#the turntables and whatnot

[n0cturna1-m3]

Happy Anniversary | Dom! Bottom Jason Todd x Sub! Top Male Reader | Fluff/Smut

Fem/Minors DNI

Warnings; Trans Jason, use of the words cunt, clit, etc., little bit of crying, alcohol consumption, cunnilingus, face sitting, sprinkle of praise, tooth rotting fluff, condoms, Y/N is a bit of a clutz, obedience, pretty vanilla tbh

About 3.6k words

The small apartment was cold as snow fell for the first time of the season in Gotham. Y/N was sitting in a chair next to the window wrapped in a blanket with a cup of coffee reading a thick book. The light was dim, a couple of earthy candles were lit and two antique lamps turned on creating a warm glow in the cluttered living room. Y/N turned the page and spread his fingers to hold it open while he reached for his coffee on the table, almost picking up a lit candle to sip on but quickly retracting it from the hot wax spilling over the sides. He successfully grabbed the coffee, bringing it to his lips and humming at the bitter flavour. He liked it black.

Returning the mug to the table, he read the words on the white pages, a movie playing in his eyes with every word. The old record player on a bookshelf on the wall stopped at the end of the vinyl, Y/N standing and walking to it, carefully removing it and sliding it into its case before shuffling through the shelf below it that housed multiple vinyls. He stopped at a classical song that he enjoyed and pulled it from the shelf, taking it out of its case and gently placing it on the turntable, lowering the stylus and letting it turn on. He returned to his armchair and pulled his feet up, sitting at an angle and draping the red woven blanket over his legs, picking up his book again and thumbing through the crisp paper before finding his bookmark, continuing where he left off.

Jason had left early that afternoon under the guise of having vigilante duties, and his boyfriend was dumb enough to not question it. He had most likely forgotten about their anniversary again, but he didn’t blame Y/N. He wasn’t good with dates, and that wasn’t his fault. He always made up for it in the best ways, though, so in Jason’s mind, it didn’t matter.

He spent the time he had out running around and getting things for the special occasion, picking up a bottle of Gaja Barbaresco and a cheesecake he had ordered weeks prior.

It felt a bit embarrassing for him when he walked into a small flower shop to pick up the bouquet of (favourite flowers), but the woman at the counter looked thrilled to see him again after he had placed the order a week ago. She had pestered him a bit, curious as to what the occasion was, and was thrilled upon hearing his response.

“Hello again!” Jessie beamed, her smile lines and crow's feet being exasperated by her warm smile.

“Hello,” Jason replied, walking inside the shop. It was filled with flowers and plants, all sorts of things needed for gardening and whatnot. “I’m picking up for Todd.”

“I know,” She smiled, turning around and walking to a fridge in the corner of the room. She pulled out the bouquet and placed it on the counter before leaning on it, her forearms holding her weight. “So, you’ll come back and tell me how it goes, right?” She asked, a few grey and brown strands of hair framing her face.

Jason nodded shyly. “Yeah, I will.” Jessie smiled again and stood up straight, ringing up a receipt and handing it to him. “I’m a bit nervous,” He stated, pocketing the piece of paper and grabbing the flowers, holding them delicately in his hands.

“Don’t be. It’ll be just fine,” Jessie reassured. “Now, get out of here!” She joked. “Don’t wanna waste the night. And I’ve gotta close up.” He gave a curt nod before walking out of the store, a couple of bags on one arm and the flowers in his other.

The walk back to the apartment felt shorter than it should have, perhaps because of Jason’s mind whirring with possibilities of what was to come. He fished his keys out of his pocket, shoving them into the keyhole and unlocking it, shouldering the door to open it. He walked inside and kicked the door closed with his boot.

“I’m home,” He called, walking into the kitchen and placing everything on the counter, quickly putting the cheesecake and wine away and searching through a cabinet for a vase.

The lack of Y/N greeting him caused him to turn around, a vase in hand as he caught a glimpse of him asleep in the corner of the living room. Jason smiled at the sight of his pretty boyfriend, their cat lounging on his lap, curled into his warmth. She was purring quietly, blinking her pale yellow eyes at Jason and stretching her arms out, grabbing onto the blanket with her claws and pulling it into her face. He admired the sight for a moment before continuing his efforts to set up the flowers, walking around the counter to place them on the small dining table before returning to the kitchen and rummaging through cupboards and the fridge to get the ingredients he needed for dinner, placing them on the counter and starting on it.

Y/N woke up to the smell of food, slowly opening his eyes and stretching his limbs, accidentally throwing the grey cat off of him.

“Ah,” He grunted, rubbing his eye and reaching out to scratch her on the head. “I’m sorry kitty.” He picked her up and cradled her in his arms like a baby. “Sorry Bugs.”

Jason watched them from the kitchen, admiring the way the light hit Y/N and coloured his face. Y/N looked up and caught Jason’s gaze, smiling at him and giving Bugs a few kisses before putting her back on the floor, scratching the base of her tail as he stood, walking over to Jason who was sautéing vegetables, namely onions, garlic, and Italian green beans, and leaned over the counter.

“I didn’t know you got home,” He said, looking at Jason lovingly. Jason turned back to the pan on the stove. “You should have woken me up.”

“You looked peaceful,” He responded, turning off the stove and tossing the vegetables a few times before placing them on a different burner that wasn’t hot. “Plus, Bugs was sleeping so soundly. I wouldn’t dare wake her. You know what happens when your devil child wakes from her naps prematurely.”

“Hey, she’s not just my child!” Y/N pouted, facing Jason's broad back as he plated the food with what appeared to be (Steak, Fish, Vegan stuff, idk fill it in). “She’s just as much your kid as she is mine.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry for disrespecting our child,” He teased, turning around with the plates and handing them to Y/N. “Put those on the table for me, yeah?”

Y/N took them from Jason’s hands and walked to the table with them, gently setting them down on the wood and turning around to see Jason holding out utensils for him to take. He did and set them next to the plates, desperately trying to remember if the knife pointed towards the plate or away from it.

“It points in,” Jason said without looking, searching through the cabinets for wine glasses. Y/N grunted and flipped them around, Jason walking over with the glasses and a bottle of expensive wine, setting them on the table. Y/N looked confused at it all for a moment but quickly his eyes widened.

“Shit, it’s our anniversary! Hold on, wait here.” Y/N ran into their bedroom and Jason could hear him open the closet door and begin rummaging through the various boxes on the top shelf, a few crashing to the ground with a thud. He smiled and sat down, resting one of his elbows on the table and putting his cheek in his hand, watching the door and waiting for his (H/C) haired lover to come out.

Y/N made an ‘Aha!’ sound when he found what he was looking for and grabbed it, quickly leaving the bedroom, the closet in disarray. He managed to trip over his own feet after stepping outside the room, barely catching himself as Jason laughed at him. He got up and walked over to him nonchalantly, sitting in his chair and putting a small-sized box on the table next to Jason. It was dark blue with a cream ribbon and bow. Y/N got help with the bow. He was incapable of doing something that intricate. It was probably Barbara, she always wrapped gifts well.

“You want me to open this now?” He asked, crossing his arms over his chest playfully. Y/N nodded with a big smile. Jason chuckled and grabbed the box, carefully undoing the ribbon and discarding it on the table. Y/N was eager for his reaction, slightly anxious, but mostly excited. Jason’s eyes lit up, reaching inside and pulling out two bracelets. They were woven tightly, one of black macrame rope and the other a deep red. The end strings had a few beads on them. Jason looked up at Y/N who was anxiously watching him.

“Do you like it?” He asked, twiddling his thumbs under the table. Jason smiled at him and placed a hand on the back of his neck, pulling him in to give him a quick kiss.

“I love it, Y/N,” He said. Y/N let out a sigh of relief. He didn’t know if it would be a good gift, but he figured that using his fingers to make something would be better than picking at his fingernails, so he picked up the hobby and grew fond of it. “Help me put them on.”

Y/N nodded and grabbed one of them, Jason holding out his left wrist for him. He wrapped it around his wrist, securing it with an adjustable knot and doing the same with the other. Jason looked at them against his pale skin fondly before turning to Y/N again.

“Let’s eat, I’m hungry.”

“I didn’t want to ask, I’m so glad you offered,” Y/N said, picking up his fork and digging into the meal. Jason poured them each a glass of wine, clinking their glasses and taking a sip before he started on his plate.

Time seemed to fly by as they ate, quickly finished and discarding the dishes to the sink before Jason cut two slices of cheesecake and filled their glasses again, moving to the couch, sitting on opposite ends with their legs intertwined, watching the newest episode of a corny crime show they had started, commenting on the lack of accuracy in the whole thing. They paused it halfway through when the main character made a mistake that would have cost him his job.

“No, I called it! I knew he would do it!” Y/N laughed, taking another fork full of cheesecake and chuckling.

“Now, me personally,” Jason started in between laughs. Y/N cackled as Jason jokingly defended the protagonist. He looked at Y/N fondly, digging into his pants pocket and pulling out a box. “Catch,” He said, tossing it to Y/N who caught it and looked at it.

“What is it?” He asked, turning it over in his hand.

“Open it.”

Y/N flipped the lid open, his eyes widening and jaw falling open. He looked at Jason who was smiling warmly at him.

“Are you serious?” He asked, pulling out one of the rings and turning it in his fingers. It was plain gold/silver (whichever you prefer) with their anniversary engraved on the inside. His eyes watered and he glanced at him again, lip quivering when he nodded. Y/N put the ring in its place and moved to hug Jason, wrapping his arms around him tightly and burying his face in the crook of his neck. He took a few shaky breaths, Jason’s shirt dampening. He kissed Y/N on the temple and rubbed his back, cupping his cheek when he pulled away and kissed him.

“I love you,” He whispered against Y/N’s lips. He took the box and pulled out one of the rings, taking Y/N’s left hand and slipping it on. It fit perfectly. Y/N almost burst into tears again, sitting back on his knees and taking the other ring, Jason offering his hand. Y/N took it in his own, kissing his lover's knuckles. He put it on Jason’s ring finger, kissing his knuckles again and looking at him with teary eyes. Jason’s own icy blue eyes were equally wet, and Y/N leaned in to kiss him again, this time much deeper, tilting his head while their lips moved in sync.

