#this was my christmas break project and it's been so much fun!

[barbwritesstuff]

Thicker Than - Monthly Update

Happy Full Moon!

Here's the link to the Thicker Than Demo.

This is a really short little update this month because I took a few weeks off this project during the Christmas/NY break. I’ve started work on Chapter Thirteen, writing all the ally interactions and the first part of Lucius’ interrogation scene. I had a lot of fun writing some of the interactions (perhaps too much fun, because the tone is a little all over the place and needs a wee bit of editing). I hope they’re fun to play too.

A couple of readers have let me know that it’s really hard to have a lot of allies in the last bit of the story without romancing them. Specifically, it’s almost impossible to have Iliya and Marcel in the final part of the story if one or both of them haven’t been romanced. I’m treating this as a bug and am going to try and make it easier to have more allies in the end game without having to seduce them. 😅

As always, thanks so much for your feedback and support. This game is SO BIG now. It's mind boggling to think about how far it's come. I wouldn't have been able to do this for so long without the awesome community of people sending me feedback, encouragement, or just silly little asks.

As always, if you like what I do and would like to drop a dollar or two into my tip jar, or if you'd like to follow along with my weekly progress, here's the link to my KoFi page.

Update Details:

More scenes and dialogue added to chapter 13

Additional Words: 6,808 (excluding commands)

Total Word Count: 479,033 (excluding commands)

[kirbysdreamlandd]

Calm to my chaos

Hamzah X Y/N (GN)

SFW, Fluff, Hamzah X Reader

This was an Anonymous request :)

It was so fun and enjoyable to write, I sincerely hope you like it!!! (Requests open atm!)

You toss the last pillow onto the freshly made bed and step back, hands on your hips. The room looks better now; everything in its place, laundry done, clothes not piled up and tossed on the bed by Hamzah in his usual rush to “find something more comfortable.”

Your eyes drift to the nightstand, cluttered with a mix of strange AI-generated photos of Hamzah and a collection of Polaroids he’d gifted you.

One, in particular, stands out to you: a snapshot Claire had taken of the two of you cuddled on the couch. His head rested on your shoulder, and you were wearing his worn Canada hat, both of you sticky and asleep after accidentally spilling cans of Celsius on each other.

That night had started as a drunken dare to stay awake until sunrise, fueled by way too many energy drinks and the leftover buzz of the day’s events.

Neither of you made it, crashing in a heap before midnight. The morning was a blur of “peach vibe”scented regret, waiting for your clothes to finish washing in the laundry room. And that’s where it happened: Hamzah confessed his feelings as you sat perched on the vibrating machine, quietly wondering if the masturbation theory really was true.

“Celsi US ❤️” was scrawled at the bottom of the Polaroid in Hamzah’s messy handwriting. A painfully corny wordplay only he could come up with, that somehow stirred a cheesy smile in you every time.

Your thoughts wander to him. He’d been on the go all day, between filming the OOC podcast and inhaling the dinner you’d carefully plated for him after work like a perfect 1950s housewife. Then, instead of unwinding for the evening, he’d smothered you on the couch for two minutes before disappearing back into his office.

The Christmas project they were working on consumed so much of his time, leaving you with nothing but the lonely holiday breaks you had hoped to spend with him.

You grab a stray water glass from the nightstand and head toward the office. The hallway is quiet except for the faint clicking of a keyboard and an occasional muttered word—probably him cursing over Adobe Premiere again.

You push the door open gently, pausing for a moment to scan the room, almost as if you expected him to be anywhere but sitting in front of his computer.

You make your way to the water dispenser, the one you always reminded Hamzah to refill, yet there it was again: stagnant water sitting at the bottom that for some strange reason Hamzah was still adamant about drinking.

His hoodie is bunched up around his elbows, his finger rapidly tapping on the table while staring at a loading screen. His lips pursed in concentration, he seemed so lost in whatever he was doing that you almost felt guilty for even thinking about interrupting his trance.

You reached a hand on the dispenser.

The object had become a strange kind of gateway for both of you. You, of course, would never drink from it given it was clearly Hamzah’s idea to buy it in the first place. So, whenever you walked into the office and reached for the dispenser, Hamzah knew instantly you were after him and not the water.

He slightly turned his head, a half-smile quickly tugging at the corner of his lips.

He leaned back in his chair, a loud, almost exaggerated groan escaping his mouth as he stretched his arms over his head, his body slightly spasming from the effort.

The movement was dramatic, the kind of over-the-top action that only Hamzah could pull off.

He looked at you, then at your glass of water.

“Baby,” he called, his expression a mix of confusion and amusement. “What’s up? Want some water?”

He joked, a hand patting the water dispenser with a grin that was equal parts teasing and fond.

“No thanks, I’ll pass on the ancient waters that rest in this sacred device.” you quipped back, your hand now resting on the dispenser as well, locking eyes with him in a silent stare-off.

He chuckled before getting distracted by a noise coming through his headphones.

“You really should try it though.” he continued, his eyes still locked on the bright screen, a cocky smile on his lips you knew was directed to you. “How do you think I got so beautiful?”

You rolled your eyes, a disappointed yet frustrated scoff escaping your lips as you set the glass down on the table, hoping the loud clink would catch his attention. But of course, his headphones were on now, completely blocking out the world around him.

He was usually the affectionate type, even when you were the one working. He loved sitting next to you, his hand casually resting on your thigh as he scrolled through his phone, chuckling at the silly videos he stumbled upon. Sometimes he’d even comment on your work, assisted you with technical problems or just gave you a smile or nod of approval after you turned to him for feedback.

But when it came to his work, he always felt a little distant. Hours could pass with him hunched over his desk, his face and Martin’s flashing repeatedly on the screen as he clipped, trimmed, and adjusted footage.

The only time he emerged from his bubble was for the occasional bathroom break or to refill his water bottle before diving right back in.

Sure, he paid attention to you, but only if you sought it out. You had to knock, call his name, or physically step into the room to remind him you were there. Otherwise, he’d remain buried in his tasks, entirely absorbed in his world. And no matter how many times you pulled him out of it, he never stopped himself.

You leaned against the wooden rack, watching him work. His head tilted slightly, the tip of his tongue resting on his top teeth as he dragged the cursor across the screen with precision. As much as you hated him for overworking himself so much, you couldn’t help but find his focused expressions incredibly cute.

You let out a quiet sigh, wrapping your arms around yourself. The faint clatter of his keyboard softened, and when you glanced back at him, you noticed Hamzah’s gaze flick toward you. He paused his work, tilting his head slightly as if to catch your attention. A small, playful pout formed on his lips as he leaned back in his chair, his eyes wide and pleading like a puppy’s. He pursed his lips dramatically, making a soft “mwah” sound as he leaned forward, signaling for a kiss.

“Seriously?” You leaned, folding your arms even more against your chest.

His expression didn’t falter. He kept the same exaggerated pout on his lips, his big, expectant eyes locked on yours. Slowly, his headphones slipped off his head, coming to rest around his neck, his body leaning slightly toward you as if silently urging you closer.

You rolled your eyes, but the faintest smile tugged at your lips. “Okay.” you muttered, leaning down and brushing your lips against his in a quick, playful kiss.

Pulling back from him, you caught the sight of a flustered smile tugging at the corners of his lips, his cheeks faintly pink under the soft glow of the monitor.

Sliding his headphones back over his ears, he muttered a quiet, almost shy, “Love you” the words slipping out like second nature. You didn’t miss the way his tongue darted out to subtly lick his lips, a small, involuntary gesture that made you melt.

“Love you too.” you replied under your breath, knowing he wouldn’t hear you as he was already absorbed in his editing.

You made your way to the messy bed across the room, a sigh escaping you as you took in the scene. A couple of items of clothing lay haphazardly across the mattress; an old hoodie, a pair of socks half-bunched together like they’d been tossed aside by a messy boyfriend who couldn’t be bothered to clean up.

Hamzah didn’t look back, already focused on his work again, but the flustered smile lingered on his face, and you couldn’t help but feel a little proud that you’d managed to break through his usual focused working state.

You instinctively folded and placed the clothes on the edge of the bed before exhaustedly plopping yourself onto your clean side of the bed.

As you settled under the blanket, you watched him for a while longer, a small smile tugging at your lips. You loved staring at your boyfriend when he wasn’t noticing, when he was lost in his world, unaware of how intently you observed him. There was something comforting about it, the way he existed so naturally, so unguarded, even in the midst of his chaotic work.

His resting face was soft, the tension that usually marked his features fading away when he was absorbed in editing. His dark eyes darted quickly between the screen and the clips, a mix of concentration and effortless focus.

You would tease him about it often, the way his mouth was usually slightly open when he was concentrating on something. But in reality, you found it incredibly endearing.

Eventually, the rhythmic sound of his typing, the small heater emanating warm air around the room and the coziness of the blanket pulled you under, your eyes growing heavy as you drifted off to sleep, feeling completely at ease in the little space you both shared.

Rousing you up from your slumber was the faint sensation of the bed shifting.

Then came the warmth of Hamzah’s body pressed against yours, his arms wrapping around you as he cuddled up beside you.

His face nuzzled into the crook of your neck, his breathing soft but steady. “I think I need a break…” he mumbled, his voice thick with exhaustion and his jaw hitting your collarbone as he spoke.

You didn’t stir much, still half-dreaming, but you could feel the shift in the atmosphere. His usual energetic presence, always so absorbed in his work, seemed to fade as he sought the comfort of your closeness.

You let out a soft hum, your voice still heavy with sleep. “Finally realizing you’re not a robot?” you teased lightly, though your tone was warm, not sharp.

Hamzah chuckled weakly, his breath tickling your neck. “Maybe. Or maybe I just needed you to remind me.” he murmured, his words soft and unhurried.

You smiled faintly, your hand coming to rest over his where it still lingered on your abdomen. “That’s what I’m here for. To make sure you don’t completely burn out.”

He shuffled even closer, his face nestled in your passion fruit-scented hair. It was a scent he’d grown to adore, one that always brought a cheesy smile to his lips. You couldn’t help but think back to the day he bought that shampoo for you, completely clueless about hair products but determined to help when you had run out. He’d simply picked one that smelled like your favorite fruit, hoping it would please you.

Even though you’d stocked up on your preferred brand soon after, you still used the one he bought every now and then. You loved the way it made his face light up when he caught the scent, a subtle reminder of the effort he put in, even in the smallest things.

Hamzah let out a soft hum, the warmth of his breath brushing against your hair. “Yum, passion fruit.” he mumbled sleepily, his voice muffled but laced with a smile.

You chuckled, your stomach rising and falling, causing his and your hand to bounce slightly with the motion.

“I’m glad you like that shampoo,” he continued, his voice teasing but warm. “It was either that, or the one with Bluey on the packaging.”

You laughed, turning your head just enough to catch his sleepy grin. You turned back, gently shaking your head in an annoyed but amused manner.

“You say that like you wouldn’t have bought that one for yourself.” you teased, grinning at the thought.

“No” he exclaimed with mock offense, his tone exaggerated and dramatic. “You would never let me.”

His head shifted, his nose brushing against your shoulder as he adjusted closer. The exaggerated pout on his lips melted away, replaced by soft, tender kisses planted along your back. Each one was unhurried, a quiet apology for his earlier teasing and an expression of the affection he couldn’t easily put into words. You interlocked your fingers with his, still resting on your stomach.

“I’m glad you’re here.” Hamzah murmured, his breath warm against your skin. You smiled softly, gently squeezing his hand into yours.

“And not just because you clean up my mess.” he added.

You scoffed playfully, lightly slapping the back of his hand.

He paused for a moment, his breathing shifting as he seemed to collect his thoughts.

“Actually, it is because of that.” he continued, his hand moving away from your stomach and slowly drifting up your torso. “You clean up my mess. Whether it’s in my house or in my mind.”

His voice was firm now, his words no longer just a casual remark but a deep, genuine expression as he leaned in closer.

His arm wrapped around you like a safety belt, a hand resting softly on your heart, making you feel if his words were reaching deep inside you.

“You’re the calm to my chaos.” His words hung between you, and you could feel your heartbeat slow as it was enveloped by the warmth of Hamzah’s hand covering your chest.

You rested your head against his, your fingers gently tracing the outline of his arm, shivers running down from it from your touch. The quiet breathing against your ear, his subtle shifts as he held you close, it all blended into a perfect harmony, a peaceful rhythm that wrapped you both the comforting embrace of eachother.

[lexirosewrites]

for slick sunday, i've been thinking about this very specific idea for the last two days (it's been adjusted slightly to fit the "new" theme for this week just bc i think it's fun :) )

thinking of alpha eddie and omega steve in a secret relationship. they've been courting for ages, on the cusp of mating, but they've been waiting for the right time. neither of them were quite ready to take their relationship into the world, and that's exactly what would've happened had they mated. see, eddie is very much in the public eye. his band is, like, really out there. not quite world famous, but they do a lot of press and a bunch of different projects and such. eddie was recently featured on a relatively popular song, and the others have been in movies/tv shows as one-off side characters here and there. point is, people know who they are. and the paparazzi knows nothing about privacy.

it's not exactly easy to hide a mating bond (tho it is possible), so they just decided together that they would wait.

and then steve gets pregnant.

they still don't mate yet, but it changes everything for them. they know they're not going to be able to hide it for long. part of steve is a little relieved, honestly. he'd never say it out loud, but he missed the days before eddie got famous. when they could go out on dates and grocery shop together and just generally exist together in public, even though they were still keeping it pretty low-key back then too.

steve mostly stays home during the first several months of his pregnancy. it's hard on him, and there are days he can barely get out of bed because he feels so sick. he gets lightheaded easily, and he's constantly nauseous. the doctor said it's normal. he just needs rest and fluids. so that's what he does. and they talk, a lot. about everything.

eddie never makes a formal statement about their relationship, that's never been his vibe. he does, however, hard launch their relationship via one photo on social media. it's of him and steve on new years, standing in front of the christmas tree they hadn't taken down yet. they're wearing those headbands that have the year in giant, flimsy, gold numbers, facing each other. they're foreheads are pressed together, and eddie is grinning like a goddamn idiot bc of how in love with steve he is. steve's six-month baby bump is between them, and eddie's got his hands over the sides. it's captioned with a simple, "new year, new adventures with the love of my life"

obviously, that photo practically breaks the internet within two hours. it's everywhere. everyone is talking about it. the band doesn't say a word, outside of gareth logging into the band account to share it on their story, and the others sharing the post on their own accounts. they all just go on as normal, like nothing ever happened. they don't answer any of the comments. the band is seen coming and going from the studio a few times over the next month and a half, and then nothing. radio silent on all fronts. everyone wants to know what's going on.

it's at the end of april that people finally get their answer, in a series of photos posted to eddie's account. photos of a tiny baby; some with steve in them, some with eddie, but mostly just the baby. hailey jo munson (jo, after wayne, who's middle name is joseph; he definitely did NOT cry about that, thank you very much) was born on april 5th, happy and healthy and loved.

four months after that, eddie is seen leaving a grocery store with bags of baby supplies in his arms, a wedding band on his finger, and a fresh mating bite. no one is the least bit surprised by that one.

and no one is surprised in the slightest when a year and a half later, after corroded coffin's probably most successful album is released (there's a couple songs that are not-so-secretly about hailey, tho eddie really did try to be subtle), another pregnancy announcement goes live on eddie munson's account.

happy slick sunday my friends :)

i know slick sunday has ruined me because i kept waiting for something bad to happen😅 thank you for the fluff!!!

[chrystal-ink]

Shadvent Calendar Day 25!!!!!!!

Shadow X GN Reader

Merry Christmas

Twas the morning of Christmas and all through the house

not a creature was stirring not even a chao.

The Stockings were filled with gifts and much more

And presents under the tree there was so much was in store.

the lovers were snuggled nice and warm in their bed

with dreams of each other dancing round in their head.

and that my dear reader sets the scene,

for I quickly grew tired of this rhyme scheme.

🎄

Shadow was the first to awaken, cracking his eyes open he saw that you were still wrapped in his arms from the night before. he looked down admiring how beautiful you looked as you slept, so serene and gentle. he couldn't help but lay a kiss between your ears, holding you close as you snoozed.

your eyes fluttered open after about thirty minuets, feeling a warm embrace and the sweet sensation of Shadow petting your hair you looked up at him and smiled.

"Good morning sweetheart" you said your voice still a little groggy.

"Good morning my love, merry Christmas" he said gently.

"Is that really today?"

"Yes, would you like some breakfast, or maybe open up some presents?"

"mmm, In a little while, I want to stay here for a bit."

"very well love, take as long as you need."

You two spent the next hour snuggling in bed holding onto each other keeping the cold weather at bay. the two of you holding each other's ungloved hands enjoying the soft intimacy of skin on skin contact. sweet nothings were whispered as the wind blew softly against the window.

"I suppose we should have some breakfast" You said finally ready to begin the day.

"How would you like me to help?"

"Could you feed the Chao and grab our pancake toppings from the pantry"

"Consider it done"

The two of you quickly got to work on your tasks You brewed some coffee and grabbed Shadow his beans. Within a half hour you had a pancake feast ready for the two of you.

After breakfast you couldn't wait anymore. It was time for presents.

The two of you took turns opening one another's gift's. Much to your surprise Shadow was a very advanced gift giver. he gave you things you never thought to ask for, like a replica of your favorite toy from childhood, the perfect accessory for an outfit that never felt quite complete to you, a signed album from your favorite musician. what warmed your heart the most wasn't the things themselves but the fact that he had listened to you, he took the time to know you well enough and chose your gifts from the heart, that was the best gift you received on Christmas morning.

after presents you went on a walk enjoying the winter weather. you played in the snow even letting Shadow's Chao in on the fun.

Vanilla insisted on having everyone over for Christmas dinner. Her home filled with the most wonderful aromas imaginable. a meal made with love and served to a company of your closest friend's, what could be better than that.

That night after the two of you had gone home, you were snuggled up by the fireplace.

"Did You have a good Christmas?" Shadow asked

"The best" you responded

"I'm glad you think so."

Shadow placed a kiss on your lips, warming your insides any hint of a chill destroyed by his love.

"Merry Christmas Shadow"

"Merry Christmas Y/N"

Note: Oh my gosh it's Finally Done!!!! I want to thank everyone who has read this series even if you only read one or two it means so much to me, every like, comment, and reblog really helped push me forward and keep going with this series. this is the first time I've ever completed a project like this and I'm so proud of myself. I started this blog to help me get through a really tough personal time and thanks to all of you lovely readers you helped me get through it. I will be taking a short break for now not too long maybe just a week or two. I have been writing for this blog non-stop since October and I want to avoid any burn out. I will be back soon with Regency Au part three (which is looking to be very long) and chapter one of my enemies to lovers series so be sure look out for those soon. I will continue to do my one shots as well as I really enjoy doing them I think I'll probably need to figure out a schedule lol. until next time, Merry Christmas and have a beautiful Day.

Much love,

-Chrystal

[aviiarie]

“𝐓𝐀𝐊𝐄 𝐀 𝐁𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐊!” — feat. kaveh & reader !

synopsis. kaveh is not having a great week. luckily, he has a best friend to distract him.

✦ contents. platonic! they are friends! best friends! modern au (they're still in university though.) some sumeru character cameos. gn!reader. fluff. 3.1k words.

✦ notes. this is my secret santa gift for.... @tragedy-of-commons! merry christmas gwen, i hope you enjoy!!! i did my best to make this as silly and fun as possible :"))

“Wow... you look even worse than I left you.”

Kaveh groaned, squeezing his eyes shut. The desk was cold under his forehead, a sweet relief from the headache pounding behind his eyes. Maybe he could lay there a little while longer, languishing in his misery, and you would lose interest and leave him. Maybe...

“Hey! Don't fall asleep on me!”

Alas, such mercy would never find him. If your voice—far too loud for a library, he would say—wasn't already enough to disturb his brooding, then the rolled up paper in your hands definitely did the job.

“Ouch,” He mumbled, rubbing the back of his head. “Leave me 'lone...”

“Nope, not a chance.” You slip into the seat directly across him, your chin resting on the palm of your hand. “So, how much progress has been made?”

“I'm at about—” Kaveh sat up wearily, sifting through his scattered papers. “—21%.”

“Weren't you at 30% an hour ago?” You blinked.

“Yes.”

“Oh, Kaveh—”

“I'm fine, I just need... some time.” Kaveh gritted out, scanning the dozens of failed designs and hastily written notes. “And... and some inspiration. And maybe some coffee too.”

“And some sleep?”

“Are you kidding?” He scoffed, as he gathered the papers into a neat pile. “I can't sleep now. I need to get this project done, or else I'm failing this class. I can't afford a fail right now, this is making up 50% of my grade, and I only scored an 85 on the written exam, and my draft is due in a week and—”

A smack in the middle of his forehead snapped him out of his rambling. Kaveh reeled back, nursing the faint sting, as you re-rolled the paper in your hand.

“What was that for!” He cried.

“You can't keep wallowing, you're never going to get anything done! It's about time you took a break.” Carefully, you unroll the paper you were holding, to reveal a colourful poster. “And I know exactly what we can do!”

Kaveh squints at the flyer. It looked to be hand-drawn and photocopied, depicting a bustling market with smiling visitors holding mouth-watering food and bags stuffed with souvenirs. Across the top, the text read: Come visit Sumeru's Fair!

“A fair...” Kaveh murmured, reading the fine text. “This says it's only open the last week of December.”

You paused, shooting him a suspicious look. “Kaveh, do you know what day it is?”

“Uh... December... something?” He guessed.

“Well—Well, yeah.” You huffed, snatching the poster back to wave in his face. “The point is, you need some time to clear your head, and I don't want to go alone. So...?”

-----

By some miracle, your persuasion (and Kaveh's weak will towards anything you try to convince him to do) is effective enough to leave his project behind. The gates are swarming with people when you arrive, a few familiar faces sticking through the crowd, along with dozens of families and couples enjoying the festivities.

“Two tickets, please!” You grinned, handing over some money to the salesperson before Kaveh could even offer to pay for his own. The tired-looking employee hands over the tickets, and you grab Kaveh's hand to drag him towards the entrance. “Thank you!”

As soon as you step through, there is a rainbow of colours filling his vision. Brightly coloured stalls are set up with carnival games, food, and other attractions on either side, forming an aisle. Behind them, he could see a Ferris Wheel peeking out over the tents, as well as some other rides he couldn't quite make out.

