#unconventional christmas where everyone could use an extra pair of hands

[afieldinengland]

going to make myself as useful as possible this christmas

[samanthadalton]

You’re latest Ina Fanfic was sooo lush! Can you write one where Ina and MC bump into each other in NYC on Christmas Eve? Just think that would be super romantic ❤️

hi anon, im sorry it took a while, im slowly trying to get back into my requests, hope you enjoy ❤️

pairings: Ina x Bea

taglist: @cloud9in @kulaykape @citybornchick @helpconfusedpersonhere @astrangeandunusualgirl @jenxespinoza @thedaft1 (added people from my ina taglist if you wanna be added in future fics let me know 😊) 

word count: 1.7k 

Holiday tour date

You wade through the busy streets of New York as the streets are in full pandemonium, as patrons roam the streets, most likely doing their last minute christmas shopping. You take a minute to watch the looks on their faces, so full of worry, so far from the christmas cheer they’ll most likely plaster on their faces tomorrow morning. As you look around the streets you see a woman who kinda looks like Ina, she even has the same glasses as Ina- wait… that IS Ina. What is the coincidence that you’ll bump into her on Christmas Eve??? 

You’re about to approach her, until you notice the crestfallen expression on her face, her corner of her lips drawn downwards as she wishfully stares up at bustling crowds. After a few more moments of deliberation you decide to take the plunge and approach Ina, after all it's Christmas Eve and no one should be sad on Christmas Eve.  

“Hey stranger.” You announce as you edge closer to her. As if startled by the sound of your voice, Ina jerks her head towards your direction, her eyebrows shot up. 

“Bea!” She looks at you like you’re not real, unable to hide the sound of surprise in her voice. “What are you doing here?” 

“I saw you from across the street and decided to say hi to my favourite professor.” You give her a sweet smile and see some of the shock dissipate from her face, as her expression softens and relaxes. 

“I meant what are you doing in New York?” She quirks an eyebrow up at you. “I thought you said you were going home for the holidays?” 

You sigh sadly, and pointedly glance away, “yeah, I was planning on going home a couple of days ago but there’s a storm back at home so all flights got cancelled.” You give her an empty smile, sadness swimming in your eyes as you draw your gaze back to her. She frowns slightly, her expression solemn as she looks at you apologetically. 

“I’m sorry to hear that. What about your roommate Zoey? Surely you aren’t spending Christmas alone?” 

You are but for some reason you don’t want Ina to know that so you give Ina a teasingly smile and retort, “wouldn’t you like to know?” Ina huffs, her cold breath clouds out of her mouth as she does, and you can’t help but smile. “So what are you doing here professor?” 

Ina gazes at you, a calculating look on her face, and you can almost feel her building the walls around you, but as the intensity of your gaze darkens, Ina sharply inhales before running a hand through her hair. 

“Lexi decided to crash my Christmas Eve party and try to parade me around my colleagues like I’m some trophy she’s just won.” At the mention of Lexi you feel your blood beginning to boil, that try hard wouldn’t know what’s good for Ina even if it slapped her in the face, and with how arrogant she acts, you would just love to give her a nice slap on her stupid face. Ina glances over to see your fists balled up and places a sweet hand on yours, her fingers gently rubbing soothing circles on your knuckles. “Something the matter?” You see the amusement glistening in her eyes which just frustrates you more. 

“No.” 

“Are you sure,” she playfully asks, and you feel the walls she put up before, crashing down as she teases you. 

“Lexi needs to get a job and stay away from you,” you grumble. 

“She’s a renowned anthropologist.” 

You sigh, “no, it’s a saying.” You relax your hand opening it up and Ina slips her hand into yours, fingers intertwining. You’re not sure if she’s purposely done it or not. “Enough about Lexi, I don’t want to hear about her anymore than I have to.” 

Ina flashes you a wide grin, “and what do you suppose we do?” 

“It’s Christmas Eve, why don’t we live a little?” You gently tug Ina towards you, her slender fingers tightening against your hand even more. “It’s my first Christmas in New York, why don’t you show me around?” 

