so that she's kinda known as a Grinch. Can a person from her past (and 3 ghosts) help her change her fate?

Basically, it's a story based off of Charles Dicken's Christmas Carol. I hope you enjoy it.

Author's note: I know it's after Christma, but happy holidays everyone. I hope you enjoy this crazy thing out of my head. Feel free to hit me up with comments and requests.

You glared at your phone, taking a long sip of your beer. 

The team knew you didn’t celebrate the holidays, and having your crushes call you to try and con you into attending the annual party was a low blow. Your teammates knew how difficult it was to resist them. 

Maybe that’s why you hadn’t picked up. 

You didn’t anticipate them leaving a message. 

“Hey, you’re busy and that’s probably why you didn’t pick up, but I just wanted to remind you about the team party,” Emily’s voice rang through the phone. 

You noted the distinct lack of mention that it was a holiday party. 

“I know you’re not the biggest fan of Christmas, but I would love to see you there and Lindsey and the rest of the team would too,” Emily finished. 

You took another long sip of your beer, playing the message again. 

It wasn’t fair for your teammates to use your feelings against you. 

If it had been a New Years’ party, or literally anything else you would have gone. But you absolutely could not. Would not. Support any stupid Christmas traditions. 

You had even denied the invite via Megan’s stupid survey. It has taken you nearly half an hour to scroll through the 50 questions about alcohol and desert preferences to pick the option labeled- I’m a grinch who doesn’t like fun and has a heart 2 sizes too small to attend.

It was bad enough that you couldn’t even have peace in your own home, not with your neighbor and all his holiday cheer. 

Why did he have to blast the music so loud that it drowned out your soccer replay? Why did he have to send his wife down to offer you some Christmas pudding? People already looked at you funny when you explained you didn’t love the nation's favorite holiday. You just wanted to be able to have your non-celebration in your own home. 

“Shut up,” You groaned at a particularly loud cheer from the floor above you, tossing your remote so it thumped against the ceiling. “Just let me eat my frozen pizza in peace,” 

What gave them the right to be so loud and merry?

There were still homeless people on the streets, children going hungry, and men fighting over who owned land that was never theirs to own. 

Part of your problem with Christmas was that all it appeared to be was an excuse for rich people to get richer, people to get drunk at parties, and those with bad intentions to take advantage. 

You waited a few more minutes, reaching for another beer as the music only grew louder.  With a sigh you threw your remote a little harder, praying that your neighbor would quiet down. 

You glared when your phone rang again. 

Why couldn’t anyone get the fucking message? You didn’t want to be a part of the Christmas celebrations or their stupid money-grabbing intentions. 

“What?” You grumbled into the phone. 

“Is that any way to greet your favorite team mom?” Kelley asked, and you rolled your eyes. 

Preath were your team moms, but Kelley had stepped in when you were traded to Washington, and you loved her nearly as much as you loved them. 

“You're not my favorite, Christen is,” You scoffed, taking a large gulp of your beer. “And you’re only calling me to convince me to come to the stupid party,” 

Kelley sighed heavily over the line. In all the time she had known you, you had never even tried to be merry. “Come on kid, why don’t you try to get into the Christmas spirit,” 

“No,” You snapped. “I don’t know how many times I have to say it,” 

“But Emily and Lindsey will be there, and Megan’s even putting up an insane amount of mistletoe just for you,” Alex’s voice chimed in, sounding farther away than her girlfriend. “Just come for a little while. You don’t even have to dance to the music. it’ll be fun,” 

“I said no. I don’t celebrate Christmas,” You ground out. “Mistletoe is an invasive, parasitic, poisonous species that could kill you,” 

“You don’t have to be such a Scrooge,” You could hear Kelley’s frown. 

“Well, bah fucking humbug,” You huffed.

“I know things have been tough since Tyler-“ Alex started, but you cut her off with a thunderous growl. “Don’t you dare mention my brother,”  

There was a long pause on the other end of the phone. “We never celebrated Christmas either,” you hung up before either of your stand-in parents could say another word. 

You didn’t care what they had to say. You just wanted to have your little non-celebration in peace. You didn’t want to think about your non-existent family. Or the memories that came with this stupid fucking holiday. 

You closed your eyes tightly, listening idly to the sounds of the party above you. 

Simply having a wonderful Christmas time

“Shut up!” you yelled louder this time, grabbing a broom and banging on your ceiling. “Keep your Yule Tidings to yourself!” 

There was some banging on the floor above you before the music got impossibly louder, and you swore you heard a “don’t be such a grinch” 

You sighed. 

You were different from the grinch. You hated the holiday and everything it stood for. Not the people. 

And there was no way you would be carving up the roast beast. 

But maybe… 

You clicked into your messages, your fingers hovering over the group chat you shared with Lindsey and Emily. 

It took you a minute to click out a message. 

Be safe tonight you two. Try not to have too much fun without me. 

And another long minute to hit the send key. 

It took less than 30 seconds for your phone to ping with their reply. 

You could make sure we were safe if you came

You shook your head at Lindsey’s words, immediately closing your phone and standing from the couch, and heading towards your room. You knew you could be with them, but you didn’t want to. 

You didn’t want to bring down their night with your negativity. 

You heard your phone ding again as you crawled into bed, but you didn’t feel like answering, hoping to just sleep the holidays away. 

*****

You weren’t sure what woke you up, but one second you were asleep and the next you were not. 

It was like a cold wind had blown through your bedroom, whipping your blanket off of you and slamming your bedroom door with a clap. 

“What the fuck?” You hissed, sitting up in bed, searching for your stolen quilt. 

“Didn’t know you had inherited my sailor's mouth,”

You sucked in a breath at the familiar voice, and your entire being froze. You hadn’t heard his voice since-

You didn’t want to think about it. 

Still, your eyes searched the room for the source of the sound, fully expecting the television to be playing an old home movie. 

But it was oddly blank. “What the fuck?”

“Come on kid, I thought you were sharper than this,” The voice chuckled, and your head snapped toward the noise. 

“No,” You breathed out as you took in his form, his wide smile and beaming features coated in a strange white mist. “You died four years ago. You can’t be here,”  

He hummed. “I told them you would be suspicious,”

You shook your head, standing and beginning to pace. 

“Maybe it was something in the beer,” You mumbled, rubbing your hands through your hair. “I shouldn’t have switched brands,”

“It’s not the beer,” Your brother shrugged, stepping from his place in the doorway to sit on the edge of your bed. 

“It has to be!” You hissed, sending him your best glare.

Ghosts were not real. Dead relatives didn’t visit you at night. 

You had to be hallucinating, or high, or have a brain tumor creating him. 

“It’s not.” He shrugged again, his easy smile never leaving his face. That just made you angrier. How could he smile when you were probably having a mental breakdown? How could he be happy?

He watched you cross the room a few times, shaking his head. 

“Why don’t you sit down so we can talk for a moment? I don’t have an unlimited amount of time,”

You huffed. “How can you be so calm at a time like this?”

“This isn’t my first visit to you, just the first time you’ve been able to acknowledge me,” He said softly, his voice still semi-amused, gesturing towards the bed opposite of him. “Sit, before you pull a muscle or something,” 

You very slowly made your way to the spot, carefully sitting down on the bed, your eyes taking in every inch of your visitor. Your older brother had never been so pale. You also noted the dark circles under his grey eyes, and how his hair was more tousled than usual. But other than that it was him, and he was completely fine, sitting across from you in his signature bomber jacket. 

“You’re really here,” You breathed out, the ever-present ache in your chest easing for just a second. 

He nodded, reaching out to cover your hand with his.“I am,”

It was a strange sensation, like ice and tingles where he had touched you. It didn’t fill you with the warmth you always remembered. 

You pulled your hand away, curling it to your chest. “Why are you here?” 

“I’ve come to warn you,” Tyler said, his voice nothing more than a conspiratorial whisper. 

You rolled your eyes, shaking your head. “This isn’t some Christmas carol hoax about me forging a chain I’ll have to wear in death, is it? You didn’t celebrate Christmas either and you don’t have one,” 

“No,” Your brother sent you a rye smile. “but there are different kinds of chains Y/n,”

He held up his wrist to show you what looked like a handcuff. 

You frowned, shaking your head. “I adopt an angel every year. I send money to the shelter down the road. I don’t know what else you people want from me,” 

You did everything you could to make the world a better place. The only thing you refused to do was celebrate a stupid holiday. That didn’t stop you from donating or making kids’ dreams come true. 

That should be enough. 

Your brother's eyes tightened. “You’re here alone on Christmas Eve,” 

“So?” You shrugged. 

The only difference from your normal celebrations was that he hadn’t been there to share it with you. 

“Y/n it is too late to change my fate, to relinquish the curse I must face every year of watching those I love, but it’s not late to change yours,” 

His shoulders squared and his voice turned deep, and suddenly you knew that the next words he was about to speak were not his own.  “Tonight you will be visited by 3 spirits. The ghosts of Christmas Past, Christmas Present, and Christmas yet to come. Take heed to what they say. It may be your last chance,” 

He stood to leave without another word, and you mirrored his actions, practically launching yourself at him. 

“Wait!” you yelped, latching onto his cold hand. 

“Hmm,” his eyes turned back to you, but they were more distant than before. 

“I-“ you gulped. “I miss you,”

He smiled, shaking his hand from your grasp, and placing it on your heart. “Remember bug, we’re always with you,”

With one last sad, longing smile he disappeared. 

*****

You were restless, and for the first time in a long time, you didn’t know what to do with yourself. 

Part of you was still trying to convince yourself that your bothers… visit was a figment of drunk yous imagination. The other part was anxiously awaiting for the clock to strike 12 and for the first “ghost” to appear. 

You had never been superstitious. You had laughed at ghost stories and shrugged off tales of apparitions, deeming them as tales meant to scare children. But still, you wondered what this… ghost would look like. What they would do. And most of all how it would try to persuade you that Christmas wasn’t some oversold, over-hyped holiday designed to make people go into debt. 

Your eyes followed the minute hand of the clock, tracking as it finally landed on 12. 

You held your breath, waiting for something to happen. 

But as the minute hand moved again and the seconds ticked by there was… nothing. 

There was no jiggle of your door handle, or uninvited visitor standing at the foot of your bed. There wasn’t even the flutter of a curtain. 

“It was the beer,” you sighed, laying back on your bed, and letting out a chuckle. You closed your eyes, content to sleep the miserable holiday away. 

“It wasn’t,” 

Your eyes snapped open and you leaped out of the bed, turning to face your unwanted intruder. 

“Easy slugger,” The woman on the bed laughed, an eerie glow surrounding her entire body, lighting up your room. 

You froze, your gaze flickering between the woman’s face and the signed jersey that lived on your wall. “Mia?” You asked, earning a chuckle from the retired forward. 

“Not quite, young one. I am the ghost of Christmas Past,” Her smile was wide, warm, and welcoming. 

You frowned, your eyebrows furrowing. “Then why are you shaped like Mia Hamm?”

“I’ve come to you in a form you are more open to accepting. Your idol,” The ghost explained softly, still perched casually on your bed, holding out her sleeve to you. 

You rolled your eyes, scoffing and crossing your arms across your chest. “So you’re just gonna take me through the history of Christmas in hopes of changing my heart?”

The ghost smiled wryly at you as if she expected that reaction. “I am the ghost of not all Christmases past, just your past,” 

“Oh,” You deflated.

“Come young one, grab my sleeve and we will begin our journey,” 

You sighed, closing your eyes tightly as your fingers reached for the robe. 

You had a feeling you weren’t going to enjoy this. 

****

You blew out a long breath as your feet met the ground, your slippers crunching on freshly fallen snow.

Snow you hadn’t seen since you moved to Orlando. 

You blinked up at the scene, taking in the bricks, rod iron, and sloping lawn of the mansion you had called home. 

The angels at the gate were coated in a thin layer of white powder, along with the fountain in the center of the drive. 

It was an image ingrained into your head that you knew would never leave. An image you hadn’t seen since your 11th Christmas. 

But how were you here? You couldn’t be here…

“Are we where I think we are?” You asked Mia slowly, dragging your wide eyes away from your childhood home. 

“We are,” She nodded once. “Our Christmas journey begins with one of your best Christmases. Shall we go inside,” 

You gulped but headed towards the gate nonetheless. Your fingers shook as they unlatched the little lock (shaped like a rose) and you slipped through both it and the door to the house. 

You couldn’t help but smile at the warm air that wafted towards you as you stepped into the foyer of the house, and its distinct smell of cinnamon rolls fresh out of the oven. 

It curled around you like a hug from her, and you could feel the tightness in your chest that always accompanied it. 

Mia’s hand on your shoulder was the only thing that prevented you from stepping backward, away from the feelings that you had run from for so long.

“Your family is gathered in the den,” She said softly, “Shall we join them, or do you need a minute?”

You cleared your throat. You shouldn’t feel so choked up just from the smell of cinnamon rolls. It was stupid, but your mother had made them every Christmas morning, and you and your brother had eaten them together with hot chocolate. It was a core memory that just hurt so much now. 

“I’m fine,” You muttered, pushing yourself forward and into the den. 

You ignored the ache in your chest at the lights that littered the walls, and the tree that stood proudly in the corner. But you couldn’t help the feeling that opened in the pit of your stomach when you saw a younger version of yourself settle between your brother and your mother. 

You could remember that Christmas vividly. It was the last real Christmas your family had spent together as a family. 

“I think it’s Ty’s turn,” Your father smiled jovially, holding up a camcorder as your other brother reached for his next box. 

It was small, wrapped in red paper, and clumsily tied with a bow. Your eight-year-old self had been so proud to have wrapped it alone for the first time. Looking back at it, you really should have let your mother help you, but no one commented on the sloppy job. 

“I wonder who this one could be from,” Tyler smiled, bumping your shoulder lightly as a blush colored your cheeks. 

“It’s from me,” Your younger self mumbled, looking away, embarrassed. “I picked it out myself,” 

“I don’t know why I was so nervous,” You hummed, stepping closer to the couch. 

Mia shrugged. “It was the first gift you had ever decided to buy. You put a lot of thought into it,” 

Tyler very carefully undid the bow, and slowly lifted the messy red paper off of the box, and both you and your younger self watched him with rapt attention as he flipped open the lid on the box to reveal an Arsenal beanie. 

“It was his favorite team,” You countered, your eyes never leaving the way he immediately slipped it onto his head and pulled younger you into a hug. “It wasn’t like he wasn’t going to like it,” 

‘No,” Mia agreed. “But your younger self also didn’t realize that it was the thought that counts either,”

You nodded, biting the inside of your cheek as your mother passed younger you your last box. “I didn’t understand that the presents weren’t the thing that mattered yet,” 

You knew exactly what was in that box. 