“What should we do first?” You asked excitedly, scanning your surroundings.

“Wasn't this your idea?” Kaveh raised an eyebrow. “Shouldn't I be asking you that?”

“Ever heard of living in the moment?” You chided, looping your arm through his to lead him forward. “Do you have money?”

Kaveh rolled his eyes, allowing himself to be pulled along. “Do you think I—”

“No, you're broke, I don't know why I asked. Okay, I have some money. Enough for a few rides and some food, at least.” You paused to take a breath, glancing over to a stall on your left. “Woah, look at that!”

Kaveh followed your gaze, to a small stand set up with a simple throwing game. There were a few old cans stacked up, and a grinning attendant looking back at the two of them with a beanbag in his hand. That wasn't what caught your attention though. No, your eyes were firmly fixed on the stuffed animal hanging at the back of the stall, dangling just out of reach like Tantalus' fruit.

“It's a peacock!” You gasped, hand reaching out as if to try and touch the plush feathers sewn into its tail. For a carnival prize, it was remarkably well-made, and utterly adorable; there was no wonder you looked entranced by it.

“Something you like?” The attendant crooned. He tossed the beanbag from hand to hand, casually throwing it in the air and catching it again. “You get three tries, knock all six cans over and pick whatever prize you want.”

Kaveh squinted at the cans. It looked easy, deceptively easy. The beanbag was soft, but appeared to be sturdy enough to knock the cans down in one go, and yet none of the prizes had been won yet. The entire game seemed fishy, but the prospect of the peacock plushie in your hands was enough to distract you. Before he could even voice his skepticism, you had bought three tries.

“Here you go,” The man behind the booth tossed you three beanbags and stepped out of the way as you lined up your throw. The first hit one of the cans squarely in the middle, but bounced right off.

“Argh!” You gritted your teeth and aimed again, as Kaveh's frown deepened.

The second throw was heavier, and hit one of the middle cans, dislodging the structure but failing to knock it down.

“Last go! Good luck.” The man laughed brightly, and you scowled. You threw the beanbag one last time, knocking the can at the very top over with the sheer force of your throw. “Nicely done! Let me get your prize.”

Your eyes lit up in anticipation, before he handed you a dusty pack of cards, the flimsy kind you would find in a discount store. “Oh... is that it?”

“Try knocking them all over, if you want something better.” He chuckled. “Unless you wanted to try again...?”

You thought about it for a moment, considering the obvious baiting versus how badly you wanted that prize. You nodded, and Kaveh sighed.

This time though, he paid attention.

The way that the cans moved when you hit them was odd. Hitting either in the center row, or the middle one in the bottom row didn't shake it enough to move much at all, but the top can knocked over easily. If he had to guess, they were weighted differently to make the structure more stable, and much harder to topple. The closest you got to tipping over any of them was when one of your beanbags hit the one on the far left, moving it slightly out of place.

Interesting.

“Ugh, this is impossible,” You groaned, after wasting another three tries.

“You're getting better each time!” The attendant said, while he fixed the can that was askew.

“Let me try.” Kaveh cut in. He handed over some of the little money he'd brought with him, and took the offered bean bags.

“Good luck,” You told him ruefully. Kaveh took a deep breath, steeling himself. His aim wasn't terrible, but with the game being as obviously rigged as it was, he wasn't certain he'd be able to hit it.

The first throw, he hit the corner can directly in the middle, just hard enough to push it backwards slightly. It didn't topple the structure, but after zeroing in on the weakest link, knocking it down would be easy.

The second throw was slightly short, only hitting the side of the can. It moved it, causing the stack to wobble, but did little to actually achieve his goal of making it fall over.

Finally, he lined up his last throw. This was it, his last chance. With all his force, he hurled the beanbag at the tower of cans, hitting the corner squarely and pushing it right over. Without the bottom to support it, the second and third layer fell down, knocking over the other cans as well.

“You did it!” You cheered, squeezing Kaveh in a quick hug.

“Congratulations!” The man said, fishing behind the counter for something. “Here you go.”

In his hands was an ugly stuffed bear, with fluorescent pink fur and beady black eyes. He held it out like it was a diamond ring, grinning at Kaveh with finality.

“Oh... but didn't you say if I knocked down six cans I could choose whatever one I wanted?” Kaveh asked, wondering if he misheard the man. He nodded towards the plush you were eyeing. “I actually wanted the peacock over there.”

“Well, see, you have to knock them down in one try if you want the big prize.” The attendant scoffed. “Or else it doesn't count.”

“You didn't say that!” You protested. “You only said knock three cans down.”

“And I did knock them down in one try,” Kaveh argued. “On my last try, they all fell down at once.”

“It has to be your first one, boy.”

“You didn't say that either!” You threw your hands up in frustration, voice reaching a shout.

“Fine.” Kaveh snatched the ugly looking bear, and shoved it at you. He dug around for his wallet, slapping the last of his money on the counter.

“You already won a bear, don't you want to let someone else have a turn?” The attendant protested. Sure enough, there was a small line of people waiting for their turn. Still, Kaveh shook his head.

“One more turn, and I leave.”

The man, perhaps hoping to make him leave quicker, or perhaps just interested in more of his money, handed him some more beanbags with a grumble. He turned around to set up the cans again, arranging them into another pyramid.

Kaveh watched him carefully, noting the way he paused before placing down each can, clearly feeling the weight of each. He noted the way the man was sure to place the slightly lighter can on the other corner, probably hoping that Kaveh would aim for the same one and fail to knock it over.

“Hit it as hard as you can,” You whispered to him, once he was done. “Picture it as something you hate, and hit it with everything you've got.”

Kaveh squinted at the cans. Something he hated...

Nothing immediately came to mind. Perhaps his roommate, who had a personality as enjoyable as a rainy, downcast day. Maybe that engineering professor who marked him down for a tiny spelling mistake. Or even the attendant glowering back at him as he waited for his throw.

Of course, he could always picture that project he was working on, the one that cost him far too many days and nights and still remained unfinished. As he stared at the rusty metal, all he could see was the crossed out sketches and scribbled notes, all a mess that he couldn't decipher. They taunted him; a monument to his failures and shortcomings, a reminder of the progress that he has yet to make—

Without thinking, he reeled back his arm and hurled the beanbag as hard as he could, slamming it into the can. The entire tower toppled over, cans falling from the table onto the floor.

“Yeah! That's my best friend!” You yelled, pumping your fist in the air.

Kaveh tried not to look smug, but a wide grin was already spreading across his face. “The peacock, please.”

The stuffed animal was reluctantly taken down and handed over to him, before he passed it to you.

“There. Consider it my thanks for the ticket,” Kaveh said proudly.

“Thank you,” You smiled down at the peacock, running your hand through the soft tail feathers. “I love it.”

-----

After a few more games with far less luck, the pair of you stopped by the food stalls to get something to eat. There was a wide variety, with some fried foods, some sweet snacks, even a stand selling freshly squeezed lemonade.

You settled on a stall selling pita pockets, and Kaveh had no objections. The smell alone was enough to convince him to line up.

“Oh! Hi [Name], hi Kaveh!” A familiar voice chirped. Collei was stood at the counter, smiling widely.

“Collei, I didn't expect to see you here!” Kaveh greeted her warmly.

“It's my after-school job!” She explained. “I'm trying to earn some extra money for my treatment. I can't be dependent on Tighnari for everything, you know!”

Kaveh's smile faltered for just a moment. Collei's declining health wasn't a secret; there was a reason that her brother had to take care of her so much, but she was still so selfless, even with all of her struggles.

“Ah, I should have asked!” Collei jumped suddenly, scrambling to grab her notepad. “What can I get you today?”

“Just two pita pockets please,” You ordered. “And a water, too.”

“Coming right up!”

After getting your food, the two of you sat down to eat in a shady spot by the fence. The pita pockets were warm and fresh, the perfect thing to quell Kaveh's hunger. When was the last time he had a cooked meal, or any food that wasn't straight out of a vending machine? The focus on his project had stolen away all his attention, leaving him to neglect his own appetite.

“What's next?” You asked through a mouthful of bread, your words slightly muffled.

Kaveh hummed, surveying the rest of the fair. You had walked through most of the surroundings, leaving only a small section unexplored. That portion happened to be the part with all of the rides, where the Ferris Wheel loomed over the food stalls.

“How about the Ferris Wheel?” Kaveh suggested.

Your eyes lit up again, and you jumped to your feet. “Yes! Let's go!”

-----

In hindsight, you should have expected the line, but neither of you even considered the possibility until you were stuck in the middle of it. It was cramped and uncomfortable; the overwhelming crowds were almost enough to deter you. Almost.

“This is taking forever.” You groaned, slumping against Kaveh.

“Have a little patience.” Kaveh sighed, even as his own patience was wearing thin.

Directly in front was an irritated boy with a bowlcut who Kaveh was certain was in one of his classes, accompanied by a young white-haired girl holding his sleeve. Ahead of them, there was a family of four, several couples, another group of friends, and many more waiting for their turn.

It was going to be a long time before they even saw the ticket booth, let alone made it on the Ferris Wheel.

“Oh my, [Name]! Is that you?” A sweet voice called out to you.

You turned to see Nilou, a cheerful girl and another student at your university, waving to catch your attention as she walked over.

“Oh, hi!” You greeted. “How are you?”

“I'm good! I came with Dehya instead, and it's been a wonderful day.” She smiled back, smoothing down the front of her dress.

“That's good. We're just—” You jerked your head to motion towards the line. “—Waiting, as you can tell.”

“Ah, I see. Well, I'm glad you ended up coming, even if you didn't come with me. Isn't it wonderful?” Nilou gushed.

You nodded, with a slightly strained smile. Kaveh noticed the change instantly, studying your expression with a frown. “Yeah, it is.”

“I'd better go, Dehya is waiting for me. Take care, [Name]!” Nilou gave you a brief side-hug, before waving goodbye and dashing off.

“I didn't know you were friends with Nilou.” Kaveh said as soon as she left.

“Yeah, she's a classmate.” You said simply, leaving it at that.

After some time, you managed to make it into the compartment and on the Ferris Wheel. Kaveh sat across from you, pulling his legs close so you had more room to get comfortable, and your peacock plushie rested on your lap. The entire box was filled with windows, giving you a full view of the fair as it rose into the air.

“Woah... you can see everything up here.” As the box began to dip back down, your head swiveled to see as much of the area as possible.

“It's amazing... everything looks so small.” Kaveh breathed, as you hummed in agreement.

The two of you lapsed into a comfortable silence, simply basking in each other's company as you observed the landscape below. There wasn't a need for awkward small talk or idle conversation to fill the space between you; you were happy to just exist with each other for a moment.

“There's one thing I don't get.” Kaveh said suddenly. You looked away from the window with a curious expression, silently waiting for him to elaborate. “You said you didn't have anyone to go here with, but Nilou implied she already asked you and you turned her down. Why is that?”

“Oh. Yeah. I lied.” You shrugged, turning back to watch the Ferris Wheel move upwards.

“Why would you lie?” Kaveh spluttered at your nonchalant response.

You made a noncommittal noise, shrugging again. “Nilou could find someone else to go with. I wanted to go with you.”

He stumbled over his words, trying to get out a coherent response. “But—But why?”

“Do I need a reason?” You laughed, bright and clear. “You're my best friend. And besides, you needed a break. I haven't seen you this relaxed in a week.”

Kaveh fell silent. You had a point, he hadn't felt as relaxed in a while. In fact, he had barely given all of his stresses a thought, since you dragged him to the fair.

You always had that way with him, able to pull him out of his own head and get him back on his feet. Ever since you became friends, you were the ray of sunshine peeking through the clouds and bringing light to even his most dull days.

Maybe that was the foundation of your relationship, all the times you had seen each other at rock bottom, and still stuck around to bring the other back to the surface for air. He'd been witness to many of your own late-night breakdowns over failed assignments and miserable group projects, but he would never dream of leaving you to deal with it on your own.

It was you and him, against the world. As close as two friends could be, and he wouldn't have it any other way.

“What would I do without you?” Kaveh sighed, with a smile on his face. You looked back and grinned at him, the sunlight on your face making it look like you were glowing.

“No idea. But you're stuck with me now.”

🏷️ taglist: @tragedy-of-commons, @mollzaj, @wystiix, @mikashisus.

© aviiarie 2024. do not copy, repost, translate or use my work to train ai

[midnight-mourning]

What's This?

❄️❄️Midnight's DCA December Day 4❄️❄️

Sorry for the lateness! Busy few days and then realized I needed to take some time for myself and make something I enjoy, so finished this finally.

Prompt: Maybe someone teaching Moon what christmas is? My moon just recently became 'sentient' and so doesn't understand alot of things yet! So he'd have no idea what christmas is! I think it'd be cute. Doesn't have to be my Moon, of course. Just the idea that Sun hasn't told him for some reason, so someone else has to!

Word Count: 1239

❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️

"And put the tinsel here, here, and here!" Sun directs, point to various locations around the Daycare.

You chuckle, but follow his orders. 

The two of you were decorating for the holidays, and having found a box of decorations in the back of the Daycare's supply closet, Sun had gotten to work immediately. And had put you to work as well. Additionally, he had asked for you to order more supplies, wanting to spiff the place up as much as possible for the kids. He also mentioned wanting crafting materials for Christmas and holiday themed projects, so that was piled on to this order. 

You think his request for 30 boxes of candy canes was a little excessive, but the rest had all been reasonable and within budget. So, using what you had, and what you now had, to really go all out. 

You cut into another box, opening it to find fake holly and mistletoe, as well as a couple of wreaths. 

"So, any particular reason for this excess cheer this year?" You ask, taking the supplies out and setting them in a pile on a nearby table. 

At this, he clamps up for a moment, but then shakes his head. "Nothing specifically, it just seemed like a good opportunity! I needed ideas for the next few weeks for activities, why not do something to lift the holiday cheer!"

You think the answer was odd in its wording, but can't think of anything to say in response beyond, "Fair enough."

You're mid-decorating when the lights cut, as is usual for this time in the day. 

Without looking up from organizing colored paper and pipe cleaners, you wave in Moon's direction, "Hey, bud. You also in the Christmas spirit?"

No answer. 

You look up, and find Moon is entirely motionless. You would think he was powered off if not for the muted clicks and whirls you hear still emitting from him. 

You frown. "Moon, you alright?"

"I, what..." He tilts his head, and looks around. "What is all of this? Is something happening? Is there some, odd, birthday party occurring today?"

Your brows furrow, "Well, no. This is, these are Christmas decorations. I mean, holidays overall, but mainly for Christmas." 

He takes a step over to where tinsel is hung, picking it up between two fingers. His faceplate twists to the left, then the right. Then, he turns to you. 

"...Christmas?"

Now you're the one who's confused. 

"I, you mean, how do you—" You stop. "Moon, you don't know what Christmas is?"

He shakes his head slow. 

You clasp your hands in front of your mouth, eyes wide at the news. 

When you don't say anything, Moon seems to become apprehensive, chuckling awkwardly, "Should, should I?"

Realizing yourself, you shake your head slightly. Taking a deep breath, you break out into a grin, clapping your hands. 

"Oh, this is so fun! I can show you so many things and all the traditions. We can put up decorations together, watch movies, do some crafts, oh! We can bake cookies too! Though maybe that's not a good idea to do in the dark and—" You pause, noticing he's just staring at you completely lost. You clear your throat, speaking more slowly now. "Sorry, to answer your question, no not at all. I know you don't get a lot of exposure to everything, so it makes sense, though I don't know why Sun wouldn't—but ah, I'm so excited to tell you! If, if that's alright of course."

Moon tilts his head, and you're afraid you may have just overwhelmed him. You're about to apologize again when he laughs softly.

"I think I would like that, Star." There's a fondness to his words you can't place, it's gone when he seems to notice it himself. "If, you don't mind, that is."

You nod, eager, and can't help yourself as you rush over and take his hand, "I would be honored."

As you turn and lead him towards your grand pile of boxes and decorations, you don't know how fast his faceplate spins the moment after your hands make contact. 

You sit down and pat the spot next to you with your free hand, Moon following your lead after a moment. 

You shift so that you're sitting cross-legged across from him, and he does the same.

"Okay so..."

You start by explaining the origins of the holiday, what it means for different people, and how people celebrate depending on where they're from and such. You tell him all about every tradition you can think of, including the ones you personally do. 

Along the way, you notice Moon's body language shift from apprehensive and confused, to curious, to invested in what you say. It in turn fuels your own excitement as he asks you polite questions every so often, and you deliver every answer with as much detail as you can. 

You worry that you may be doing too much again though, so you mention such. "Sorry, I know this is a lot and I'm going super fast, I just, the holidays are really important to me you know?" Your voice grows soft and you look away, laughing shyly. "I um, I don't really get to spend them with many people anymore so I guess I just got super excited since we're friends and all. I'm probably boring you at this point aren't I? I can stop if this is a bit too much."

You start to feel embarrassment creep in. You'd been talking for ages now without stop, save for when he interjected every so often. For all you know Moon could be actually exhausted by how much you've had to say, it's kind of impossible to tell with that immobile faceplate of his. 

Color you surprised you feel a hand under your chin, turning your face back up to look at his. 

His eyes are narrowed gleefully, and his tone is soft as he gazes down at you. 

"You could never bore me, Star." He tilts his head. "You know that, right?"

Your eyes dart to the side, "I, um, I guess not, but still you must be—"

You suddenly find his face taking up your entire field of vision. And, after a moment's hesitation, he quickly plants his grin to your lips, then pulls back. "Whatever you may be thinking, it's quite the opposite. Seeing you so passionate it, it's contagious, and if I could I would ask you to never stop." 

Then, he looks away and folding his hands into his lap, making a sound similar to a cough. "Apologies I, I suppose I didn't know a better way to tell you then that. If you that was a step too far please, forgive me."

You however, are too busy trying to ignore the heat creeping up your neck onto your face. 

You clear your throat. "Moon?"

"Hm?"

"If that's your way of explaining things, I wish you'd have started it sooner." Before you can think on it further, you reach up and grab his collar, pulling him back down to kiss him again. 

After a—much longer this time—kiss, you pull away, breathless. 

For a moment, Moon doesn't say anything. 

Then, "Perhaps now would be the time to ask you about hanging mistletoe around the Daycare?"

"I can think of a few good spots for it."

He chuckles, leaning in once more, "So can I."

❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️

Thank you to @zenkaiankoku for the request! I thought it was super adorable ^_^ Tried to do a mix of your AU with it (which is real cool btw, was reading through it like this 👀👀 the entire time lol) as well :) also had to make Moon a bit lovesick, I feel like suddenly becoming aware of yourself but having someone so willing to guide you would make anyone just fall in love hehe

If you're interested in requesting, you have until 12/13 OR until I recieve 31 requests, currently only have 13 total so plenty of space for more! See here for more details, thanks for reading!

Masterpost link

Tag list (if you would like added, see this post for more info):

@scarletcowboy @beemyhuneybee @fishm0ther @deviouscrackers @elsajoyagent8

@luckyyyduckyyy @zenkaiankoku @jogimote @local-shrub @amarynthian-chronicles

@robinette-green @everlightreader @sinister-sincerely @starredeclipse @dangerva

@juukai @crystalmagpie447 @mothgutz236 @lizyxml

[divinedelusional]

while you were sleeping

nate archibald x gn!reader

word count: 1565

warnings: tooth rooting fluff as usual, besides that I think none:) reader is really sleepy in this but again it's not a warning right?

synopsis: before christmas break you worked hard on college projects, so your sweet boyfriend takes care of you on Christmas Eve and plans a cozy Christmas morning for just the two of you♡

a/n: hi loves! this is my last christmas fic this season♡ I hope you are having wonderful time and you'll enjoy this, as I said, last xmas fic, after that i'll try to work on requests, i love what you asked for and I want to make as good as I can

Your face was actually starting to hurt from all the smiles you were giving to Nate's co workers. Nate started his internship for Time in the summer and he was doing amazing. He was happy even though he wasn't sure that was a magazine he wanted to work for, he was just living in the moment, enjoying the experience.

That's how you've found yourself at Time's Christmas brunch, carrying conversation with journalists and other people who work at a magazine, that Nate introduced you to. You had fun, you couldn't lie. It meant a lot to you to meet people working on one of the most iconic New York magazines, but the excitement was slowly wearing off. Holiday break came late this year, since Christmas Eve was on Friday, you had classes at college until Thursday and you were thankful that Time decided to throw a brunch at Christmas Eve instead of a party.

"Are you okay?" Nate asked, he was holding your hand caressing it with his thumb. He always did that when you were just sitting together enjoying each other's presence but also when he was feeling like you were somewhere else with your thoughts.

"I'm fine, promise." you kissed his cheek. "Just wish we could be home already." You guys were really close to Nate's penthouse but were stuck in a cab in traffic.

"Come on, we'll walk" Nate smiled and handed a cash to a driver. You got out of the cab waked a couple steps when suddenly it started raining. You made it home as quick as your high heels let you.

"Shit I'm freezing" you chuckled, hugging Nate when you were in the elevator. Nate held you tighter pressing his lips to your forehead. When you got in, he run you a hot bath while you were picking some clothes to change into.

"Hi baby, got you your favorite tea" he said entering your bedroom. You were wearing your favourite sweatpants and a pink t-shirt with a Grinch.

"Oh my got, were that came from?" Nate snorted. "That was part of my pyjamas set, I grew out of it, but I loved the tshirt too much."

"And you had this here in my closet?"

"I brought it here for emergencies, Archibald."

You wrapped yourself in blankets and sipped your tea while Nate went to fix himself some coffee and take a quick shower. He told you he'd be back in a minute and you can watch some Christmas movies and finally start celebrating without any pressure of your daily tasks. 25th was tomorrow and after the brunch you were free of any responsibilities. When Nate walked in he found you sprawled on a bed, deep in your sleep. You looked so peaceful, finally being able to rest after everything you'd been working at college. Nate didn't want to wake you, so he took an empty tea mug from the night stand and walked out.

You woke up to the smell of freshly baked cookies. "Natie what are you doing?" you asked even when it was obvious. Your boyfriend was wearing an apron, placing formed cookies on a baking sheet.

"Oh hiiii princess" he came up to you kissing you shortly. He tasted like chocolate and you wanted more. You'd kiss him longer if you weren't so confused and if he didn't return to the baking tray right away.

"I decided to do one last thing that need to be done before tomorrow" he informed you.

