#thanks for the ask I really love talking about this stuff

[justagalwhowrites]

Joyeux Noël - A Lavender AU Christmas Story

Joel and your daughters plan something special for you for the holidays. A Christmas one shot set in the Lavender AU Universe.

Pairing: Joel Miller x Female Reader

Warnings: Smut. No outbreak AU. Fluff fluff fluff. Christmas fluff. No use of Y/N. Minors DNI 18+ only

Length: 3.6k

A/N: JOEL AND DOC ARE BACK FOR THE HOLIDAYS BECAUSE I MISSED THEM (and hopefully some of you did, too.) This can be read as a stand alone fic with the understanding that Joel and reader are a married couple with a shared biological daughter as well as Ellie and Sarah. I hope you enjoy this tooth rotting-ly sweet fic!

AO3 | Lavender Masterlist | Lavender AU Masterlist | Full Masterlist

December 24, 2024 

“You’re sure you’ve got everything?” Sarah asked, her son, Carson, squealing in the background. 

“Pretty sure,” Joel said, frowning a little. 

“Put me on FaceTime,” she said. “Show me.” 

Joel sighed and fussed with his phone until it became a video call, Sarah on the other end with a smudge of flour on her nose. 

“Busy over there, baby girl?” He teased. 

“Your grandson got me in the face when we were making sugar cookies,” she said. “I haven’t had the chance to get cleaned up yet, the kitchen is a disaster but that’s beside the point, show me Mom’s suitcase.” 

Joel fussed with the phone again - having to search for the little button that let him do it, not a fan of figuring out technology without the help of any of his girls - and got the camera to flip around. 

“So I put in some of the sweaters she wears a lot,” he said, showing Sarah the stacks. “Some of the pants she likes, too. Got this one dress she looks real good in, real good…” 

“Ew,” Sarah said. 

“Shut it, kid,” he said. She laughed. “Got the shoes she says are comfortable, some that are pretty, too…” 

“Do you have a bag for her?” She asked. 

“What do you think you’re lookin’ at?” 

“Not that kind of bag,” she rolled her eyes. “I mean a purse.”

“Wouldn’t she just bring the one she uses all the time?” He asked. 

“Dad, you’re going to be walking around Paris,” Sarah said. “Spending hours in museums and in stores and lounging at chic cafes, she’s not going to want to carry that giant thing around. In her closet, in one of the dust bags at the top is a smaller bag that Ellie, Evie and I went in on for Mother's Day, grab that one. It’s cross body so she can just wear it, she likes that when she’s walking around a lot. Also, do you have her hair stuff?” 

“Hair stuff?” Joel frowned. “Don’t they have that in the room?” 

She sighed.

“See, this is why I make you show me,” Sarah said. “Yes, there’s shampoo and stuff but she uses serums and oils and things, she needs those. Bathroom next.” 

Joel obeyed his oldest daughter’s instructions, thankful that the two of you were so close that she’d know these kinds of things. He got what she told him from the bathroom and packed it. 

“Alright,” she said. “I think you’re all good! Just let her get a book or five at the airport and you’ll be golden, old man.” 

“Thanks, kiddo,” he smiled a little. “You still good to take your sister for a while?” 

“Of course,” she smiled back. “I love Ellie and Evie can stay as long as she wants until she wants to go back to school. Plus Brandon could use someone to give him a run for his money on this new video game, he’s getting over confident.” 

“Thank you for keeping an eye on Ellie,” Joel said. “We’d like to get all you girls on a trip like this with us sometime but for the first one…” 

“It should just be the two of you,” Sarah finished for him with a smile. “She’s going to love it, Dad.” 

He sure hoped so. 

Joel had been planning this for a while. Decades, really. 

Back when the two of you were young and flat broke, a trip to Paris had been a pipe dream. You talked about it that way, the same way Ellie talked about going to the moon now, something that you dreamed about but didn’t expect to ever have. 

Then Evie came along. Then you were in med school and then you were an intern and resident and attending and Sarah got married and Ellie joined the family and life had just gotten in the way, as it always seemed to. 

But it had been a beautiful life and you’d never even come close to complaining about not getting to visit France the way you’d dreamed. As you’d always done, you put everyone else’s needs and wants before your own, constantly looking for a way to make Joel or your daughters’ lives better before thinking of yourself. 

But the Paris trip was possible now. The two of you had made more money than Joel had ever dreamed of making, Sarah and Evie were off on their own and Ellie was in a good enough place that she could spend a few weeks with her sister. Things were even calm at work for both of you - Tommy could run the business for a few weeks and Joel had coordinated with your boss to get you time off. It was the perfect time to finally give you something you’d been dreaming of as long as Joel had known you. 

Joel didn’t want to put more work on your plate, though, so he worked with Sarah, Evie and Ellie to plan everything. Sarah traveled a lot - she’d made it to Europe long before Joel ever had - and knew how to find a good hotel. Ellie told Joel about the different museums to visit, her passion for art coming in handy as he was planning. Evie - who had even taken after your knack for language - helped Joel learn a few phrases in French (though he was going to be pretty dependent on you to get around.) But that was fine. As long as you were happy, he didn’t care if everyone around him was speaking gibberish. 

“Dad!” Ellie yelled from down the hall. “Mom just texted, she’s almost home!” 

“Shit,” Joel said, zipping the suitcase quickly. “Stall her for me, will ya?” 

“Can do!” She yelled back and he heard her pounding down the stairs to intercept you. 

Joel hauled the luggage downstairs the best he could, stashing the packed bags in a room just off the garage so he could wrestle them into the trunk later. He finished just as the garage door opened and Ellie went racing past him to catch you in the car, giving him a chance to slip into the living room unnoticed. You joined him just a minute after he got there, flopping on the couch next to him. 

“Tough day?” He asked, putting his arm up so you could snuggle into him. 

“Just long,” you sighed. “That early start the day before a holiday made this shift feel like 20 hours, not 12. But at least I have Christmas off to spend with you and the girls before I’m back in on Thursday.” 

Joel tried to keep from smiling at the fact that you didn’t know that, by this time on Thursday, you’d be across the world. 

“Want to watch a movie?” He asked. “Your pick.” 

“Sure,” you snuggled closer. “But let’s see what Ellie and Evie want to watch, I’ll be happy as long as I’m with you guys.” 

He kissed your forehead and called the girls down, the two of them settling on Elf followed by Die Hard and you not even putting in a vote for your favorite because you never tried to put yourself first in anything. That’s why Joel was doing all this, to make sure it happened at least now and then. He made you a plate of Chinese food and you fell asleep against him when you finished it, still wearing the Christmas-themed sweater and earrings you’d worn that day to the hospital. 

“Alright, girls,” Joel said quietly. “Upstairs, Santa can’t come ’til you’re in bed.” 

Evie and Ellie shared a look before looking back to Joel. 

“Goodnight, Dad,” Evie said, getting up and helping Ellie to her feet, too. “I hope Santa can get Mom upstairs OK…” 

He snorted and watched the girls go to their rooms before laying you gently on the couch. He went and got the presents out of your closet and stashed the suitcases in the back of the car. He stuffed the stockings - you sleeping peacefully the whole time - and set up the living room the same way he’d done since Sarah was little before gently rousing you from your long winter’s nap. 

“C’mon, baby,” he said softly, cupping your face, thumb brushing your cheekbone. “Bed time.” 

“But…” you sat up, groggy. “We gotta set up Christmas and…” 

“Already done,” he smiled. “Let’s go, sleepyhead.” 

You sighed contentedly as he looped an arm around your waist and guided you groggily to your room. 

“You’re the best husband in the world, you know that?” You said as you burrowed against his chest once you were both in bed. 

He smiled. 

“Doin’ my best, baby.” 

*** 

You definitely missed having little kids on Christmas morning but having older ones had its perks. 

You woke up before Joel, your unreasonably early day - and bed time - on Christmas Eve rousing you before the sun.

