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softly-potter · 2 years ago

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Still Friends | Chapter 2: Unloading

Summary: After a chance encounter at a party, Wanda and Bucky find they have more in common than they realized.

This fic is heavily inspired by 'Friends' by my lovely friend Poppy. She is aware of this fic and I've been given permission for this marvel-version retelling! If you haven't read her dramione fic 'Friends', I HIGHLY suggest it. I fell in love with the story and couldn't help but wonder, what if it was Wanda and Bucky instead of Hermione and Draco? Thus "Still Friends" was born. Enjoy!

Pairing: Bucky X Wanda

Word Count: 33,068

Warning: smut, drug use, depression

Chapter 2: Unloading

May 5th, 2024

Bucky has to shrug off his jacket in a weak attempt to cool himself down, exposing his metal arm. He has an understanding slash hate relationship with his metal appendage, but it doesn’t mean he likes to show it off.

Standing in the exact spot as last year, holding the exact same glass of Asgardian liquor, Bucky attempts to tune out the music, the sound vibrating against his back, and he taps his foot in time.

Wanda is also there, sitting on the steps, leaning against the railing. She hasn’t moved since he arrived, even when he addressed her, and he’s stuck wondering what the hell he has to do to warrant her attention.

He wants to see her pretty face scowl at him, and how was that supposed to happen if she just stood there like a statue?

Her arms are tightly wrapped around herself, knuckles white. He takes a slow sip, reveling in the taste.

“The fucks wrong with you?”

Her head jerks up, but she doesn’t turn around. She’s stark still, her orange hair loose this time, waving like a banner.

She doesn’t answer him, instead grips her sides tighter and he chuckles at her pathetic actions. “Didn’t take you for a sensitive one.”

Wanda stills, her back straight and Bucky grins into his mug. He’s got her now, her attention trained on his miscellaneous insult. He hears her scoff, and wishes he could see what expression she was making.

“You're really into the hurting others who haven’t done a fucking thing to you, huh?”

His brows raise.

“The fuck is up with you?”

She laughs, completely empty of humor. “Why does everyone think something is wrong with me ?”

Her head is titled to the sky, like she’s waiting for God to drop his big promise of salvation. Bucky purses his lips.

“Come again?”

She turns, finally looking at him, and it's like a breath of fresh air. While not damp, her eyes are filled with animosity, her mouth twisted into a thin line. “Do you live under a rock?”

“No.” The response is plain, nonencouraging to continue the conversation, but he doesn’t know what else to say. He isn’t completely sure what she wants.

Her expression is rye, hands pressed into the wooden floor of the Wilsons front porch to keep herself upright as she twists around to give him her almighty glare.

He squirms, feeling raw under her stare, and then she’s laughing. Head thrown back, shoulders shaking as her lips chuckle in hysterics.

“Has it ever occurred to you to keep up with the outside world or have you completely disregarded everyone but yourself?”

She’s being fucking rude.

“Not particularly, I don’t enjoy seeing what people think should be done with me. How they chalk me up to nothing but a rabid fucking animal.” He seethes, and moves his eyes to his shoes, shaking his head in frustration. “It's exhausting, reading all the assumptions. They think I’m a mindless killing machine, but they always forget the 40’s. How the government forgot me, let me be completely stripped of my fucking self and turned into a god damn weapon. So no, I don’t really listen to the outside world.”

A tension surrounds them, and he’s breathing hard, wants to stop his rambling but he can’t. If she knows more of his side, maybe she’ll stop starring at him like that.

“I was normal , and doing my part in the war. After being brain washed again and again, there was nothing left. I remembered nothing. Sometimes, I’m still there, still chained to that fucking wall trying to remember my first name.”

Silence stretches between them, so defining it sounds like static. The music is muffled, cheerful cries being heard from within and for the hundredth time that evening he wishes he could move on.

Wanda sniffs, still starring at him, but her back is laxed, her eyes not so hard. “They won’t let me see Vision.”

Bucky looks up at this revelation, simply confused as to how she wasn’t allowed the simplest of things like saying goodbye.

“They say he’s government property. That he doesn’t belong to me,” she says, sadness leaking into her tone. “that he’s one of the most expensive pieces of tech to ever exist.” It sounds like her chest is cracking right open. “They’re acting like he wasn’t alive. Like he didn’t have wants and dreams.”

Bucky looks away, takes a sip.

“According to SWORD, I have no say. Even after everything, he’s just parts to them.” She sniffs. “They…they ripped him to pieces, and didn’t even tell me. I had to push my way in just to see his pieces .”

Bucky breaths out, nibbling his lip.

They’d just shared so much, and the air was thick with unknowing. Neither knows how to comfort the other. So they sit in silence.

“We had a plan, you know.” She whispered, and he finds her staring at a spot on the floor. “and they dismembered him.”

“What was the plan?” He asks, because he’s genuinely curious. She sighs, her chest full of anxiety and tears, and the sound hurts him more than being wiped.

“Westview.” She replies simply, as if he should know what that means. When he doesn’t respond, she shrugs. “It’s this town. We bought some land, we’re gonna build a house. Have a garden, a family.” She blinks, finally looking away from the spot on the floor. “Guess I don’t deserve it.”

“You deserve anything you could ever want.” He says simply, and she blinks. “Fuck SWORD. You gave everything, lost everything. You deserve some retribution.”

She blinks again.

“And it’s not your fault that you can’t just move on.” He adds, just for clarification. He knows he’s treading the edge, but maybe jumping would be worth it. “You loved him. Of course you can’t move on.”

She chews on her lip, eyes downcast, and nods once. Turning away, Wanda lays her chin on her knees.

They spend the rest of the night bathed in silence.

#still friends #winterwitch #winter witch #cross posted on wattpad #bucky barnes x wanda maximoff

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taylore · 2 months ago

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Taylor Swift Creation & Inspiration Timeline - By Year (2003)

Though Taylor started writing songs when she was 12, it was not until her development deal with RCA records when she was 13 that she began professionally recording songs, which is why no songs written prior to this period have been released. It was also through her deal with RCA that she began working with professional songwriters such as Troy Verges, Brett James, Robert Ellis Orrall, & Angelo Petragalia.

A Perfectly Good Heart: (Late 2003)

Co-written with Nashville song-writing Veterans, Brett James & Troy Verges, 'A Perfectly Good Heart' depicts the experience of, "Getting your heart broken for the first time and not understanding why somebody would wanna do that. It's before the mind games come into play, before your second or third relationship, where you don't know anything but trusting people. And this song is about getting that trust betrayed.” The song was first released on a 2004 demo CD alongside 'I'm Only Me When I’m With You', 'A Place In This World', and 'What Do You Say.' Of said tracks, 'A Perfectly Good Heart' is an outlier, featuring different co-writers and producers, and thus being written and recorded at a different point. With that being said, I'm going to presume APGH slightly predates these tracks. The track is seemingly an example of Taylor writing fictionalized songs about love and heartbreak prior to actually experiencing it, a practice she admitted to engaging in during her youth.

(Demo CD mentioned above, 2004)

I'm Only Me When I'm With You: (November 2003)

This song, 'What Do You Say', and 'A Place In This World' were confirmed to all have been recorded on the same day by Robert Ellis Orrall who co-wrote and produced the songs with Angelo Petragalia & Taylor (credits to @taylor-on-your-dash for the info!)

He detailed the writing process on the Swift Legacy Podcast, saying, "[Angelo] called me up in a panic because he had this 13-year-old girl coming over and he had to write a song with her [...] I was like, 'What's her name?' [He said] 'Taylor Swift,' I was like, 'Oh, I know who she is! She's on RCA... Okay, I'm coming.' [...] the first song we wrote was 'I'm Only Me When I'm With You.' She said, 'I want to write something like Avril Lavigne but country.' [...] we got stuck on a line somewhere, and Angelo hadn't drawn out any lyrics. He threw out these two lines [...] and she looked at him and said, 'I don't know. That's kind of trite [...] I'm not sure my demographic would say something like that.' (5:02).

A Place In This World: (November 2003)

Originally recorded alongside WDYS & IOMWIWY on January 14th, 2004, the track was re-recorded after she employed Nathan Chapman as her producer in 2005. In the song, she expresses her desire to find her place, which she later explained was as a musician, stating, “It was tough trying to find out how I was going to get where I wanted to go. I knew where I wanted to be, but I just didn’t know how to get there. I’m really happy this is on the album, because I feel like I finally figured it out.”

(Demo featuring IOMWIWY, WDYS, & APITW, 2004)

Christmas Must Be Something More: (December 2003)

Featured on Taylor's 2007 EP Songs Of The Season: A Holiday Collection, the song was actually written four years later in 2003. When talking about the EP, Taylor said, “When we went in to decide that we're gonna do a Christmas album I was like, 'Well, there's got to be something really original and different about it, or else there's no use doing it," thus the inclusion of self-written tracks such as this one. In the song, she questions whether the Christmas season would be such a time of celebration if not for consumerism, and pleads with the listener to remember the true meaning of the holiday - the birth of Jesus Christ, or as she calls him, "The birthday boy who saved our lives."

(Demo CD featuring Christmas Must Be Something More, 2003)

That's a wrap on 2003! - Head on to my Guide, or to 2004.

#relatively short one but oh well #ts #timeline #👢

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autolesionistra · 2 years ago

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Tim Minchin 2013 University of Western Australia Address “9 life lessons”

Full transcript:

In darker days I did a corporate gig at a conference for this big company who made and sold accounting software in a bid, I presumed, to inspire their salespeople to greater heights. They’d forked out 12 grand for an inspirational speaker who was this extreme sports guy who had had a couple of his limbs frozen off when he got stuck on a ledge on some mountain. It was weird.

Software salespeople I think need to hear from someone who has had a long successful career in software sales not from an overly optimistic ex-mountaineer.

Some poor guy who had arrived in the morning hoping to learn about sales techniques ended up going home worried about the blood flow to his extremities. It’s not inspirational, it’s confusing. And if the mountain was meant to be a symbol of life’s challenges and the loss of limbs a metaphor for sacrifice, the software guy’s not going to get it, is he? Because he didn’t do an Arts degree, did he? He should have.

Arts degrees are awesome and they help you find meaning where there is none. And let me assure you… there is none. Don’t go looking for it. Searching for meaning is like searching for a rhymes scheme in a cookbook. You won’t find it and it will bugger up your soufflé. If you didn’t like that metaphor you won’t like the rest of it.

Point being I’m not an inspirational speaker. I’ve never ever lost a limb on a mountainside metaphorically or otherwise and I’m certainly not going to give career advice because, well I’ve never really had what most would consider a job. However I have had large groups of people listening to what I say for quite a few years now and it’s given me an inflated sense of self importance.

So I will now, at the ripe old age of 37-point-nine, bestow upon you nine life lessons to echo of course the nine lessons of carols of the traditional Christmas service, which is also pretty obscure.

You might find some of this stuff inspiring. You will definitely find some of it boring and you will definitely forget all of it within a week. And be warned there will be lots of hokey similes and obscure aphorisms which start well but end up making no sense. So listen up or you’ll get lost like a blind man clapping in a pharmacy trying to echo-locate the contact lens fluid.

(crowd laughs) …Looking for my old poetry teacher.

Here we go, ready?

One: You don’t have to have a dream. Americans on talent shows always talk about their dreams. Fine if you have something you’ve always wanted to do, dreamed of, like in your heart, go for it. After all it’s something to do with your time, chasing a dream. And if it’s a big enough one it’ll take you most of your life to achieve so by the time you get to it and are staring into the abyss of the meaningless of your achievement you’ll be almost dead so it won’t matter.

I never really had one of these dreams and so I advocate passionate, dedication to the pursuit of short-term goals. Be micro-ambitious. Put your head down and work with pride on whatever is in front of you. You never know where you might end up. Just be aware the next worthy pursuit will probably appear in your periphery, which is why you should be careful of long-term dreams. If you focus too far in front of you you won’t see the shiny thing out the corner of your eye. Right? Good! Advice metaphor… look at me go.

Two: Don’t seek happiness. Happiness is like an orgasm. If you think about it too much it goes away. (crowd laughs) Keep busy and aim to make someone else happy and you might find you get some as a side effect. We didn’t evolve to be constantly content. Contented Homo erectus got eaten before passing on their genes.

Three: Remember it’s all luck. You are lucky to be here. You are incalculably lucky to be born and incredibly lucky to be brought up by a nice family who encouraged you to go to uni. Or if you were born into a horrible family that’s unlucky and you have my sympathy but you are still lucky. Lucky that you happen to be made of the sort of DNA that went on to make the sort of brain which when placed in a horrible child environment would make decisions that meant you ended up eventually graduated uni. Well done you for dragging yourself up by your shoelaces. But you were lucky. You didn’t create the bit of you that dragged you up. They’re not even your shoelaces.

I suppose I worked hard to achieve whatever dubious achievements I’ve achieved but I didn’t make the bit of me that works hard any more than I made the bit of me that ate too many burgers instead of attending lectures when I was here at UWA. Understanding that you can’t truly take credit for your successes nor truly blame others for their failures will humble you and make you more compassionate. Empathy is intuitive. It is also something you can work on intellectually.

Four: Exercise. I’m sorry you pasty, pale, smoking philosophy grads arching your eyebrows into a Cartesian curve as you watch the human movement mob winding their way through the miniature traffic cones of their existence. You are wrong and they are right. Well you’re half right. You think therefore you are but also you jog therefore you sleep therefore you’re not overwhelmed by existential angst. You can’t be can’t and you don’t want to be. Play a sport. Do yoga, pump iron, and run, whatever but take care of your body, you’re going to need it. Most of you mob are going to live to nearly 100 and even the poorest of you will achieve a level of wealth that most humans throughout history could not have dreamed of. And this long, luxurious life ahead of you is going to make you depressed. (audience laughs) But don’t despair. There is correlation between depression and exercise. Do it! Run, my beautiful intellectuals run.

Five: Be hard on your opinions. A famous bon mot asserts opinions are like assholes in that everyone has one. There is great wisdom in this but I would add that opinions differ significantly from assholes in that yours should be constantly and thoroughly examined. (audience laughs) I used to do exams in here (audience laughs)… It’s revenge.

We must think critically and not just about the ideas of others. Be hard on your beliefs. Take them out onto the verandah and hit them with a cricket bat. Be intellectually rigorous. Identify your biases, your prejudices, your privileges. Most of society is kept alive by a failure to acknowledge nuance. We tend to generate false dichotomies and then try to argue one point using two entirely different sets of assumptions. Like two tennis players trying to win a match by hitting beautifully executed shots from either end of separate tennis courts.

By the way, while I have science and arts graduates in front of me please don’t make the mistake of thinking the arts and sciences are at odds with one another. That is a recent, stupid and damaging idea. You don’t have to be unscientific to make beautiful art, to write beautiful things. If you need proof - Twain, Douglas Adams, Vonnegut, McEwan, Sagan and Shakespeare, Dickens for a start. You don’t need to be superstitious to be a poet. You don’t need to hate GM technology to care about the beauty of the planet. You don’t have to claim a soul to promote compassion. Science is not a body of knowledge nor a belief system it’s just a term which describes human kinds’ incremental acquisition of understanding through observation. Science is awesome! The arts and sciences need to work together to improve how knowledge is communicated. The idea that many Australians including our new PM and my distant cousin Nick Minchin believe that the science of anthropogenic global warming is controversial is a powerful indicator of the extent of our failure to communicate. The fact that 30 percent of the people just bristled is further evidence still. (audience laughs) The fact that that bristling is more to do with politics than science is even more despairing.

Six: Be a teacher! Please! Please! Please be a teacher. Teachers are the most admirable and important people in the world. You don’t have to do it forever but if you’re in doubt about what to do be an amazing teacher. Just for your 20s be a teacher. Be a primary school teacher. Especially if you’re a bloke. We need male primary school teachers. Even if you’re not a teacher, be a teacher. Share your ideas. Don’t take for granted your education. Rejoice in what you learn and spray it.

Seven: Define yourself by what you love. I found myself doing this thing a bit recently where if someone asks me what sort of music I like I say, “Well I don’t listen to the radio because pop song lyrics annoy me,” or if someone asks me what food I like I say, “I think truffle oil is overused and slightly obnoxious.” And I see it all the time online - people whose idea of being part of a subculture is to hate Coldplay or football or feminists or the Liberal Party.

We have a tendency to define ourselves in opposition to stuff. As a comedian I make my living out of it. But try to also express your passion for things you love. Be demonstrative and generous in your praise of those you admire. Send thank you cards and give standing ovations. Be pro stuff not just anti stuff.

Eight: Respect people with less power than you. I have in the past made important decisions about people I work with – agents and producers - big decisions based largely on how they treat the wait staff in the restaurants we’re having the meeting in. I don’t care if you’re the most powerful cat in the room, I will judge you on how you treat the least powerful. So there!

Nine: Finally, don’t rush. You don’t need to know what you’re going to do with the rest of your life. I’m not saying sit around smoking cones all day but also don’t panic! Most people I know who were sure of their career path at 20 are having mid-life crises now.

I said at the beginning of this ramble, which is already three-and-a-half minutes long, life is meaningless. It was not a flippant assertion. I think it’s absurd the idea of seeking meaning in the set of circumstances that happens to exist after 13.8 billion years worth of unguided events. Leave it to humans to think the universe has a purpose for them. However I’m no nihilist. I’m not even a cynic. I am actually rather romantic and here’s my idea of romance: you will soon be dead. Life will sometimes seem long and tough and God it’s tiring. And you will sometimes be happy and sometimes sad and then you’ll be old and then you’ll be dead. There is only one sensible thing to do with this empty existence and that is fill it. Not fillet. Fill it. And in my opinion, until I change it, life is best filled by learning as much as you can about as much as you can. Taking pride in whatever you’re doing. Having compassion, sharing ideas, running, being enthusiastic and then there’s love and travel and wine and sex and art and kids and giving and mountain climbing, but you know all that stuff already. It’s an incredibly exciting thing this one meaningless life of yours. Good luck and thank you for indulging me.

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entertainment · 4 years ago

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Entertainment Spotlight: Gerald Isaac Waters, All Together Now

Tennessee-native Gerald Isaac Waters portrays Chad in All Together Now, Netflix’s film adaptation of Brett Haley’s book Sorta Like a Rock Star. Gerald is known for his role in TBS’s Angie Tribeca, has modeled for campaigns with Target and Zappos, and has also featured in New York Fashion Week. In 2015, Gerald had an accident that left him paralyzed from the neck down, which confined him to a wheelchair. Despite being told by his doctors that he was unlikely to regain movement, he has regained most movement in his upper body and continues to progress. Aside from his acting and modeling career, Gerald’s interests include surfing, boxing, baseball, and wine.

Can you tell us a bit about your character Chad in All Together Now? What drew you to the role?

My character 'Chad Fox' can be described as a devout friend, charming and determined. The thing that drew me most to this role was the message of friendship. I personally cherish my friends deeply, and I saw that in Chad as well. I knew I could bring parts of myself into this character and bring him to life.

Do you have any fun facts or funny stories about the making of the film?

There is a fun fact I can share!! There is a certain upbeat song from one scene that got stuck into EVERYONE'S head for days after we finished the scene! It is so catchy and repetitive that you catch yourself humming it or singing aloud before you know it! So, needless to say, our lunch breaks were quite musical.

What inspired you to get into acting? Were you ever part of a drama club at school?

My first intro to acting was the church Christmas play my mom was directing. I was 12 years old, and my best friend's mom played my mother in the play. She shared some great advice I’ve taken with me to every acting gig I’ve gotten since. To this day, every role I land, I call her, and we talk about where it all began!

The first drama club I was a part of happened in my senior year in high school. I joined my town's community theatre in a production of Bye Bye Birdie. That’s when I knew I wanted to pursue acting wholeheartedly!

What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned in your life this far?

The most important lesson in life I’ve learned this far is that a determined mind, body, and spirit can conquer even the most difficult obstacles! There’s something so rewarding about setting a goal, big or small, and seeing it through at all costs.

Is there anyone in the industry right now who you look up to or whose work you particularly enjoy?

I definitely look up to Neil Patrick Harris. From his work in television to film, Broadway, and an all-time host, he is a person I can inspire to be. Whenever I put on a show he is in, I know that I’ll end up laughing and feeling a little better than when I started watching. That is something I would love to be able to do; give people a sense of relief from whatever they are going through.

Do you have any advice for young wheelchair users who hope to have a career in acting?

My advice for young actors in the wheelchair community is DO NOT GIVE UP! Keep pushing and striving toward that goal. Don’t listen to your inner saboteur. Keep following the dream and make your voice heard!

