#the fun date they set up for their mother starts snowballing into a serious thing & Ken and Katie just have to accept it

[btr-rewatch]

Alternate version of "Big Time Dance" where Mama Knight and Fabio really hit it off and start dating for real and then get married, so Kendall and Katie just have Fabio as their stepdad for the rest of the series.

[dreaming-about-fanfictions]

Choose Me Instead II Draco Malfoy x Reader II Chapter 10 of 27: Dating

Summary: Pretending to be in a relationship with Draco Malfoy to get back at your ex might have not been the smartest idea you ever had. Especially during your last year of Hogwarts where you should be focusing on exams and your future plans. However, you were just pretending. There was no way in hell you could actually catch feelings for someone like Malfoy. … Right?

CHAPTER 9

A/N: THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ALL YOUR AMAZING FEEDBACK! I AM BEYOND GRATEFUL FOR EVERYONE WHO READS THIS STORY! This project has become so important to me and I have so much fun working on it! Thank you thank you thank you! Also - this chapter is a little shorter and more ‘calm’ at first. But be prepared, it’s still very important to everything that follows it!! <33 Enjoy!

Words: 3.1k Pairing: Draco Malfoy x fem!Reader Warnings: none

Two days after Hogsmeade …

Monday morning. You yawned and it turned into a chuckle when Malfoy mimicked you.

“It’s contagious,” he defended himself quietly to avoid attracting Professor Sprouts attention. He sat next to you, way back in the last row of the classroom. It had been your idea – after finding out that almost none of your friends believed your act, it seemed like a good idea to sit next to each other during classes. Maybe it would help convince them.

With a flick of her wand, Professor Sprout made an assignment appear on the blackboard. Nothing too difficult. You walked to the front to get the small flower you were supposed to work with and Ron glared at you from his seat. You ignored him.

Back at your table, Malfoy and you started working together quietly. When you looked at his notes, you leaned over a little too closely, feeling dizzy from the smell of his cologne. Whenever he reached for something, his hand brushed over yours. His comments were accompanied by smiles and direct eye contact. He played his part so well, you almost believed it. From the corners of your vision, you saw Ron staring.

You acted the same in every class that you shared. During breaks, you stayed together – always a few feet away from the others. You discovered how funny he could be when he gave you live-commentary of a fight happening between a Ravenclaw and Slytherin.

In the evening, you came back to your dorm, feeling unusually content. Not even the letter from the parents on your desk changed that. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to sound so harsh, your mother had written. I simply don’t understand and I am scared for you. I can’t lose you too.

“Oh, mum,” you whispered, rubbing your neck. Then you sat down and reached for a quill. She deserved the truth. At least, a little of it.

 ***

One week after Hogsmeade …

Draco was happy.

Well, maybe happy was a little exaggerated but he felt … calmer. He used to spend his free time by himself which gave him plenty of opportunities to think. About the war, his parents, himself – and it nearly killed him. The notebook was an escape, a good way to focus, but it wasn’t enough. No matter how many pages he filled, he still felt himself sliding away from his surroundings. Now he spent that time with you – and things began to change. In those few days he even stopped dreading getting out of bed because Draco had finally something to look forward to again: spending time with you.

Draco considered you his friend. A part of him had trouble with the realization since being around someone like you went against everything his parents taught him but he tried tirelessly to shut it off. No, you were his friend and being around you made him feel almost okay.

“What are you writing?”

The sound of your voice caused Draco to look up from his notebook. The two of you sat in the library. You were across from him, finishing up on some homework. Draco shrugged. What was he supposed to say? I’m writing about you? Certainly not.

“Can I read it at some point?”, you tilted your head in curiosity. You did that a lot, Draco noticed. It reminded him of a puppy.

Am I comparing her to a dog?, he scolded himself in the next second. No, he didn’t mean it like that. He meant to think that he thought it was cute when you did that. You … were cute.

“It’s okay,” you finally said with a smile when you sensed his hesitation. “It’s personal, I get it – or do you keep track of dirty dreams in it?” You teased him.

“Only of the dreams involving you,” he winked at you, causing you to snort. Despite the joke, Draco was relieved you didn’t dig any further.

From where he sat, he had a direct view of the huge door leading inside the library. This was the reason why he saw the Greengrass sisters walking in, their gaze immediately landing upon him. He casually reached over the table and softly began to draw circles on your soft skin with the tip of his finger. He smirked at your shiver.

“Ron?”, you asked, not looking up from your book.

“Astoria,” he replied.

A few minutes later, Astoria and Daphne left again. Draco didn’t pull his hand away.

 ***

Two weeks after Hogsmeade …

Snowflakes were dancing in the cold winter air as you sat on the bleachers with Malfoy. Down on the Quidditch field, the Slytherins were practicing under the strong rule of Zabini. Games were cancelled but they still needed to stay in shape.

“I never pictured you as an Auror,” Malfoy confessed. He had asked about your future plans just seconds before.

“Why?”, you wanted to know.

He thought about it for a moment. “I don’t know. I always thought you’d become … a healer. Or a teacher maybe.”

His words made you laugh. “Are you serious?”

Malfoy nodded.

“Well, no,” you shrugged. “I wanted to be an Auror since I was little girl. And I’ll make it, believe me.”

He raised his hands in a defensive manner. “I have no doubts about that. It simply surprised me.”

You chuckled another time at the thought of becoming a teacher. It had always been the furthest thing on your mind. You loved Hogwarts, it had been your home for years but you craved to see more from the world. Especially since the war happened. You didn’t want to spend your whole life in this castle.

“What do you want to do?”, you then asked, curious as to what his answer might be. It was hard for you to picture him outside of school.

Malfoy shrugged. “I don’t know.”

It surprised you. “Really?”, you wondered. “Pureblood families like yours normally have a plan set up for their kids, don’t they?”

“Normally,” he laughed bitterly. “My father wanted me to follow his footsteps and get some high-ranking job in the Ministry. That’s not an option anymore. For obvious reasons.”

He was probably right. The wounds were still too fresh. The chances for a former Death Eater to be employed in the Ministry of Magic were slim.

You stayed on the bleachers for hours. It had only been a little over two weeks since the Halloween party and yet you had become a lot closer to Malfoy than you expected. You felt comfortable talking to him. Both of you had very different childhoods and friends – you came from different worlds. However, it was precisely this fact that made it easy to talk to each other. You were almost certain that he felt the same.

 ***

Three weeks after Hogsmeade …

Draco watched you flick through the pages of a magazine and for the first time since that night in the storage room, he saw you. And by Merlin, how beautiful you were.

He sat on the couch in the Room of Requirements with you, listening to the flames crackling in the small fireplace in front of him. You were laying down on your back, head propped up against the armrest, a small wrinkle on your forehead as you read the descriptions in the magazine. Your legs were stretched out and on his lap. Draco wondered why – no one would be around to see you anyways.