"Are these for Santa?" you asked, finally connecting the dots.

"Of course!" he exclaimed happily.

You looked at the table where you saw a batch of regular chocolate chip cookies, double chocolate batch was in the oven, Nate formed the last gingerbread one on a baking paper and on a kitchen island you could see a plate with fleshly decorated snickerdoodle ones.

"How long was I asleep for?" before Nate could respond you looked at a clock which read 8:30 pm. "Oh my God, why you didn't wake me up Nate?" you asked sitting down.

"You looked so peaceful, y/n, besides you still look like you're kinda sleepy, I think you really needed that, probably still do" he laughed when you yawned and shot him a cold glare.

"Yeah but now if I get back to sleep I'll probably be up at like 3 am" you sighed defeated.

Nate put gingerbreads in the oven.

"Well, we can decorate gingerbread men when they're ready" Nate smiled at you. You smiled back.

"Will you make me some tea? I'll clean up" you said getting up from your chair.

After two hours kitchen was spotless and gingerbreads beautifully decorated. Nate put a plate with double chocolate ones on a small table near the tree with a glass of milk and two carrots.

"You really had fun with this, didn't you?" you asked your boyfriend when you two sat comfortably on the sofa. It was your first Christmas with Nate, spend together in one apartment as a couple, so you could see for the first time how he was preparing for Christmas.

"Course I did" he said smiling, pressing his lips to your head.

"We could even make our own gingerbread house next year" you told him and he felt warmth in his chest at the idea of future with you.

You ate all the snickerdoodles you brought yourselves on a plate, laying on the sofa just talking about things. With fireplace lit, tummies full with yummy cookies and warmth from the embrace you guys been in, you didn't even notice how fast time flew by.

"Hey babe?"

"What?" you mumbled shifting in Nate's arms, nuzzling against his neck.

"It's midnight, merry Christmas!" You looked up at your boyfriend, adoration in your eyes.

"Merry Christmas, Natie" you said and kissed him sweetly, putting all of your feelings into the kiss. Unfortunately after a while you had to pull back.

"Nate I'm so sorry, but I was sleepy already..."

"Baby it's okay, you should rest right now, we'll have plenty of time for other things later" he said kissing your nose and you giggled. "Come on let's get you to bed" he give you a hand to get you out of the couch. Holding hands you went to your bedroom.

"You're gonna go to sleep too?" you asked tiredly, your face already buried in pillows.

"Yeah, I'm just gonna change quickly" Nate took his shirt off and looked through the window, suddenly getting a feeling like it's much lighter outside. "Baby it's snowing!" he exclaimed.

"Oh my god really?" you got your head up, noticing snowflakes falling. You layed down again. "That's amazing snow on Christmas finally... " you mumbled something else and then you were out. Nate chuckled to himself at your state and layed next to you, spooning you.

One more time you woke up smelling something delicious from the kitchen, only this time it was light outside and everything was covered in snow. You sighed relieved, because you thought you only dreamt of snow. You got out of bed as Nate wasn't by your side. Just like yesterday evening you found him in the kitchen, but today he was so focused on whatever he was doing, humming "Merry Christmas Everyone", that he didn't notice you coming in the kitchen. You came up to him, gently wrapping your arms around his waist. You pressed a light kiss onto his bare back.

"Oh hi, baby, thought you're gonna sleep a little longer" he turned his head to kiss you. You looked at the clock on the oven.

"Nate oh my god, we have to be at Lily's in 30 minutes" you panicked. "Wait are those Rufus' waffles?" you looked at the counter where Nate was previously putting your favourite toppings on waffles. Nate smiled as he turned around to face you.

"I called Rufus yesterday when you were napping. I told him that you were working really hard at your final projects until Thursday and we would probably oversleep anyway, so he decided to bring Christmas breakfast to us" he said pointing at the waffles, pancakes and fresh fruits. "He wanted to tell you that you shouldn't worry as we're going to see them at dinner at Waldorfs" he added when he saw you wanted to protest. You looked at him slightly shocked. "Oh and it's not the best part, come with me" Nate took your hand and covered your eyes with the other.

"Nate what are we doing?" you asked laughing.

He got you to the living room and you saw so many packages under the tree, much more than yesterday.

"Me and Dan also took all of the gifts for you that were under Van der Woodsen's tree and brought them here"

"But the ones for you too right?" you asked Nate when he hugged you from behind and kissed your neck.

"Yeah, yeah, mine too" he chuckled "Wanted to have our first Christmas morning together at our place, since you were so tired, no rush or anything."

"Nate I can't believe you did all of this for me" you said meaning taking the gifts to your place, cookies that Nate baked yesterday and how he prioritized your well being. "And all of this while I was sleeping?"

Nate laughed at your reference of one of your favorite Christmas movies. "Yeah, while you were sleeping, baby"

natie's taglist: @luluartpop @lanawinterscigarettes

(if you wanna be tagged in Nate's fics lmk! send an ask or dm)

endless appreciation for comments and reblogs♡

[gundamthey17]

Payneland Prompt Fest 2024

Day 1: “This was supposed to be fun.”

“This makes no sense,” Edwin muttered testily.

“Have you not been paying attention?” Crystal asked, her tone equally irritable.

“I have!”

“Then what part of this is confusing to you?”

“All of it! There’s no logic, there’s no rationale. It is entirely devoid of sense. It strains credulity to the breaking point.”

“Uh-oh,” Charles grinned, “he’s using big words. Now you’re really in trouble.”

“I fail to see the purpose of this exercise.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. This was supposed to be fun. My bad, I forgot Edwin’s allergic to fun.”

“I am not, I merely prefer narratives that have substance and cohesion. Not… whatever this is.”

“Guys! I can’t hear,” Niko complained.

Crystal paused the movie and leaned around Niko to face Edwin. “What exactly is your problem with it?”

“The narrative is not believable in the slightest. She has a lucrative and successful career in the city. Not to mention a fiance who is waiting for her! Why would she abandon her fiance, her career, and her home, for a man she only just met?”

“They didn’t just meet. They knew each other when they were kids. See? You weren’t listening.”

“That is entirely beside the point. She is engaged!”

“But this guy made her realize that she’s not really in love with her fiance.”

“She realized that in three days? How?”

Crystal threw up her arms in exasperation. “I don’t know, the magic of Christmas! It’s just a movie, Edwin. It’s entertaining.”

“It’s inane. Once this - this infatuation wears off, she is going to regret leaving her entire life behind to live in the small town that she was dreading returning to in the first place.”

Niko leaned back, looking past Edwin to catch Charles’s eye. “I knew we should’ve watched Elf.”

“You’re impossible! I guess falling in love was so much easier back when you were alive.” Crystal stood up. “I’m going to get more popcorn. And when I come back, there’s going to be no more talking during the movie.” She rolled her eyes, muttering under her breath as she walked to the kitchen. “You’re just lucky you died before dating apps were invented.”

Edwin's brow furrowed, his annoyance temporarily forgotten. “What are… dating apps?” he asked, enunciating the unfamiliar words carefully.

Charles shrugged. “Beats me, mate.”

“They’re a way to meet new people who might want to date you. Or kill you. Or show you their creepy doll collection,” Niko said seriously.

“Ah,” Edwin said. “That sounds… awful.”

“Mm-hm.”

Charles stretched, wrapping an arm around Edwin’s shoulders. “Well, then. Like Crystal said, it’s a good deal you found me before dating apps existed.” 

“I do not think ghosts can use dating apps.”

Charles snorted. “Not the point, mate.”

“Oh?” Edwin frowned. Then his eyes widened as the realization hit him. “Oh! You were flirting.” If he was capable of blushing, he would have.

“And the penny drops. Don’t worry, you’ll get better at it.” Charles nuzzled Edwin affectionately.

The sound of Crystal’s feet preceded her return, and Charles reluctantly let go of Edwin, who still wasn’t too keen on public displays of affection. (Though for some reason he was less self-conscious around Niko.) The boys were sitting shoulder to shoulder on the couch, with Niko on the other side of Edwin. Crystal returned with the bowl of popcorn and sat next to Niko.

Niko gasped, her eyes wide. “Maybe ghosts do use dating apps, and that’s where the word ‘ghosted’ comes from!”

“What are you - you know what, never mind. I don’t want to know. And Edwin, since you hate this movie so much, you can pick the next one - as long as you stop complaining. Deal?”

“That is acceptable.”

“Good. Now everybody shut up, I’m pushing play.”

[crystalrabbit246912]

Bookbinder Yuu

So I should probably be focusing on my thank you fic for 1000 likes and 25 reblogs (there's probably more than that, but Tumblr only tells me about milestones, so thank you all so much for all of the likes, reblogs, and comments), but I had a thought and it's not leaving my mind, so I figured I might as well make this.

I've been getting into bookbinding lately (the process of making books) and I started imagining if Yuu was a bookbinder and their bookbinding tools got transported Twisted Wonderland along with them.

Imagine Yuu threatening people with an awl when they get upset, which happens a lot. (If you don't know what an awl is, either look it up or just know that it's a sharp tool) Ace, Grim, and Deuce to a lesser extent get threatened a lot, and Ace and Grim get stabbed a little so they know it's not an empty threat.

The carbonara guys in the cafeteria and Cater after he tricks them into painting the roses also get stabbed in Book 1, as well a lot of Savanaclaw guys in Books 2 and 3.

Basically all of the Overblot guys get stabbed at some point during their Overblot, and the few people that haven't been stabbed are Trey (although he got threatened in the library), Kalim (he's the only guy that's never been threatened), Epel (I don't know when, but he got threatened at some point), Lilia (though Yuu's definitely tried), and Silver (Yuu's considered pricking him to wake him up, but he's too nice for them to do that).

Moving onto something more wholesome, Yuu makes books as gifts for the squad. They made the Heartslabyul, Savanaclaw, and Octavinelle guys fun, personalized books for Christmas, and some for Scarabia over break, and they always have a project going.

The first-years in particular are the ones that have gotten stabbed the least (minus Ace and Grim), so they get a bunch of random, really beautiful notebooks (mainly Deuce, Jack, Epel, and Sebek, since they'd actually use them), sketchbooks, and photo albums for Ortho, since he can actually use them.

The upperclassmen get less, but Yuu gives all of them at least two books at random points throughout the school year. Trey gets blank cookbook style books that he can write his recipes down in, Cater gets photo albums with covers that he can photograph for Magicam, Riddle gets actual notebooks, just with fun designs on the covers, because that's what he'd actually use.

Yuu tends to write down puzzles from their world in books for Leona, because that's something that he'd actually use, while I'm blanking on ideas for Ruggie.

Azul, Jade, and Floyd tend to get books at the same time, because Yuu doesn't want to risk upsetting one of them. The covers usually match for the Tweels and correlate with Azul's, or the Tweels get inverted designs while Azul's is similar. Inside, Azul and Jade get notebooks since they go to class and pay attention, though there's compliments and small mushroom doodles on the margins. Floyd would get sketchbooks, since he does have drawing moods occasionally.

Kalim and Jamil would usually get books at the same time as well because Yuu doesn't want Jamil to feel inferior to Kalim or something like that. Kalim usually gets sketchbooks because drawing is something fun for Kalim to do and Jamil gets either notebooks or empty cookbooks for him to fill.

Vil gets notebooks because Yuu doesn't know what else to give him, considering he's a celebrity, he can practically buy whatever he wants, so they don't expect him to really use them. (At the next joint class, they're really surprised to see him using a notebook they gave him.) Rook gets scrapbooks that he can fill with his Vil and Neige photos that he gets... somehow. Because he's Rook.

Idia either gets manga-style books that he can draw his own manga in or notebooks in which he can lore-dump for games, anime, or manga, or make theories about what happens next.

Malleus gets notebooks and he's really happy about them because they're gifts from his first friend, so he cherishes them. I have no ideas for either Lilia or Silver.

Crowley would ask Yuu why he never gets books despite the fact that he's so 'kind' to them, and they smack him in the face with a book to shut him up.

[lionhanie]

the first snow (lee riwoo)

working during the holidays isn’t too bad with sanghyeok by your side 

co-worker!riwoo x gn!reader (non-idol au) 

this work is my contribution to @onedoornet’s christmas event, a very onedoor christmas! check it out here!

word count: 4.1k ˚ʚ♡ɞ˚ genre: fluff

warnings: a pinch of angst i'd say (alluding to burnout/seasonal depression), reader is a people pleaser, i curse maybe twice lol, riwoo is referred to as sanghyeok! 

a/n: SORRY I KNOW CHRISTMAS IS OVER…. had fun writing it regardless :,) hope u enjoy ^^

reblogs ↺  + feedback always appreciated!

Being one of the younger workers in the office was frustrating to say the least. Pausing your work to complete trivial tasks in the middle of the workday – making copies of a meeting agenda, fetching your seniors’ morning coffees, reorganizing the ridiculously large stack of your current client’s files – the list seemed to never end. For some reason, everyone around you was conveniently occupied with something so urgent that they couldn’t attend to the matters themselves, leaving the responsibility up to you. Sometimes you felt like you spent more time faced with useless errands than doing the work you were hired to do in the first place.

You were expecting a bit more respect from your peers when you were appointed as the team leader for your company’s newest project, but you were quick to realize your naivety in the earlier group meetings, finding that no one seemed to take you seriously. You would’ve thought that because the other members on the project had years of experience on their side, surely they’d be able to hold their weight to a certain extent... Right?

Painfully enough, it was the complete opposite. You can’t count the number of times one of the more “experienced” workers asked you to repeat a detail you’d discussed just minutes prior, or proposed a suggestion that completely contradicted the end goal of your client– it was clear to you that no one saw your leadership as more than a joke, no matter how hard you tried. 

And to top it all off, your company was structured in such a way that made it nearly impossible for you to speak up against your elders. Your word as a senior associate meant close to nothing if you were going against one of the partners of the firm. It didn’t matter that you put in ten times more effort than your team members, it was almost as if they were praised according to how long they’ve been in the office.

Safe to say you were relieved when Sanghyeok was added as a member of the team you were leading on a random Tuesday afternoon. Not that you two were close by any means – the extent of your interactions consisted of small smiles exchanged in passing in the printer room or short discussions of weekend plans over coffee in the break room. Rather, you were hopeful that his addition to the project would mean someone would finally start contributing even a fraction of the work you were putting in.

Even though you dread your bi-weekly team meetings, it was so much more rewarding to at least one other person cared about the success of the project. Sanghyeok was always in his unassigned-assigned seat right by the projector, intently nodding along to your agenda and taking notes when he deemed necessary. Hell, he’d even chime in whenever someone would ask a question that was obviously answered earlier in the presentation, giving you the chance to save your breath for something that actually mattered, and shooting you a cheeky grin afterwards, clearly satisfied helping you whenever he could. 

ᶻ 𝗓 𐰁 .ᐟ Four days before the deadline. . .

Everyone begins to pack up their belongings the second it hits 5:00PM, slowly but surely filing out of the office before it gets too dark. It was no surprise to see your colleagues zipping up their briefcases far earlier than you planned on clocking out; the project deadline crept up on you faster than you’d like to admit, and your mostly incompetent team forced you to work overtime a majority of the recent weeks. In any other case, you probably wouldn’t be breaking your back hunched over your keyboard hours after the sun had set, but because the project was in your name, it pained you to present a finished product you weren’t proud of. 

“You aren’t leaving yet, Y/N?” You look up from your monitor, finding Sanghyeok looking at you from across your cubicle, wrapping a plush scarf around his neck. His eyes are full of concern– he’s noticed the way you never seem to budge once your peers start going home for the night. Even on days when he logs off later than he’d initially planned to, you’re still there, typing away at your desk.

“Agh, our Y/N is always so hardworking! They never seem to leave with the rest of us,” Alvin, a senior on your project notorious for sending in half-assed work far past the deadline you set for him, comments from his seat beside you. “I could never put in as much work as you do, not when I’ve got a family waiting for me at home!” Yeah, no shit. It’s hard to believe he’s stayed at the company so long performing the same quality of work you were doing in your first year in the office.

His words stung a bit, feeling oddly bitter at the idea of someone like him having people who loved him waiting for him to return from work– Coming back home to an empty apartment late at night never used to bother you, but something about the long winter nights and freezing temperatures made it undoubtedly sad in nature. It wasn’t just the weather making your loneliness feel colder than usual. 

The smile you return is painfully fake, something Sanghyeok clocks almost immediately. He gnaws on his lip, wanting to say something to the senior, ultimately deciding to hold back on it given how new he was to the project. Maybe it wasn’t his place. He didn’t want to make things worse for you by saying something out of line. Alvin shrugs his coat onto his back, quickly leaving the premises without another word. 

“If I didn’t see you in a new outfit everyday, I’d think you slept at your desk,” Sanghyeok jokes, trying to lighten the mood. From his first meeting with the new team, he quickly learned to admire the way you seemed to take charge when you needed to. It was impressive the way you’d joined the company later than he had, and were already put in charge of such a big task. He knew exactly how it felt to deal with all the stupid tasks from the other seniors in the office, finding himself doing the same thing for weeks before you came in. 

You chuckle pitifully, mainly towards yourself. “At this point, I should stop paying rent and start living at my desk.” You groan as you take a break for a well-needed stretch, your back cracking from your poor posture. “Some days I feel like I’m in the office more than my apartment.” Your words are lighthearted, but Sanghyeok notices the underlying melancholy in your statement. 

And Sanghyeok takes his leave, only after wishing you good luck and a “get home safe” as he always does, but he can’t stop thinking about how much time you’ve been putting into your work. He’s constantly shut down whenever he asks you if there’s anything else he can help with, just wanting to take a fraction of the load off your plate.

He knows you’re doing it just to be nice. You’re the type of person to take on a burden all on your own, even if it means committing to the ungodly hours you’ve become so used to. Even on the bus ride home, Sanghyeok can’t shake your tired eyes out of his mind. For some reason, it hurts to imagine you slowly killing yourself over a silly project all because no one had the decency to bother trying when they knew you’d fix it for them anyways. He wanted to do more… No, he needed to do more. 

ᶻ 𝗓 𐰁 .ᐟ Three days before the deadline. . .

Sanghyeok wonders how you’re always earlier than him when he walks into the office, finding you so put-together and diligently editing the project presentation when he’s still groggy after his commute to work. 

The workload around the holidays is never too demanding, thankfully the company’s clients normally don’t ask for much as the year comes to an end. In your case, however, all your time is spent on trying to perfect the project proposal for your overwhelmingly-nitpicky boss. You’re convinced it’s some sort of test to see how good you’d be leading a team before you get the promotion you’ve been waiting on for the past couple months. Even if you make it out of your boss’ critiques alive, you’re certain you’ve lost countless years off your life with all the stress weighing down on you. 

You lock eyes with Sanghyeok every once in a while, finding him peeking over the divider separating your desks more than normal. That’s odd. You figure it’s probably because he has a question about the numerous items that still need fixing on the project. It doesn’t occur to you that he wants to talk to you until he rises from his chair, tapping his pen on the top of your monitor to catch your attention.

“I don’t know if you saw, but I just fixed a lot of the trouble areas you mentioned in the meeting the other day,” He’s excessively clicking the pen in his free hand, feeling oddly nervous to show you his work even when he knows he did everything properly– He knows how high your expectations are when it comes to your job. “I’m pretty sure I made sure to do everything you asked for, but you might want to double-check if I missed anything.”

The gasp of relief you let out is uncharacteristically loud, so much so that it earns you a side-eye from Alvin, who was currently playing solitaire at his desk next to you. He’d just saved you hours of overtime with his work, finding everything done to a tee. “No, no, this is perfect. I was dying to fix those until I realized I forgot Christian told me to come with him for his fieldwork later and–”

“It doesn’t matter who goes with him, right? I’ll go with him instead.”

“Huh? Are you sure? I don’t mind, plus he specifically asked me so maybe–”

“Y/N, it’s fine, really! I used to go on client visits all the time before he started dragging you along with him. I’ll be okay, promise!” He’s confident in his words, reassuring you of all the concerns he knew were starting to bubble up in your head. “I know you’ve been worried about getting everything done before the deadline, you shouldn’t have to waste your precious time following him around and pretending like you care about his wife.” 

The comment makes you giggle, everyone knew the senior for the way he could go on and on about his family life knowing damn well no one was actually listening to his neverending rants. “Thank you, Sanghyeok. It means a lot, really.”  

“Maybe we’ll be able to leave at the same time today, yeah?”

 

ᶻ 𝗓 𐰁 .ᐟ Two days before the deadline. . .

The following day, after everyone else in the office logged out for the night, Sanghyeok sneaks back into the office. He made it his mission to discreetly plant a care package for you while you’re busy in the printer room– It’s nothing big, no, rather just a hot cup of tea and a sandwich he’d purchased from the cafe across the street from the building. 

You’d offhandedly mentioned the way you get so immersed in your work without anyone peering over your shoulder that you forget to cater to your growing hunger, often resorting to eating instant ramen in the break room before returning to your desk. Sanghyeok knew how much the project meant to you, but that didn’t mean he was going to let you neglect your health just for a positive response from your old boss.   

You’re confused when you come back to your cubicle, finding all of your previously haphazardly scattered project papers perfectly organized in a folder by the edge of the desk. The lid was taken off the cup of tea, presumably to let it cool down a bit before drinking. Huh? The note atop the sandwich container answered the questions lingering in your mind.

hope you don’t mind me moving some stuff around on your desk :p  eat up before you get back to work! good luck y/n!  sanghyeok (  ≧ᗜ≦)

ᶻ 𝗓 𐰁 .ᐟ One day before the deadline. . .

“You think Alvin will mind if I borrow his spot today?” Sanghyeok questions, swiveling around in an office chair that didn’t belong to him.

“You could probably erase all the files off his computer and he wouldn’t bat an eye,” You joke as you sort through the stacks of papers residing on your desk, looking for a particular document. “I’m convinced he gets paid to just sit there and play card games for eight hours.” 

“Yeah, I don’t think I’ve ever seen him touch his keyboard.” Sanghyeok chuckles before logging into the computer beside you.

“Why’re you using his computer though? You’re not going home yet?” 

“I think it’s only fair for me to help you finish the proposal when we’re supposed to be submitting it tomorrow,” Sanghyeok answers matter-of-factly. You watch as he opens up the same powerpoint you’ve been staring at on his own monitor. It’s quiet for a few minutes, the only sounds coming from the occasional clicks of your mouse. “...Doesn’t it get lonely working all by yourself?”