Your younger self was much less systematic than your brother as she tore off the paper golden, revealing the plain box beneath it. It wasn’t until she peeked under the lid that she paused, her jaw dropped staring at her family. 

“I didn’t learn that lesson until the year after this one,” You muttered as your eight-year-old self ripped the top of the box and held up a signed Mia Hamm jersey. You winced as your younger self launched yourself at your mother. 

You watched for any sign, any wobble from her. 

“She didn’t know she was sick yet,” Mia hummed gently as if she were reading your mind, and you reasoned that she may have been. She was a ghost after all. 

You cleared your throat, shaking your head as young as you tugged the jersey over your head. “I was a dumbass for putting it on. It should have gone directly in the frame,”

“You were excited,” Mia reminded you gently, the hand on your shoulder comforting you more than it should have. “It was everything you had ever wanted,” 

“I would have appreciated not getting a stain right above the crest on the chest,” You shrugged. “Thinking back on it now, I had everything I wanted. I didn’t need a jersey for that. God only knows how much my father paid for that,” 

“Is money all you think about?” Mia asked you softly.

Your eyes tightened at the question.

 “No,” You ground the word out through clenched teeth. Money was all your father thought about. You were nothing like your father. “I just wonder how much good could have been done instead-”

“Of giving you a core childhood memory?” Mia countered, not allowing you to finish your thought. 

You bit your lip, holding in the biting remark on the tip of your tongue. You didn’t like being interrupted, or being contradicted. 

“The memory would have been fine without the jersey,” You grumbled, averting your eyes from your younger self as your mother pressed a kiss to your forehead. “The core experience was about being with them, not some stupid present,” 

Mia hummed, watching you carefully. 

Your younger self pulled away, smiling widely at your mother. “I love Christmas,” 

“And I love you,” She smiled back.

You gulped down the pain in your chest, using the corner of your old West Virginia sleeve to wipe away the liquid forming in the corner of your eye. Christmas had been your favorite for a long time. 

Until it wasn’t. Until you learned its true meaning. 

You forced your gaze from the scene, and back towards Mia. “I don’t want to be here anymore,” 

She nodded once. “Grab my sleeve,” 

*******

Dim lights met you as your eyes flickered open, the yellow glow of the fire illuminating a solitary form curled up in front of it. 

The form shivered, despite its closeness to the blazing hearth, pulling the fraying red blanket tighter around itself. 

Yourself. 

The Christmas tree that had dominated the living room was gone, as were the garland and light strings that hung from the ceiling. The only indication that it was near Christmas was the sound of Simply Having a Wonderful Christmas Time buzzing softly through an old radio. 

You remembered this night just as well as you had your last stop, even better. You remembered your thoughts as you stared into the fire, how you cursed the universe or any god that may or may not have been listening. You remembered wishing that every radio station wasn’t playing things that reminded you of her, but you couldn’t live with your racing thoughts enough to sit in silence. 

It was the first time you had ever really hated Christmas. 

“You look lonely,” Mia commented, and you jumped slightly. You had almost forgotten that she was there.

“I couldn’t go to the hospital,” You breathed out, your voice shaking with the effort it took to hold back your emotions. “She tried to make us our Christmas cinnamon rolls and collapsed,” 

You shook your head. You had been the one to ask for them. She hadn’t been able to get out of bed long enough the year before to make them, and you missed them. She waved off your father's concern and nodded at you with a chapped-lipped smile. 

Mia’s hand landed warm and heavy on your shoulder, but you brushed her off, taking a step closer to your younger self. 

You didn’t need the comfort now, you had needed it back then, and no one was there. The least you could do was help yourself. 

You slowly reached out a hand, rubbing the spot on the back of your younger self's neck that you knew would soothe her. “It hurts now, but you’ll be alright,” 

“She can’t hear or feel you,” Mia interrupted you, standing on your younger self's other side. 

You glared up at her, a barbed quip on the tip of your tongue, but you didn’t get to use it. 

“Hey, munchkin,” Tyler’s voice sent a shiver down your spine, and your youngest self’s head snapped around to see him. 

He smiled sadly down at you, and you moved so he could sit beside your younger self in front of the hearth. 

Tyler’s arm wrapped around your shoulder and you tucked your face into the warm skin of his neck. 

“This is all my fault,” Your younger self breathed out miserably, and you saw the tears creeping down Tyler’s neck. 

“No,” Tyler said firmly, coaxing you out of his neck so he could look you in the eyes. “Mom was sick,”

You shook your head, more tears streaming down your face. “But if I hadn’t asked for cinnamon roll-”

“She probably would have had to go to the hospital anyway,” He countered, using a thumb to wipe your tears away. 

You frowned as you watched them, the smell of Tyler’s calone fresh in your mind. The way his hugs had always made you feel whole. How you trusted him that it would all be alright. 

You didn’t know that your mother was dying in a hospital bed. You had believed him. 

Your younger self touched her face into Tyler’s shoulder, and he held you tighter. 

“He didn’t tell me that we couldn’t afford the surgery or the treatments that would save her,” You mumbled bitterly.  “Or that the treatments probably wouldn’t have helped her anyway,” 

You turned away from the scene towards Mia. “I don’t want to be here,” 

She nodded once, holding out her sleeve, and the scene disappeared around you in a blur of color. 

*****

Your knees wobbled as you landed in the living room of your apartment, and your hand tightened around Mia’s arm as you tried to get your footing. You used your arm to wipe your sleeve across your eyes. 

Brushing away the evidence of one of your worst Christmases. 

“Take some deep breaths,” Mia said softly, her hand landing warm and heavy on your shoulder. 

You nodded, sucking in a wet breath through your nose. 

“Why did you have to show me that?” You asked, glaring at the woman. 

“Because it’s one of the reasons you hate Christmas,” She answered, not wavered by your sudden anger. “Because you can’t see that you don’t have to hate,” 

“Nothing but bad things happen on Christmas,” You spat back, ripping yourself out of her grasp. 

“Tyler didn’t seem to think so,” She said. 

Your glare deepened. 

It wasn’t a fair statement. Yes, Tyler had never lost his joy like you had. 

And neither had you really, not until Christmas four years ago. 

“He did his best,” You reluctantly conceded. 

“You made your own traditions,” She hummed, waving her hand. 

The blurry scenery around you shifted to your apartment. A younger version of you was standing in the kitchen, carefully sliding a pizza out of the oven to sit on the counter next to your beer bottle. 

You frowned at the soft glow of Christmas lights and the sound of an old World Cup playing in the background. 

There was a warmth in the apartment that had been missing since…

You shook your head. 

You didn’t like to think about that night. That Christmas. 

“Hey kid,” Tyler said, knocking on the kitchen counter as he approached you, the Arsenal beanie perched on his head. 

You carefully set the pizza down, smiling widely at him. “What's up?”

You could practically feel the excitement radiation off of you. It wasn’t like the Christmas of your youth, nothing had been the same after your mother died, but you and Tyler had found your own way to enjoy the holiday. 

His mirroring smile was pained, and his fingers tapped the counter like he was nervous. “Dad called,”

Your nose scrunched. “What did he want?”

You hadn’t spoken to him since you moved out to go to college. 

After your mother died, he turned to a bottle to ease his pain, and in the process, he inflicted his pain on you. His jovial heart had turned cold, and you had scars from him that you would never outgrow. 

“It was his nurse at hospice,” Tyler amended quietly. His voice held an unusual edge. “They don’t think he’s going to make it through the night,”

You blinked up at him, your shoulders lifting and falling. “So?”

Tyler sighed, grabbing your wrist gently so you would look up at him instead of focusing on where you were slicing the pizza. 

“I know he’s made some mistakes-”

“He abused me,” You scoffed, interrupting him. “That’s not a mistake,” 

Your voice held no room for argument. It couldn’t, not with all that he had done. 

A mistake was one incident. One accidental laying of hands. 

Your father in his grief had surpassed that hundreds if not thousands of times. The thick, raised scars on your back were evidence of that, as were the sounds of his sneering voice in your ear. 

“He’s our father,” Your brother said sternly but you were already shaking your head. 

“He made his choice,” 

Your voice was bitter, cold. It sent a shiver down present-day you’s spine. 

Tyler blew out another long breath, pushing himself away from the counter. “It’s his dying wish,” 

You followed him out of the kitchen and into the living room. 

“And he can take it to his grave,” You spat the words. As far as you were condemned, you didn’t owe him anything. 

Tyler rolled his eyes, pulling on his boots. “Don’t be cruel Y/n, It doesn’t suit you,” 

You watched him with disbelief as he pulled on his boots, and stood up to grab his jacket. 

“You can't seriously be going to see him,” You said, following after him. “He’s an asshole,” 

“Everyone deserves to have their dying wish heard,” He said, his voice sounding more like a dad than your own father’s had. “Are you coming or not?”

It made you want to soften, but you didn’t. 

“So I can tell him to burn in hell?” You raised your eyebrow at him. 

“Y/n,” He sighed. “Don’t do it for him, do it for yourself. Closure is important,” 

Your lip curled. “I got my closure the first time he picked up a belt, or threw a Christmas tree out the window, or-,” 

“I’ll be back, don't have too much fun without me,” Tyler cut you off, wrapping his scarf around his neck, giving you a very quick hug, and heading out the door. It slammed behind him, and he was gone. 

You stared at your younger self as she stared at the door. 

It was the last time you would ever see your brother alive. The last time you would see his smile or feel his hugs that had always set you at ease. 

Simply having a wonderful Christmas time hummed in the background, and you longed to wrap your younger self up in your arms. 

“I wish I had told him I loved him,” You mumbled as your younger self turned on her heel and headed back toward her pizza. 

Mia’s warm hand found your shoulder again. “You didn’t have to say it for him to know,” 

You brushed her off, tired of her and what she was showing you. “I still wish I said it,” 

Tyler was too good of a person. He wanted to make everyone happy. 

And I’m his effort to give your Father Christmas Joy, he had lost his life. 

“I don’t want to be here anymore,” 

Mia held up her sleeve and you grabbed on. The world tilted on its head and suddenly one of the worst nights of your life was gone. 

All you had learned was that you hated Christmas for a good reason. Only bad things happened on Christmas. 

******

You jolted upright, breathing heavily as your eyes opened. Your hands clutched your wet shirt, soaked through with sweat, and your eyes darted around your room, searching for the ghost of Mia Hamm who only showed you your worst memories. 

Your breathing slowed as you realized you were alone. 

“It was just a dream,” You ran a hand through your damp curls. “I really shouldn’t have switched beer brands,” 

“No, you shouldn’t mix brands because it destroys the flavor,” 

You nearly jumped out of your skin at the voice, leaping out of the bed and whipping around to see one Kelley O’Hara sitting on your bed, dressed in an ugly Christmas sweater that resembled a Christmas tree. 

“What the fuck Kelley,” You grumbled incredulously at the defender. “What are you doing here? How did you get into my apartment?” 

“I’m not Kelley,” She smiled devilishly at you, crossing one leg over the other, a perfect imitation of one of your team moms. “Ghost of Christmas present, happy to make your acquaintance,” 

She held her hand out for you to take. 

You stared at the outstretched fingers warily. 

“Are you here to make me feel worse?” You asked cautiously. 

The defender shook her head, her dimples showing. “I’m just here to show you what you’re missing,” 

You sighed, throwing your head back. “Can we not and say we did? I’ll go to the stupid Christmas party next year,” 

Kelley chuckled, and you heard her stand from the bed.  “I’m afraid not,” 

“It was worth a shot,” You grumbled, pinching the bridge of your nose and looking back at the woman. The amused smile hadn’t left her lips. 

“Ready?” 

You took a deep breath, trying to calm your racing heart. 

The truth was that you weren’t ready. You didn’t want to be stuck in this scrooge-like dream. You didn’t want to see what you were missing. 

You didn’t like Christmas, and it annoyed you that even your brain wouldn’t let you wallow in peace. 

“Let’s get this shit over with,” 

She snorted, stepping forward and gently grabbing your arm. “It won’t be too bad, don’t worry,” 

The colors in your bedroom blurred and you felt a now familiar tug in your stomach as your world shifted. 

At least this ghost seemed happier. 

*****

Immediate warmth filled your chest as you opened your eyes to the scene, leaning heavily on Kelley as the world shifted into focus. 

Glasses tinkled and the laughter of your friends filled your ears. The smell of cinnamon and cherries filled the air and it felt like home. You didn’t even mind simply having a wonderful Christmas time blaring in the background. 

You couldn’t help the way your lips lifted. You doubted the sounds of your found family would ever not have the power to make you smile. 

“You totally cheated,” Emily grumbled, flicking her Uno cards toward Lindsey. 

The midfielder shook her head, cackling. “I didn’t, I’m just better at this than you are,” 

“I figured your two favorite blondes would make you smile,” Kelley cheered, clapping your shoulder and making you jump. “Christmas pastey told me you were in a bad mood,” 

Your smile morphed into a scowl. “She made me relive two of my worst memories,” 

“She was trying to show you that the people you loved wouldn’t want you to be alone on Christmas,” Ghost Kelley countered as regular Kelley returned to the room, carrying drinks. 

The defender passed the filled solo cups about. “As much fun as uno is, I think an actual game is called for here,” 

Lindsey leaned down and sniffed the cup, scrunching her nose. “What did you put in here, jet fuel?”  

Emily cackled again, even as Alex, Kelley, and Megan shook their heads. 

“No, it’s the special Christmas mix,” Tobin supplied easily. “Kelley makes it every year,” 

“She thinks it’ll make us more honest during never have I ever,” Christen added, winking at the blonde pair. 

“I didn’t know they played never have I ever on Christmas,” You mumbled, leaning towards one of the red solo cups and taking a whiff of your own. Your nose wrinkled at the smell. 

It was definitely something more potent than her normal mix. You caught a hint of Jamison and vermouth, and something… cinnamony. 

Fireball you thought ruefully. She made them fireball manhattans, stronger than ones they could ever get in a bar. 

“Why would you?” Ghost Kelley chuckled, “You’ve never attended a Christmas party with them, even while your brother was still alive,” 

 “I didn’t want to be around the holiday cheer,” You hissed. This ghost was as insufferable as the first was. “And my brother and I had traditions of our own,” 

“Yes, I’m sure eating a frozen pizza and watching a World Cup from 1950 is the best way to spend a Christmas,” Ghost Kelley rolled her eyes. “So much better than being surrounded by people who love you,” 

“It’s just easier” You hissed back. “It doesn’t hurt as much,” 

Being around your friends at Christmas reminded you of what your life was like before your mother died. It reminded you about how much you loved the lights, the colors, and the joy. 

It felt like you were betraying her memory. 

Ghost Kelley raised an eyebrow at you. “All it does is let you wallow in your past pain instead of making new, happy memories,” 

Lindsey put her glass down. “I think I’ll pass, I promised Y/n that we would be safe tonight, and one of us has to drive,” 

“She really cares about you two,” Christen said gently. 