“Stop staring, Malfoy, it’s creepy,” you giggled.

Draco blinked as he snapped back into reality. “I’m not staring, I’m thinking, Y/L/N.”

“Think without staring at me.”

Easier said than done.

Draco cleared his throat. “What are you looking at anyways?”

“Christmas presents for my parents. But,” you clicked your tongue, “I can’t find anything good.”

Draco grabbed your legs and lifted them slightly while moving over closer to you. “Let me see. I’m awesome at getting gifts.”

 ***

Four weeks after Hogsmeade …

When December arrived, Hogwarts felt like home again. A cheerful atmosphere filled the castle, accompanied by snowball fights outside and hot chocolates in the common rooms. As if a spell was lifted, something changed within the students and parents alike.

You happily noticed how Ginny needed less and less of her sleeping medicine. The nightmares slowly faded, being replaced by happier memories. The letters from your mother barely mentioned your sister anymore. Instead, she talked about carriage rides in the snow with your father and her plans for Christmas dinner. For the first time in a while, you looked forward to going home.

You wondered if it was the same for Draco. When they put up the Christmas tree in the Great Hall, he got even more quiet than usual. It planted an idea inside your head and on that same day, you wrote a letter to your parents, asking them if he could spend the holidays with them. They agreed. It came to no surprise to you; your mother was eager to meet him and see if her prejudices and fears would be proven right.

“I don’t want to impose,” Draco said with a stern voice when you told him after dinner.

“You’re not! I asked them and they want to meet you. Come on,” you insisted.

He watched you with uncertainty and furrowed brows. “I don’t know. I can’t –”

“What are your plans for Christmas?”, you interrupted him.

Draco looked away at the question; that same expression of bitterness on his face that you’d seen too often for your own liking.

“I thought so,” you said softly. “Please, Draco, come with me.”

He sighed and wiped his hands over his eyes. “Why would they even want to meet me?”

You smiled widely. “You’re my boyfriend.” Never would you have thought it would sound normal to say that.

“Yes, but –”, he lowered his voice, “– but not really.”

True. For a weird reason, it stung a little to be reminded by him. “I am your friend though, aren’t I?”

He blinked at the word ‘friend’ and you wondered if he felt differently about it. Then he nodded.

“Awesome!”, you exclaimed, shooing away your worries. “Then it’s settled. Christmas at my place.”

In that moment, Harry and Ron walked passed you. Ron didn’t even glance at you. How weird, you wondered, this was the first time in days that you thought about him.

 ***

Five weeks after Hogsmeade …

 My dearest Draco,

I am delighted to hear that Y/N’s family invited you for Christmas. They are very kind to do so. Please remember to bring a little housewarming gift. Although it hurts me to be away from you this Christmas, I do believe it’s a better option for you than visiting your grandparents with me. I’m sure the holidays will be spent in a rather somber spirit this year as your father will be unable to join us. I want you to have at least a little fun and am looking forward to your stories.

Lots of love, your Mother

P.S.: I met with Mrs. Greengrass yesterday. She is not upset and gave me her word to wait until you are ready.

Draco shook his head in amusement when he finished reading the letter. Only his mother could wish him a nice time with his (fake) girlfriend and then continue with ‘if you’re done having fun, your fiancée is still available’.

“That’s why pureblood traditions are fucked up,” was something you would say right now. But you weren’t here. You were practicing for the first Quidditch game in the new year and Draco sat in his dorm, waiting for Blaise to get ready.

Reading the letter a second time, he started to wonder. Why would Mrs. Greengrass wait? Why did their family want this union so desperately? The questions were lingering on his mind ever since you brought them up months ago. He failed to come up with an answer to this day.

“Please don’t tell me that’s a letter to Y/N,” Blaise announced when he stepped out of the bathroom.

Draco rolled his eyes. “It’s from my mother, idiot.”

“Good,” his friend sighed dramatically. “Because I rarely get to see you now that you have her. No need for you to start writing love letters when she’s not around.”

Even though his nagging slightly annoyed Draco, he realized something in this moment: it had worked. The whole PDA and ‘being-more-affective-in-public’- thing worked. It had been almost two weeks since Theo or Blaise (or even Astoria) tried to get him to confess that they were faking it. His friends started to believe them.

“Yeah, whatever,” Draco gave a dismissive wave of his hand and put the letter away. “Maybe I just don’t want to see you, Zabini, and it has nothing to do with Y/N.”

Blaise laughed. “No, you love me too much. Now, let’s go. Theo’s waiting for us.”

 ***

Six weeks after Hogsmeade …

A loud shriek echoed through the classroom and you almost dropped the container of cat teeth on the floor. Parkinson jumped up and down, trying to get a slimy violet mass shaken off her leg. It didn’t budge and made its way up her pants, accompanied by absolutely disgusting slurping and smacking sounds. You tried hard to suppress a laugh but when you saw the way Harry grinned behind her, you couldn’t stop yourself from chuckling.

Professor Slughorn hurried over and quickly cast a spell. The mass fell down to the floor and stopped moving. “Oh well, Ms. Parkinson,” he quickly glanced inside her cauldron. “It’s important to add the cat teeth before the mandrake juice.” Then he knelt down in front of her, inspecting her pants. “It looks like nothing got on your skin. If I am mistaken, please go and see Madame Pomfrey. It can leave nasty burns behind.”

The Slytherin girl nodded, still in shock.

“What happened?”, Draco joined you at your table. He had gone to the backroom, to gather missing ingredients.

“Parkinson got attacked by her potion,” you sneered while counting the cat teeth. “It was hilarious.”

“I bet,” he grinned, before skimming over the instructions again.

“I think I need to go and see Madame Pomfrey,” Parkinson whined behind you. “It got through the fabric of my pants.”

As if, you thought and rolled your eyes.

“Please go,” you heard Slughorn say. “Better not take any chances. Interestingly, this modified form of the potion has been used in the past. They removed foreign magical particles with it, such as certain marks that resulted from dark spells. It is very aggressive though and since then, the healers have invented different potions. However, when it touches your normal skin, it only leaves burns and scars. Please, Ms. Parkinson, please go. Mr. Nott, you can accompany her.”

“Huh,” Draco made next to you. “What did she do wrong again?”

You sighed when you saw that you had miscounted the teeth. Damnit.

“Y/N?”

“What?”, you looked at him.

Draco stared at the liquid inside the cauldron, a blank expression on his face. “What did Pansy do wrong?”

“She put in the mandrake juice before the cat teeth.” You frowned. “Why?”

“No reason.”

 ***

That same day …

It was late when you returned from Quidditch practice; tired and sweaty. All you craved was a shower and then your bed. Playing that sport in your free time was one thing but practicing under Ginny as Captain? You were glad that you didn’t die yet.