“Come on, up,” Jason said, pushing Y/N off him lightly. He pouted, watching Jason stand up from the couch and walk to the hallway. “You coming?”

Y/N stumbled off the couch and rushed to Jason, the latter wrapped his arms around his neck and pulled him in for another kiss, leading them to the bedroom. Y/N chased after his lips, his eyebrows knit together in frustration when Jason pulled away from him. He grabbed Y/N’s hips and turned him around, walking him backward and pushing him onto the bed. Y/N looked up at Jason with desperation, his lips parted slightly.

“You’re so handsome like this,” He said, putting his hand under Y/N’s chin and tilting it up. He whimpered quietly. “So desperate for me.”

“Please,” Y/N whined, hand reaching up to grab Jason’s shirt. He smiled and pat him on the cheek, stepping back to remove his clothing.

“Strip to your boxers.” Y/N sat up and removed his shirt, tossing it to the floor and struggling with his belt, not bothering with the loops and just unbuttoning and zipping it, pulling them down, and shaking them off his feet. He pulled off his socks and threw them, looking back up at Jason who was pulling off his boxers. “Lay on your back.”

Y/N moved to the middle of the bed, laying on his back and looking at Jason as he climbed onto the bed before sitting on Y/N’s chest, his legs pinning his arms under him. Y/N moved his hands to hold Jason’s calves, his lips parting as he stared up at his lover with pretty (E/C) eyes.

“Be a good boy and eat me out,” He told him, moving up slightly so his cunt was hovering over Y/N’s face. He nodded vigorously, Jason lowering himself to sit on Y/N’s face, letting out a content sigh when he gave him a long, wet lick. He leaned back to ground himself, laying one hand flat on Y/N’s chest while the other grabbed at his hair. Y/N sucked on his dick, moaning at his taste. God, he loved how he tasted so much.

Jason rocked his hips against Y/N, who was burying his tongue in his cunt and licking him open. Jason moaned and ground his dick against Y/N’s nose. Y/N was grunting against him, stimulating Jason to no end. Pleasuring Jason was always his top priority, always over his own.

“Fuck, you’re so good at this baby,” He praised, moving both his hands to grab the headboard, his knuckles turning white from it. Y/N moaned, the sound vibrating through Jason’s cunt and causing him to shudder. Y/N moved to suck him again, bucking his hips up into nothing, desperate for any sort of stimulation. Jason reached back and groped his cock through his boxers, rubbing him through the fabric while he whimpered into his pussy, eyes watering slightly. “Holy shit, I’m gonna cum. Don’t stop, just like that Y/N,” Jason breathed out heavily, grinding helplessly against Y/N’s sopping wet face. He let go of Y/N’s cock in favour of grabbing Y/N’s hair and the headboard, hunching over and moaning gutturally as he came on Y/N’s tongue. He continued licking him languidly, helping him ride out his orgasm.

Jason shakily raised himself off Y/N’s face, moving back and looking at Y/N and his smug face, wet with Jason’s cum. He moved back to sit on Y/N’s torso, leaning over to kiss Y/N, wiping his face off with his hand, and rubbing it off on the sheets. Y/N placed his hands on Jason’s hips, letting him explore his mouth, licking his teeth and tongue.

“Fuck, Y/N. You’re so good for me, baby. I love you so much,” Jason mumbled as he kissed down his neck, sucking and nipping the skin on his way down. Y/N ground against him when he moved back enough for him to rut against his pussy. Jason hummed, sucking on Y/N’s pecs and massaging them in his hands while Y/N held his hips and rocked against him.

When Jason pulled back, Y/N’s chest was covered in hickeys and teeth marks that would fade by morning, and his boxers were wet with pre cum.

“Jay,” Y/N huffed, looking up at him with hazy eyes. “I wanna put it in.”

“What’s the magic word, big guy?” Jason teased, grinding down on Y/N’s clothed erection hard. He shuddered, jaw falling open and eyes closing.

“Please, Jason,” He begged, opening his eyes and looking up at Jason with furrowed eyebrows. He smiled and leaned over, grabbing a condom and lube. He pulled down Y/N’s boxers, throwing them across the room, and sat back on Y/N’s thighs, ripping open the condom and rolling it onto his aching cock. Y/N grunted when Jason squirted some lube in his hand and fisted his cock, letting it go and wiping the excess on the sheets.

“Come on, I want you on top of me,” Jason said. Y/N nodded and grabbed his hip and back, flipping them both over swiftly. Jason stared up at Y/N, watching him hold his thigh and the base of his dick to slowly put it inside, the tip entering. Jason moaned and fisted the sheets beside his head as Y/N slowly pushed inside, letting go of his cock and resting his forearm beside his head to hold his weight.

The lube and Jason’s slick hole allowed Y/N to slide in easily, bottoming out and pausing for a minute, breathing heavily. Jason wrapped his hands around his shoulders, pulling him down into a tender kiss. Y/N began rocking his hips slowly into Jason, moaning into his mouth. Jason wrapped his legs around Y/N’s hips, pulling away from the kiss and keening as he sped up, his cock hitting every spot that made him writhe in pleasure.

He dragged his fingernails across Y/N’s skin, the dull sting making Y/N grunt. Jason cursed and tensed his legs, grabbing Y/N’s shoulders and letting his head fall back. He took a few deep breaths, a sob ripping from his throat when Y/N started rubbing his throbbing clit.

“Fuck! Oh my god, fuck, you feel so good!” He wailed, pulling Y/N in and kissing him with teeth and tongue. They gasped for air between kisses, Jason biting at his lips occasionally. “Shit,” He whimpered on Y/N’s lips. “I’m gonna cum.”

“Ah, me too,” Y/N moaned, resting his head on Jason's shoulder. His fingers worked his dick just right, and him struggling not to cry from the stimulation that was coursing through him. He came quickly and hard, Y/N not stopping his movements until Jason tapped him on the shoulder twice. He pulled out and discarded the condom, stroking his cock. He looked at Jason with his jaw hanging open, holding his thigh with one of his hands. Y/N moaned as he came on Jason’s torso in long white stripes. He slowed to a stop, riding out his orgasm and placing his hand on the bed next to Jason, leaning forward.

Jason reached up and cupped Y/N’s face, him leaning into it. “I love you so much,” Jason whispered. Y/N looked at him and leaned in to kiss him. He rested his forehead on Jason’s, their breath mixing.

“You want a shower?” Y/N asked, their eyes meeting. Jason nodded, a bit pissed off when Y/N stood up, but it was replaced when he pulled him into his arms, wrapping his legs around Y/N’s hips loosely.

Y/N carried him to the bathroom, placing Jason on the counter and kissing his forehead before turning to the shower, twisting the knob, and walking out to grab two towels from the linen closet while he waited for it to warm up. He placed them on the counter next to Jason and felt the water, Jason hopped off the counter and grabbed onto Y/N for stability. His legs felt like they would give in at any moment, so Y/N helped him step into the shower, standing behind him and wrapping his arms around his muscular body. He rested his forehead on his shoulder, Jason holding the back of Y/N’s head and leaning into his embrace.

Jason let Y/N pamper him, allowing him to wash his hair and body, massaging the muscles as he went, and kissing his shoulder and neck occasionally. He washed quickly to get it over with, helping Jason out and drying his body with one of the towels and wrapping it around his waist. Y/N dried himself quickly before helping Jason to bed again.

“This is humiliating,” He grumbled as Y/N pulled his boxers up for him and helped him get under the blanket. Y/N crawled in after pulling up his boxers, cuddling up against Jason.

“I like taking care of you, though,” Y/N whispered. Jason turned his back to Y/N, letting him press his chest to his chest. Y/N took Jason’s left hand in his, intertwining their fingers and looking at their matching rings.

“I love you.”

“I love you too.”

A/N; I love Jason. I do hc him as trans so if you don't like that you can deal with it. He's canon ugly but it's okay bc he's my bbg

[highoctanegem]

Gettin' in tune || Jade & Mateo

TIMING: Recent LOCATION: Vinyl Countdown PARTIES: @fearhims3lf & @highoctanegem SUMMARY: Jade goes to meet Mateo. She wasn't expecting him to be undead. CONTENT WARNING: None

Jade was totally hyped to meet Xo’s boo. As the self-proclaimed biggest supporter of love, she was over the moon her friend had found something as special as what she had with Regan. From everything Xo had mentioned, this guy (Mateo), was all kinds of perfect. He was hot, he cooked, he liked music, did she mention he was hot? And well, she did remember he was allergic to Xo’s dog or something, so it wasn’t like… suspicious amounts of perfect. 

So why not pay him a visit? Jade wanted to talk about how awesome Xo was with a guy who was crazy about her. It was honestly a crime they hadn’t met up sooner. But well, Ireland happened. And setting time aside to visit a potential friend and talk about wonderful love while in the throes of heartbreak was a little triggering. But that was all in the past. And she obviously had time to make this meeting happen now. It was like, a super nice distraction from the stuff she didn’t wanna feel. Your moral dilemmas and whatnot. So she showed up to the record store, with her most friendliest smile, ready to be completely charming and platonic. And it sounded strange to mention it, sure, but sometimes she was accused of being unintentionally flirty, so… better clarify. (Even if like, she was pretty sure even strangers knew about her relationship with Regan at this point). 

The second she entered the store, though, all her hopes went out the window. Seriously? Of all the places… 

Something wasn’t right. Or more like, something was picking up her undead radar. And just… Jade’s spirits deflated when her skin started burning in that telltale way: Undead presence. Why couldn’t she just… chill out with a potential friend? Her eyes landed on Mateo, who she knew by the photos Xo had shared of him. He didn’t immediately ping the way a vampire would, though. So it could be one of the customers, right? (Please?) What were the odds of another loved one fraternizing with the undead?

She was… not gonna think about that. Cause that led to thinking about Regan or Van or Wynne, and Jade was here in the name of love not… pain. She fidgeted with the ring on her finger before approaching the counter, a confident smile still in place. “Hi! Wow. You are even more handsome in person,” her eyes sparkled as she tapped the counter, replaying the words in her head. “Oh. In a friendly way. I’m not here to flirt. I’m friends with Xo, and you two are,” She pressed both index fingers together, emulating some smooching. “So we should be friends too. I’m Jade,” she extended her hand, hoping against really crappy odds that the burning sensation would just go away.