Lindsey and Emily shared a meaningful look.

“We know,” Emily said softly, her face falling just a bit. “We were hoping she would come, so we could… talk about our developing feelings,” 

“I even hung up an extra mistletoe in case,” Lindsey added, gesturing towards the archway between the kitchen and the living room. 

You frowned. “Why would they think I would come?” 

“It’s not you guys, trust us,” Alex hummed, sipping her drink. 

“Y/n just hates Christmas,” Megan added, rolling her eyes. “She basically locks herself away every year with a frozen pizza and a case of beer,”  

“At least she’s got a good reason,” Christen muttered, sending a meaningful look toward Megan. 

Christen was the one to find you the night your brother died. The one who held you after you identified your brother. 

After you said goodbye. 

“They thought you would come because they were hoping you would want to be with them,” Ghost Kelley said, and your eyes snapped to her half-smile.

“She doesn’t have to be such a grinch about how much she hates it though,” Megan scoffed, leaning back against Sue’s legs. “She dunked My speakers at practice because I was playing Christmas music,”

 “And she tossed my hat when I asked her to pick a secret Santa and gave me a lecture on how Santa was a figment created by toy companies and parents to scare children and make money,” Real Kelley added.

“But why?” Lindsey asked, her voice edging too far on desperate for you to feel comfortable. 

Both she and Emily had been warned of your aversion to the holiday, but no one seemed willing to expand on it. 

You hadn’t been willing to expand on it, even if they could tell that it was something that caused you great pain. 

An uncomfortable quiet swept around the circle of soccer players as the vets shared looks. 

“Her mother and her brother both died on Christmas,” Christen explained finally. 

 “and her dad made the ones in between that hell,” Tobin finished, sipping her red cup. “She’s convinced it’s a horrible holiday designed to pray on people’s pain,” 

“She’s living in the past,” Alex added.  “and no matter how hard we try, we can’t drag her into the present,” 

“I do want to be with them,” You growled. 

“Then why aren’t you here?” Ghost Kelley asked, cocking her head to the side. 

 “I get that kid doesn’t like Christmas, but she doesn’t have to make it miserable for the rest of us,” The real Kelley added softly, earning a slap on the shoulder from Alex. She raised her hands in defense. “What it’s true! She’s impossible about everything when it comes to Christmas,” 

“I didn’t go because I didn’t want to make anyone have to share in my gloom,” You muttered towards ghost Kelley, sending a waving gesture towards the room. “Because it’s a kindness to allow them to be happy. It can only happen without me,” 

“I’m going to go get water,” Lindsey muttered, standing from the couch. 

“Well that’s a bummer,” Ghost Kelley cackled, flicking the side of your head. “Must you always be so much of a downer? Your frown is going to give you premature wrinkles,” 

“Why couldn’t my ghost of Christmas present be Christen,” You grumbled, pushing yourself up from your couch’s arm, following after the midfielder. “She’s so much understanding,” 

Ghost Kelley smirked, pushing herself off the wall to walk in time with you towards the kitchen. “Ghost Christen was unavailable, something about a vacation with ghost Tobin,” 

You rolled your eyes, pressing on the swinging door of the kitchen. You heard Emily’s “I'm gonna go check on her,” from behind you. 

“Good to know that they’re just as gross in the ghost world,” You muttered, your eyes landing on Lindsey as you stepped into the kitchen. 

She was far too focused on the pitcher, filling a red solo cup with water. 

You sighed, reaching out a hand towards her shoulder, longing to comfort her, even if you didn’t understand exactly why she was sad. 

“She can’t feel you or hear you,” Kelley reminded you, her voice going gentle. 

You gulped, drawing your hand back before it could run through the midfielder's silky hair. 

“Why is she upset?” You asked, just as Emily slowly pushed open the door, leaning on the counter. 

“You alright?” Emily questioned, her worried eyes following Lindsey’s form. 

The midfielder gulped but nodded. “I’m ok, it was just a lot out there,” 

“We both knew holidays would be a challenge,” Emily hummed. “She was pretty upfront with her hang-ups,” 

“I know,” Lindsey mumbled, her voice cracking. “I just… I didn’t know that the reason why would break my heart so much,” 

You frowned. 

“She’s so sweet, but all she can see in my favorite holiday is death and destruction,” the midfielder continued. “And she’s not open to seeing anything else,” 

“Babe,” Emily whispered, stepping past you and wrapping her arms around Lindsey’s waist. The midfielder turned into her, burying her face in Emily’s shoulder. 

Her back shook with the force of her tears, and you were left speechless. 

She was crying. For you. Because things had happened to you, and you couldn’t let it go. 

It made your chest ache. 

“Don’t worry,” Emily said, rubbing Lindsey’s back, shushing her gently. “She’ll come around. Maybe we can head over to her apartment after tomorrow, and bring her Thai food or something. It’ll be like a tradition of our own,” 

Lindsey sniffled, but you saw her nod at the idea. “She’ll like that,” 

“I would too,” Emily agreed. 

You stepped back from the woman, unable to tear your eyes away. 

They were willing to make a new tradition, just for you. 

“Seems like you picked two good ones,” Ghost Kelley said, her lips very close to your ear. 

You nearly jumped out of your skin at the feeling, whipping around to face her, the kitchen blurring around you as you did. 

Her smirk shifted from playful to something more… mocking. Unfriendly. “Willing to give up their traditions to make you feel more comfortable. But you're not willing to do the same for them are you?” 

“I’m…I,” You stuttered, your eyebrows furrowing. 

She held up her hand to silence you. “My time with you is short I’m afraid. I don’t have any to spare for our banter,” 

With that, she turned on her heel, and it was all you could do to keep us as you stumbled after her, through the door and into- 

Not Kelley's apartment. It was a long, dark cobblestone alleyway covered in shadows. 

*****

“Where are we?” You said, tripping over your feet as you tried to keep up with ghost Kelley. 

She seemed on a mission. You knew the defender was fast in real life, but this felt like an entirely new level. You felt drunk, unable to keep your feet underneath you as you staggered beside her. 

“The present,” Kelley said as if it was obvious. 

You rolled your eyes at her wit, familiar and different all the same. “But where?”

“To show you what you have that you don’t appreciate,” Kelley waved her hand, stopping short and not giving you enough time to stop before you rammed into her. 

You recoiled away from her. “Wasn’t that the point of showing me the stupid Christmas party?” 

“No. That was to show you what you’re missing. This.” Ghost Kelley said shortly, waving her hand again. “This is to show you how ungrateful you are,” 

Light spilled from the lanterns hanging on the walls, chasing away the shadows. It pushed away the darkness, illuminating a small family, huddled together to get out of the cold. 

You stared at the mother, holding a child no older than 4 in her lap. 

“Shh honey, it’ll be alright,” She hummed, rocking the child. 

You couldn’t help the anger that bubbled up in your chest. The rage that no one was listening to you. 

Just because you hated Christmas didn’t mean you were selfish. 

You wheeled around, taking an angry step toward ghost Kelley. 

“I’m fucking tired of this,” You growled. “I donate to charity every year. I give to the angel tree. I fucking give out Turkey dinners to the homeless. What else  do you people want from me,” 

Kelley smirked. “They told me you were smart, but I’m beginning to wonder,” 

You opened your mouth, but she cut you off, stepping too close to you, one hand catching the collar of your shirt and shoving you backward. 

Your back hit the cold brick wall, and for the first time, it felt like a ghost in front of you instead of your very first team mom. 

“You are not living,” She snarled. “You have friends who love you. A family you found, yet you act like everything was taken from you,” 

You pressed into her hand. “Everything was taken from me. A stupid disease took my mother, grief took my father and a drunk driver coming home from a Christmas party took my brother. That’s all this fucking holiday does. Take!”

“It didn’t have to take you,” Kelley said, bitterness clear in her voice. “You gave up your joy willingly,” 

Your teeth mashed together at the implication that your misery was your own fault. 

“Your chain is not defined by greed and ignorance, but instead loneliness and grief,” She hissed, pressing you into the wall, her lips curling to reveal sharp teeth in a way that the real Kelley’s would never. “Forged by your unwillingness to live rather than exist,” 

She pushed you again against the cold brick, before stepping away. 

Your fingers fell to your collar, straightening the crumpled material. “You want me to forget. To pretend,” 

Ghost Kelley paused, her shoulders rolling as she turned back to you, her eyes hard, unfriendly. 

“No.” She said slowly, her shows clicking as she took a menacing step towards you.“We want you to understand the difference between remembering and wallowing in your pain,” 

Her finger found its way to your chest, and she leaned in close to you again. “You waste the care people have for you. You must change before they lose it and you lose them,” 

The finger on your chest shoved hard, enough for you to stumble back. You expected to hit the wall, but you didn’t. 

Before you knew it, you were falling. 

*****

“Oof,” 

Your breath left your lips as your back contacted the ground, and white, powdery snow billowed around you. Your hands fell to your stomach, as you sucked in as much air as you could get, hoping to calm your racing heart. 

At least Mia had helped you calm down before she banished you away. It would be hard to not hold the ghost's cruelty against the real-life Kelley. 

You took in another deep breath, blowing it out slowly through your nose, counting to 5 in your head, trying to use the technique that your therapist had shown you. 

At least she didn’t think you were living in the past. She didn’t have a problem with your preferred Christmas celebration. 

… though she had suggested you send out thank you notes this year as surprise Christmas gifts. You hadn’t because you weren’t ready yet. You and Tyler had never exchanged formal gifts. 

You shook your head, carefully pushing yourself to a sitting position, and running a hand through your hair. Maybe you were living a bit in the past. 

But you could fix that. A couple of notes and then neither your therapist nor the stupid ghost of Kelley could look at you like you were broken again. 

Notes weren’t a big deal. 

You dragged your hand down, squeezing the bridge of your nose. 

Doing the notes would show Kelley and your therapist that they were wrong. 

“Took you long enough,” 

Your entire being froze at his voice, your back instantly going rigid. It brought you back to your childhood. 

“Fucking Christ,” You muttered. “First I get my hero who shows me my worst memories, then I get my team mom who shows me all of my friends talking about me behind my back and now I get you,” 

“You get me,” Your father said softly, and you could feel his large form settle beside you. “I am the ghost of Christmas future,” 

You couldn’t help the way you instinctively tensed. 

“Future that is, or that will be?” You asked, finally gathering the courage to look up at him. 

You slowly dropped your hand, peeking up at him through your fingers. You were slightly surprised when the sight didn’t send a shiver down your spine like it used to. 

Your father’s form was imposing as it always had been, but his face wasn’t as… mean. His beard looked unkempt and there were dark circles under his eyes like he hadn’t slept in years.

It made you feel almost… sorry for him. As did the long, heavy chain that encircled the two of you, bound to his wrists and ankles. 

You knew he had earned that chain. Forged each link with hatred and pain. 

“The future as it is,” He answered, his blue eyes a cloudy gray, kinder than they had been since your mother died. “Its fluid, so nothing is set until the present becomes the past,” 

He shifted beside you, as if he wanted to rest a hand on you, but thought better of it. You had never seen him so hesitant. 

He had been cold and rigid since your mother passed, never bending and forcing you to break. 

“Why did they send you?” 

You couldn’t help the way you sneered the word. 

Your father sighed, running a hand through his messy curls, much like you did when you were nervous. “It is too late for me to change my fate, but it’s not too late for you. I’m part of the reason you are in the situation you are in. I wished to help fix it,” 

You swallowed hard, looking away. 

Do it for yourself. Closure is important. Your brother's voice rang through your head like a bell, and you bit your lip. 

You nodded. Fighting whatever the stupid ghosts wanted to do would get you nowhere, and the sooner you listened, the sooner you could leave your father and never look back, 

“Show the way then,” You muttered through gritted teeth. 

It came out more vindictive than you meant it to, and his shoulders hunched slightly. 

It should have made you feel good after everything he had done, but it didn’t. It made your chest hurt. It made you feel like you were a bad person. 

Your father hummed, waving his hand. “That way,” 

You squinted in the direction of his hand as the fog slowly disappeared around you, revealing large rolling hills spotted with stones. You frowned. 

You knew where you were, and you shouldn’t have been surprised. You had heard a Christmas Carol before. 

“Is this the part where you show me that I’m dead and no one gives a fuck?” You asked with a rye smile, pushing yourself to your feet. “Which one of these graves is mine?” 

Your father raised an eyebrow at you, gesturing off towards your left. 

You nodded, moving in the direction he pointed. He fell into step beside you.

Your eyes traced the smooth, gray stones as you passed them, only stopping when you came upon the one with your name on it. 

You crouched beside it, brushing away the snow that had fallen, slightly obscuring your name. You paused when you got to your last name, I’m taking a sharp breath when you saw the little hyphen. Sonnett-Horan. 

You blinked up at your father. “I took their names?” 

Your father nodded once. “You wanted to honor them, and your own last name held no memories you wanted to keep,” 

You hummed. You could see yourself doing that. The only pride you held in your name was the number of goals you had scored while it was etched across your jersey. Other than that, all your last name held was pain. You didn’t want to carry on your father's lineage. 

Not after what he had done. 

“Anna wait!” 

Your head snapped towards the sound. 

“I wanna see Momma,” The little voice called over her shoulder. 

It belonged to a girl, no older than five, racing towards you. Her hair was blonde, sharing a striking similarity with Emily’s. 

It stole the breath from your lips. 

“I know,” The other voice said. A slightly older voice, belonging to a little boy. His brown hair was combed to the side, and his jacket fluttered as he chased after the girl, finally catching up with her several feet from the grave. Anna. 

He said as they stopped right in front of you.“Mommy has the flowers. We should have waited for her,” 

Anna blinked up at him with big blue eyes, gesturing towards the grave at your feet. “I just… I missed her Tyty,” 

“I know,” He sighed, running a hand through his slightly curly hair. “I miss her too,” 

You used the corner of your shirt to wipe the sudden wetness in the corner of your eyes. 

“Who are these kids?” You asked, looking up at your father, his eyes looked slightly misty too. 

“My grandchildren,” He said. “Tyler just turned 8 and Annamarie is 4,” 

You opened your mouth to reply, but you couldn’t seem to find your words. 

And a new voice made it so you didn’t have to. 

“When did you two get so fast?” 

Your eyes snapped up to meet Emily’s blue. Identical to the blue of the little girl. AnnaMarie. 

She was a little older than your present-day Emily. The wrinkles by her eyes were a little more prominent, and you spotted a few gray hairs peeking through her bun, but nothing else had really changed. 

The boy smirked, nudging Emily with his shoulder. “You’re just getting slow mommy,” 

“Very funny,” She chuckled, taking a shaky breath when her eyes landed on the grave. 

Your grave. 

“She looks tired,” You muttered. 