“Y/L/N!”

Someone shouted your name as you walked inside the castle.

“Y/L/N!”

Irritated, you turned around, trying to make out the person that voice belonged to.

“Y/L/N, here!” Theodore Nott sprinted down the stairs, coming from the direction of the Gryffindor common room. “Fuck, we looked everywhere for you!”, he cursed, completely out of breath, when he finally reached you.

“We?”, you asked with wide eyes. “What’s going on?”

You then noticed the fear in his eyes. He gripped so tightly onto the stair railings that his knuckles turned white and his whole body was trembling. Panic began to dwell up inside of you. Draco.

“It’s Draco, something happened,” he panted. “You have to come, please!”

Your blood froze. “What’s going on?!”, your voice turned shrill but he ran down the stairs again.

“Come!”, he shouted. “Now!”

The two of you sprinted down stairs and hallways, passing confused classmates on the way. Adrenaline pumped through your veins and you repeated the same sentence over and over again in your head: Something happened to Draco. The thought of it was unbearable and it hit you like a brick wall, making it hard to breathe. Please, no. Not him.

When you reached the entrance to the Slytherin common room, Theodore turned to you abruptly. He grabbed you by your shoulders. “Act normal,” he hissed. “Walk slowly. They don’t need to know.”

You nodded absently. Your hands were clam and you tried to calm down your breathing.

“Okay,” he didn’t seem convinced that you understood him. Then he mumbled the password and the door opened.

Under normal circumstances, you would have stopped in the middle of the room, looking around in awe. You’d never been here before; it was a mystery to you. But now, you only briefly glanced at the green and black furniture. There weren’t many students around. The ones that saw you, stared at your red Quidditch robes.

“What the fuck?”, someone said loudly. “What’s she doing here?!”

Nott ignored them, leading you quickly to the stairs that must have led up to the dorms. You noticed the windows on the way up and gasped when you realized that you didn’t look at the fields of Hogwarts. You were under the Black Lake.

“Finally,” Zabini exclaimed. He had waited in front of a door, looking just as shaken up as Nott. “You found her.”

“What’s going on?”, you asked for the third time now. “Where is he?”, your voice trembled a little.

“In here,” Nott pointed at the room. “In the bathroom. He locked himself in.”

“He wouldn’t let us in and asked for you,” Zabini continued with a quiet voice, fidgeting with his hands. “It’s … you’ll see. Just go in and help him.” He paused briefly. “Please.”

You nodded and reached for the door handle. Three deep breaths. One … two … three.

You pushed open the door and stepped in, closing it softly behind you. Looking around, everything looked perfectly ordinary. Three beds, three wardrobes, a table. Your gaze wandered over to the door that lead into the bathroom. Then you heard it – a sob. And another one. Someone was crying. He was crying. Your heart broke at the sound.

“Draco?”

 ***

A/N: Thank you so much for reading! <33 Also: did you notice Y/N stopped calling him “Malfoy” halfway through the chapter and switched to “Draco”? 

CHAPTER 11

“Choose Me Instead” Masterlist HP Masterlist

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[queen-of-the-avengers]

What Christmas Is All About

Characters: Elizabeth Olsen x Australian!Reader, reader’s family, Elizabeth’s family

Word Count: 1,770

Warnings: just fluff

Summary: You’ve never been kissed under the mistletoe, and Tom wants to change that.

Squares Filled: Tradition for @ladiesofmarvelbingo​

Author’s Note: If you have any requests, please send them in! This is unbeta’d and any and all mistakes are all on me.

this is late, but it’s for my 25 days of christmas rpf with the prompt: Person A has never seen snow before so Person B gets to watch Person A see it for the first time and look utterly amazed.

Feedback the glue that holds my writing together

Tags at the bottom

Christmas in Australia is more fun than others might think. Granted, you e never spent a Christmas outside of your home, so your opinion might be a bit biased. With living in the Southern Hemisphere came scorching Christmases. No snow, bright sun, scorching rays, high waves, and great food. It’s always hot in summer, but every year your family buys a portion of the beach so you can have a private party.

Your entire family comes from both sides. There are so many kids, lots of aunts and uncles, and all four of your grandparents. Each Christmas is a time to remember, but the only thing that makes this holiday better than all the rest is that your beautiful girlfriend, Elizabeth Olsen, is joining you. It’s your first Christmas with her since dating, and she only said yes to coming because her older sisters are having some big fashion thing that her parents wanted to go to.

It’s really their loss since spending time with her is always a good time in your book. You thought having her over with so many of your family members would be nerve racking, but she’s met most of them before. Back when you and Elizabeth were starring in your very own movie. They came to set to give good graces, and they immediately fell in love with her. While you weren’t nervous, she was. She’s never even been to Australia, much less an Australian Christmas despite being great friends with the Hemsworths.

It’s actually how you two met. There was a press conference for one of the bigger Marvel movies, and the only cast members who could make it last minute was Chris Hemsworth, Robert Downey Jr., and Elizabeth. The press conference was held in New York, and it just so happened to be the same week as one of your interviews there. Since you’re well known for your movies, it wasn’t a shock to meet some of the cast for the Marvel movies. You don’t believe in love at first sight? but you and Elizabeth came damn close to it.

For that very short week of nonstop interviews, you tried to spend as much time with her as possible before you went to London for another interview. After you two parted ways, you stayed in contact by text, facetime, email, and any other forms of communication. She was so captivating, and you hated being away from her even for one second.

At the start of your relationship, you learned that she’s never been to Australia in her life even if she wanted to go. Since Christmas is truly the best time for Australia, you promised her you’d make her go. There is no snow, no cold weather, the air conditioning needs to be blasted, but it’s so much fun to spend it in the sun.

The private section of the beach your dad rented is in full gear. The small children and preteens splash and have fun in the ocean. There are a couple of adults in the water to make sure everything is okay with the much smaller children. Your big and beefy uncles are having a sandcastle building contest. These are normally boring because kids don’t know how to make real sandcastles, but your uncles make a big deal out of it. They can make the castles as high as you, and you’re over five feet tall.

Your parents are tending to the barbeque grill as your dad does all the cooking and your mom tells him how good he’s doing. If she cooked, then you’re sure to land in the hospital. Your grandparents are relaxing under the big umbrella they requested you bring. They can’t handle too much sun, and if they are in it for too long, then they’ll get a really nasty sunburn that’s sure to put them in the hospital. You and Elizabeth are hanging with your parents since they’re hogging all of her time.

“So, Elizabeth, how’s your family? Why aren’t you with them?” your dad asks as he flips the fish.

He always makes the best seafood this time of year.

“James! Be polite!” your mother scolds him.