You pause to think for a moment. It’s not the worst thing in the world, you’re sure you wouldn’t be capable of doing it everyday if it was that unbearable. “No, not really. If anything, it’s nice to not have anyone pulling me away from my desk for some stupid shit– Sorry, stupid stuff.” You correct yourself. 

“I know we’re still at work and all, but you don’t need to censor yourself when it’s just us. I’m not gonna snitch on you for cursing on the clock, Y/N.” He teases, not surprised to see that you’re still in work-mode even when the office is practically empty. 

“Oops, just force of habit. I'd rather die than accidently curse in front of one of the oldies we work with,” You smile sheepishly, feeling at ease with him at your side. You’re not sure when you grew so fond of the man – maybe it’s because of how similar you are in age or the way he’s always so quick to defend you in the meeting room – but he’s always felt like more of a friend than a co-worker in times like these. “...It’s nice to have some company for a change, though. Felt like I was going insane looking at the same documents all by myself.” 

“It’s okay to admit you get lonely sometimes, Y/N.” Sanghyeok pauses his typing to look at you, his eyes soft when they meet yours. “I was thinking about it on my way home the other day, you know, the way you willingly stay in the office after everyone leaves every night. It’s hard to imagine it isn’t difficult being by yourself all the time.”

You’re silent, knowing that he’ll see through you no matter what you say. Sure, you had your fair share of moments sitting crying at your desk, in fear that your efforts wouldn’t pay off despite how much you’ve been trying, but that doesn’t mean you need his help. You made it this far all on your own, after all. 

And when you fall asleep at your desk, exhaustion finally catching up to you, Sanghyeok doesn’t hesitate to rest a sweater on your back. He knows how upset you’ll be once you wake up, bummed that you dozed off at such a crucial time, but he’s more than happy to let you sleep for a bit before gently shaking you awake after a well-deserved power nap. 

“Shit, how long was I knocked out for?” Embarrassed, you rub the sleep from your eyes, turning away to yawn. 

“It wasn’t even thirty minutes, you’ll be fine Y/N. I finished editing a section of the report while you were sleeping too.” You tap on your mouse, waking up the black screen, happy to see that a good chunk of the comments you’d made on the document were long resolved. “Can you promise me something?” 

You’re offset by the sudden serious mood lingering between you two, but you slowly nod regardless. “Even when this project is over, will you promise to come to me if you need help?” 

“I know I only joined your team recently, but I want you to know you can depend on me. It’s not fair for you to do all this on your own,” Sanghyeok can sense the way you’re processing his request in your mind, watching as you hesitate to answer. “I know it’s probably weird coming from someone who’s only been here a couple months longer than you, but I promise I’ll try my best if you ever need me.” 

“Okay.”

“...So that means you won’t try to turn me down whenever I offer to do something for you, right?” 

“Yes, Sanghyeok, I won’t turn you down when you try to help me.” You roll your eyes at him before turning back to your computer, missing the way his face lights up at your response, proudly smiling to himself. 

ᶻ 𝗓 𐰁 .ᐟ The day of the deadline. . .

You’re sure you could cry tears of joy when you send the final version of your project proposal to your boss. There were a few sections you wish you had more time to perfect, but it was impossible without an extension to your deadline– There’s nothing else to do but wait until you get feedback, which is entirely out of your hands at this point. 7:15PM. It’s still two hours past the usual 5:00PM ending time, but far earlier than you’ve clocked out in the past two weeks. 

“You’re actually leaving at the same time as me? I’m not dreaming, right?” Sanghyeok pinches at his cheek, earning a giggle from you in response. 

“Well, I just forwarded all the documents to our boss. Felt like I deserved at least one early night during the holidays,” You close your eyes as you fall back in your chair, letting out a content sigh knowing there wasn’t anything else you had to do for a while. “God, I don’t know what I’d do without you, Sanghyeok.” 

He holds the door for you after you’ve both collected all of your belongings, bundled up for the harsh temperatures waiting for you outside the building. The elevator ride down is silent until the man next to you clears his throat, prompting you to look at him. “So, do you have plans tonight?”

“Ah, not really. I was planning on picking up some dinner at the convenience store before heading back to my place.” He nods, fiddling with his tie in a feeble attempt to calm down his nerves from what he was about to do. 

“Can I take you out to dinner, Y/N?” Your eyes widen slightly, unsure what to make of the question. Was he… asking you on a date right now? It wasn’t out of the ordinary for coworkers to share a meal off the clock, but the fact that it was just the two of you had your brain malfunctioning. “...You know, as a thank you for working so hard on the project! It’s the least I can do.” Sanghyeok laughed nervously, hand flying up to the back of his neck as he waited for your response. 

It doesn’t take long for you to decide your answer, nodding in confirmation, feeling slightly bashful at the sudden act of appreciation you weren’t used to receiving, especially not at work. There’s a pep in his step as he brings to you one of his favorite ramen spots, a hole-in-the-wall joint tucked away from the main streets. It’s cute, honestly. You’ve learned a lot about your coworker in recent days, but this side of him was entirely new to you. 

You’re glad you trusted his recommendations when you take your first bite, the hot broth immediately melting the chills you garnered from the short walk there. Despite this being your first interaction with Sanghyeok outside of work, there’s no awkwardness in your time spent together– Instead, a fuzzy feeling rests in your chest as you look at the man sitting across the table from you. Perhaps it’s due to the newfound absence of pressure on your back from sending in the project proposal, or maybe because it’s the first time you’ve allowed yourself a proper meal in days, but it’s a feeling you don’t wish to lose any time soon. 

Usually you’re one to rush back home immediately after dinner, not wanting to lose any second of rest you have before you’re forced to go back to the hell you call work, but you’re more than happy to accept Sanghyeok’s invitation to go to a nearby bar for some drinks following the meal you shared. It’s there you realize he’s a lot wittier than he comes off as when you’re on the clock, your cheeks aching from smiling so hard at his endless supply of jokes. 

You don’t stay there long, only garnering a couple drinks before finding yourself walking around one of the parks in the area you didn’t even know existed, gawking at the string lights adorning the trees. Work was taking up all of your attention that you didn’t even have the time to decorate your apartment for the holidays like you normally would’ve. This was the closest thing you could get, but you were far from complaining. 

“I never expected you to be like this, Sanghyeok.” You confess after coming down from the fit of laughter he’d induced with one of his stupid puns.

“What do you mean?” He asks, worried that he’d done something wrong. 

“Oh, I wasn’t trying to say anything bad! You’re just… A breath of fresh air, I guess.” Your words emit a cloud of vapor in the frigid air.  “I’m sorry I didn’t notice it sooner, I’ve been a real shut-in especially with the deadline and–”

“You don’t need to apologize for that, Y/N.” He cuts you off; he’s well aware of your tendency to apologize for things that you didn’t need to be sorry for in the first place. It was one of the only things he wished he could change about you, wanting you to give yourself more credit for the love you poured into everything you did. “I just wanted to make your life easier, I guess. Thanks for giving me the chance to do that tonight.” 

“I should really be the one thanking you. You’ve been nothing short of helpful ever since you joined our team,” Thinking back on the past couple days, Sanghyeok never once shied away from doing things to ease your burdens, even going out of his way so you could focus all your attention onto what mattered most to you. “It’s like you were some sort of holiday miracle sent to me.” 

Unwrapping the scarf from his neck, Sanghyeok carefully loops it around the back of your head, securing it snugly at the front of your jacket. “It’s freezing… You should really be layering up more.” He’s glad the lighting on the trees is too dim for you to see the blush creeping up his neck after seeing you in his clothes. He’d probably blame it on the frosty air if you called him out on it. “Ah, it’s snowing!” 

The gaze you were previously sharing is broken as you look up, crystal white snowflakes slowly sinking from the sky. It was surreal to be standing in the middle of the park, ambient light illuminating the way the snow ended their descent atop your heads, your shared laughter harmonizing at the sight.

And despite the cold weather, you felt warm standing next to him.

© lionhanie 2025 ; all rights reserved!

[bokettochild]

Christmas of Closure - Day 3

(belated, I know)

*startles the emails of the poor unfortunate souls still following this series after all this time*

MERRY CHRISTMAS FEATHERED FANS!!!!!!!!

Its my girl Lullaby and I had FUN!!!!!

Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 (you are here) | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 (sometime)

Full fic under the cut

-

 The next time they slip through a portal, it’s a very different world than the last few times. 

 It’s not the soft haze of Twilight’s era, or the ethereal quality of the untainted earth in Sky’s. It’s also not the rushing wave of magic characteristic to his own world after Zelda and he had made the wish to undo Ganon’s work over the land. 

 That said, the magic around them is very much alive, and that means that it’s not Hyrule’s world, just as the presence of lush fields means Wind is out of the question. 

 “There’s a road ahead,” Four observes, pointing it out to the rest of them, and Legend’s quick to fix on it even as Wild sounds out a laugh at the sight. 

 “Not my era then!” 

 He’s still not sure way that’s something to find humor in, but he doesn’t ask; it’s Wild, he seems to take anything outside of a battle in stride, regardless of how true his suspicions about it may or may not be. It's an endearing quality though, and goodness knows it’s served him, unintentional though that might have been. 

 At their front, Warriors, much more relaxed since leaving Twilight’s era and its associated memories, nods, looking about the same as the rest of them. “Not mine either, I think.” He doesn’t say how, but nobody asks either. 

 “Legend?” Sky turns back to him, question in the single word. 

 The vet shakes his head, shifting his wings in closer as a breeze blows past them. “The magic is wrong for my time.” 

 “Mine too,” the traveler sounds from behind him, frowning at all the green around them. “It must be before our time, or a very long time after, but if Wild and Warriors say-” 

 “It's mine.” There’s not an ounce of hesitation in the old man’s tone as he quickens his pace, moving to overtake the captain at their front. 

 “You sure?” 

 And the old man is sure, apparently, because regardless of doubts, he’s set off in one direction or another (Legend glances towards the sun briefly to figure out which one) and so they all follow. When Twilight asks, bemused and confused, their eldest just answers “the trees said so”, which isn’t a totally cryptic and weird thing to say at all. 

 Not that he’s never talked to trees himself, but there aren’t trees around them, and last he checked, their old man’s hearing wasn’t that good. Or is it? 

 Whatever the case, they all know where their leader is headed if this is his world, and doubtful as some of them are they follow eagerly. It’s been a very long time since they were last at Lon Lon, and when at last the walls of it appear, he finds Wind tagging his arm with a bright grin and a “race you!” that has all of them breaking off into a sprint. 

 Well, most. Legend’s competitive by nature, as they all are, but in this case, he’s got a bit of advantage, one that even the heroes who can push past the rest with their bulk don’t have. 

 He has wings. 

 Better than that though, he has wings he can use, and use them he does! 

 It’s still hard getting off the ground, but with the momentum he already has and the downhill slope to the ranch before them, he manages okay, spreading out pink feathers for a wide flap that gets him airborne, followed quickly by the shorter ones Sky and Sun had taught him were best for gaining altitude but to refrain from using when soaring. 

 “No fair!” Can be heard from below, even as Sky lets out a whoop and Hyrule breathes some magical words or another that have his own wings flickering into sight, the traveler taking off after him with a short huff of annoyance, most likely at not thinking of doing the same himself before. 

 Well, too bad for him, Legend thinks, tucking wings in for a quick dive down to bap Time on the top of his head, just for the sake of doing so. The old man starts and trips when he does, and it’s all the veteran can do to stay airborne as he watches the rest tumble into each other and over the man as a result. Like so many wooden blocks or tiles, they go stumbling into each other until they’re all flat and the race is forgotten, for only a second, as he and Hyrule watch. 

 It’s not his first time flying since Skyloft, but it is the first time he’s tried going fast since then, and it only came to mind because he’d been wishing for a moment that he was tall enough to not get trampled over, and then realized that he hasn’t a need of height when he can just be above them altogether. Unfortunately, he’s not the only one, and while the rest sort themselves out below, he and Hyrule catch eyes, a spark and a smirk touching the face of the other, and in a breath the two are dart-dashing, wings beating as fast as they can, in order to reach the ranch first. 

 As it turns out, Groose was right about his wings; he’s literally made for speed, for quick motions, even if he does lack the endurance in the sky that he can usually muster on the ground. Hyrule, in contrast, is quick, but like the fairies he gets half his blood from, his wings aren’t meant to cover distance, and more for long bouts of flight. It’s not like bird wings at all, so he’s still fuzzy on the details, but one fact he knows for sure: between the two of them, he’s faster. 

 So yes, he wins, but it does come at the rather unfortunate cost of speeding right past the traveler and almost into the ground when he tries to land. It is only when the ground appears that he remembers that slowing down wasn’t really something they’d practiced much, and with his landings still being clumsy, the result is that he’s rather a bit bruised when he does pull himself up out of the dirt and hay, blessedly having employed his brain at the last second and speeding into the nearest haystack rather than the ground itself.   

 Hyrule’s a flit behind him, still hovering and pealing bell-like laughter as he watches Legend emerge from the pile of dried grass, spitting and coughing and wings fluttering by force of their own to shake free the stalks caught between feathers. “Need help?” 

 “Do I look like I need help?” He tries, shooting a look up at the traveler just as the haystack gives a great sigh of dust and slumps over on top of him. 

 It’s a blessing he grew up between an orchard and a farm, because rather than panic at the sudden increase of weight, the veteran just groans. 

 “Yes please, I need help.” 

 The traveler’s laughter can still be heard as hands catch around his own and start tugging. 

 Legends not unused to burrowing, especially as, in rabbit form, it made for an effective defense mechanism. That said, it’s a very different thing in hylian form, and even more so with two more whole limbs to have to maneuver out of is itchy confines. All the worse too because his wings seem to take a mind of their own some days, and they flutter quiet ceaselessly as Hyrule tugs on him, which he’s not sure actually helps them at all. 

 That’s how the rest come upon them, all sweaty and maybe dirt streaked themselves, but when they see the traveler trying to tug him free from a collapsed pile of hay, they must all figure out what happened to get him there. 

 “Oh, Legend,” Sky chuckles, walking over to offer a hand even as Warriors snorts behind him, trying desperately to cover the sound with his hand and failing as his eyes twinkle. 

 The vet sighs. With his luck, no one is ever going to let him forget about this. Ever. 

 Luckily, nobody actually says anything in the moment, and once he’s been pulled free and given his wings the few flaps that he can to try and shake free his new coat of hay, helped by Sky to brush himself off, they just all head for the house. 

 Upon entering, he very much wishes he’d stayed buried in the hay. 

 It would be one thing if it was just Malon seated at the living room window, face flushed with barely contained laughter and eyes sparkling, but it’s not. No, because there is very much a second person in the room and she’s definitely not Time’s jolly, friendly father-in-law. 

 The other person on the couch, seated by the window and clearly just having witnessed his little blunder, is a woman somehow more hawkish than even Dusk had seemed when he’d first seen her, a notion not at all disproved by the set of great barred wings stretched out behind her. 

 Time, at their front when they’d all moved into the house, draws up short, startled. “Your highness.” 

 The woman doesn’t look a queen, and yet, at the same time, there’s no doubt in any corner of the veteran’s mind that she is one. Her long blonde hair is tied up into a loose braid that hangs over one shoulder, neatly cut but wind ruffled bangs hanging heavy over eyes that somehow aren’t purple, but still sit between red and blue in a way he can’t explain. She’s not dressed like a royal exactly, but the trousers, vest, and white shirt definitely give her an authoritative air, although it seems to have a very short-lived effect on their leader. 

 Very short lived indeed, because the man only takes a moment before frowning and raising a brow at his queen. “Isn’t it a bit early for day-drinking?” 

 On second glance, she’s got a glass in one hand with a small amount of something golden within. 

 Malon, at her side on the couch and looking as much herself as before, not bothered at all by the queen sitting with her, just grins up at her husband, setting her own half-full glass down on a side table. “Now don’t be like that, Link. Her highness jist needed some girl time is all.” 

 “I’m going to need a lot more in a minute here,” the queen rasps, voice between a smooth alto and high tenor, a light scrape on certain sounds as she blinks slowly towards the heroes before her. “Link,” it’s a drawn-out sound that’s half sigh, half scolding “what did you do?” 

 “Excuse me?” 

 There’s a snort behind him, and when Legend risks a glance, Warriors is shaking his head with one of those fond smiles he pulls from time to time when their leader acts particularly unlike his typically mature self. He’s the only one laughing though, as the rest of their number look as confused as Legend himself feels. 

 “Explain,” the whiskey glass is set to a table and huge wings flutter slightly into something more dignified that the sprawled out position they’d been in a moment before, the queen’s almost bi-colored eyes so flat that he can’t tell where they’re looking past her long lashes, “why you’ve been gone for an unknown amount of time, Ocarina at your hip, and just came back with a child that looks like the perfect combination of the two of us?” 

 Malon chokes. 

 Time’s mouth drops open for a moment. 

 The queen is glaring. “Remember that I like her better than you, if you did something dumb-” 

 “I would never!” 

 “He din’ cheat!” The farmwife gasps, but it almost sounds like she’s laughing, face quite red as she settles her own glass down. “Dear Din, Zel, he knows better!” 

 Even so, the queen stares at Time, and then, quite unexpectedly, at himself. 

 Aw crap, why’d he end up near the front of their group? For that matter, when did he stop walking at the back? Good grief, why does this keep happening? 

 “I would never cheat,” Time sighs, lifting a hand to his face as he blinks away some sort of emotion Legend wasn’t quick enough to catch. “Especially not with you.” 

 “So... the kid?” 

 Self-conscious, he tucks his hay-prickled wings in closer and tries to slip off behind their leader and out of sight from the unreadable stare of the queen of Hyrule. He's not sure if that’s a skill learned from wearing the crown or maybe genetic, but he’s rather sure he doesn’t have it. Regardless though, it’s deeply unsettling, seeing as he has absolutely no way to read her thoughts, and while Dusk’s presence had sent off signals in his brain that she could be a threat, that she knew how to fight and could win if she tried, the woman before him is so much more blatant with the way she bleeds power and confidence into the world around her. 

 Dusk was like a rapier, sharp, quick, and beautiful, but this woman is a broadsword, or maybe a claymore; large, threatening, and very, very dangerous. 

 Time, however, doesn’t falter, instead moving further into the invaded living room space and settling down in a chair, armor and all, single eye leveling his queen with the same flat look he shoots the captain sometimes. “Your descendant.” 

 A brow arches. “Just mine?” 

 “Yes.” 

 Twilight, rather loudly, clears his throat. 

 “No.” Time amends, this time looking a bit startled as he glances back to his protege, perhaps realizing for the first time the implications of the relation between Legend and the rancher. “It-” 

 Malon’s already twinkling eyes set on her descendant, a smile slowly blossoming over her face, “wait, did you-” 

 A heavy hand settles on his shoulder, that same familiar gesture, hand familiar, and face, again, still just a bit different, even though the tone is just the same as sounds in his memory. “Legend’s my nephew.” 

 The farm-wife's eyes glow, and in sharp contrast, the queen just arches an imperial looking brow, gaze sliding to Time, expectant, even as Malon jumps up from her seat with a clap of her hands to throw her arms around both her descendant and himself. “That’s amazin’!” 

  Legend, unfortunately, misses most of Time’s explanation, or indeed, any of his further interactions with the queen, because Malon is suddenly all bustle and questions, taking his face up in her hands like she’d done with some of the rest when first meeting and giving him a good looking over before nodding firmly, as though she’s found something. 

  “You must take after yer mum more, bless you, but I see some Lon in you, sure enough!” 

 Which is good, considering that’s sort of his last name and all, but he’s probably better off not saying that. 

 Twilight though, is all smiles, the hand on his shoulder squeezing gently. “Oh yeah, you should see her, there’s no doubt they’re family.” 

 “And yet,” Wild pipes up, smirking at his mentor, “you totally missed it, even when they were standing right in front of each other.” 

 The rancher scowls, face flushing lightly. “Shut up.” 

 - 

 Zelda leaves shortly after they arrive, with a smile for Malon and a word or two with Time that leaves the man smiling in that secret way that none of them have learned to decipher yet.   

 Any questions receive only vague answers, from husband and wife both, so the heroes elect to leave it be, for the time being at least. 

 They settle in on the ranch as they did before. Helping with chores until sundown and gathering for a meal. It’s a warm night so most of the older ones go out to sleep in the barn, blankets and bedrolls tucked under arms as they tease and laugh their way from the house, Warriors leading the lot of them and Twilight and Sky following. As for the rest, they bunk down in the spare room. 

 Morning dawns faster than on Skyloft, and clearer than in the rancher’s world. They’re not up in the sky waiting for the sun to reach them, and there’s not a haze stopping the light from shining in at windows, so, naturally, Legend wakes early. 

 It’s something about being on a farm, he thinks, slipping out of the bed but minding to tuck the blankets back into place so as to not wake his younger brothers. It reminds him of grandmother, of being back at the Lon on in his own era and getting up early to help with the chores and going to bed when the sun set, rather than waiting until he couldn’t travel any longer. It’s sort of nice, and though it’s been years, it’s enough on this side of familiar that he can slip back to it. 

 There’s just one difference; he has brothers asleep in the barn, and Malon and Tie, apparently, aren’t up yet. 

 So, while it’s not like the farm, he elects to go for something else to keep him busy and keep himself awake until he can know what should or shouldn’t be done, and how to do so without upsetting some sleep-deprived elders. Namely, he elects to try again for a proper landing. 

 It’s easier each time he tries taking off, but he fumbles a bit with trying to get his feet under himself before he hits the ground. It’s once, twice, thrice, before he eventually lets himself catch the rope hanging down by the hayloft, wings tucking in close and Mel and Rom’s old tricks slipping to mind instead of Sun’s so he can reach the roof of the barn without slamming into it face first. 

 He’s not expecting to find the queen of Hyrule already sitting up there, gaze fixed on him. 

 His grip slips only a moment before instinct kicks in. Regardless of surprise, he needs to get onto something solid before he addresses the person there already. It’s basic safety after all, especially when working with ropes instead of proper equipment. 

 Gosh, sometimes he really, really misses the traveling troupe. He’s incredibally rusty on his old tricks and acting. 

 It’s only once he’s sitting on the roof, rubbing the sting out of his hands again, that the queen of Hyrule speaks. 

 “You’re up awfully early.” 

 Legend blinks. “Aren’t you here rather early?” 

