#we exchange a single gift on Christmas eve because Tradition

[writerfae]

Christmas movie au Advent Calendar 🎄

Day Twenty-One: (☃️)Snow globe(☃️)

Christmas special tag list: @bunnymermaidsblog @deadlycupid @dustylovelyrun @ladywithalamp @sleepy-night-child @theguywithnonickname

After dinner, they sat cuddled up on the couch.

Aiden made himself a home in between Talon’s legs, head leaning against his chest and Talon’s arms securely wrapped around him.

Talon wouldn’t mind staying like this forever, freezing this moment in to put it in a snow globe and hold on to it forever.

It felt an awful lot like the calm before a storm and he pulled Aiden even closer to himself.

“What was Christmas like for you? Before your family stopped celebrating, I mean?” Aiden asked and Talon froze for a second.

“You don’t have to tell me, if you don’t want to talk about it,” he added quietly, fingers drawing patterns near Talon’s collarbone as if to soothe him.

“No, I want to.” Talon gulped. “It’s just… it’s been so long…”

Yet he remembered it vividly, he just hadn’t allowed himself to think about it.

“When I was younger, Christmas was my highlight of the year. We usually spent it at my uncle Kieran’s house, because it was big enough to host such an event. And it really was an event. Most of my family was there, as well as my uncle’s friends.

There was a huge Christmas tree in the main hall and decoration everywhere and the largest table I had ever seen, filled with so much food us children thought it could feed a whole village.”

He chuckled.

“Uncle Kieran always hosted nice Christmas parties like this with music and buffet and a present exchange. It was a sight to behold and everyone had so much fun. I think you would’ve liked it. It was like in one of those Christmas movies.”

Talon’s hand found its way in Aiden’s hair as he kept talking.

“But what I always liked best was Christmas Eve before it, where it was just my parents, my sister, Kieran and me.

My mom would’ve prepared dinner and even got dad to help her with it and my uncle played with us children. He taught me a new Christmas song to play on either the violin or the guitar each year.”

He smiled fondly, lost in the memories. He had almost forgotten how he had loved the holiday.

“My sister and me had to play something on the instrument before we got our presents - my family was very traditional when it came to things like this. And then we got our presents.

My uncle always got me the things my dad would never have bought for me, no matter how much I begged him. Stuff like video games or action figures.

One year he gifted me a violin, way too valuable for a child my age, but he said that a professional needed a professional instrument.”

Talon’s father had been skeptical if this was a good present for a five year old, but Kieran had insisted.

He had his first own violin when he was even younger, he claimed.

“Talent needs to be supported,” he said, laying his hand on Talon’s head. “And Talon has plenty of talent.”

Talon wanted to be a musician back then, but that childhood dream had died with his uncle, probably even before.

After all, he’d inherit a family business.

“That sounds nice,” Aiden whispered, as if afraid that him speaking any louder would scare Talon away.

Talon nodded.

“He was. And with his present came a Christmas card. He wrote one for me every year, addressing it to “his favorite nephew”, until the very last Christmas we shared together before he…”

He fell silent.

“I still have all of them, in my apartment somewhere. I couldn’t bring myself to leave them behind when I moved out. It was always our little tradition.”

He hadn’t even noticed the single tear running down his cheek before Aiden shifted in his lap and leaned up to kiss it away.

“You must’ve really loved him. I’m sorry,” he cupped Talon’s cheek with a hand.

Talon leaned into it, closing his eyes.

“I did.” He opened them again to look at Aiden. “Thank you.”

His voice was barely about a whisper but they were so close Aiden understood it nonetheless.

He kissed him then.

Because he wanted to and Aiden was right here, in front of him, and life was too short to miss out on even the smallest chances he got to do it.

After a while, Aiden pulled away, taking Talon’s face in both of his hands and Talon almost started to tear up again just at the gentleness of this gesture.

“Your uncle and the Christmases you shared with him sound really great. I’m sorry that you lost all that. But I hope you’ll at least find your joy in Christmas again. I think your uncle would want it, too.”

He was probably right with that.

For so many years Talon had been busy pushing away all the negative feelings regarding his uncle and Christmas, that he didn’t notice that it kept out all the good feelings and memories he had, too.

All it took for him to achieve this clarity was to be sent into this little Christmas-loving town of all places.