—

There were a few more customers than usual, which wasn’t the worst thing considering there were bills to pay. Mateo was thankful that he had his second gig to take care of everything else. It made the shop seem more like a hobby, and truthfully, it was. Music always had been something of a special interest that kept Mateo going on the hardest of days. He didn’t get many of those these days, so one could say he was practically on cloud nine, which he didn’t mind in the slightest. Times like that called for some Ramones.  

With a smile, he placed the record on the turntable and took his place back on his chair, leaning it on its back two legs. By the time the bell chimed announcing a new customer, Mateo was bopping his head with his arms behind his head, enjoying the music freely. “Hm?” He knew he was handsome, but to be called that so blatantly wasn’t something that he was used to. Seemed a little desperate, at first, but at the mention of Xóchitl, it all began to make sense. Of course she had talked about him, and of course her friend needed to check up on the person she was dating. It was the same thing Mateo did anytime his siblings found someone new. A protective measure.

“Uh, hi. Nice to meet you?” He arched a brow, drumming his fingers over the counter as he stood up. “Sorry, uh…” He reached around and turned the volume down so he could hear Jade better. “Guess you know I’m Mateo.” Rubbing his head, Mateo looked around and stretched, extending a hand to officially greet Jade properly. “You just in here for a meeting or did you want some music, too? Works for me either way. If you’re Xóchitl’s friend, you’re right. We should be friends.”

—

“I didn’t wanna interrupt you jamming, my bad!” Jade giggled, working extra hard to maintain a breezy smile. The music kinda helped to focus on something else other than the undead alarms going off. “Hey! This song reminds me of my brother!” She nodded, as the classic ‘I wanna be sedated’ played on as ambience. Onyx was more of the punk rock guy in the family, but like any little sibling, Jade had absorbed a little bit of everyone’s tastes, which like… always felt like fun. There was more flavor in variety anyway. (The spice of life and stuff). 

“It is nice to meet me, yup,” She figured, if this Mateo person had pulled Xo, then he might be cool around confident women, right? She just had to ignore the whole… potentially undead threat ruining their meeting. She held her breath, watching the man stand tall and stop the music. Great, so now she couldn’t even like, have a distraction from…Oh, he was definitely tingly. His proximity made it more obvious. Jade looked around the store, willing somebody else to be responsible for her reaction. But everybody else was just, minding their business. Except for like, a guy with a fedora looking suspicious. (Who wore a fedora in 2024?). Somebody who was stuck in time, so to speak. That’s who. 

“Xo’s like, so happy any time she talks about you, I had to make sure you were real” Jade shook Mateo’s hand, just a second, not wanting to dwell on the implications. “And you are! Very real. And very tall!” She craned her neck back, to make a point. It was chill. It wouldn’t be the first or the last time she’d had to convince a girl friend that their guy wasn’t as dreamy as he looked. Xo would… understand if hers was like, not even alive. Wouldn’t she? Probably not. Xo didn't vibe with the possibility of supernatural life. (But also, she didn’t even wanna consider the whole, ‘what if he was a so-called good monster?’ conundrum) (Having a mental breakdown in a music store would be so ironic for her, actually).

“Maybe you could show me one of those,” she pointed at the turntable with her lips. She really needed one, didn’t she? Her E·mo·tion vinyl was collecting dust. And! She deserved something nice after enduring the situationship of a lifetime and the subsequent trip to Ireland, and her very wild, very bad month of…insanity and…the aftermath of that. She let Mateo guide her toward the turntable section (always mindful of the buzzing under her skin). “I’m not here to give you a scare, by the way. That’s probably Emilio’s job,” and, shoot. It couldn’t be too fun to have two slayers after you, could it? 

—

“Uh, yeah. Been about this tall since I was fifteen.” He shrugged with a smirk, “Glad you like the music though. My sister hated my music.” Mateo’s head bounced side to side in thought. “Well, hates. Sometimes she calls to ask if I’ve stopped playing ‘that damn music.’ And as her older brother, I have to annoy her, so I just turn my amp on and strum as hard as I can.” 

With a chortle, he continued to smile and nod along to listen as much as he could to Jade. It was a little hard to follow while he monitored the other people around the store, but he caught everything. “Well, I’m glad she’s happy. After what she’s been through, she deserves it. And I ain’t even worried about Emilio. That old guy came in hot with the threats. It doesn’t matter if he’s serious or not. Seems pretty high school to immediately threaten like that if you ask me.” Mateo clicked his tongue. He just couldn’t tell if Jade always had a certain awkward yet charming flair about her, or if she was actually uncomfortable. Which would be strange because all things considered, Mateo hadn’t done anything to cause discomfort. He was even wearing his nicer vest that day since he was feeling like looking fresh. It had new chains and everything! Regardless, it hardly mattered. Jade was asking questions and moving on, so Mateo figured he should do that too.

He just couldn’t shake that feeling…

“Well, we got a variety of systems. Just depends on what you want. Volume, size, style…” Mateo counted each on his hand with a smile, excited at the prospect of showing off all the beautiful setups he had put together with his own hands. “There’s only three out here that are worth looking at. The tiny ones in boxes are lame and not modded up by me, but I also have some others in the back that I just finished up this week. Just haven’t gotten around to boxing them up.” Jutting his thumb toward the back room, Mateo bounced his brows, eager to show off even more. “Can get those out for you if you want. Only the best for Xóchitl’s friends.”

—

Jade could relate. Not to being tall obviously, but the being fifteen when you reached peak height of it all. Her sisters always insisted she’d grow a couple extra inches, just like they did. (Spoiler alert: Nope). And it was fine, life compensated in different ways. “Mmm, I feel ya. Siblings, you know? It’s in the contract to annoy you. It was in mine, at least. I had to sign and all.” A genuine laugh bubbled in her throat at his older bro antics. “That’s actually super chill of you, I would’ve straight up camped in her room, blasting whatever was bothering her,” and that wasn’t even mentioning what Onyx and Jasper got up to whenever they disagreed about something. She didn’t feel like smiling as much. 

“Exactly,” she nodded, chewing the inside of her mouth. He probably meant the whole bff dying thing, didn’t he? Jade didn’t recall if there was more lore to Xo, except for like, the Ireland experiences. But just the one thing would be traumatizing enough. And he was right, she did deserve happiness, and he knew it. He seemed genuine about Xo, and like… she’d had a lot of experience with shady guys looking to take advantage of pretty girls. And this didn’t fit the bill, so here she was again, trying to work out what it all meant. So like, hypothetically would he be willing to stop going after…  whatever his (potentially) undead body required for sustenance cause of Xo? Maybe. But it wasn’t supposed to matter to her. It shouldn’t. Ugh. “Oh, yup. Emilio’s that old man yelling at clouds about everything. You have to ignore him when he gets like that. But he’s pretty close to Xo so like, he’s gonna stick around,” she let the implication that the two of them would have to work it out hang between them. He did feel sorry for Mateo if he ever hurt Xo’s feelings, though.

“Ooooh, good questions” This was nice enough of a distraction, looking at turntables while she continued sussing out the situation. Jade could do that, it was better than chatting face to face, cause this way she didn’t have to tone down her expressions. “The style doesn’t matter too much, but it has to sound nice, that’s for sure,” she eyed the turntables, unbothered to admit this wasn’t her area of expertise. She was more of a music enjoyer, the technicalities had never mattered much as long as the sound slapped. “Ah! I love special treatment, pretty please.” She beamed, ignoring the pang of guilt brought by her display of real enthusiasm. Hey! Whatever happened to innocent until proven guilty? Wouldn’t everybody at home be proud of her even considering that? One thing was certain, whoever was messing with her spidey sense wasn’t a vampire so like, she didn’t have the tools to take care of it right now. Yup, it was fine to have fun with Xo’s guy until evidence pointed to undead. (Evidence she could be gathering by like, tuning in for a heartbeat, for example… so, why wasn’t she?). “I’d love to see what else you have in there”. 

—

“Well I can’t really camp out in her room no more. I’m all the way out here. My folks and the rest of the fam are still in Texas.” A hint of longing attached itself to the end of the sentence, Mateo’s voice growing heavier with each word. His shoulders dropped and he clicked his tongue to keep himself from giving off too much emotion. It was pathetic and not to mention awkward. He’d hate to do that to Jade, who was still practically a stranger. Yeah, that was all. It had nothing to do with having to admit how much he longed for his family. Nothing to do with that time in Wicked’s Rest being the longest he’d ever been away from home. 

Couldn’t be that at all. It couldn’t.

“Anyway,” Mateo cleared his throat, “Emilio’s…yeah. He’s a grumpy dude. Yeah. But like, it’s Xóchitl’s life, you know? She likes who she likes and I’m not gonna go ‘round trying to change her. She’s great how she is anyway.” Rolling his shoulders, Mateo smiled and patted Jade on her arm before waving her toward the back room. The switch he flipped on shed light on the large workstation he’d put together. 

Parts of all kinds were scattered around, albeit methodically, and there were countless tools placed neatly on a tool rack. “The good shit is over here.” He jutted his chin to a much cleaner area. “So there’s a regular turntable that’s pretty compact, uh…it’s run of the mill basically, but I did improve the speakers so they’re not those shitty default ones. It’s just all-in-one and convenient without sacrificing quality.”

Mateo clapped his hands and rubbed them together excitedly for the next reveal, “And these…” His voice emphasized how he felt about his hard work, how he believed they were the perfect catalysts for playing vinyls. “These three are entire systems with speakers, a custom needle, a case I refurbished with updated plastic, and great eq controls.” The more Mateo talked, the more his smile grew. It was probably his favorite thing to talk about. Music didn’t just end with notes, and it didn’t end with how people consumed it either. There was care in every facet. Mateo knew that better than anyone, and there was nothing better. Well, except maybe watching Xóchitl talk about her work. 

“You’d probably need me to wire them up for you at home, or I can prepare them for you before I box them up. Your call, really.”