Your husband was still snoring gently and you just watched him for a moment, a peaceful look on his face in the red and green glow of the lights on the eaves outside. You smiled. There was something so damn beautiful about the man you’d married more than 20 years ago, just getting to look at him while he slept made you feel unreasonably lucky, like you were getting away with something you shouldn’t. 

You ran your fingers through his hair, slow and gentle, and he stirred, smiling every so slightly before delicately catching your wrist and bringing it to his lips, pressing a soft kiss to your pulse. 

“Merry Christmas,” you whispered. 

He smiled broader, his eyes still closed. 

“Merry Christmas.” 

“Want one of your presents now?” You asked and he opened one eye so fast it made you giggle. “I’ll take that as a yes.” 

You leaned in close and kissed him softly, almost chastely, before moving down his body and nudging him onto his back as you went. Your lips went over the firm expanse of his chest, the soft warmth of his stomach, down to the top of his pajama pants where his thick length was already hardening for you. 

You tugged the pants down enough that you could get at his cock. You licked the tip of him, tongue circling his head before you wrapped your lips around just the very end, sucking softly at his precome. 

“Goddamn baby,” he said, already breathless, his hand coming to the back of your head as you took the whole of him slowly, tantalizingly into your mouth. 

Once you swallowed him into your throat, you moaned and held him there, sucking and savoring him before starting to move over him. You pressed your tongue against the thick vein that ran along the underside of his cock, making his head run along the roof of your mouth as he started to move in shallow, gentle thrusts, working himself deeper, groaning as he did. 

“Can I have that soft little pussy, too?” He asked eventually, sounding desperate, his grip tightening on your head. “Because goddamn baby if I don’t need you right now.” 

You sucked him all the way to the tip before releasing him from your mouth. 

“You can have as much of me as you want,” you said, breathless yourself. “I’m all yours.” 

Before you had the chance to start sucking him again, he tugged you back up his body, laying you beside him before rolling to face you. He gripped your thigh, tugging your leg over his hip and tucking your panties to the side before petting at your leaking entrance. 

“Good,” he whispered. “Just the way I want you.” 

The tip of his cock replaced his fingers and he thrust just the head of himself inside of you, stretching you enough that you had to press your face into his chest to muffle your moan. 

“How do you always feel so goddamn good, baby?” He asked, tugging you closer as he pushed inside. He tucked your head below his chin, one arm below you and around you, his fingers spread wide between your shoulders, his other on the small of your back holding you in just the right place. You were completely enveloped by him as he filled you to the root, everything about your husband completely surrounding you. “Don’t deserve something as good as you.” 

You just groaned in protest, not really able to form words, too overwhelmed by the way Joel was completing you. 

Instead, you rocked your hips against him and he responded in kind, the two of you moving slowly, firmly against each other. Heat drew low inside you, concentrated on where Joel was shaping you to him and you grew tighter and tighter around him, your orgasm growing sure and steady. 

“You gonna come for me?” He whispered in your ear. You moaned and nodded against him. “Good, want you to come for me, let me feel it baby, milk me dry, c’mon.” 

You let out a strangled little sob as you obeyed, your channel fluttering and rippling around him. 

“There she is,” he breathed, keeping his pace inside you, the tip of his cock pressing into the soft place within you that made your back arch and toes curl as he ground himself deep. “That’s it, baby, keep coming, come on my cock. Fuck, you take it so well, come so pretty for me, just keep… keep…” 

He squeezed you tighter, thrust impossibly deeper and you felt him come apart inside you with a needy grunt, throbbing deep and hard as he filled you, drawing your orgasm out as he did. 

You went limp in his arms as your climax eased and his hold on you loosened just enough that he could kiss you, his lips gentle on yours as both of you came back down to earth. 

“Dunno that anything’ll top that present,” he teased lightly and you laughed. 

“One of the upsides to not having little kids running in here at six in the morning,” you smiled before kissing his chest and snuggling closer. His cock was softening inside you, the combination of his come and yours starting to drip from you. “Can we just stay like this for a while? I miss you when you’re not inside me.” 

He pressed a kiss to the top of your head, his fingers trailing over your spine. 

“Course baby,” he said softly. “Think we got a bit before the girls start moving.” 

You luxuriated in the slow start to the morning, drifting in and out of consciousness with Joel’s cock nestled inside you, your husband thrusting slowly and gently now and then so he stayed deep. The sun had just started to peek through the blinds when you heard a toilet flush down the hall and you kissed Joel one last time before slipping him from you, adjusting his pants and your panties before the girls were knocking on your door. 

You loved Christmas morning with your family, loved the sense of joy and closeness as you watched your daughters open presents while you sat on the couch, snuggled up to Joel with a cup of coffee in your hands. You’d never had a holiday quite like this one growing up, always just you and your grandmother making the best of it. You treasured that, too, but it was different now, when you were surrounded by the people you loved more than anything else who loved you in return. 

Ellie was super excited about a set of really nice markers you’d asked Andrew for help in researching, Evie shrieked with glee over concert tickets for her and her girlfriend and Joel kissed you so deep when he opened the fancy coffee maker you got him the aching place between your thighs throbbed again. 

After cinnamon rolls and bacon and coffee made with Joel’s new toy, the four of you headed to Sarah’s, laughing as Carson showed you everything Santa brought him and giving Joel a look when he gave his grandson candy behind his daughter’s back. 

“Well,” Joel said, downing the last of his beer as your entire family sat around Sarah’s table after dinner and dessert, you tucked contentedly against his side. “I’m afraid we gotta hit the road.” 

You frowned, twisting to look at him. 

“What?” You asked, looking down at your watch. It was barely five. “No we don’t, I don’t need to be in until tomorrow afternoon, we can hang out and…” 

“No, Mom, you do really need to go,” Sarah said, a serious look on her face. 

“Yeah,” Ellie nodded. “Don’t wanna be late.” 

“Late for what?” You said. 

Evie looked up from her phone. 

“I just checked and everything is on time,” she said. 

You laughed, looking around at your husband and daughters. 

“What are you talking about?” You asked. “What’s on time, everything is closed. Are we going to a movie?” 

“I mean, we can when we get there if that’s what you wanna do,” Joel shrugged. “But you’d have to translate for me the whole time.”

You frowned, looking around again, all your children looking like they were about to burst with excitement. 

“Can someone clue me in?” You laughed again. “Because I’m at a loss…” 

“Oh, right,” Evie said, going into her purse, pulling out an envelope and handing it over. “Guess you’ll need that.” 

Joel was trying to hide his grin but you knew him too well for that and you just raised your brows at him as you opened the envelope. He just shrugged a little, his smile getting harder and harder to conceal. 

“What are you all up to?” You teased as you opened the envelope, unfolding the papers that were inside. 

“Guess you’ll have to look,” Joel shrugged. 

You rolled your eyes good naturedly before looking at the pages in your hands. 

It took you a second to realize what you were holding: a flight itinerary. 

You frowned. 

“Joel?” You asked looking over at him. 

“Yeah, baby?” 

“Joel, this…” you looked back at the paper, your heart racing. “Joel, this is a plane ticket.” 

“Is it?” He asked, smile apparent in his voice. 

“Joel,” you looked at him again. “This is a plane ticket to Paris. And it leaves in four hours.” 

“Technically, I think it’s two plane tickets,” Joel said, sitting up to look over your shoulder. “First class, in case you wanted some room to sleep on your first overseas flight.” 

“But…” Your eyes ranged over the ticket before looking around, all your daughters grinning like the cats who ate the canaries. “I have work!” 

“Well, see, that’s where you’re wrong,” Joel smirked. “Talked with your boss back in October, you’re not due back to the hospital for a few weeks.” 

“I…” you looked down and back up again. “I need to pack!” 

“Wrong again, Mom,” Sarah smiled. “Dad took care of that. And I checked his work, you’re good.” 

“We need to plan…” 

“I gave him a list of all the coolest museums,” Ellie said proudly, cutting you off.  