If you could change anything about the world right now, what would that be, and why?

If I could change one thing about the world right now, it would be our lack of empathy. It is unfortunate that we are still treating human beings differently solely on the facts of race, origin, and religious beliefs. As a people, we find ourselves now with a bigger voice and platform to raise awareness and keep people accountable for their actions. Using our voices, I believe we can start practicing love and acceptance and build a bridge that can connect us all as equals!

If a theme song played whenever you entered a room, what song would it be?

Trying to pin down one theme song to play every time I entered a room is tough. I think instead, I would settle for having a 90’s theme laugh track for every entrance. How fun would that be!

What’s next for you?

What is next for me is a question I love because, honestly, the sky’s the limit! I do have a couple of projects coming up that I cannot wait to discuss. But an immediate goal of mine is to be a series regular on a show, just so I get to say “Previously on...” I can’t really explain why but that’s something I’ve wanted to be able to say for quite some time!!

Thanks for taking the time, Gerald! All Together Now is now (all together) streaming on Netflix.

Photo: Kelly Balch

#entertainment spotlight #all together now #gerald isaac waters

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fockingnice · 4 years ago

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@franboos @to-enter-polaris @gucciboner and myself worked on a massive fic recommendation list with all our favourite sobbe fics classed by word count.. enjoy!

one-shots:

< 10k

- hold me close @sincerelysobbe (2,5k)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/23969836

Robbe is stressed because of a test and Sander comforts him.

- You make me feel like I am whole again @nbrook (2,7k)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/26937070

Robbe is having an awful day. But it ends in the best way possible.

- A Beautiful Night @Lwritings (3,6k)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/23428594

Sander has been friends with the Broerrrs for half a year and Robbe has been desperately crushing on him. A game of Never Have I Ever changes everything.

- Love potion no.9 @thekardemomme (3,8k)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/28923867

they’re best friends. and potions partners. or: it’s amortentia day.

- Croissants @bruisingknees (3,8k)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/22186195

Robbe thinks that maybe the guy working at the bakery has been flirting with him.

- Paper rings @thekardemomme (4k)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/27953645

When Sander’s nose twitches, causing him to make this soft little whimpering sound, Robbe can’t help himself. He leans forward enough to kiss Sander’s forehead again, and then he dots one on each cheek, and then finally on his nose. “I can’t wait to marry you,” he whispers.

- You’re an angel in disguise (you’re an angel in my eyes) @thekardemomme (4,1k)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/27570142

Robbe is Sander’s guardian angel.

- The sun came up and I was looking at you @allforyoumylove (4,2k)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/24647095

Robbe and Sander waking up on a quiet Sunday morning in June. Sander is a tease, Robbe is awestruck, and both are hopelessly in love.

- I’ve always wanted a (boy)friend @thekardemomme (4,2k)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/28496322

before sander, robbe never liked christmas. christmas is sander’s favorite holiday.

- Purple lips (underwater) @dottori (5,3k)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/22371688

it’s a sunny, warm friday at the beginning of march, and sander wants them to go for a swim.

- Day Fifty @beejohnlocked (5,7k)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/27987252

Robbe makes a plan to confess his feelings to Sander on Christmas.

- The blind date bomb @thekardemomme (5,8k)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/29073711

”He thinks of the gorgeous man in the picture, and he thinks of how Sander said his YouTube is cute, and how Britt—who hardly even knows Robbe—thinks that he and Sander would be a good match.And he decides… Fuck it. One date can’t hurt, right?” or: robbe and sander go on a blind date

- Let's dance @msleviss (6,2k)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/22092550

Robbe and his friends go to a club to check out Amber’s DJ cousin.

- 12 things I love about you @nbrook (6,3k)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/27636032

Sander can't spend the whole day with Robbe on their anniversary, but he still figures out a way to make him fall in love with him all over again.

- Love me while your wrists are bound @alsjeblieft (6,4k)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/27031636

the cabin trip but with a twist.

- Sun shining from pure desire @skamtrash (6,6k)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/27105727

Sander has been flirting with his student teacher, Robbe for months now who keeps reminding Sander that he's wasting his time but eventually the flirting and chasing wears Robbe down to where he cant deny his attraction to Sander. University TA/Student AU

- At ease with you @Skamtrash ( 7,7,k)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/26423596

robbe tells his mom he and his best friend, sander are dating to get her off his back.

He doesn't expect his mom to congratulate them by getting them tickets to join her on a cruise vacation.

Cue a week of pretending to be a couple.

fake relationship to lovers au

- Besotted with your love @Skamtrash (7,7k)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/25288000

sander has a photography project and decides to shoot at the skatepark where robbe is his subject. when he approaches robbe and needs him to fill out the release form, he's absolutely smitten from the start.

sander falling in love with robbe who's deaf.

- Taking pictures of you as the light came through @allforyoumylove (7,9k)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/27533866

Robbe photographs Sander in bed. Things take a steamy turn.

- My midsummer darling @robbesdriesen (8,2k)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/23702017

Robbe goes on a summer week-long retreat to his aunt's quaint, little villa in Genoa. He doesn't know he has a neighbor close by, one that would capture his entire soul.

Robbe and Sander fall in love in a whirlwind summer romance. One that would change their lives forever.

- Afterglow @Skamtrash (9k)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/28032300

On vacation in a small winter village during the holidays, Robbe meets one of the hotel's employees, Sander.

All it takes is two weeks. 14 days for them to fall for each other.

- Christmas Dreams @sonderthroughthestreets (9,6k)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/28272282

Robbe is stuck with his typical 9-5 job as an HR analyst until a conversation with Sander from IT on their company rooftop makes him reconsider his dreams. In the midst of it all, Adam from Accounting has a massive crush on Robbe and wants to ask him to the Christmas Party, so Sander offers to be his "date" to help him. Christmas fluff and flirting ensues.

> 10k

- Sander Driesen versus a mistletoe @dottori (10,1k)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/27976461

it’s not a fair match.

(or, sobbe go on a christmas date, and sander really wants a kiss under the mistletoe.)

- This isn't our first time around @noobishere (10,7k)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/25472953

One moment they are in the kitchen of their shared apartment, the next, they're in this strange but familiar room.

(a.k.a the au in which they accidentally go hopping through multiple universes)

- Our love story is my favorite @robbesdriesen (13k)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/25459867

a wedding fic for robbe and sander

- It’s an unrequited love @eggsntoast (14,1k)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/22854661

Sander works part-time at a museum every Sunday. Robbe is a frequent visitor.

- Agents Sliding Down The Chimney @berrevy (14,2k)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/28428840

The smile that twitches at the corner of Sander's mouth is like the tiniest opening, and Robbe takes that as a challenge. He’s always been good at slipping through small spaces.

“You wanna see a trick?”

Sander sizes him up for a moment, then swivels on his heel to face him fully. “Ok then, magic boy. C’mon.”

(aka a late Christmas fic)

- Come lie with me @allforyoumylove (14,6k)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/29089530

“When Robbe lifts the blanket and gently tugs on the leg of Sander’s sweatpants, silently inviting him in, Sander doesn’t ask questions, doesn’t hesitate, he just drowsily slips into Robbe’s embrace.”

(or the one where they both have a terrible relationship with sleep but find out that it gets a little better when nestled up against each other)

- Man on a mission @littleliefe (17k)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/27820564

The agency is under attack but Sander is just thirsty for Robbe. On the other hand, the rest of the agency is more concerned about helping Sander ask Robbe out for dinner.

- life was a willow and it bent right to your wind @nbrook (18k)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/28349892

Sander and Robbe became best friends before Sander made a move and then Robbe went and got himself another boyfriend, leaving him pining. And it’s fine, really, it is. Sander promised himself that he wouldn’t do anything about it for as long as Robbe was happy. But when Robbe’s boyfriend ridicules his love for everything Christmas, he decides to step in to give him the Christmas traditions he deserves himself.

- You're my stars...and everything in between @aurorawinds (19,7k)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/27862950

A Star-Crossed Lovers, Romeo & Juliet inspired, AU where Robbe and Sander are the sons of Antwerp’s two most rivaling families of tech companies, head over heels in love with one another as they find it more and more difficult each day to hide their relationship from their families. To hide their love.

- Lovers never lose @dottori (24k)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/27532636

twelve-ish kisses robbe and sander share at the trip to ardennes (and afterwards).

multi-chaptered:

5k - 20k

- In the middle of the night @Lwritings (complete | 9,3k)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/24133477/chapters/58105945

The Broerrrs go on holiday for a week to London. Robbe is very excited for it until there is something wrong in the hotel and he has to share a room with Sander. And not just Sander, no the guy he has been crushing on for 3 months ever since he joined their group. And not just a room, no there is only one bed as well. When it's just the two of them in the night, anything can happen..

- If a June night could talk it would probably boast it invented romance @allforyoumylove (complete | 14,7k)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/25264918/chapters/61250002?view_adult=true

Robbe and Sander are childhood best friends. They’re also secretly in love with each other. Confessions are made under a beech tree on a warm summer evening at the end of June.

- Drie @skamtrash (complete | 15,4k)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/22547221/chapters/53878474

Robbe stands up and finds the voice calling the name and fucking hell, the guy's well fit. He's only dressed in a black t shirt, black jeans and boots but the tattoos that layer his arms immediately entice him. And that platinum hair, his actual face, who looks that good. He gets himself together quickly, "I think Bowie's here."

The au in which Robbe finds a toddler hiding in a clothing rack at a store and ends up falling for his dad

- The way we feel @toskyandbeyond (in the works | currently 17,8k)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/26364451/chapters/64213597

It’s always been like that. Robbe and Sander, through thick and thin. There was not a thing they didn’t go through together. Moreover, they couldn’t even imagine living without each other’s presence.

The day they met it was almost like two old souls encountered once again. Like they were meant to find each other.

- The finest of the meadow @allforyoumylove (complete | 18,8k)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/26009740/chapters/63239776

The universe brings two lonely boys together in a flowering meadow. They fall for each other fast and hard among delicate daisies, warm summer breezes, and shooting stars.

20k - 40k

- Come closer I’ll give you all my love @sonderthroughthestreets (in the works | 22,6k)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/27249196/chapters/66568180

Robbe’s ex is a pain and Sander helps get rid of him. The problem? They’ve been friends for as long as they can remember and some point between the blurred lines, they fall in love.

- Put your head on my shoulder @Aniloracat (in the works | currently 24,9k)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/24079126/chapters/5795296

Because of some past mistakes and communication issues, Robbe and Sander can't stand each other anymore, until they are "forced" to stay in quarantine alone and face their feelings.

📌 Or the enemies to lovers, roommates, quarantine fanfic nobody asked for 😅

📌 Title based on Paul Anka's song 'Put your head in my shoulder'

- Waiting down at the station @ivy_seas (in the works | currently 25,5k)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/28995576/chapters/71160429

The world is winter, it’s the inconvenient snowfall on the walk to the six-thirty train, it’s falling for the stranger who happens to take the same train. When to take a risk becomes the same question of when to let go of something you’re not really sure you had in the first place. But maybe the world isn’t so cruel.

—strangers to lovers au

- Wings to Earn @to-enter-polaris (complete | 26,6k)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/28432749/chapters/69672963

After playing volleyball abroad for two years, Sander comes back home to fix his mistake of leaving in the first place, but Robbe isn't ready to forgive him.

- time may change me, but i can't trace time @abittersweetsong (in the works | currently 30,8k)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/27785878/chapters/68021533

“You’re my best friend and I love you.”

It’s a simple admission and it settles gently in Robbe’s soul.

Or Robbe and Sander find each other in every universe, but in this one they're best friends first.

- If You say Run, I'll Run with You @Aniloracat (complete | 32,8k)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/25970479/chapters/63133504

Robbe is having a terrible day and a hot, but annoying white-haired photographer that won't stop appearing everywhere is not making it any better. That's it, until sparks fly, and Robbe decides he's found the perfect distraction from his terrible day.

One-night stand AU that's not meant to be a one-night stand.

- Vrijdag 21:37 @wasteourdaysdreaming (complete | 34,8k)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/22002403/chapters/52504453

The same party one Friday night in February, told from different perspectives.

- You know i'm always at your shoulder (take your heart out of its holster) @wafflesofdoom (in the works (but can be read separate from each other) | currently 35,2k)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/21979630/chapters/52448740

“I must have been really good, in another universe, to deserve you,” Sander whispered, thumb brushing the line of Robbe’s cheekbone, the pad of his thumb soft against Robbe’s skin.

Robbe simply kissed the inside of Sander’s wrist, shaking his head. “You are good in this universe, too,” he said. “You found me, when I needed you the most.”

learning how to be in a real, actual relationship isn't the easiest thing in the world, and robbe is very new to it all, and he's got a lot to figure out when it comes to being in actual, everyday love with sander. the first six months of a relationship are the best - and they're some of the hardest, too. these are the first six months of robbe and sander's relationship.

- this rough magic @aholynight (complete | 36,4k)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/21760975/chapters/51919642

Though he’s a sixth-prefect and the newest member of the Hufflepuff Quidditch team, Muggleborn Robbe can still hardly believe that he’s made of magic.

Sander is the seventh-year Gryffindor beater whose wild behavior and delinquent reputation precedes him.

Though Robbe desperately wants to believe in the angel-faced boy he sees in front of him—and ignore the rumors of Sander’s devilish behavior—he’s not sure his heart can afford the risk.

But when Sander and Robbe are left in a nearly-empty Hogwarts over the Christmas holiday, avoiding Sander might no longer be an option.

40k - 60k

- The night we met @themoongirl (complete | 42,8k)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/22189216/chapters/52975012

Robbe Ijzermans has a brain that won't let him sleep, a chest that feels far too heavy and thoughts that never stop.

During his first year of college he meets Sander Driesen. Robbe finds what he never went looking for.

AKA, a college AU.

- Visitations @lucidpantone (complete | 46,1k)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/22537474/chapters/53855452

Does Robbe and Sander's relationship survive into adulthood.

This fic takes place in two simultaneously timelines: the past and the present.

The present occurs in one entire day. Both timelines are completely out of chronological order. Everything is in clips.You can be dropped in at anytime of the day in any timeline. So clip by clip you will need to piece together what happen to Sander & Robbe and why the present looks the way it does and what happened in the past that got them there.

This love story is a journey. So be prepared.

In the words of one of our Even's. It’s a complicated love story between complicated people.

- look into my eyes, ignore the rest @robbesdriesen (complete | 47,4k)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/26230513/chapters/63842047

a story of how robbe and sander fall in love in front of the camera and behind it (which in their case, the camera isn't needed at all)

- rotten work @aholynight (complete | 50,5k)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/22239544/chapters/53102809

Robbe is a college freshman whose reckless habits and excessive drinking are starting to look an awful lot like calculated self-destruction—though his loneliness might be the thing that kills him first.

Sander is a visual arts major a few years above Robbe, with a face nobody can forget and a fuck boy reputation he can't seem to shake.

Everybody warns Robbe to stay away from the Sander, unless he wants to get burned. But Robbe's the kind of boy who likes playing with fire.

- just friends @sincerelysobbe (complete | 51k)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/27861626/chapters/68215882

Months ago, after a one-night stand that couldn't stay that way, Robbe and Sander made an agreement—the two of them, no strings attached. But, Sander's feelings for Robbe were strong, to begin with, and they're growing stronger with each passing day—and he knows that he is more in love with Robbe than he should be.

- run and score @robbesdriesen (complete | 59,8k)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/23372407/chapters/56000917

Robbe Ijzermans is the star goalie of Antwerp U’s football team, naturally blocking shots as if it were his sixth sense. Sander Driesen is their star striker, having an eagle eye for the goal at all times.

Robbe always had a distaste for his bleached-blonde teammate and the annoying way he carried himself, but Robbe can never mask how much he admires him from a distance.

When they finally begin to learn more about each other, there is no going back for either.

With the looming playoffs in jeopardy for their entire team, will Robbe & Sander be able to manage it together? All while falling in love with each other at the same time?

> 60k

- Eastwood liberty @fockinglevendcliche (in the works | currently 69,7k)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/24250837/chapters/58438588

Eastwood Liberty students had only one mission: to always be on top, at everything, no matter the cost.

It took Robbe just a day to realize that people there only cared about two things: money and power. But that was no surprise to him. What he didn't expect was to be confronted by this group of rich and spoiled boys, who used to always get what they wanted, especially their leader, Sander Driesen.

Sander made the rules, but unfortunately for him, Robbe had never been really good at sticking to them.

- Do i know you? @SrtaPepa (in the works | currently 88k)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/23340514/chapters/55913782

Robbe has lost his memory from the last three years. He doesn’t remember finishing school and start college with Yasmina; he doesn’t remember going to live to the flatshare, or move out to a new place, or being friends with Milan, neither coming out as gay. And the worst of all of this is that Robbe doesn’t remember meeting Sander or that he is, in fact, truly, madly, deeply in love with him.

Hopefully, sometimes feelings are stronger than memories.

- jij verliest @sincerelysobbe (complete | 104,1k)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/24445087/chapters/58986433

For the past three months, Robbe’s life—and what it once was—had been stripped away and rearranged. Now, if anything, his life had become a bit repetitive: homework, stream, ignore Thomas’s Instagram, repeat. But one Friday evening, Robbe meets a hurricane in the form of a platinum-haired tattoo artist who just might show him everything that he’s been missing.

- Remember my name @ijzermans (complete | 106,3k)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/24215371/chapters/58335259

The past few weeks, Robbe has noticed a new guy has attended his high school.

Nobody really seems to care about the strange bleached kid, yet Robbe on the other hand, can't help but feel intrigued by him.

The new guy happens to be Sander, and he's not that easy to connect with. He's quiet, distant, and has a past he'd rather not share.

Or will Robbe make a difference?

- Paint me in trust @themoongirl (complete | 116,2k)

https://archiveofourown.org/works/24235861/chapters/58395625

“What are you looking for, Robbe?” Sander tilted his head, moving closer.

“A rush.” Robbe whispered, his lips brushing Sander’s.

Robbe Ijzermans has spent the better part of two years chasing the need to feel real again. Though being an adrenaline junkie is hardly a healthy coping mechanism, it’s one of the only things he has left.

Sander Driesen is a vampire with an unspeakable, dreadful past that won't seem to leave him.

When Robbe gets roped into Sander’s life he finds the feeling he has been chasing all along. But Sander's world has a different kind of risk, and it forces them to come face to face with the greatest danger of all. Fear of a life without the other.

#wtfock #we tried our best to remember as many fic as possible #sobbe fic #ao3 fic #fic recommendation #multi chapter #one shot #my posts #fave #my recommendations #masterpost

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noctisfishing · 2 years ago

Note

For the fanfic ask game, could you do 🗑️, 💡, and/or 📌? also, i hope you have a good day!!

Hi Chloe! Hope you're having a nice day. 😊

🗑️What is one fic idea that you loved at first but then scrapped?

I had plans to write a Sorato fic that followed their relationship through the years. It was going to start on Christmas Eve when Sora made the first move with the cookies. I was going to write about Yamato’s struggles as an aspiring musician and the fic was going to end with him and his band playing in a huge stadium arena and it was going to be his greatest shining moment with Sora smiling proudly in the front row. And throughout all of this, Sorato’s romance/relationship was not going to be a smooth ride.

The title was going to be based off of a song by Elton John because I had it in my head every time I thought of this fic idea.

I think I just lost inspiration for it, partly because there are moments in my other fics where I feel like I’m taking from this fic idea. I’m not as motivated to write something I’ve already written.

Then again, I have a hard time letting go of ideas that have stuck around with me for a while. Who knows if I’ll end up reviving it or remixing it for a different idea.

💡What’s the weirdest thing you’ve been inspired by?

Right around the beginning of the pandemic, I came across a meme on Twitter: “POV: ur city is on lockdown. based on ur birth month, who [of the Chosen] r u stuck with?”

Somehow, I wrote a series of ficlets about being stuck with each of the 12 a la DigiDestined Lockdown. It was a comforting thing to write at a time when the world seemed to turn upside down and I wanted that creative distraction.

I'm saving 📌 for another ask! Thank you so much for sending me some emojis 🥰

Send me emojis Fanfic Asks

#ask noct #sorato #thank you chloe! <3 #digitalworldbound #fanfic asks #noct musings #noct ideas

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anjuschiffer · 4 years ago

Text

It’s finally the New Year! What other way to celebrate than to write for Day 1 of @timari-month-event New Years Day? :D

Day 1 : New Years Day

—

Tag: @theatreandcomicfreak @damianette-is-life @toodaloo-kangaroo @elijahcrevan @vixen-uchiha @nathleigh

—

AO3

Cass poked her head through the common room’s doorway, surprised to see that Dick had managed to have everyone over at his apartment.