“She is,” Your father said cryptically, but you couldn’t pull your eyes away to address him. 

Her bottom lip found its way between her teeth as she pulled a bouquet of roses out from behind her back, passing them to the boy. 

The boy took them gingerly like they were made of glass. 

“Hey Momma,” He said, carefully placing the flowers right in front of your headstone. “We miss you. Mommy put the tree up in the basement this year,” 

“Mama hasn’t come to see it yet,” The little girl said. The boy, Tyler, stood and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “Aunt Kelley says it’s the prettiest tree she’s ever seen,”

You blew out a breath. “What does she mean?” 

“Last Christmas you and Lindsey argued over lights,” Your father said slowly, carefully. Too carefully. “It turned into a fight about how much you detest her favorite holiday. How you refuse to… bend. You walked out, and never came back,” 

“She blames herself,” You filled in easily. 

“She’s struggling,” He agreed. “She can barely find the energy to leave her bed, and when she does, well she’s just not the same. They came close to losing her too, and they’ll come close again tonight,” 

Your entire being froze. 

That couldn’t be true. Lindsey wouldn’t- 

You shook your head, shoving yourself to your feet and turning on your father. “You’re lying to me,” 

He held his hands up in defense, his long chain clinking as he took a step back from you, but you weren’t having it. 

“What? No comment?” You hissed, unbridled anger bubbling in your chest. How dare he try and tell you that Lindsey lost her love for Christmas. That she would ever- you couldn’t even think of the word. 

Your father shook his head, taking another step back, but you took the step with him. You had too much rage. Too much anger to stop. 

“Momma,” The little girl's voice said softly, hesitantly, and it was like an instant balm to your hot rage. 

You couldn’t help but turn back toward it, noticing that Emily and Tyler were already walking back towards where their care should be, kneeling so you were eye level with her. “Yes, baby?” 

“I know you don’t like Christmas,” She started, her little hands shaking as she reached into her puffy pink jacket, pulling out a toy Christmas tree with a little smiling face. “But Mama says no one should be alone. Mr. Tree will keep you company,” 

“Come on Anna,” Tyler called. 

The girl nodded. She placed the tree next to the bouquet, and carefully pushed herself to her feet. “Merry Christmas Momma,” 

With that, she sprinted away. 

“Merry Christmas baby,”

Your words hung in the air, even if you knew no one could hearthem. 

You didn’t care. 

You couldn’t allow this to be the future. You couldn’t allow your kids or Emily to lose you and Lindsey before either of them could even qualify for a u15 tournament. You couldn’t let Lindsey lose her joy. Not like you had lost yours. 

“Take me back,” You demanded, again shoving yourself up and turning to face him, running your sleeve over your wet eyes “Now! This will not be my future,” 

He held his hands up again, the chains hanging heavily from his wrists. “This is your future,” 

“For now!” You yelled back. 

You would not allow it to be your future. You would pretend to love Christmas if you had to, or let Lindsey put up god knows how many lights up if that is what it took. 

“Pretending to like a holiday isn’t enough to change it” “Your father said, equally as forcefully. 

“Then what is?!” You snapped back, desperation clear in your voice. 

You could not let Lindsey face that fate. You couldn’t let Emily lose both of you.

Your father shook his head. “Ebenezer Scrooge’s vice was greed and his greatest fear was being forgotten. Your vice is pain, and your fear is that others will be forced to suffer with you. You have to learn to let them in. Learn that letting them help you isn't a weakness. That letting go isn’t betraying your mother and Tyler,” 

You stepped back as though you had been slapped, but your father wasn’t done. 

“I forced you to suffer not because we shared grief, but because I couldn’t move past mine. Do not make the same mistakes that I did,” His voice shook as he spoke, and it cut straight to your soul. 

The same words Tyler and ghost Kelley had said to you. 

“I-“ The words got stuck in your mouth, even if you weren’t sure exactly what they were. 

“Change,” Your father said seriously, his hand falling heavily on your shoulder and his cloudy eyes piercing into yours. “Your fate deserves better than mine,” 

You swallowed hard, frowning as a familiar tune floated its way through the air. 

Simply having a wonderful Christmas time. 

*******

You sucked in an icy breath as you jerked away, your eyes flying wide as you scrambled to stay upright in your chair. 

“Holy shit,” 

Your voice was little more than a wheeze, and your fingers clawed at your chest in an attempt to slow your racing heart. 

It was all too much. 

“Where the fuck is a ghost now when I need help calming down,” You muttered cynically, glancing around your apartment. 

The 1996 World Cup final rolled across the screen, lighting up your couch and your blanket-covered feet. You could hear the cheer of the crowd, but it didn’t give you the same tingles that walking onto the pitch surrounded by them did, and simply having a wonderful Christmas time blasting from the floor above you. 

You looked to your left, counting the beer bottles. One, two, you paused. Nestled just behind the 3rd was a small, plastic Christmas tree that wasn’t there before. 

The only proof that your night was more than just a beer-induced dream. Proof that it was real. 

You reached for it, turning him over in your hand so his smiling face looked up at you. 

“Hi mister tree,” You said softly, your finger running over his wide smile. It filled you with warmth.“You’re right, no one should be alone on Christmas,” 

You glanced up at the clock, frowning at the bright 9:30 still blinking at you. You were sure it had been midnight when you went to bed. You were sure that… you shook your head. It didn’t matter, not now. 

You opened your phone, calling for an Uber, taking a deep breath. 

You could do this. 

You pushed yourself to your feet, the tree clutched tightly in your hand as you pulled on your jacket, scarf, and hat. 

You still had time to change your fate. 

*****

Your fingers twisted in your beanie as you stood in front of Kelley’s apartment door. 

You had never felt more nervous in your entire life. Not when you were waiting to play the World Cup, or when you were getting ready for your first PK shootout. 

You weren’t sure why you had taken your hat off of your head. You weren’t sure why you were so worked up, but you were. 

You had been invited, even if you turned it down. They were your friends, they wouldn’t shut the door on you, even if that’s what you deserved. 

You closed your eyes letting the soft sounds of you’re a mean one Mr. Grinch wash over you for a long second before slowly lifting your hand and knocking on the door. 

There was a rustle behind the door, the sound of the music turning down, and you couldn’t help but twist your beanie again. 

You had interrupted them. You considered walking away, but you didn’t have time before the door slowly swung open. 

“Speak of the grinch and she shall appear,” You mumbled, shooting the defender a shy smile. “I uh… I wasn’t sure if your invite still stood, but um…” 

“Come on,” Kelley smiled widely at you interrupting your rambling, her hand landing on your shoulder and she squeezed gently. “You’re always invited,” 

You bobbed your head, swallowing hard and allowing her to guide you into the living room. “I uh.. didn’t bring anything for the secret Santa,” 

“Don’t worry about it,” She hummed, taking your coat. “You being here is enough,” 

Her hands still sent a shiver down your spine. A reminder of ghost Kelley, and her harsh words. 

“As long as you’re sure,” You said, showing More vulnerability than you normally would. 

“I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life,” She sent you another soft smile, shaking her head. “Everyone is in the living room. I’ll even get you a-“

“Fireball Manhattan,” You finished, already moving towards the room. 

Her head tilted to the side as she trailed after you. “How did you know that was the surprise drink this year?” 

You shrugged. “Just a hunch,” 

“Good hunch,” She hummed suspiciously. “Look who I found,” 

She gestured towards you as you entered the living room. 

The team paused for a split second as if they couldn’t believe you had actually come before you were being surrounded. 

“Hey, Scrooge does have a heart,” 

“Glad you could come down from mount crumpet,” 

Your cheeks flamed as Christen pulled you into a tight hug and Tobin patted your back. “Lindsey and Em are gonna be so excited,” 

You let the hug go on, glancing for the two aforementioned women. “Where are they?”

“Linds wanted some water,” Christen said, kissing the side of your head, and you wilted slightly. 

That meant that they knew why you didn’t like Christmas. The team had already told them. Lindsey had already gotten upset. 

“Em followed her into the kitchen,” Tobin said, tilting her head towards the door. “Just be careful of hiding mistletoe,” 

You nodded, and Christen patted you towards the kitchen. You waved towards Alex, Megan, Sue and the youngins before pushing your way into the kitchen. 

You knew the scene that you were walking into to. You had already seen it, but that didn’t change how it made your heart clench to see Emily wrapped around Lindsey’s back, her chin resting on her shoulder. 

“Maybe we can head over to her apartment after tomorrow, and bring her Thai food or something. It’ll be like a tradition of our own,”

“I think that sounds amazing,” You answered, leaning on the counter. “Drunken noodles are my favorite,” 

Their heads whipped around to face you, and a breathtaking smile broke across Lindsey’s face.

“You came,”

You shifted uncomfortably against the counter. “my game got kinda boring,” 

Emily hummed, pushing herself off of Lindsey and taking a step towards you. “No other reason?”

Red painted itself across your cheeks, and you scratched the back of your neck. “I uh. I also wanted to make sure the two of you were safe tonight, and I wanted to spend time with you,” 

“You’re cute,” Emily smirked, holding her hands out and pulling you into a careful hug.

You leaned into it, burying your nose in her shoulder before Lindsey pulled you into her instead. 

“We got you a present if you want it,” She said softly into your hair. 

You gulped again. You hadn’t exchanged presents since your mother died. “I didn’t get you guys anything, really. 

Lindsey pulled back, her dimples showing. “You brought you, and that’s all I wanted for Christmas,” 

“I’ll go grab it, you two stay put,” Emily said from behind you, and you heard the sound of the door. 

“I’m not very good at this,” You admitted. 

Lindsey’s smile widened, her dimples getting deeper as she ran a careful thumb over your cheek. “You’re doing alright so far,” 

You nodded, swallowing at the sound of the door and Emily’s warmth returning behind you. She passed a small, thin gift over your shoulder and you took it gingerly, staring down at the bright red paper. 

“This is called a present,” Emily jested. “You’re supposed to rip it open,” 

“I know that,” You mumbled, thumbing the corner of the paper. “I just-“ 

“Just say thank you,” Lindsey said instead, her thumb-stopping the word on your lip. 

You nodded. “Thank you,” 

“You’re welcome,” Lindsey hummed, nudging your cheek with her nose. “Now open it,” 

You nodded, your thumb catching the edge of the paper and slowly tearing it away. Your breath caught at the sight of red and white fabric. It was soft against your fingers and the sight alone was enough to bring tears to your eyes. 

“We know Arsenal is your favorite team,” Emily said slowly.

“So we thought a new beanie might be a good idea,” Lindsey finished, worrying her bottom lip. 

“It’s perfect,” 

It came out of your mouth before you could stop it, watery and vulnerable, but you felt safe nestled between these two women. 

“I um-“ You awkwardly ran your finger over the Arsenal logo of the red and white hat, tracing the little cannon. The same cannon you had given your brother. The same one he had pulled on his head the last time you saw him. “I don’t know a lot about Christmas, but I want to learn if you’re willing to teach me?” 

“Well, our favorite tradition is the mistletoe,” Emily said, and you could hear her smirk in her tone as she pointed towards the ceiling. “Traditionally you kiss when you're under it,” 

You chuckled, tilting your head as Lindsey leaned in and pressed a very soft kiss to your lips. It took your brain a second to catch up, but you reciprocated as soon as you did, leaning into her as she pulled away. Chasing her lips. 

Emily hummed, catching your chin and pulling you away from Lindsey and towards her, connecting your lips. 

“I think I could get used to these traditions,” 

You still weren’t sure exactly where you stood on Christmas, but what you did know was that you wanted these women with you as you figured it out. You wanted to give them everything. You were ready to let them in. 

[doumadono]

JAPAN TRIP - DAYS 17-19

In the past three days, we had a calm and enjoyable time. One entire day was spent exploring Sapporo, and we were lucky enough to visit the remarkable Shiroishi Shrine (白石神社). This shrine is quite special as it is dedicated to a deity associated with competitions, making it the perfect place to seek good fortune in any competitive endeavor. What truly captivated me about this shrine was its enchanting setting. Upon turning to the right of the main shrine and descending the stairs, we discovered a serene garden overlooking a peaceful pond 💟

As part of our Sapporo excursion, we made sure to explore the Odori Park (大通公園１丁目). Known for its tranquil atmosphere, Odori Park is a serene haven. However, it also serves as a versatile venue for Hokkaido's most celebrated seasonal events. From what we learnt, throughout the year, Odori Park hosts a multitude of festivities that showcase the distinct charm of each season. In winter, the park transforms into a magical wonderland for the Snow Festival, where intricate snow sculptures capture the imagination of visitors. During the springtime, the park blossoms with the vibrant Lilac Festival, filling the air with a delightful fragrance. The lively YOSAKOI Soran Festival and beer garden enliven the summer months, drawing people together for energetic performances and refreshing beverages. And as autumn arrives, the park becomes a gathering place for the Autumn Festival, where a diverse array of Hokkaido cuisines tempt the taste buds of eager attendees 🌹

Excitement fills the air as we make preparations for our upcoming weekend trip to Kyoto ❤️

[wigglesdtuff]

In celebration of her birthday: any Robin hcs?

OH YES!!!

I love thinking about her and I STILL HAVE SOME TIME BEFORE IT'S NOT HER BIRTHDAY!

These are random because I'm trying to remember the ones I've talked to my friends about. I've never actually listed out headcanons before LOL

I think that (starting in Skypiea after Sanji gave her that flower) she presses flowers/flora from all the different islands they visit, much like how Nami keeps a detailed log.

My friends and I have joked that she texts like she is writing a very formal email and I just think that would be very charming. (Like she starts a casual text with a "Dear Franky," and everyone just goes along with it because it's endearing).

Okay this one is anime only, but I like to think that she started drawing after she met and grew attached to Soran from her time in Tequila Wolf since we don't see her draw until after the time skip. I think she drew some of the crew when she was missing them a lot during their two year separation. Now she keeps doing it because it's a fun little hobby! She and Usopp bond over it like they do gardening!

You can find my ramblings and theories for Robin and Luffy being siblings here. I just think they spend a lot of time together in their down time, she's very endeared by her peculiar little captain. He lets her steal his hat sometimes or she will absolutely play keep-away with it to keep him entertained if necessary for the crew.

Less of a headcanon and more just something that's true, but I think about it a lot, is that she absolutely still has bangs after the timeskip they are just grown out/pulled back (she has them sideswept in several color spreads and in Dressrosa). The headcanon part is that I think she did this to try and change up her appearance to avoid immediate detection (her bangs are prominent in both of her pre-ts wanted posters), though this is rendered moot upon her post-Dressrosa poster.

I think she absolutely still Dereshishishishi's as an adult when she's distressed, we just don't see it because the Straw Hats bring her so much genuine joy she's rarely down for long. I imagine she has bad days that we don't see, though.