“I have permission.” She sounds back to the world stretched out before her, otherwise unmoving as she watches it. “Sometimes one needs a bit of quiet before they start the day, and a flight does wonders, something I'm sure you’ll learn once you grow into your own wings.” 

 He frowns, but this time it’s because it’s him considering her, and she, unlike himself, doesn’t slip at all in response. Instead, she just keeps watching the sun slipping up over Hyrule. 

 Shes not like he thought she’d be Legend decides. But that’s about all he does know to think of her. All in all, he finds her confusing. 

 “You want to pull back before you reach for the ground, flare your wings out to catch the air, let it push back against you and slow you down, then you’re more upright and your feet stand a chance of coming before your face.” 

 The words startle him. “What?” 

 “You’re trying to land, no?” Her own wings shift some as she turns about. “You’re young still, and dare I say learning a lot on your own. You risk yourself without knowledge, and the more you know the safer you’ll be. Knowing how to land without leaving yourself open to anything in the air or on the ground that wants to hurt you is a crucial skill to obtain.” 

 For lack of a response, he nods, digesting her previous advice and flexing his own wings some to mimic the motion. 

 “Try it.” 

 So, he does. 

 He pulls himself up, dashes his hair from his eyes, and gives it a try. 

 He trips over his own feet, frustrating himself, but it’s feet that land first, just as she’d said, and even if he does have to drop into a roll, it’s still better than his previous attempts. 

 Wings beats sound shortly after, and then the queen of Hyrule is standing there, watching him. “You take more after him, I think.” She muses, head tilting on one side and face still unreadable. “But that’s to your favor.” 

 “What?” 

 “I give him grief,” she loosens, wings adjusting behind her, shaking themselves rather than tucking in like his own do after a flight. “But he’s a good man. Your appearance shows no sign of him, but your spirit is his; you aren’t giving up because it’s hard, and you’re not folding at the simple sound of a rough word. You do stand a chance in this world.” 

 And then, without another word, she’s gone, wings flaring and taking off, path clearly headed back for the castle. 

 And Legend’s left staring after her and wondering what on earth that was. 

 Turns out, Time tells him later, as they tend the cows in the barn, that’s just Sheik. “Appears, kicks your ass, teaches you something, says something cryptic, and leaves.” 

 “Wondered where you got that from,” twilight snorts from where he’s adding hay to the feeding troughs, eyes dancing with unsounded laughter as he stares at his mentor, but when Time looks up to the younger man in confusion, the rancher is already headed up for the hayloft yet again for more. 

 - 

 It happens again the next morning. They’d left the previous day to deal with a small gathering of monsters, but returned to the ranch at the days end, dropping swords to catch up pitchforks and shovels and helping Malon wrap up the chores for the night before sleepily eating dinner and going to bed. Still, despite the strain of the prior day, Legend still finds himself waking early, and with time on his hands, elects to practice with the advice he’d been handed. 

 Well, not just that. Time has a small training yard in one of the old paddocks that looks like it’s currently out of season, grass nipped to the root already by the bovine occupants who’ve since been moved to literal greener pastures. There’s a few dummies there and, after the prior days battling, Legend’s itching to figure out, and correct, a mistake he’d made prior. 

 It’s hard fighting with wings, remaining airborne or even just using them to his advantage rather than letting the just block his vision and throw him off balance. Not that he’s getting any better against stationary foes, but at least he’s not at risk while he practices spins and turns and slashes. Not that that stops him falling on his ass still, but nothing worth doing comes easy, or so he’s been told. 

 “You’re too loose.” 

 He has no clue where she came from, but his hand sis on his sword and body turned and ready towards the sound of her voice. 

 She’s just standing there though, leant against the fence with not a hair out of place, although that changes as she steps closer, crossed arms loosening into something resembling a boxing pose. “Close to the body, guard yourself. Wings can mend, your neck can’t. Use them to guard it and strike out only when you’re certain of your target.” 

 “Why are you telling me this?” 

 She blinks; it’s sort of like how Wolfie does it when they’re being dumb. “Why am I ensuring another hero doesn’t die because he was under-prepared?” 

 And the words sting, although not just his pride. “You know about that?” 

 “I turned back time for him,” she answers, low, a slight crease of a frown taking otherwise unchanging features. “Just because he doesn’t remember the worlds that created, doesn’t mean I don’t either.” She steps closer, wings flaring out sightly. “It’s a gift of our line; knowing time. Knowing the future, the present the past, and that outside our line. If you’re spared that, consider it a blessing, but yes, I know his many fates.” 

 And again, without a chance for him to answer, she’s giving one great swoop and taking off, leaving him confused, frustrated, and left with only wooden dummies to take it out on. She’s right though; treating his wings like he does his arms when he’s boxing, keeping them held close and pushing the out on either side of himself or flaring them is far more effective than using the for balance as Sun had done. 

 This time though, he keeps their conversation to himself. Time asks, while they do the milking, but his only answer is “same as last time.” No need to dm the morning with talk of death after all, even he knows this. 

- 

 The third morning when it happens, he doesn’t jump as much. 

 That’s not to say he doesn’t jump, but this time he doesn’t swing first thing or almost drop from the top of the barn down onto the ground in a head of bones ad blood or...goop (he’s actually not sure what damage a drop like that would do, if any). 

 He’s trying again this time, and when her voice sounds to correct, he stops rather than shifts to mimic her, and rather than ask “why” yet again, he says “why are you here?” 

 Her hairs loose this time, face less smooth, with heavy shadows beneath bi-colored eyes, and it almost makes him take back his question, but he doesn’t he doesn’t ad for a moment, she doesn’t answer either. Instead, she just stares at him. Stares, blinks, and keeps staring until a familiar front of thorns begs to be employed again as discomfort stirs up in answer to her gaze. 

 “Why act all cryptic and weird? Why...” why him? Sure, a descendant, a hero to a world she knew lost theirs, but... why him specifically? There are other heroes here, other heroes, including one that will care for the world after she’s left it! This world! Maybe not this era, but this timeline! Where’s Twilight’s random info-bombs and weirdness from this lady? 

 And then she just keeps staring, hardly even blinking. “Why not?” And he half expects her to take off right then and there. 

 “I mean, it’s confusing.” 

 “Keeps you on your toes,” she answers, almost before he’s finished. “Keeps you guessing, keeps you trying.” Her head cocks on one side again. “You’re a hero, and an accomplished one if you’re called to join others who are the same, but you’re unbalanced now. Maybe your wings are new, maybe you’ve never used them before,” her own sweep out, but only the one, like a gesture, a wide one, the kind that makes his eyes flit towards the tips of her feathers for just a moment, just in case, before turning back to her face. 

 He's not scared of her exactly, threatening presence regardless; he knows she isn’t going to hurt him, and he’s learned by now that she’d have no reason to, but he’s still confused, and she’s still a stranger to him, one he can’t understand no matter how hard he thinks about it.  

 A slip of a smile tugs her lips, cool and almost chilling if not for the rods that follow, “I was that way once. You have many heroes around you, but none with wings, or at least not the same sort as you. Besides, it’s as I said yesterday; our kind know things. Perhaps you don’t, but I do. I know of sisters throughout time who shared similar struggles, and stood alone. I cannot help them. You’re no sister, you’re too young and while not necessarily unfeminine, you’re still just a boy.” She smirks, “but I suppose there is room for a son in Hylia’s fold, and I know many wouldn’t mind having a little brother, so while I cannot help my sisters, I will do my best by those I can reach. After all, as queen, it’s the least as can be expected of me.” 

 Again, he thinks that’s where she’ll spread her wings, but on the dawn of the third day, she lingers long enough for a few more questions before she departs, and this time, when Twilight and Time ask him, curious as they mind the milking, Legend lets on at least a bit of what he was told. 

 When he does, Time actually stops and stares at him from across the aisle in the barn. “She actually answered your questions?” And then, at his confirmation, the man blinks slowly and turns to glare at the spotted hide of the cow before him. “Oh, so she is capable, she just picks favorites, I see how it is.” 

 Twilight’s laughter is a good sound to start the day, all the more as he lets a bit of his own slip to join it while their leader grumbles and huffs under his breath all the rest of the way through milking and up to the house. 

[naughtyneganjdm]

Naughty or Nice - Chapter 1

Summary: It's Christmas time with Negan working at a big advertising agency where his big promotion is shut down after the new, sexy, co-worker of his winds up being handed the job he's been hoping for. Being forced to work through the office Christmas party, Negan gets a glimpse of his new boss that ignites the spark to something between them that with a little luck could prove to be truly naughty or very, very nice between them.

Characters: Negan, the reader (OC), Simon, etc.

AO3 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/51464518/chapters/130059037

Warnings: 18+, Swearing, angst, smut, etc.

Notes: This is going to be the spicier of the two Christmas stories that I will be working on this year for Negan. I hope you enjoy it!

It was Christmas time and Negan was sitting in front of the computer in his office finishing up something from his most recent project at work. While everyone else in the office was out at the Christmas party, he was still stuck in his office all alone. The music was blaring, the laughs and sound of fun that the other people were having was heard outside of the closed door that he had. This was killing him. Negan was always the life of the party, so being tied up in work was driving him crazy. More than anything he wanted to go out and mingle with everyone else, but he knew that his new boss would have his head if she saw him interacting with everyone if he didn’t have done what she wanted.

A knock on his door drew him to pull his attention away from the computer screen and he was thankful for it. He needed a break. He was hoping someone would come and save him from his work. Waving his fingers for the welcomed interruption, Negan leaned back in his chair and sighed when he saw Simon standing at the door with a tray of drinks in his hands, “Are you naughty or nice?”

“What?” Negan snickered, pushing his chair back and away from the desk as Simon made his way around it. Placed on the tray were two different drinks labeled naughty on one set of the drinks and nice on the others. “What are they?”

“Naughty is a cranberry orange whiskey sour and nice is a spiked hot chocolate,” Simon lowered down the tray to offer Negan a drink. After gazing them both over, Negan cleared his throat and reached up to loosen the knot in his tie. “What will it be boss?”

“Can I be both naughty and nice?” Negan snickered making Simon crack a smile before nodding his head. Reaching for one of each, he set them on his desk and shrugged his shoulders. “Thank you.”

“What are you even doing in here in the first place?” Simon wondered, heading back toward the door of Negan’s office. “People keep asking where you are.”

“Well you know that I’m taking a vacation with the kids to the girlfriend’s hometown for Christmas and New Years, so Y/N is having me finish what I can here. I guess me still having my laptop and working from there is not good enough for her,” Negan noted with a loud, audible sigh. Leaning back in his seat, he shrugged his shoulders and threw his hands up in the air. “I get to leave when she decides it’s okay to leave.”

“I don’t know why the big boss put her in charge. Her job should have gone to you,” Simon suggested causing Negan’s nose to wrinkle at the comment. Negan was a top advertising executive at an advertising agency and he was damn good at his job. After all his hard work and doing better than everyone else, he expected to be getting a raise and a higher title, but instead they decided to hire on Y/N who they had managed to steal out from another advertising agency that was a competitor. Even though Negan was upset, he swallowed his pride and did his best to work with her, but for some reason they seemed to have so much tension between them. Y/N didn’t seem to be much of a fan of him and she made it clear. No matter how nice he was to her. “These parties used to be so fun before she was here.”

“Everyone is out there having fun,” Negan noted staring out at the others that were dancing and seemed to be enjoying their time together. “The only people not out there are me and Y/N.”

Lowering his head, Negan stared out through the glass walls of his office to see that Y/N was still in her office working as well while the party was going on, “That’s what I mean. You’re fun as hell. Everyone else? Not as much.”

“Well I appreciate that,” Negan reached for the whiskey sour to take a long swig of the alcoholic beverage. Once he got a taste of the alcohol, his eyes bounced up and he let out an amused sound. Pulling the glass away, he looked it over and tipped his head back to look out at Simon. “Did you make these?”

“No, you think I’m capable of making shit this nice? They hired someone to make drinks, food, the whole thing,” Simon responded with a snort pointing toward the drinks that were put together rather well. “Why don’t you just quit what you are doing and come out here? Play a game or two with people. They would appreciate your energy.”

“I’m not going to get my ass handed to me,” Negan snickered finishing off the drink in a surprisingly fast manner. Standing up, he moved over toward Simon to give him the empty glass before heading back to his desk to sit down. “Thank you for the break though. I needed it. And the alcohol.”

“You work too hard Smith,” Simon alerted him with a shake of his head before closing the door behind him. Adjusting the hot chocolate that he was given, Negan made sure that it was in a safe spot with a coaster underneath it before getting back to work.

A few minutes after Simon left, he heard the ding of his messenger alerting him that someone had written him. Pulling it up made him let out a huff when he saw what was there waiting for him.

Y/N: I hope those drinks don’t keep you from finishing that project.

Lifting his head, Negan stared out at Y/N’s office to see that she was staring out at him from where she was seated behind her computer. Reaching for the drink that he had on his table, he held it out in her direction giving a firm nod of his head. Bringing the drink to his lips, he took a few big swallows before setting the drink down. Thinking out a response he typed it out and then hit send.

Negan: Don’t worry boss. You’ll get your project in the next twenty. Who knows, there might even be time for you to get to enjoy the party.

Shaking his head, he dropped down the conversation and went back to what he was doing. It offended him that she acted like he wouldn’t be able to finish what he was working on. Negan was the best at what he did and he always got everything done on time. He had a good reputation and to have her act like he was known for not getting the job done got him heated.

Getting back to work, he finished things up and sent Y/N a link to the files. Getting up from his desk, he stretched out his back with a wince and reached for the rest of his drink to finish it off. Heading out of his office, he didn’t even wait for a response from her before moving through the office. Their company had the whole floor in one of the large buildings in the city and the whole party seemed to be taking up most of the space that they did have.

Looking between Y/N’s office and the rest of the group of people that were having fun, Negan sighed heavily and headed toward Y/N’s office. Her door was open, unlike his was while he was working so it made it easy for him to knock on the door frame when he stood at the entrance. Her eyes slowly lifted to him when he cleared his throat and shrugged his shoulders.

“I sent you everything, Boss,” Negan informed her folding his arms out in front of his chest. “How about we take some time to enjoy the party for a little while? It is Christmas time after all.”

“There are some things I wanted to work over with you before we leave tonight,” she explained to him, standing up from her desk to move over toward the display boards that she had set up. A loud, disappointed exhale fell from Negan’s lungs and she let out a laugh. “We’re the two in charge of this project and neither one of us are going to be here for a few weeks Negan. We need to have everything prepared for the team to take this on.”

“We’re going to have our laptops with us and still be working from our vacations Y/N,” Negan reminded her with a frown, straightening his posture. Slipping his hands into his pockets, he sighed and shook his head. It was obvious that she wanted to finish working on things, but his heart was set on enjoying things for at least a little while. “It’s Christmas, Boss. How about you take an hour for us to enjoy the party and then when things start winding down, we can come back in here and finish whatever you want.”

“I don’t know Negan,” she began which made his face scrunch up and she could tell that he was displeased with her answer. “An hour. You can have an hour, but then we have to finish this before we leave.”

“Fine,” Negan went to leave seeing her go to sit down. Shaking his head, Negan moved further into her office and grabbed a hold of her wrist to bring her out with him in the main area of the office. “No, you’re not going to go back to work. You’re going to come out here and enjoy yourself like the rest of us human beings for a little while.”

“Negan, I have things to finish,” she bickered with him, trying to get him to release her wrist, but he nodded toward the dance area where the music was loud and people were having fun. With a loud sigh, she nodded her head and felt him releasing her. “Fine.”

“It doesn’t hurt to let your hair down for a while,” Negan suggested having her follow him toward the group of people. Giving her a weak smile, he nodded his head toward his friends and went off in his own direction. Watching her for a while, he could see that she didn’t know what to do. People liked Y/N and thought she was nice. For the most part she was, she was just very serious about her job and seemed to have a problem with him. Which meant the people that were on his team weren’t her biggest fans, but they managed since Negan was never outwardly hateful about her. “She looks like a lost puppy.”

“What?” Simon choked, leaning in closer to Negan who nodded toward Y/N who had someone come up to talk to her. “I think her panties are too far up her ass for her to have a good time.”

“Nah, I think she’s got it in her to have a good time, she’s just worried what people will think,” Negan claimed, tipping his head to the side noticing the drinks that Simon were holding onto. “What do you think she would pick? Naughty or nice?”

“Nice. She doesn’t want anyone to think she’s naughty. Then again, she might not even want a drink at all. It may make her look bad to actually drink alcohol,” Simon waved Negan forward toward the group of people while holding onto the tray of drinks. Once he stepped before Y/N he could see her eyes get big when he pushed them up toward her. “Naughty or nice?”

“I’m sorry?” she breathed out, her eyebrow arching in curiosity trying to pull herself back enough to look at what he was throwing in her face.

“Are you naughty or are you nice?” Simon questioned nodding toward the drinks so she could look them over. “You have to pick one.”

“I don’t have to do anything,” she put emphasis on her words and it made Simon roll his eyes. “I still have a lot of work to do, so I shouldn’t be drinking before it gets done.”

“Called that one,” Simon muttered under his breath, lowering the tray of drinks and looking to Negan who smirked. “Can’t even have a little fun.”

“I’ll just pick this one,” she seemed to be bothered by what Simon said as she grabbed one of the hot chocolates from the tray. Negan reached for one of the same drinks hearing the amusement come from Simon. Y/N took a big sip of the drink and let out a wince when she realized how much alcohol was actually in it. “Did you make these? They are strong.”

“The fact that both of you think I’m capable of making something tasty enough that looks like this is very honoring. You should know I’m not really this creative,” Simon pointed out going out toward someone that was calling for him with the drinks. Negan shifted on his feet watching her trying to drink what she had grabbed.

“You don’t have to drink that, you know that, right?” Negan inquired taking slow sips of the hot chocolate drink, his eyebrow arching in curiosity. After his comment, she finished off the drink and a smirk tugged at his lips drawing attention to his dimples. “You don’t have anything to prove to these people.”

“Why are you being nice to me?” she wondered, her eyes narrowing and it made Negan’s deep, raspy laugh follow. It felt like she had to yell at him in order for him to hear her over the loud music and that made her kind of uncomfortable. “Seriously?”

“I’m always nice to you,” Negan countered with a roll of his eyes, turning on his heel so that he was standing beside her and not staring out at her. “You just hate me for some fucking reason no matter how nice I am to you.”

“Listen,” she went to respond to Negan, but someone approached him in excitement to try to talk to him about something. The person was clearly drunk and they were pulling him over toward another part of the party. Once he was gone, other people started coming up to talk to her about things and it seemed like they were now comfortable being more open with her after seeing her out with everyone and drinking. There were exceedingly large amounts of laughter and she looked in the distance to see that people were surrounding Negan who seemed to be entertaining others like he always did. It seemed like no matter where Negan was there were always people laughing and smiling.

Once an hour passed, Y/N headed back toward her office and knew that she had work she had to get done. Instead of bothering Negan, she just went back to do things on her own. People seemed to enjoy having him out there so she gave him his space.

After some time working alone, she heard her door pushing open and it made her jump seeing a slightly sweaty Negan standing in her doorway. Watching closely, she saw him undo the cuffs of his dress shirt so he could push the arms of his shirt up before joining her in the office, kicking the door shut with the heel of his foot, “I’m ready, Boss.”

“I didn’t want to bother you,” she acknowledged looking up from her computer to see that Negan was pulling one of the chairs in beside her so they could sit with one another to look at whatever she wanted.

They worked together for a while and she started to notice that the party was dying down. At one point, Negan stood up from where he was seated and went to close the blinds in her office and when she gave him a confused expression, he shrugged his shoulders, “The lights are distracting me and I want to focus.”

“Fair enough,” she replied before going back to work with him. When they finally got toward the end of things, they had two versions of their final design for something and were trying to determine what they liked better. “Which one?”

“I don’t know Boss, whatever you think,” Negan leaned back in his chair, caressing his hands in over his thighs letting out a long exhale. His hazel eyes hooked with hers and his chiseled jawline flexed when he threw his hands up in the air. “You’re the one in charge.”

“I’m asking your opinion,” she stated in a firm tone and it made an arrogant smile tug at his lips. “What?”

“I just think your opinion is the one that matters most to the bosses. They wanted something new and whatever you think is probably going to be what they would prefer,” Negan explained with a tired breath, reaching up to brush his fingers through his dark hair. “So go with whatever you want. For me, I’m just eager to get home. I have to leave early in the morning with my girlfriend to drive for a while to her family’s house so I’m just eager to get done.”

“See, you say I hate you but this is where the problem is between us,” she pushed away from the desk, turning in her chair to stare out at him. It made his dark eyes get big. Biting at his bottom lip, Negan’s face scrunched up and he didn’t immediately respond which annoyed her. “It’s obvious you are so upset that they hired me on in this position. Your team visibly fucking hates me and they don’t hide that either.”

“So what if they don’t like you?” Negan waved his hand about in the air, his voice rasp and he reached for a bottle of water that she had grabbed for him. “You’re the boss. You shouldn’t care if people like you or not. All that matters is what the people in charge think. You aren’t here to be liked or make friends. You’re here to do your job and do it well.”

“But everyone likes you,” she countered drawing his dimples to sink in further and a thick rumble of laughter followed. It infuriated her how charming his smile actually was because half the time she wanted to smack him, but he was undoubtedly a good looking man.

“No they don’t,” Negan shook his head, his Adam’s apple bouncing in this throat when he looked back to her. “You don’t like me. My jokes don’t work on you. My charm doesn’t work on you. I work my ass off and it’s never good enough for you. So obviously it doesn’t always work.”

“And you care what I think about you. So why are you here telling me not to care?” she disputed with a huff, folding her arms out in front of her chest. Hearing her say that made him release an amused exhale.

“Touché,” Negan tipped his head from side to side. “I guess I’m just better at handing out advice than I am following it. I just don’t get why you hate me to begin with. I don’t give you shit. I follow your direction. I work hard. I’ve never tried to undermine you. I could have tried to give you shit from the start to prove you weren’t capable of your job, but I instead kept my ego in check and accepted that they gave you the job that I worked my ass off to get. Of fucking course I’m upset that the job I wanted was given to someone who didn’t put in the years here at the company, but I’m not going to try to foil your work here and get you fired. I like you. I think you’re a good worker. I can see why they snatched you out from the other company’s nose. We’re a team and I’m doing my best to work with you, but you won’t give me a fucking chance. Instead you act like I’m a terrible worker when I’m actually one of the best that they have here. So how about you do what I have been doing for you and you show some respect for me because it’s getting fucking tiring having you being a pain in the ass toward me when I’ve welcomed you here with open arms and have kept my team in check to make sure things work out smoothly here.”