To be honest, Cass thought he wouldn’t be able to get everyone under one roof. Then again, this was Dick, everyone’s favorite person...well, almost everyone’s.

“Cass, so that's where you’ve been.” Kate said from behind her, Cass turning to see her ‘aunt.’ “This is your first time, isn’t it? Celebrating New Years, that is.” Cass nodded at that.

She honestly didn’t know what to think about this “New Years” celebration Dick wanted everyone to be a part of, how excited he was to be able to greet the new year as a family.

It was just another event that only marked the end of a year and the beginning of another. Why celebrate it?

Cass snapped from her thoughts when Kate chuckled, placing a hand on her shoulder. “It’s alright Cass. Don’t think too hard about it. Just enjoy yourself. Perhaps you’ll understand then.”

Cass nodded, watching as Kate walked away to join the others.

She watched as she sat diagonally from Bruce, Selina and Alfred, the quartet of adults observing the other “supposed” adults and children.

“Grapes? Why would you wish using grapes? They don’t hold any magical power.” Damian asked as Dick handed him a bowl with 12 grapes in jt.

“Good question. Why grapes?” Duke asked no one, proceeding to just eat them. “Why not star fruit?”

“I-I actually don’t know.” Dick shyly confesses, deciding to just leave the grapes at the center of the coffee table for people to just grab.

“It actually started as an advertising tactic for farmers to sell their grape harvests in the 19 century in Spain.” Jason said, eyeing his own bowl of 12 grapes. “Later on in the early 20th century, the grapes symbolize good luck, so the people started to eat them after the start of a New Year in hopes of having good luck.”

“In other words, wishful thinking and superstition?” Stephanie asked.

“Yup.” Jason munched on a few grapes. “ there are a few people who additionally do it to ward off evil.”

“So just superstition.” Duke clarifies. “What a waste of good grapes.”

“-can believe it! There’s only five minutes left until the new year!” The woman on the television screen squealed, capturing everyone's attention. The screen then switched cameras to show the packed street of Times Square, hundreds -if not thousands- of people waving at the camera as it panned around them.

“Does everyone have their glass of champagne?” Dick asked, watching as everyone lifted their glass. “Babs, I thought you didn’t drink?”

“And neither does Tim, Damian, Duke and Steph and yet you still gave them one.” Dick started to panic at that.

After all, they’re still minors, even if by a few months away from being either 21 or 18.

“Damian, Duke, Steph, Tim! I need those- wait. Where is Tim?” Dick asked.

“Wait, he was invited?” Jason asked.

“Of course I did! He’s part of the-“

“Three minutes left!”

“Well, too late to ask him to join us. Well just have to greet the new year without him.” Steph said.

“His lost.” Damian added, keeping a grin to himself.

“One minute!”

“FaceTime?” Dick asked, the family ignoring him as they intently watched the woman on the screen beginning to count down.

Cass watched Dick panic around while the rest of the family continued to watch the television.

She noticed Bruce and Selina signal her to come closer, which she did, the two of them pulling her to sit in between them.

Cass fidgeted a bit, adjusting to the affection.

“Ten! Nine! Eight! Seven!”

“Are we really-“

“Five! Four! Three!

Two!

One!

Happy New Year!” The lady announced, hugging her news partner.

“Happy New Year.” The family said in unison, lifting their glasses in sync before everyone took a sip. Of course, a few idiots chugged it down.

Or at least attempted to.

As soon as Jason had chugged half of his champagne, he sputtered about, Babs chuckling in the back while Duke and Steph tried to help him.

“Todd. How dare you waste-“

“Replacement.” He wheezed out, pointing to the screen. “He’s-“ he then began to cough.

Everyone turned to look at the screen wondering what he meant because there on the screen were just couples kissing. Tim wasn’t-

“Well you look at that.” Selina said with a grin.

“Is he serious?” Duke asked, burying his face into his hands.

“Apparently so.” Steph grinned.

There, the farthest corner of the screen was Tim, or rather, Red Robin kissing a girl who wore a hoodie that resembled Red Robin’s. Midnight hair peeled from out of the hood and she wore a red domino mask.

“Did anyone know he was going to do this?” Kate asked. Everyone turned to Alfred.

“Master Tim only told me he was visiting his girlfriend. He never told me he was going to pull this stunt.” Alfred took a sip of his tea. “But we should congratulate the chap. He may not be celebrating with us, but at least he’s celebrating the New Year with someone he loves.”

-How it happened-

Tim was double checking his list, making sure he had everything before heading downstairs.

Despite Dick wanting everyone over at his apartment to spend New Years Eve together, Tim already had plans, plans he had arranged weeks prior.

“Master Tim. Are you heading out?” Alfred asked him, Tim taken aback by Alfred’s...lack of a suit. “Master Tim?”

“Sorry Alfred. It’s just...I’ve never seen you out of a suit so...it suits you.” Was all Tim was able to say. Instead of his tidy and fitted butler suit, Alfred was wearing a very...grandfatherly outfit.

White shirt, gray cardigan, brown jacket and a dark gray pair of slacks. A pair of loafers and a flat cap sealed the deal.

“Well, Miss Marinette gifted me this jacket this Christmas. I thought I would wear it for this occasion. The inner pocket is my favorite detail.”

Alfred showed Tim the inner pocket, the pocket having different swirl embroidery. But upon a closer inspection, each different colored thread was a different family member’s name. Tim’s name was embroidered in a steel blue.

“What a very Marinette thing for her to do.” Tim said with a smile, beaming at her talent. That’s when he remembered about where he was heading. He took out his phone and fought a scowl when he realized he was running behind schedule.

“Judging by your scowl, I’m guessing you’re late to where you’re heading to.”

“I am a bit behind schedule. But I’ll manage.” Tim said, shifting the bag on his shoulder. He didn’t know why, but something told him to say it. “I’m going to New York to meet up with Marinette. We've been planning this for a few months and thought we should meet up for New Year’s Eve. We’ve got a few places in mind and we’re hoping everything-“

“It’s going to be fine.” Alfred assures Tim, not once mentioning his rambling. “Now go. You wouldn’t want to make Miss Marinette wait any longer, now would you?”

Tim nodded, saying goodbye to Alfred and running to catch the nearest cab to get to the nearest bus to take him to New York.

After a two hour trip, Tim stood by an odd mechanism trapped inside an acrylic case.

He wanted to make sure where he was headed before leaving the 42 St Port Authority. After all, he had only been to Times Square a few times in his life.

“Tim!” Marinette called out, Tim looking up from his phone to see Marinette running up to him.

A grin grew on his face as he caught Marinette, twirling her.

“Hey. Aren’t you half an hour early?”

“Maybe you're just late.” Marinette grinned.

Tim sighed at the Into the Spiderverse reference until he noticed her outfit.

She was wearing a red dress, the most obvious piece, but it was her wrap cape that caught his attention. The front piece was red in color while the rest of the cape was black. But it was the hidden accents of gold and the single golden robin crest at the center that intrigued him the most.

“Is that-“

“A Red Robin inspired outfit?” Marinette grinned. “Yes, yes it is. After all,” Marinette leaned over Tim’s ear. “He’s my favorite.” She purred, fighting off a giggle when she saw Tim’s face red from ear to ear.

“We should be on our way.” Tim managed to say, leading Marinette out the building and onto Edge Tower.

—

The duo went on their mini date at Edge Tower, Marinette not surprised when she found out that Tim rented out the entire place for the hour.

Marinette ran up to the edge of the balcony, not believing how high up they were. While Ladybug was able to get up on high places like this with ease, it was a whole different experience as Marinette.

She leaned into the cold air, a smile across her face as the wind blew.

“You’d think you’d get used to things like this.” Tim said, as if reading her mind, leaning against the rail right next to her.

“But no matter how many times you see the same view, it’s always breathtaking.” Marinette replied, turning to face him.

“Just like you are.” Tim enjoyed the way Marinette flushed red, causing him to chuckle. He tucked a loose hair strand behind her ear. “How about we take a picture to remember this?”

And so they did.

—

The thing with it being New Years Eve, all the places were packed, even otherwise empty food courts and the edge of the Hudson River.

After a while, the two ended up heading back to Times Square, a decision they soon regretted.

They ended up being caught in the swarm of people who had been camping in the area for a day...or two...or three…

One of them thought they had already been there and allowed them to slip through and by the time the duo realized that they were being pushed further deeper into the area, it was too late for them to get out. More people started to gather around them, the area packed to the brim with New Yorkers and tourists alike.

Seeing as they were stuck there, Marinette and Tim decided to make the best of it and went along with the crowd, waiting for hours until a few minutes were left before the start of the new year.

“Hey Tim.”

“Yeah?”

“I’m...I’m kinda glad we decided to meet here today.”

“So do I. Although, I do feel guilty for not telling Dick that I wasn’t going to be able accept his invitation to spend the eve with him and the rest of the family.” Tim confessed, Marinette giving his hand a squeeze.

They remained like that for a while before Tim turned to her.

“Marinette, there’s something I have to say.”

“What is it?”

“I just wanted to say, thank you. Thank you for being by my side this year.” He heard someone say that there were three minutes left. He cupped her face between his hands. “Thank you for being part of my life.”

As Tim leaned forward, Marinette stopped him, Tim wondering if he did something wrong. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to-“

“Tim. I think you’re forgetting something.” Marinette said, placing a domino mask over his eyes and one on herself. “There. Now the press won’t be bothering you tomorrow.”

“The press? Why-“

“Tim. How did you forget that you're the CEO of Wayne Enterprise? Seriously, how can you forget that?” Marinette huffed.

It was then that the two realized that the crowd had begun to count down.

“Ten! Nine! Eight!”

“Should we pick up where we left off?” Marinette asked, letting out a yelp when Tim brought her closer to him.

“Six! Five ! Four!”

“Let’s.” Tim’s said, leaning forward towards Marinette.

“Two!

One!”

Their lips met.

“HAPPY NEW YEAR!”

#maribat #timari january 2021 #timari #timari month

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elsanna-shenanigans · 3 years ago

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August Contest Submission #18: The Concrete Rose

Words: ca. 5,500 Setting: mAU Lemon: No CW: Angst, brief Hansanna

October 12, 2019

From the second Elsa saw her roommate, she knew she would become her muse.

Douglas Academy of the Arts produced hundreds of graduates every year already with an astounding, artistic reputation. Anyone that had a future in the arts ran through Douglas Academy first. But that prestige came at a price, success at all costs meant that almost everyone was cold and cutthroat; no one was a classmate, everyone was competition.

It was a mantra that all the students bought into except for two people: Elsa and her roommate Anna. From a simple handshake and a peace offering in the form of a chocolate bar (“The vending machine accidentally gave me two, how lucky is that?!”), Anna stood out from everyone else in Elsa’s eyes.

They became quick friends despite how drastically different they were. Elsa was reserved and stayed in her head a lot, Anna loved people and spoke every thought that came to her. Elsa was constantly second-guessing her decisions and had a keen eye for details, Anna was more impulsive and loved seeing the bigger picture. Elsa was a sculptor who kept her works secret until they were finished, Anna was a dancer who would always post videos of her practicing for her latest performance.

The one thing they had in common was their need to support the other.

One day well into their first semester, Anna barged into Elsa’s room with a flyer that she’d gotten in almost all her classes: an advertisement for the 3-D Art Showcase in three weeks. “You’re doing this, right?” she asks, pushing the flyer in front of Elsa’s face. “You’re entering a thingie into the thing?”

Elsa plucked the flyer out of Anna’s hands and turned back around in her chair, “Not a chance. I heard first years get eaten alive at these showcases, I’ll wait until next year.”

“Oh come on! You’d kick so much ass if you entered something. Remember that clay canary you made me?” Anna pressed her palms against Elsa’s shoulders, which almost knocked the pencil out of the unexpecting sculptor’s hands.

Elsa shook her head, “That was different. I’d have to make like… something fancy and intricate if I want to even be considered for the showcase.”

“Well, can’t you at least try? Please?” Anna slid her hands down so she could wrap her arms around Elsa’s shoulders from behind. “I can help you just like you helped me while I was rehearsing my first interpretive dance.”

It took a while for Elsa to get used to Anna’s touchiness, but she learned to accept it. This was just another thing that added to Anna’s eclectic personality, and besides Elsa was a big fan of the rosemary body wash she was using. “Anna, all I did was press play on your speaker.”

“Which helped out a lot!” Anna assured her. “You know how much energy I could have wasted doing that myself?”

“… not a lot?”

“Just think about joining, okay? Knowing you, I bet you probably have like five ideas running through your head and when you pick one, I’ll do whatever I can to help turn that idea into something concrete.”

Well if thinking about it was all that Anna was asking her to do, then Elsa could do that. Less commitment that way. And she was right, of course, there were five ideas floating around in Elsa’s mind but none of them she could latch on to and say that that was the one to work on. “Alright fine,” she said after a dramatically heavy sigh, “I’ll think about it.”

“That’s my girl! Oh shit, I’m gonna be late for rehearsal!” Anna sprinted out of Elsa’s room to grab her dancing shoes. Before slamming their shared door shut, she said, “If you eat my spaghetti, I’ll kill you!”

November 5, 2019

There was something that Anna told her that day which stuck with Elsa much more than she thought it would.

Turning an idea into something concrete.

What if she sculpted something out of concrete? It was a near guarantee that a lot of the sculptors entering the showcase would be using clay, recycled metals, or wood; using concrete would probably help her stand out and better her chances of being picked. After a researching how to make this work, and some choice words of encouragement and dancing from Anna, Elsa set to work getting everything she needed for her crazy idea.

There was still, of course, one glaring problem: What was she going to sculpt?

Her answer came to her during Anna’s first performance of the semester. It was an interpretive dance that told the story of a young gladiator fighting for the freedom of his sister who was enslaved by a vindictive landowner. Her ability to tell this story without words (not even in the song she chose) wowed the audience and inspired Elsa as she waited for every beat of the story she’d seen Anna tell maybe a hundred times in their dorm.

Elsa decided to recreate one of the poses Anna did where she jumped in the air and punched her arm out like she was thrusting a spear into an unseen adversary. It was a painstaking process that tested her dexterity and her patience even more so, she shut herself in her room until it was finished. In the end, the sculpture was much smaller than she wanted it to be because she underestimated how much concrete mix she actually needed. And a piece of Anna’s skirt chipped off because it refused to stick to the wire mesh. Still, overall she was very impressed with herself.

And so it seemed was the showcase committee, because she was given one of the last remaining spots on the showcase floor.

Elsa somehow found a way to keep Anna from seeing it beforehand, so when she went with her roommate to the showcase, her reaction was genuine.

Anna gasped, “Holy shit, is this me?! She’s so pretty!”

Everyone in the building looked at them with judgmental glares, especially the judges. Elsa didn’t mind all that much, she wasn’t expecting to take a ribbon home, this was more about proving she could hang with Douglas’ best and to thank Anna for supporting her these past few months.

“I ran out of time to add details to the face, so I kept it blank,” Elsa explained. “I hope it doesn’t look too creepy.”

Anna shook her head, “No, I love it! It’s like… it fits so much with Henry’s character, the gladiator I mean. He presents himself as this nobody that could be anybody, like Henry is just a faceless idea, but he stands for justice and integrity, which can speak to anyone.”

Elsa smiled, her heart fluttering from the feeling of being understood. “I’m glad you were able to see that. I think I’ll steal that explanation when the judges come over.”

“Fine, but if you win a ribbon then you’re buying me dinner. For believing in you and for being your muse.”

“Pssh, you are not my muse.” How in the world did Anna already know that?

Anna squeezed Elsa’s shoulders and smiled, her eyes seeing right past Elsa’s thin resistance. “Yeah, keep telling yourself that, Michaelangelo.”

The judges came around a few minutes later to ask her some questions and write notes on their clipboards. Anna wanted to talk her roommate up so badly but settled on providing moral support right next to Elsa as she answered the questions concisely and with the professionalism that got her into Douglas Academy in the first place.

She didn’t win a ribbon, but decided to take Anna out to dinner anyway.

December 26, 2019

“I think concrete should be your thing,” Anna said before taking another long sip of her hot chocolate.

“My thing?” Elsa asked.

“Yeah, like the thing that makes you stand out from everyone else. The thing you’re known for. Da Vinci had his inventions and paintings, Degas painted ballet dancers, you could be the concrete rose.”

Elsa chuckled, “Concrete rose? That sounds more like you than it sounds like me.”

Anna gasped, “Why Ms. Elsa, you best be careful or I might just take that as a compliment.”

“Uhh you should because it was.” Elsa gently kicked her foot forward to keep the front porch swinging. They drank their hot chocolates in silence, relishing in that post-Christmas bliss. Elsa’s family was always a little more dysfunctional around the holidays, but when Anna told her she’d be spending her Christmas in the dorms she knew that couldn’t happen. Her best friend deserved a real Christmas for the first time in forever.

When their mugs were empty, Anna spoke again, “Thank you for letting me come with you. I… maybe I would have felt a little lonelier this Christmas. And I’m happy that I’m not.”

“Anna, you’re my best friend- heck, you’re like the sister I never had. I can’t leave my sister hanging, you know?” The confession is so raw and unusual for Elsa that it doesn’t feel right coming from her lips at first, but the more this moment sat the better it felt.

She looked to Anna, her red cheeks were a sign that the cold was finally getting to her. “I had a lot of foster siblings growing up… none of them liked me all that much.”

“Well that’s their loss.”

“Thank you, Elsa. Really. Everything you do means a lot to me, I hope you know that.”

Elsa smiled and tapped her shoe against Anna’s, “Everything you do means a lot to me too.”

Anna brought the empty mug back to her lips. “So, if we’re sisters, does that mean I get to steal your clothes and burst into your room to tell you stupid nonsense?”

“You mean you don’t already do that now?” The force that Anna pushed her with almost sent Elsa off the porch swing.

October 21, 2020

Elsa and Anna complemented each other’s strengths in a way neither of them ever expected. The 3-D showcases happened four times a year, and Elsa entered every one of them with the support of Anna. There were also four major dance performances throughout the year, and Anna entered every one of them with Elsa’s support.

Anna had taken second place for interpretive dancing at the last competition, but Elsa was still looking for her first major win. She felt confident, however, in her entry for the upcoming showcase.

“I mean I love it of course, but it’s ambitious,” Anna said while looking over Elsa’s sketch. “How are you gonna carve out the bird and the cage at the same time?”

“I was thinking of making the cage and bird separate, and then putting them together,” Elsa answered. “If I get the dimensions right, I can hammer some nails underneath the cage so it stays put.”

“Hmm, alright well you sound like you know what you’re doing.” Anna handed back the sketch. “And I’m gonna support you a hundred percent. No matter what.”

“I know you will,” Elsa said while putting her arm around Anna’s shoulder. “… I think this is the one.”

“I think so too,” Anna said proudly. “And when you come back with a ribbon-”

“You’re buying me dinner.”

Anna gasped and wriggled out of her best friend’s arm, “Rude!”

Elsa rolled her eyes, “Oh please, half my budget is spent feeding you. I’m sure you can afford to buy me dinner one time.”

She saw the gears turning in Anna’s mind, trying to come up with a rebuttal, but in the end she groaned and said, “Fine, I’ll take your bum ass out for dinner, sis.”

Elsa worked harder than she ever had before, inspired once again from seeing Anna’s latest performance. It was a soliloquy in dance form, about a bird who’d spent their entire life on the move and in the hands of many owners, but never once being allowed out of its cage. It paralleled Anna’s life story: the foster child from New York who was only getting her first taste of freedom now. She paid special attention to the bird’s eyes, wanting them to emulate the longing and ambition she saw in her best friend.

The process resulted in a lot of tiny cuts and a couple of sleepless nights, but it was all worth it in the end. She won second place at the showcase.

True to her word, Anna took her out for dinner that very night on the condition that Elsa wear the obnoxiously huge, red ribbon. They had to stick it on her shirt with a safety pin. “Alright, where does Madame Second Place want to go for dinner?” Anna asked, dressed in an adorable skirt and blouse combo.

“I was kinda joking, you know?” Elsa said. “You don’t actually have to buy me dinner.”

“Oh please, you can’t get cold feet now. I mean you’re already wearing the ribbon, that’s like… I don’t know, it’s like when your high school prom date puts the corsage on you. It’s official, no backing out.”

Elsa raised an eyebrow, “What so you’re my prom date now?”

Anna pursed her lips, “Well maybe not for prom, it’s too late for that. But I’ll be your date if you want me to.”

That answer leaves Elsa speechless.