That and the person in front of him.

Aiden had given him so much. He deserved to know the truth. Despite that knowledge weighing down on him, he smiled, putting his hands over Aiden’s.

“I did find it. Thanks to you.”

Aiden let go of Talon and leaned back, just looking at Talon.

“I’m glad,” he said then and smiled.

Shortly after, Aiden excused himself to go get them something to drink and Talon was left alone in the warm living room of Aiden’s house.

It was already cozy to begin with, but the Christmas decorations that were added recently gave the room a whole different charm.

Talon found it comfortable here, there was a feeling of warmth and safety in the air.

Like a magical aura surrounding the room.

Talon let his eyes wander through the room, taking it all in.

This here: this room, this house, the farm… Talon promised himself to find a way to protect it, no matter the prize he had to pay.

His gaze got stuck on something that sat on the mantelpiece of the huge fireplace, something he hadn’t noticed before.

He stood up to get to look at it from up closer.

It was a snow globe, he realized as he stood in front of the fireplace.

A very pretty snow globe, big and heavy enough that he needed both of his hands to be able to properly hold it.

Inside the snow globe was a little scenery:

Snow covering the floor and dusting the four Christmas trees in the background and before it a prettily decorated carriage loaded with a bag of presents, drawn by a single white horse and with no one less than Santa himself holding the reigns.

Next to Santa, a little girl with black curls sat in the carriage. Maybe she was supposed to be an elf or an angel, from the look of her it could’ve been both.

The pedestal the globe stood on was red with little handmade decorations in gold and green drawn on it. In the middle of it stood a name:

Ranva.

It was a pretty sight and as he slowly turned the little clockwork key on the back, gentle glistening snow was swirling around the globe.

He smiled to himself, carefully setting the snow globe down again.

“Pretty, isn’t it?” Aiden’s voice asked close to his ear and Talon was glad he had put the snow globe down already, otherwise he would’ve most likely dropped it.

“Yes, very.” He turned to look at Aiden, who stood next to him, eying the snow globe fondly.

“It was my mother’s,” he said, reaching out and gently swiping his finger over the engraved name on the pedestal.

“She got it as a gift from her parents when she was little, cause the girl looked like her. It was one of the few things she took with her as she came here.”

He smiled.

“It was kind of our tradition, you know? Each year for Christmas she put the snow globe on the mantelpiece.

And each year on Christmas Eve she took it from its rightful place, sat down on the couch with it and let my brother and me cuddle up to her, telling us the story about a girl and how she got to help out Santa.“

A chuckle escaped his lips.

“It was the only time we were allowed to hold it, otherwise it had to remain where it was. My mom wasn’t really a strict mother but she took this one rule very serious.”

He sighed.

“The first two or so year after her death, we couldn’t put the snow globe up for Christmas, because father would freak out about it.

I put it in my room, once, because it made me feel like she was with us for Christmas, you know? But dad saw it and had a mental breakdown. I didn’t dare to put it back up ever since.”

“I’m sorry about that,” Talon said, grabbing Aiden’s hand.

Aiden squeezed their joined hands lightly, then he let go and used it to brush away the tears gathering in his eyes.

“It’s okay. The years after her death have been hard, but he’s better now. Now when he looks at it, he’s smiling, not crying. We have it up for the fifth year in a row this Christmas.”

“That’s nice.” Aiden smiled sadly. “It is…” He looked away.

“What is it?” Talon asked, making Aiden look at him. “What’s wrong?”

Aiden sighed, closing his eyes.

“I was just thinking about how this will probably be our last Christmas here.”

He opened his eyes to look at Talon and for the first time since they knew each other Talon wished those eyes wouldn’t look at him so directly, so he didn’t have to see the sadness in them.

And so that Aiden couldn’t see the guilt in his.

“What are you talking about?”

Stop lying, Talon scolded himself. You know exactly what he is talking about. You need to tell him.

“It’s senseless to keep up hope. We won’t be able to get enough money to save the farm, so we have to take the offer of these people.

Mr. Hawkins made a good offer, it will be enough to start a comfortable life someplace new but… it kills me to think about losing the farm. Not just not living or working here anymore, but it just being… gone.

Thinking about some stupid hotel or mall or whatever it is that they want to build here and that this town doesn’t need standing in its stead. Generations of family history lost…

I don’t want to be the one of my family who failed. I don’t want to be the reason father loses his whole legacy. Our legacy.”