“It’s fine,” Elizabeth smiles and waves her off. “My sisters Mary-Kate and Ashley have some fashion things that my parents wanted to go to. I don’t have any children, and God forbid my sisters so we all agreed to spend New Year’s together.”

“Well, you’re always welcomed here,” your mother smiles warmly.

Your dad finishes cooking the food, and the whole family gathers together at the tables. Your dad’s food gets praises from all ages, but since you’ve had his halibut a thousand times, you and Elizabeth decide to take a stroll along the shore to get away from everyone else. It’s nice to spend time with your family, but you want some private time with her.

“How do you like Christmas here so far?”

“It’s fun. I’ve never had a Christmas where it wasn’t snowing, but I quite like it. It’s refreshing.”

“You know, I’ve never seen snow before.”

“Are you serious? It snows here. Your family doesn’t go to the mountains during that time?”

“No, never. We just never have the time during that time. Plus, I’m usually away doing another movie or interview.”

“That settles it then. Next year, you’re spending Christmas with my family. I’m sure your parents wouldn’t mind. Right?”

“I’m sure they wouldn’t mind if I spend New Year’s with them. It would be nice to get away from the sunshine and heat at least for one holiday,” you chuckle.

“You’re going to have so much fun. Snow is the best thing to play with.”

“How do you play with snow?”

“Y/N, you don’t know what you’re missing,” she grins. “You can make snow angels and snowmen. You can have snowball fights, go sledding, skiing, and snowboarding. The best thing is to make snow forts. It gets very cold easily, but making it is just as fun as spending a few minutes inside.”

“Now I’m excited,” you giggle.

“You should be. But for right now, we should get back to your parents. They’re calling us over.”

It’s going to be an adventure to experience a Christmas without the high waves, hot sun, and the sizzling fish your dad makes.

You’ve never experienced weather like this before. From where you live, the coldest it’s ever gotten reached 10 degrees Celsius or 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Elizabeth’s family is originally from Minnesota, so she went back there despite living in Los Angeles. Your family was understanding when you told them you were going to be with your girlfriend and her family for Christmas since all of her family has yet to meet you. It’s only fair since she went with you last year.

To say you were shocked is an understatement. Not only does the cold put you in your fucking place, but an American Christmas is so much different than you expected. For one, they eat turkey, drink eggnog, make cookies, and have s’mores. There are other differences, but those are the ones you’re noticing right off the bat. You guess you could have turkey back home, but it wouldn’t be Christmas without your dad’s fish. It’s a nice change, but there’s nothing like home.

“So, Y/N, so I hear it’s your first time here?” Elizabeth’s mom, Jarnett, says.

“I’ve been in the States before, yes, but never a Christmas here you chuckle. “I thought it was going to be snowing.”

“Oh, it will, darling. Just give it some time. By tomorrow morning, this place is going to look like a wonderland!”

“Are you warm enough?” David, her dad, asks as he tends to the fireplace.

You’re wearing so many layers underneath your very thick jacket. It’s never been this cold back home, so you brought every warm clothing you owned.

“I’ll manage. You know, it doesn’t get this cold where I live.”

“What is Christmas like for you? It’s summer when it happens right?” Jarnett wonders.

“Yeah, is so much fun. I really like to surf with my brothers, my whole family plays on the beach, and I can’t forget Boxing day.”

“What’s that?” David asks.

“We don’t get that here,” Elizabeth explains.

“Oh, that’s unfortunate. Boxing day is a day to give back to the less fortunate. Churches love to collect leftover food, money, and other things in boxes which is then handed to the poor. It’s also a time to volunteer to these places. It really helps bring us all together so that everyone can have a good Christmas.”

“That sounds wonderful!”

“Yeah, I don’t know why the States doesn’t do this. Canada, the UK, and we do it,” you shrug.

It’s nice to share your Christmas traditions even though it may sound weird to them. They are kind enough to let you be a part of this special holiday, and it’s only fair you treat your countries traditions the same way. This Christmas is looking out to be one for the books already.

And it hasn’t even snowed yet.

“Y/N, wake up!” Elizabeth whispers and shakes your shoulders.

“What?” you grumble sleepily.

“Come on, get up. Out on something warm. I want you to see this. It’s snowing!”

That was enough to get you out of bed because you were so excited to see snow when you first arrived. You hastily throw on a warm jacket and follow Elizabeth to the front door. You refrain from looking through the windows because you wanted to see snow in all its glory. She opens the front door and you just have enough energy to gasp.

Everything—the cars, houses, trees, bushes, street, and everything else in between—is all covered with freak snow. It's like a giant laid a big white blanket over everything. There’s still snow falling from the sky, so you just run outside in childlike excitement. Elizabeth watches as you tilt your head back and stick out your tongue to try and catch the falling snowflakes. It’s refreshing to watch someone who's never seen snow below. She gets to experience it through your eyes.

“This snow is so fluffy! It’s surprisingly not cold!” you exclaim.

“Yeah, is warmer when it snows because the air is losing moisture. It’s a lot drier so it’s warmer.”

“I love snow!” you shout and run into a small pile that’s been growing overnight.

Elizabeth laughs and joins in on the fun. She can’t imagine experiencing this with anyone other than you. This is what makes Christmas special.

It’s not where you have it, is the people you spend it with.

If you want to be tagged, add yourself to this document! If your tag doesn’t work, find out why!

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[jacksgreysays]

Word Prompts (T20): Time

Related to this (but maybe an AU of it?)

~

Fuyumi is the one that opens the envelope.

It's not addressed to her, of course, but given whose names are on it, it's safest with her.

To Todoroki Touya, care of Todoroki Rei.

A decade ago, this envelope would have made sense, although in a somewhat optimistic way. Now, it just makes Fuyumi confused and wistful.

It's a normal envelope, thin, must be just a single sheet of paper inside; but it's when Fuyumi unfolds the letter--if it can even be called such--that the real significance is revealed.

HEY HOTSHOT, WATCH THIS!

It reads, written in a slanted blocky hand, green ink, with an arrow pointing to circle. In that circle, taped down, is a memory card, the kind that would go into a digital camera.

At the bottom, as a signature, is a lightning bolt in the same bright green ink, and a date--a little over a decade ago.

---

"Aw come on, Touya, this'll be fun!" A girl's voice cajoles from behind the camera. It shakes briefly, before steadying, then zooms out to better frame what looks like a UA training room. On screen is a teenage boy, blinding white hair and blue eyes, half-hearted scowl on his face. His face is flushed, not from anger but from embarrassment.

"This is stupid," he mutters, but obligingly stays in place as a girl joins him. Her black hair and grey eyes as somber as his is dazzling, but their matching uniforms make up for it.

"Alright hotshot," the girl says teasingly, nudging Touya with an elbow, "I get it, you're a serious hero. But don't you think your future fans would love to see just how... cool... you are even now?"