“Ooh, I know where we can go!” Anna added before Elsa could finish catching up to the millions of thoughts running through her mind. “There’s this really good Mexican place downtown. I heard they sell this burrito that’s the size of your forearm, and I have long forearms so I wanna see that. Sound good?”

Elsa blinked and said absently, “Yeah, let’s go.” They walked side by side to Anna’s car, all the while Elsa pretended she wasn’t seeing her best friend in a brand new light.

May 15, 2020

It’s a scary feeling to know that you’re in love with your best friend. Even scarier when you’ve considered them your sister for almost two years now. It’s like being strapped in to the world’s best roller coaster against your will. Sometimes it’s exhilarating and you think maybe this isn’t so bad, but most of the time you’re screaming and want to get off.

Elsa’s been on the same damn ride for months now and it hasn’t gotten any easier. But she’s accepted it, which is something she never expected.

All of Anna’s errant touches, her smiles and glances, and even just the way she says “we”… Elsa has second-guessed each and every single one of her behaviors. And yes, she would probably stop overthinking if she’d just talk to Anna but she doesn’t know how. It’s hard enough trying to have a regular conversation with her now, it’s nearly impossible approaching her with a talk about their feelings.

And even so, she’s accepted the fact that she’s fallen in love with her best friend. For the past two years, they’ve been nearly inseparable, there’s no one in the world she knows better or cares about more than Anna. Falling in love with her felt almost inevitable.

But did Anna feel the same way? Well, she’d find out soon.

For the last 3-D showcase of their second year, Elsa had been working on a particularly special project. It didn’t have to do specifically with Anna’s last performance, but it was dedicated to her nonetheless.

Rising from a slab of concrete, she sculpted out a finely detailed rose, complete with a realistic crack where the stem breaks out and defined petals spiraling into the rosebud. It represented Anna’s ability to grow and flourish from a life of a constantly uncertain home life and rough nights on the streets.

At the base of the concrete slab, she wrote ‘For Anna, for everything’. When Anna notices the inscription, that’s when Elsa would tell her how she feels.

She shut herself out from the world for a particularly long time; Anna only saw her when they were walking to classes together, and even then Elsa remained tight-lipped so as to not spoil the surprise. Her patience had to be rewarded, she figured, or else this would have all been for nothing.

When the showcase finally arrived, Elsa waited anxiously for Anna to show up. She said she would be running late because she needed to meet someone, but that was fine because it gave Elsa more time to figure out what she’d say to the judges. Which in turn helped keep her from pacing around the showcase floor like a lonely, lovesick puppy.

When the judges came, she defended the lack of complex expression and vibrancy of her piece by quoting Henry David Thoreau’s opinion on simplicity. And she covered the etching with her hand because that was one question she’d rather not answer just yet. At least not to them. The judges looked impressed with her answers and one of them even mentioned that she had a knack for giving life to her sculptures. The high from that compliment should have lasted her throughout the entire day, but it was shot down almost immediately.

When the judges left, she saw Anna walking towards her. But she wasn’t alone, she was with a guy.

And they were holding hands.

“I’m so sorry I’m late, I was waiting for this guy to get his fucking shoes on.” Anna patted the guy’s chest with a coy smile. He was tall, proper, and with fashionably thick sideburns. The way he wore his t-shirt and jeans looked awkward, as if he was ripped straight from a 19th century portrait and was forced to wear modern clothes to blend in.

“Hey in my defense, I didn’t know I was going to the showcase until you texted me like half an hour ago,” he said while wrapping her arm around Anna’s shoulders.

“Lies. And propaganda.” Anna turned to Elsa with a softer smile on her lips, which was just another hit to Elsa’s already bruising heart. “Again, I’m sorry I was late but I figured it was time for you two to meet. Elsa, this is Hans. We’ve been dating for a month now.”

A month?

A… a month.

Elsa’s doing her best to remain polite and cordial, but it’s hard when her entire body feels like it’s crumbling onto the floor. She extends a hand out anyway, wincing when Hans takes it with more strength than she’s expecting. “It-It’s nice to meet you, Hans. Anna’s lucky to have you around.” The words come out of her mouth like a rejected poison.

Anna talked some more, so did Hans, and maybe Elsa nodded and smiled when she needed to, but for the life of her she couldn’t tell you what the hell they talked about. When it came time for the… couple to examine Elsa’s sculpture, Anna beamed at her with that same pride that was on her face since day one and Hans said she did a good job. Elsa kept her hand over the inscription the entire time.

She won another second place ribbon. When Anna noticed the inscription, Elsa said it was a thank you for being a wonderful friend. Each word felt like pulling teeth.

September 4, 2020

They met at the campus coffee shop while Elsa was isolating herself. Ironically, Anna was going there to get a hot chocolate to surprise Elsa.

She brought Anna and Hans together.

It was a very lonely summer for Elsa. Since Hans lived in New Jersey, it wasn’t that hard for him to visit Anna whenever he wanted, which is exactly what he did. They spent almost every moment of the summer together, and while Elsa pretended to be happy with getting texts, the occasional phone call, and a surprise weekend visit from her best friend, none of it could stop the constant ache in her heart.

Move-in day for their third year was especially brutal, she unpacked absentmindedly while listening to Anna and Hans joke around and kiss when they thought she wasn’t looking. She tried all summer to let go of the feelings for Anna and to just be happy for her, but it felt like the more she tried, the more she held on.

“Alright, that’s the last box.” Anna wiped her hands on her jeans and looked at Elsa and then at Hans. “Let me just change out of this gross, sweaty shirt and we can get something to eat?”

“Of course, babe.” Hans kissed her and walked out of the girls’ dorm, Elsa finally let go of the breath she’d held since they started moving their stuff in.

“You’re coming with us, right?” Anna asked.

Elsa wasn’t expecting her to to talk to her, and she had to take a second for her mouth to catch up with her mind. “Uh no that’s okay,” she finally replied. “You two enjoy yourself, I want to unpack all of my stuff before I eat.”

Anna raised an eyebrow, “Are you sure? If you’re worried about being a third wheel, trust me it’s not gonna be like that.”

Elsa tapped her fingers on the stacked boxes in front of her. “No, I’m just not hungry yet. That’s all.”

“Well… alright, but I’ll bring you back some food and I won’t take no for an answer.” Anna peeled off her shirt and disappeared in her room to find a new one. From somewhere inside the room, she added, “We’ll hang out sometime soon okay? Just the two of us.”

October 1, 2020

'Sometime soon’ turned out to be nearly a month later. It wasn’t for lack of trying, but with the third year at Douglas being notoriously difficult, they needed to spend a little more time adjusting to the bigger workload and busier schedules. And any free time Anna did have was taken up by Hans…

Elsa continued to pretend to be okay, and she actually relished how busy their third year was going to be because it gave her something else to think about. A six-page essay on contour ate up time she was going to spend thinking about the sexual innuendo Hans was 'accidentally’ adding to him and Anna’s conversations.

The busy times couldn’t last forever, though, and Anna and Elsa finally found some time to spend together- just the two of them- one night on top of one of Douglas’ parking garages. It was a place they’d gone to many times just to get away from the staunch air of pressure and competition in every corner of every building underneath them. This was a place for them to breathe, a home away from a home away from home.

“I’m sorry I haven’t been around as much lately,” Anna said, breaking the silence from their lack of conversation. “It’s just that this is the first relationship I’ve been in and… I don’t know, it’s exciting and new. Not that things aren’t like that with you, it’s just-”

“Anna, you don’t have to apologize. Whatever time I get to spend with you is just fine.” Elsa bites her tongue before she can say that she still wishes she had more time with Anna.

“I just don’t want you to feel like I’m neglecting you, that’s all.”

“Well, you’re not, so it’s okay. I’m okay.”

“Okay…” Anna scooted closer to her, their bare elbows touching made the nerves in Elsa’s arm tingle and send shockwaves through her entire body. “Sooooo, you want to know what I’m doing for my next performance? You know, so you can start figuring out what you’re gonna do for the showcase.”

Elsa looked away, “I don't… I think I’m gonna skip the showcase this time.” She wanted to say she was going to skip the showcase this year, but that would have set off too many alarms in Anna’s head. She could deal with the one alarm she saw going off behind her best friend’s eyes.

“How come?” she asked.

“It just looks like it’s gonna be a real busy year, and I think I need to focus on getting through it. Once I can do that, then I can start thinking about sculpting again.”

“I… see.” Anna looked out across the campus. “And that’s the only reason?”

“Of course. Why wouldn’t it be?” Elsa wondered if there was something she said, or some visible part of her full of pain that she’d forgotten to cover up.

Anna shrugged, “No reason. Just wondering.”

Elsa didn’t have it in her to pry, so she also went back to looking at the buzzing nightlife of Douglas Academy. With luck, they wouldn’t have to address this ever again.

November 30, 2020

Luck remained on Elsa’s side for nearly two months, and then they returned from Thanksgiving Break. Anna had declined her invitation to spend Thanksgiving with her, and instead she spent it with Hans’ family. Who, as it turned out, was exceptionally rich.

Anna spent a good hour gushing over their massive house with the hot tubs (plural) and rooms as big as their whole dorm, and then talked about all the people that were there for Thanksgiving dinner and how amazing the food was. Knowing Anna’s struggles, Elsa tried to remain supportive while she gushed over Hans and his family and his really nice house. And then she said something that should have remained a thought.

“Sounds like you dodged a bullet not joining me for Thanksgiving.”

Anna pounced on that out-of-character remark immediately. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Gosh, what could she say that wouldn’t sound passive-aggressive? Elsa decided on, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean anything by that. I’m really glad you had a good time on break.”

For a second, that looked like it would work. And then Anna closed her eyes and sighed, “Oh god… you don’t like Hans.”

Elsa didn’t say anything, which is the worst thing she could have said.

“Elsa, we’ve been going out for months now. Why didn’t you tell me before?”

“I…I guess I…”

Anna sighed and waved her hand, “Never mind, I guess it doesn’t matter. Look, I like you both so I don’t want things to feel awkward or whatever. What can I do to help? I want you to like Hans so that things don’t suck between us.”

There’s nothing Anna needed to do, this was a problem that Elsa had to deal with on her own. That’s what she wanted to say to her best friend. But instead, there was another disconnect between her brain and her mouth and she said something that was bound to make things worse, “You don’t even know why I don’t like him.”

Anna nodded, “You’re right. So why don't you like him?”

Elsa wrung her hands together, “Anna, we shouldn’t talk about this.”

“What? But you’re the one that brought it up.”

“I know, but it’s just not… this won’t end well.”

“Is this one of those things where the protective older sister hates every guy her sister dates and thinks that no one’s good enough for her?”

“No,” Elsa replied. And under her breath, she muttered, “I wish.”

“Elsa, we’re the only two people in your room. I heard that.” She scooted across the bed to get closer to Elsa, their fingers nearly touching were enough for Elsa to feel like her arm was on fire. “Just… tell me what’s wrong. Please?”

Though it felt like the wrong thing to do, Elsa pulled her hand away. “I don’t know if I can,” she replied. “Can we drop it please? For now?”

“… okay.”

December 13, 2020

This was the longest time Elsa and Anna had gone without talking to each other. Sure, they were polite and fake when Hans was hanging out in their dorm, and they still said good morning and whatnot to each other, but they hadn’t made an effort to really talk to each other in two weeks.

Knowing this was her fault, Elsa set out to craft an apology to Anna. After deciding on recreating the canary she made her during their first year, this time in concrete, she went to work quickly on creating the mesh outline for it. One night, during this process, she heard a knock on her door. A knock that could only belong to one person.

She took a deep breath and then opened her door. “Hey Anna,” she said far too generically.

“Do you love me?”

Elsa tensed up so much she almost tore her doorknob off. Any answer would have been a good one, but instead she remained frozen in silence.

“Hans and I had a fight and he said…well I mean he thought that… areyou in love with me?”

Still as a statue, much like the concrete rose Anna’s holding in her hand, Elsa somehow found her voice long enough to say, “Anna, I didn't…”

Anna nodded, and in the darkness of their shared loft Elsa could finally see that her best friend had been crying recently. “I should have known. I’m sorry.” She walked away, pressing the concrete rose closer to her chest, and disappeared into her room.

January 20, 2021

Though their relationship had hit an all-time low, Elsa felt it was wrong not going to Anna’s performance. She still very much wanted to support her best friend even if they still weren’t talking all that much. But Anna smiled at her the other day and that… gave Elsa hope somehow? Either way, it was enough to get her to stop being a coward and show up to the performance.

She arrived at the auditorium just in time to see Anna walk on to the stage, but not with enough time to find a seat. So she stood by the entrance awkwardly as the music began playing through the speakers. What conspired for the next five minutes was the most poignant expression of heartbreak and longing that Elsa had ever seen in dance form.

It started off as a simple ballroom dance, and though Anna had no partner you wouldn’t realize it in the way she moved. But her mystery partner continued to pull away no matter how many times Anna chased after them. When the partner disappeared, Anna continued to dance alone and while her moves were perfect and calculated, she let her posture slump with every break in the song. By the end, she’s nearly dragging herself along the floor hoping to make it to the end of the song, all the while reaching out for someone. Something. The song ends with her laying on the floor breathing heavily and the audience erupting in applause.

And for the first time in a very long time, Elsa felt a jolt of inspiration.

February 15, 2021

Elsa sat by the base of her sculpture. The judges had come to talk to her long ago and spectators were slowly trickling out of the building, but she couldn’t leave yet. In fact, she’d wait all night long for Anna if she had to. The note she left underneath Anna’s door even said so.

This had to be the fastest yet most detailed sculpture she’d ever created and there were no doubts as to what inspired her. Time continued to tick away, and Elsa continued to sit.

Finally, after an eternity, she saw the familiar silhouette of her best friend walking through the door. She was wearing the same skirt and blouse that made Elsa fall in love with her in the first place.

Quietly, Anna closed the gap until they were a couple of feet apart. “I got your note,” she said softly.

Elsa nodded, “I watched your performance.”

“Oh, I… I’m sorry. I didn’t see you.”

“I was in the back of the auditorium. But it was beautiful, I’ve never seen anyone move like you do. I’ve never seen anyone express heartbreak like you did.” Elsa wrung her hands together, “I’m sorry if this is inappropriate, but did you and Hans…”

Anna nodded, “A couple of months ago, actually. But my performance, it… wasn’t about him.”

“It wasn’t?”

“No, it…” Anna took her first glimpse at Elsa’s sculpture and it completely threw her off. “Oh my god.”

Immortalized in concrete was Anna in a stunning ball gown, her face content while she swayed in the arms of her dance partner. Except unlike the gladiator sculpture, Anna’s partner was completely visible.

And it was Elsa.

“I know it’s a little forward, but it didn’t feel right having you dance alone,” Elsa replied. And with much less confidence, she added, “Is that okay?”

Anna looked at her, confusion settled on her face. But then that confusion chipped away slowly but surely until a beautiful smile was seen in its place. “It’s perfect,” Anna replied, “Y-you did it again.”

Elsa blushed, “Well, I do have a pretty wonderful muse.”

“Well, I think that muse owes you dinner. What do you say?” Anna reached out her hand, eyes telling her that this was what she wanted.

“She doesn’t owe me anything.” Elsa took her hand and a lovely, warm feeling enveloped her. “But I’d be glad to go with her.”

Anna squeezed her hand and said, “Then it’s a date.”

Elsa’s sculpture won first place that day.

#elsanna #submission #august 2021 contest #prompt: flowers

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forasecondtherewedwon · 4 years ago

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Fourth Coming

Fandom: The Wilds Rating: T Word Count: 2157

Summary: And on the twenty-third day, Nora ate goat and thought about love.

Nora sees the experiment through two lenses, like the red and blue acetate in those cheap 3D glasses. One lens is the scientific, the other is the brutal. When she puts these metaphorical glasses on, she’s just there, in the middle of it, but when she’s feeling particularly tired (understandably often) or just relaxed (inexplicably often—a fact to be concealed from the others), she shifts between the two views. Each is sharper alone than they are combined.

Scientific: counting the days; subtly taking her own inventory of the rations; monitoring Fatin’s dehydration, the commensurate level of distrust the rest of the group have for her.

Brutal: cold fingers in wet, black sand, disinterring Jeanette’s grave; Dot’s tumbling, shivering recount of spearing and battering a snake; ralphing, ralphing, ralphing bad mussels.

It isn’t until the goat that these contrary perspectives finally attain a kind of beautiful balance in Nora’s brain. And it isn’t her thoughts, or rereading one of her journal entries, that has her mental clouds clearing. Actually, it’s what Leah says. About barbecues and normalcy and the Fourth of July. Leah’s remark—possibly offhand, certainly poisonous, even if Nora can’t see how yet—gracelessly and unselfconsciously reveals the barbarism of order. A social gathering on the same day each year, centered around fire (fireworks, sure, but Nora is amazed by how dazzled people are by something not so very far advanced from what had the cavepeople oohing and awwing) and the cooking of meat. Ritual is the summit at which the scientific and the brutal join hands.

The day doesn’t matter. (Every day could have been June 29th and what difference would that have made for them on this island?) The conditions of their environment haven’t changed. (No major shift in the seasons or significant weather patterns, just the single freakish high tide.) The slaughter of the goat and the subsequent cookout should be put down to chance, Nora knows. Toni, Martha, and Shelby decided to look for food. Martha happened to find the goat. She happened to lay her hands on a tool that could do the job. She happened to be successful. And now, miraculous barbecue in honour of… what?

Nora’s sure that most of the girls would say the feast is in honour of themselves, their power, their survival. All of that would really put a spit-shine on Gretchen’s mission statement, but Nora’s not just an agent, a plant, a spy, a wolf in castaway’s clothing. She seeks to understand as much as she always has. She wonders if Shelby thanks god for the goat, or eats it as a form of praise. Nora constantly spots her toying with the cross on her necklace, frequently in a way that holds it far from her throat, almost like she’s thinking about ripping the necklace off and hurling it into the ocean. That would be going a bit far, but then, so is hacking your hair off because a brush got stuck.

Their ritual could be the sacrifice of another creature in the hopes of sparing themselves—a kind of desperate, gasping celebration. Privately, Nora decides they’re celebrating love. Leah’s persistent aura of tragic romance is part of the inspiration for that, but she isn’t part of either of the two developing relationships Nora’s been observing.

Martha’s picking at her goat meat glumly, so Nora rises and goes over to her. Her gait is unsteady on this sand and on these legs, weakened over the past two days of starvation, but it’s enough to carry her until she can slump down next to Martha. Sweet and strong, vulnerable and clearly capable (judging by the sizzle of fat dripping from the roasting goat leg and hitting the fire), Martha smiles when Nora joins her. Nora smiles back and that’s enough between them for a few minutes.

Nora watches the browned meat, nearly allowing herself to be hypnotized by the texture that urges her to sink her teeth in, the crispy spots she knows would taste incredible. But she can’t gorge herself; her stomach needs to be cool about what she’s already eaten or the chewed up goat goes the way of the slurped mussels Rachel found.

Carefully, Nora turns her head to study Martha. She decides that what this girl needs is the same thing Leah needed on Day 12 when she was sitting alone on the beach: some kind of dirty joke. Since she’s fresh out of filthy material of the Christmas variety, Nora tells Martha, “One second,” and heaves herself up again. She comes back dragging Marcus. He’ll be her muse, but it’s also a reunion of lovers.

“You two could get married,” Nora tells Martha. “Shelby said she was an ordained youth minister, remember?”

They laugh and it’s softer than the crackle of the fire. Nora likes that. The steady, rolling sound of their laughs together. How they taper off, unlike the ceaseless noise of breaking waves that drives Nora insane whenever she surfaces from her numbness to the sound. Like becoming conscious of your breathing and working like hell to stop noticing it, because having to purposefully regulate every breath is exhausting and terrifying.

Martha frowns a little in consideration, then half-smiles.

“Nah. I don’t know if I’m ready to commit like that. I think this could just be a fling. All those abs and he didn’t come help me haul that goat.”

“That’s true.” When Martha gazes at the mannequin, Nora assesses Marcus as well. “And it’s not like you’d want to keep him around because he gives great head.”

“He might’ve once,” Martha defends, brushing hair out of her face when a breeze kicks up, “but he gave so much head that there’s none left for me.”

They catch each other staring at the clean line where Marcus’s neck ends and nothing rests above it and trip into laughter again. Though Nora feels like she accomplished her dirty joke, Martha made it even better. People have underestimated her. Nora’s noted it from the start. It’s probably because Martha was injured. Group dynamics were established quickly and have formed and reformed in the days and weeks since, but Day 1 showed them the rawest version of who they are together and, before they knew about Jeanette, Martha was the weak one. Have the others seen her role evolve like Nora has? Are Nora’s observations anything special, really?