Supposing Frobin is real and true like it is, I think that she gravitates toward him because he is so good at genuinely making her laugh (on top of his kindness and all of his many positive qualities) and he reminds her of Saul. Even in a non-shipping sense, I think that he and the other Straw Hats embody that "laughing brings you joy" that Saul was all about, and that's neat (again not really a HC, just a thing I like).

I think after Long Ring Long Land she enjoys skating and I think that they should go to a roller rink, it would be fun. I'm right about this one and Oda/Toei should listen to me.

IF there was an in-universe equivalent of The Lord of the Rings, she would be the biggest fan and know every piece of lore possible. Chopper has absolutely heard everything about it at least twice - happily!

Brook is to Robin as Usopp is to Nami, except Robin goes really hard on the "playful meanness." Brook is fine with this, I imagine. They are simply besties.

She's into the drama. She loves to hear the gossip, but is rarely involved. Yes she will eavesdrop. Yes she will stir the pot.

She pranks with the best of them, she's just harder to catch!

Robin likes to thrift shop rather than buy brand name stuff because she likes the idea that the clothes and things have a story. This will explain her many eclectic fashion choices, but she still manages to slay. Nami prefers the name brand stuff because now they can afford it. She and Nami have a lot of fun dressing the crew.

A lot of characters go to her when they're sad (to which she appreciates feeling needed/wanted) and she is like the best at comforting since it's something she had to do for herself for so long! Alternatively, she could also be really bad at it and is too morbid for some. It depends on the situation.

She is very touch starved - not in a romantic or sensual sense either, she just very much relies on touch based on the nature of her powers (she can feel everything, but rarely is it like. a fun time). So she likes genuine contact from others (hugs, handshakes, high fives, sitting close, etc) but does not know how to initiate a lot of the time so she ends up not always getting the affection she craves BUT as she opens up more I imagine she'd be able to communicate that with others (especially Franky!)

Confirmed secret theater kid. Absolutely can sing and will sing, but it's rare. Brook and her often duet.

OKAY I did not intend to keep writing but it was too much fun to think about!

I could probably come up with some more, but alas! Happy birthday Nico Robin, truly the character of ever.

[vanillafalvoredcoffee]

Okay but how do you think she would sound like an either dub or sub

Oh! Uhhh..

I think she'll have Sorane's voice on sub from this clip!

And for dub I imagine her having Kurugaya's voice (though...I imagine her having a slightly more softer voice)

[redr0sewrites]

Any the dragon prince imagines on the way?

I know you have it please i need my Soran fix?!

this is the fifth time i've received this question in the past 2 weeks alone, and i've tried to be kind before, but i really don't know how else to phrase this at this point. i have mutiple tdp wips on their way, and i hate having to repeatedly answer this question. idk if its just difficult for me to read tones online or whatever, but people repeatedly asking ab tdp and tdp fics are starting to become rude and demanding. whenever i write for a fandom other than tdp i always get people suddenly rushing to my inbox and asking ab when my next tdp fic is gonna come out, and honestly, i really don't know. its so irritating bc, shocker, i have interests other than tdp!!! i love writing for the dragon prince and i love writing fics, but honestly some of yall r so demanding when it comes to requests.

also, the way ur asking is just plain rude. coming into my inbox on anon and demanding i write a request is just so immature, and the "i know u have it"???? if i had it done, wouldn't i have posted it already?? im trying to be as nice as possible but please stop asking this question and please stop being demanding in my inbox. im working on reqs as fast as i can, and tdp isn't the only thing im writing for. be more patient, and honestly, if u want a soren fic so bad, just write it urself instead of coming into authors' inboxs and begging.

[babiejongdae]

11/19/22 - CHEN LAST SCENE VIDEO CALL EVENT (SoundWave)

CHEN: “So that our soondingies will like it, I’ll try to take a selfie with this pose next time~” 

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

Op: you said you like cola zero, from which company do you like? 

CHEN: I like both! But usually I drink coca cola when I am eating [something], but pepsi when I just want to drink!

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

A video of CHEN singing Traveler at the fansign: https://twitter.com/babiejongdae/status/1593867987790204928?s=20&t=VrL9TipLOgUivY2Kh8-i4w 

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

Op: do you perhaps know “Event Horizon” by Younha? 

CHEN: of course I do~ 

Op: can you sing one verse? 

CHEN: I’m sorry, I wasn’t able to memorize the lyrics & melody :( 

Op: then please upload it on chentube next time! 

CHEN: yes thank you~

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

Op: If someone tells me to stop liking chen in exchange for 5 billion won, what should I do? 

CHEN: wow, can’t you take 5B right away? Hehe 

Op: kidding~ I can never not like chen~ 

CHEN: it’s just an imagination between us, but if someone says that they’ll give you 50B, get it right away!

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

Op: what webtoon do you enjoy reading these days? 

CHEN: I stopped reading them~~ <_> I stopped~~

[WATCH him saying this in the cutest way here: https://twitter.com/babiejongdae/status/1593875516842704899?s=20&t=VrL9TipLOgUivY2Kh8-i4w]

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

Op: what is your favorite kimbap? 

CHEN: tuna kimbap! ‘w’

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

Op: do you know “life’s four cuts?” (TN: trending 4 photo strip in korea) chen

CHEN: yes I do~ the sticker pictures~

Op: this is your 3rd fansign and you have learned a lot of popular poses, please choose 4 poses for Jongdae’s four cuts! Then I’ll follow you exactly the same!

CHEN: 

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

Op: Jongdae you look like pikachu! So let’s do a chen-kachu challenge! 

CHEN: how do I do this? 

Op: just do the same [as the picture]! 

CHEN: 

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

Op: you did a lot of radio schedule for this album promotion, are there any more left? 

CHEN: none.. 

Op: you forgot something.. 10ran Night radio.. can you positively think about appearing on it? (TN: 10ran night is a radio show by Jongdae’s  hyungs: 10cm’s Kwon Jungyeol & Soran’s Go Youngbae! Jongdae appeared there before for DMD promotions)

*op forgot Jongdae’s reaction but it was positive!!*

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

CHEN said he wants to sing “Best Luck” as the opening song for his solo concert because he wants to start the concert with a bright atmosphere/mood!

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

Op: what are your future plans for chentube? 

CHEN: chentube? song covers? for now, honestly, while preparing for the album, there are a few songs in this album that I [already] did, and for future plans, I’m planning to select one song that our soondingies would like, by getting votes, and I have plans to upload it at the end, but I don’t know what will happen <_>

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

Before ending the call, Op & CHEN hurriedly played rock scissor paper (the loser will be the winner and will be granted a wish) and op lost the game but won a wish from Jongdae! 

Op: you have to grant my wish!! 

CHEN: what is it?

Op: for your next album bside or for [your] youtube, I wish there was a rock song or a rock ballad song~ 

CHEN: G!! I’d love to (x3) 

Op: please surely grant [my wish]! 

CHEN: [you can] look forward to it! I’m surely promising it!

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

CHEN doing the “recreate childhood photos” challenge:

[unbecomingsposting]

hi hello better with you (5, 6, 9, 10)

let me down easy (1, 3, 4, 11)

false alarm (4, 5, 10)

xoxo your friend @serviir

Better With You

What part was hardest to write? Oh man. I think any conversation that either of them ever has with someone other than each other is always impossible with soran, for me. Like having to write sonny talking about lindsey at all, to anyone, including kelley, is so painful to write, idk why. probs bc she would rather die lmao

What makes this fic special or different from all your other fics? i think this is one of the only soran fics ive written besides the established relationship ones where a lindsey sexuality crisis is not even remotely involved which makes it different and imo better in some ways

Were there any alternate versions of this fic? no i don't think so. there usually aren't alternate versions of my fics in general i end up writing exactly (more or less) what i said i was going to. it flickers being the biggest, hugest exception lol

Why did you choose this pairing for this particular story? bc they're stupid enough to 1) break their brains thru mutual masturbation and 2) communicate about their hookups via tinder instead of just fucking texting each other. rose is too direct for that i think in this context where they'd already have gotten off in the same room. and kelley certainly is lol

Let Me Down Easy

What inspired you to write the fic this way? I wanted to write like as close to what I could imagine could be a semi-realistic story of them hooking up in France during the 2019 wc and like...figuring it out

What’s your favorite line of narration? Emily wants to stand on a podium with Lindsey in Tokyo more than she wants Lindsey to love her back.

What’s your favorite line of dialogue?

“Are you gonna kiss me?” Emily asks stupidly, and Lindsey freezes.

“Um,” Lindsey says, “I was gonna try.”

What do you like best about this fic? i like kelley in this fic a lot lmao. i also really like the confession scene at providence park

False Alarm

What’s your favorite line of dialogue? this made me realize there's like. no dialogue in this fic? lmao. anyway:

“Can I kiss you?” Lindsey asks.

It’s so simple. A question either of them could have asked in France, in New York, in Hawaii, countless times in Portland or on the road.

Emily doesn’t say yes. She says, “I want you to.”

What part was hardest to write? the end, as you know i never like the ending of any fic i write, with it flickers once again being an exception lmao

Why did you choose this pairing for this particular story? i wanted to write the soran story more comprehensively than i had, taking lindsey's ex, sweden, utah, etc. into account

[dasozelotvonnebenan]

OK so here's my own thoughts.

I should preface this by saying that I am one of those "the game world is representative in style not in scale people". In my imagination Tyria is much bigger than seen in game. (I know this a common view but I feel it should be noted nonetheless)

Also they are not in any particular order

Divinity's Reach:

~150.000 Going off medieval London at an (extrapolated black-death-less) 1450 because the bridges with houses on them remind me of DR. Healing magic and Alchemy probably make for more disease resistant cities and drastically lower child mortality, but food supply has been the constraining factor for most of real life human history and that seems to be not meaningfully enhanced by magic. Could see it being like 50% more on account of being the city everyone flees to

The Grove:

~25.000 Based on an estimate of 30 sylvari awakening each day for the past 21 years (I know, quite an arbitrary number.) This would be about 10% of them. Their curiosity, adventurous spirit and wyld hunts tend to draw them out of the Grove and into the world so I feel safe in the estimate that it wouldn't be a larger percentage than that. You could easily push the numbers up on how many sylvari awaken daily and make the percentage smaller. (For reference Berlin only holds ~2.5% of Germany's population, so there really is room for playing with the numbers)

Hoelbrak:

~5.000 Fluctuates extremely with the seasons and peaks whenever Knut throws a big alemoot. A lot of Norn houses both in Hoelbrak (and at other steadings) are actually tents, and many of the people in Hoelbrak are visitors to the Great Halls and not permanent residents. We see very little agriculture and livestock around Hoelbrak, and hunting can not support dense populations. Dolyaks seem capable of grazing under snow but it still wouldn't surprise me if some amount of vertical transhumance (moving livestock between pastures higher and lower on the mountain with the seasons) occurs in the region adding to the seasonal fluctuation.

Rata Sum:

~50.000 We are getting to the ones that are harder to pin down. There is once again not much agriculture around, but asura seem to eat fish a lot and Rata Sum does have a significant harbor. We don't really see a lot of asura living spaces even outside Rata Sum that are not "a hammock in a lab" or "a tent in a lab", so it's hard to extrapolate the actual population density. Additionally gates make commuting into the city plausible, which I think NPCs in Soran Draa also imply? I definitely don't think the whole cube is completely hollow. I like the idea that the city was summoned as a solid block and then carved into.

Black Citadel:

100.000 Really just going off of vibes here. Feels like it should be smaller than DR but needs to be big enough to support the war industry. Too lazy to research how military impacts population with deployment and all (tho I guess considering they are fighting two and a half wars at the point we see ascalon in the game and one of them is against ghosts that will never lose there isn't really a non-deployment state)

Lions Arch:

70.000 Considering it had to start from basically zero after Zaithan woke up that's not so bad. I just think it should be smaller than DR or BC. It just has an outsized influence due to its control major trade routes.

Hey friends, I'm really curious, reblog this and tell me what you think the population numbers of the cities in the game are. You are highly encouraged to go into details about your thought process

[dimitrescus-bitch]

Tease Me, Please Me (Lindsey Horan x Emily Sonnett x Reader)

Smut.

You stood by the doorway staring at Lindsey. Emily had tied her up sometime before the two of you had went out on your date. Lindsey looked so perfect laying on the bed. She was still awake and every so often you’d hear her whimper or try to twist around in the bed. Emily walked up behind you and pushed you further into the room.

“You’ve been a good girl Lindsey,” Emily said and Lindsey’s head snapped over in your direction. The blindfold was a nice touch on your part. Emily flicked the lights all the way on and then walked over to Lindsey. She leaned down by the bed and slowly removed Lindsey’s blindfold. “Did you miss me?”

“Right now, I kinda want to kill you,” Lindsey said and Emily scoffed at her.

“That wasn’t very nice, I think you need to be taught a lesson,” Emily said and Lindsey whined. Emily turned to you and motioned for you to join them by the bed. You watched Emily get up and sit in between Lindsey’s legs. She leaned down close enough to let her breath touch the inside of Lindsey’s thighs, but nothing else. Lindsey began to twist under Emily’s touch and that was when you came in.

You kissed her and made sure to do all of the little things that you remembered drove her crazy. Whenever Lindsey tried to get more from you, you’d pull back. Finally, she began to understand what was happening and she’d let you be the one to decide how much she got out of your encounter. You broke the kiss to join Emily in covering her body in the lightest of touches that either of you could possibly muster.

“Please, I want more,” Lindsey moaned and she was really starting to sound desperate. Emily was smirking behind you. She pulled you away from Lindsey and began to make out with you right in front of the tied up blonde. Lindsey whined and writhed beside you. “Please I’ll be nice, I promise.”

“Quiet,” Emily commanded and Lindsey shut her mouth. She was being very obedient and you could see how that pleased Emily. “Once Y/n and I have had our fun, we’ll let you have yours. However, I want you to be on your best behavior.”

“I will, I promise.” Emily nodded in satisfaction with Lindsey’s reply before she turned her entire attention over to you. Emily didn’t bother with teasing you as she stripped you out of your clothing. You were slower in your undressing of her. You liked savoring the moment, no matter what else was going on. Emily pinned you to the bed next to Lindsey and settled herself between your legs. Emily’s tongue was truly a gift sent from heaven.

“Fuck Em,” you moaned and Emily pushed two fingers inside of you. She moved them at a fast pace, but she wasn’t too rough with you. Both of you knew that you’d need to work fast or else Lindsey would actually lose her mind. You turned your head to stare Lindsey directly in the eyes as you came. Once you had regained most of your ability to think straight, you had Emily in your arms.

You were a bit slower and you knew that Emily wasn’t looking at you the entire time. Normally, that would bother you, but tonight was, despite how the two of you were withholding giving her what she wanted, about Lindsey. You slid two fingers into Emily and kept your mouth on the side of her neck. Your palm brushed against Emily’s clit as you  slowly fucked her. Emily’s grip on your arms tightened whenever she got close and you gave her the bit more of pressure that she needed to come undone.