She waggles her eyebrow on the pun, shooting a wide grin at the camera as if to get support from a nonexistent audience.

In retaliation, Touya pushes her away, a few steps which the girl easily accedes before returning to his side with a softer, more honest grin.

"That was awful, Tetsuki," he says, but there's a layer of amusement in his tone. He's already convinced, "Maybe you're the one who's going to have all the future fans and now they're disappointed at how lame you are."

"If they're my fan, they already know what they're getting into," Tetsuki dismisses with a wink towards the nonexistent audience, "And between the two of us, you're the one who's going to be top five. Maybe you've become so badass that you're intimidating! This will show how fun you are, get in touch with the people!"

"We haven't even graduated yet and you're trying to fix my PR?"

Tetsuki waves a hand nonchalantly. "I'm just giving your future agency options! They can edit this later, I'm sure. Come on, come on! I only have this room booked for an hour," she says, shaking Touya's shoulder before darting to one end of the training room, the right side of the screen.

He yelps in protest, "An hour?!" but follows her lead and goes to the left, forming a mirror image.

Tetsuki smiles, shifts into a ready stance, and activates what must be her quirk--green lightning sparking along her body, "Ready?"

In return, Touya's arms ignite with blue flames, and for the first time since the video started he smiles, wild and bright, "Set..."

"GO!" They both yell, before springing toward each other. Twin trails of light streaking behind them, bold and happy and free.

---

Fuyumi doesn't cry. She's endured far worse than an unexpected glimpse of a past long gone, light and sweet before it all burned away.

But she takes care with the memory card, gentle as she re-tapes it to the note, and despite their shaking her fingers remain light and dextrous as she returns it to the envelope.

She'll bring it to Mother on her next visit, for safekeeping. After all, until Touya returns, it's meant to be in her care.

Maybe then they'll all watch it together, Mother, Fuyumi, and all her brothers.

---

Kaiza Tetsuki. Quirk: Electrical Manipulation. Hero name, Thunderbolt.

UA student, Class 1-A.

Second place freshman during Sports Festival.

Missing in action during internship with Endeavor's agency.

Investigation inconclusive.

(notable contact: Todoroki Touya)

Todoroki Touya. Quirk: Hell Flame. Hero name, Hotshot.

UA student, Class 1-A

First place freshman during Sports Festival.

Injured in incident during internship with Endeavor's agency, last seen one month after said incident. Suspected willing departure.

Investigation inconclusive.

(notable contact: Kaiza Tetsuki)

~

A/N: I'm trying to get back in the habit of writing again. I know, I know, I've been trying to get back into it for a while, but I've clearly lost my mental discipline that I used to have. I mean, not having the inspiration is one thing when I'm trying to write a specific ficlet but not writing at all is just me being lazy :/

Anyway, I was considering titling this "Viridescent: Or, Tetsuki and Touya's Time-Capsule Tape" but that was too silly.

Anyway, the reason why I'm thinking it's an AU of the linked "related" Viridescent is because maybe Tetsuki died during that internship and in order to cover either Touya's/his own ass, Endeavor CREMATED HER BODY TO HIDE THE EVIDENCE?

I mean, it could just be she disappeared (whether willingly or not?) and Touya went a little nuts and blamed Endeavor which ruined their already pretty bad relationship so he ran away and became Dabi. And then THAT snowballed into Endeavor increasing pressure on Shouta which ruined HIS life and put pressure on Rei which just... feedback loop of awful.

edit: tweaked because Touya/Dabi has white hair which I should’ve figured given the disaster that is ANY WHITE HAIRED ANIME BOY

[slaterfm]

» • * — ( CHARLES MELTON , CIS MALE , HE/HIM ) . i think i hear LOWLIFE BY NECK DEEP coming from apartment 618. doesn’t SAGE SLATER live there ?? i heard they are a TWENTY-FIVE year old PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR from OAKLAND, CALIFORNIA , but they’ve been living in the apartments for ONE MONTH . they come across a bit UNRULY AND FLIPPANT , but they also seem like they could be INCISIVE AND JOCUND . whenever i see them , i think of OBSCURE 80s REFERENCES , MISMATCHED CONVERSE HIGH TOPS , and A BULLETIN BOARD CLUTTERED WITH PHOTOS AND NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS CONNECTED BY STRINGS . ooc . sam , 23 , est , she/her .

hey there, demons! it’s me...sam. this is a brand new character for me and i’m very excited, so please message me if you would like to plot!

i. stats

𝕗𝕦𝕝𝕝 𝕟𝕒𝕞𝕖: sage slater

𝕙𝕠𝕞𝕖𝕥𝕠𝕨𝕟: oakland, california

𝕒𝕘𝕖: twenty - five

𝕕𝕒𝕥𝕖 𝕠𝕗 𝕓𝕚𝕣𝕥𝕙: july 24th, 1994

𝕫𝕠𝕕𝕚𝕒𝕔: leo

𝕠𝕣𝕚𝕖𝕟𝕥𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟: Bisexual Disaster™

𝕠𝕔𝕔𝕦𝕡𝕒𝕥𝕚𝕠𝕟: private investigator

𝕡𝕠𝕤. 𝕥𝕣𝕒𝕚𝕥𝕤: incisive, jocund, astute, exuberant.

𝕟𝕖𝕘. 𝕥𝕣𝕒𝕚𝕥𝕤: unruly, flippant, puerile, stubborn.

ii. history

sage slater was born and raised in oakland, california. at the time, his mother was a psychology professor at uc san francisco and his father was a police officer with a natural talent for solving difficult puzzles.

his intelligence was apparent from an early age, but was often overshadowed by his antics. after all, just because he was smart didn’t mean that he wanted to work hard and be on the honor roll and graduate as valedictorian of his class. he preferred to spend his time having fun : watching television, playing video games, obsessing over classic 80s films, coming up with one harebrained money - making scheme after another.

it was beneath this restless and rambunctious surface that his father saw potential. he believed that he could mold his son into the perfect detective and set out to train him accordingly. sage’s earliest childhood memories are lectures, strict rules, every little mistake being pointed out to him while anything he did right went completely ignored interspersed with the occasional argument between his parents.

his father was the one who ultimately filed for divorce. upon signing the papers, his mother packed up and left for a teaching position at ucla. sage never stopped feeling like she was driven away.

there was a time where sage wanted nothing more than to be just like his father, but after the divorce his image of the man he once considered his hero was irreparably destroyed. he started acting out, the occasional detention and plummeting grades snowballing into missed curfews and running from his own father’s police cruiser.

self - destructive out of spite, sage was just counting down the days until he turned eighteen, and then with little more than the clothes he was wearing and a small handful of cash, he hopped on a bus and left.