“And I helped Dad be a little less totally useless in French,” Evie added. 

You looked around at all of them, tears stinging at your eyes. 

“You all planned this?” You asked, a lump in your throat. “For me?” 

“Been a long time coming, baby,” Joel smiled, his large hand cradling your elbow, thumb rubbing gentle circles over you. “You deserve it. Have for a while.” 

“He’s right, Mom,” Sarah smiled, too. “After taking care of all of us over the years, it’s about damn time.” 

“You’re the best mom in the world,” Ellie agreed. “Figured it was time that you see some of it.” 

“You always do everything for all of us,” Evie said. “We really should return the favor now and then.” 

You looked back at the tickets, covering your mouth with one hand, giving up on trying to keep from crying. 

“I…” you sniffed. “I don’t know what to say!” 

“How about we just say bon voyage,” Evie said. “Because you need to get on the road or you’re going to be late for your flight!” 

You let your children usher you and Joel to the car and you gave everyone hugs as Evie and Ellie got their bags from the trunk so they could stay with Sarah. You hugged them all goodbye, having to dry your tears every time you realized exactly what was happening: You were finally going to Paris, a place you’d always wanted to go, on a trip planned by the people you loved most. 

Joel drove the two of you to the airport, you practically glowing the entire way. Joel didn’t let you carry your own bags and you were still in disbelief as you settled into your seat on the plane, a glass of champagne in your hand as you waited to take off. 

“So,” Joel smiled, watching you. “You excited?” 

“I can’t believe it,” you said, laughing a little. “I can’t… You really shouldn’t have done all this, not for me!” 

“Oh baby,” Joel reached out and cupped your cheek. “You’ve done nothin’ but take care of everyone else as long as I’ve known you. Don’t think I can ever do enough to repay you for that but you gotta let me try, at least at Christmas.” 

You smiled and leaned over to kiss him. 

“I think I can handle that.” 

He smiled. 

“Merry Christmas, baby,” he said. “Or should I say… joyeux noël? That right?” 

You laughed, his accent comically bad but so charming you had to love it. 

“That’s right,” you said. “Joyeux noël.”

[your-hockey-mom]

could you plspls do an imagine about cooking breakfast for/with quinn? <3

The blankets were warm, weighted, and the room dark. 

Quinn's breath tickled your neck as he laid right up against you, arm anchoring you to his side as if you would try to leave. You had been awake for only a little bit but it didn't matter. Mornings like this meant the world: ones where he got to stay home for just a little longer. Any morning you got to share with him were not to be taken for granted. You would let him sleep until he decided to get up. It was still early enough. 

Several minutes passed before Quinn started to stir. The feeling of his facial hair against your bare shoulder made you giggle. 

"Mmmm, good morning, sweetheart." His morning voice was dangerous. Would make you sin in an instant if asked. You would restrain yourself this time. He was just saying good morning; a genuine good morning. 

"Morning, baby." You linked your fingers with his, still being the little spoon. He was so warm; he was always your little heated blanket. Thankfully, Quinn didn't mind that you got clingy when you were cold. It always seemed like you were cold. 

"Been up long?" His voice was low and his words ended in a whisper. It made your heart race. 

Your eyes had fluttered closed again. You could have easily drifted back to sleep. "I don't think so."

"You should have woke me up," Quinn nuzzled into you, somehow pulling you closer into his body. 

"I wanted you to get some sleep. Especially after last night." The game had been a rough one; another OT loss, and he had come home under a raincloud. What he needed most was some cuddle time and a good night's rest. You preferred to have those moments with a happy Quinn, but a defeated Quinn needed just as much love if not a little more.

"I'm fine, baby, but thanks for thinking about me." 

"Of course." You both lay there quietly; your breathing still synced. The feeling of his flushed skin against yours had your whole body on fire. You were going to need a cold shower if you laid here any longer. "Want me to make you something to eat?"

"I'll help you. Not fair that you always do everything." 

"But I don't mind!" You whine, feeling like he was somehow not happy with how you had been doing things. 

"I know you don't mind, but it makes me feel bad. Let me hop in the shower and I'll be your cooking partner." He kisses your shoulders several times, so thankful his lip isn't still in stitches. 

- - - 

"So, what were you thinking?" Quinn asks, locking his arms around your waist as you both stand before the open fridge. He rested his chin on your shoulder, looking at the selection with eager anticipation. You always kept the kitchen stocked during the season, so he really had no idea what there was to work with. 

"Omelets?"

"Ohhh, let's do that. I was thinking French toast, but that sounds better."

You lay your head against his, "Are you sure? I can do either."

"We can do either." Quickly, Quinn lays a kiss to your cheek before he reaches for the carton of eggs off the shelf. 

"You're such a brat," you say through laughter, but Quinn disagrees with you.

"Are you sure you aren't talking about yourself?"

"Quinny!" You playfully pout, popping him lightly with a dish towel you grabbed from the sink. However he's quicker and grabs it from your grasp before it makes contact with his back.

"Wanna play?" He teases, eyebrows raised. "I think you'll lose!" 

In one quick movement, he puts his hands on your hips and shortens the distance between the two of you. You fall into him; palms against his chest. 

"I just wanna make breakfast," you mumble, trying to keep up the act of being pouty, but it doesn't last long. The moment he leans in to kiss you, you melt. 

"Then we'll make breakfast. What do you want me to do?"

"Can you do the eggs? I'll chop all the other stuff."

"Fair." His hands fall from your waist to give your bum the softest squeeze before he turns back towards the island. 

"Brat!" 

- - - 

"I've got mushrooms, onions, red bell peppers, cheese, and ham. Am I forgetting anything?"

Quinn's digging around in the cabinet for the right pan when he looks over at you. He's just admiring the view when you finally catch him, having not gotten an answer from him. 

"What?"

"You're beautiful," he says lovingly with a smile pulling at the corner of his lips. "But no, I don't think you've forgotten anything.

You just shake your head, fighting back the urge to roll your eyes. He knew just how to make you flustered, but secretly, you loved it, and he knew it. He'd never take it too far where it hurt your feelings, just until he'd make you lose your ability to use your words. Normally, all it took was a well place compliment. 

"Will this one work?" He asks, producing a (hopefully) large enough skillet from the cabinet. To be honest, he had no idea what he was doing, but he was trying. 

"Mhm! Should work just fine."

Once the pan was heated through, you took charge pouring Quinn's eggy mixture into the pan while he stood at the ready to put in the filler.

"What do you want?" He asked, putting a section of hair behind your ear, standing beside you, 

"This one is yours! What do (you) want?" 

"Yours first, sweetheart." He touches your face, turning it towards him for a kiss. 

You just shake your head after. "This is too much for me!"

"Baby, I can wait."

"And so can I!"

Quinn's turn to shake his head, smirking as he does. "Compromise? Can we put it all in at once and just...share it?"

"Do you know how cute you are when you don't try?" You say, almost sidestepping his offer. "Yes, we can do that."

- - -

"Is that enough cheese?" He asks, worried he's going to somehow ruin breakfast. 

"Little more!"

"Wait, you're not supposed to have cheese! Baby~" Quinn's voice drops off towards the end, remembering your lactose intolerance. 

"Oh, I'll live!" Your voice is the complete opposite of his. It's playful, almost excited. 

"If you just want an excuse to lay with me on the couch all day, you don't have to put yourself through a painful stomach ache to do so." He sounds sad, or at least worried for you. 

"Baby, it's just cheese! I'll feel bad for a little bit and then I'll be fine! Happens all the time."

He just sighs, stepping back behind you. He's always wished that you cared as much for yourself as you did for him. No matter how much you reassured him that you were always fine, he still worried. 

"I never want you to be in pain." He whispers, close to you again; soft kisses from your ear to the curve of your shoulder. 

"Quinny, baby. I promise I'll be okay!" You touch his cheek as he leans into your hand. "I promise."

He breathes deeply, burying his nose in your hair. "Okay, if you're sure."