“Okay, but be warned this won’t be an ordinary tour, where we go to the conventional places every other tourist goes. I’m going to give you the full New York experience.” Ina’s gaze darkens and just as the air surrounding the two of you begins to feel dense with anticipation, she pulls you out of your trance as she trudges along the soft snow begins to cover the ground. 

Ina first takes you to a food stand where she orders apple pie nachos for you to share

“What the hell is apple pie nachos?” 

“You’re about to find out.” 

The vendor hands Ina a box and she slips a $20 bill in his tip box and places her hand on the small of your back to guide you away from the stall as other customers begin to order. You look at Ina as if she’s heaven sent, your heart unable to take the softness overload of this woman. 

Ina licks her thumb after opening the box and raises a confused eyebrow at you, “what?” 

“Anyone ever tell you you’re a saint?” 

Ina lets out a small laugh as she hands you the box, “everyone could use something extra during the holiday.” 

You take the box, your fingers brushing against hers as you do, “so this is the famous apple pie nachos?” You inhale the sweetness of the food, your entire body going into sensory overload just by the smell of the cooked apple infiltrating your nose. You lift up one of the nacho pieces and all but moan when you crunch into the apples, “oh my god this is heaven.” Ina watches you eat, as her gaze drifts down to your lips and when you catch you, you catch her cheeks dusting with red. “You want a bite?” You take a piece of the nachos and hold your hand out to her, inviting her to have a taste. Ina leans forward, her eyes never leaving yours as she wraps her lips around the piece of food and all makes a satisfied groan and she relishes in the taste. 

“Mmm.” You feel transfixed by the way her tongue darts out to lick the glaze on her lips, unable to look away. Ina’s lips quirk up a little and you feel like it’s your turn to be flushing red. Once you finish the box you look at the time on your phone. 

“Don’t you think it’s getting late? You should be getting home.” You try and hide the sadness that’s lurking in your tone. Ina’s eyes search yours, before she gives you a small smile. 

“Why would I leave now when I haven’t even shown you the best part?” You feel your heart doing somersaults as Ina’s hand finds yours once again and she pulls you into a cab and whisks you away to an unknown place. 

… 

“Trust me Bea, it will be worth it.” You trudge behind Ina, your legs beginning to burn as you walk up a secluded hill, you mentally groan and berate yourself for not being fitter but you don’t mind the view of Ina’s ass in front of you and she effortlessly ambles up the hill. “Almost there.” 

Once you reach the top you triumphantly cheer, your legs slumping over as you sit on the slope of the hill looking out to the rest of New York, the brightness of the christmas lights glowing every inch of the town. 

“Wow.” You breathlessly say as Ina sits next to you, your legs brushing together. 

“Wow indeed.” Ina wistfully gazes at the town, her eyes contemplative. You bask in the silence for a few moments, reflecting back on the night you’ve had so far with Ina. It’s been a while since you’ve seen her so free, so careless. Ina breaks the silence, when she speaks her voice is low and soft. 

“Charlotte loves christmas, so does Lillian.” You hum as you recollect the time Ina told you about her sister and niece, you remember the cheerful glint in her eyes as she told you about the time she took her niece to a theme park. “Sometimes Lillian gets mad when I place work over her, but sometimes I have to sacrifice things for the sake of my career.” In your peripheral vision you see her eyes move to yours, filled with sadness and longing. She sighs dolefully before speaking out again. “It’s why I love Christmas so much, it gives me an excuse to be with my family and put them first no matter what.” 

“Ina?” Ina hums in response. “If spending Christmas with your family is so important, why are you here with me right now?” You gaze up at her, anticipating her answer. You see a smile ghost around her lips as she meets your eyes, her brown eyes glistening under the reflection of the lights, “because we should all have some company during the holidays. I can’t imagine how you’ve been feeling without your family.” 

You nonchalantly shrug, trying too hard not to think about being away from them, “it is what it is I guess. I can’t control the weather. But thank you Ina. Tonight was great.” 