he became a wanderer, using the cash from a slew of minimum wage jobs he got fired from every other week to fund his travels across the country. rolled into new york city and fell into the private investigator thing about two years ago after there was a robbery at a music store where he was working. by the time the police arrived he had already solved the case. the story went viral, and sage was flooded with calls from total strangers offering him money ( sometimes in astronomical amounts ) to find their long - lost high school sweetheart or figure out who’s been stealing from their billion - dollar company. he’s even been brought in on official police investigations and has subsequently closed several cases for the nypd.

he’s bounced around several apartment buildings since he first moved to the city, and ten23 is his latest stop! he’s kind of a terrible tenant and roommate so i apologize in advance yikes.

iii. extras

sage is highly intelligent and hyper - observant, although it can be very difficult to tell.

he was diagnosed with adhd as a kid and went through a few different medications and doses before he began his current treatment, which is adderall that he sometimes takes like he’s supposed to.

the textbook definition of man - child. still plays video games, has a diet that consists of nothing but junk food and candy, and he never takes anything too seriously.

he’s a fiercely loyal friend who loves to make people laugh, but he’s not always the most reliable person. like, he goes out of his way to show the people in his life that he cares, but also don’t call him in desperate need of a ride at two in the morning because he will swear that he’s coming right away and then fall asleep in front of the television again.

a flirt, but also a commitment - phobe who likes to date around only to freak out when things get too serious, so he prefers to keep things casual.

loves old school police procedural shows and he’s obsessed with all things 80s, so the obscure references are never ending.

his everyday footwear : a blue converse high top on the right foot and a green converse high top on the left foot. it’s called fashion sweetie look it up.

he bought a motorcycle with the first big check that he ever got for a case and it’s his favorite thing in the entire world.

his life philosophy is : have fun at all costs!

iv. wanted connections

best friend from oakland who travels with him *will probably submit as a wc

friends

drinking / partying buddies

cousin ( their grandparents would probably be from california but otherwise anything really goes for this )

people who don’t like him / find him annoying

clients OR people he’s investigated 👀

maybe someone who knows how smart he really is

romantic connections! i LOVE ships okay

( these are just ideas and i’m trash at coming up with these, so please don’t feel limited by what’s listed here. )

[gdxnicky]

Snowed In

Genre: Fluff

Pairing: Jimin x Female Reader

Word Count: 2k

Part of @seakay05’s One (1) Prompt Collab, under the category [your prompt thingy here!]

A/N:

Park Jimin is not the typical Korean man. He is a world famous idol that works incredibly hard to make his family and fans proud of him. Yet, not many know how hard he works to take care of the one he loves, his Jagi, you. The two of you have been dating for two incredibly amazing years. You met him after,  you had won tickets to a BTS concert with a meet and greet of the group, to your surprise. The two of you had begun talking through social media, the seeds of friendship had been planted and soon bloomed into a relationship of love. 

Recently the group had finished up a world tour and decided to take a bit of a much needed hiatus. You had flown him to Alaska to spend some time with him just in time for Valentine's day. You had decided to take him to a lavish log cabin chalet for a romantic getaway. However, unfortunately the weather was not in your favor. Only two days after Jimin and you had arrived, your plans were smashed to pieces when you were snowed in. You decided that now it was time to improvise. You brought your Valentine gift for him with you, but your extravagant plans of ballroom dancing and a lovely meal need some augmenting. 

The first few days of your vacation Jimin and you had been snow tubing, building snowmen, having snowball fights, and drinking a lot of hot chocolate. Although he did not say, you could see from the fatigue on his face and bags under his eyes that the world tour and the past few days were catching up to Jimin. He was absolutely exhausted, so you let him sleep while you decided what you were going to do for the man you love on the day of love. You start by getting showered and dressed before you spend the day making the most lavish meal and dessert you can muster. 

As you get out of the shower and get dressed there is a knock on the front door. You are slightly nervous as to who or why because not many people know where you are. You walk over to a window and look out to find a game warden. You walk over to the door apprehensively and open it.

"Hello sir, may I help you?" You inquire while looking him over.

"Hello ma'am, I am Officer Baker with the Alaskan Game Wardens. We have been going around to cabins to make sure everyone has what they need for supplies or if they need any help." He explains politely as he extends you his card.

"That is kind of you Officer. Um… I think we are all set. Thank you for your concern though." You reach out and take his card.

"Well if at any point you need anything please do not hesitate to reach out."

"Okay. Thank you." You reply with a gracious nod. He begins to walk off and you close the door. You walk back towards the kitchen, set down the card on the counter, and turn on your bluetooth speaker to your favorite mix of BTS songs before getting started. 

You get all your ingredients out and lined up with all your measuring cups and kitchen tools. You look over what you have and decide to make him a blueberry cheesecake for dessert with a graham cracker crust and kimchi stew. You start with the cheesecake so that it has time to bake and set up while you cook the rest of it. As you cook, you dance around the kitchen and enjoy the music. You are so into what you are doing that you completely lose track of time. Suddenly you look at the clock and realize it is 5 in the evening. You start to grow concerned about Jimin because he has been asleep for a long time.

You walk towards the bedroom when the door opens and see Jimin walking out. 

"Oppa, you are finally awake," You say excitedly with a smile beaming on your face.

"Jagi, what time is it?" He asks while rubbing the sleep from his eyes, which widened in shock once you tell him how late it had gotten. "Why did you let me sleep so long on Valentine's day? I thought you had things planned."

"I did have things planned but the snow outside kind of put a damper on them. So I improvised. Plus you were exhausted and needed to sleep. Don't worry though love. You can make it up to me on White Day," You explain, poking fun at him. 

"Well then, what are the plans?" 

"I made you your favorite meal and a dessert I figured you would like so we can have a nice meal by candlelight. Then I have a gift for you."

"So I probably should go shower and get dressed to spend time with you." He smiled so fondly at you, warming your heart.

"Yeah, you probably should. I will go set the table and put on my finishing touches." You lean in giving him a sweet little peck on the cheek before walking back towards the kitchen.

You do as you say and finishing getting everything ready for your meal which you feel proud of and know he will enjoy. You grab some unscented candles that you had brought and light them, you also grab your gift for Jimin that you had hidden away just to be safe. He walks out looking so handsome in his jeans and button up shirt. He looks at the table and sees the candles, gift, stew and cheesecake as his mouth drops in awe. 

"Jagi, you did all this?" He asks completely astonished by what you have done. You just nod in response. "This is lovely. Thank you." He comes over to you and gives you the tightest hug and a kiss on the cheek. You let out a giggle.

"Shall we eat then?" As you break the hug and walk toward the table. You stop at your phone and change the music to a playlist you made of songs that make you think of your time with him. He pulls out your chair for you and you take it after pouring him a glass of wine but omitting yourself. He does not think anything of it, knowing you aren't the biggest fan of wine. 