"I am,"

- - -

"Are you sure you got enough?" Quinn asks seeing how full his plate is in comparison to yours. 

"Yeah, I think so, why?"

"Are you sure? I don't need all of this." His brows are knitted together as you come to the table. You kiss the top of his head to soothe his current wave of worry. 

"You fuss too much over me."

"I do not. I love you." He sticks his lower lip out slightly. He hadn't had a good pouting episode in a hot minute. You forgot how much you both loved it and how much it could annoy you. The annoyance was only when he was being unreasonable. 

"I love you too, babe, but you're being a booger."

This breaks him: he smirks then laughs. "Yeah, yeah, okay."

"That's what I thought!" You give him a wink before taking a seat next to him at the island. Once you're seated, he spins you away from your plate and towards him. "Quinny!'

His thumb presses against your lips, fingers resting just under your chin, stopping any further whining for the moment. You let your fingers wrap around his wrist lightly causing him to smirk. There was the slightest flicker of mischief in his eyes but it faded as quickly as it appeared. 

"This was fun."

You nod, his thumb now gliding across your bottom lip. His eyes were flipping between your eyes and your mouth like he was struggling to decide what to focus on. With much anticipation, he'd kiss you deeply, letting his hand rise up through your hair. His ability to take your breath away wasn't fair, but the way it made you feel made you yearn for such moments. 

"Can we do this tomorrow morning?" He whispers, his forehead touching yours. 

"Anytime you want to."

[sanguineterrain]

Jason with a S/O who's emotionally unorthodox like he is. Who doesn't respond the way society expects them to, but that doesn't mean they're selfish or unkind.

Neither one of them says I love you to the other because they both heave and gag at the thought of doing so. But they do love each other. Verbally they have to save it for something really important. Like if one of them is near death. Then they can say "I love you." But one of them has to actually die in that case. Otherwise it was a waste.

And Jason and his S/O don't like it when people thank them for doing things. It makes them uncomfortably aware of their own existence. So when they do stuff for each other, they give each other The Nod of Gratefulness.

They can't stand small talk. Or people asking about their relationship. Or making a big deal about their accomplishments. Everything feels like a grab for attention or a way to find information out about them because they both are very paranoid and need therapy. But they understand each other, and that's enough for them.

[aboutchriss]

walk with me

Pairing: idol!BangChan x fem! reader

Genre: fluff

Warnings: chan being a cutie patootie with berry, reader is 22

Author notes: idk, okay?. i'm bored trying to avoid my relatives that are here for the chirstams holidays...please save me...i wrote this to...escape from this house, i hope you appreciate it. i'll probably do a part 2, it's 2:30 a.m here so yeah, and of course it's not proof read! (i'll read it tomorrow) oh and wear sunscreen my kids!!

💌

remember! english it's not my first language, please be gentle with me! let me know if there's any mistastake

💌

requests are open, especially on Christmas!

It's the perfect day in Sydney; the temperature is on point—not too cold, not too hot. It's the right temperature to wear a sundress and a little jumper that you probably won't use because you want to tan before the holidays, even if you want to tan though, you put sunscreen on and lay down on a beach towel in a public park, the grass is green and you can hear kids screaming and laughing while they're playing with a grasshopper and insects, you have a book inside your purse, and cold tea, it's a daydream.

As you lay on the grass, something warm and wet touches your cheek—once, twice. When you open your eyes, you find a small, maybe a little fat dog with a smile on it's face (yes, dogs can smile). You sit down, looking around to find the dog's owner, and there he is the most beautiful, gorgeous man you have ever seen in your entire existence, is it possible? Are you having a heat stroke? He has dark brown curls, the kind of curls you can touch until you fall asleep, he's trying to hide a smile but you can see dimples on his cheeks, he has broad shoulders and big hands, and he looks like a damn Disney prince, are you daydreaming? What the fuck it's happening? "I am so sorry miss" He says in a muffled laugh

did he just called me miss, how old is he? 44? no, that's not possible, he's too beautiful to be this old

"oh, no worries -you giggle- i don't mind kisses from a gorgeous dog like her? are you a she or a he mh?" you say, now talking to the dog that is laying comortably on your lap

"oh uhm, she is right, her name it's berry" he says touching his ear

"Berry huh? what a pretty name" you rub her hear

"well i guess she's comfy there, 'm sorry, she's old and when she lays down somewhere well...umh - he touches the nape of his neck- she stays there for a while" he says looking right into your eyes

"oh, no worries...if you're free we can wait till she gets up" you say patting the place next to you on the beach towel

he smiles and you can finally see his dimples, and boom we're so fucked up y/n.

"your mom didn't teach you to not talk to strangers? i might be a serial killer" he says sitting down next to you

"what about your mom? -you echo- maybe i'm the serial killer" you smile at him

"touchè" he laughs

"i'm Christopher by the way, you can call me Chris or Chan" he says offering his hand

a veiny and big hand

"i'm y/n - you grab his hand and shake it- nice to meet you Christopher" he laughs

"are you from Sydney?" he asks caressing Berry that is still sleeping on your lap

"oh no, i work here, nothing more, what about you?" you say

"I was born and raised here, but i work in Korea, i'm here for the christmas holidays" he explains (not that you can hear something since your too focused on his thick lips, thanks god you're wearing sunglasses)

"Korea mh? and what do you do? CEO in a company? Actor? or you cook kimchi for stray cats?" you ask caressing Berry

he laughs and it feels like the sun just exploded

"I- uh- i'm an idol, nothing special" he shrugs

"an idol?" you echo

"mhmm, i have a group and we sing and dance and stuff like that" he says smiling

oh this dude really loves his job

"stuff like that mh? and are you famous?" you ask caressing Berry's head

"what about you? what do you do?" he asks

"uuuh, you're avoiding the question...is that a yes? you're famous! -you giggle" you say

"shhhh, i'm not, i promise i'm not that famous" he says

"oh...okay..." you look at him trying to see his eyes through his sun glasses

"so...what do you do?" he asks again, caressing Berry's head

"i-uh i work in a library, i own it actually...it's not interesting" you say

"so you read a lot?" he asks

"i do, actually" you say smiling

"and what's your favorite genre?" he asks caressing Berry's body, his fingers brushing against your thigh

"i-do you want the real answer or?" you giggle

"of course i do!"

"smut"

"smut?" he echos

"yes, porn in books, smut, call it how you prefer" you say shrugging

"interesting" he nods

"do you want to grab a coffee with me?" he suddenly asks

"mh? you want to grab a coffee with me?" you ask

"yeah, with you and well berry, even if she might be the third wheel" he giggles

"okay"

"you don't have to if you don't want to, i just asked because you're really cute and yeah i want to know you better" he spits out in one breath

"Christopher i said okay, let's go. I need to know more about your job and i won't leave Berry 'till you make me listen one of your songs, but before we go can i put sunscreen on your face? you burnt your nose" you try not to laugh

"oh? really?" he touches his nose

"mhmm -you nod- may i?" you asked

"sure, go on" he says lifting up his sunglasses

"tell me if i hurt you okay?" you say as you squeeze sunscreen on the tips of your fingers, putting it on his nose in the most delicate way possible

"you're kind you know?"

"i know" you smile

"i feel like a kid...wait i -he grab your hands gently- how old are you?" he asks

"old enough Christopher, don't worry" you smile

"i'm serious how old are you?" he asks

"i'm 22, and you?"

"i'm 27" he sighs and let go of your hands

"damn, what a sigh" you giggle

"i feel like a grandpa" he says

"you're not a grandpa Christopher, not with this body"

"oh-...thanks" he says is it the sun or is he blushing?

"okay, let's go, and by the way, you can't threat me with my dog" he says, getting up, grabbing berry from your lap and offering his hand to you

"what a gentleman! and that wasn't a threat, i just want to...listen to what you do okay?" you say grabbing his hand to get up and fuck he's also tall, and bigger than you expected

"of course i'm a gentleman. and yes, she's my baby, i would do anything for her, even embarassing my self in front of the most beautiful woman in this park with my songs" he says looking at you

"oh-" he giggles

is he flirting?