“Bea,” your name escapes her lips in a breathy fashion, “I know that this,” she gestures between the two of you, “is unconventional to say the least. But you must know I,” she pauses, her eyebrows furrowed together as she looks away from you, unable to finish her sentence. 

You cup her chin, bringing her gaze back on yours, “I know Ina. Let’s just forget about everything else tonight. Right now we’re just two people with a connection we can’t ignore.” 

“Right,” she nervously chews on her bottom lip before leaning down, capturing your lips in a soft and slow kiss. Before she can pull away, you lean in more, your hands hooking around her neck as you draw her in closer, the kiss becoming more fuelled as she slips her tongue into yours and you involuntarily moan. You enjoy the sensation of her lips on yours for a few more moments before pulling apart resting your forehead against hers. “Merry Christmas Ina.” 

“Merry Christmas Bea.”

[razieltwelve]

Secret Santa

Here is a little Christmas present for all of you. The characters in this snippet are from The Unconventional Heroes Series.

X     X     X

“Why do I have to be Santa?” Gerald asked.

Timmy patted the bureaucrat on the shoulder and gazed off into the distance. “Think of the children, Gerald. Think of how happy they’ll be to receive gifts. Think of how their smiles will light up their faces.”

“But why me?” Gerald really didn’t want to be the centre of attention, and playing the part of Santa would ensure that he was.

“It’s pretty simple. Santa is supposed to carry all of his gifts around in a giant sack. For obvious reasons, carrying around a sack big enough to carry gifts for all of the children in the world would be impossible, so Santa has to be using magic to do it.” Timmy smirked. “And guess whose magic fits the description?”

“Oh.” Gerald made a face. “Mine.”

“Exactly.” Timmy pointed to where the rats were filling a sack with a random assortment of bits and pieces. “Whenever you’re about to give a child a gift, you’re going to reach into that sack before using your magic to pull out a suitable gift via your magic. It will look like you’ve got a bottomless sack, just like Santa.”

“But can’t you just use one of the sacks you got from Mike the Corpse Dealer?” Gerald asked. “Those are pretty big.”

“Sadly, they’re not big enough. Since I still haven’t cracked how he makes them yet, it’s up to you to be Santa.” He patted Gerald on the shoulder again. “Relax, we’ll be right there backing you up. It’s not like we’re going to throw you at a bunch of excited children on your own.”

“I guess.” Gerald took a deep breath. “For the children.”

“Exactly,” Timmy said. “For the children – and my future status as the legal ruler of this area. After all, what better way to secure the loyalty of the villagers than by building them schools, giving them access to clean water and proper medical care, and maybe throwing a few gifts their way. Hopefully, they’ll remember this the next time someone suggests grabbing some stakes and pitchforks.”

“I knew there had to be an ulterior motive.”

“Gerald, there’s an ulterior motive behind everything.” Timmy grinned. “Now, go with Bramante.” The rat waved. “He’s in charge of getting you fitted for a fat suit and fake beard.”

X     X     X

Avraniel stared at her dragon. “What are you doing?”

Spot wagged his tail happily and then held still as Katie attached a pair of what looked to be fake antlers to his head. I’m a reindeer.

“No,” Avraniel said slowly. “You’re a dragon.”

“We’re going to visit the villagers for Christmas,” Katie explained. “And hand out some gifts. It’s part of my master’s public relations campaign. When Spot found out that Gerald would be dressing up as Santa, he asked if he could be a reindeer.”

A flying reindeer. Spot flapped his wings and grinned. Who helps Santa give gifts to good boys and girls… and eats bandits and stuff.

“I’m fairly sure that none of Santa’s reindeer eat bandits,” Katie replied. “Although I’m sure the bandits don’t get gifts either.”

“Fine.” Avraniel shrugged. “Let me know when you guys get back, so I can join all of you for Christmas dinner.” She smirked. “Your master might be an idiot sometimes, but he knows how to put together a good spread.”