The two of you sit down and enjoy your meal as he tells you all kinds of stories from different things that happened during the tour. You just sit there soaking in the happiness he is exuding. As much as you missed him while he was gone you know that he loves being on stage and making Army happy, which makes you happy.

Eventually he slows down long enough for you to hand him his gift. You make him wait to open it as you turn the music off and start to record him. He opens the box gently as he looks to wonder what could be so good that you are recording him. He takes the top off and pulls out a square piece of paper that is black and white, slightly fuzzy, a sonogram. You can see the puzzled look on his face but can't help but grin. Next, a small yellow Chimmy plush followed by a baby onesie that says "Joonie, Jinnie, Yoonie, Hobi, Appa, TaeTae, & Kookie." He stares at it for a moment then looks back in the box to find a positive pregnancy test in the bottom with a note. "Hi Appa, will you please save these for me until I am born. I can't wait to meet you. Salanghae. Baby Park. Due in September." Tears start to form in his eyes as he looks up at you. 

"Jagi, are you serious?" He mutters as his voice quivers and cracks. 

"Yes. I am serious."

"I am going to be an Appa?" You nod. "I am going to be an Appa!" A smile stretches across his face as he gets up and comes over to you. He gets on his knees, kisses your belly, and begins talking to the baby. "Hi Aga, this is Appa. I love you. I hope you have been easy on Omma while I have been gone. I can't wait to meet you." He stops after kissing your belly again before looking up to you. "Wait, do my parents know?"

"I haven't told anyone."

He takes out his phone and video calls his parents. He is standing there doing a happy dance as the phone rings when finally someone answers.

"Hi Omma, where’s Appa and Hyungnim? I have some big news to tell you all!" He practically screams at her.

"Jiminie, is everything alright?" She asks, voice filled with frantic worry.

"Yes, everything is fine. I just have news that I can't wait to tell you all." Jimin explains as his dad walks into the room.

"Did you finally ask Y/N to marry you? She is a nice girl and would make a wonderful wife." He playfully picks at Jimin.

"No I haven't. I really need to though." He answers as his brother walks in the room. "Are all three of you there now?"

"Yes we are Jiminie. Now what is going on?" His mother questions.

"I am going to show you my gift for Valentine's day from Y/N and I want to see if you understand it." He than switches the camera mode to pan over his gifts. It takes less than a minute and his mom shrieks.

"Oh my… my… my…" She repeats in a cadence.

"I don't get it. What does those gifts and Boy With Luv have in common." His little brother asks. His father just grins and becomes just as excited as his mother. After a few moments of confusion and bliss, Jimin explains to his brother that you are pregnant.

"Now you really have to ask that girl to marry you." His father explains.

"Don't worry Appa. I got it all planned out. But I am going to call the guys now. Salanghae."

He hangs up the phone and sends a text to the BTS group chat. Hey guys, we need a group video call soon. I have big news that I need to tell you all. Within 2 minutes his phone is blowing up with texts from the guys all concerned about him and you and wondering how the vacation is going. Jimin dances around and kisses your belly some more, singing to the baby, completely ignoring his phone. Ten minutes pass and it starts to ring. All 6 of the other members are in a group video chat while in different places of the world enjoying some rest and relaxation. As soon as he answers everyone but Yoongi start talking at the same time. You sit back and laugh. 

After about a minute Jin loudly exclaims. "Yah, one at a time! Since I am the oldest, I will go first. Jimin, what is going on."

"Yeah" the others say in unison. Jimin doesn't say a word and shows them the onesie then the note. They all start talking in unison again and Yoongi hangs up. A few seconds later your phone starts to ring. It is Yoongi on video call. 

"Hey Suga," you answer. 

"Hey Y/N. Are you ok? Do you feel alright?" He asks very concerned.

"Yeah, I am fine. But you know it is kind of cute to see you being all soft." He starts to blush and act embarrassed. "It is OK Suga. Honestly I am great." You continue to tell him about everything you did for Jimin for Valentine's Day and Jimin's parents reaction. Meanwhile the other guys are still talking to Jimin about who is going to be able to babysit first, who gets to buy what items for the baby, and Jin trying to convince Jimin to name the baby Seokjin.

After a while, the two of you end your conversations and you turn to look at Jimin.

"So I have to ask, what was the best part of today?" You know the answer already you don't even have to ask but you wanted to hear him say it.

"The moment I found out that my beautiful Jagi is pregnant with my baby. That was my favorite." He says with the biggest smile as he leans in and kisses your forehead.

[pa-awesome]

Small Lies That Escalated Into “This Is My Life Now”

• Found out a coworker was from the same city I grew up in. He asked what my "old man's" last name was. Being an unmarried woman, I assumed he was asking about my father to determine if he knew my family back home. Apparently he was asking about my non existent husband, so until he quit I carried on the facade that I had a husband from back home.

• My mom gave my sister a chocolate orange about 15 years ago and she kind of embarrassed the family by saying it was gross. I didn't want to make my parents feel bad so I said that I'd eat it. It was gross but I pretended to like it. Now every year for Christmas I get a chocolate orange.

• Pretended to be a girl on World of Warcraft for a solid two years. I didn't actually set out to do it, just never corrected anyone when they assumed I was and by the time I thought to come clean it seemed too awkward.

• I convinced pretty much everyone in my life that I was allergic to coconut at a young age. I simply just didn't like it at all and it was a good way to avoid eating it (logic of a pre-teen mind). My mom played along. It wasn't until about 3 years ago when my mother in law had a surprise birthday party for her husband and she made a german chocolate cake. The kicker here: she did HALF of it coconut and half without so I could enjoy the cake and not have an allergic reaction to it. I broke down. Laughed. Told them it wasn't true and I actually am not allergic. Her face melted. I hadn't realized how long I had kept up the lie until that very moment.

• When I was 12 years old, I lied about my age and made myself older for about 3 years, so I could still be somewhat cool in WoW. Now some of my WoW friends settled over with me to other games, and whenever I meet someone new, they're likely connected to them. At this point it's too awkward to explain that I'm not the oldest, but in fact the youngest in our friendgroup.

• Told one guy i was canadian bc they asked why i apologized so much. That was in 1st grade, im now a junior in highschool and people are shocked when they find out im not canadian

• I dated a guy who's father was a minister. I liked this guy a lot. I knew their church was one of those loud, dancing talking in tongues churches and his parents asked me to come to church with them. The dad did this whole long ass sermon about premarital sex and being saved. The guy I was dating kept nudging me and his family kept smirking so when they asked who felt the Holy Spirit and wanted to be saved I walked up to the front, everyone was jumping around and people were getting popped in the forehead and going into convulsions on the floor. I pretended to feel it. They smacked my forehead, I fell back, I just laid there with a few other people on the floor with my eyes closed wondering if I should twitch or something. Afterwards everyone was hugging me and his parents were crying.....