“This is totally not a judgement thing or anything,” Nora says, meaning it. “I was just wondering if you were maybe going to wash your clothes. Or change them.”

“Oh.”

Martha looks down at herself and now Nora’s glad she said something; it doesn’t seem like Martha was really aware that she’s been sitting here crusted in drying blood. Nora weighs the acceptability of a period joke and decides against it.

“You don’t have to,” she assures Martha, raising a gentle hand. “It just seemed like maybe the, uh, the slaughtering process? Was kind of a mindfuck?”

“Yeah.” Martha stares straight ahead and lets out a short laugh that Nora doesn’t join her in. “I’m glad Marcus wasn’t there to see. He might not’ve come back the same.”

Nora peers at her a moment, then resolves to just say what she’s thinking.

“Did you?”

Turning her head, Martha looks at Nora and her smile’s the same, but her eyes are different. No, Nora would write in the journal. The answer is plain. Maybe she’ll record it on paper later and maybe she won’t. Looking into Martha’s eyes, Nora knows she won’t need help remembering this.

“I’m just living my best life,” Martha tells her, batting the ends of her hair with her hand.

It sounds like something Fatin would say in this moment, or at least have printed on a t-shirt or something—it’s flip and glib—and for the very reason that it reminds Nora of Fatin, she’s certain that Martha not only means the silly words sincerely but that she feels the kind of truth in the trope, the mindfulness in the meme, that Fatin fights so hard to experience herself. Fatin is deeper than that ocean over there and Martha is a girl scooping out the sand in front of her mannequin boyfriend, digging him a sturdy trench to rest in so she can lean back against his factory-sculpted physique, painted in the blood of her first kill.

For whatever reason, Marcus is the man Martha wants. Nora can’t imagine him becoming anyone else’s property after all this is over.

“Do you want a lychee instead?” she offers. Martha’s flat-out ignoring her leaf-plate of meat now.

“Maybe in a minute.”

She turns her dreamy eyes away from where she’s rubbing a streak of dirt off Marcus’s bicep. Nora follows her gaze to Shelby, who seems to be counting out and partitioning the lychee haul, looking to Dot from time to time. Dot isn’t interfering, just giving encouraging nods when Shelby seeks them out. And of course Toni’s watching too.

“You think they’re telling the truth?” Nora inquires bluntly. “That whole ‘wrong turn in the woods’ story?”

Martha shrugs and says, “Yeah,” but Fatin scootches towards them, evidently drawn by the hum of gossip in the air.

“Are you talking about Toni and Shelby?” she asks, but it’s more of a demand. Her eyes are bright and excited, her mouth grinning, and Nora knows that a lot of that effect is thanks to their first meal in days, but it astounds her how socializing lights Fatin up as much as it used to shut Nora down.

“No,” Martha says quickly, but no faster than Nora’s flat, “Yes.”

“Dope. Yeah, those two are a hundred percent lying.”

“Are you sure?” Nora asks.

She’s not, but the cameras will be. Seeing the footage afterwards isn’t something she negotiated on when Gretchen made her part of the team. Speculation, though less scientific, is much more fun.

Fatin rolls her eyes like Nora’s questioning the laws of gravity. (She blinks and sees the poster of Newton. Sees Newton seeing the apple. Her throat closes up until she softly coughs it clear.)

“Definitely,” Fatin says. “Even if they were just out there all day picking fruit, it’s still the most sapphic thing I’ve ever heard. It’s, like, biblically sapphic.”

Martha laughs.

“Uhhh, sorry, which version of the Bible did you read?”

Nora smiles broadly and looks from Martha’s expression of brimming joy to Fatin’s concentrated delight. Like she’s on to something and whether or not she’s right is beside the point. That kind of approach makes Nora pleasantly dizzy. She remembers being little, standing at a department store perfume counter she couldn’t see over while her mom spritzed scents on her wrists that floated down to Nora’s nose. Fruit and flowers and anything and everything that could make the air beautiful when a woman walked into a room.

“None, but come on, there’s the garden, right? I know some shit. The marketing for this retreat was super Christian-centric anyway. We’re out here representing the fucking Dawn of Eve!” Fatin gestures triumphantly around at their dismal (except for the goat) camp. “If those two bitches weren’t getting their freak on under a fruit tree last night, I’ll eat my gold watch.”

Nora scrutinizes the girls in question.

“Shelby does look especially glowy today.”

“Maybe she’s born with it, maybe it’s chronic sun damage,” Martha singsongs.

“Maybe it’s what Toni did to those mussels with her tongue,” Fatin acknowledges frankly, “because Shelby sure as hell didn’t borrow my hundred-dollar highlighter. That shit got swept out to sea.”

Fatin trains her eyes on Shelby while Martha watches Toni, and Nora watches both of them watch the others. When they switch subjects in a moment of unvoiced agreement, Toni jerks her head up and spots Fatin staring at her. The tender gazes she’s been throwing Shelby’s way over the low mound of red fruit tighten into suspicion.

“What the fuck are you looking at?” Toni barks, and a laugh sputters from Fatin as she raises her hands to show she means no harm.

“Ok,” Martha says to Fatin and Nora, giggling. “I see it now. Something happened between Shelby and Toni yesterday. Some kind of hunter-gatherer romance.”

“I’m pretty sure you’ve taken the ‘hunter’ title away from Shelby,” Nora points out.

“Well, whatever. Gatherer-gatherer then.”

“With an island colony of all women, it was only a matter of time,” is Fatin’s pragmatic take. “Another couple weeks without an orgasm and I would’ve fucked Toni myself.”

“It wasn’t just time,” Martha scoffs, tipping her head to the side. “It’s love.”

“It’s both,” Nora says. She could prove it to them, flourish the statistics she’s been tracking in her journal. How those bald numbers lie there next to the drawings that spill to the edge of the page. She’s made bedfellows of data and emotions. She just sits there and grins at them. “It’s the aphrodisiacal influence of the Fourth of July.”

#my writing #The Wilds #Nora Reid #Martha Blackburn #Fatin Jadmani #Toni x Shelby #The Wilds fanfiction #The Wilds spoilers

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snarkwriteswrasslin · 4 years ago

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20.12, knee socks & stolen shirts, kyle o’reilly.

Title: knee socks & stolen shirts

Theme: fireplace/ stockings... again, trust me. it’s theme adjacent-ish.. sorta...

Fandom / Character(s): Kyle O’Reilly and a reader that’s partially inspired by myself tbh. No sense in lying. I did /try/ to keep all physical appearance details out of this aside from roommate/reader being female. Try is the operative here.

Warnings: uhh.. dry humping / making out. roommates to lovers? is that a trope/thing? i feel like it is... Uhh.. a few swear words... Not much else...

Word Count: my guesstimate is roughly around 2.8k. Maybe sliiightly over.

This is my entry for the day for @champbucks 12 Days of Christmas challenge on @12daysofchristmas. It was written in a fit of thirsting over Kyle, as one does... And my mighty need to take the suggested theme and of course, put my own twist to it.. because stockings doesn’t just have to imply those that are hung over the fireplace.... I made the banner thing used here, so no stealing or reposting it, please and thanks?

TAGGING:

@kyleoreillysknee

@rampagewriting

@writertoo18

@thatnerdwriter

@wrestlingismyguiltypleasure

@chasingeverybreakingwave

@waywardwrestlewritingwaif

@sassymox

@champbucks

@hungmanhorsecarriage

@wardl0w

@ryantaylorgirl

@dilfmoxley

@hotyeehawman

@gabbynorth98

@bec0m

@irish-newzealand-idian-dutch

@daddyslittlevillain

[ about page | masterlist | tag list ]

The comforting glow and warmth of the fireplace and soft white Christmas lights strung on a tree over by the floor to ceiling window greeted Kyle as he stepped into the apartment, shutting the door behind him and locking all 3 locks. One glance around the dimly lit living room revealed that apparently, his roommate had decorated for Christmas and that had him giving a goofy grin as he chuckled to himself and peeled off the jacket that he wore over his hoodie and then bent to take down his sneakers off.

A sock clad leg settled over the back of their couch and out from beneath the red and black plaid throw that barely covered her, a second away from slipping off and settling on the floor. He could hear her light snores. The television set was on the channel that NXT normally aired on, but It’s A Wonderful Life was just starting.

Everything just felt so cozy. All the tension and craziness of the past few weeks plus the tiredness from traveling seemed to melt away from Kyle, leaving only comfort.

The overpowering feeling that this was home and damn, was it good to be back.

His eyes settled on her sleeping form just as she rolled over, face partially buried beneath the pillow she’d apparently bought out from her own room. He chuckled softly at the sight of her, rubbing his chin a moment in quiet thought as it hit him..

Somewhere in between her answering his ad for a roommate and now, he’d fallen for her. And as he thought back on the whole realization, he figured out that yes, he could pinpoint the exact moment. And now that he was sitting there in the dimly lit living room and actually thinking about it, Kyle saw no reason to keep it to himself.

But the question remained.. Exactly how did he proceed from where he was right now?

It was what he was trying to figure out when he heard her soft whimpers across the room and had to shift around on the stool in which he sat because just the sound… The sight of her legs. The way the fireplace’s soft glow lit her sleeping form and made long hair seem to shine as she lie there. The little soft sighs and other sounds she made as she continued to sleep on blissfully on the couch were doing all sorts of things to him.

The blanket she’d had barely covering her gave up it’s fight to stay and slid down the side of the oversized suede sectional and settled to the floor in a pile. Kyle stood and made his way over, mostly on autopilot for the time being and he bent, retrieving the fallen blanket. Bending at the waist to put it over her. And just as he was about to, she rolled onto her back, long locks fanned out on a pale winter white silk pillow cushion, her arms stretched out lazily.

His eyes settled on the familiar long sleeve shirt she happened to be wearing and it clicked as to why exactly the shirt was so familiar.

It belonged to him.

His hand raised, catching in close cropped hair as he continued to stare down at her. He wondered how long she’d had it. He tried to convince himself that she’d just grabbed a shirt to throw on earlier and hadn’t realized. Or maybe his shirt got mixed in with her laundry, it’d happened to him a time or two. One memorable instance was the time a pair of her panties got stuck inside the leg of his jeans, only to fall out in the aisle as he boarded the plane.

,, your first clue you felt something for her should’ve been just how jealous you got every single time Roderick attempted to flirt with her, or the way he teased you about her underwear the whole flight and you got downright protective. As if she were yours and yours alone. Not to mention all the endless fantasizing you’ve been doing about her lately...” the realization crept in as he replayed it over in his head.

Now it was all starting to make so much sense.

He took a few shaky breaths and worked on pulling himself together. He’d just turned to walk away, intending on going straight to his room because he needed to think. He needed to ground himself and get some focus to figure out what he was going to do with everything that was occurring to him currently and he just… Couldn’t like he needed to with the distracting temptation of her sprawled out sleeping on the couch.

Another quiet whimper shattered the silence from behind him. But it wasn’t the sound itself that had Kyle turning back to stare down at her as he strained to hear and his breath caught in his throat all over again, no… It was what she whimpered as the sound was made.

His name. Softly. And not just the one time either, at least two or three times. Followed by a contented little sigh and more words muttered in a lower tone so that he couldn’t exactly be sure of what she’d said.

He eyed her, briefly convincing himself that she was awake and teasing or something.. but then one good look at her revealed that no, she was still asleep. With no actual clue what she was saying or doing, apparently.

If he thought he was hard enough to crack concrete before, it was… So much worse now. And still getting harder with each second and every single little sigh or purr or other quiet noise she managed to make. His fists clenched at his sides and he took a few deep breaths.

It did nothing to help him or calm him down.

She tossed a little in her sleep, the little movements sending the bottom of the shirt up over a pair of red and white striped panties that matched the over the knee socks she was currently wearing and Kyle let out a quiet groan of frustration.

He needed to go think. Figure things out.

Bearing the thought in mind, he turned, intending to walk out of the living room and down the hall to his own room, but in his haste to get out of there, his shin banged right against the metal leg of the low to the ground coffee table.

The sound was loud.

Kyle tensed a little, not even daring to look back and see if it might have woken her up….

XXX

The sound of something hitting the coffee table had me opening one eye slowly and immediately sent me into a bit of an internal panic when the dim glow of the fireplace across the room revealed that Kyle was home.

A whole day early.

I watched him clutching at his shin and hopping around a little, soft little grin on my face while his back was turned to me and then, it hit me…. I was wearing one of the shirts I stole out of his closet right after he left to go back on the road.

And I had no way to get past him, because he was standing right in front of me.

,, Okay.. best way to play this is totally oblivious. Pretend you’re just now waking up. Don’t mention the fact that why yes, you’re wearing one of his shirts… Act normal.” my mind coaxed, prompting me to sit up and stretch, make a big show of yawning out loud to get his attention. Kyle turned around and I rose from the couch, coming to a stop in front of him.

“I hope you didn’t mind that I decorated…” I nodded to the room we stood in, giving a sheepish little smile as I tilted my head and met his gaze. ,, please don’t notice your shirt on me… please don’t notice your shirt on me…”

Kyle gave a quiet chuckle and yawned a little himself, “See what you started?” with a teasing grin. He nodded to the fireplace, lined with two red and black plaid stockings and gave another quiet chuckle. “Stockings, though?”

I gave his chest a light swat. “I’ll have you know, sir.. It’s tradition.You always hang stockings over the mantle before Christmas. Besides, damn it, they were cute and on sale.” I gave a soft laugh and shook my head, staring up at him a little, still sort of waking up if I were to be totally honest about it.

He pretended to think it over, stepping just a little closer. His eyes settled on my lips and when he swallowed hard, my eyes caught on the subtle movement of his throat as he did so. I did the same, especially when I realized that we now had almost zero space between our bodies.

So far, so good. He hadn’t noticed the shirt I was wearing happened to be one of his.

I crossed my fingers below the extra inches of fabric on the sleeves that caused them to cover my hands almost entirely.

His gaze fixed just over our heads and I remembered that earlier, when my friend had been over helping me decorate, she’d jokingly hung up mistletoe somewhere in the apartment, but refused to tell me where.

His throat cleared after his eyes settled back on mine and we spent a few seconds that seemed to linger longer than usual, passed. He nodded upward and my eyes followed his, settling on the sprig. I swore under my breath, gave him a sheepish and apologetic shrug. “Sorry, my friend helped me do all this earlier and she probably did that…”

One of his hands squeezed my hips, guiding me so that I pressed against him, just when I thought that we were standing close enough already that there wasn’t any space left between us. Now there really wasn’t. And I could feel my heart fluttering lazily. I melted against him a little and busied myself toying with the strings of his black hoodie, staring at the lettering on the front.

Because if I looked up at him right now, I was half afraid I’d go for it and pull his mouth down against mine. Lately it’s been so much harder to keep my feelings and my desires where my roommate Kyle is concerned, to myself.

His hand left my side and raised, thick and calloused fingers tucking beneath my chin. Pulling my gaze up to meet his so that I had no choice in the matter. When his tongue slowly trailed over his mouth, I fidgeted ever so slightly, melting against him just a little more before I could stop myself or censor the action.

The other hand squeezed my hip and he took a few shaky breaths. His eyes lowered, roaming over me nice and slow. I knew I was caught when he chuckled to himself quietly and met my gaze. “So that’s where my shirt went…”

My face has never gone as red as it did then, as fast as it did. Ever.

“I…” but my brain was in overload at the moment, so coming up with a suitable excuse as to how I’d gotten his shirt in the first place wasn’t happening. It would’ve been easy to just say that I’d done a load of laundry and somehow, the shirt I wore must have gotten mixed in with my own clothing, but apparently… My brain wasn’t dealing with logic right now.

I was so caught up in the fact that I’d been caught sleeping in his shirt that I actually missed everything else that was going on. I was dazed, my mind going a million different directions all at once.

Kyle was leaning down just a little, his face close to mine. His lips brushed mine clumsily as he spoke, the soft husk of his voice making me clench my thighs because it… definitely did things to me.

“We’re standing under mistletoe right now, sweetheart.” Kyle mused, giving a sort of smirk as his eyes met mine after another slow travel over my entire body.

“That we are, Kyle.” I muttered, mostly still in a daze. Maybe a little bit still half asleep too. I leaned my face in a little closer, mirroring the way he’d done it so subtly before, without me even realizing it. His fingertips dug into my side a little bit deeper. He held me tighter against him too, a quiet growl shattering the silence and limited space between our mouths when his mouth managed to catch against mine directly. Something in him snapped. He pulled me up his body and I wrapped my legs around his waist, my arms around his neck. My fingers toyed with his neck, making him laugh quietly and shiver as he sank down onto the couch.

“You know what playing with my neck does to me. We talked about all this before, remember?”

“Mhm.” I muttered, locking eyes with him. His hands moved up and down my sides, one stopping on my bare thigh, squeezing. He shifted the way he sat and when he rubbed against me and I felt the way he strained at his jeans, I shivered again, a quiet whimper falling from my lips as I gripped his bearded jaw and pulled his mouth closer to mine all over again. “Are you gonna do anything about it, Kyle?”

“Oh, I have a few ideas in mind, babe.” his mouth met mine and our noses bumped, sending us springing apart and laughing about it. “You shocked the tip of my nose too, ouch!” I whined, giving him a bit of a playful pout as I rubbed the tip of my nose.

“Me? You’re the one with the hard head, sweetheart.” Kyle’s laughter died on his lips and brown eyes settled on my mouth all over again hungrily. My tongue danced over the outline of my lips and Kyle was pulling me even closer to him, making it so that I was positioned right over the way he strained at his jeans. His fingers dug into my thigh and my lower back and he gazed at me. “Do it again.”

“Do what?” I asked, doing my best to feign innocence, despite knowing exactly what I was doing, thanks to a conversation we’d both had once a while back about what turned us on and off.

“Lick your lips, babe.” Kyle’s voice was so husky, thickened with desire that his words almost came in a quiet growl. I rocked against him a little and thick digits dug into my body all that much tighter. Instead of licking my own lips this time, I took a shaky breath or two and really pressed myself against him, daring to trail my tongue right over the outline of his lips.

“Fuck.” Kyle swore quietly, closely followed by a groan.

“Listen, if you want to kiss me, I’m not stopping you.” I purred, repeating the slow drag of my tongue over the outline of kissable lips, teasing him a little.

Because it was the only thing I knew to do to keep me from just going for it… and yet, being able to clue him into how badly I wanted his lips on mine at the moment without daring to say so. Because I’d been trying, but the words had yet to leave my mouth.

“Oh, you’re not, hm?” Kyle’s mouth was against mine in a flash, I barely got any time to process it happening. His hand left my thigh, traveling upward, catching in the hair at the back of my head as his fingers tangled up in it, using his grip to pull my mouth in even deeper. I whimpered and my mouth fell apart willingly, granting his tongue access to mine and his other hand gripped my hip tight, guiding me over the hefty bulge straining at the front of his favorite blue jeans. “That’s good.” he mumbled, the words hanging in the air as the kiss broke a few seconds for us to breathe. My hand slid down the front of his hoodie and settled between us, fingertips toying with the hem of the garment as I stared at him. He continued, “It’s good because I really, really… really… want to kiss you. I have for a while now.”

I leaned in all over again, pressing my upper body against his and leaning him back against the back of the couch as I caught his face in my hands and pulled his mouth against mine all over again greedily. As I kissed him, I rocked myself against him. His hands flexed and squeezed on my thighs, and he groaned quietly into the kiss, bucking himself against me, giving a low chuckle. “Feels so damn good to finally kiss you.” he half mumbled and half growled against my neck as his mouth broke from mine and trailed down it, “So good. You have no idea.”

I whimpered, whining impatiently because his grip bought my grinding against him to a momentary pause, and his free hand raised, catching on my jaw, making me meet his gaze. The tender look in lust blown brown eyes nearly blew me away and I felt my breath catch in my throat. “Love you, sweetheart. I’m glad to be home.”

“Love you too, Kyle. I’m glad you’re finally home.” I mumbled, our mouths already closing the distance as we both went in for another kiss….

#12daysofchristmas #12 days of christmas #kyle o'reilly #kyle o'reilly fanfiction #kyle o'reilly fanfic #kyle o'reilly imagine #kyle o'reilly oneshot #kyle o'reilly imagines #my writing; kyle o'reilly #my fics; kyle o'reilly #my oneshots; kyle o'reilly #// suggestive; grinding / lap riding/ dry humping

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camillemontespan · 4 years ago

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wine & fire [12 days of fictmas]

Here is my submission for 12 Days of Fictmas! This isn’t the most typical festive fic..