“Actually,” Katie said lifting a costume up into the air with her shadows. “My master and I were hoping you could help. You see, Santa is supposed to have elves for assistants and you are the only elf in the castle, so…”

“No. Not happening.”

At Avraniel’s words, Katie nodded gravely. “I see. Well, as my master would say, it’s a good thing I prepared a backup plan.” She nudged Spot.

“What?” Avraniel laughed. “You think Spot can force me to help? Good luck with…” She trailed off as the dragon looked at her with puppy dog eyes. When she continued to scowl back, he merely increased the power of his puppy dog eyes until they began to reach truly epic levels. Finally, when even that failed, Chomp trotted over and added his own puppy dog eyes to the mix, all six of them since he had three heads.

“Fine!” Avraniel snapped. “Just give me the damn costume.”

X     X     X

Old Man raised one eyebrow as he eyed the contraption that Gerald would be riding in. “Are you sure that’s safe?”

Daerin put his hands on his hips and smirked. “That, my friend, is the latest in dwarf engineering! It might look a little cumbersome, but that sled is perfectly capable of hovering in mid-air thanks to an assortment of runes, seals, enchantments, and other technology. Of course, it’s not like it can move around on its own, but that’s what the others are for.”

Attached to the sled were Spot and an assortment of zombies, the largest of whom was Roger. The gigantic zombie shark-hydra-drake towered over everything and gave off a truly menacing aura.

“The villagers may well assume that they’re under attack.” Old Man paused. “And are those giant fake antlers on Roger?”

“I made those,” Katie said, smiling sunnily. “Isn’t he adorable?”

“I’m not sure that adorable is the word I would use,” the swordsman replied.

“It should be fine.” Amanda had joined them. She was wearing an outfit not unlike the one Avraniel was wearing except the vampire also sported some fake elf ears. “And the villagers are already used to Roger. They see him whenever they going fishing at the lake.”

“Ah, of course.” Old Man nodded. “That’s true.”

“All right,” Timmy said, striding out into the courtyard in his own outfit. “Is everything ready?” An assortment of ninja rats chorused their agreement. “And has someone strapped a parachute to Gerald? We can’t having Santa accidentally falling to his death in front of the children.” The rats pointed to where a parachute had indeed been strapped onto Gerald. “In that case, let’s get going.” He nodded at the others. “Everyone climb aboard. It’s time to do our good deed for the day.”

X     X     X

Katie watched with a small smile on her face as Gerald handed out gift after gift. Somehow, each child got exactly what they wanted. It was really quite remarkable unless…

“Master,” she murmured. “Did you ask the ninja rats to spy on people, so you’d know what to get them?”

He shrugged. “If the ninja rats just so happened to be wandering nearby when people were talking about what they would like for Christmas, that’s simply a happy coincidence.”

Almost as popular as Santa were the two elves he’d brought along. Katie bit back a laugh as she watched Avraniel do her best to keep a smile on her face as the children swarmed around her, eager for a chance to talk to one of Santa’s elves. Amanda handled the excited youngsters with more aplomb.

Not far away, Spot was trotting alongside Tabitha. Apparently, Spot had saved the little girl and her brother from wolves some time ago, and they’d become friends.

“I’m glad you could visit, Spot!” Tabitha said, hugging the dragon.

I’m not Spot. I’m a reindeer. Spot had decided to stick to his story despite his scales, his wings, and his incredibly sharp teeth and claws.

“Okay.” Tabitha giggled. “That makes you my favourite reindeer.”

Spot preened.

“This isn’t just about public relations, is it, master?” Katie asked quietly. The smile on her master’s face was far too genuine for that to be the case.

He said nothing for a long moment before replying. “Christmas with my family wasn’t a big deal. We never had all that much, but, well, it was nice. When I became my master’s apprentice, Christmas became a survival exercise.” He chuckled softly. “We’ve done very well this year, Katie, far better than I could ever have hoped. War… war is tough on villagers and other common folk. When Everton goes to war, they’ll be asked to fight, and they don’t have powerful magic or excellent equipment like us. If I can give them something to smile about before things take a turn for the worse, then I’ll do it.”