—

Jade watched Mateo fold, then subsequently try to put his walls back up at the mention of his family in Texas. And what did she know, perhaps they had something else in common besides their love for Xo and music. (As long as he wasn’t confirmed undead, it was so fine, so chill). “Aw. I feel ya, buddy. I still wanna steal my sister’s wardrobe every day, but… California, you see? So… Don’t I know it? It gets all kinds of lonely.” She sighed, a little more than just nostalgia in her breath. Cause nostalgia she could fix by talking to them, (not a perfect fix, duh, but… a tiny bandaid). But she’d been dodging her siblings calls more often than not lately. It was too hard to get into the whole, I’m flopping so hard on my own please come help over Facetime. (And… and… did she want to be righted after all?). And she knew it would be impossible for her to hide it. Even through a screen, they would be able to tell she was failing again. Anyway, that yearning was really building up inside her. It was easy to figure out where Mateo was at as well.   

She pretended not to see the softness behind his eyes as he thought of his loved ones, cause she had to respect it and all. Plus, the potential threat of undead hanging over them stopped her from getting all invasive and gossipy about his life. So when he cleared his throat, Jade was right there with him, ready to move past the more somber discussions. But like, not so much, cause… as Mateo guided her to the backroom talking about Xo liking who she liked and trying not to change her, it was super hard not to think that sometimes it was better for loved ones not to love who they loved. Especially if they were dangerous and undead. (Right?) So that meant… she had to tell Xo about what she was sensing… Correct? 

“Ooooh, I do love an all-in-one” His vibe was contagious, which always made things a little depressing. Cause… Jade always got thinking. (That’s right, that’s right). She thought about the life undead lived before their premature death (or non-death). Of the people they loved. The good they did. Their aspirations. She thought of the undead who were left behind after centuries and centuries of unlife. Who wandered the a world who didn’t look like the one they knew. But apparently, that unlife was something some undead wanted. For whatever reason. Jade resisted that idea (she had a billion quotes from her siblings that would go exactly against that sentiment), but… she could admit, that desire existed among those cursed with unlife. 

Mateo seemed full of life, despite. Despite. And was that good? Was that meaningful, then? Should it matter, when his smiley self could turn around and kill someone in his next (metaphorical) breath? Maybe if she kept asking herself these questions some day a new voice would chime in from inside and have the right answer for her. (Please). In the meantime, all she could focus on were the turntables. The real ones, in front of her. Turntables! “You’re really selling me on those systems, I mean… I do love the whole repurposing. I care about the environment, you know,” plus, they looked all kinds of sexy. And she did care for the aesthetics too. 

Right there, Jade made her choice. “I think I’d like one. Yup. You should probably wire it for me before you box them cause… my living situation is a little up in the air. I’m thinking of moving in with my girl, but also there’s a lease that has to end and… lots of moving pieces right now. But I’m definitely calling dibs on that one until I’m all set,” she pointed to the equipment to Mateo’s left. She couldn’t wait to blast Run away with me’s saxophone on that baby. Her big grin faded, eyeing him with a curious glint in her eyes. “How did you even get into this?” 

—

The woman wasn’t so bad to hang out with, considering she didn’t linger onto the things he said. Most of the time, Mateo found that any offering of information was taken as an invite to pry further, but Jade simply took it as a simple opportunity to give her own reply. Everything else was optional, thankfully, and Mateo moved on without issue. He was able to focus on the sale and provide someone with the perfect way to listen to music. 

Which, he did. Gladly. 

“Well, I am a punk, and despite the bad rep we get, most of us are decent people that despise how our earth is being treated by the powers above us.” For a moment, Mateo paused, arching a brow and adding, “There are some idiots that call themselves punk, but are just really in it for the fashion. I get it, we look good, but we got ideals to uphold, ya feel me?” He chuckled to himself and shook his head. He couldn’t stand those kind of punks, especially when they used the fashion and platform incorrectly, but he wasn’t going to get on his soapbox. Not then. Maybe next time. 

“I actually minored in music in college. Focused on agriculture for my dad’s sake, but music was always my thing.” Mateo moved a few parts around and put Jade’s order aside for when she was ready. Once she gave him the all clear, he’d be able to box them up and deliver. All there was left to do then was collect payment. A partial one. “Would sneak out and go to shows in garages and shit when I was younger. Fell in love with the scene. Kind of just took off from there.” Mateo jutted his chin toward the door and waved his hand for good measure, walking back toward the front to settle the rest of the sale. 

“So I’ll just take half a payment now and collect the rest when you’re ready. If you end up backing out, I’ll just refund you. Usually I keep the half, but you know, special treatment.” With a smile, Mateo drummed his fingers along the counter as he closed the distance to the register, keying in all the information for the setup. “So you’re looking at about…two-fifty, but I’ll just take two-hundy, making your first payment just a straight hundy. How does that sound?”

—

Oh, as if this ordeal wasn’t already excruciating enough, as if Mateo wasn’t already making her big D flabbier by the second, he had to go and talk about fighting the powers. Dismantling the system. Jade totally saw what Xo loved about him, she like… it was so obvious. And they could’ve been friends, Jade figured. Could have. If there weren’t codes to uphold and the entire humankind to keep safe. (That was a system that shouldn’t be torn apart) (In her unbiased opinion). Her not pulling out a knife on him the second her skin thrummed with the signal of unlife should’ve counted as friendly enough. That was already a step too far. That was already a failure. Anything more would be… she didn’t think she had a word for it. And she didn’t need it. Cause there was no point in entertaining what ifs. Thankfully, Mateo was facing the turntables and could not see her face journey in 4K. So she flashed another smile, put on her sweet voice and carried on. “I totally feel you. Yup. I love the energy, by the way. Stick it to the big guy.” Unless… What if he was sticking it to the big guy via murder? (Ugh).

Jade hit snooze on the nervous breakdown once again (there was no limit for that, right?), watching Mateo set aside her equipment. At least she felt some positive jitters at that,  and you know… Who was to say he and Xo would last long anyway? Right. Life came at you fast, maybe they’d find out they had some deal breakers they didn’t know about and they’d part ways. (Amicably). And Jade wouldn’t have to worry about him, or worry about her friend. Wouldn’t that be nice? Wouldn’t that be so perfect? She didn’t want Xo to be sad, obviously, but if this hypothetical scenario ever happened, she’d be the best support a girl could be. “That sounds so cool, actually,” she rowed her way back into the convo as he mentioned minoring in music. She wasn’t lying. And she was being friendly, still. If he hadn’t been undead, she would’ve tacked on something about looking forward to hanging out with him, maybe going to a few shows. His passion for music was one that she resonated with and one that could’ve bonded them in the deepest of ways. Alas. Only one of the hearts involved in this conversation beat, and for Jade that was where she was supposed to draw the line. (Not supposed to) (Had to, remember?)

When she had decided to pay Xo’s boo a visit, she didn’t know she was going to stumble upon another undead. She didn’t regret it, cause it was always better to know these stuff, but the plan to yap at him and get to know him better, (get to know each other better) for the sake of their common person was clearly a bust, so Jade made no attempts to extend their hang out as he started talking business.

Yup, maybe walking out with a discount for a record player was as good as it was gonna get for them. And it was so chill! It was so fine! (So where was that happy fluttering again? Could it come back soon?). 

Jade followed him back to the register, trying to see if maybe, by some weird chance, she’d been wrong. If her signal was messed up or the reception was spotty like it had been with Penny at the park. But nope, Mateo still made her skin light up, and not in the fun way. “I do love special treatment!” She tapped the counter along with him and chuckled. In a way, she was giving Mateo special treatment too. Not jumping the gun immediately. Further investigation would be conducted for sure. But like, make no mistake, he wasn’t being let off the hook (nuh-uh!), but in the name of Xo, and their friendship, she was… stalling. Jade nodded at the amount to pay, finding it a super good deal and reached inside her sling bag for her wallet. “I can totally see why you and Xo are so good together…” she nodded, trying to ignore again that uncomfortable feeling in her belly. The one that told her she was on the path to losing another person she loved cause of… cause life. (Or the lack of it, really). It was so rude! “And you know,” she added, eyes narrowing in a conspiratory look (one that was to be understood as playful) before pulling out her card, “I don’t think this will be the last time we see each other either!” Which had nothing to do with the fact that she’d had to come pick up her turntable eventually. 

—

[pjisskullourful]

confession, this was on a LOOP in my head yesterday & i got to thinking about vic the dj& then those thoughts turned to smut so please allow me to share cos there are two paths

you're dating vic, shes having fun on the turntables& you're in awe, standing next to her, saying 'how do you do it? what do all of the buttons do? i wouldnt even know where to start!' so shes like 'i'll show you, i'll teach you how to crossfade'. she invites you to stand at the turntables& to instruct you she stands directly behind you, you joke about her just wanting to press against you but she plays dumb. she shows you what some of the buttons do& guides your fingers& praises you& you're both having fun. later you're at home, lying in bed& you're scratching your lower belly& shes like 'let me guide your fingers again'. yada yada smut happens

OR

you're a dj, friends with vic& she is the oneamazed saying 'how do you do it?'& you offer to show her, which involves alot of standing close together, hands brushing against each other& whatnot. she picks it up somewhat but says you're magic with your hands. later(maybe in a bathroom in the club?) you drag her aside, finally kissing her& telling her 'i'll show you just how magic these hands can be'. yada yada smut happens

shoutout to everyone who made the winning result come in at 69%(maybe that should be a position in the fic 🤔)

furthermore i got that pink song 'god is a dj' stuck in my head& then i realised ariana sang 'god is a woman'- maybe theres material there, maybe not (the working title is 'god is...')

dont worry i will do research before beginning to write so it sounds like i know what im talking about

[bothsloth-originals]

got so used to seeing “oh how the turntables” and whatnot and I saw “oh how the tables have turned” and I was like “oh cool it’s like the opposite”

[blacksheepspringfield]

John Denver with his SHIRT OFF???

Well hello there, just another week with your ol’ pal Dumb Records. We’re up to our ears with hardcore shows as usual and Steve Albini died. Levitt just announced their new summer lineup of free shows happening every Thursday this summer just a block away from us out on the big lawn, and we just got a huge restock on our turntables, CD players, and whatnots. We’re making some small overdue…

[sadacon]

Very big fan of getting two gifts for people, one joke one real. I've given two different friends copies of dj hero for different consoles (with the final part of the plan to give them the turntable for a different console, ex. Playstation disc wii turntable) but this year we got lucky and we found a 2006 marvel trivia game at a second hand store and I hid a Ganon amiibo under the tray in the box. And for another friend I've separately wrapped all of the cords and whatnot of the PS4 we've been trying to get him to take back for the past year along with his actual gift.