I was inspired by the film Two Night Stand :)

Warnings: NSFW.

Starts like a romcom. Turns into NSFW.

12 Days of Fictmas Tag list

Writers : @texaskitten30 @leelee10898 @emichelle @zaffrenotes @alj4890 @burnsoslow @kat-tia801 @darley1101 @msjr0119 @annekebbphotography @god-save-the-keen @plumeriavibes @ofpixelsandscribbles @camillemontespan @ao719 @cocomaxley @cordoniansgonewild @twinkleallnight @the-soot-sprite @cordoniantrash @axwalker @innerpostmentality @lucy-268 @janezillow @katedrakeohd

Readers : @mom2000aggie @sfb123 @bbrandy2002 @debramcg1106 @desireepow-1986 @speedyoperarascalparty @hopefulmoonobject

My tag list: @ibldw-main @moonlightgem7 @marshmallowsandfire @marshmallowsaremyfavorite @jovialyouthmusic @sirbeepsalot @saivilo @rainbowsinthestorm @pug-bitch @gardeningourmet @sirbeepsalot

*******************************

‘Merry Christmas, Cordonia! Best to stay inside and open presents while curled up by the fire as today’s weather forecast has calculated a snowstorm - yes, you heard that right- a SNOWSTORM with gales and hail! This is not exactly the perfect White Christmas we were hoping for! Please stay safe and stay indoors-’

Still half asleep, Olivia slammed the OFF button on her radio and snuggled deeper into her blankets. She stretched out her legs, enjoying the warmth of her bed and the space she had all to herself.

Until her foot hit something hard, prompting someone to shout out loud.

‘OW!’

Olivia bolted up, simultaneously grabbing the dagger that she kept under her pillow, before turning to find the source of the noise.

There was a man in her bed.

And not just any man.

Leo.

Fucking Leo.

*************

The memory of last night came flooding back. Olivia remembered there had been red wine. A lot of red wine. Drake and Camille had thrown a Christmas Eve supper at Valtoria Manor for their friends - Maxwell, Hana, Liam, Aurelia, Leo and herself. Once dinner had been eaten, priorities turned to drinking, dancing and playing board games. Olivia’s priority remained on the bottles of red wine she had brought and slowly, hazily, she had become more social and had found herself in the kitchen drinking wine with Leo.

They had gone back to Olivia’s together.

Olivia did NOT remember their time in bed - thank God- and she casually thought that Leo must be shit in the bedroom if she couldn’t remember bumping uglies. But she knew they had because here he was, in her bed, and she was naked.

‘Leo, get the fuck out of my bed,’ she greeted him sharply. ‘Now.’

Leo scowled at her as he rubbed his leg that had now developed a pink bruise from Olivia’s foot. Shame. She had hoped he would have been more injured. She must try harder next time.

‘Merry Christmas to you too, Liv,’ he muttered, clambering out of her bed. Olivia averted her eyes but she still caught a glimpse of his toned ass. What a lovely image for her poor retinas.

Quickly, Leo got dressed, throwing on a forest green knit sweater and dark blue jeans. The green of his sweater only emphasised his golden skin and the green of his eyes. Olivia bit the inside of her cheek.

‘So, how are you spending today?’ Leo asked, rubbing his hands through his blonde hair. ‘Torturing a prisoner? Throwing knives at your servants? Thinking about our liaison last night? I know what I’ll be doing and FYI, it’s not the first two options.’

Without warning, Olivia threw her dagger at Leo, who ducked down just in time to see the weapon hit the wall behind him.

‘LIV!’ he shouted, his voice breaking slightly due to his shock. ‘What the hell?!’

To say that Leo and Olivia weren’t friends was an understatement.

The issue was that Leo, for the most part, did try to get along with her. Hell, he even flirted with her a little bit. Leo got along with everyone and always wanted to be well liked - years of being in the public eye had influenced the way he viewed his identity. So when Olivia made it clear that she didn’t like him, Leo tried to win her over, again and again. But they weren’t friends. They were acquaintances through Leo’s brother, Liam, and Olivia wished that her drunken self hadn’t hopped into bed with him.

She didn’t like Leo because of two things. One: he treated women like they were objects. Two: he had abandoned his country and his brother when he suddenly announced his abdication from the Cordonian throne. Liam had been a deer caught in the head lights when Leo had suddenly blurted out at breakfast that he wasn’t going to be King anymore. And so, he ran away with his tail between his legs, like a coward, leaving Liam to pick up the pieces. Olivia would never forgive him for that.

So how had she ended up in his bed?

Olivia swore to herself that she would stop drinking wine. She didn’t want to give up drinking wine but it was a sacrifice she was willing to make. For the greater good.

‘Do you have coffee in this fortress of solitude?’ Leo asked once he had recovered from his near death experience.

Olivia scowled at him. ‘No way,’ she said. ‘You are not having coffee here. You are leaving.’

‘But it’s Christmas!’ Leo tried to persuade her. ‘A time of goodwill and peace to all men!’

Olivia wrapped the duvet around her as she clambered out of bed to pull on her dressing gown. She could feel Leo’s eyes on her as she tried her best not to show him more of her body. Finally decent, Olivia opened the bedroom door and grabbed Leo by the collar.

Leo chuckled. ‘Ready for round two?’ he teased.

‘Go home, Leo!’ she cried, pulling him out of the room. With sheer strength, Olivia pulled him downstairs to the front door and threw the door open.

She couldn’t see the courtyard or the vast mountains of Lythikos. She couldn’t see anything except white.

*******************

Leo cleared his throat. ‘Am I fuck going out in that,’ he simply stated.

Olivia’s jaw clenched as she surveyed the situation. The ground was covered in three foot snow. The wind was howling and snow was still falling from the sky. Olivia knew that she would be able to navigate the harsh terrain; she was from Lythikos after all. But Leo? Not so much. He would probably set one foot on the ground and scream that he was going to die from frostbite.

Olivia checked the weather report on her phone. All guidance said to stay safe and stay home; all of Cordonia was hit by this snowstorm.

‘Fucking hell..’ Olivia muttered.

She felt Leo sidle closer to her and her body stiffened.

‘So… coffee?’ he asked, his voice lilting in her ear, teasing and mocking her.

*******************

Leo curled himself up in the corner of Olivia’s red sofa with his feet tucked under himself. He held a mug of steaming coffee in his hand and he looked very pleased with himself.

Olivia wrinkled her nose at him. ‘Why do you look so smug?’ she asked him. ‘I thought that after a one night stand you would escape at your earliest convenience.’

Leo pretended to be offended. ‘What on earth made you think that?’ he asked, widening his eyes.

‘Kiara told me,’ Olivia said dryly.

Leo chuckled. ‘Ah, Kiki..’ he murmured. ‘Good times.’

Olivia shuddered. Edging further away from Leo as she could, she turned on the TV so they could watch for updates on the weather. The sooner the snowstorm cleared, she thought, the sooner this walking human STI would leave her home.

But the updates weren’t hopeful.

‘Looks like I’m here all day!’ Leo crowed. ‘Shall we exchange presents?’

Olivia sighed. ‘Seriously, why are you so happy?’

Leo gave her a lazy smile that made the corners of his eyes crinkle. ‘I quite like watching you all riled up,’ he told her. ‘It’s fun pissing you off.’

‘You fucker-’

‘God, you really do rise to the bait, don’t you!’ Leo laughed, shaking his head. ‘Jesus, Liv, you gotta learn to loosen up. Relax. Release the tension from your shoulders, inhale, exhale, breathe…’

Olivia stared at him coldly. ‘Didn’t know I was dealing with Gandhi,’ she said.

Leo shrugged. ‘I’m just a chill person,’ he told her. ‘You could learn a lot from me.’

Olivia turned the volume of the TV up higher to drown out Leo’s voice.

***********************

‘Okay, let’s call a truce,’ Leo said after he finished his coffee. ‘I promise to stop being an asshole if you promise not to kill me with a dagger. The way I see it, as we’re stuck together for the foreseeable future until this storm clears, we may as well try and get along. It’s Christmas. Let’s do Christmassy shit. What do you do for Christmas?’

Olivia sighed. ‘I’m not telling you.’

‘Are you like the Grinch?’ Leo asked. ‘Or Scrooge?’ He raised his head up to the ceiling and adopted a dramatic tone as he quoted A Christmas Carol. ‘If he's like to die, he better do it and decrease the surplus population!’

Olivia threw a velvet cushion at him. ‘Shut up, I love Christmas!’ she cried.

Leo blinked. ‘You do?’

Olivia nodded furiously. ‘Yes. I adore Christmas,’ she said. ‘I know it’s not expected of me but this is the time of year where I can just embrace the cheesiness, the schmaltz and the festivities. Lythikos always throws a festival and it’s been the highlight of my year ever since I was a kid.’

A slow smile creeped up on Leo’s face. Olivia turned away, refusing to look at him. But Leo couldn’t stop looking at her. She had surprised him. Leo liked that.

**********************

Olivia made the decision to go about her day as if Leo wasn’t there, Leo-ing it up. She loved Christmas. She wanted to have a festive day and damn it, she was going to do it. Without a word, she left the living room to go to her dressing room where she rifled through her wardrobe for her Christmas outfit.

She had bought the red silk dress specially. The neckline was low, accentuating her cleavage which she emphasised with a long emerald pendant that settled comfortably between her breasts. Gently sliding the dress over her head, she felt the cool silk cover her ivory skin. Carefully, she slipped on a pair of black stilettos and made her way to her dressing table to fix her hair and makeup. Giving herself the once over, she smiled. The dress was perfect.

Next, she went downstairs to the kitchen where she poured herself a glass of champagne - because you always had to drink champagne at Christmas- and strutted back through to the living room where her unwelcome guest was sitting watching the weather report on TV.

He looked up when he heard her stilettos against the floor. His eyes widened as he took her in.

‘Woah..’ he breathed. ‘You look..’

Olivia tossed her champagne down her throat. ‘I know,’ she said, her voice cool. ‘I look awesome.’

Leo swallowed. ‘I was gonna say beautiful.’

Olivia blinked in surprise. She felt a blush creep up on her cheeks; quickly, she finished her champagne to distract herself.

************************************

Leo eyed Olivia’s second glass of champagne. He didn’t want to be an annoying guest but he was feeling rather thirsty..

Olivia sighed, aware of Leo’s gaze that was fixed on her glass. ‘God, fine. Do you want a glass of champagne?’

Leo grinned wolfishly. ‘Yes please.’

Olivia dragged herself up from the sofa and traipsed to the kitchen with Leo following her.

‘You’re like a puppy,’ Olivia said. ‘Following me around like this.’

‘You’re getting me alcohol,’ Leo replied dryly. ‘Excuse me for being excited.’

Olivia rolled her eyes but Leo caught the glimpse of a smile on her lips as she opened the fridge to retrieve the bottle. He leaned against the counter and watched as Olivia poured him a glass and passed him it.

‘There,’ she said. ‘Don’t say I never give you anything.’

Leo chuckled and raised his glass in a toast. ‘Merry Christmas, Liv,’ he said.

Olivia clinked her glass against his. Their eyes met; forest green looking into ice blue. Desperate to cut the tension, Olivia sipped her drink, tearing her eyes away from his.

Leo reached out. Startled, Olivia grabbed him by the wrist. ‘What the fuck are you doing?’

He smiled softly. ‘You have a drop of champagne on your lips,’ he told her. ‘I was gonna wipe it away for you.’

Olivia watched him in mute shock as he continued to reach out. His fingertip touched her bottom lip, wiping away the champagne. With a twinkle in his eye, Leo placed his fingertip in his mouth and licked, not once taking his eyes off Olivia.

She could feel the heat in the pit of her stomach that was slowly engulfing her core. Memories of the night before were now flooding her mind; she was remembering. Leo’s hot kisses against her skin. His hands clasping hers above her head, holding her down as he ravaged her. He had been an animal and Olivia had liked it.

‘You’re unbelievable,’ she croaked, breaking the silence.

Leo smiled his lazy smile. ‘You enjoy me.’

‘No I don’t.’

Leo’s eyes bore into hers. It was as if he had taken up the entire room. All Olivia was aware of was him, how close he was to her, how green his eyes were, how gold his skin was, how expensive he smelled.

‘You sure about that, trouble?’ he asked.

Olivia slammed her glass down onto the kitchen counter. Before Leo could react, Olivia threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck as she pulled him down so their lips crashed together.

She could blame this on the champagne. But Olivia wasn’t a lightweight and she knew that this was something more than alcohol that was making her do this. Fire burst through her veins like adrenaline as she pulled Leo close, admitting through her actions that the attraction for him was there.

Because Olivia had been the one to initiate things last night. She had kissed him first. She was the one who invited him home for a nightcap. It had always been Olivia.

Why?

Maybe because Leo was the only man who made her feel like he really saw her. While most men were terrified of Olivia, Leo was not. He saw through her harsh exterior, as harsh as the snow and ice of Lythikos, and he saw the girl behind the wall.

He knew how deeply his brother had hurt her. He knew how hard Olivia tried to push her feelings down as a result. Even though Leo liked to press her buttons, he knew which ones to avoid. For some reason, he understood Olivia more than anyone else.

Olivia could let her guard down and Leo wouldn’t recoil. Because he knew he wasn’t perfect either. But everyone expected Olivia to be this perfect block of ice carved into human form and Leo knew that that wasn’t Olivia. She may bear the Nevrakis name but she was so much more than her ancestor’s legacy. She was human.

She felt his hands rake through her red hair and the involuntary butterflies that were flying in her stomach.

No. She couldn’t act like this with Leo of all people. She made that mistake last night and she wasn’t prepared to do it again. Quickly, she wrenched away from him.

Leo was blinking at her, his lips swollen from kissing.

‘..Liv?’

Olivia closed her eyes and gently pushed Leo away.

‘The servants need to continue preparing dinner,’ she croaked.

She spun on her heel and stormed out of the kitchen, cursing herself for being stupid. She really ought to check for weather updates.

Leo watched her go, his eyes wide as he tried to process what had just happened. Without a word, he reached out for the bottle of champagne, his hands shaking, and he took a deep gulp, not even bothering to pour himself a glass.

Olivia did things to him. She made him.. Different. Sure, he was still a flirt but he found that he craved her attention. He wanted to make her smile. He wanted to feel like the only one who could elicit that rare reaction from her. But why?

As the champagne bubbles exploded in his mouth, Leo knew why. Because Olivia was different from all of the others. She was on another level. She made Leo’s heart beat a little faster. She made him nervous. And Leo liked it.

**********************

With the snow storm still blowing outside, Olivia resigned herself to spending Christmas with Leo.

Olivia let him eat as much turkey as he wanted to stop him from teasing her about their kissing in the kitchen. As long as Leo ate, the more silent and preoccupied he was. Handling him was like handling a toddler sometimes.

Leo was just surprised that Olivia let him eat.

After dinner, they retired to the drawing room.

Olivia’s favourite place in her home was the drawing room. It was a room off the foyer where a grand marble fireplace stood pride of place against the back wall. A red velvet chaise lounge stood in front of the fireplace where velvet cushions and blankets were scattered across it. Candles were always lit in the drawing room, casting the walls in a golden glow.

Leo sat down on one side of the chaise lounge and watched Olivia as she made her way across the room to an oak cupboard. She opened the doors to unveil a vast collection of red wine.

‘What shall we drink?’ Olivia mused. ‘I think the Chateau Latour..’

Leo shrugged. ‘It’s alcohol, I genuinely don’t mind.’

Olivia rolled her eyes and selected a bottle. Taking two wine glasses out of another cupboard, she poured the wine and handed Leo a glass.

Leo grinned and was ready to toss the drink down his throat. Her eyes widening in alarm, Olivia reached out to grab his wrist before he could do so.

‘No!’ she shouted.

Leo blinked. ‘You offered me a drink, I’m going to drink-’

‘You need to appreciate it!’ Olivia scolded. ‘It’s fine wine!’

Leo sighed. ‘Liv, don’t be so fucking pretentious.’

‘I’m not,’ she said. ‘But you’re in Lythikos and we love our wine. Please respect our traditions and appreciate the wine we offer you.’

Leo rolled his eyes but he waited for Olivia to calm down. Once she was calmer, he waited for her instruction.

‘First, you look at the wine,’ Olivia said in a silky smooth voice. ‘Note the deep burgundy colour of the wine.’

Leo studied the wine. Almost like she was confessing a secret, Olivia spoke in low tones. ‘Now, you smell the wine. Do you smell the blackberry notes? And the sweet vanilla that offsets the harshness?’

Leo could smell the blackberry and the vanilla. His senses were heightened. He could smell the fruit of the wine and he could smell the musk of Olivia’s perfume as she sat closer to him to speak. Her knee touched his.

‘Now, we taste,’ Olivia whispered. ‘Focus on the texture. Our tongues will sense the texture of the wine.’

Leo felt his throat tighten. Now he was just thinking about Olivia’s tongue. As if she could read his thoughts, Olivia’s eyes looked into his above the rim of her wine glass. Together, they sipped their wine, not once tearing their eyes away from each other.

‘This is good wine,’ Leo croaked.

Olivia leaned forward to place her wine glass on the side table. ‘That’s because I have good taste,’ she told him.

Leo smirked. ‘You do, don’t you?’

Olivia stood up and wandered towards the fireplace, reaching out to adjust the clock on the mantle. The fire lit up her body, the flames illuminating the silk of her dress. Leo swallowed and set his glass down, standing to join Olivia at the fireplace.

They both looked down into the fire, the flames mirrored in their eyes. They were standing so close to each other; achingly close. Tentatively, Leo reached out to graze Olivia’s pinkie with his own. He heard her let out a breath.

‘Leo..’ she murmured, keeping her eyes on the fire.

Without a word, Leo wrapped his hand around her wrist and gently pulled her towards him. Her blue eyes met his. Her porcelain skin was turning golden from the fire and her red hair was glowing. She looked beautiful. She always looked beautiful.

Leo leaned down and cupped her face in his hands. Olivia leaned up voluntarily and their lips brushed.

He could feel the softness of her skin under his palms. As the kiss deepened, Leo’s hands wandered down her back, gripping hold of the silk of her dress. He could taste wine on Olivia’s tongue.

‘Jesus Christ..’ he groaned against her mouth. He felt a smile curl around Olivia’s lips. Encouraged, Leo kissed her deeper.

Things changed when Olivia’s teeth tugged on his lower lip.

Leo loved biting.

The pace quickened. Hands travelled over skin and under clothes; Olivia’s hands rested under his shirt, placed on his broad chest, feeling his warm skin. Leo pulled his shirt over his head, exposing his torso. Olivia’s lips kissed his collarbone, her hands fluttering across his chest and hard stomach. Leo let out another groan and pulled at the zip on the back of her dress.

The dress pooled down to the floor around Olivia’s feet.

Leo stepped back to study Olivia for a long, heated moment. She stood clad in red lace lingerie. She looked like a phoenix rising from the embers. She looked like fire itself.

‘Fucking hell, you’re beautiful,’ he whispered.

Olivia raised her chin defiantly, straightening her posture so she looked more powerful than usual.

‘Take off your pants,’ she ordered.

Leo didn’t need to be told twice. Quickly, he unbuckled his belt and pulled off his jeans along with his boxers. He was now completely naked in front of her.

Olivia raised an eyebrow. Leo watched her as she unclipped her bra, not once taking her eyes off him. Her fingers hooked through the delicate string of her lace thong and her eyes remained fixed on his as she pulled the thong down to the floor.

She stepped towards him.

Leo grabbed her, not caring that his fingers dug into her arms that would probably leave bruises. He had a feeling that Olivia liked to be left branded.

‘Fuck me,’ she whispered in his ear.

Leo pulled her down to the floor.

*********************************

Teeth grazed warm skin. Hands clasped together. Legs intertwined. Hard kisses left lips swollen. Fingernails cut scratches into skin. Perfume and cologne mixed together. Porcelain pressed against gold.

Olivia and Leo had become fire.

*********************************

‘What’s your favourite Christmas movie?’ Leo asked afterwards, twirling a coil of Olivia’s hair around his finger. They were lying on the floor with Olivia curled into Leo, her breath warm against his neck.

Olivia considered the question. ‘Well…’

Leo grinned. ‘Is it Die Hard? Oh my god, please say it is. It would make so much sense with your violent tendencies.’

Olivia laughed harshly. ‘Oh Leo, you have no idea,’ she said. ‘Die Hard is not the most violent Christmas film. But you are right that my favourite Christmas film is partly due to my violent tendencies.’

Leo’s eyebrows furrowed as he tried to think of the film she meant. Olivia watched him, a smug smile on her face.