Emily slid off of your lap and straddled Lindsey. You crawled so that you were in between her legs and you lowered your head down to give small licks between her folds. You weren’t paying attention to what Emily was doing, but you knew that it was affecting Lindsey greatly. You barely put any pressure behind the strokes of your tongue so that it would bring Lindsey close to the edge, but never be enough to actually toss her over.

“Please, I need more. Y/n, please,” Lindsey begged you and you glanced up at Emily. She nodded and you went right back to what you were doing, but you slowly built up to more. Lindsey’s thighs trembled and then her entire body stilled. You could hear Emily muttering things to Lindsey as you licked down from her orgasm. Emily switched places with you and you held Lindsey’s head in your lap as Emily’s tongue and fingers brought her to another one. You undid Lindsey’s restraints and then the three of you curled up in bed together. Lindsey was out like a light and both you and Emily quickly followed suit.

[that-soccer-guru]

didn't even question how anon knew sonnett didn't have tumblr,,,, seems a little sus 🤔 is it because YOU are sonnett and didn't want your cover blown ?

[13uswntimagines]

My Queen (Soran X Royal!Reader)

Request: Emily X Lindsey X R where r is royal but doesn’t want to be. 

Author’s note: Hey dudes, this was super fun to write. Anything in Italics is Valaryan. Also let me know if you want a sequel or if you have a request. Getting asks really makes my day. Enjoy.

It was a very… weird experience. 

To be back in the place you had spent so long running from. To be touring the place where you had spent your childhood with your friends who didn’t know you had spent your childhood here. 

You would have much preferred to spend your day basking in the island sun at the pool with the team and your girlfriends, but you had been outvoted. 

Plus you never could say no to the twin blue eyes that had your heart. 

So here you were, staying at the back of the pack for a castle tour you didn’t want to be on, listening to some teen spout off facts about the family the team didn’t know you had. 

Most of the team at least. 

You would always be grateful to Kelley and Alex for letting you crash on their couch for months. 

“And this is the family wing,” The girl leading you through the castle said as you passed through an overly ornate set of double doors. “Currently it is home to the King, Queen, and Prince. It also houses a hall devoted to the Princess, though she is not currently a resident.” 

You wrinkled your nose at the solid door, perfect except for a tiny dent just above the handle. 

When you were 10 you had broken your nose on the damn thing chasing after your older brother. At least it wasn’t as bad as the time you had fallen off the balcony sword fighting with him. 

You smiled ruefully at the little imperfection. 

“Hey, you ok?” Lindsey’s voice asked, just as a comforting arm was wrapped around your shoulder. You intinstintually leaned into your taller girlfriend. “Yeah, I’m good. Just tired,”

Lindsey frowned, her eyebrows furrowing. You had been weird since they had stepped off the plane. You were quiet, barely catching smiles at Emily’s attempts to cheer you up. 

“You sure? You seem kinda out of it?” She pressed, gently pulling you closer to her, trying to see what you were staring at so intently. 

You shifted against her, dragging your eyes away from the ding in the door to meet her blue.“Yeah, I'm ok,”  

“You know we’re here for you,” She asked you seriously, kissing your forehead. 

You nodded once, leaning up so she could kiss her lips. “I know,” 

“You two are going to get left behind,” Emily called, shooting Lindsey a worried look. She didn’t like how in your head you were, and how you wouldn’t let them help you. 

“We better catch up before we get lost,” Lindsey hummed, giving you one last squeeze, leaning in conspiratorially. “or attract the attention of a knight or something,” 

You rolled your eyes. You had already done that once. You pushed off Lindsey and headed towards Emily. She immediately pressed a kiss of her own to your lips. 

“You sure you’re good?” She asked Very softly against your lips. 

You sighed, pulling away. “Yeah, I’m good,” 

She opened her mouth like she wanted to say more, but the annoying voice of your tour guide cut her off. 

“Let’s hurry along. The guards get fussy when we get too spaced out,” 

“Why doesn’t the princess live here?” Sophia questioned curiously, her head tilting to the side. “I would never be able to leave a place like this behind,” 

“I’m really not supposed to say,” The tour guide smirked, pausing in front of the doorway that led to the princesses hallway. “But rumor has it, there was a bit of a family rift, and she chose to leave the country instead of marrying the prince to our sister island,” 

“She ran away?” Sam’s voice was dumbfounded. 

“Left through a balcony. A shame since she was next in line for the throne,” The tour guide said, her voice dripping with false sympathy. 

“But isn’t her brother older?” Mal chimed in, her head tilting to the side, “Wouldn’t he be next in line?” 

The tour guide schooled her head, leaning closer to her very captive audience. “Since her mother is the king's most recent wife, she is the rightful air to the throne,” she glanced behind her. “I’m not supposed to, but I’ll show you the balcony she’s said to have left from,”  

She gestured for them to follow her through a hall you knew didn’t lead towards your old room. 

You rolled your eyes, wrapping a hand around Emily’s wrist before she could follow the group and catching the back of Lindsey’s shirt as you turned down a different hallway.

You knew the way like the back of your hand. Two rights then a left. Easy. 

“Where are we going?” Emily asked, tugging on your wrist. “We’re supposed to stay with the group,” 

“I don’t want to get banned from playing,” Lindsey added with a grumbled, slightly excited to see you this animated.“Or arrested,” 

“We won’t get arrested,” You rolled your eyes. Security wouldn’t arrest you, you knew that. Plus you had a secret weapon. “I know a view that is about a million times better that isn’t a misguided attempt to suck tips out of our friends,” 

“Y/n,” Lindsey hissed, as you dragged them forward, pausing to hide behind a wall as a group of men passed you. 

“Shh, we’re almost there,” You mumbled, peering around the corner and beginning to drag them to the place you wanted to show them. 

It only took you three more turns to find the glass doorway you were looking for. 

You paused in front of the stained glass, the bright reds and greens sending you back to childhood mornings sneaking through the colored lights to have breakfast on the garden terrace. 

You reached out to push down the hidden handle, frowning when you were met with a thud instead of the door swinging open before you. You pushed the handle again, only to be met with the same result. 

“It’s locked,” You mumbled, dumbfounded. It was never locked when you were a kid. 

You sighed, moving the glass panel to the right of the hidden handle, revealing a small keypad. 

“Y/n this isn’t mission impossible, we’re going to get arrested,” Lindsey grumbled, grabbing your hand so you couldn’t start punching in numbers. 

You rolled your eyes, pulling away from her. You knew the code. At least you were pretty sure you did. 

“We’re not-,” 

Footsteps stopped your train of thought, as did a voice you hadn’t heard in nearly 8 years. 

“Can I help you with something,” Lexa asked, her tone reminding you of the many conversations you had had about being safe. 

You couldn’t help but look up at the voice, your Y/e/c meeting her green. Her pause was the only inclination that she knew exactly who you were.

“This area is unavailable to castle guests,” She finished slowly. 

“Y/n was just looking for a bathroom, and we got turned around,” Emily said too quickly, but your eyes remained locked with your old bodyguards. 

“I want to go out onto the garden terrace,” You said as if your girlfriend hadn’t spoken. 

Lexa raised an eyebrow at you. “Turned around? Tour groups don’t travel the residential halls,” 

“I’m sorry, we saw it from the street and she’s a bit much to handle sometimes,” Lindsey rushed to explain. 

Lexa’s eyes tightened, and you could see the struggle. You had been made. 

You matched her stone-faced expression, biting your lip before uttering the one word that would always get you out of trouble. 

“Algernon,” 

Lexa nodded once in acknowledgment of the safe word she had drilled into your head when you were young. 

Her eyes followed the way your body went rigid at the admission. One she understood, but the two women you were with clearly did not. 

“I think we can make an exception for the world's best soccer players,” She hummed, stepping around you to punch in the codes. “But you may only stay for a few minutes. I’ll have one of my team escort you back to your group,” 

You grabbed Lindsey and Emily’s hands, dragging them forward. “Let me show you the best view in the city,” 

*******

You stopped the ball with an annoyed sigh. 

Going to the castle had been bad enough. Then you had to dodge your girlfriend's questions, and Now you had to listen to your teammate's gossip about the princess. 

God, you hated that the tour guide had tried to explain the lines of succession to them. That she had tried to walk them through how your older brother couldn’t become king without you there because technically you were the next person in line. 

He could but he was just being a pain in the ass about tradition or whatever. 

You loved your friends, but they were too nosey, especially when they didn’t even know the person they were talking about. 

That plus your girlfriends suspicious states had you on edge. 

There was a reason you hadn’t told them yet. 

“She ran away from controlling an entire country,” Sophia scoffed, “What kind of person just Surks that kind of responsibility?”

You rolled your eyes. 

The kind that doesn’t want to be suffocated by rules and forced to marry some random prince. 

“What kind of person walks away from literally having everything at their beck and call,” Mal countered, gesturing for you to tap her the ball. 

“Maybe she didn’t want to deal with all the expectations that go with it?” You suggested, pulling off an elastico around Emily to pass Mal the ball. 

Your fellow forward scoffed. “Come on Y/n, you can’t tell me you’ve never thought about what it would be like to be a royal,” 

Suffocating you thought snidely 

“Too many diamonds for me. Too pompous. I’ll stick with soccer, thank you,”

The team paused around you, seemingly considering your words. 

“There are no sweats days for royals,” You continued. “No pajama days where you don’t get out of bed,” 

“Yeah, that would suck,” Emily nodded, glancing at you with a look you couldn’t decipher. 

 “So would your parents trying to set you up with some random dude you had never met before to establish some trade routes or whatever,” Lindsey added, using her foot to tap the ball out from between your legs. “I’d stick with soccer too,” 

Your chest swelled a bit at the support, even if they didn’t know exactly what they were supporting. 

“Nah losers, I’d be queen,” Sophia said in a pompous tone, tilting her nose up. “And you’d all be my serfs,” 

You couldn’t help but crack a smile at her, feeling lighter than you had since you landed as your friends giggled around you. 

It made you believe, not for the first time, that nothing would change between you all if you told them exactly who you were. 

But would your girlfriends still love you if you came clean? 

“Alright ladies, let’s get into formation for crossing drills,” Vlatko clapped, drawing you all out of the moment. “I want forwards up top, Press, Pino, Kristie, and Rose alternating services,” 

“Y/n,” He said, catching you as you walked past. Lindsey paused with you, glaring at the coach. (They never would forgive him for Japan). “you have a visitor,”

He pointed in the direction of the tunnel, and you caught the edge of a familiar uniform. 

“Go, I’ll be there in a second,” You grumbled, putting Lindsey’s arm. “Score a goal on Em for me,”

She gave you a hesitant nod and pay to your lower back before running off. 

You took a deep breath, squared your shoulders, and headed for the tunnel, hoping it was only Lexa who had come to annoy you.

As you stepped off the field and saw the line of security, you knew you hadn’t been that lucky. 

You sighed when you saw him. His hair slicked back, standing in a simple t-shirt and jeans, chatting with one of his many guards. There was your brother in all his glory. 

“What are you doing here?” You scowled at his back. 

He paused mid-word, very slowly turning. The smile on his face was blinding, and he opened his arms as if he expected you to actually hug him. “Hello to you too,” 

You crossed your arms across your chest. “I have practice, what do you want?” 

Your family had never shown any interest in your love of soccer, so why had he come here? Why had he appeared in front of your chosen family? 

He chuckled, dropping his arms. “Is that any way to greet me after 8 years?”

“Yes, There’s a reason why we haven’t spoken,” You said too quietly, looking away from him. 

He sighed, stepping towards you and tilting your chin up. 

You could see the truth, the regret for how that night played out in his eyes. 

“And I came today in hopes of changing that,” 

*****

Lindsey’s eyes followed you as you disappeared down the tunnel, a frown firmly set on her face. 

You had never been the most… emotionally open person, but she thought they had long since worked past the times you used to hide the things that were bothering you from them. 

Apparently, she was wrong. 

She could see it in every move you made. Every little thing you did since you all had landed in this damn country. 

She sighed. 

“You noticed it too, right?” Emily asked softly, wrapping an arm around her shoulder and matching her gaze. 

“Yes,” Lindsey breathed out, leaning into the slightly shorter defender. 

Emily hummed. “Do we know what secret person pulled her from practice?” 

Lindsey ran a frustrated hand through her hair. “No. But I saw the security from earlier in the tunnel,” 

Emily nodded. 

“Think she’ll tell us?”

Emily’s head tilted at the question, and Lindsey’s lips pursed as her eyebrows furrowed. 

“Eventually,” Lindsey said thoughtfully. It was better to let you work through whatever and come to them in your own time. “You know she doesn’t do well when we pressure her,”

“No.” Emily agreed, watching the movement in the shadows of the tunnel. She didn’t like that whoever had come to talk to you had separated you from the team. “All we can do is be there for her,” 

Her eyes hardened as she saw the flash of a shoulder, and she knew her decision was made. 

“Where are you going?” Lindsey’s hand caught her arm as she stepped towards the tunnel. 

“To be there for her. Whether she wants me or not,” Emily said, her chin tilted high as she pulled her arm away. 

She wouldn’t let you face whatever you were facing alone. 

*****

“I have responsibilities. I can’t just leave,” You hissed, glaring at your brother. “You don’t need me to physically be there anyway. I signed the damn paperwork,” 

“I know, but I want you there,” He said, his voice edging on pleading, his y/e/c eyes boring into your own as he carefully grabbed your shoulder. “You are my last living relative,” 

You looked away, unable to hold his gaze, noticing the flash of a training jersey behind him. 

“Father was clear when he kicked me out,” 

His eyebrows furrowed at the use of your native tongue. He followed your gaze, also catching a flash of blonde, wondering if it was one of the women you had risked everything to show your favorite space in the castle. 

“Father was too afraid. I am not. You are my sister, whether you want to bed a king or a queen” He said, turning back towards you. “Why are we speaking valerian?” 

“I have my queens,” You grumbled, ignoring his question. 

You didn’t want wandering ears dropping in. The team loved you, not for your name and title, but for who you were. You weren’t ready to give that up. 

“And you are free to bring them to my wedding as well,” He nodded, waving his hand. 

Emily edged her way closer. 

You shook your head, both to her and to the man in front of you. “I gave up my rights to the throne. You don't need me to proclaim it,” 

You spat the last part, thinking it atrocious that you had to give your brother permission to marry the girl he loved because it would make him king. 

“I want you there because you are my sister, and I love you,” He said exasperatedly, his hand cupping your chin. “I don’t have an ulterior motive,” 

You pulled your chin out of his grasp, holding your hand out to stop the guards from stopping Emily.