The sound of someone clearing their throat was heard and they obviously were bickering so much that they didn’t hear someone opening the door. They both turned their heads slowly to look to see that Simon was standing at the door, “I just entered at a very tense moment, didn’t I?”

“Simon?” Negan snapped, his jaw flexing showing that he was frustrated in the moment. “What do you want?”

“I’m just the last one to leave. I thought you would want to know that,” Simon informed them, pointing back over his shoulder and giving them both a stare. “I should get going though. You two should finish this. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year and all that shit. I’ll see you both when you get back.”

“Wonderful,” Y/N waved him off and Simon’s eyes connected with Negan’s. Grimacing, Simon made an over dramatic face that led Negan to shake his head. Once Simon closed the door, it left the two of them alone in silence.

Getting up from the desk, she moved around Negan and heard him huff. Grabbing something from one of her cabinets, she pulled out an expensive bottle of cognac to set it before Negan. Grabbing two glasses, she placed them on the desk and sighed loudly, “Here…”

“What is this?” Negan’s nose wrinkled, his hazel eyes watching her pour some alcohol out for them.

“A peace offering,” she slid one of the glasses toward him and it was clear that he didn’t trust her. “I’m sorry. You’re right. I have been giving you shit, but I thought you wanted my job.”

“I do want your job,” Negan announced, his throat getting tense when she stated that. “The difference is that you have that job. And I can’t take it. So I’ve learned to deal with it.”

“Fair enough,” she responded, taking a long swig of the alcohol after she poured herself some and sat down. “You have to understand how hard it is to be a woman in a position of power. People automatically look down on you because this is supposed to be a predominantly male career and a lot of men have a problem when their boss is a woman.”

“I can see that,” Negan took another small sip of the alcohol, letting out a wince when the taste of it hit his tongue. It was fucking good and he wondered why she was sharing it with him. “Personally, I have no problems taking orders from a woman. I’ve always admired when a woman takes charge.”

“Wow,” she chuckled lowering her glass from her lips, her eyebrows bouncing up in curiosity. “Was that you flirting?”

“That was just me being honest,” Negan answered her, going to put the glass down and she stopped him from doing so. “What?”

“You don’t have to savor it. You can drink it. If we don’t drink it, it’s just going to sit there. View it as a peace offering,” she pushed for him to drink the alcohol. Thinking about it for a long moment, Negan pulled the glass back up and tossed the drink back swallowing it down. Refilling the glass for him, she let out a surprised sound when he stood up from the chair and moved over toward the side of her office to look out the giant window panels out at the city. “I would like you to be honest with me about your opinions Negan. I want to work with you. I want us to be a good team. Not have you just go with whatever I say.”

“It’s snowing,” Negan ignored what she said and pointed out toward the window after shooting her a glance over his shoulder. After a minute of staring out at the city, he sighed and turned to face her. “So where are you going for vacation?”

“Home,” she stood up from where she was seated and leaned against the side of her desk while keeping a tight hold of her glass. “It’s been a long time since I was home. My family is a bit old fashioned. So I really haven’t been eager to be back.”

“Why is that?” Negan was curious and he noticed the tension she had in thinking whether she should tell him or not.

“I’m not the favorite child. I’m the problem child,” she informed Negan with a simple shrug of her shoulders. “I got out as fast as I could. My father was hard on me. I didn’t do anything right. He thought I was poisoning my other siblings with my big ideas. I was the middle child. My oldest sister was the apple of his eye. I wanted to be in the city, do what I do now…he wanted me to remain a farmhand. It’s funny because my father is very old fashioned, but all three of his daughters have a different mother. And my mother is the only one he wasn’t married to when I was born. Is that much of a shock? I think I’m the mistake that he regrets and took the anger he had for himself out on.”  

“Sounds like your father is a bit of a hypocrite,” Negan reasoned with her taking another sip of the drink that was in his hand.

“Understatement of the year. My father has wanted nothing to do with me for years after our last fight. But my younger sister called me and begged me to come back. And then her mother also did too. She was the woman who raised me, so I only thought it would be right to come back for them,” she looked down toward the ground thinking about her family and she sighed. “No, that’s not true. I’m only going back to prove to my father that I’m good enough. I have money, a good job…a fiancé that loves me.”

“Ah, you’re saying fuck you dad,” Negan winked and she let out a hesitant laugh.

“Kind of,” she sighed, pointing back toward her computer. “Getting to work while I’m there will help take my mind off the stress my family will undoubtedly give me.”

“Wait…did you say your fiancé?” Negan repeated what she said moments earlier watching her hold her hand up to show the ring that was over her finger. His eyebrows bounced up in amusement and he finished what was left in his glass that she had given him. “He must be miserable.”

“Fuck you,” she chuckled when he gave her a wicked smirk and she knew that he was just screwing with her. Negan moved back to place his glass down on her desk. “And what about you? You’re going with your girlfriend I think I heard you say?”

“You listen to me,” Negan placed his hand over the center of his chest to act surprised. A deep rumble of a laugh fell from his throat as he moved over to the large glass windows to brace his back against them. “Here I was thinking you ignore everything I say.”

“I thought we were trying to bond here,” she waved her hand back and forth between them. Setting her glass down on the desk, she reached for the bottle of cognac and took a long swig from the bottle. Moving out toward him, she handed him the bottle and he accepted it to do the same. “Give me a chance.”

“I hope you aren’t driving home tonight,” Negan whispered after a hiss fell from his throat. His hazel eyes narrowing out at her as she smirked.

“I’m not much of a city driver. I grew up in a very rural area. Open roads, this city driving isn’t for me,” she explained stepping in beside him to stare out at the city. “I’m in the city because it’s so different from where I grew up. What about you? Why aren’t you going home to your family?”

“I have no interest,” Negan answered her, his eyebrows bouncing up when he turned to look out at the city with her. “Like you, I didn’t have a great father. He pretended he was, but his actions spoke louder than his words. I always wanted to go to New York City when I was a kid. Especially after my dad came back from a work trip once with one of those lady liberty bobble heads. He told me how big the world was and promised to bring me here. But he never did. Something always came up. With everything really. We never did anything as a family. It was always just me and my mom.”

“And your mother?” she wondered seeing Negan shake his head and bite down on his bottom lip. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault,” Negan whispered sucking in a sharp breath of air. Pulling the bottle up to his lips again, he took another long swig of the alcohol and then handed it back to her. “I moved to the city with my wife. We were two kids that grew up in the suburbs and we so badly wanted to escape it. I originally wanted to be a ball player, but I hurt myself. So I went with what I was good at and it was art. Who knew that just drawing random things would get me…here. I just thought it was a bunch of bullshit that I did when I was bored. I never realized I could make this much doing a silly hobby.”

“Wife?” she repeated what he said, her expression confused when she looked to him. Negan tipped his head to the side and reached for something that was around his neck to pull out a necklace that was there. It drew attention to the three rings that were there and she let out a loud exhale realizing where this was going. “You’re…”

“A widower? Yeah,” Negan responded with a huff, his Adam’s apple bouncing in his throat when he shifted on his feet.

“How long?” she felt bad for even bringing it up noticing the change in Negan’s demeanor when he dropped the rings back at the center of his chest.

“She passed away two years ago. It’s why I’m trying this whole trip away with the girlfriend and the kids,” Negan informed her and he could see her eyes getting bigger when she clearly had no idea that he had children. “Yeah, I have a boy and a girl. My son is thirteen and my daughter is seven. Maybe if you actually make it to the other side of my desk one day you can see photos of them.”

“I’m so sorry,” she swallowed down hard looking out across the city feeling like an asshole that she didn’t even know about his family. “I don’t really know anything about you.”

“It’s not your job to know who I am,” Negan replied to her, outstretching his hand for the bottle of alcohol again obviously needing this sip after everything that he was talking to her about. His eyes were damp and there was guilt that ate away at her watching him drink. “What about your fiancé?”

“I met him when I was working in another city. He was a pizza delivery guy,” she informed Negan seeing him smirk and gaze over at her. “He’s really nice and sweet.”

“You don’t seem like the type that likes really nice and sweet,” Negan commented and she turned to give him a once over.

“I like pizza,” she said in a rebuttal making the both of them chuckle. Stealing back the bottle from him, she sighed and shrugged her shoulders. “I panicked.”

“Come again?” Negan’s eyebrow arched when she looked down at the ring that was on her finger.

“I panicked. He asked me to marry him out in front of a bunch of people and he’s so nice that I didn’t want to embarrass him,” she looked to her hand where the ring was and she shook her head. “I enjoy his company, but marrying him? I don’t know. I thought relationships were supposed to fuel you. Excite you. Make you feel endless amounts of passion…”

“Sounds like you shouldn’t be engaged,” Negan noted letting out a tense breath when he noticed how hard it was starting to snow.

“What about your girlfriend?” she questioned hearing Negan scoff and he pushed his hands back into his pockets. “What?”

“I was lonely,” Negan informed her tipping forward onto his toes and then back onto his heels while they just got to know one another. “The first time I met her she was ready to rip my head off over the last drink at one of the street vendors. I guess I like em’ feisty.”

“I see,” she shook her head, moving back for her desk to set the bottle of alcohol down and reach for her laptop. “I guess we should pick which one we want so that way we can get home to the two people that neither one of us should really be with.”

“Well that’s bold of you to suggest,” Negan’s nose wrinkled when she moved over toward the couch that was in her office. Heading over to the couch to sit down in beside her, Negan leaned forward and rest his elbows on his knees. “I guess since you want me to be honest with you, I hate both the colors of the final two designs. For a New Years campaign, I find the colors to be mundane and depressing. New Years is supposed to be bright, happy, exciting for the possibility of a new year…it’s meant to draw people in and they are supposed to be feel good about the holiday. The colors that you chose feel like they were picked by someone that is…sad.”

“Really?” she looked to the two designs that they had up, surveying over them. “I think they look sharp.”

“Sure, they look sharp, but the colors promote a sense of sadness. Trust me, I would know,” Negan explained circling his finger at her screen where the two designs were up. “That’s why I told you to pick because I don’t like either color. The design, I like. The colors, I don’t.”

“Why?” she turned her head to stare out at him and he huffed in response.

“Because color theory says certain colors draw people to feeling a certain way and…” he began to answer, but she shook her head to interrupt him from going on. “What?”

“Why are you sad?” she inquired having his hazel eyes hooked with hers and he let out a nervous laugh. “You’re sad. Why?”

“You know why,” Negan slurred, looking down toward his feet shifting beside her knowing that he was becoming uncomfortable. “Why are you sad?”

“Why would you think I’m sad?” she countered seeing the smirk that tugged at his chiseled features. “I just got a great job, I’m engaged, I have everything I’ve ever wanted in life…”

“Do you?” Negan wondered, tipping his head to the side when he looked to her again. “Your design choices read someone who is depressed and with certain projects it hits a certain crowd, but with things like this…it’s just not going to work. So why are you sad?”

“You’re infuriating,” she scoffed, leaning back on the couch while they spoke about the designs. “One conversation and you think you know everything about me.”

“Yeah, I know it’s shocking, but I fucking listen to people when they talk to me,” Negan snorted, turning to face her with his jaw clenching. “Contrary to popular belief, I do occasionally know how to shut up and listen. I also know what it was like to be sad because some of my best work I cranked out when I was fucking sad because I buried myself in it. I still bury myself in it. Other than my kids, work is my only escape from the things that I’m feeling.”

“That’s you Negan, not me,” she pushed further, her chest tightening when his eyes narrowed out at her. “I know what I said earlier about my fiancé, but I was drinking and…”

“Being honest?” Negan inquired, his eyebrows bouncing up as he surveyed her over. “Sometimes drunk words are the truest words. Sad recognizes sad because you are just like me. Maybe not for the same reason, but I can spot one when I see one.”

Staring out at Negan, she felt her breathing heavy, her heart racing while he shook his head and nodded back toward the art, “Maybe if we just send them both of these, they can pick the one they are most interested in and…”

A surprised sound fell from Negan’s throat when she reached out to grab a hold of his chiseled jawline to tug him towards her. Their lips crashed together and at first Negan was stiff against her. This was never a position that he ever thought they would find themselves in. Especially with how negative she was toward him throughout her time at the company so far.

Being this close to him allowed the scent of his cologne to intensify and that was something she always found so appealing about him whenever she was near him. His scent was unique to him. Whether it was his musky cologne, his cigarette that he may have snuck in during a break or his mint gum that he used to cover it up with. From his deep raspy voice to his scent…she always knew when Negan was around. She didn’t know what had gotten into her. Maybe it was the alcohol or the conversation, but she had a desperation to kiss him. Even if it was wrong considering her position at the company.

Letting the kiss linger, she knew it was an awkward first kiss, but it was an opportunity she couldn’t resist. Pulling back slightly had Negan’s long eyelashes fluttering, his eyelids heavy and narrowed. Waiting, she didn’t know how to react until she felt Negan’s index finger curling in underneath her chin to bring her closer to him. The rough pad of his thumb swept over her jawline and the warmth from his breath lingered over her lips causing a chill to flood her body. There was something in the way that Negan looked at her that took her breath away. Surprisingly enough, she was immune to it for most of the time, but in this moment, she was hooked. She was pretty sure that he knew that.

“You are so beautiful,” Negan slurred, his thumb causing her to shudder when it brushed against her skin. Getting close enough to just barely drag his bottom lip over hers caused her eyes to come to a close. Just having the warmth of his breath over hers had chills flooding her veins. Her face grew hot when his lips finally claimed hers. It started off slow at first, testing the waters between them. This was a much better kiss than the first one. The one she had done originally was a quick thing that came out of nowhere. This was thought out and with every sweep of his lips over hers, it had her falling in closer to him. Kissing Negan made everything feel like it stopped. The worries of getting this project done were no longer a problem in her mind. They didn’t exist. Each caress of Negan’s lips were almost perfect, his fingers sliding up the lengths of her jawline, down over the side of her neck and then around the back of her neck to curl around it. Goosebumps developed over her body from the chills he was drawing out of her. A tender flick of his tongue pressed at her lips, testing if she was okay with the idea. Parting her lips, she gave him permission allowing his head to tip to the side to brush the warmth of his tongue against hers. Returning the gesture had him moaning against her lips. Tremoring in his grasps, she knew that she was hooked.

Pulling back, her breathing was labored and her lips parted. There was something in Negan’s eyes that she couldn’t quite read with his stare locked on hers. His pupils were dilated with lust, his eyes falling back to her lips again when he slid in closer to her on the couch. Closing the distance between them, Negan’s hand pressed in over her bare shoulder, his rough fingertips caressing over her skin in a tender moment before his nose nudged hers.

Stealing another kiss from her lips, Negan dropped his other arm to hook it around her waist, pulling her in closer to him. Their kisses grew more intense making the both of them breathless. Every touch grew stronger, more desperate with their tongues fighting for some kind of dominance.

“Stop,” Negan tore himself away from her, standing up from the couch and holding his hands up in the air when he backstepped. His chest was rising and falling heavily, his lips parted and his breathing labored. “This is wrong. You’re engaged, we’re both drunk and…”

“I thought you were the naughty type, Negan,” she stood up from the couch, moving forward to place her fingers over the center of his chest. Leading him back toward the large glass window panels of the building, she heard a breath catch in his throat when his back hit the coolness of them. His eyes followed the movements of her fingers and he wasn’t eager to push her away. “Now why don’t you let me play nice and do what we both want here.”

Brazenly, she reached between them to caress over the center of his pants in confident touches. Groaning out, Negan’s eyes grew heavy with lust and he inhaled sharply. Leaning his head back, he couldn’t find the strength to tell her no. She was right. They both wanted this. Confidently, she stepped forward to tip up on her toes to kiss over his chiseled jawline causing him to tip his head to give her more access to him. Wet kisses were peppered across his thick neck and it had faint moans falling from his throat. Sliding his hands down over her sides, Negan pulled her close to him wanting to feel the heat of her body next to his. It contrasted well with the coolness of the window against his back.

“You work so hard Negan,” she whispered, nibbling at his earlobe when her free hand lifted to grab a tight hold of his neck. It made him wince, his head turning to lock eyes with hers. Continuing her caress over him had his cock growing harder with each touch beneath his black slacks that he was wearing. The vein at the side of his neck was bulging and everything about him right now was incredibly sexy. He was both dominant and submissive, giving into the desires of what she seemed to want from him. And the fact he gave her that? That made him so much sexier to her. “Maybe it’s time I rewarded you for all of that.”

A wolfish smile tugged at his lips when she pulled her hand away from his pants to reach up. Plucking the top button open on his dress shirt had him exhaling loudly, his eyes watching her every movement. In this light it was easy to see how long Negan’s eyelashes were and it drew her to the beautiful hazel coloring of them. Even the scene felt perfect in this moment for her. Having Negan pressed against the glass paneling with the night lights of the sky behind him. It was snowing and it gave everything a dreamy feel.

Tipping in, she peppered wet kisses over his revealed flesh with every button she would undo on his shirt. What was nice about Negan was that he was very verbal about the things he liked. He’d praise her with the sweep of his thumb over the side of her face while she kissed over his body. Negan’s body was slender, but gorgeous in every meaning of the word. Once the material of his shirt was separated, she tugged at it to get it out from his pants and pushed at the sides. Kissing over the soft patch of flesh that was under his navel had him breathing louder, his fingers sinking into her hair. Nipping at the skin, she found a rush of courage in the way Negan was looking down at her.

Standing up, she tugged at the material of Negan’s shirt to get it down his arms to reveal the tattoos over his body. It locked his wrists together making it hard for him to move while she took all of him in. At first it was his tattoo over his pectoral muscle that drew her attention. Tracing over it with her fingertips had Negan’s breathing growing louder. Extending her fingers out, she caressed up over his shoulder to gaze over the tattoos that were there and it made her throat go dry.

“Look at you,” she breathed out, dragging her fingers across his flesh to trace down over the center of his chest. Twisting her fingers through the dark curls of hair that covered his flesh, she stepped forward and saw his Adam’s apple bounce in his throat. Flattening her hands out over his abdomen, she slid them up toward his chest and out over his shoulders to trace them over the tattoos that were there. “Not only are you an artist, but your body is art too.”

“Yes ma’am,” Negan slurred enjoying the way that she was touching him. It had been a while since someone had looked at him like she was. It was driving him crazy having her lips so near to his without her kissing him. Tipping forward, he nudged her nose with his alerting her to the fact that he wanted to kiss her again.

Bringing their mouths together, Negan flicked his tongue at the inside of her bottom lip having her purr against his mouth. Tugging at her bottom lip with his teeth, Negan growled and kissed over the side of her face toward her jawline. Dropping her hands, she worked open the belt in Negan’s pants and eagerly pulled them open. Once she had the zipper down, she unhurriedly pushed the material of his pants and boxer briefs down to the bottom of his waist. Cooing out, she enjoyed the way Negan’s short beard teased at her flesh while he pampered her neck with hot, wet kisses.

“Jesus,” she breathed out, stealing a look down between them to get a look at his solid erection. A chill flooded his body at her response. Carefully, she extended her fingers out to curl them around his girthy arousal. At first, she tested him in her palm learning his body and she found herself in awe of him.  

“Thanks,” Negan wiggled his arms just enough to get his shirt back up over his shoulders so his wrists weren’t locked in place. Lifting his hand, he curled his long fingers around the back of her neck to urge her back to him to kiss him. Their kisses were strong, each of them fighting for some kind of control in things like they often would in their work. Each caress of her hand over his distended flesh grew harder and it kick started his heartrate.

Grunting out, Negan felt her pushing into the center of his throat with her free hand to get him to drop his head back against the glass window. Inhaling sharply, he watched her smirk and then lower down slowly to her knees after kissing down over his abdomen. Dropping his stare, he knew he didn’t want to miss this. She continued to jerk him off, getting him completely solid in all of his glory with her touch. Arching his hips forward toward her, Negan knew that she was playing with him in the way that she was kissing over his hips.

“I thought you were going to reward me?” Negan frowned knowing that she seemed pretty eager to be doting on his body, but he wanted more. His comment got her to lift her eyes up, a smirk pressing in over her lips when her kisses grew closer to his masculinity. Sucking at his bottom lip, Negan huffed when her lips teasingly kissed at the shaft of his cock. Licking his lips, Negan knew she liked to be in control of things so he allowed her to be. With her wet lips kissing over the length of his body, it had his muscles tightening, his hips pressing forward in closer to her and a rumble fell from his throat. “Y/N…”

“Patience Negan,” she hushed him having his fingers sinking into her hair. It felt good to be in this position. Having someone desperate for her, holding onto her like Negan was. Purring out against his flesh had him dropping his head down, a moan falling from his throat that turned her on sending a chill to her very core. “There is a lot of you to cherish.”

“There is,” Negan snickered, his fingers caressing at her scalp when her lips finally found their way to the tip of his cock. Dragging her tongue out over the ridges had him bucking forward toward her again enjoying the way that it felt. A deep, raspy moan escaped him when her tongue flattened out and dragged over the tip. “Fuck.”

Fighting to keep his eyes open, Negan knew this wasn’t something he wanted to soon forget when her lips finally wrapped around his body to take the tip between her wet lips. Lapping her tongue at him had her collecting the taste from him at the tip. Swallowing down hard, Negan bit down on his bottom lip and was glad the party ended. They weren’t being quiet and if someone was here, they would hear them. Moaning out, Negan felt his heart skip a beat when she took him further back down her throat before unhurriedly pulling her head back, dragging her tongue along the underside of his shaft. It was slow, focused and done in a teasing fashion. And she repeated the movement several times leaving him wanting more. Her hand caressed over the lower half while she pampered the upper half with the welcomed warmth of her talented mouth. Every bob of her head over his erection was cherished knowing that while this was a gift for him, she also seemed to be enjoying herself just as much. Knowing that she found pleasure in giving him a blowjob made this so much more appealing for him.

Watching her was a reward in itself. Tipping his head to the side, he felt one of her hands sliding up over his hip to caress over it. It slid over his side toward his small, tight bottom to give it a firm squeeze drawing him forward and further down her throat.