"come on, i know a good place for a coffee and maybe lunch?" he asks

"i'm right behind you" yeah right behind you staring at your fifty pounds of ass

"you know that my eyes are up here right?" fuck

"no, yeah i know, i was looking for my...purse...yeah my purse"

"liar" he says laughing and you push his back

"shut the fuck up, you've been staring at my boobs the whole time!" you say and he turns around to look at you

"i-did not- okay maybe a little okay? wait...you can see my eyes through the sunglasses" he asks looking down at you

"i do...you can see mine?" you ask

"i do"

"good than we're both idiots"

"maybe a little" he giggles

"come on, let's go we have a 10 minutes walk and berry is heavy"

"ugh, big arms for nothing" you mumble

"i could pick you up with one hand and throw you around if i wanted too" he says walking straight, he and his stupid fucking aura

"damn okay, sorry"

-

ten minutes later you're at the cafe, it's cute and cozy and the sandwiches on display looks yummy, and the man in front of you looks yummy; he took off his sunglasses now and you can finally see his eyes in a decent light, simply brown boba eyes, and you can clearly tell that he is a good man just by looking at his eyes. his eyes are also eating you alive, but again this is another story.

[lafortezaboy]

the stuff you wrote for poly solarz x reader was so good ugh i loved it

could you give your thoughts on poly!meizini with 7th katseye member?

thank you angel!! i hope you enjoy this one too! i will warn you though, i threw some angst into this one

getting together

it was no secret that you and daniela had been friends for years. growing up in dancing competitions around the country, the two of you had met and competed against each other before, and you'd grown close as time passed. for as long as you could remember, it had been you and daniela

for maybe a year before dream academy began, there was something between you two already. neither of you acted on it, but your hugs lingered, your compliments grew flirty, your hands stayed locked together, cuddling at sleepovers became common. but you both weren't absolutely sure that the other felt the same, so neither of you ever took that step

daniela had been the one to convince you to try out for dream academy, and it had taken her a lot to convince you. you knew dani was going to get in, you just knew it, and the idea of competing against her once again just didn't feel right when her dream was on the line

but she did manage to convince you, and that's where megan came in

you were drawn to megan before dani was. something about her just drew you in, and you wanted to get to know her right away. you were still close with daniela, you two were still attached at the hip, but it became more and more common for megan to be near you as the competition went on

it surprised you how quickly megan wormed her way into your heart, but it was honestly inevitable. the second you saw her smile, dimples fully on display, you knew you were hooked

you'd said it so many times in the past that daniela was the moon to your sun, and megan easily became the sun to your moon

there was definitely some sort of unspoken jealousy mixed in there. megan saw how close the two of you were and knew she'd never be like daniela to you, while daniela saw megan as competition for you.

the other girls in the competition saw the silent competition over you way before you ever did. you knew you had already fallen for daniela, and that you were falling for megan already, but the idea that either of them felt the same about you wasn't something you'd ever really considered

at some point in the competition, you and daniela began to grow apart some. she started hanging out with some of the other girls more, and that meant you were with megan, sneaking out to goof around in gas stations, filming silly videos of each other, practicing different choreographies, spending hours playing games on your phones together. daniela would be with you occasionally, but when she wasn't you felt yourself longing for her to be there too. that was the point you knew you were fucked if you ever had to choose between them

ever the responsible one, sophia was the one who sat you down and asked you if you knew that daniela was in love with you. when you stuttered out that no, she couldn't be, sophia took your hand and asked if you knew that megan was falling in love with you too, and that just made your whole world crumble

sophia heard everything then, about how you'd always loved daniela, how you hated she was distancing herself from you, how you hated you couldn't let her go, but how you weren't sure if you could let megan go either, that you just couldn't choose. sophia had known they had feelings for you, but hadn't realized that you had feelings for both of them

she was the one who told daniela she needed to talk to you, and just a week before the finale the two of you sat down and finally discussed your feelings for each other. it wasn't a shock that daniela couldn't keep herself from kissing you once she knew you felt the same, but you had to break away because you couldn't lead her on

it was harder to explain that you had feelings for megan as well, but it seemed sophia had worked some kind of magic, because daniela didn't seem as jealous as you'd have expected her to be. there was some jealousy, but it wasn't nearly what you anticipated, and she explained that she had figured, that that was why she pulled away from you, because she didn't want to keep feeling like she was second place to you

but she could never be second place, and neither could megan. it wasn't a competition, and if it was, they had both won. they both had your heart, and as you were explaining that megan meant the world to you, but that didn't mean daniela didn't too, that was when the younger girl walked into your room, wanting to show you a tiktok she'd found

it was almost fate, how megan walked in at the perfect time to hear that she meant the world to you. she flushed red and asked what you two were talking about, and it was terrifying, but you knew if you didn't tell her now, you might not ever do it. so you sat her down and explained it to her too

megan was the one who was more worried, more scared. especially when the idea of you dating the both of them came up. she didn't want to be second choice, and she was afraid she would be, given your history with daniela. so in the end, you decided to wait until after the finale to discuss things more, in case one or two of you or even all three of you didn't make it

but over that next week or so, even amidst the hectic training, the performances, you found the time to care for both daniela and megan. you made sure they had water during long practices, you made them both sit when they were close to pushing themselves too far, you massages sore muscles without them even asking, you were their rock, and they shared looks when you couldn't see more than once. your attention to the both of them was an unintentional reassurance that yeah, you really did love them both

so the two of them talked, and they came to the decision that maybe they could make dating the same girl work. but you had all promised to wait until the finale to talk more, so they didn't bring it up to you yet

their names being called didn't surprise you. they were amazing and they deserved it so much, of course they were chosen. it did shock you when your name was called though

you ran into their arms, and it was truly their arms. they were both waiting for you, and you fit in between them a little too well. but the three of you had made it, and that was what mattered

that night was for celebrating, but that next morning was for talking. you all knew it was going to be hard, especially now that you were going to be in the public eye, but you all three agreed that it was worth trying

it was even less of a surprise to you that as the three of you spent more time together in the next few months, that the two of them started falling for each other too. it just worked, you all three of you, and it took a little time, but you all three fell into place

dating each other

the three of you together are truly chaotic, you are absolutely sophia's biggest headache

manon truly does not let you live it down that you didn't see that daniela and megan both liked you

you and daniela were each other's first kisses, while you ended up being megan's about a month into your relationship

your designated cuddle position is that daniela is your big spoon while you're megan's big spoon or she's curled up into your side. sometimes this cha gds depending on the mood and who needs comforted, but this is the go to

there is no fourth wall with the three of you, eyekons know y'all are a thing. it's not confirmed or spoken about, but they know one of you is dating the other

date nights vary, sometimes you'll go out and do something fun, some nights you'll stay in and binge cheesy horror movies that scare you all, it doesn't matter as long as you're together

you're all each other's biggest hype women, at practice you're always supporting each other and hyping each other up

megan is the clothes thief between the three of you, and if something is specific is missing you know to check her closet first

megan's clumsy and it stresses you and daniela out, especially during practice. if she ever slips up, you two are immediately at her side, making sure she's okay and babying her a little too much. the other girls tease you because you two do rush to them and catch them as well, and make sure they're okay if they almost / do fall, but it's definitely not the same way that you do megan

you and daniela had matching bracelets from before dream academy, and on your six month anniversary you both got megan one to match yours

whenever daniela's trying to read, you and megan will be acting up somewhere, being loud and chaotic and she'll have to put her book down to keep the dorm from falling apart

but then most the time she joins in on whatever you two were doing, whether it was a food fight that happened while baking, play fighting because one of you made a joke about daniela being your favorite, or doing tiktok challenges together she'll indulge and jump in

your parents didn't understand the relationship at first, but they've all come around to accept it and love the other two as their own. yours and daniela's parents figured you two would get together eventually, but the addition of megan wasn't on their bingo cards

despite the initial jealousy, once the three of you are on the same page there isn't anything less than just pure love and affection, especially after megan and daniela become official too

[anotherjheastan]

Another Complicated Love Story

A Jey Uso x Rhea Ripley FanFic

Chapter 7 | Masterlist

CW mentions sex, suggestive

Chapter 8: Officially Yours

Rhea woke up, surprised she still had her head resting on Jey’s chest, his arm holding onto her. They usually both moved a bit in their sleep, but then again, they were exhausted when they finally went to bed. Rhea sat up and groaned as she stretched. She thought about last night as Jey stirred beside her, reaching for her before he slowly opened his eyes.