• I was working at a small company about 10 years ago, around the holidays. It was approaching Thanksgiving, and the ladies in my department had organized a pot luck luncheon. I was adding my contribution to the sign-up sheet when I noticed that one particular co-worker had signed up to bring brownies. She was a nice, single, older woman who had many pets at home (2-3 cats and as many dogs) and was regularly covered in a layer of pet fur. The day of the party had arrived, and everyone was going around filling their plates. There they were on the dessert table - the brownies. I didn't want to eat any of them, but I also didn't want to be impolite - so I told her I couldn't have any because I was allergic to nuts. Fast forward 9 years, and I am out with a friend (who had also been a co-worker at this company) I had kept since that job. After a few drinks, I tell her, tearfully, that I have a confession to make - I'm not really allergic to nuts. She burst out laughing, thinking it was going to be something much more serious than that. She is the only person I have made this confession to.

• A dude I knew was giving this girl some shit and she kicked him in the nuts. Ok, extreme reaction, but such is life. He doubled over in pain, but since he was kind of a douche anyway, no one cared much. The next day (a Friday) his dad took him out of school for some reason. Then when he returned on Monday he learned that the big rumor was that his balls ruptured from the kick, and he had to get emergency surgery. Rather than correcting anyone, he went along with it. This went on for years. People made fun of him, and he just joked about it. There were idiotic songs people sung about him. He laughed about it. Never denied it once, in fact participated in some of the joking at times. Finally, one day about 3 years later he comes clean. She didn't even actually kick him in the balls, just in the gut and it really knocked the wind out of him. After all this time, the dude who got kicked in the balls was basically his identity. Strange turn of events.

• When I was 16, I humored some Mormon missionaries to make my best friend and his family happy (they were Mormon). So after a few home "lessons" about the LDS church I had already showed a lot of fake support and interest. Being awkward, I didn't want to admit to not being interested. When they asked if I wanted to be baptised weeks later, I said yes, imagining I'd eventually back out. I didn't. Became an athiest Mormon. After months of living this double life, attending church, etc, my mom decided to show support by becoming Mormon. I was mortified. My recovering Catholic dad pulls me aside and asks me if I really believe this stuff. I explained everything to him and he thought it was hilarious. I also made him promise not to tell Mom because, again, awkward and too far deep. She asked me to baptise her and I refused. This insulted her. Fast forward a year or so and I distanced myself from church people while still maintaining the close relationship with my friend and his family. It's been 12 years now, and we still hang out weekly and nobody considers me Mormon. I never explained this to him.

• The second or third week of college my freshman year I stumbled into a room where a newly acquired friend and his roommate were playing kingdom hearts. We briefly talked about how much they loved the game, etc. Eventually, I fall asleep on their futon from general college induced exhaustion. An indeterminable amount of time later, I wake up to them quietly talking about what to do with the person napping on the couch. Not wanting to be rude, I tell them "Oh sorry - I wasn't really napping" They call me out on my buffoonery, and I decide to double down that I WAS NOT NAPPING. We get into a pretty heated argument about what constitutes a nap and the specific things that I was doing if it were not napping. I do not back down and start essentially yelling at them that I was not napping. This grew into an uncontrollable inside joke where whenever I would go anywhere with these guys they would say something like "man, its a good thing bendernas doesn't take naps", he'll be the life of the party. Or some shit. This slowly spreads to basically everything we did (small school of ~ 3000 students, where most people had some sort of obscure connection to most other people) and I eventually became known as the person who didn't take naps. (edit: i love naps) A few years later we became roommates and the proceed to wake me up basically every single day whenever I took a nap.

• When I got out of college, I got accepted in an internship. After that internship, they hired me. When they asked about my diploma, I said the truth, that I needed a few more general classes(French and PE) to finish and get my diploma. They said: No problem, but you have to get your diploma. I said(the beginning of the lie): It's alright, I'm already registered for the classes next semester. They said: Ok but make sure you get it soon! Then never asked about it again, even after changing HR management twice since then. I've been working here for 10 years now, never went back for my diploma. I know it's stupid, but let's hope I end my career here or something.

• Living in a College Town, every year around spring graduation there's one or two "I'm here to see my kid graduate, but I haven't been able to locate them" families. Usually kids that stopped going, pocketed their parents money, and/or just gave up and couldn't handle telling the family. It ends sadly sometimes. That's a big lie/deception to deal with and maintain. It almost always comes to a head.

• My first relationship. A few days in, then-girlfriend tells me she isn't ready to go public just yet and if we could just pretend we weren't together for a few days then she would be ready. Six months later, I had lied to so many people for her I can't tell whats real anymore and any time I asked her if we could stop because it was messing with me she refused and argued her way out of it. Looking back on this fucks with my head to this day. Amazing how much things like that can snowball.

• One time someone who I wanted to be better friends with showed me a metal gear solid meme and me being me I pretended to understand it. I then was forced to research all the games and their plots, Easter eggs, quotable characters, and other memes to better fake understanding. I still have never played a metal gear solid game.

• My fiance has a great one. She's a picky eater, and rather than tell her best friend that she doesn't like bananas, she told her "I'm allergic to bananas." For YEARS, her best friend would make sure everything was banana-free. From cakes, to desserts, to even clearing her house of anything banana related. After close to 15 years, my fiance finally told her "Hey, I just don't like bananas." Nervous, thinly veiled hatred in the form of laughter ensued.

• One teacher at school said my name wrong and I was too anxious to correct him. Long story short it’s almost been a year and I’m in too deep to say anything else.

• I live in Cambridge, UK and my go to answer to those "interesting-facts-about-you" moments (you know, corporate icebreakers or interview stuff) is that I got knocked over by Stephen Hawking whilst on the pavement near my house. Partly true as in he lives in the city, travels out and about on said streets. Truth is I just saw him on a path once. I was driving. People love that it's a bit different so imma keep using it.

• A buddy of mine's dad had a funny ongoing joke of sometimes referring to his son's friends by similar, but incorrect names. Trent became Trevor, Scott became Sam, Ethan became Eric. Just silly stuff like that. So in that vein he starts calling me 'Donald' (jesse is my middle name, my first one starts with 'D'). At first I thought he was joking, but he just. Didn't. Stop. Its been years, and now that we're all moved out and on our own I rarely ever see him. But he still calls me Donald whenever I do, and at this point its way too late to correct him.

• This is a small thing, I don't go by my full name but when I sign up for classes at my gym, it's done through an app and shows up on the roster as my full name. I never thought that anyone there would eventually know me by name, so when the instructor would take attendance I just never corrected in. But now I'm a year in and I'm casually friendly with most people there and I'm in way too deep to correct them now. It's not that I mind my full name that much, I have just never really gone by it.