“Fucking hell,” Negan panted when her other hand worked over the base of his erection to caress over it in tempo with the movements her mouth was making over him. What he should have been doing was stopping this, but he didn’t want to. They were both intoxicated. They drank a lot. But he didn’t want to stop this. Not one bit. Stroking his fingers through her hair, Negan found himself enchanted with her while she pleasured him. Every movement, every stroke of her tongue was meticulous and perfect just like her work at her job. Tugging on her hair, Negan pulled her head back with a wet sound when his cock pulled from her mouth. With her wet lips glistening and her eyes staring up at him with a desire that he hadn’t seen in so long, Negan lowered down, his fingers grasping tightly to her jawline. “You certainly don’t half ass anything, do you?”

“Never,” she breathed out with a tiny smirk, gasping when his lips hammered down over hers kissing her with all the power that he could muster up. Tugging at the strap of the black dress that she was wearing, Negan managed to pull the dress down over her breast to reveal it to him. Kissing over her shoulder had her cooing out until his lips pressed down to cover her breast. Circling his tongue over the flesh had her fingers sinking into his hair while he pampered her flesh with the talented caress of his tongue. Urging him back, she dragged her thumb across his wet lips and felt him kissing at the pad of her thumb. “If you like having a woman in charge so much, show me what you can do with that mouth since you are so talented at winning people over with it.”

“Yes ma’am,” Negan growled, scrambling forward to pick her up in his arms. Heading over toward her desk, he laid her out across the top of it hearing her gasp with how swiftly he was moving. Palming down over the side of her face, Negan’s eyelids were heavy with want while he gazed over her. “You are so fucking beautiful…”

“Negan,” she stammered his name before he hushed her, leaning his head toward her palm to press a kiss over the center of it. Hearing him saying how beautiful she was had her swooning more than she cared to admit. Hooking his arms under her thighs, Negan pulled her toward the edge of the desk and caressed over her hips. Pushing the dress up over her body, he stopped when he got it to her navel. Sinking his fingers into the hem of her panties, he pulled them down her body, his eyes locked with hers when he saw the nervous breath that fell from her lips.

“Everything is going to be okay, Boss,” Negan dragged his tongue out over his bottom lip, a wicked smirk tugging at his handsome lips. It drew attention to those ridiculously charming dimples of his and it made her heart flutter.

Raising her head up, she watched Negan kiss over the inside of her thigh. His eyes were hooked with hers watching her reactions to what he was doing. Dragging his lips over her flesh, he stopped when he reached her core seeing her eyes coming to a tight close with her head tipping back. The warmth of his breath over her drew her to let out a whimper and it made him smile. Finally leaning forward, he pressed faint kisses over her flesh knowing that it was teasing her, but he felt like she kind of deserved that after all the shit she put him through. Gradually, he allowed his kisses to grow in strength, having her hips rise up toward him with every touch. Hooking his arms around her thighs, he pulled her close to him and grasped firmly to her hips with his hands. Wetting his lips, Negan growled before extending his tongue out to drag a line up over the length of her sex and then back down. Teasing his tongue around her clitoris in slow circular motions, Negan took his time to slurp at her sensitive bundle of nerves before peppering her body with wet kisses.

Dropping her hand down, she sank her fingers into his hair having an amused rumble follow from his throat that vibrated against her flesh having her arch up toward him. Purring out, she couldn’t help but enjoy the grasp he had on her hips wondering if it would leave a mark with how hard he was holding onto her. Pulling his right hand away, he tipped his head back to draw a line over her sensitive folds with his long, slender fingers. Circling her entrance with his fingertips had her whining out, before he unhurriedly pushed his middle finger inside of her drawing her hips up toward him. Humming out, Negan wolfishly smiled when he started to thrust his finger inside of her finding the areas she seemed to like the most before adding another finger. Allowing her to get used to the motions, he set a sturdy tempo with his fingers once he found her g-spot. It had her bouncing up toward him, her breathless whimpers growing louder while he had his way with her. Wetting his lips once more, he went back to pleasuring her, his tongue circling her clitoris before slowly shaking his head from side to side.

“Almost,” she cried out feeling a fire burning deep within her veins that had her clutching to both his hair and the side of the desk. Wet sounds filtered through the air while the strength of Negan’s tongue grew stronger. Slamming her eyes shut, she moaned out and heard the satisfied sound that came from Negan when her body shook against him. Instead of stopping, he continued to pleasure her until she yanked back on his hair with her heart hammering in her chest. As his fingers dragged from out of her, she couldn’t help but whimper from the sensation it left her with. “Fuck, Negan.”

“Do you want me?” Negan wondered, his eyebrows furrowing before he turned to press a wet kiss over the inside of her thigh. Biting at her flesh had her purring out when she gave him a firm nod. Standing up from where he was knelt before her, Negan swallowed down hard and looked down at his rigid length seeing her eyes falling upon it. Standing up, Negan wrapped his long, slender digits around his cock to caress over it slowly. Pressing forward, Negan made sure that she was right at the edge of the desk before grabbing a hold of his erection to drag the swollen tip through her wet folds. “You know, you let people think you’re the nice type, but I’m fairly fucking certain you’re the naughtiest of girls. Aren’t you?”

“I can be,” she mewled out when the tip of his heavy cock dragged across her already sensitive clitoris. An arrogant expression flooded Negan’s features when he tapped his cock against her body having her arch up toward him. Smirking, Negan used his free hand to reach for the bottle of alcohol to steal another swig of it before setting it down somewhere other than the desk for it to be safe along with the glass that she had placed on her desk previously. “I’ll be as naughty or nice as you want me to be.”

“I like that,” Negan slurred, his eyes lowering to watch while he traced himself over her body. With every touch it had her tremoring just that much more and it made him smile. Adjusting his body, he reached between them and led the tip of his cock to her entrance. Pushing slightly forward had her body tensing up and he lowered his upper half over her, bracing with one of his hands on the table while the other curled under her hips to bring her up toward him. “I won’t hurt you.”

“Strangely enough, I trust you,” she breathed out, her hand reaching up to caress over the side of his face while his lips lingered over hers. Locking eyes with him, she felt him reaching between them again when he led himself toward her once more. When he was lined up, his lips pressed in over hers trying to keep her focused on him and his kisses when he managed to sink the tip into her drawing her to whimper against his lips. Filling her with just a small amount, he allowed her to get used to him when he hovered his lips over hers.

“I’m your first big dick, aren’t I?” Negan inquired, finally taking the time to push forward just a bit more hearing her whine. It caused her to lift her head up to look between them to see how much he had inside of her. “If you can’t take it, we can stop.”

“I don’t want to stop,” she assured him with a pant, clinging tightly to his shoulders while she tried to roll her hips up closer to him urging him further inside of her. “It’s just new for me. I can take anything. Just go slow. Please.”

“Yes ma’am,” Negan growled, kissing her once more allowing her to pull him in closer to her. Their kisses grew in strength more determined to be closer in this moment to get her used to the whole thing. Slowly her hips rocked over his length, allowing her body to get accustomed to what was inside of her already. Faint moans were falling from his throat while she took her time with him. It was strange how intimate this actually felt with them at first with their kissing, touching and the careful movements she made under him. For so long he saw her as a badass that was unbreakable, but with her under him he realized how fragile she actually was. Just like him. Tough on the exterior but broken on the inside. And it drew him to her. Peppering kisses over her lips, Negan felt her right hand caressing down over his back toward his bottom to urge him to start moving. Rolling his hips forward had them both moaning out in unison. Hovering his lips over hers, Negan pulled back before pushing forward again loving the way he felt inside of her. It felt like she was made for him. The warmth of her body drawing him to her again and again when he brought their lips together.

“Harder,” she ordered, nibbling at his bottom lip and he pulled back just enough to stare down at her.

“You sure?” Negan confirmed with her watching the smile tug at the corners of her lips.

“You won’t break me,” she promised making him smile when he gave her one single nod. Obeying her orders, Negan started to quicken his thrusts adding some power behind every thrust forward and pull back he made. It had some of the things on her desk falling over, but neither one of them seemed to care. They were just lost in the moment. Her nails bit into his back through the material of his long-sleeved dress shirt that he was still wearing. With Negan giving her a taste of everything that he had, it left her with a full, stretching feeling that she rocked her hips up toward. The sounds that Negan made had chills flooding her body. Negan’s deep, raspy voice was sexy already, but to hear it paired with his moans was driving her wild with desire. “Fuck Negan.”

“You feel so good. So fucking tight,” Negan hissed, grasping onto the table tightly to help give him strength in bringing his hips forward to smack up against her. Tossing his head back, his throat tensed, the vein at the side of his neck bulging more than normal while he pounded away inside of her. “How many orgasms do you want?”

“It doesn’t work like that?” she mused, her whines growing louder with the way that Negan moved inside of her. There was determination in the movements while she clung tightly to him, the tip of his cock hitting all the right spots inside of her with their fluid movements. “I need to be able to make it home.”

“How many?” Negan growled, his lips hovering over hers and she didn’t have an answer for him. Pushing forward, Negan used his strength to plunge himself into her in reckless abandon until he heard her squeal out and pull her hips away from him leaving him a breathless mess laying over her. Her hips shook, her eyes slammed shut when he got her to an orgasm that seemed to absolutely rock her world. An amused growl followed with him kissing down over her jawline and over her neck to place a bite there. “You’re a squirter. Good. I like that.”

“Give me a second,” she begged, her hand placing over Negan’s abdomen to keep a distance between them while she panted beneath him. Her thighs were still quivering and she couldn’t believe what just happened. Lifting her head, she whimpered and shook her head. “I am so sorry.”

“Don’t be,” Negan snickered, his lips covering hers with hot, wet kisses that drew her to him all over again. “Something tells me I’m the first to do that to you. Which kinda makes me proud to be honest with you and I want to keep doing it.”

“I have to make it home Negan,” she whined feeling one of his hands reach between them to caress over her incredibly sensitive body.

“We’ll share a car and I’ll make sure you get home,” Negan whispered, nibbling at her bottom lip while caressing over her body in tender sweeps. With her pressing into his shoulder just enough to get him to back up, he let out a hesitant sound and frowned. “Everything okay?”

“Come…” she pulled herself up from the table on wobbly legs, reaching for his hand. Accepting her hand in his, he followed her over toward the large glass windows. Smirking, Negan got the hint of what she wanted and it excited him. Giving her a quick kiss, Negan chuckled when he pulled back and urged her to face the window. Placing her hands up against the glass panel, Negan moved in behind her and caressed over the lengths of her body. Purring out, she felt Negan’s lips over the side of her neck with his body close behind her. Staring out into the night, she felt Negan’s fingers curling around her neck in a possessive grasp. “It’s beautiful outside tonight.”

“It is,” he slurred against her flesh, placing tiny bites over her skin before rubbing his cheek in against hers. Palming in over her abdomen and up toward her breast, Negan squeezed tenderly at her body and smirked. “You’re fucking kinky. You know that?”

“You like it,” she looked back over her shoulder to have him deposit a wet kiss over her lips where she faintly sucked at his tongue when it brushed between her wet lips.

“I love it,” he replied back with a mischievous sound, kicking apart her legs enough to get her how he needed her. Positioning her hips where he needed them, his fingers dug into her flesh and he adjusted his hips behind her. “Enjoy the sights…”

Wincing, the sensation of him leading his cock to her opening was felt and she bit down on her bottom lip. Sinking into her with ease had Negan smacking his groin up against her bottom. It had her falling in against the window, whimpering out with how sensitive she already was. Negan followed her movements, pulling his hips back slightly before thrusting forward again. Dropping her head back left her neck open for him to pamper her flesh with hot kisses again. One more firm thrust got her up on her tiptoes and he suddenly became stagnant inside of her.

“Damn it Negan,” she whined, her hips bouncing back toward his length getting his body deeper inside of her warmth. What followed was his raspy moan with him nuzzling his nose in against the side of her neck. Negan’s fingers dug harder into her flesh leaving her wondering if it would leave marks. “Please…”

“Take a minute,” he instructed, one of his hands reaching around to bring his rough fingertips to her sensitive bundle of nerves. Stroking them in a circular motion over her body had her crying out. “I don’t know whether this is my Christmas gift to you or yours to me. Because now that I’ve been inside of you, it’s all I’m going to think about.”

“It’s both,” she responded knowing that with how big Negan was, she would be feeling him for a while. Rocking her hips toward his caress both felt good and hurt because she wanted him so badly to move inside of her, but he was just keeping still for a moment. It was probably a good thing they were in one of the taller buildings in the city. Sure it was during the middle of a snowstorm, but what they were doing was downright crude. “You feel perfect inside of me.”

Snickering against her flesh, Negan finally gave her what she wanted by unhurriedly thrusting behind her. Their skin smacking was loud enough to hear with the power of his thrusts that gradually got quicker. His fingers continued to stroke over her body, in tempo with the thrusts he made behind her. Trying to brace herself against the window, she knew that by the way the fire was growing at the pit of her belly that Negan was leading her up to another orgasm.

“You’re a surprise, you know that?” Negan growled, nipping at her earlobe while she eagerly bounced her hips back into him. “Here you are, so many floors up in the middle of the city during a snowstorm wanting me to fuck you. You’re wild and you need someone just as wild as you to tame you.”

“Then tame me Negan,” she hissed out allowing him to take her words as encouragement. His hand that was over her hip lifted and he curled his fingers around her jaw. Every thrust was hard, his hips angling just right to fill her in the best ways. Wet sounds surrounded them and she knew that this was going to be a mess that they would have to clean up after. Moaning out his name, she was surprised what her body was actually capable with him when she pulled up and away from Negan when he got her to another orgasm. “Fuck…”

“Good girl,” Negan praised her, his fingers slowing down over her clitoris while she panted and rest her head against the glass. Lifting his hands up, he hooked his fingers with hers and adjusted behind her. Once his cock filled her again, she was whimpering with every movement he made. Tightly her fingers clung to his while he smacked up against her repeatedly. “I think this is the best work we’ve ever done together, don’t you?”

“Undoubtedly,” she licked her lips, agreeing with him wondering what they must have looked like from down below pressed up against the glass fucking. Every plunge he made inside of her had her cries surrounding them and what she loved was the sound of Negan’s moans against the side of her neck. They had a steady pace between them that they both seemed to enjoy and she met his thrusts with the greatest amounts of enthusiasm. She liked the way he felt inside of her. Hitting all the places she rarely felt with others. Negan knew what he was doing and he did it well. “Ah…goddamn it…”

“Feel good?” Negan wondered and she huffed. Obviously, it felt good. He knew that.

“So good,” she whimpered, giving him the answer that she knew he wanted. Winces were escaping her with every forward thrust he made and at this point her legs were tremoring. She didn’t know how much more they could take in this position since she was heading for another orgasm again. “Don’t stop, please…”  

Obeying, Negan kept up with what he was doing and heard her cries getting louder while he pounded into her from behind. It had her falling in closer against the window. He followed her movements working to bring her to another orgasm that had her shuddering against him. With his chest pressed against her back, he felt her body contracting around him and it had him nuzzling his nose in against the back of her neck.

“Jesus Negan,” she shuddered, her eyes coming to a slow open. It felt like everything was spinning around her, her whole body numb and shaking with delight from the next orgasm that she was able to achieve with him. “I don’t think I’ve properly been able to appreciate this sight quite like I have right now.”

“Tell me about it,” Negan snickered, pulling back and away from her hearing her whine when his cock pulled from her body. Looking over her shoulder, she saw him sitting down on the couch with his long legs stretched out. Laying back against her couch, Negan allowed one of his arms to wrap around the back of his neck while his erection laid against his lower abdomen.

“My legs feel like Jell-O,” she informed him with a huff, shakily moving across the office to crawl in over Negan. An arrogant smiled tugged at his lips and he tipped his head when she braced her hands over his chest.

“Take your time,” Negan slurred, his hands dropping down over her hips when she reached between them to lead his rigid manhood back inside of her sensitive body. His head tipped back, a rumble of a moan falling from his throat while she took all of him, rocking her hips in a circular motion over him at first. Pushing his hands up, he cupped her breasts and sighed.

Starting to move her body carefully over him, she took her time building up the speed of her hips over his and Negan hummed in approval. Lifting up from the couch, his mouth pressed kisses over her neck and toward her chest where he pampered her breasts with more heated kisses. Clinging to his shoulders, she knew that she only had so much in her left, but it was obvious Negan was the same way. His moans grew louder, his lips finding hers when she quickened the bouncing of her hips over his length.

“I’m going to come,” he informed her, tipping his head back to stare up at her looking between the two of them watching his cock disappearing into her time and time again. Wincing, Negan bit down on his bottom lip and felt her tugging at his thick hair. “Fuck…”

Negan’s moan vibrated against her lips with the warmth of his release inside of her starting to fill her. It felt good. Really good. With him deep inside of her, she could feel his cock throbbing and pulsating with every movement she made. Soon the sounds their bodies made together sounded naughtier while he kissed her with everything he had.

“Fucking hell,” Negan’s head dropped down when her movements slowed down and he rest his head against her chest. Her fingers stroked through his wet hair and it was like the room was spinning around him. For a while they just sat there holding one another. Strangely, the thing he felt the most right now was confusion. Confusion for how he was feeling after all of this. Tipping his head back, Negan found himself in awe when her hand stroked over the side of his face. “Are we okay?”

“Do you mean with the sex?” she inquired, trying to gain her breath back while Negan was going soft inside of her. “I’ve really only been with my fiancé for a very long time and we’re always usually safe. I’m on the pill. Why? Do you have a lot of partners?”

“No, that’s not what I meant. But not really. It was my wife and after she passed, my girlfriend on occasion, but we use protection which I realize we should have done here, but…” Negan rambled off finding himself at a loss in this discussion and he shook his head. “I mean…this…us…”

Pushing into his chest, Y/N got Negan to lay back against the couch and she laid in over him, her head resting over the center of his chest listening to his heart pounding beneath her. The steady rhythm of it was beautiful to her and she sighed. Stroking his fingers over her shoulders, he found himself actually really liking this.

“Y/N, I like you,” Negan informed her feeling her lips pressing faint kisses at the center of his chest. “Like, a lot.”

“I like you too,” she responded, her fingers circling throughout the wet hair covering his chest. Lifting her head she could see there was a seriousness in his eyes and she pushed up on her hands. “What do you mean?”

“I mean, what we just did…I’ve never connected with my girlfriend like I did tonight with you,” Negan reasoned with her, brushing his rough fingertips over the curve of her jawline. “I know this was just supposed to be a fuck and it was great, but…”

“It’s because you got me to squirt,” she chuckled and Negan rolled his eyes before shaking his head. “You have a girlfriend, I have a fiancé…”

“That neither one of us like,” Negan reminded her and her face twisted with an emotion that he couldn’t read. “Scratch that, we like them, but we don’t belong with them. We both proved that tonight with us doing this. Let’s not make this a onetime thing.”

“Work wouldn’t let us do that,” she pulled up and away from Negan, reaching for her dress that was bunched at her abdomen working to pull it back over her breasts. “You know that it’s against the rules.”

“Oh, that’s bullshit and you know that. They just don’t want people fighting at work. That’s it,” Negan snorted, throwing his hand up in the air. “Dwight and Sherry are married. They met here. The boss and his wife work here. If we’re able to work together and try something…”

“Not gonna lie Negan, this is a bit fast,” she sat up straighter on the couch after she pushed her dress back down her hips. “Yeah, I like you…”

“Then let’s do something about it,” Negan suggested, his throat tensing up. “I’ll tell my girlfriend that I’m sorry, but things aren’t working out…you told me yourself that the only reason you are engaged to your fiancé is because you felt forced to be. I haven’t felt this way since I was with my wife. I haven’t connected with someone like this.”

“It was sex,” she breathed out letting out a surprised sound when Negan pushed forward to pull her to him to kiss her. It took her breath away and when he pulled back to press his forehead to hers, she couldn’t believe how much it actually affected her. “It would be wrong.”

“What would be wrong is not going forward with what we had here,” Negan waved his fingers back and forth between them. “I’m okay with you being my Boss. I don’t care if you have a better paying job than me. I fucking like you. And us? We’re so much alike. So much.”

“I can’t break up with him over Christmas,” she hummed against his lips when he kissed her again. “It’s the worst time to break up with someone. My fiancé, your girlfriend…let’s just go on this vacation and then see how we feel when we get back. You might just be on a high from the sex.”

“Tell me you don’t feel something between us,” Negan reasoned with her which led her to tip her head to the side and she looked down toward the ground. Standing up, Negan pulled his pants up and over his legs to buckle them together. “And it’s not just the orgasms. We…us…this shit might work.”

“I’ll think about it, I promise,” she answered with a nod of her head, standing up and moving across the space to cup his face in her hands. “Let’s just go on our vacation. Keep in contact since we have to anyways and if we still feel the same way once this whole thing is over. Then yeah, we’ll give it a shot.”

“All right,” Negan agreed to her stipulations, working to button his shirt up while she stood before him. “We’ll do that then.”

----

Tags: @slutlanna976 @fuckthis-and-fuckthat @jennydehavilland @de-gabyconamor​ @ibelongtonegan @smallsadjellyfish @labyrinthofheartagrams  @msjamesmarch @thebeautysurrounds @hotfornegan @redmercysugar @caprithebunny​ @tuttifuckinfruitty @emoryhemsworth @a-girl-interupted @akumune​ @stoneyggirl2 @xsarcasticwriterx​  @insertneganhere​ @haleygreen23​ @xhannahbananax03 @sanctuaryforthelost​ @burningredaffair @killaweiser @dead-of-niight  @ayumi-wolf @hollyismentallyillhelp @promiscuousbarnes​ @tone-stark @lanadelnegan

[spn-con-cliffnotes]

SPN Nash 2024 gold panel

Would you consider doing any more horror movies? What are somethings you liked or miss about the genre? (3:30)

Jen: likes the genre, if opportunity arises then yeah. depends on if a) comes our way b) good project and c) available. depends largely who's involved, and budget size are very telling of quality of project. So close to doing a movie 1-2 years ago (really fun), didn't end up doing it for a variety of reasons, still hasn't watched it (proceeds to say "son of a bitch!"😂).

Jar: they are difficult to film: night filming (6pm-6am)

2. (Christmas question) Do you consider Die Hard Christmas movies? (7:56)

Jar: yeah...