[maschotch]

[lesbian-space-fish]

although I want ql2022 to be its own thing and not rely too heavily on ql1989, here’s my list of “if Ben meets anyone from the original series, I would like it to be”:

1. Dr. Sam Beckett. self explanatory.

2. Evil Leapers. Either the same ones or new ones but PLEASE let there be evil leapers!!

3. Tamlyn the psychic. One of my fav one-off characters, it’d be nice to see her again, a few decades older. She could help with the episode or, if there’s a full season/series arc of finding Sam like the previews seem to maybe imply, she could certainly offer some insight on that. “I met someone like you once when I was younger, a leaper named Sam.”

4. Tibby! Would love to see how learning the alphabet via rap supposedly turned his life around. But really, I love Tibby. Character of all time fr.

5. Diane Frost, now a bounty hunter. Would be funny if Ben leapt into someone she was hunting. Turntables and whatnot.

6. Lisa from A Leap for Lisa. I am simply in love with Terry Farrell. Next question.

7. Roberto. I love the Roberto! episode and with him being a reporter, he could help out with a leap. Could be fun idk.

8. Samantha Stratton, the baby Sam saved in Genesis. Could be a cute little throwback to see her all grown up.

[catboylupin]

I just happened to be writing a whole lot of Remus & Hope propaganda when I read your tags for mama’s boy Remus. 😌

ok yes. he is such a mama’s boy!!  i just started reading your fic, and really, what’s a better combo than remus’s mom + first war angst? <3 and i’m sorry but i’m going to take this ask as an opportunity to dump all of my feelings about him n his mother >:)

i think that remus has a softness + whimsy + emotional intelligence that just comes along with having a very warm and slightly eccentric mother. i actually have this very distinct image of hope: she was small and had long brown hair, she was very soft spoken, very accepting and gentle and even though she was a muggle, had this magic about her (maybe she was some type of artist, like a poet or a painter). i like to think that remus loved joan baez because hope did (she was also into joni mitchell, and karen dolton, and odetta, and all the welsh equivalencies. you see what i mean. and so remus liked them by association). sirius kinda scoffed at remus’s love of the whole folksy lady singer thing, but it was a big self soothing mechanism for him (before and after the full, remus lays on the couch, staring into space, ladies of the canyon is playing on the turntable.)

remus was also probably a rather isolated child, and i think that the result of that is that he was very close with his mom. i headcanon lyall as a sort of emotionally absent father/ bad husband (as a lot of people do). hope probably felt this weird isolation due to being a muggle in a wizarding world. so they found a lot of comfort in one another.

i don’t really have a concrete timeline of r/s’s relationship and when they started living together after hogwarts, but in the versions of the story in which they do not immediately move in together, i like to think that remus lived at home with hope for a little while. he would still visit her very often, sometimes with sirius. and remus never told lyall about him and sirius, but he told hope. and she was very happy about it and was kinda like “ever since you were 13 you made it very obvious that you were in love with him.”

when they go over for dinner, sirius gets to witness remus speak welsh with hope. hot.

hope loved sirius. sirius loved her. he loved euphemia and fleamont and very much saw them as his parents, but they still carried the weight of being part of a big pureblood family, being really deep into the wizarding world and it’s politics and whatnot. and he kinda wanted to get away from that, and hope was his refuge. 

maybe around late-ish 1980 or early 1981, hope got sick with some sort of terminal illness (according to jkr, she dies before james and lily do. not that what jkr says matters in any way shape or form). remus visits her a lot, sirius too. there is this moment towards the end of things where hope pulls sirius aside, hugs him and says, “promise me you’ll take care of remus” or something... like “i won’t be able to take care of him anymore and i’m passing that responsibility onto you.” maybe that’s part of the reason remus and sirius stayed together even after suspicions started, sirius wanted to keep his promise to hope...

[pharahsgf]

this would never happen but after watching the wen ning movie and reading the asks you got about lsz stabbing jc (🙏✨) I had the idea that it'd be really cool to read about lsz possibly trying to rebuild the dafan wen sect, not wanting to lose his ancestors' practices and preserving their legacy. I think this could only rlly happen after some epic cultivation world drama where wwx gets to go a little crazy protecting lsz and wn (and wq 👀 if it's au...why can't she be there) and lwj strongarms the rest of the world into giving reparations and whatnot but I do like the idea of lsz embracing his wen heritage and also dressing in the wen colors red and black to match wwx, wq and wn! if jc could rebuild the jiang from almost nothing why can't wen yuan? I love that lsz is lwj's son and I don't mind him being a sweet polite lan disciple but I think a lot of his behavior stems from wanting to emulate lwj and be a model lan but now that wwx is back and he knows that lwj is less lannish than one might think, he could start wanting to embrace that side of himself. let lsz say fuck 2k21

i'm a covert lan sect stan account so i do love lil lan boy sizhui but i also think his polite lan behaviours are a side effect of the writers refusing to develop him beyond "ideal son" so... honestly getting a-yuan out of gusu might be a win for me lol. a-yuan and wen ning creating a new sect from the ashes of the dafan wen is a really good concept with a lot of opportunity for a-yuan to grow and for wen ning to heal! especially if wen qing is alive and they're able to return the wen sect to its roots of kindness and medical knowledge like g-d yes

i like the idea of lan wangji's rebel tendencies encouraging a-yuan to be more accepting of the wen part of himself & while i agree it's going to be difficult to create a situation where he chooses to leave the lans, it'd be fun to watch the sects fly into another panic about the wen sect rising again only for his excellency chief cultivator hanguang-jun to pull an uno reverse card and point out they all owe these people reparations. i can just picture wei wuxian smirking over lan wangji's shoulder like heh heh how have the turntables >:)

[disimba]

Spent hours trying to figure out my stereo set up and researching and driving around buying cables and whatnot.

My Realstic sta 84 ended up blowing up in my face. Thankfully it was all internal but smoke came out immediately. Not sure what happened but I was working on getting the cables connected and I’m sure I I short circuited it. Either with my tape deck or turntable. I know I messed up somewhere and unfortunately with a really cool piece.

Bummed me out for a bit I’ll be honest. I’ll just have to do more research and find another one to replace it. Do it properly next time.

[artschoolfreddie]

You’re My Best Friend

a/n: hey! i came across @quirkysubject‘s queen prompt meme the other day and as i was reading through it, i came up with an idea of my own - the boys just hanging out as friends. so i started thinking about it more and i decided to write a short little one shot about it!! i’m pretty proud of how it turned out, since i haven’t written much of anything, so hopefully you guys like it too! please give me feedback, that would be very much appreciated, and let me know what you think!! (i also posted it on my ao3 here)

words: 1.6k

no warnings, just friendship

The cool spring breeze came though the opened windows of Roger and Freddie’s flat. It was March and university had started, and work was piling up for everyone. After a short band meeting with Brian and John, they all decided it was better to stay here and do some work than to go all the way back home, they figured they could all study together. Although Freddie didn’t study much, being an art student, but he didn’t mind, he could find something to work on.

After the (very short) meeting, they all got to work, Brian reading an astronomy book (something about Zodiacal dust?), sitting cross-legged on the floor in front of the coffee table, across from the tan couch in the living room. John was working on what seemed to be some sort of schematic or blueprint, in between Brian and Freddie, on a yellow bean bag Freddie found in a random stall in Kensington Market. Freddie, on the floor with his back on the couch and across from Brian, seemed to be working on a number of things at once, flipping through a sketchbook, drawing a bit on each one, until he finally settled on one and paid extra attention to it, content with what he started with. Roger… well Roger was studying for a Biology test he had coming up, but got a bit bored and distracted, so he started to read some magazine that was lying on the coffee table in front of him, while he himself was sitting upside down on the couch, long blond hair touching the floor.

It was quiet, a good noise level for studying, but Freddie couldn’t take it anymore. He could handle it for a bit, but the sound of pages turning was starting to become deafening. He broke his view of his sketchbook and looked around. All three boys were entranced in what they were doing and didn’t seem to notice or be bothered by the quiet. He quickly did a double take of Roger sitting upside down and smiled to himself. What an idiot, he thought, lovingly, of course. He glanced down at Roger’s long locks and couldn’t help but give them a quick tug, causing Roger to yelp and drop the magazine he was gazing at on his face. His yelp also startled John, who looked up at the ruckus, and Brian, who also dropped the heavy book he was reading on his face.

“Rog!” Brian groaned, sitting up and giving Roger the biggest death stare he could muster. “What was that for?! I dropped my book on my face!”

“Don’t blame me, Fred pulled my hair out!” Roger whined back, rolling on his side and ‘accidentally’ kicked Freddie’s head.

“Oh, never mind then, thanks for that Freddie.” Brian gave Freddie and Roger a big smile, to which Roger just scoffed in reply and contemplated throwing a pillow at Brian, they were called throw pillows after all.

“Don’t be so dramatic, dear, it was just a slight tug. Besides, I thought you’d be used to that by now.” Quickly dodging another ‘accidental’ kick from Roger, Freddie stood up and looked at John who snorted and was giggling in amusement.

“Not sure you have room to talk about being dramatic, Fred.” John giggled again, watching Freddie as he got up from the floor and made his way towards the turntable in a corner of the room next to a window.

“Me!? Dramatic?! Oh, I would never, why would you ever suggest that Deaky dear?” Recanted Freddie as he took a random record from an old box on the floor. These records were Roger’s most prized possessions, and hated it when anyone even thought about taking one in case they weren’t careful enough, but he didn’t mind when Freddie took one – he trusted him. The record in questions was Jimi Hendrix’s Electric Ladyland, a band favorite. He put it on the turntable and carefully placed the needle to the first track, and let it play.

“Hendrix. Good choice.” Brian said and got up from his place on the floor and followed Freddie to the kitchen, where he was starting to put water in a kettle. Roger and John decided to follow as well, finding it extremely hard to work without tea or some snacks.

“Yes of course darlings, I can make you guys some tea, thank you for asking!” Freddie said – maybe sarcastically, the boys couldn’t really tell (they could, they loved to annoy him) – when he realized that they all gathered around the kitchen with him, picking at some sweets and other food that was left over from other flat mates.