Rhea had gotten the two rounds she had mentioned and they showered together afterward. They were talking about starting round 3 in the shower when Jessica knocked.

Sorry to interrupt, lovebirds, but I have to use the toilet. Please don’t have sex while I’m in here.

Rhea and Jey laughed.

We won’t, Rhea replied.

Rhea smiled.

“Good morning,” Jey said as he sat up. He put his arm around her shoulder.

“Good morning,” Rhea replied. She moved over a little so she could look at him.

“That was the best sleep I had in a while,” Jey said.

“Same. It was the orgasms,” Rhea said, grinning.

Jey chuckled. “Not just that.”

He stroked her cheek and she leaned into him.

“I love you,” he said.

Rhea’s heart beat faster. “I love you.”

He smiled and leaned in. Rhea kissed him, her hand rested on his chest. She heard his stomach growl and laughed.

“Let’s get some breakfast,” Rhea said, standing up to get dressed. She only had on Jey’s pink YEET shirt.

Jey checked his phone. “More like lunch. It’s 1:10.”

“Wow. We slept late,” Rhea said.

“We went to bed late,” Jey replied.

They met each other’s eyes and grinned. They grabbed their toothbrushes to go brush their teeth.

When they left the sunroom, Jimmy, Naomi, and Jessica were on the couch.

“Oh well look who’s finally up!” Jimmy said. “We’re thinking about ordering lunch. You missed breakfast.”

“Yeah Naomi’s waffles might be better than Waffle House,” Jessica said.

“I will take that high praise,” Naomi said. “Y’all look well-rested. And happy. Everything good?”

Rhea smiled. “Yeah, everything’s good.”

“Mhmm,” Naomi said, eyeing the two of them. “Well go brush your nasty teeth. We’ll wait for y’all to order.”

“Do we have to?” Jimmy asked.

“Don’t do us like that, Big Jim!” Jey said.

“Be nice, babe,” Naomi said.

Jimmy sighed. “Well y’all hurry up.”

Jey and Rhea rushed upstairs and brushed their teeth. Everyone was craving a little something different so they ordered from Cheesecake Factory. They searched for a movie to watch while waiting for the food.

“Jess, I owe you some girl time,” Rhea said, letting go of Jey’s arm and linking it with Jessica’s.

“It’s okay! I’m having fun. I’m solidifying my friendship with Naomi and Jimmy. Maybe I’ll come visit them next time,” she said with a laugh. “But no, I’m happy you and Jey are back in a good place. I’ll even share you again tonight so I can catch up with Tony.”

“Really?” Rhea asked.

“Yeah, but you have to go to Jey’s. I heard enough in the bathroom this morning.”

Rhea buried her face in Jessica’s shoulder while everyone laughed. She smiled at Jessica.

“Tomorrow is all about you,” Rhea said.

“Maybe Naomi can join us for lunch tomorrow?” Jessica asked.

“Yeah, let’s do it, J-Girl!” Naomi said.

“My own nickname?! I won,” Jessica said.

The food arrived and after selecting a movie, they ate. Jessica and Rhea thanked Jimmy and Naomi for hosting them before heading out.

Jey carried their bags to the car and loaded the trunk. Rhea hugged and kissed him.

“I’ll see you soon,” Rhea said.

“Looking forward to it,” Jey said. “Let me know when y’all make it back.”

“Will do.”

Jey gave Jessica a hug. “It was nice meeting you. Sorry for the awkward intro.”

“No worries,” Jessica said. “Glad I didn’t have to kick you in the dick.”

Rhea busted out laughing and Jey looked confused.

“I’ll tell you later,” Rhea wheezed between laughs.

Jey went back inside. He got his stuff ready. He made sure the sunroom was cleaned up.

“I told you you don’t have to worry about that,” Naomi said.

“I can’t be a bad houseguest,” Jey said. “Thank you for everything.”

“No problem, bro,” Naomi said, giving him a hug.

“Thanks Big Jim,” Jey said, dapping him up.

“You know I got your back like chiroprat,” Jimmy said.

“If I see y’all at the New Year’s Eve party, if not before then,” Jey said.

“Deuces uces,” Jimmy and Naomi said simultaneously.

Jey shook his head and headed out the door.

***

Rhea smiled as Jey’s face lit up when he answered the door. She had on a grey hoodie, a white crop top, and grey sweatpants, and white sneakers. She wanted to be daring and show up in a trench coat with nothing underneath, but she decided to play it cool for now. Things were still mending.

“Hi beautiful,” he said, taking her duffle bag.

“Hi handsome,” she replied.

She walked into the apartment. Jey went to set her bag down in his room. She walked into the kitchen to get a water bottle, but gasped when she saw the coffee maker.

“Jey, who got you this? This is a good one,” Rhea said, admiring it. She looked at the bags of coffee, some of her favorites.

“Oh whoever got this has good taste. Those are my faves. You joining the coffee crew, Uso?” Rhea said, turning around.

He came into the kitchen, beaming.

“Actually, it’s for you,” Jey said.

Rhea furrowed her brow. “For me? But I have a coffee maker.”

“I know. And tomorrow morning, you don’t have to go anywhere to get coffee.”

Rhea blushed, feeling silly for not putting two and two together.

“You bought it just for me?” Rhea asked.

Jey nodded. “Now you can take your time and stay with me a little longer.”

Rhea’s heart felt full. She gently grabbed his face and kissed him. He held her tightly and kissed her back. Rhea pulled away. She started walking backwards slowly to his room. She took her hoodie off.

“Grab two water bottles and meet me in your room. Actually…grab four. Maybe some snacks. We might be in there a while,” Rhea said. She took off her crop top. She wasn’t wearing a bra. She smiled at Jey, who looked dazed. She disappeared into his room and called out, “The water bottles, Jey.”

She giggled as she heard him scrambling. She took off the rest of her clothes and waited for him.

February 13, 2025

Jey felt nervous as he waited for Rhea to come up to the hotel suite. He had arrived yesterday to make sure the room would be decorated for their Valentine’s Day getaway. And he had a special surprise for her: a red glowing LED sign with a white backdrop asking the question “Will you be my girlfriend?”

He held a necklace in his hands - an obsidian heart shaped stone with a stainless steel back that outlined the heart with diamonds. He felt like me shouldn’t be so nervous. It wasn’t like he was proposing. He wiped his sweaty hands on his jeans for a third time.

They had chosen Charlotte since they had an episode of Raw to shoot on Monday. Now they wouldn’t have to rush. And they were close to the stadium.

Jey had been planning on decorating the room, but after last week when she mentioned that’s ready to be official, he decided to do a little something extra.

“Hello?” Rhea called as she pushed into the hotel room. “Ooo rose petals!”

Jey smiled. The petals would lead her to him. He was around the corner.

“Champagne. Nice, we’ll open that soon,” Rhea said.

Jey tried not to laugh at her commentary.

“Are you here, babe?”

“Yes, keep walking,” Jey said.

Rhea came around the corner and gasped. She covered her mouth.

“Jey, you didn’t have to do all this,” Rhea said.

“This? This is nothing. Come here,” he said.

“I’m in sweatpants! Why didn’t you tell me to dress up?”