Leo’s eyes lit up with his realisation. ‘Oh my god..’ he said. ‘No way! No fucking way! Home Alone is your favourite Christmas film?!’

Olivia rolled her eyes. ‘Merry Christmas ya filthy animal,’ she said, making Leo cackle with joy.

‘What’s your favourite Christmas movie?’ Olivia asked. ‘Are you gonna be the typical male cliche and say it’s Die Hard?’

Leo chuckled warmly. ‘Nah,’ he said. ‘I won’t be a cliche. It’s a great movie, don’t get me wrong, but it’s not even in my Top 3.’

Olivia frowned. ‘So what’s your favourite?’

Leo eyed her. ‘You’ll judge me.’

‘I judge you anyway.’

Leo rolled his eyes. ‘Gah, fine,’ he said. ‘Don’t tell anyone, okay?’

‘Leo..’

He adjusted his body so he was facing her and extended his pinkie. ‘Pinkie promise me,’ he whispered.

Olivia curled her lip in disgust. ‘Leo, I’m not four.’

‘Liv, do you want to know or not?’

Olivia groaned. ‘Fine.’

They pinkie swore. Satisfied, Leo sat back and studied her for a long moment before speaking.

‘I fucking love The Holiday.’

*******************

After Leo’s revelation that his favourite Christmas film was The Holiday, Olivia had screamed with laughter.

‘There’s nothing wrong with a guy liking The Holiday!’ Leo protested.

‘Oh, I know,’ Olivia said. ‘But it’s comical that it happens to be your favourite Christmas film. It’s so… romantic. And nauseating. And sugary.’

Leo sighed. ‘Precisely,’ he said. His body stiffened.

Olivia blinked. Sensing she had hit a nerve, she eyed Leo.

‘Alright, what’s wrong?’ she asked. ‘Don’t give me bullshit.’

Leo turned to look at her.

‘Why is Home Alone your favourite Christmas film?’

Olivia bit her fingernail, a habit she had when she was nervous. But this was Leo, she shouldn’t be nervous. As she thought about her feelings, she realised it was the question that made her nervous.

‘It’s about a kid who protects his home with all the weapons at his disposal,’ she said, her voice cool, as she examined her bitten fingernail. ‘He’s a badass who shows those burglars who’s boss and he protects himself. He was brave.’

Leo studied her for a long time in silence. Olivia could feel her cheeks begin to burn.

‘You’re Kevin McAllister,’ Leo said softly.

Olivia’s eyes widened. ‘Fuck, no!’ she replied. ‘You’re reading too much into this-’

‘You didn’t have your parents,’ Leo said. ‘You lived alone with servants. You had to learn how to fight and defend your home without protection of adults. Christmas is your favourite time of year but with no family there to celebrate, you turned to this film because you see yourself in Kevin.’

Olivia looked up at the ceiling, refusing to look at him. ‘Leo, stop it.’

‘I’m right though,’ he said, his voice low.

Olivia let out a frustrated sigh and sat up, gathering a blanket around her body. ‘Fine, let’s put you under the microscope,’ she said. ‘You like The Holiday because it shows you the kind of Christmas you could have if you let yourself fall in love. You could have that cosy cottage with a woman who looks like Cameron fucking Diaz. You could stop being an asshole to women and let down your fucking walls so that someone can see the real you.’

Leo laughed without humour. ‘And who is the real me?’

Olivia raised her chin. You are a man who is known to be such a manwhore but you actually have romantic feelings. You act like an unfeeling robot most of the time but really, you are sensitive and perceptive. If given the chance, you will worship the woman you are with because it’s the one time you can let his guard down. You can blame it on alcohol or the heat of the moment, but really, Leo, you like to be yourself in the dark. You enjoy being with someone because at least it means that for one night you’re not alone. You take all the passion within you and you let it all out. That is why you have such a long and successful track record with women, why you are popular with them. You make them feel things. You worship them.’

‘Are you saying I worshipped you?’ Leo asked cooly.

Olivia smirked. ‘Are you saying you didn’t?’

Leo looked down. Olivia raised an eyebrow at him, waiting for him to respond. Leo rolled his eyes and leaned back on his arms, stretching out his body.

‘Fine, you got me,’ he murmured, giving her a small smile. ‘I worshipped you.’

The flames from the fire reflected in Olivia’s eyes as she studied him. Gently, she let the blanket she was holding around her naked body fall to the floor so she was exposed to Leo again.

‘Worship me again,’ she said, her voice thick.

Leo reached out to cup her chin in his hand. His lips brushed hers delicately, making her skin bloom with goosebumps.

‘With pleasure,’ he murmured, gently tugging on her lower lip with his teeth.

Olivia pulled him down onto her so his body was suspended over hers. The flames of the fire cast her in its glow, lighting up her porcelain skin, lighting up Leo’s gold.

The weather continued to turn Cordonia into a world of ice and snow. But Olivia and Leo were unaffected. The fire burned all night as Leo worshipped Olivia again and again.

#12 days of fictmas #choices 12 days of fictmas

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harrysgoldenbum · 5 years ago

Text

A New Adventure* one shot

*Warning: smut 2.3k words

I know I am a couple of days late, but inspiration stuck and I went with it. Happy New Year Everyone!

NOTE: not edited

They stumbled into the house, Harry leaning heavily on Y/N. Her arm around his waist and his over her shoulders. The couple looking over their shoulders, at the car that is currently occupied by their good friends. They had gone to a mutual friend’s New Year party together. It’s just past 12:30 and Harry is just tipsy enough for Y/N to know that her man is soon going want to get himself action. She just hopes Harry gives her the chance to surprise him. Her husband pays a lot of attention to her body (and her of course).

“Can’t believe it! We are becoming an old couple! Barely the new year and we are home! Remember when I could stay out all night and not even be tried the next day! Wha’ happened to us!”

Chuckling quietly, Y/N glances up at her husband. “Honey, we have to go to the Key’s birthday party and we have to find time to fit in the Christmas decor clean up. We aren’t old! We… are um...just practical.” Carefully, guiding Harry to the stairs, Y/N hopes Harry will let her separate from him just long enough to get his surprise ready.

“Bein’ practical sucks! Next time we are staying up for three days! I demand it!”

“Alright sleepy beauty, the day you can stay up for three days is the day pigs can fly.”

“Oi! Why you bein’ so mean to me!” Harry whines. Walking into their bedroom Y/N makes him sit on the bed. Thanking the perfect opening she is given.

“Sorry love, how about I find a way to make it up to you?”

With a cheeky grin, her husband starts to get handsy. “Hhhmm I can think of a few ways you can make it up to me” His hands grip her hips tightly, before sliding down and cupping her ass. “Did I tell you that your ass looks amazing in this dress?” Harry mumbles as he starts to kiss up her neck. Y/N’s hands go straight to his hair. “Harry…” “Hhmm? You gonna make it up to me?” He starts to suck on the spot behind her ear that always has her toes curling. Inhaling deeply, Y/N tries to remember what she needs to do. “Yes… yes, I will… I need you -” her sentence is cut off when her husband starts to unzip her dress.

Shaking her head as if to clear the lustful fog, she steps away from Harry. “I have something for you, a gift, can I get it for you? Please?”

“But that wasn’t what I was thinkin’-” Trying to bring her back into his embrace, Harry stands and goes to grab her hands.

“Trust me baby.”

With a pout, Harry sits on their bed once again. With a small smile. Y/N takes the one step it takes to stand between his legs and kisses her husband’s lips gently. “I’ll be right back”.

She walks to their walk-in closet and opens the drawer that holds her lace. Her hands are shaking. ‘I can do this!’. She starts to strip out of her dress and removes the underwear she has on to put on hot, red, lace baby doll she bought just a couple of days ago. The baby doll’s cups push her breasts higher and is completely see-through. Just ending at the beginning of her thighs, she slides on the lacy, crotch less panties. She bends at the waist and runs her hands through her hair. Trying to give it the messy/just rolled out bed look that Harry just loves. Looking at her reflection she smiles brightly. Happy with her look, once again she goes to the shelves that hold her purses and grabs her black bag from the top shelf. Opening it she pulls out a red box with a gold bow. Then slowly slides the closet door open and hides the box behind her back. She is greeted by her very naked husband and the bedside lamps casting a warm golden glowing. Y/N laughs lowly when she sees that Harry has the 2020 new year glasses on. He hears the first few steps Y/N takes and glances up from pulling the bed sheets and comforter. His mouth drops open and eyes widen. Y/N bites her lower lip and slowly starts walking toward Harry. As she gets closer to their bed, Harry starts crawling backward towards the headboard his eyes never leaving her body. Watching her, Y/N reaches the foot of the bed and starts crawling toward Harry. Once she reaches him, she straddles his hips. Eyes never leaving one another, Y/N slowly reaches over to the bedside table and places the box there.

“That’s for later” she whispers.

Harry’s hands are at Y/N’s hips and he is looking up are her “Fuckin’ hell, I married the sexiest woman in the world.” He starts to move hand over the material of the lingerie, “how did I get so fuckin’ lucky?’

Y/N leans forward and Harry’s eyes drop to her chest. Smiling against his lips, Y/N slowly licks his upper lip. “I don’t know baby, I would say I’m the one who got lucky. Millions of girls out there that wish they were me.”

Harry’s grip tightens. “Wouldn’ want anyone else here.”

Y/N slides her arms around his neck “good.” and finally kisses him square on the lips. First drawing his upper lip in and sucking on it before lightly nipping it with her teeth. She does the same with his full bottom lip too. Then after a while, Harry can no longer take the teasing and slides his hands from her hips, up to her chest, giving her breast a squeeze. He continues to move one hand to her neck and finally into her hair. Giving a firm (yet gentle) tug Harry takes over the kiss. He slowly slides his tongue into her mouth, before finally sucking on her tongue. All the while his fingers pluck at her nipple through her outfit. Bringing them to stiff peaks. Needing air in his lungs, Harry removes his mouth from his wife’s and immediately connects them to Y/N’s neck. Harry slides his hands down her body to the junction between her legs and freezes. “Are you not wearing-”

A giggle leaves Y/N’s lips before she can help herself. “They’re crotch less”

An animalistic noise escapes from the back of Harry’s throat brings a smirk onto her lips and before she could realize, Harry lifted the both of then and brought Y/N’s back to the bed. Looking up at her husband, she sensed the change in her husband. With a wild glint in his eyes, Harry practically ripped her flimsy nightwear and throws it over his shoulder. Without any hesitation, he drops his head and latches on to one of Y/N’s nipples and sucks deep. Y/N’s back arches, trying to get closer to her source of pleasure. Her fingers lock on to the curly locks that cover her husband’s head. All the while, Harry slowly starts to ease his middle finger into his wife’s core.

“Fucking soaked” Harry moans against Y/N’s breast, a desperate moan is released from Y/N’s lips. “Who gets you that way, huh? Dripping onto the bed sheets and we’ve just gotten started”

“Y-you do!” Y/N whimpers, tossing her head left and right “a-always am when I’m with y-you.”

With a groan, Harry moves down her chest closer to her center. He blows air on her lower opening, “Takin’ me finger so well petal.” Adding his ring finger, he pumps in and out of her slowly before curling his finger and touching the spongy spot on her inner wall.

Releasing a wet moan, Y/N begs for more, and not one to deny his wife, Harry starts sucking on the erect clit in front of him. “Y-yes! Yesss! I’m going to c-cum! I’m-”

Her hands tighten on harry’s curls. With a deep bend of her back, her walls start to milk his fingers. “That’s it, baby, work my fingers.” Harry continues to pump his fingers in her trying to prolong her pleasure. When her orgasm comes to an end her moves back up to her. Caging her in. Her lips are a dark raspberry color from kissing and working her teeth against it. Her eyelids are lowered and her hair creating a halo around her.

“God, you’re beautiful” Harry whispers in awe.

A shy smile makes its way to Y/N’s face. “You aren’t hard to look at either Harry” she inputs quietly. She cups one side of his neck and pulled him down for a gentle kiss. Then just like her husband, her hands slowly travel down to the hard organ that rests between Harry’s legs. Caressing him first, Y/N tightens she hands around his cock and starts to pump slowly. Harry’s head drops to watch her small hands pleasure him. She brings her thumb over his tip, causing him to shudder.

“Fuck.” Harry hisses. “Love watching you take care of me.” Y/N’s hands continue to twist, go up, go down, round his tip, and every once in a while she will cup his balls. “Can’ take anymo’” he removes her hands from him and brings them up to his chest. He gives her a long kiss. Tongues caress each other, teeth nipping lips. Pulling away, Harry grabs himself and positions himself. Inch by inch, he enters his wife’s pussy, stretching her out. “Always so tight ‘n warm” His thrusts start off shallow, once the both of them are more comfortable with the rhythm, Harry moved one of Y/N’s legs and hooks it to his shoulder. Allowing him to travel deeper into his wife’s canal. The only noises that can be heard are the moans that both parties are releasing. Harry drops his head and starts to suck on one of Y/N’s hard nipples. He nips the bud, before soothing it with his tongue. He does the same with her other tit. He pulls away and rests his forehead against hers.

“Look at us petal” he pants, “look at how g-good you take me.”

“More… h-harder” Y/N begs.

With a guttural moan, Harry brings her leg down from his shoulder, Harry plants both Y/N’s feet on the bed. He surges up to his knees and grasps Y/N’s hips up to meet him thrust after thrust, causing her shoulder-blades and head to sink into the mattress. Sweat drips down Harry’s brow onto Y/N’s belly. The room echos with the sound of skin slapping against skin.

“Gonna leave bruises on yeh. Given it that hard.”

Unable to make a sound, all Y/N can do is grab Harry’s wrists and pant through the pleasure. The couple keeps eye contact until Harry hit the right spot and Y/N’s roll into the back of her head.

“Foun’ it, didn’t I”

“C-close, I’m close” Y/N manages.

“Me t-too love”

Harry’s speed picks up and it’s almost unbearable for the couple, to be hanging off the edge for so long until they fall together. Placing his thumb on Y/N’s clit, he circles slowly, as if he is just barely making contact with the sensitive ball. But that more than enough to push Y/N over the edge. Crying out his name she cums… HARD. Toes curling, nails digging, every muscle in her body tightening (even ones she forgot about). One, two, three thrusts later Harry feels his balls tighten and white light flash behind his eyelids. He joins Y/N in the fall of the pleasurable abyss. Rooting into her, Harry tucks his face into Y/N’s neck. The husband and wife cling to each other as they try to recover from their journey.

Once their breathing becomes normal, Harry pecks kisses all around Y/N’s face and neck. With a sigh, Harry slowly starts to lift off his wife. Still sensitive, a whimper escapes from Y/N’s throat. It takes longer for Y/N to recover and once she does her first instinctive reaction is to cuddle with her husband. No words are spoken between the couple, they are so absorbed at the moment that they don’t even realize it. It isn't until the random patterns Harry is drawing on her back with his fingertips does she remember what all this excitement was for. Reaching over to the bedside table, she grabs the box. Harry watches her curiously, as she presents the box to him.

“Christmas was days ago love” he jokes, “and me birthday isn't for another month.”

“This is a different kind of gift” wringing her hands, she lays on her side. “Open it.”

And that’s exactly what he does. And in the box, he finds a small onesie that says ‘Mama’s Boy’ and another that says ‘Daddy’s Angel’.

“Wha-”

And at the bottom, is a pregnancy test (wrapped in tissue) and a sonogram picture. Harry looks up at his wife speechless.

“I know we haven’t been trying for long, but um I guess we were really good at it…” she doesn’t get to finish explaining, because Harry is suddenly on her. Kissing her with so much emotion, she didn’t know how to explain it. He pulls away and places a gentle kiss on her tummy.

“How long have you known,” he asks looking up at her with tears in his eyes.

“Two weeks. I’m six weeks in.” Y/N whispers with tears falling down her temple, “ we can’t find out what the gender is until I am about sixteen weeks and I didn’t know which outfit to get.”

“We’re having a baby. A little prince or princess.”