“You’re a big softie, aren’t you?” she teased.

Her master ruffled her hair. “Don’t get too confident. You need at least another ten years of training before you can even think of overthrowing me.”

X     X     X

Timmy chuckled as Avraniel sauntered into the dining room. After hours of dealing with excited children, the elf was ready for a good meal, and he’d made sure not to disappoint. The dining room was set with a feast, and from the way she was practically drooling, she approved. Beside her Spot, hurried to shrug off his antlers. With the arrival of good food, his days as a reindeer were done.

“This is what I’m talking about,” Avraniel crowed. “Not bad.”

“Aye,” Daerin said. “It is a feast fit for a dwarf.”

Timmy waved them forward. “Go ahead. Get started.” He grinned at Amanda. “And, yes, I did have some suitable blood brought in too. We wouldn’t want you to feel left out.”

The vampire smiled. “You have my thanks.”

Timmy waited until things had begun to wind down a little before revealing the last trick up his sleeve. “Now, I know today has been very busy. You’ve all been kind enough to help me with the villagers, so I thought I should pay you back. If you look under your chairs, I think you’ll find something interesting.”

Attached to the underside of each person’s chair was a present.

“It’s that ancient tome I’ve been looking for!” Katie cried.

It’s honey-baked drake meat! Spot cheered.

One by one, each of the others opened their present to reveal that, yes, Timmy really did know what to get people for Christmas. Later, as everyone prepare to go to bed with a full stomach and a smile, Katie approached him.

“Master, how did you know where we would all sit?” His apprentice’s brows were adorably furrowed. “The layout of the dining table was different from usual because of all the extra food.”

“Katie, the layout might have been different, but I know all of your preferences. Avraniel likes sitting where she can keep an eye on the doors and windows, Amanda likes sitting where she can avoid any light coming through the windows, Old Man usually takes a seat where he can challenge anyone coming through the door, Gerald likes to sit as far from any of the doors and windows as possible, and Daerin likes to sit near the fireplace. As for you… well… I cheated a little. Given the choice, I knew you’d pick the pink chair.”

Katie’s eye twitched. “Of course, you did.” She looked about furtively to make sure no one else was looking before reaching out and hugging him. “Thanks, master. Merry Christmas.”

He ruffled her hair. “Merry Christmas, Katie.” He paused and nodded at Rembrandt. “And Merry Christmas to you too, Rembrandt.” The rat, who was perched on Katie’s shoulder, nodded back.

“But when did you attach the gifts?” Katie asked. “The rats have been around you all day, and none of them saw you do it.”

He grinned. “I have my ways, Katie.”

Later, once everyone else was already asleep, Timmy headed for the kitchen with a cake. As he’d expected, Sam was already there waiting for him. The protoplasmic horror had readied several slices of cake, and he pushed one toward Timmy.

“Thanks, buddy.” Timmy handed Sam the cake. “And this is for you. Thanks for helping me out with the gifts earlier. It helps having a friend who can phase through solid matter.”

Sam signalled his gratitude, and the two of them sat down to enjoy some cake. His very first Christmas after his master’s death had been just like this: just him and Sam and some cake. He smiled. There were still two more gifts to give. They should be arriving at their destinations any second now.

X     X     X

James’s eye twitched. A lump of coal. Someone had put a lump of coal in his stocking. He had no proof, but he knew who exactly to blame.

“Timmy…”

X     X     X

Vicky looked at the invitation to Boxing Day lunch. She’d already had Christmas dinner with her family. Spending Boxing Day with Timmy and the others would be a welcome change. There was even a small gift attached. Opening it, she smiled.

Timmy always gave the best gifts.

X     X     X

Author’s Notes

I hope you all have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. This year has had its ups and downs, but it’s been a pretty good one overall. I hope the next one is even better.

And if you’re looking for a little bit of extra good cheer, please do check out The Unconventional Heroes Series if you haven’t already. The fourth part Two Necromancers, a Dwarf Kingdom, and a Sky City came out last month.