 “I have a game,”

You stepped around your brother, and towards your girlfriend. You wrapped an arm around her as soon as you were close enough. “I do not wish to be a part of this. Do not come here again,” 

You turned Emily around, sending a nod to Lexa before beginning to leave the tunnel and the conversation. 

“I’ll send over your outfit. Whether you wear it is completely up to you,” 

You barely paused at the call after you. You wouldn’t accept his gift anyway. 

****

“I didn’t know you spoke another language,” Emily said softly, placing a kiss on the underside of your chin. 

You hummed, pulling her and Lindsey closer to you. 

It was the most relaxed you had been, laying with your girls in your hotel room, watching movies. You knew they wanted answers, but they hadn’t pushed for them yet. 

“Here, Valyrian is the common language. I grew up speaking both it and English,” You explained, running your fingers up and down Emily’s back under her shirt. “Took me forever to actually talk,”

“Why?” Lindsey asked, tilting her head in your chest so she could look at you while you answered. 

“I was thinking in two languages. It was hard to remember which words were which,” You said, staring up at the ceiling. 

“And the man you were talking to?” She pressed, as Emily kissed the underside of your jaw again. 

You let out a long breath, closing your eyes. 

“He’s my brother,”

The words felt heavy on your tongue, like an omission you should have shared before. 

“He had a lot of security,” Emily hummed, asking the real question without actually asking it. 

She was giving you an out, and you loved them both for it. For not pushing you, even though you knew they wanted you to. 

You let out another breath, but a knock at the door interrupted you. 

Saved by the bell. 

You very carefully extracted yourself from your girlfriends, ignoring their looks. 

You knew what was at the door, and you didn’t want them to be the ones to face your brother if he had decided to deliver it himself. 

You slowly opened the door, letting out a breath you didn’t know you were holding when you saw it was just his squire and one of the king's guards. 

“I’m sorry to disturb you, but the king was insistent that I deliver this to your hands only,” He rushed out, rocking on his toes and gesturing towards a golden bag with red lining, and a matching hatbox. 

You didn’t want to think about what they held. The regalia that you had run away from. 

“It's fine, I know how my brother is,” You hummed, hoping to set the boy at ease. This wasn’t his fault. 

He nodded once, rocking again, “He also requested I ask if you need outfits for your companions. He wasn’t sure what style they would prefer,” 

You compressed your lips, biting back a vicious comment. While the thought of your brother taking you… partners into consideration was good, but his complete bullheadedness was infuriating. 

“Tell him thank you, but no. We will not be attending his wedding,” You said, your voice tight and tense. 

The squire looked away uncomfortably. “He specified that I was not to leave until you agreed to attend,” 

You sighed, waving a hand. “Return with my condolences. Explain I didn’t wish for you to be left in the hall all night,” 

He shook his head. “I’m afraid I can not. I shall wait until you change your mind. Please at least take his gift,”

He shook the bag again. 

“If you please.” You frowned, glancing down the hallway. Your teammates would be suspicious of the boy, but you knew he wouldn’t say more than that he was here for you. Your brother was very particular about privacy. “If you get hungry, or thirsty, let me know. I don’t want you to be uncomfortable,” 

The squire nodded, holding out a gold back and accompanying hatbox. 

You took the box and garment bag from the young man, rolling your eyes when he bowed. Still, you didn’t have the heart to close the door on him until he returned to his full height. 

You closed the door on him, unwilling to slam it while he was still in his bow. 

You didn’t like people bowing to you. It made you feel pompous and you wanted nothing to do with it. 

You sighed heavily, laying the bag on one of the chairs in the room and placing the box on the table next to it. You ran a hand through your hair, shaking your head. 

You didn’t understand why he didn’t understand. 

“What is that?” Lindsey asked gently, very carefully pulling you towards where she was sitting on the end of the bed, 

You let her pull you into her arms, tucking your nose against her neck and pulling you so you were sitting on the bed between them. “My brother being overbearing,” 

“But what is it?” Emily pressed, kissing behind your ear as she wrapped her arms around you both. 

“Take a look if you want,” You waved a hand in the direction of the bag and box as if it offended you because it did. 

It represented something you fundamentally hated. An expectation that you despised. You didn’t wear dresses or do what a good princess would, and you hated having it tossed in your face. 

You hated that for your family to love you, you had to put on a pompous outfit and live up to pompous rules. 

You felt Emily get up, and you couldn’t help but peek out of Lindsey’s neck as she approached the gold bag. 

She very slowly unzipped the bag, revealing the red, velvety material underneath it. 

Her fingers grazed over the metals on the left collar, a uswnt pin settled amongst the rest of the Royal honors you technically held. 

“You’re the princess,” Emily said matter-of-factly. 

You gulped. 

“I was,” You said, your voice horse. “I’m not a princess anymore,” 

You didn't want them to hate you. 

Emily was instantly back at your side, as both of your girlfriends began to rub you back. 

“The attendant seemed to convince the team that you walked away from it all,” Lindsey prompted gently, as both women tried to comfort you. 

You scoffed, shaking your head. “I didn’t walk away. My father kicked me out when he found out I had no intention of marrying a prince somewhere,” 

“How did he find out?” Emily asked you, kissing your ear. 

You couldn't help but chuckle at the memory. “It’s cliche,” 

Lindsey pulled back enough to raise her eyebrow at you, “hot stable girl?”

You shook your head smirking, “No. Hot knight,” 

Both girls laughed with you, it was just so… cliche. That was the only word for it. 

“The one we met?” Lindsey questioned. 

“No. The one you met is Lexa. She was my full-time guard. She’s married to one of the healers, Clarke,” You explained, still smiling. “I was with her trainee Quinn. My brother walked in on us. I’m not into brunettes,” 

“So he kicked you out,” Lindsey supplied, putting the dots together. 

“My brother ratted me out,” You nodded. “So the king gave me enough time to get accepted into a college in the United States before signing the decree expunging me from the family record,”

You didn’t miss the way Lindsey’s eyebrows pulled together, or the little growl that left Emily’s lips. 

“So what does your brother want now?” Emily ground out. 

“He has a convoluted idea that we could be a family again. That the people would be ok with me going to his wedding,” You grumbled, shaking your head yet again. 

“That’s why he sent the outfit,” Emily muttered, and Lindsey added a “And visited you at practice,” 

Guilt bubbled up in your chest as they worked through your strange visit to your home country. 

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. I just wasn’t sure how to tell you,” You said softly, closing your eyes, waiting for them to finally direct their anger at you. 

You knew how they felt about lying, and you had lied to them. This was a part of yourself you never wanted to have to show them. 

Their hands were immediately rubbing your back again, and Lindsey used a thumb to coax your face out of her neck so she could look you in the eye. 

“We forgive you,” She said, placing a very soft kiss on your lips. 

“We can understand why you were keeping it from us,” Emily added, carefully tilting your head so she could kiss you over Lindsey’s shoulder. 

The kisses stretched between the three of you for a long, blissful minute, before Emily pulled away, her eyes skirting to the box still on the table. 

You smirked, waving towards it. “You can open it too if you want,” 

“I couldn’t,” Emily scoffed, shaking her head, and you rolled your eyes. “You already opened one,” 

You very gently pushed off of Lindsey, taking the few steps to grab the box before settling back on Lindsey’s lap. 

You ran your fingers over the delicate gold of the box, flipping off the lid and tossing it carelessly on the ground behind you.

You glanced down at the contents, sucking in a slow breath when you saw the sleek gold of a crown that was most certainly not yours. 

Your crowns were always wire-thin, delicate, precious metals fit for a princess. This one was sturdy, equally as handsome fitted with rubies, sapphire and diamonds, but not the delicate thing you had always been forced to wear. 

It was the crown your father had always worn, just slightly smaller. 

The sight lit a hunger in your tummy, one you didn’t know existed. You wanted, no, needed to see your girlfriends in that crown. 

It wouldn’t be like the ones that would have worn if they were actually your queens, but it was enough.

“Come here,” You said softly, lifting the deceptively light crown from its padded confines.  “every queen needs a crown,” 

With that, you very gently placed the crown on Emily’s head. 

The sapphires brought out the blue in her eyes, and the crown paired perfectly with her hair. She looked like it belonged there because it did. 

“Iā pāletilla fit syt iā dāria” (a crown fit for a queen). you mumbled, sitting back on Lindsey’s lap to take the sight in. 

You coughed, not even realizing you had switched languages. 

“Where’s mine?” Lindsey smirked, very carefully pulling the crown off of Emily’s head and sticking it on her own. 

You felt the red flame your cheeks as your jaw dropped just as it did for Emily. 

“I can ask the squire to get you one,” You mumbled, scratching the back of your neck, staring at the way the light flickered off of the little emeralds in the crown for another long moment before you removed it from Lindsey’s head and stuck it back into the box. 

They were so gorgeous. Royal life would suit them in a way it never had you. 

“What?” They both asked, their eyebrows furrowing as you dropped the box on the ground behind you. 

“My brother ordered him not to leave until I say yes to his invitation,”  You explained, watching the horror take over their faces. You waved your hand dismissively. It was the boy's job. You would make sure he was taken care of. “I’ll have room service bring him dinner and a pillow,”

“But,” Emily began to protest, only to be stopped by your finger on her lips. “No buts. Let’s just enjoy tonight,” 

You leaned in, replacing your finger with your lips. 

Seeing them in that crown had done things to you. Things you hadn’t expected. 

Lindsey made a small noise below you, and you pulled away from Emily long enough to chuckle before the midfielder pulled you into a burning kiss. 

“Ao dīnagon se qēlossās isse issa jēdar. Ao issi se jorrāelagon hen issa glaeson,” You hummed against her lips, leaning back to look at Emily too. “Se lanta hen ao,” 

(You put the stars in my sky. You are the loves of my life. The both of you,”)

You were lucky to have them, and you would never let them go. 

[ktheghay]

Finally Home. Soran

Prompt: Would you do a soran imagine? ☺️ I really love fluffy domestic stuff but other than that I don’t! Thank you so much for taking your time to write! ☺️

Thank you for the request! I hope this does it justice!

Warnings: Possible cursing (It didn’t happen and I’m surprised)

—————

Lindsey yawned as she stretched, her arms stretched out to the ceiling and a satisfying pop sounding out, the tension in her back leaving. Turning to the sleeping female beside her, she smiled, leaning down to press a small kiss to Emily’s head.

The two had some time off, no National or Club games for a few days, so they’re at home, finally able to be together. Letting the sheet slide off of her bare body, she stood, going to the closet and grabbing one of her hoodies - the one Emily loved to wear. Slipping the material on, she also grabbed a pair of underwear and sweats, tugging them on as well.

Going to the bathroom, she was quick to do everything she needed to before she made her way down to the kitchen. Tying her hair up into a ponytail, Lindsey got to quick work on making breakfast, waffles and bacon. She searched to make something else, but couldn’t find a single thing, even the egg carton was empty. Making a mental note to go to the store, the blonde started on making the food.

—————

Nearing the finish of the food, Horan felt arms wrap around her waist, and she smiled at the familiar scent of Emily. Turning her head, she gave the other blonde a quick kiss to her lips, then focused on the food.

“Good morning love.” Emily’s raspy morning voice whispered right into her ear, sending chills down the 25 year olds spine.

“Good morning baby.” She responded, plating the finished bacon on a paper towel, then transferred that to a paper plate, “Breakfast will be ready in a minute, if you want to wait.”

Emily nodded, placing one last kiss to the joint of her lovely girlfriend’s neck, then pulled back. Turning, she went to the island, running a hand through her hair as she watched as the younger of the two cooked.

Turning with a plate of waffles, Lindsey grinned, placing them carefully on the counter before she made her way round, now with a bottle of syrup and some butter in each hand, “Eat up baby. You’re gonna need the energy.”

Now, usually Emily wouldn’t have thought anything of her words, but when the other paired it with a wink and a lip bite, the shorter woman felt her face heat up. Rolling her eyes, she mumbled under her breath, “Whatever.”

The two started to eat, both munching on the bacon and the waffles. Emily, though, used way more syrup than Lindsey had, even more than the taller blonde had anticipated, “Babe! Your waffles are swimming in syrup!”

“What? Syrup is good!”

“Yeah but not that much syrup!” Lindsey protested.

“It’ll be fineee.” Emily grinned, her fingers sticky as well as her lips.

Taking that into consideration, Lindsey made sure to avoid any touches or kisses until the love of her life had washed up. Finishing her food first, Lindsey took the fork she was using into the kitchen and quickly washed it, throwing the paper plate away right after.

“Hurry up and eat, I’m gonna shower so we can go to the store and I don’t wanna be alone~” As soon as those words reached her ears Emily ate as quickly as she could without choking, tossing her fork into the sink and throwing the pool of syrup on the plate, into the trash.

————

AN: Okay, I’m soooo so sorry, I hope this was okay @hoosyasonny I’m just not used to writing things that don’t include ‘Y/N’, and I didn’t have a lot of inspiration while writing this. However, I will most likely be putting out another imagine before the day is over, so hopefully it’ll make up for it as well! I promise once I get more used to writing on here, I’ll start writing more! I hope you guys enjoyed this little writing!

[uswntsoran]

They have identical cleats🤩

[socksnstuff00]

Yeah lmao Talex shipping was in fact a real thing, just like people ship/shipped o’press, o’solo, sohara or soran. Even preath was a crackship before they actually got together lol, some people on tumblr and Lchat (💀) thought they would be cute together well before they actually did.

Talex was arguably the biggest one though because they were besties back then. now people who still “ship” it are always trolls (like the Leah ones).

oh got it, got it lol crackships getting real is always so fun. i wish i was an original preathie xD i can only imagine the feeling now

[liquidthedefunctblog]

Oh yes, we’re still jumping those sharks. This time Rtas ‘Vadum is serving Shinji Ikari at Burger King.

——————————————————————————————————————————–

The Half-Jaw Rtas ‘Vadum settled at his desk, a mass of paperwork looming over him. He would be lying if he claimed that the Arbiter’s entry of the Swords of Sanghelios into the fast food industry had been any less than a tremendous success. The icy relations between the sangheili and their human counterparts had slowly but surely begun to thaw, and the restaurant had even begun to attract customers from outside of the local area. It truly was incredible what devious marketing could do to make even the simplest of human meals seem like ‘exotic sangheili cuisine’, the Half-Jaw thought. Today alone they had served a group of tourists, a local politician attempting some kind of disingenuous public relations stunt to boost his chances at re-election, and a briefcase carrying older gentleman who managed the impressive feat of simultaneously appearing both frighteningly unseemly and superbly proper. So successful had the venture been that the Arbiter had even seen fit to provide ‘Vadum with additional staff, at least after weeks of pestering from the Shipmaster. ‘Vadum picked a pen from the pot on his desk. An Earth-made pen of course. At first he couldn’t entirely wrap his head around the diminutive instruments, but he was getting used to them. He actually had time to get used to them now that he had other workers to deal wit-

“Shipmaster!”