“I didn’t know you can read minds, add that to the long list of things to keep note of when I’m around you.” Roger chuckled and ate some peanuts that were laying around, realizing that he probably needed to clean this table up more, it was a mess – he’d have to tell one of his flat mates about it.

“I don’t think Fred would want to see what’s going on in your mind.” John quipped and Brian stifled a laugh. Roger could really be thinking about three things – girls, cars, or music. And John was right, Freddie – if he did have mind reading powers, which unfortunately, he didn’t – did not want to take that chance.

“He’s right, if I could read minds, I wouldn’t waste my time with your minds. I’d read, I don’t know, Marie Antoinette’s mind, to see what she was thinking. And how she’d spend all her riches, oh, and what kind of jewels she liked best.”

“I’d read Jimi Hendrix’s mind, maybe I’ll be half as good as him if I knew what was in his mind and how it worked.” Brian contemplated this as Voodoo Chile played in the background, letting the bluesy guitar take over his senses. The rest of the boys nodded and quietly agreed, Jimi Hendrix also being one of their favorite artists, one of the few things they could all agree on. “Actually, maybe I’d read Leonardo Da Vinci’s mind. I like Italians.”

“How boring. I’d read John Lennon’s mind, a musical genius and I’d like to get in his head. He’s already had such a big impact on the world, it would be interesting to know what’s in his head.” Roger chewed with his mouth opened as he said this, so Freddie gave him a glare as if to say You better close your mouth before I make you.

“All interesting, but I’d probably read William Burrough’s mind. The man’s seen and done more than I ever will, maybe I can catch a glimpse of what goes on in that kind of… environment.” John ended with a laugh, and the others followed suit. As quiet and calm Deaky was, he could go wild and cause lots of trouble, never underestimate the quiet one.

The boys thought about their decisions and all agreed with each other, thinking Of course he would pick them, knowing each other so well, they basically knew each other’s answers before anyone said them.

Suddenly, the kettle started screeching and startled them out of their thoughts. Freddie got the kettle while Brian took some teacups out of the cabinets, already knowing where they were, having been here many times before. John also knew where the teabags were, third drawer from the right, and took a box of Earl Grey tea, Freddie’s favorite. At the same time, Roger got the sugar cubes from the drawer next to him and prepared the area to make room for the tea. Freddie poured everyone a cup and fixed themselves their tea to their liking.

The smell of the Earl Grey, the sound of Hendrix, and the cool breeze was calming. Feeling content and happy in the moment, John couldn’t help but smile. He was with his bandmates, who happened to be his best friends, drinking Earl Grey tea – of all things 20 something year olds would be drinking on a Saturday – listening to music and enjoying each other’s company. He only met the guys a few months ago, but he already felt at home and was completely comfortable with them. This wasn’t exactly what John imagined when he thought of college life years ago, but he wouldn’t trade it for the world.

“What’s on your mind, Deaks?” Brian asked, a hint of a laugh in his voice and small smile on his face, bringing his tea to his mouth and taking a sip.

“Oh, you know,” John laughed slightly, “just thinking about how I imagined life would be like in Uni versus what it’s actually like.”

“What, like we don’t party and have a really good time?” Roger and Freddie looked at each other and couldn’t help but giggle, reminiscing on all of the alcohol fueled nights at their little market stall, trying on ridiculous clothes and whatnot.

John almost spit out his tea with that interaction and he remembered all the debauchery that went on with his newer friends, especially with those two. “Well, yes of course but you know,” John started, “I just didn’t think I’d be drinking Earl Grey with Jimi Hendrix playing in the background on a Saturday having a study session with my best friends, you know.”

A couple of hm’s were heard, and again, the boys agreed. It was a bit unusual to be doing this when they could be doing practically anything else, but none of them minded. It was nice, spending time with each other, not just as a band, but as friends. They knew they had a good future because of it, a band that stays together have a very good chance to be successful. And none of them would want to share the fame, money, success, and the hardships, with anyone else. They were all each other best friends, after all.

“I’m hungry, you guys wanna get some lunch?” Roger broke the comforting silence, and a chorus of yeah’s followed. The boys quickly finished their tea and headed out the door.

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

just in case you wanted to be tagged @seven-seas-of-ham-on-rhye​!!!

[iero]

hey! i also have the cw boxset, i bought it when it came out and ive never played it and now im basically super paranoid to cause i dont want to damage it or devalue it, or even find out that its damaged from sitting on my shelf all these years. like ive had so many bad experiences with my records, my old turntable im pretty sure messed up every record i put on it. basically im convinced i have the touch of death when it comes to vinyl lol. any advice?

Hi! You’re okay! It’s not you at all. If anything, it’s probably your old turntable that ruined all your records. By any chance, was it a Crosley? I know those, like, Crosley suitcase record players have a reputation of being awful for your records and scratching them up. I always suggest either spending the extra dollars for better beginner record players or hitting up thrift stores to see what they have. I still have my first record player, an Audio Technica LP-60, and I’ve never had any complaints this far. 

Don’t be afraid to play it though if you have a new turntable that you trust and you’ve listened to your records without any complaints. That’s what it’s there for! I’m sure your boxset, in particular, is just fine! It just might be a little dusty from sitting on your shelf all those years. As long as you take care of them and put them back in their sleeves and whatnot, you should be fine! Happy listening when you do decide to give them a spin! They sound amazing on vinyl! 

[mittensmorgul]

anarchiana replied to your post “I rewatched S14 this week. In 14x19 there's that harsh line from Dean...”

@mittensmorgul Hi Mittens! Thank you so much for answering, I should have checked your previous posts first before asking my question, I’m sorry! I read the posts you linked now, thank you for linking and for your insights.  <3  I really should know by now to read your posts before I watch an episode. This show is such a minefield of mindfucks, my brain blue screens me when I think about all the spirals and mirrors and layers and whatnots... ����

@mittensmorgul One thing after reading your posts. Do you think that we are supposed to think that Dean and Cas don’t talk about the harsh words between them; that they don’t need words to get over their shit; or that they somehow talk about it and we simply don’t get to witness those scenes? Or it doesn’t matter because that’s not the focus of the show?  Thank you ��

Hi there, and no worries! It’s probably an excellent time for me to have gone back through all of that anyway. :D

I think we absolutely are being told that they DO talk offscreen. And that they do it frequently. That was a major theme of the last few seasons, going back to at least 12.19 with the Mixtape Revelation.We learned at at some point, Cas and Dean had at least one (1) offscreen conversation that we never knew about before, and not only that, but the implications of the nature of that conversation based on the fact that it culminated with Dean gifting Cas a freaking mixtape, well... that’s a personal conversation, you know?

Then 14.18 doubled down on that with all the flashbacks of Mary’s life since her resurrection, which began with Cas’s recollections of her from a time shortly after the events of 12.03. So this “things have happened that you didn’t know about” has been applied to everything, not just Dean and Cas’s interpersonal stuff. But Dean and Cas’s interpersonal stuff has still been at the core of this particular theme, and most of these “we talked about this while the cameras were off” situations ARE about Dean and Cas’s personal interactions. Mixtape, they casually watch movies together, they casually spent several weeks holding down the fort at the bunker together while Sam took off to avoid dealing with the grief of 14.14, etc. These are such TINY moments sometimes, we don’t really stop to think about what they’re actually telling us, repeatedly.

The hard truth is that while we LOVE these sorts of acknowledgements, they constitute the C plot of Supernatural, you know? The A Plot is the mytharc, the B Plot is the MotW and larger individual character arcs, and the C plot is... their relationships. So on the playing field of the story, this is just never gonna take center stage you know? Not that it’s not important, or doesn’t have a significant impact on the larger story. Like I said above, the themes these plotlines are being defined with are also defining the larger story as a whole. By nature, that MAKES them important.

It’s just that they will never (or at least not until right near the very end of the road) supersede the A Plot, and the B Plot. At that point, after the series-long A Plot has been resolved, we will be able to measure the true import of the C plot, you know?

But in some ways, the fact the show is repeatedly reminding us that these offscreen conversations are happening makes them more and more important. We’re being repeatedly badgered to just KNOW they’re happening, because the show has spent several years instructing us to make those logical jumps from what we saw last and what we’re seeing now, you know?

I remember the OUTRAGE from early s11 that Dean and Cas never talked onscreen. We felt we’d been PROMISED this conversation from the PR. Things such as “Dean and Cas resolve their differences,” and “they’re on the same page again” were dropped during the filming of 11.06, and many of us believed we were owed an onscreen conversation where they apologized to one another (Dean for 10.22, Cas for 11.03). And then the feeling of letdown was so powerful, for WEEKS some folks thought there was a conspiracy involving a cut scene that we never got. BUT WE DID GET THE DEAN AND CAS VERSION OF AN APOLOGY.

First off, Cas was trying to save Dean in 10.22, and got hurt because he refused to hurt Dean when he was so obviously going off the rails and not in control of himself. Dean was trying to save Cas in 11.03, and got hurt because he refused to hurt Cas when he was so obviously going off the rails and not in control of himself. PARALLELS! HOW THE TURNTABLES! wait I have that gif...

This is how the show deals with this sort of interpersonal drama... turnabout is fair play and all that. It was an eye for an eye, and they both knew they didn’t need to apologize, because they’d each experienced this painful walk in each other’s shoes, as it were. Neither of these incidents were “he was mean to me wah wah wah” that NEEDED an apology. Call it instant karma. Whatever. In the language of Dean and Cas, THEY understood and forgave each other, because neither had ever blamed the other in the first place.

But the show has expanded that language in very deliberate ways since then. Of course there are things they haven’t yet clarified for each other, but at this point, so close to the end, they’re standing right on the precipice. They’re at a point where ~actually having that conversation on screen~ will knock the whole wall down, you know?