“We’re going to dinner in a few hours. We can take pictures then.”

She stood in front of him and smiled. He held out the box. She took it.

“Do I open it now?”

“First, let me say that I’m glad we’re still together. It’s been a lot of ups and downs already and now that we’re both doing well in therapy, I feel like we can handle anything. You said you were ready to be my girlfriend and we’re here to make it official. So will you be my girlfriend, Miss Ripley?”

“I would love to be your girlfriend, Mr. Uso,” Rhea said, grinning.

“Open it,” Jey said.

Rhea gasped at the necklace. “It’s beautiful. You spoil me.”

“You deserve it,” he said.

Rhea put the necklace down and hugged him. “I love you.”

“I love you,” Jey said. He leaned in and kissed her.

“Is it too early for champagne?” Rhea asked.

“No. There’s also chocolate covered strawberries in the fridge.”

Rhea squealed excitedly and ran back to the kitchen. Jey laughed and followed her, looking forward to their long weekend together.

[samoony]

CHRISTMAS WITH THE FOXES

Neil sat quietly in the corner of the dorm lounge, the scent of cinnamon and hot cocoa filling the air. The lounge was transformed into a cozy Christmas haven, with twinkling string lights draped across the walls, a small faux tree glowing in the corner, and a pile of mismatched gifts under it. For someone who had never celebrated Christmas before or had good memories of it, Neil felt as if he’d stumbled into a scene from one of the holiday movies that nicky insisted on playing on the screen.

The foxes bustled around, chatting and laughing, their festive sweaters adding splashes of color to the room. Andrew gave him small glances every once in a while from across the room, where he was helping set up the snacks(and eating some to). when Neil caught a glance, he returned a small smile, his nerves buzzing. He wasn’t used to being part of celebrations, and the warmth of it all felt almost overwhelming.

“Okay, everyone!” Dan called, clapping her hands. “It’s Secret Santa time!”

The group gathered in a semi-circle in the floor while others on the couch, and the first gift was handed out. Laughter and thanks bounced around as each person unwrapped their presents. When it was Neil’s turn to receive a gift, he hesitated, his awkwardness creeping in. Renee handed him a neatly wrapped box with a grin.

“It’s from me,” she said, sitting back to watch his reaction.

Neil carefully unwrapped the paper, his fingers trembling slightly. Inside was a photo frame, simple yet elegant, and within it was a picture of him and Andrew from earlier that year, both blushing while holding hands and neil being with a huge grin in his face. His throat tightened. It was such a thoughtful gift, yet he wasn’t sure how to respond.

“Thank you, Renee,” he said, his voice quiet but sincere. “This… this is really nice.”

Renee smiled warmly. “I thought you might like it. You and Andrew look good in that photo.”

Andrew leaned over and whispered, “Told you it would be nice.” referring to the talk they both had before because neil kept insisting he didn't need presents.

As the gifts continued, Neil’s heart raced. It was his turn to give his gift now, and his nerves peaked. He reached under the tree and pulled out a neatly wrapped box, slightly larger than most of the others. He walked over to Aaron, who was sitting with a curious expression.

“Uh… This is for you,” Neil said, handing the box over.

Aaron raised an eyebrow but still said “Thanks, Neil.”

The room fell silent as Aaron unwrapped the gift. As the paper fell away, revealing an iPad and a digital pen, gasps rippled through the room. Aaron’s jaw dropped.

“Neil,” Aaron said, his voice almost a whisper. “This is… This is a lot, I—why?”

Neil fidgeted, looking down at his hands. “I… I know you’re studying medicine, and I thought it might help. For your notes and stuff. I just… wanted to get you something useful.”

The foxes erupted in surprised murmurs, and Nicky turned to Neil with wide eyes. “Neil, how did you afford this? You spent all your money last year on Andrew's car—”

Neil shrugged sheepishly. “I took on small jobs here and there, saving bit by bit. It wasn’t much.”

For a moment, everyone was silent, absorbing Neil’s words. Then, as if on cue, they all surged toward him, enveloping him in a massive group hug.

“You’re the sweetest person ever, Neil!” Allison exclaimed.

“Seriously, thank you, that was really nice of you” Aaron said, his voice cracking slightly with gratitude.

Neil, squished in the middle by the foxes, felt warmth spread through his chest. For the first time, he truly felt what Christmas was about—not only the gifts, but the love and joy shared among those who cared about each other...home.

And as Andrew leaned in to kiss his temple, Neil couldn’t help but think that this was the best Christmas anyone could ever ask for.

[lady-lostmind]

Not So Nice

Written for @steddiebingo Twelve Days of Christmas Prompts: Nice & Tree

Rating: T | WC: 681 Thank you @oh-stars for betaing!!

Eddie is being nice. Not that Eddie isn’t nice. But he tends to be subtly nice. Remembering how Steve takes his coffee, nice. Grabbing Steve’s favorite candy bar from the store, nice. But it’s usually shrouded in funny jabs to his outfit or changing the radio in Steve’s car as soon as he gets in because of his horrible taste. It took Steve forever to realize Eddie was flirting with him because he spent all his time making fun of him. Steve is used to it, now, after being together so many years. He knows Eddie loves him. He just loves picking at him just as much. He’s not usually outwardly nice. And he doesn’t really do work of any kind that doesn’t directly benefit him without a lot of whining and complaining. So naturally, Steve is suspicious as he watches Eddie drag the Christmas tree up from the basement, unprompted. 

Steve crosses his arms and leans against the doorframe. “What did you do?” 

Eddie’s brow scrunches and he scoffs. “What are you talking about?”

Steve narrows his eyes. “You hate all my Christmas decorations. I usually have to beg you just to help me bring this stuff up from the basement. So– What. Did. You. Do?” 

Eddie rolls his eyes as he tugs open the tree box and tries to locate the base. “I know you like to put all this shit up as soon as possible. It’s December first. I figured you’d ask me today anyway, so��” He shrugs as he digs around in the box.

Steve shakes his head. “I don’t buy it.”

Eddie huffs out a laugh and mumbles under his breath. “Jeeze. You try to do something nice.” 

Steve sighs and walks over to help Eddie pull everything out for the tree. “Okay, fine. Thank you for bringing it up.”

Eddie flashes him a smile and leans over to press his lips to Steve’s. “You’re welcome, baby.”

Steve hums and hands Eddie the next section of the tree, waiting for the other shoe to drop. Because there’s always another shoe with Eddie. 

–

The tree looks gorgeous. Front and center in the window, lights shining bright. Steve loves this time of year. Loves hosting all the holiday get-togethers he never got to have when he was kid. He steps back staring with starry eyes and slips his arm around Eddie, pulling him in close.

Eddie kisses his temple. “It’s pretty.” 

Steve nods, leaning his head on Eddie’s shoulder. Eddie plays with the hem of Steve’s shirt and sighs. Steve shifts to glare at him. “What’s wrong?”

Eddie flashes him a smile and shakes his head. “Nothing.” 

Steve pulls back and rolls his eyes. “Just tell me Eds.”

Eddie sighs, slumping. “I have to miss the big Christmas party.”

Steve’s heart sinks, his mouth falling open. “Wh–”

Eddie reaches out and grabs Steve’s hand, thumb rubbing over the back. “I’m sorry, baby. The label wants us to do some special on MTV. It films the same night.”

Steve groans. “Babe! We changed the date so it wouldn’t mess with the tour!”

Eddie looks at him with big, guilt filled eyes. “I know. I’m so sorry.”  

Steve sighs. “I knew there was a reason you were being so nice.” 

Eddie gasps in mock offense. “I’m always nice.” He leans in close to Steve, a grin playing on his face. 

Steve rolls his eyes but lets Eddie pull him in and press their lips together. Eddie pulls back and leans his forehead against Steve so all he can do is stare in his eyes. 

“I really am sorry, Stevie. I know how important it is to you.” 