“It’s going to be a new adventure.”

~~~~~~~~~

My Works

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ofmythsandmadness · 4 years ago

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prompts & requests.

SO...I never meant to delay this for so long, I’m so sorry for this, but I’m excited to rejuvenate this page -- I’m quite bad with tumblr, but I just hit 350 followers and I figured I’d put in a second dime for trying to make this little account work. People seem to like my little writings (which surprises me tbh, but I appreciate the love) and I’ve gotten a lot of questions about requests, so here’s the masterpost of all that for here!

PLEASE NOTE: I don’t use Tumblr too regularly, I’m trying to be more active but because of life & stuff, I’m not always active to write. Plus, just because you request something, doesn’t mean I will automatically be able to give that! It takes time, inspiration, and often the ability to form a sentence, which weirdly I struggle with. Way too often.

ALSO! please feel free to check out the kofi link in my bio (can’t link it here bc tumblr doesn’t like links and this won’t show up at all) and buy me a coffee if you feel like it! please don’t if you can’t and i’m not trying to force, guilt or forcibly nudge anyone to do it, it’s just if you can and want to support me, that’d be real sweet. :)

WHO I WRITE FOR...most people look at this acc for tua writings, which i’ve got an abundance of! I’m quite fine with any requests of any characters, except for five (unless like it’s some aged up version of him; I don’t feel comfy writing about him and I just don’t care to). I also will write for a lot of other fandoms if you ask for them: those including marvel, stranger things (those of age, i’m not writing stories about minors), harry potter and a couple others. Just ask me, I’ll let you know if I write for the fandom & we can move from there, darling. :)

HOW TO REQUEST...I prefer not too many details in a request, just so I still feel inspired to write the piece. So, if you’re asking based on a prompt below, tell me the number(s), the character you’re looking for, and any details you feel necessary to add! Remember, nothing too specific, like don’t give me the entire plot but things like genre, atmosphere, details on the reader are okay. I usually write either genderless or female reader (I try to stick with the former to be accommodating) but you can ask for a specifically gender-neutral or female/male reader too. This also applies to fics you want garnered to a specific section of the LGBTQIA+ community (for example, if you wanted a lesbian reader with Vanya Hargreeves). I try not to add any details to appearance to the story so that everyone can enjoy the fic, but again you can ask for any specific and I will try my best to accomodate for you lovelies.

REQUEST EXAMPLE - “Can you write something with prompt number 3 and 17? Preferably with a gender-neutral reader, and with Allison Hargreeves? I’d like it to be a happy fic, please, and for the reader to not have any powers. Also, they’re a cat person! Thanks!”

Obviously, I know most people know what’s up and are respectful. But just in case you wanted an example, there you go. :)

PROMPTS LIST

(these were made by me and to my knowledge, they’re not used elsewhere, only some were taken off my last requests list. also, feel free to mix + match and ask for as many as you want)

Quote Based Prompts:

1. ‘I think I’m falling for you,’ clumsy character. 2. ‘C’mon, this is definitely safe!’ 3. ‘Do you believe in ghosts?’ + ‘Why, is there something you want to tell me?’ 4. ‘Shut up about your black coffee aesthetic and try my (insert here) drink.’ 5. ‘I’m only asking for a hug because I forgot my coat and you’re like a human furnace...don’t get any ideas.’ 6. ‘Just five more minutes.’ 7. ‘And you’re sure this isn’t illegal?’ 8. ‘Wanna go get married?’ 9. ‘I love you” “don’t lie to me’ 10. ‘I hate you’ + ‘no, you don’t.’ 11. ‘let’s dance to taylor swift and forget about reality for a moment, please.’ 12. ‘why don’t you trust me?’ 13. ‘promise me, we’ll make it out of this alive.’ 14. ‘we can’t just pushing each other away and expecting things are going to change.’ 15. ‘why are you helping me?’ 16. ‘tell me a secret.’ 17. ‘you can’t friend-zone me, we’re married!’ 18. ‘is this the end?’ 19. ‘I let you win.’ 20. ‘go away’ + ‘no, not until I know you’re okay’ 21. ‘we were supposed to be forever.’ 22. ‘nothing’s fair in love and war.’ 23. ‘I want to be here for the good and the bad.’ 24. ‘So...what happened this time?’ 25. ‘I just really wanted to see you.’ 26. ‘Uh, that’s the whole point?!’ 27. ‘You cut your hair?’ + ‘I just needed a change.’ 28. ‘I can’t lose you too, dammit!’ 29. ‘Don’t lie, you’re a hopeless romantic at heart.’ 30. ‘Can we keep it?!’ 31. ‘Why can’t this happen like it does in the movies?!’ 32. ‘Can you come with me? It’s just to get gum, but I don’t want to be alone.’ 33. ‘I made muffins!’ + ‘You can bake?!’ 34. ‘I can’t sleep.’ + ‘We can share.’ 35. ‘It used to be so simple...’ 36. ‘STOP SINGING THAT SONG OR-’ + ‘-or what?’ 37. ‘I just wanted to tell you...you look really nice tonight.’ 38. ‘Ooh, show me, show me!’ 39. ‘I really wish I could paint, because you’re the perfect muse right now.’ 40. ‘Where’d you learn how to do that?’ 41. ‘Hey, it’s okay...you’re safe now.’ 42. ‘Am I in heaven?’ + ‘Aw, you think I’m your idea of heaven?’ 43. ‘I’m not crying!’ + ‘Oh, so it’s normal for your eyes to leak like that?’ 44. ‘Why wouldn’t you tell me that sooner?!’ 45. ‘What do you think of kids?’ 46. ‘Do you think I’m a good person?’ 47. ‘Don’t look down.’ + ‘You’re only telling me that now?!’ 48. ‘It’s okay...it’s going to be okay...’ 49. ‘I didn’t think it would hurt so much to do this.’ 50. ‘Nerd.’ + ‘Loser.’ 51. ‘Wait, you actually came?’ 52. ‘You didn’t notice the one bed before?!’ + ‘It didn’t say on the website!’ 53. ‘I’m in the hospital, but don’t worry--’ + ‘Don’t worry?!’ 54. ‘Yeah, I was jealous. So what?’ 55. ‘Did you know you talk when you sleep?’ 56. ‘Of course I kept it. Why wouldn’t I?’ 57. ‘I can’t get you out of my head...’ 58. ‘I made you it because I love you, duh.’ 59. ‘I trust you.’ 60. ‘How am I supposed to trust you?!’ 61. ‘You have to start getting better excuses.’ 62. ‘I think they like you!’ 63. ‘I swear if you sing baby it’s cold outside ONE MORE TIME--’ 64. ‘You’re telling me you don’t know all the words to Promiscuous? Who are you?!’ 65. ‘I only went along with it for your sake, you know I hate (insert here).’ 66. ‘Hold my hand but only so we don’t get lost. I don’t need you getting any ideas about us.’ 67. ‘Loosen up, jackass, and give in to evil a little more!’ 68. ‘You didn’t respond to any of my texts, so I assumed you were either dying or crying. I brought answers to both situations.’ 69. ‘That’s it. I’m officially convinced that you’re actually three years old.’

Situation Based Prompts: 1. Person A refuses to dress for the cold and gets sick; Person B is stuck taking care of them afterwards. 2. Person A finds a stray and wants to take it home, but Person B isn’t so interested. 3. Coffee Shop AU; Person A shows up every Saturday to work, and Person B becomes infatuated with the mysterious person. 4. Person A wants to watch a scary movie. Person B accepts, too chicken to admit they’re terrified of horror movies. 5. Person A falls asleep, and Person B plays with their hair. 6. Person A and B wake up hungover and realise that they got married last night. 7. ‘Oh...you love them’, where Person A realises that their real feelings for Person B. 8. Person A is a Christmas enthusiast, but Person B hates the holiday season. 9. (School Based Prompt); Person A doesn’t know how to talk to Person B, and decides to pretend to need help in a subject they definitely don’t need help with. 10. Person A decides to confess their feelings to Person B through a series of anonymous gifts...only they aren’t who B suspects behind it all... 11. Person A and B have a Catwoman/Batman type relationship, dancing around one another and ignoring their obvious feelings. 12. Younger!Person A and B shared their first kiss with each other -- not because of feelings, JUST to get it over with. It never meant anything, right? 13. There’s only a little bit of time left for Person A...will they make it to B, in time? 14. (Flower Shop AU) Person A comes in every day to purchase the same single flower every time, and Person B has no clue why. 15. (Villain/Hero AU) Person A goes home to find B in their bed, bleeding and fast asleep. 16. Person A has a fear of driving. Person B finally asks why. 17. (School Based AU) Person A and B get paired together to complete a project worth a lot of their grade. The only problem? They hate each other. 18. (Coffee Shop AU) Person A comes in every day with a different name and sunglasses on, ordering the same thing every time. And Person B is obsessed. 19. Person A has a hard day at work. Person B doesn’t know what they should do to help. 20. Person A finally finds out about Person B’s big secret -- only, it doesn’t come from Person B. 21. Person A is the most oblivious person in the world. Person B is slowly losing their mind over it. 22. Everyone thinks that Person A and C are meant to be together, and it’s only A and B who really, really don’t see it. 23. And they were roommates (oh my god, they were roommates...) 24. Person A’s roommate’s boyfriend is over again, and they escape to Person B’s for peace of mind. 25. Person A finds a random bag and is determined to return it to the owner -- only, all the clues she has for who the person really is, is in the contents of the bag. 26. (Party Based Prompt) Person A and B really, really didn’t want to go to the party. But maybe meeting one another makes it worth it. 27. Person A and B go laser-tagging for some stress relief. 28. There’s a Halloween party and neither A or B knows who the other is going as. But the (insert costume) standing in the corner is looking rather suspicious... 29. (Apocalypse AU) Person A and B have been struggling for months alone, and finally reach something that gives them hope. 30. Person A and B both head to the roof for some escape. They definitely didn’t expect to see someone in their special place... 31. Person A works really late shifts downtown; Person B always makes sure they’re there to give them a ride, no matter how inconvenient it is. 32. Person A forgets about changing their emergency contact, and this backfires when they end up in the hospital... 33. (Soulmate AU) In a world where people don’t age past 21 until they meet their soulmate, Person A is surprised to learn that the partner they’ve been with for four years hasn’t aged a day -- but they have. 34. (Airport AU) Everything shuts down in a last-minute snowstorm, leaving two strangers stranded. 35. (School AU) Everyone ships Teacher A and B together, and scheme to finally set them up. 36. Person A and B ride the train together every day. 37. (Doctor AU) Person A has to take Person C to the doctors. Much to both surprise, Person A falls quickly for the Doctor who comes in (Person B) -- and Person C takes it upon themselves to let B know. 38. (Neighbours AU) Person A is tired of hearing Person B being so loud so late at night -- especially when they have to get up super early. They finally decide to confront them on it. 39. (Soulmate AU) Everyone has the same cuts, bruises and scars as their soulmate, which really freaks out Person A, who becomes determined to find their soulmate to make them stop getting hurt. 40. Person A and B are hiding their relationship from everyone. They’re not very good at it. 41. Person A finally trusts Person B to meet their (insert here); the last step in their relationship. 42. Person A sends their text to the LAST person they wanted to send it to: Person B. 43. (Delivery Person AU) Person A somehow always manages to be the one to sign for the office packages...does Person B have anything to do with it? (Also, why does A keep buying so much stuff?!) 44. (Arranged Marriage) Person A is being forced into a marriage to Person C neither they or Person B wants. But B might just have a plan out... 45. (Bodyguard AU) Person A always knew that Person C was rich, but never rich enough to need a legit bodyguard. But when C’s father’s company is threatened, they call in the big dogs -- and they’re cute, too. Aka...A makes a point to catch the attention of Person B at any time possible, much to their upset. 46. (University AU) Person A needs a model. Person B needs a way to occupy their afternoon. Thus, a deal is struck. 47. Person A is a private detective hired to work the case on a mysterious murder (that strangely, Person C doesn’t want getting out). Person B is C’s lead suspect, but A can’t help but feel like they’re not the real culprit... 48. Person A drags Person B along onto a roadtrip across the country to go visit their oddball grandparents. But things go south quickly. 49. Person A gets robbed, and has no one to call when they can’t shake the nightmares but Person B. 50. Person A can manipulate time, but only by an hour. Person B doesn’t know this, but gets suspicious when they see A do something very, very weird... (you can supply more details for this one) 51. (Neighbours AU) Person A and B have the thinnest walls ever, which would suck, but they both oddly have the exact same taste in music. It’s nice; if only they got to meet. 52. (Store AU) Person A and B get locked into their work’s freezer for the night. 53. (Coffee Shop AU) Person B has never met Person A; they always miss them by only a minute. They do, however, manage to sit at the exact same table every day and pick up the piece of art they leave for the next customer. 54. Person A has loved Person B their entire life. Too bad they’ll never get to tell them. 55. (Diner AU) Person A meets Person B at three in the morning when they stumble in soaked. They’re surprised, when they show up again...and again...at the exact same time. 56. (5+1) Five times Person A told Person B they loved them, and the one time Person B finally said it back. 57. (5+1) The five times Person A surprises Person B, and the one time Person B surprises A. 58. (5+1) The five times Person A broke Person B’s heart, and the one time they didn’t. 59. (5+1) The five times Person A saved Person B...and the one time Person B couldn’t save A. 60. (5+1) The five times A and B almost meet, and the first time they finally do. 61. (5+1) The five times Person A lies to Person B, and the one time they finally tell the truth. 62. Person B is like, super allergic to dogs. But Person A doesn’t need to know that. 63. Person A has no clue how to tell Person B how they feel. So, they make a playlist. 64. Person A and B accidentally switch luggage at the airport.

Happy requesting, darlings.

#diego hargreeves x reader #luther hargreeves x reader #allison hargreeves x reader #ben hargreeves x reader #klaus hargreeves x reader #vanya hargreeves x reader #lila pitts x reader #mine #requests #peter parker x reader #michelle jones x reader #ned leeds x reader #harry potter x reader #hp x reader

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lycorogue · 4 years ago

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Latest Story: Perfect Doesn’t Need to be Perfect

(Thank you to my husband for coming up with this story’s title)

I’m back! Well... I’m sorta back. I had every intention of having this story DONE by yesterday so I could promote it in a blog update today, and when that didn’t happen I hoped to have it done by tomorrow at the latest... ya know, because the end of Christmas season and all, but that is definitely not happening either.

So, instead, I’m waving the white flag. I’m just publishing the first 3 chapters tonight. I’m aiming to drop the next 3 tomorrow, another 3 chapters on the 7th, and the final 3 on the 8th; assuming I can actually get myself situated enough to get this story done by then.

Also, I completely hijacked this entire story off of @thetauruspixie, and thus, as a thank you for unofficially letting me run away with her Muse, I gift this story unto her.

Thank you, Pixie, for the glorious story Twelve Days of Chatmas. It is truly the gift that keeps on giving as my reread on AO3 this past Christmas inspired Perfect Doesn’t Need to be Perfect. I had been severely struggling with being even remotely creative in 2020, and barely wrote anything. You, Pixie, gave me back my inspiration. Thank you. And thanks for the piggyback ride here. I hope you enjoy my interpretation of your fantastic story.

Perfect Doesn’t Need to be Perfect

**Contains Spoilers for Taurus Pixie’s story Twelve Days of Chatmas**

Summary: Chat Noir has run into a long streak of poor luck, all in an attempt to give Ladybug the perfect Christmas gift. Little does he know, his first try was already perfect in Ladybug’s eyes. Now it’s her turn to try to navigate around Chat Noir’s failed attempts in her own pursuit to find something equally fantastic for him. **A Switched-POV Unofficial Companion Story to Twelve Days of Chatmas by Taurus Pixie**

Rating: General Audience

Chapter Word Count: 2073

Story Total Word Count: 37,973

Status: chapter 1 of 12; complete

**For reals, if you haven’t read Twelve Days of Chatmas yet, read that first so my story doesn’t spoil anything for you. It’s cool. This story will still be here when you get back. ;) **

See below for chapter 1, or find this story over on AO3, on FFN, or on DA.

CHAPTER 1:

Ladybug paced the rooftop her and Chat Noir agreed upon as a meeting spot. They were supposed to go on patrol nearly ten minutes ago, and he was still nowhere to be seen. It wasn't like him to be late for patrol; for any sort of scheduled meet-up with her, actually. If anything, he was typically the one waiting, eager to spend as much time as possible together.

“It's getting close to Christmas,” she reminded herself. “Maybe he's caught up in some family festivities or something. He's fine.” She tried picturing him hanging up Christmas ornaments on a tree, which ended up a bit amusing since she could only picture him how she knew him: as Chat Noir. She imagined him perched on his extended stick so he could reach the top of the tree to place the star or secure the lights or sprinkle some tinsel on everything. Ladybug then had a nice little chuckle at the idea of Chat Noir just tossing tinsel like some overly enthusiastic flower girl.

“Yeah,” she breathed out in assurance, “he's just covered in tinsel right now, or tangled up in lights, or freaking out his family as he juggles the Christmas ornaments or something. He's fine, just lost track of the time. That's all.” She let out a shaky sigh and checked her yo-yo again.

No akuma alerts, so at least it seemed fine that their patrol was starting late, and Chat Noir wasn't caught up in a battle she didn't know about. Ladybug again walked the length of the roof, hoping maybe Chat Noir was just out of view of where she was waiting. Still nothing.

Another check of her yo-yo. No messages from Chat Noir either.

“Where are you?” she asked the wind.

The sun was nearly set. While Paris was typically lit up fairly brightly at night – especially with all the added illuminated Christmas decorations – and she could see well enough, it still bothered her that she no longer had the daylight for their patrol. Potential akuma victims could be hiding in the shadows, trying to find somewhere to be alone with their pain, and she'd have a much harder time finding them now. She really needed Chat Noir to help her, and he was over ten minutes late.

Where is he? Did he forget? She opened her yo-yo once more. Still no messages from him. Her thumbs hovered over the touch screen as she debated sending him a text or calling him. With an audible sigh and drooping of her shoulders, she closed her yo-yo again. There was no point; he wouldn't be able to get the messages unless he was Chat Noir, and if he was powered up he should be coming to meet up with her.

“Please be okay.” Her fingers gently brushed across her yo-yo, hoping for some sort of contact from her partner. Shaking the nerves loose, she paced the rooftop once more. “Five more minutes. Then I'll just patrol on my own. He's fine. He probably just forgot. Or he got caught up in something. Or-”

As she turned a corner she spotted him. Chat Noir stood on a rooftop across the street from where she was waiting. He was just staring at her with a goofy smile on his face. No. He wasn't staring at her, he was staring past her, as if he were lost in thought or something.

“Chat Noir?” She was getting worried and he was lazily daydreaming? Without so much as a text to let her know he was alright and on his way? How long had he been standing there?

Chat Noir jumped when Ladybug called out to him; ripped out of his reverie. He blinked a few times, clearly trying to catch his bearings as she walked to the back ledge of the roof she was on.

“I was starting to get worried. Where were you? What are you doing standing over there?” Before he could answer, Ladybug lassoed the chimney beside him with her yo-yo and swung herself over to him. As soon as she landed she rushed to Chat Noir to look him over to make sure he was alright. He didn't seem to be puppeted by an akumatized villain, but she wasn't sure how to be certain about that.

Chat Noir didn't answer her. He didn't move. He simply gulped as she stretched her body out to get a good look at his eyes. They weren't glazed over like they tend to be when he was being controlled. Ladybug couldn't figure out why he was acting so strange.

“Okay, now I'm really worried.” She waved a hand in front of his face and watched as his eyes followed it. “You're never this quiet. Has something happened?”

“No!” Chat Noir snapped back to normal as he blurted out the first thing Ladybug heard from him all night. He gave her his goofy grin that he clearly thought looked suave. His eyes had their usual twinkle. He was fine, a bit distant at first, but now he was himself again.

Tension released from Ladybug's shoulders and neck, but her face still scrunched in confusion. Where was he just a moment ago, and why hadn't he tried to contact her?

“Then what's going on? Why were you so late?” As she asked the questions she wondered if he could even answer. If it was something that might reveal who he is would he withhold that info, or use this as an excuse to drop her hints?

No, she told herself, he knows the rules. He may want us to know who the other is, but he wouldn't purposefully try to reveal himself or figure out who I am.

“I...errr...” He started scratching the back of his head as he broke eye contact.

It was something personal, and I'm over here demanding to know! I'm such an idiot! Ladybug berated herself. As she opened her mouth to tell him to not worry about it, he preemptively cut her off.

“I-I got you a Christmas present.” This was the most nervous she had seen Chat Noir. To know it was over him getting her a present was kind of adorable. “Well,” he continued with a small squeak in his voice, “made you a Christmas present.”

Ladybug took a step back as she finally noticed Chat Noir had been protectively cradling something in his hands. He shot it forward to show her his surprise.

He held out a tiny terra cotta pot barely five centimeters tall and fitted snugly with white foam. Sticking out of the foam was a charming, albeit clumsily cut out, card stock tree with curving branches. Almond-shaped leaves cut out of green construction paper and doused in green glitter filled out the tree in a fluffy circle arching around the trunk. It must have taken him hours to cut out and glue on the dozens of leaves, and Ladybug could picture the poor guy still finding the green glitter in his home for months to come with the amount he used. Plump looking pears were cut out of yellow-green construction paper and scattered throughout the tree. Perched atop the trunk, nestled within the main Y of the branches, was an adorably round bird made out of brown card stock with little gray accents colored in with marker. The smallest wooden clothespin Ladybug had ever seen was painted red and glued onto the bird for its beak. Clasped within the beak was an equally tiny note with Ladybug delicately written across the front of it. The finishing touch, however, were the two dozen or so red valentine hearts – also cloaked in glitter; Chat Noir's poor table – hung throughout the pear tree sculpture like romantic Christmas ornaments.

There were bits where the glue was clumped and poking out from behind the leaves or hearts, and some of the hearts were cockeyed or stuck to the trunk instead of the leaves and branches; clearly they had shifted before the glue could dry and he hadn't noticed. The tree also leaned forward a bit from the weight of the clothespin and note not being counterbalanced. The whole thing was a bit unpolished, and a bit rushed in places, but it was also clear that so much time and dedication and effort was put into it. The little card stock tree was a bit goofy and clumsy, and maybe not the most well thought out, but it was also endearing in its imperfections. This project was just so Chat Noir that Ladybug couldn't think of a more perfect present.

“Aww, Chat Noir, you didn't have to-”

A sharp winter wind startled them as it whipped past, tilting Ladybug slightly off balance with its force. The tree did not fair as well.

Chat Noir stared in shock, one eye twitching, as he held tight to the pot. The card stock tree was nearly ripped out of the foam; dangling by a small corner as the trunk itself, now terribly bent, leaned against the side of the pot. A good quarter of the leaves that weren't quite dry were either shifted out of place or blown off completely. Three of the pears were lost to the wind, and the rest were stuck to the trunk of the tree or the edge of the pot. Not a single heart ornament remained. The partridge now dangled upside down on one of the branches, with the note ripped where the wind tried to tear it from the faithful grip of the wooden beak. A long glue smear trailed behind the paper bird, and glitter was stripped from the leaves the partridge passed through.

All of that work, and one good gust wrecked it. Ladybug knew that pain all too well.

“Chat Noir, are-”

“And this wasn't it! This wasn't the present I got you.” Chat Noir forced laughter and too broad of a smile as he took a step away from Ladybug. “As if I would get you something so horrible.”

Ladybug's face fell into a little pout. It pained her that he thought so poorly of his gift. “Chat Noir, it's fi-”

“Next time I see you, I'll give you the present you deserve.” Both of their eyes drifted to the damaged pear tree sculpture. “This was just a joke.” Chat Noir gestured with the pot and then forced another laugh. “But I promise,” he continued, taking a few more retreating steps, “that you shall have a Christmas present worthy of someone as amazing as you! You'll see!” He hastily placed the pot on the roof as he took his stick off his back. The second the pot was out of his hand, the stick extended to jettison Chat Noir into the sky.

“Chat Noir! Wait!” Ladybug rushed towards him, arm outstretched. “What about-”

He propellered his stick to glide a few houses down the street; definitely out of earshot. In a flash he was leaping across the Seine and was gone.

“-patrol,” Ladybug finished with a sigh. It was probably too late to bother anyway. Plus, her heart wasn't really in it either, not after her partner was so crushed.

She bent down and gingerly picked up the little sculpture off the roof. Turning it slowly in her hands, she admired the craftsmanship Chat Noir had put into this immensely heartfelt gift. Picking at the partridge, the bird slid some more; the glue still hadn't set. She glanced in the direction that Chat Noir disappeared, and gave a little smile and knowing head shake. She delicately played more with the bird until she could wiggle it free of the sculpture. Placing the pot back on the rooftop, she opened up the magical pocket within her yo-yo, and placed the bird and note gently inside. Next were the pears and loose leaves. As she stood back up a few of the hearts caught her eye. She managed to collect five of them and put those in her yo-yo as well. Once she believed she had cleaned up as much of Chat Noir's project as she could find, she cradled the sculpture and started home.

She was determined to find a way to prove to Chat Noir how precious this present was to her. In the meantime, her mind whirled with gift ideas for him in return.

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