Whatever is standing between them in early s15, I’m betting it’s something that will be clarified in 15.01. It’s probably built on the foundation of that conversation in 14.18, because that wasn’t just Dean telling Cas he was dead to him if Mary was dead... because Cas clearly isn’t dead to him. Dean didn’t even cold shoulder him for the rest of the season, you know? But the REAL foundation of any potential rift between them will be from Cas’s side, and the fear he described in that conversation:

Castiel: I was scared. I believed in Jack for so long, I... I believed that he was -- he was good. I -- I knew that he would be good for the world. And he was good for us. My faith in him, it -- it never wavered, and then I-I saw what he did. It wasn't malice. It wasn't evil. It was like Jack saw a problem, and in his mind, he just solved it with that snake. Dean: The snake?! Castiel: What he did wasn't bad. It was the absence of good. And I saw that in him. But we were a family, and I didn't want to lose that, so I thought I could... fix it on my own. Felt like it was my responsibility. So I left. And I didn't tell you. If I could go back and just -- just talk to him right then and there, I would. But I can't, Dean. I failed you.

THIS IS WHAT CAS FEARS MOST. That as much as he talks the talk that he’s part of the Winchester family, he is terrified that he really isn’t. He’s not “useful,” he’s not really family. He doesn’t understand that yet, and seriously, at this point, all it would take is a five minute conversation with Dean to resolve that... so obviously the show is gonna avoid resolving that for a while to drag out the drama, because that is literally the core character issue Cas has been dealing with since 4.01. That’s his entire character arc, and they won’t let him find peace until they’re done, you know?

So... instead, they have given us these important reminders that even though these character interactions between Dean and Cas aren’t crucial to their overall character development, at least not like That Big Conversation would be, or in a “we should take up precious screen time showing them kicking back and watching movies and having casual human interaction” sorts of ways, that they are important enough to tell us about, repeatedly. It’s important for us to know that their relationship is so much deeper and broader than what we see onscreen, you know? Like, they’re actually friends offscreen, who hang out and talk and do fun stuff for fun. THAT is all we really need to understand about them. Because that’s what adds that huge weight of depth to their relationship, you know? And all they have to do to maintain that is to keep surprising us with these little casual mentions of Things We Don’t See. What I like to call “The Other 364 1/2 Days.” Because our window into their lives is only open 42 minutes a week, 20 weeks a year (now, we used to get 23 weeks a year). That’s 840 minutes a year. There’s over 525,000 minutes a year we DON’T see. And the fact they repeatedly tell us how Dean and Cas spend their free time together seems significant within that tiny sliver of their lives, you know?

So it’s not really a matter of “important vs not important,” but priorities within an incredibly limited constraint on storytelling time.

[nerdville]

Vinyl dreams

I’m seriously considering scoring a turntable. I know that in “want” vs. “need” it is definitely a “want” and therefore a financially unwise purchase, if ever. But in my mind I’m already making adjustments — cutting down on toys, comics, books, whatnot. Heck, even on food. I’ve no problem scrimping on meals as I am not really a food person.

I particularly have my eyes on the Motorino Mk III, described as a good entry level vinyl player. It looks slick for a portable turntable, and though it has a built-in amplifier it also has Bluetooth connectivity so it can be hooked up to external speakers for better sound quality. Not bad for its P8,490 tag price, methinks.

I’ve been daydreaming about this so much that I already have a vinyl collection in mind. Among them: Deafheaven’s Ordinary Corrupt Human Love, Planes Mistaken for Stars’ Prey, Ghost’s Infestissumam, and any album by Alcest, Maybeshewill, Explosions in the Sky, Nirvana and Mastodon, just to name a few. I may have to order some of them online, as I doubt local vinyl stores have them, which means additional expenditure for shipment and shit. In short, this will not come cheap.

I’ll see how this will pan out.

[ghostgothgeek]

Mistletoe.

This is my Christmas Truce gift for @ceciliaspen, Merry Christmas!! 

A few random things: I had to include one of your posts in this because it was just too perfect to not be included. Hope that’s okay! Here is some Danny/Sam Christmas fluff! I hope you like it!

AO3 || FFN

It was a crisp, cold December afternoon in Amity Park. Danny, Sam, and Tucker were walking home from lunch at the Nasty Burger. Now that school was out for the holidays, their schedules became much more flexible. They could actually hang out during the day and fight the straggling ghosts without worrying about strictly following Mr. Lancer’s attendance policy or trying to cram for exams that ghost fighting took study time away from.

It was almost Christmas, but there oddly wasn’t any snow on the ground in the Midwest town yet. Tucker made the mistake of bringing that fact up, which started Sam on a long tirade about global warming. Danny tuned most of it out. In fact, he tried to tune most of the holidays out. He pretended not to notice the festive decorations, the cheery music, and peppy holiday wishes everyone granted to each other. On a particularly bad day, he almost ectoblasted a group of carolers. They didn’t do anything wrong, per se. Oh no, Danny Fenton just did not enjoy the holidays.

After his little tantrum freshman year, his parents tried to keep The Great Santa Debate to a minimum, at least around Danny. However, Danny was a junior now, which meant Jazz was off at Brown most of the time and couldn’t mediate her parents the way she used to. His parents’ antics ensued, though they tried to do their best at making amends with their family by hosting what was this year’s Second Annual Fenton Family Christmas Eve Party.

“Pleaseeee tell me your parents will let you come over for my family’s Christmas Eve party. My parents will say they’ll put their bickering on hold for a few hours only to try and round up their friends to take sides in The Great Santa Debate. Jazz will be home for winter break, but she at least has the excuse to study and get ahead on her work, so she can ignore them. I need you guys there to keep me sane. I hate the holidays.” Danny groaned and shoved his hands in his coat pockets.

“Hey man! You know I’m there! As long as I’m home before curfew. My parents actually want me to come back closer to curfew, no earlier, no later. They want to ‘spend time catching up’. Eww.” Tucker shivered, though it wasn’t because of the cold air.

“Now that Hanukkah is over, it’s pretty much back to the normal boring antics at the Manson house. I’ll be there. And Danny, there’s really nothing to hate about the holidays. The holidays are great! Most people usually are more generous, once they get past all their corporate greed. There’s no school, the ghosts still have the Christmas Truce, and lots of places are shut down. It’s actually quite peaceful.” Sam smiled to herself.

“No, I still hate it. How is it that you of all people are happiest this time of year and I’m not? Did we switch personalities or something?”

Sam scoffed, “Just because I’m a goth doesn’t mean I have to be angry and broody all the time.”

“Sam, you’re still the cheeriest goth we know.” Tucker pointed out.

“I’m the only goth you two know. Seriously, Danny. Take advantage of the Truce. Enjoy this time of year. Take some time off. You certainly earned it.”

“It doesn’t matter. It’s conditioned in my brain to not enjoy it no matter how hard I try. Look, three months of Jazz away at college and I’m talking like her already. Soon I’ll be filling in for her as my own therapist.”

“Bah, Humbug!” Tucker shouted and laughed.

Sam shot Tucker an unamused look. “I can help you enjoy Christmas, Danny. I mean...Tucker and I can. Right, Tuck?”

“Right! First thing you gotta do is find some mistletoe and dangle it from a hat,” his two friends rolled their eyes, “Don’t get it confused with holly though, because then it’ll just look stupid and you’ll get laughed at…”

“Wow, Sam. You look...really nice.” Danny rubbed the back of his neck uncomfortably as he greeted his friend at the door. It’s not that he never told her she looked nice before, she was just more formal than he had been expecting.

Sam was wearing a velvet black long sleeved dress with a white collar, black stockings, and her usual boots. Her hair was all the way down and slightly wavy in places. She was carrying a large shopping bag, probably filled with presents.

“My mother said I had to look nice for your parents’ party. She wanted to put me in this red sparkly thing. She let me wear this instead,” Sam said with a satisfying smirk. “I don’t think she realizes it’s from one of my old Wednesday Addams costumes.”

Danny chuckled as he escorted her inside. “I’m glad you’re here. Tucker is driving me crazy.”

“More so than usual?” Sam raised an eyebrow and let out a small laugh.

“We’ll get to that…” Danny promised, weaving in between the groups of adults happily chatting away, dodging his parents in the process. Sam looked around the Fenton house. It was eloquently decorated - stockings with each family member’s initials hung across the fireplace mantle, Christmas music was playing from an old turntable, though it could barely be heard over the loud conversations. Jazz was in the corner chair reading a book, using the Christmas tree as her light source.

“That’s a beautiful tree,” Sam gawked at it as they passed it on their way upstairs to find Tucker.

“Thanks, I guess. Jazz was in charge this year. I just don’t see the point. I mean, who even thought of Christmas trees? What misguided sap looked at a tree and thought ‘I’m going to bring it inside and decorate it with glass balls’? It’s pointless!”

“It stems off the Pagan tradition of bringing in decorated branches to celebrate the winter solstice, although it was the Germans who-” she paused at his scowl, “but that’s not really the point you’re trying to make. Actually, I kind of agree with you about Christmas trees. They’re beautiful, but why chop down a big beautiful living tree just to set it up in your house, under water it for a month, then toss it out on the curb the day after Christmas?”

Danny smiled triumphantly, “there’s my grumpy goth!”

Sam rolled her eyes, though softly smiling, and followed him into his room, where Tucker was sitting at Danny’s computer chair playing some game that involved shooting snowmen with candy canes. He was playing exceptionally terrible, even for Tucker, missing nearly all the snowmen. “Fuck!”

Sam raised an eyebrow at Danny. Danny laughed, “I think my dad accidentally gave Tuck his adult eggnog and kept the non-alcoholic version for himself. I’m hiding him up here so no one notices. Hopefully he’ll be fine by the time he has to go home.”

She nodded and took a seat on Danny’s bed, while he crawled under it to fish gifts out.

“Finally! Present time!” Tucker paused his game at the sound of his friends’ voices and clapped his hands together, swiveling around to face his friends.

“Tucker, you didn’t even bring anything!” Sam objected, noticing he was empty handed.

“I forgot your gifts at home!”

“He didn’t forget. He’s broke.” Danny chimed in, coming out from under the bed with the gifts he had been “hiding” there.

“Nuh-uh! I got you guys something!” Tuckers words slurred a little.

“That must have been some eggnog,” Sam offered.

“That, or Tucker is probably just a lightweight.” Danny laughed. Sam chuckled as well, ignoring Tucker’s protest that he was, indeed, not a lightweight due to his strict all-meat diet. He shut up when Sam handed him a small cleanly wrapped box, and kept a bigger blue-wrapped box on her lap. Danny handed Tucker a box similar to the one Sam gave him, though it was clear he wrapped this one. He handed Sam a poorly wrapped log of a gift. It was cylindrical shaped, which granted is a tricky shape to wrap, but it looked like about halfway through the wrapping process he gave up and just wrapped the entire roll of tape around the gift to keep the paper on. “Merry Christmas, or whatever.”