Steve sighs, knowing he can’t stay mad at Eddie for long, especially when it’s not even his fault. “I guess you’ll just have to make it up to me.” He leans back and eyes Eddie up and down, resting his hand on his belt buckle.Eddie’s mouth pulls into a wide grin, dimple popping. “Oh, that I can do, sweetheart.” He drops to his knees right in front of their beautiful Christmas tree.

[jccatstudios]

I have been following your soc comic adaptation and it just so good!!! I love how you draw them!

I have just one question: Why did you not include Inej's opening musings about Kaz on the first page? (Kaz Brekker didn't need a reason etc) I actually really like how there is not text on the first two pages, it's really atmospheric and moody so this really is not a criticism, I don't want to insult you. I guess I was just wondering what the thought process behind that was?

Oh, I've been wanting to talk about this for a while! Buckle up, this is gonna be one of my long comic rants. (Also, no offense taken at all! Anyone's welcome to question my artistic choices and I'm always happy to take critique, even though that isn't your intention.)

So, the thing is I actually planned on including that first paragraph into the comic! Here's when I first shared the thumbnails on here. Just for the sake of this post, I'll insert them here too.

The boxes are meant to be where excerpts of that introduction would go. When I was creating the thumbnails, I was thinking about how iconic these lines were and how well they introduce the world and characters. I even finished the pages with the intention to include those lines. This is from my original csp file.

When I lettered it all out, I felt like something wasn't right...? Hard to explain. I wanted silence for the opening and the narration took that away. I then thought about the reader who'd go into this without reading the novel first, wondering if they'd be thinking, Who's this Kaz Brekker guy? Is it this character on the page? It's clearer in the book, but I didn't think it paired well with what I drew. I didn't want any confusion. It's also Inej's chapter, and while Kaz's parts take up most of it, I still wanted it to feel like her POV and her story. We can hold off officially meeting Kaz until page four.

But the main reason I took it out comes down to my philosophy when it comes to comic adaptations. I believe that an adaptation should use the original story in the best way for the secondary medium. A comic adaptation should play to the strength of comics, not the original source material.

Time and time again, I see a lot of comic adaptations of books try to use a book's strength instead of a comic's. When that happens, you get pages upon pages of narration boxes and exposition that could've easily been told in a single panel's image. If you want to read excerpts from the original novel, go do that! They're beautiful and well-crafted and you should be reading the original anyway! If you're making a comic adaptation, make a comic, not an illustrated version of the novel (that's a whole field of its own).

This whole thing really ties well into what I'm doing for Chapter 3. Kaz is such an internal character, his chapters have a lot more exposition that isn't setting description or character actions. I've had to do a lot more of my own writing for this chapter than the last just to turn that exposition into his own voice as an internal monologue. Sometimes, it's just a change from "he" to "I," but there are other times I've had to write new dialogue and find ways to naturally flow between thoughts. If I didn't do the work to adapt the expository text and instead just put in narration boxes of text from the book, there would be a greater disconnect between the reader and Kaz. Third-person limited works great in books and doesn't separate the readers from the story, but in comics, first-person internal dialogue keeps the readers inside the scene better.

If I were to redo Chapter 2, I think I would try to find a way to incorporate the information from the chapter intro better. I think by losing the intro I initially planned to include, I didn't establish certain ideas very well. Ketterdam and Kerch are established later on pages 4 and 5, but I don't think I ever go back and mention The Barrel. Also, the idea that Kaz is deliberate, even if his reputation says otherwise, is important too. I've made sure to fix this kind of issue in Chapter 3 and keep record of what kind of information I'm losing as I adapt it.

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

hope you feel better soon!

I am riddled with ailments, but I stay silly!

[i-like-forcefem]

Hi! I just wanted to know if you'd ever heard of a really fun forcefem game called Crossdressing in Camelot? It's a really well-made one that definitely put some work into cracking my own egg. You play as a "man" who discovers that they have a talent for magic, but oops! the best way to grow stronger magically is to be more feminine! It has some really well-written characters, some fun dialogue and plot, and is free on itch.io!

Never heard of it before and gave it a shot!

It’s quite fun! Though sadly moved a bit too slowly for me personally, I can definitely see the appeal!

It was fun to give it a shot! Please tell me if anyone has more forcefem recommendations!

[bolly--quinn]

I’m so curious about your headcanons of Diane, personality, her history with Rick, etc.

tbh I’ve been seeing content of Diane being “a sweet and gentle bimbo housewife with 2 braincells” and I grew tired of it…. So I thought of this!! For me I like to think that she was a cool and badass woman rather than a shy, timid woman… I also think it’s somewhat canon (according to the fandom) that she’s the breadwinner of the family (haven’t figured out her job yet) while Rick is a stay-at-home parent and takes care of Beth, also she’s intelligent!!! Not as smart as Rick though but like she’s not airhead.

What do you think ?? and what are your thoughts on Diane ? <3

I mean I knew Diane wasn't gonna be an airhead since we know Rick is attracted to power lol (like Unity says it's planning to become the universe, practically a god and Rick is like super into it so obviously Diane has to have some semblance of ambition and the ability to take charge lmao)

I'll be honest though I didn't love her depiction in Fear no mort (obvious reasons are obvious) but I did always picture her as a woman who could handle herself and is sarcastic and teasing (affectionately) and strong-willed

I actually wrote stuff in my notes app about their dynamic and made this little venn diagram about it

bonus: here's the personality traits that I think Beth gets from them

[sciderman]

howard the duck (1976) #10

[galactic-rhea]

Thoughts on Padmé x Anakin x Rex?

Padmé and Anakin are so mutually obssesed they would first have to check into that before trying to bring another person to their carefully-balanced-kind-of-damage or something it's going to explode.

Honestly it's a fun ship! But I don't have too many thoughts about them because when I consider them is usually in very low-stakes-fun-AU-scenarios.

And I'm actually a bit of a fan of Rexwalker myself! Athough I tend to like them more as very good buddies, the covering-for-you-dynamic it's so funny for them, lol It's also angsty and complicated because, y'know, the power-imbalance and unchecked trauma? Is funny that the clone that's actually a slave for the republic is the most normal if you bring him into the anidala romance circus.

Also shout out to @phoenixyfriend , she has a lot of rexanidala fics and recs for anyone interested reading this!

[gingermintpepper]

OML also have you read /heard of Desire for Peace? It’s an ongoing webcomic about Ares’ recovery from his time in the jar by @/ephemeral-roses. It’s only 3 episodes long so far but the WRITING and the ART and the EMOTIONS is gorgeous. plus I LOVE their Aphrodite so much !!

Okay so when you sent this ask I hadn't known anything about @ephemeral-roses Desire for Peace but upon reading it, I immediately bolted to read the available three chapters and stalk their tumblr a bit. Now that I've sat with what I read for a few hours, I can confidently say that I'm quite a fan!!

I've seen a modest amount of takes on the 'Ares recovers from his jarification' premise most notably in fics, but it's my first time seeing a spin on it that seems to be primarily concerned with Ares' mental health in the aftermath. Also the opening premise of Ares being born twice, first from his mother and then from the jars was like, very impacting to me, I'm extremely interested to see how that is expounded upon. It's also really cool to have Ares as an amputee? There are many many elements that are tying Ares to his brothers just in these first couple chapters - born twice like Dionysus with one birth involving them having to be repaired after being torn apart by monsters (Ares is mental but Dionysus/Zagreus was physical), disabled like Hephaestus and being accompanied by Hermes who, instead of acting like a psychopomp and delivering Ares to death, instead acted like a nursemaid and delivered Ares back to life.

Anyway, the point is, thank you very much for pointing me in the direction of this series!! I'll definitely be keeping an eye on it eagerly!!

[bastiodon8]

i drew (and headcanoned some of) people's courtneys. too out of it to tag the specific ppl these courtlets come from so if you see your courtlet say hi i guess? wanted to post this since i love this piece so much and i love seeing how people interpret concepts.

and a bonus featuring my own courtlet. thank you.