Jen: any movie that takes place during the holidays is a christmas movie!! what's your go-to top 3 *to Jared*:

Jar: love actually, home alone, Christmas vacation

Jen: Jim Carrey's Grinch, Elf, Christmas Vacation. Krampus parade in European countries (speaking of horror), it looks like the orcs from lotr and "the scariest shit i've ever seen"

3. (pt 1: Do y'all drink whiskey?) (11:00) (pt. 2 Least fav memory filming spn?) (11:43)

Jen: "Do you have a question? I mean I guess the quesiton was 'do you drink whiskey' and now i'm holding a bottle in my hands." (11:30) "Should've just stuck with the whiskey question"

Jen: thinks for a minute the entire filming of bugs...

Jar: there was a bee wrangler

4. (16:50) senior in high school asking fav high school memory?

Jar: kind of about the people you stay in touch with. (it may change) and graduation "its been 13 years of your life; almost as long as supernatural" ties it to optimism of next chapter in life

Jen: A in trig (did not deserve) they went to huge high schools. got bullied by upperclassman when younger. getting through it and knowing some people that also experienced it sticks with you for the rest of your life; really special thing. "you only do this high school thing once, get as much as you can out of it"

5. (22:53) Have you ever used a ouija board irl?

Jar: not really?

Jen: used dowsing rods recentlly-ish in his house.

6. (25:17) Favorite meta time in Spn?

Jar: french mistake! (thought it was the end of the show)

Jen: likes the breaking of 4th wall *wink wink nudge nudge at Kripke)

7. (29:48) Jared drinking prop eggnog.

[xxswagcorexx]

the swagcore fic archives will become real in 5:

anyways, hi, i write too much fanfic, but a lot of it is on anon. i know a lot of people go to me for fic recs (you can see a post with More fic recs here) and i'm happy enough with my fics to recommend them to people :) also for funsies i'm gonna put small author's notes after each entry!

the stuff with my name on it:

Swap by cherubium and swagcore

[CLICK] [Jaron]: Statement of Ash…Swag, regarding events surrounding his husband, Red Doons. Statement recorded live from subject on April 4th, 2023, recording by Jaron Yeager from the LIFE Insitute, London,...Ohio. Statement begins. [Ash]: Are you seriously gonna be recording on that? or: a fic written for day 2 of roses and smoke week, swap/horror.

A/N: a collab fic I did with the lovely cherny! all i'll say is that we might have lied a little bit in the beginning notes. heh.

the sleep buoyancy investigation by swagcore

While Fundy walks around his street, he notices an odd poster about researching dreams. Having weird dreams all of his life and with nothing else to do, Fundy grabs the contact information and heads to the address. What possibly could go wrong? - "the sleep buoyancy investigation" is an experimental fic made with Twine. This fic is based on the Stargate Project, a now-defunct project by the CIA to study psychics. Word Count: ~3k

A/N: this fic was so so fun to do. my god. it really gave me my first taste of really experimental fics and that is something i've been playing around with! i do have an idea in mind for another fic like this (which is one of the first fic ideas i had when going into the lifesteal fandom) so! i'm excited for when i actually put my head down and write it!!!

from a windowsill by swagcore

It’s a cold night tonight. As Pearl stares out to the moon, feeling the wind through the tower’s rafters and the howls of the hound army roar from below her, she squints her eyes. There’s supposed to be a blood moon tonight. or: it's late at night, and pearl has some thoughts about the blood moon (and herself)

A/N: i'm going to be real, i'm a dl!pearl sleeper agent. i love her so much and her character is sooooo....*dies*.......she makes me ill!

late night break-ins and henna by swagcore

Ash visits Soc Inc. at the very normal hour of 3 AM on Christmas to give Red a Christmas present.

A/N: fun fact, i wrote most of this on an ipad at one of those friend reunions my dad had with his friends 💀 we were like 8 hours away from our house so i couldn't exactly leave so while on vc with my good friend toast we worked on fics together LOL she's actually the one who came up with the water bottle thing. it was awesome

misc collabs i did:

insufferable hand in insufferable hand by Anonymous

ashswag and reddoons get married in a very thought out, entirely sound plan.

A/N: this was a collab wiith np13, who you might know from "all of the roads led to you". it was actually working on this fic at first, i mentioned wanting to write a swagdoons divorce fic, and it brought me on the team to work on this one. this fic was so silly to work on and i had a great time writing it!!!

the various anon fics i have written:

one and a half cups of stout by Anonymous

Bdubs and Etho leave a party and are now burdened with the task of grocery shopping for cake ingredients. - (or: etho drags bdubs to his apartment so they can bake together)

A/N: god this fic was so fun and fluffy to write. i love baking in general, and the amount of detail i managed to put into this fic and how cozy-feeling it is is something i'm really proud of. fun fact, it's my most viewed and kudosed fic of all time, as well as the first fic i felt really, really proud of!

pommes voyage by Anonymous

headcanon that ren started making potatoes like crazy, like to the amount doc started to check up on him - originally a post meant for tumblr

A/N: this fic was really fun to write as well. it was supposed to be a tumblr post, but i got really carried away (and when i sent a screenshot of it into a gc my friend replied with "that is terrifying", and i decided to leave it as a standalone fic instead of a post) and it's a fun fic to read, methinks

and maybe, you'll find peace in the sun by Anonymous

During the time [x] escapes prison for the dozenth time, [s]he takes a quick detour to pick up some supplies. or: [x] finds an unguarded house in the woods, stealing ingredients so [s]he can make some stew

A/N: alright so, as a disclaimer, this was a fic written before ivorycello transitioned, but for archival purposes, i haven't changed it. for this post, i've made it clear what part i've changed. i'm still proud of this fic, in general, and ivory has since said that her past persona doesn't bother her anymore, so that's why i've included it here. once again though, read with those warnings in mind

the sun vanished by Anonymous

The stars revolve around Planet. It's their little secret, and most don't know enough about the stars to be able to notice. That's why, when they got banned, no one noticed that the sun vanished.

A/N: my first lifesteal fic! i really, really like the ideas in this fic and how i've conveyed them. fun fact i wrote most of this while in the car from homecoming--but i'm really proud with what i managed to beat out considering ost of it was written in a car backseat

dust by Anonymous

After winning Double Life, Pearl has some thoughts about the end of the world while looking at the death menu.

A/N: this fic is AWESOME i love minecraft death screens and like i said before, i'm a dl!pearl enjoyer to the MAX. it's also the first fic i ever had translated, and it was such a nice surprise to see it was translated in my email inbox that morning <3

jackalope by Anonymous

have you heard the myth of the jackalope? (of course you have. who am i kidding.) --- or: a character study on rekrap, as told by the myth of the jackalope

A/N: this was originally for a comic that was, looking back, wayyy too ambitious for my art skill level LOL. i've been brewing it in my brain for a while (hell, even my english teacher at the time looked over at it), and i still find it fun to read. once again, experimental fics ftw!

take your time, we've got all night by Anonymous

It’s rare to find quiet moments like this–moments safe enough for Ash and Red to get some sleep without either of them going on looking shifts. It’s a luxury in the apocalypse. And yet Red still couldn’t get his mind to shut up and let him sleep. Great. or: red can't sleep during the apocalypse. he wakes ash up and both of them spend the night talking about their pasts.

A/N: i'm already a huge sap in the notes, but this is, arguably, one of the most important fics i've ever written. for context, i wrote this while i was really down due to my entire family but me getting covid right before my finals and our winter vacation, so that left me alone in my room for 2 weeks. i was really down, especially since i couldn't spend christmas with my family as a result. however, writing this gave me something to pass the time, and the reception on it when i posted during a dark time in my life really helped. it's also the first swagdoons fic i've ever posted, so there's that too :) also, one of the comments of someone going back to read it a few months later also came while i was in a rough patch, so that really helped <3

four of a kind by Anonymous

Ash, Branzy, Clown, and Red close up the casino for the week.

A/N: first of, CASINOQUARTETCASINOQUARTETCASINOQUARTET- and fun fact, this is one of the first fics written after casino quartet first became a Concept (which. considering i first came up w/ the concept in the swagdoons server is. Yeah <- ill) so that's rlly fun to see how big casino quartet has become considering i see it in random places now LOL

l'appel du vide by Anonymous

If there’s anyone that knows Death, it’s him. or: sven escapes death, and still feels the void linger around him. and he has some thoughts about it.

A/N: i loveeeee minecraft death mechanics holy moly....anyways yeah this fic was so fun to write and the concepts are *chefs kiss*. it's also the first fic in the kenadian fandom tag so there's that too!

5 years, eleven months, and seventeen days by Anonymous

It's been 5 years, 11 months, and 17 days since they went missing. or: laurance is still investigating his friends' disappearances. even after all of this time. (he can't seem to move on, can he?)

A/N: this fic was a gift for my bestest friend ever :3 i'm going to be real it's been like, 6+ years since i watched mystreet but my friend reminded me of how fucked it was and i felt really included to write this. i loveeee fucked up implications in fiction!!!

jenga tower by Anonymous

"Dude-" Ash says through a wheezed breath, "Do you think this a little much?" Clown hums, "Mmm, no. I think you're just fineee." "Exactly," Red chimes in, definitely not helping the 'hey wouldn't it be funny if we all laid on Ash?' cause. or: casino quartet turn into a human jenga tower. for roses and smoke week, free day

A/N: once again. casino quartet brainworms strike again. i think this is the only fic i finished in time for the first roses and smoke week LOL. it's very fluffy and i still think it holds up. yeah they'd be Like That

what's the point of living if you can't die with someone else, huh? by Anonymous

"you mentioned about me going back home, right?" ash nods, eyebrow raised with suspicion. "well," red starts, "i think i said this last season: 'what's the point of living if you can't die with someone else?'" red gets up from the floor, "and you haven't used your god powers much," he says as he offers ash a hand to get off the floor. "dude." ash can exactly see what red's asking. or: alternatively titled: who knew killing your bestie with god powers could be so affectionate?

A/N: i love love love sappy swagdoons so much. this fic was so fun to write all of their memories and stuff. i love them so much i want to pinch both of their cheeks so bad!!! <333

a late night conversation about a stolen horse (and a few other things) by Anonymous

Red's going out for a supply run, and runs into Ash. They have a conversation about a stolen horse (and a few other things).

A/N: once again, sappy swagdoons. i love them so much. i'm going to be real a lot of this was inspired by this one survival guide book that i've had for literal years. i've kept it with me for fic purposes but when i was little i did read through it out of boredom so i do have a little bit of knowledge, which inspired this fic LOL

the thing about ash: by Anonymous

A glitch (as defined by Wikipedia) is a short-lived fault in a system, such as a transient fault that corrects itself, making it difficult to troubleshoot. In an article by Alex Pieschel, Pieschel writes that a "'glitch' suggests something more mysterious and unknowable inflicted by surprise inputs or stuff outside the realm of code." (or: ash, as told in the very nature of himself and what makes him, him.

A/N: okay i'm going to be real this is one of those fics that i'm 90% sure i was struck down by god to have a vision for this fic. i'm really proud with how deep i made the metaphor and it's one of the fics i'm most proud of :) it's awesome

mors mihi lucrum by Anonymous

"death to me is reward" is it really? (or: zolister has some thoughts about the trophy room)

A/N: this fic was so so fun to write. if you haven't noticed already, death in minecraft is one of my favorite things to explore and that showtime smp video activated a nueron in my brain when i watched it. i love death in mc so so much <3

Ashswag's 3-step, very simple plan, to survive the Genesis SMP by Anonymous

Exactly what it says on the tin.

A/N: this is another one of my "hcs into a fic" fics, and it's really fun! i'm going to be real, i still don't know much about ultrakill but i fuck with the aesthetic hard. that clair de lune level is so pretty....

in another universe: by Anonymous

things would have ended differently. (an experimental webweave done on ao3)

A/N: this fic was SOOOOO fun to do. i've always wished for webweaving to be more of a thing outside of tumblr, so this is an experiment into other options! it's so awesome i love experimenting with fanfiction...

the best of the best, you'll die like the rest by Anonymous

Agent Rek Rap II, an ex-agent trying to enjoy his life in early retirement. Or well, he was trying too. He gets invited to a concert by a familiar name. (He already knows how this is going to end.)

A/N: this fic turned out so well. i had a general vibe and i RAN with it. it was so fun to write, and hopefully, it's a fun read if you also like spy stuff!!!

homemade comforts by Anonymous

If Red was being honest, he reveled in moments like this. Moments when Ash and he were far away from all of the violence, all of the responsibilities, and away from any prying eyes around them. Just Ash and Red, cooking together in their shitty little kitchenette that only fits two people.

A/N: this fic was so so fun to write. i'm going to be real, it was supposed to be part of another fic where it showed swagdoons across servers but i decided to make it a standalone. i love cooking together with people so much, and hopefully this fic conveys that :)

it’s no big deal (that i love you) by Anonymous

Sometimes Ash understands people when they call him and Red a couple. They are partners, in a sense, but not in that way. After all, when you’ve spent so long as enemies, survivalists, comrades, even, you notice a lot about the other person. From tracking down Red’s movements to stealing that stupid bell from Capital City, to pressing down on wounds and praying it didn’t get infected, they’ve been through everything. Been through the happy, sad, and angry tears together, and everything else in-between. But of course, everything they did had to be a business deal—a private agreement between just both of them. or: ashswag has some thoughts about red while they fall asleep together (ft. swagdoons qpr)

A/N: once again. sappy swagdoons. because i am predictable. this fic is so fluffy, and i'm so proud with how deep the metaphor is and how soft and fluffy everything is. qpr swagdoons ftw!!!

fallin' in love by Anonymous

Ash and Red go to a pumpkin patch on their day off.

A/N: more fluff. i love them so much. i love fall vibes and pumpkin patches so this fic was me putting all of the fall vibes i could into this fic. so glad it's going to get cooler where i live now LOL

...and, scene by Anonymous

kenadian, the train escape, and the fourth wall. ...and all of the horrific implications that come alongside it.

A/N: this was written as a spirtual successor to my prev. fic about sven. it was so fun, and fun fact, it's the first fic in the kenadian character tag! yippee!!!

world is mine! by Anonymous

In a sleep-deprived move, Minecraft player Ashswag decided that making a Hatsune Miku cosplay would compliment his entire God shtick perfectly. or: ash becomes swagsune ashu

A/N: this fic was mostly written for shits and giggles, but although i haven't have much time for it, cosplay is something that's so dear to me <3 i love the craftsmanship that does into it!!! and the community is so kind <3

go to the end with me, my lover by Anonymous

“Hey Ash? I…want you to come here and take a look.” Red says warily. Ash quietly follows Red ahead. He climbs over the rubble Red is looking out on and— Oh. It was their wedding venue.

A/N: fun fact: i first heard of this song in class when someone showed me the mv after school and um. well let's say i shed a few tears. god if you haven't watched the love wins all mv, please do. it's so well done <3 also in general SWAGDOONS WEDDING LETS FUCKING GOOOOOO (ignore the angst)

it takes two to tango, but somebody has to lead by Anonymous

The tango is a dance that requires someone to lead, and a partner willing to follow them. (or, swagdoons through the ages)

A/N: this was so fun. i love writing in different formats!!! also it being experimental is AWESOME i love playing around w/ language :3 also i love acherswan so so much so that was also a bonus!!!

developments by Anonymous

A group photo of the Hemlock family and staff. Absolutely nothing goes wrong.

A/N: i love photography so much, esp as someone with terrible memory. i've been having fun exploring it in fics recently so yeah!!! also the first fic in the whitepine tag #awesome

memento by Anonymous

“You have a pretty face,” Red says out loud without thinking. Ash stops in his tracks, whipping his head back to stare back at Red. “I—What?” “Ah. Um. You look nice when you’re talking,” Red clarifies, “Wait.” Red steps closer and grabs Ash’s jaw. “The fuck—” or: Red is a photography student and takes a picture of Ash.

A/N: listen me and my friend dusty were talking and my brain came up with the most gay scene ever and i HAD to write it. once again, i've only used dslr's in my life, but hopefully the magic of photographing someone was captured in this fic. old people yaoi.../silly

and OH BOY that was a lot of fics. these are the fics i'm really proud of, so i hope y'all enjoy (and please say nice things to me if you have enjoyed them). thank you for making it through this LONG post!!!

[petercapaldi-press]

INTERVIEW

I interviewed Peter Capaldi for the Guardian and here’s the rest of the transcript…

  by Martin Belam, December 23, 2016

Regular readers may know that I am slightly a fan of Doctor Who, so it has been a great pleasure over the last few weeks to have had the chance to both interview and meet Peter Capaldi as part of my job.

The interview I did with Peter was in The Guide last week, and went online yesterday.

As my Christmas present to Doctor Who fans, here are the bits of the transcript that ended up on the cutting room floor…

In a 1960’s Doctor Who episode broadcast on Christmas Day, the first Doctor got to turn to the camera and say “Incidentally, a Happy Christmas to all of you at home!” – would you like the opportunity to break the fourth wall like that in a Christmas special?

I’ve broken the fourth wall a couple of times already in the show, so we don’t want to make too much of a habit of it, but yes, that would be fun to say “Happy Christmas” to everyone – but in a way we do just by giving them the show.

What’s Christmas like in the Capaldi household – do you have the TV on?

We watch Doctor Who.

Lots of actors say they can’t bear to watch themselves?

Since Doctor Who started having a Christmas special I’ve always watched it. It has become part of the day. So I can’t now tell my family they can’t do that just because I don’t want to look at my fizzog. So I hide behind the sofa – because I’m scared of my acting.

Since leaving the role, Dave Tennant has come back for “Day of the Doctor” and has started doing the 10th Doctor Big Finish audios. You know at some point you will leave the role. Are you comfortable with the fact that effectively you will be the Doctor for life? There will be stories written about your incarnation for many years to come. Would you be happy doing audio books and appearing in the occasional multi-Doctor story after you’ve left the show?

I don’t know. It depends really what happens to it. What the nature of those projects are. You know there’s no point coming in and being a Doctor Who that you don’t like. There’s no point in turning up in something just for the sake of turning up in it. So it would depend on what those projects were. Generally they’ve all been of a very high standard, and the Big Finish things are fantastic, and the multi-Doctor stories have all been great. But one would judge by the individual thing. It’s a wonderful privilege to be Doctor Who, and when the time comes for that to be over, one of the delights of it is that, in some respects, it’s never over. Peter Davison (the fifth Doctor) says it is the longest job in the world, because it never stops.

We’ve just been celebrating the fiftieth anniversary of Patrick Troughton taking on the role. In many ways he had the most difficult job of any actor playing the part, as he was the first one who had to reinterpret it. Was there anything you’d say you’d taken particularly out of Troughton’s portrayal of Doctor Who?

Well I think it’s inevitable if you are somebody of my age. I grew up watching William Hartnell, Patrick Troughton, Jon Pertwee, Tom Baker. Whether or not I was ever going to play Doctor Who, they would have all had an influence on me as an actor, because I loved them. Patrick Troughton was an extraordinarily naturalistic kind of actor, in this bizarre, strange, fantastical kind of show. In fact, actually playing the part now, I admire now what they all did on the show so much more. I get to work with CGI and prosthetics, you know the show looks better than it’s ever looked. Those guys were all there with bits of cardboard and fibreglass, and never for a second did their commitment to the truth of that falter.

Jon Pertwee would throw the doors open and come storming in and you knew everything was going to be alright. He could read the telephone book and make it absolutely heroic. Tom Baker would always have you teetering on the edge of your seat, as to which way he was going to go, whether he would be the benevolent Time Lord, or the chaotic Harpo Marx type character. I think they all fed into my DNA as an actor.

But I deliberately try not to consciously do anything, but I’ll suddenly find myself clasping my hands, and people will be “Oh, that’s very Pat Troughton” but I’m not consciously doing that, I just happen to be clasping my hands. “You’ve got white hair so you’re obviously imitating Jon Pertwee.” I’m not, I’ve just got white hair.

Did you get to see Power of the Daleks animation that the BBC recently released?

No, I didn’t see it. Doctor Who hasn’t received his copy yet. The current Doctor Who. [Laughing] It remains a mystery to the current Doctor Who what it is like. He’d love to see it, if you know anyone who has got a copy.

There was actor called Robert James who plays Lesterson in Power of the Daleks, who was the scientist, who was a great, great friend of mine. I never talked to him about it. I don’t think he realised how important it was to people. It is so weird for me to see him appear in the little trailer, because he was a great friend, and to see him animated is very sweet.

Robert James, as Lesterson (centre), experimenting on a Dalek

[naamahdarling]

.

Stuff under cut.

Anyway, I'm very tired. The Jeebers take work, still. They are so mannerless, just a vast untrammeled wilderness of horrible behavior, and it makes me HAPPY somehow. Their liveliness I guess. Their utter self-possession and minimal reliance on us, their understanding of themselves as cats and not human companions, the solid unit they form together, perfect balance between brave and careful, both stubborn, both bold, never having had to survive for a moment on their own, but so deeply and quintessentially feline in their instincts that I have no doubt that if they had been forced to, they would have easily been able to do so.

I have to alter a great deal of that to make them good companions, but it'll be worth it. Right now they're tiny chaotic roommates who come up to me at random intervals, lick my face for a few moments, and go dashing off to find some other mischief to be in. I sit there on the couch sometimes and watch them race around, skidding around corners, Jasper jumping out at Juniper and starting games, Juniper laying her ears flat and lashing her tail and squinting her eyes, and then going right for his fucking throat, going for the full body tackle, even though she's so much smaller than he is. Getting thrown by him over and over, and not caring, just washing his ears and then starting all over again.

It's good that they're here. It isn't the dynamic or the situation I would prefer, I know I keep saying that, but it's very true. But I still don't regret a single thing. They are unruly and don't do very many of the things that we like our pets to do, but all of that is mostly charming, and the parts that are not will pass.

I've been feeling the urge to do creative things again. I'm tidying up the studio as best I can around the babies, and I'll be able to work again soon. I have one project I'm particularly excited about, and I desperately want to post about it but I can't, because it's a surprise for my boyfriend for Christmas. I've never done anything quite like it, and I'm excited. I also have all of the memorial things for the boys that I need to make. A big box to hold all of their mementos, that sort of thing. And I have a project for a relative that is long overdue. AND there is a really fun thing for myself that will fit in nicely around the edges.

Hopefully I will have the energy and the spoons to get it all done. A lot of the work is going to tug on the heartstrings. All of it, actually, with the exception of the thing I'm going to do for myself. Which means I really should try to do it alongside everything else so I can give myself a break.