Sam laughed, “Danny, what is this? It looks like it’s been though the Ghost Zone and back a few times.”

Danny sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck, “It did. Only once though! Klemper caught me off guard when I had it on me and I had to put him back in the ghost zone, no big.”

Sam smiled and rolled her eyes for about the one-hundredth time that night, carefully examining the disastrously wrapped gift after exchanging with Danny the box from her lap. Tucker, of course, had already unwrapped his presents. “Wow! I love you guys, you’re the best, thank you! I love you so much, you’re the best.” He slurred and pulled his two best friends into a hug neither was prepared for, their faces smushed against Tucker’s chest.

Sam and Danny had decided (well rather, Sam let Danny join in on her idea) to give Tucker the newest portable gaming system, complete with a few new games and upgrades. Between Sam’s bank account and Danny’s connections as Phantom, they were able to get their hands on some yet-to-be-released gaming software.

Sam pushed herself away from Tucker, breaking the embrace. She smiled when Danny’s face lit up upon opening her gift to him: a vintage NASA hoodie. “Sam, this is awesome!” He immediately pulled it on. “How did you get this? They don’t make these anymore!”

Sam smiled, “I have a few goth friends who are into vintage clothing stores. Do you like it?” She glanced at Tucker, who was sitting criss-crossed on the floor and already trying to set up his new device.

“I love it! It’s amazing! Though, I don’t really get all that cold anymore since I figured out my ice powers.” He snuggled into the sweatshirt regardless.

“Well you may not be cold anymore, but I’m certainly still not used to your ghost core dropping the temperature of the room. When you wear warmer clothes, it helps me not become a human popsicle. I dunno, I just thought it would keep you motivated towards your career goals and whatnot despite all the ghost hunting getting in the way. And I didn’t want to get you the same thing I got Tucker, especially because you already knew what I was giving to Tucker, but-”

“Hey, Sam. Chill out.” He grinned cheesily at his pun, which she punched him in the shoulder for. “This is great, I’m going to wear it all the time. Open yours, it may help my ice core too.” He smiled softly.

“I’m glad you like it. You should have seen how happy you were when you opened it.” She smiled. “Operation Make Danny’s Christmas Less Sucky is being executed as planned.”

It took a little muscle to break past Danny’s heavy taping job. Sam’s jaw dropped slightly when she saw what was inside his disaster wrapping job.

In Sam’s hands laid a purple, black, and gray scarf. A homemade scarf. She could tell because it certainly didn’t look perfect or store bought. There were a few pulls in it, but she immediately loved it. “You made this.” She stated incredulously, looking up at him.

He nodded, a soft blush forming at his cheeks. “Well, you kinda have everything and you can be very hard to shop for since you’re not into materialistic things and corporate greed and all the stuff you preach about. But this can keep you warm if my ice core goes out of control. My grandma helped me start it and showed me what to do, but yeah I made it, which is why it looks like a perfectly sloppy representation of my life. I’m sorry. I can buy you a new one you’ll like that’s organic or gluten-free or something.”

Sam laughed at his speech, particularly at his misunderstanding. He put so much thought and effort into it. And of course, he knew what was important to her: thoughtfulness and a caring friend. It was actually the perfect gift. “Danny shut up, I love it.” She stood and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. “Thank you.” She began wrapping it around her neck.

“Gross, get a room.” Tucker was sprawled out on the floor, pressing buttons on his device, staring at the blank screen.

Danny and Sam’s faces heated up in a deep red blush as they looked away from each other, muttering “not lovebirds” or something along the lines of it underneath their breath. “We are in a room, Tucker. My room. And you’re making it even messier with all these gadget pieces!”

Tucker’s portable gaming system suddenly sputtered to life, a welcoming melody assuring the user it booted up correctly. Sam and Danny stared at it.

“I’m kinda amazed he was able to set it up that fast while tipsy. It’s actually kind of scary.” Sam muttered.

“Here’s my gift to you, loooovebirds!” Tucker tossed Danny his hat, the one with mistletoe dangling from it.

“Tuck, that’s for Danny, not for me. I’m not wearing that. And I’m holding you accountable for not keeping up our gift exchange tradition.” Sam crossed her arms over her chest.

“Nooooo Danny uses it on you! Thank you, you’re welcome, Tucker! You’re a genius and a stud.” Tucker rambled and shoved the hat on Danny’s head and shoved Sam towards him before he continued pushing buttons on his new device.

“Uhh…” Danny threw the hat to the ground as if it had been crawling with spiders.

His entire face felt like it was burning. It’s not that he didn’t want to kiss Sam, because he did. He really liked her. Sam was just an anomaly to him. He could never read her. One misread action and he would have bruises deeper than those ghosts gave him. It was better for him to not say anything for the sake of their friendship. Plus, he still wasn’t even sure if he liked her liked her. That sounded so juvenile. Sam was his best friend, of course, but he felt something different with her than he did with Tucker. Way different. It was a different kind of love. He didn’t love Sam like she was his sister. It was deeper than that. Sam of course had already come to that conclusion years ago, not that either boys knew it. For Danny, it was something he still couldn’t quite wrap his head around.

Danny looked over at Sam, whose face was as red as Rudolph's nose. Of course Tucker’s actions would make her uncomfortable, too. She was the only girl of the group, which meant she was constantly teased to be dating one of them (usually Danny) or both of them (gross) from bystanders, but never from her friends.

Tucker frowned and picked the hat back up and put it on Danny’s head. “No take backs!”

Danny looked over at Sam apologetically. Surely, they both knew they didn’t have to apologize to each other for their friend’s antics. But it was Danny’s clueless father who accidentally made Tucker more obnoxious than usual. “Sorry, I think he’s drunk.” Danny and Sam both scowled as Tucker tried pushing their heads together. “Enough Tucker!”

Tucker stared at them blankly, hands still on each of them.

Sam groaned. “Just get him to shut up! It will just be like another fake out make out.” She grabbed Danny’s face with both of her hands and gently pressed a kiss upon his lips. That got the boys to shut up.

“Tucker, take your stupid hat back,” she tore it from Danny’s head and threw it at Tucker, hitting him square in the face. “I can’t deal with you right now. Come on, Danny. I still promised to make your fucking Christmas fun, damnit.” She said grumpily, grabbed her bag and Danny’s wrist and dragged him out of the room, leaving Tucker in Danny’s room alone to play with his new toys.

Danny blinked a few times and followed her. He still hadn’t gotten used to kissing her. Granted, this was only the fourth time and all of the previous times served as identity-saving distractions, but it still made his head spin. He shook his head and laughed, “Now who’s the Scrooge?” He wagged his eyebrows up and down stupidly, which immediately broke her trance and she laughed. “So, what’s next then, Mrs. Claus?”

“Don’t call me that.” She led them up to the op center, not quite ready to go back to the high-energy party happening downstairs, and certainly not wanting to see Tucker again until he either sobered up or passed out. Sam dug in her bag and handed Danny a tupperware container.

“Cookies? You made cookies?!” He opened the lid and examined them.

“Hey, I can bake! I don’t know much about Christmas traditions since I’m technically Jewish, but I looked some up and apparently decorating annoyingly adorable cookies is a tradition. Are you filled with cheer yet?”

“You baked the cookies. YOU did?” He picked one up and gently pressed the tip of his tongue to the cookie, testing it out.

“Yes, asshole. I baked them. And they’re not vegan, so you may actually like them.”

“Oh,” he said stupidly. He took a bite into the cookie and raised his eyebrows in surprise. “Wow, you really can bake. These are actually really awesome, Sam.” He smiled and finished the rest in one bite, grabbing another immediately.

Her glowering face softened up as she smiled. “Come on, I’m not done yet.” She pointed to the roof, signaling Danny to go ghost and phase them up there. She pulled out some blankets from her bag and laid down on one, signaling for him to follow. She snuggled into her new scarf until he changed back to his human form. “So tomorrow, if you can get away from your family for a bit, you and Tucker and I are going to do all those cliche Christmassy things. Sledding if it snows, ice skating, we’ll drink hot chocolate and build gingerbread houses, and we can make fun of corny Christmas movies. But I’m not fucking singing any Christmas carols. I draw the line there.”

Danny smiled as he sat down next to her, looking up at the stars, an immediate habit for him.

She noticed his quick serenity. “See? It’s so quiet and peaceful up here. Everyone is inside enjoying their families, you can still see the stars somehow shining brighter through the small amount of clouds, and they aren’t masked from all of the houses and their Christmas lights. It’s beautiful. You can get that calm and quiet you desperately need.” She laughed, her breath creating a small ghost sense of her own in front of her.

“You didn’t need to do this all for me, Sam. I appreciate it, though, I really do. But of all the things you’ve given to me today or signed me up for tomorrow....this is actually my favorite part.” He smiled and changed his focus from the sky to her.

“I know. You’ve always been a sucker for the sky.” She smirked.

He laughed and grinned wider; a genuine, large smile. “I meant that it’s nice to get away from everything and just hang with you.”

Sam blushed and glanced at the small snowflakes now dusting her hair. She looked up at the sky and smiled. “Okay, I’ll admit I didn’t plan for it to snow, but there’s no way you could hate Christmas now.”

Danny didn’t say anything. He watched his beautiful best friend enjoy nature, trying to catch a few snowflakes on her tongue. He liked the way the stars made the snow in her hair sparkle. And then it hit him. That deep feeling again. Like a love that was more than love. He gently grabbed her face and turned her towards him, pressing a sweet kiss on her cold lips.

When they broke apart, Sam looked around, puzzled. “There’s no mistletoe?”

“No mistletoe.” He confirmed nervously, smiling when she came to the same conclusion he did. They both knew the feeling was mutual. This time, she leaned into him, initiating the kiss. It felt hot against the cold air. She tasted like peppermint from the candy she was eating earlier. Danny’s heart pounded. He felt like his whole life led up to this one moment here. He wrapped his arms around her as she tangled her hands in his hair. Sam pulled back to whisper “Merry Christmas, Danny,” before kissing him again. He smiled into it.

Maybe Christmas isn’t so terrible after all.