Other workers like the veteran sangheili blademaster who seemed to have selected ‘Vadum’s office door as his latest victim. The Half-Jaw sighed as the Blademaster’s pounds continued.

“You may enter, Blademaster.”

The door slammed into the wall, chipping the paint slightly. In its place stood an aged sangheili blademaster, his golden armour dulled from years of usage. However the weariness of his armour and body did little to conceal a ferocity in his eyes that would strike fear into even the most hardened of men. This was Vul ‘Soran. The former second in command of 'Vadum’s assault carrier Shadow of Intent, in his prime 'Soran had been a warrior without equal. Even entering his elder years, he had dispatched many of those foolish enough to try and cultivate a reputation through his defeat. Following the end of the Human-Covenant war, the Arbiter had made sure to appoint the legendary warrior to a position fitting of his stature. Assistant manager at a Burger King run by his old shipmaster. The belligerent commander let out a huff, clearly trying to attract said shipmaster’s attention.

“Yes… Blademaster?” the Half-Jaw questioned, his head resting against his hand as though to indicate that he had resigned himself to his fate. 'Vadum held 'Soran in the highest regard imaginable, he genuinely did. This did not mean however that he had to be pleased with his performance as assistant manner. In his short period of employment the veteran had already evicted two customers for what he deemed to be overuse of the condiment dispensers, attempted to fine another for spilling some water, and threatened at least three with his sword for some other vaguely defined offences. Were it not for the humans present one might have mistaken the situation for an evening on the bridge of Shadow of Intent. At the very least this was certainly how 'Soran seemed to interpret his job.

“A young human has been loitering at the window seat. I was prepared to deal with him myself, but Scion 'Juran reminded me that after the last loitering incident you wanted to be consulted on such issues before disciplinary action was taken.”

'Disciplinary action’. That settled the argument about what job the Blademaster thought he was doing then. 'Vadum tapped his helmet in a manner that seemed to suggest he had experienced such an inordinate degree of frustration lately that his mind was simply no longer capable of processing the feeling. At any rate, he would have to remember to thank 'Juran later. She may well have saved that human’s life. At the very least she had saved his limbs.

“Take me to this human, Blademaster. I will make a judgement from there.”

“As you command Shipmaster. Follow me.”

The golden armoured commander turned around and left the office. 'Vadum thought about leaving him to it, but he really couldn’t afford to let 'Soran cause another incident. God only knows what consequences his establishment would already have faced for the Blademaster’s behaviour if its proprietor didn’t have access to a glassing beam. He clenched his hand for a moment before following his assistant manager.

The pair made their way into the public section of the restaurant, and 'Soran gestured to indicate a small human male with a white shirt and black trousers sat at one of the window tables. He seemed uncomfortable, disturbed even, alternating between gazing out the window longingly and staring down at his feet as though attempting to hide his own existence from the outside world.

“How long has passed since his arrival?”

“An hour at the very least.”

“And during that time he has done what? Has he made any purchase at all?”

“Not even a thing. The human arrived, sat down, and hasn’t made a move since. Shall I remove him from the premises now?” the Blademaster growled, reaching for his energy sword. Vul 'Soran was never known for his patience with those who would go against protocol, and the end of the Great War had done little to dull this trait of his. The Half-Jaw knew that there would be no hope of defusing the situation peacefully so long as 'Soran was around.

“Stay your hand Blademaster, I will deal with the human. In the meantime I need you to make a call to some of our suppliers regarding shipments. You’ll find everything you need to know on my desk.”

'Soran grunted bitterly as he began his return journey to the manager’s office.

“I trust that you’ll inflict a punishment on the human befitting of his infraction?”

“I shall do whatever it is that I need to, Blademaster. Now go. I anticipate that the supply dispute will be solved by tomorrow.”

Now that 'Soran had gone, and taken the threat of a bloodbath with him, the Half-Jaw finally saw fit to approach the loiterer. It was a simple procedure really. The physical threat of an almost eight foot sangheili warrior combined with a commanding tone of voice was usually enough to get most disruptive customers to either cease their violations or leave. Despite what his assistant manager seemed to believe, the ignition of an energy sword was not something that needed to be done often. 'Vadum approached the human, who on closer inspection looked to be almost half his height. He didn’t expect a drawn out confrontation here.

“Human. You may make a purchase, or you may leave, but do not continue to abuse our hospitality.”

The human made no clear acknowledgement of the sangheili commander’s words, instead continuing to take in the beautiful view of some cars and a bush that could be seen through the window.

“Human!”

“Huh?!”

This second, firmer address was evidently finally enough to snap the human out of whatever train of thought he was on, and he turned to face the towering sangheili.

“As I have made clear. You may make a purchase, or you may leave, but your continued loitering will not be condoned.”

The panic-stricken male seemed paralysed in fear for a moment, but it was not long before he stumbled around his chair for a bit before lowering his head back towards the ground.

“S-sorry…”

The Shipmaster stood in thought for a moment, crossing his arms. Perhaps he had been too harsh on the human. He had meant to appear firm, not threatening. Besides that, the restaurant’s manager threatening what appeared to be a teenager would be a worse public relations disaster than anything Vul 'Soran could manage. He sighed in frustration before crouching down to the human’s level.

“I am truly sorry if you feel threatened human, that was not my intention. However these tables are reserved for paying customers. Do you or do you not intend to make a purchase?”

“I- No… sorry.” The human said, continuing to shamefully look between at the floor tiles.

'Vadum couldn’t help but feel curious about the young human’s motivations. Most loiterers came in groups, with the goal of disrupting actual customers or simply abusing the staff in some misguided search for retribution regarding the Great War. This one simply sat alone, away from the other patrons and making no attempt to draw attention to himself.

“I see… Well in that case, I am afraid it is company policy that I ask you to leave the premises.”

It was this comment that finally emboldened the human to some degree. He looked directly at the Shipmaster, and it was this that allowed 'Vadum to finally see just how miserable this child was. His blue eyes looked tired, not in the physical sense but rather an emotional one. As though they had been drained of all desire to carry on existing, and were simply continuing to do so out of obligation. The Half-Jaw couldn’t help but feel a swell of pity for the human in this moment. He still didn’t know why he had chosen his establishment of all places to go, but it was now clear that he was trying to escape something, be it an obligation, a person, or something else entirely. And then the human spoke. His voice was still hesitant, but there was a new addition to his tone. Not one of confidence, but of desperation.

“P-please let me stay for a bit longer… I don’t-”

“One moment human,” the Half-Jaw interrupted, standing up and walking towards his office. He felt justified in his interruption. There was no use in letting the human publicly shame himself. He didn’t need to know what he was trying to avoid, it was already clear enough that he wanted to avoid it. 'Vadum wasn’t usually one for charity, especially not for humans. That didn’t make him void of pity however. Sending the human back out would only distress him further, and ultimately be of no use to anyone. Besides that it was late in the day anyway, so it wasn’t as though anyone was in desperate need of the extra table. He grabbed some earth currency that he kept for his own use from his desk, and headed back out. In his haste he completely ignored 'Soran, who simply glared at him in confusion while listening to the supplier waffle on over the phone. The Shipmaster didn’t intend to break company policy by allowing somebody to loiter without purchasing food, but he didn’t see much point in removing the human. He placed the currency on the counter, and looked directly at the sangheili manning the till.

“Prepare a hamburger and fries for the human.”

The other elite gave him a bemused look for a second before punching in the order.

“By your word Shipmaster. Can we have a name for that order?”

The Half-Jaw turned towards the human who had returned his gaze to the window.

“Human! Your name?”

The human turned back around, startled for a moment with an almost confused look on his face.

“Huh?! Oh uh… Shinji Ikari.”

Several hours later the Shipmaster was in the process of putting away the paperwork he had finally finished. After finally getting 'Soran to leave his office he had actually had a fairly productive few hours, and had managed to finish the whole lot half an hour before the restaurant was scheduled to close for the day. The whole operation was going unusually smoothly. At least it was until a furious Vul 'Soran appeared once more in his office doorway.

“Shipmaster! The human is still there.”

“He is a customer now is he not?”

“That was hours ago!”

'Vadum shook his head in a subtle manner. He really did wish 'Soran would stop treating the most minor of infractions as though they were capital offences.

“Do not worry Blademaster. I will have him leave the premises by closing time.”

“You made the same claim previously Shipmaster. With all due respect, should you fail to do so again I shall be forced to take matters into my own hands.”

“Yes, yes. I am sure that you would.”

The Half-Jaw passed 'Soran and left the office, partly to get away from his incessant complaining, and partly to ensure that the human went on his way before the Blademaster became violent. He walked back into the public area to see the human still sitting in the window seat. He didn’t seem quite as despaired as before, and had evidently stood up at least once to dispose of the packaging from his lunch. Perhaps this wouldn’t be so difficult after all.

“Ikari was it? The establishment is closing for the day in half an hour; I would suggest that you leave soon.”

Shinji turned to look at him, nervousness once more overtaking his face as he realised the time.

“Y-yes sir. I’ll be sure to leave by then. Can I please just stay for a little bit longer?”

'Vadum considered bringing up the loitering policy, but figured it wasn’t worth it. There was only half an hour left anyway. He would solve the issue as he had done before.

“'Rodam! Prepare a basic ice cream for the human. We need to get some use out of the machine anyway.”

“Thanks… for the lunch too.” Shinji said, quietly and nervously.

“Do not concern yourself with it. I must ask though; why are you so eager to remain here?”

“It’s uh… it’s nice here. There’s nobody around an-”

“Does the human mean to insinuate that we are a failing establishment?” cried out Vul 'Soran, who was currently busy cleaning unoccupied tables, though seemingly more so with listening in to Shinji and 'Vadum’s conversation. The human male’s face turned red with embarrassment and a hint of fear.

“N-no sorry that’s not what I was saying…”

“Ignore him,” said the Half-Jaw. “You may continue.”

“I meant that there’s nobody here I know. I don’t have any responsibilities here, and nobody feels responsible for me.”

“And how did you find yourself here to begin with?”

“I uh, I ran off… Everyone there hates me anyway, so I figured they’d be better off if I left.”

“I see… and what drove you to this conclusion?”

“I uh- I mean I never did anything for anyone else. Whenever they had problems I just hid away until they figured it out themselves. I guess that’s my solution to most problems. Avoid everything until it goes away.”

“So Ikari… I believe the point you are trying to convey is that you hate yourself?”

“I… I guess so. But it’s justified hate right? I’m a terrible person. All I do is use other people to make me happy. I try to force them to love me because I can’t love myself, but then as soon as something happens to them I just run away. I don’t deserve to exist…”

“Perhaps that is so, human. But have you made any effort to solve that problem?”

“I- no, I just told you that. All I do is hide…”

Shinji buried his head between his arms and his legs. Sobbing noises came from within. The Half-Jaw decided to soften his approach, to an extent at least. He didn’t endorse Ikari’s attempts to avoid any meaningful interaction with others, but he wasn’t cruel enough to attack him for it.

“You know Ikari, for thousands of years the title of 'Arbiter’ has been bestowed upon certain Sangheili of great significance. The first Arbiters were the most wise and skilled warriors of all Sanghelios. Part king, part judge, they led the species through even the most turbulent of times. The title in this state lasted even after the formation of the Covenant. It was the very highest badge of honour imaginable to our people. That is until Arbiter Fal 'Chavamee rejected the lies of the prophets. 'Chavamee was branded a heretic, and upon his death the prophets saw fit to remould the role of Arbiter. From then on it would granted only to those deemed heretics. These 'heretics’ would be expected to redeem themselves by giving their life in battle for the Covenant.”

Shinji’s sobbing grew even more frequent. 'Vadum assumed that he had misinterpreted the story to be his way of saying that he could only find redemption in death. Perhaps it was a poor decision to tell this story at all, especially with the wounds of the Great War still fresh in humanity’s mind. But the point of no return was long past.

“That was not the point I was making Ikari. If you would allow me to finish the story, I was going to tell of Thel 'Vadam, the present Arbiter and leader of the Sangheili. I served in 'Vadam’s fleet for some time before his appointment as Arbiter. His faith in the prophets was unwavering, and his campaigns on their behalf were ruthless. I can only imagine how he felt when he was branded a heretic and stripped of his positions. As you may have guessed, 'Vadam was appointed Arbiter. He was expected to die in service of the prophets, as his predecessors did before him. But with time 'Vadam saw through their lies. When the prophets betrayed the Sangheili it was him who led us to join with humanity. Since the war he has made every effort to push for unity. Not only between the divided Sangheili factions, but with humanity and the former species of the Covenant. The Arbiter overcame the worthlessness that had been put upon him by the Covenant, and in doing so he restored the honour to his title. Do not assume that sacrifice is the only path to redemption Ikari. Find your own purpose; do not rely on those around you to give you one. Then you can open yourself to the viewpoints of others. Assist them with their struggles, do not push yourself away. There is pain to be found in forming relationships with others. Even the Arbiter could not unify all the people of the galaxy. But there is no joy to be found in wallowing in your failures, and you will never achieve true satisfaction until you grant those around you a glimpse into your true feelings, and allow yourself to take a glimpse of theirs. Fulfil your responsibilities, both to yourself and to them, and perhaps then you will find that yes, you do deserve to exist.”

Shinji raised his head and looked at the Half-Jaw.

“You- you really think so? But I can’t do that.”

“You will have to. Open yourself to others. Allow yourself to engage in meaningful interaction. Then, and only then, you will find worth in your existence. And besides that, I do not believe that you cannot. After all, you did here did you not?”

“I- I guess so…” Shinji said. He wiped his eyes on his arm, and stood up. “Thank you.”

The Half-Jaw nodded at the boy, slightly proud that his tangential story had made any positive impact at all.

“Think nothing of it. Now return to wherever it is you came from. Take your responsibilities head on, and open yourself to your fellow humans. Farewell Ikari.”

“I- yeah… Thank you.”

And with that the human boy left, placing the wrapper from his ice cream cone in the bin as he did so. The Shipmaster on the other hand turned and headed back to his office to finish the filing. Perhaps this fast food business wasn’t as pointless as he had thought.

————————————————————————————————————————————————————

Yup, now it’s a Halo and Evangelion crossover nobody wanted.

[unbecomingsposting]

10, Reckless Driving

Why did you choose this pairing for this particular story? i think partially because the premise requires them to be close in age (since they were classmates) which won't work for so'hara. but i think the idea came to me as a ronnett fic specifically, too. i never considered it any other way, idk if that makes sense--i still couldn't imagine it with any other ship. i think even with soran, the key in reckless driving is that they're both so stupidly stubborn that they circle each other for years, and lindsey doesn't have that in her, she's too direct and too outwardly emotional

ask me about my fic!