His grip on Talon grew more desperate with every word and Talon’s heart broke at the same time as Aiden’s voice.

“He barely survived losing mom.”

Tears threatened to fall, but Aiden didn’t cry again. Didn’t allow himself too, probably.

Too strong for it.

Too proud.

“I don’t want him to lose the place that he made his home with her, too.”

Tell him, his mind screamed. You need to tell him.

Talon wasn’t as strong as Aiden, he did start to cry, silent tears falling from his face without his consent.

This was it then, the final moment. The one that would ruin everything.

But he couldn’t keep going like this, lying to Aiden about it all.

It would be selfish, dishonest, disrespectful.

It would be no basis for a relationship.

“I’m sorry, Aiden,” he said, grief tying up his throat. “I’m so so sorry.”

His reaction surprised Aiden so much that he let go of him.

“What’s wrong?”

Concern showed in his eyes, concern for Talon, even though it was Aiden who had all the worries.

And Talon was just about to cause him even more.

He didn’t deserve Aiden’s concern.

“Aiden, I-“ Talon took a deep breath.

“There’s something I need to tell you.”

[ann-chovi]

GUYS LOOK LOOK AT THIS LIL LAD MY WIFE GOT ME

He will live forever on my hat aaahhhhhh♡♡♡♡

[halucynator]

Hiii hope your well🤍

Because I'm EXTREMELY nosy and love knowing people's plans (especially my lovely mutuals✨). What are your plans for the holidays? Or just an interesting fact about yourself💕

(you don't have to answer but hope you have an amazing week🎉💗)

hiii <33 i don't really have many plans for the holiday except Christmas? I don't really CELEBRATE celebrate christmas BUT I do give gifts to my friends (i don't ever have a tree up but my bff does) and im going to my best friends (@m3ntallyunstable34) house to have a sleepover on Christmas eve and we'll bake cookies (correction: i'll bake cookies while simultaneously trying to stop vi from eating raw dough that could give her salmonella) and then we will watch a christmas movie till midnight and then exchange gifts !! (her family is totally cool with that btw)

(and i'll prolly end up burning the first batch of cookies like i always do every single year it's part of the tradition now)

what are your plans for the holidays?

[reyesstrand]

let your heart be light

tarlos & firefam dynamics / teen+ / 2.6k

To be fair, TK wasn’t sure what to expect for his first holiday season in Austin. But he has his dad, he has his team, he has Carlos—and it’s enough.

@911giftexchange for @teaamfreewill — i hope you enjoy this AJ, and have a happy holiday season!!! 💗

ALSO AVAILABLE ON AO3!!

“It just doesn’t feel right without snow.”

Paul looks at him with that ever-present, all-knowing look in his eyes, before letting out a sigh and nodding. “You’re telling me, New York.”

“Like,” TK starts, fully aware that he’s gravitating into rambling status at this point, but he can never stop himself. He rests a foot on the bottom rung of the shopping cart, leaning his weight against the handle as Paul analyzes the nutritional facts on two different brands of steel-cut oats. “It doesn’t feel like the holidays without at least one storm that makes you question your existence.”

Humming in agreement, Paul puts one package back on the shelf and tosses the other in the cart, before hesitating and grabbing a few more of the pale-blue bags before they're good to move on to produce. When there's a comfortable lull in conversation, both of them crossing items off the list his dad's very carefully crafted for the bi-weekly shopping trips, TK lets his mind drift to holidays past.

His parents wanted him to grow up with both the tradition of celebrating Hanukkah and Christmas, but as he grew older, Decembers tended to blur into every other month. He'd always call his mom if he was working late, smiling down at photos she'd send him of her attempts to perfect her grandmother's recipe for sufganiyot, always making his stomach rumble. And, even if she was out of the city at the time, she'd always send him a box of homemade pastries and a card with a lengthy message inscribed inside that'd make him feel warmed from the inside out. And his dad would always make him at least come for a dinner on the twenty-fifth, even if dinner was just takeout eaten straight out of the cartons while they watched the Christmas parade he always recorded.

They were simple traditions, but they were theirs.

In Austin, TK's slowly getting used to calling it home. The snow thing had been the first to strike him, because while he's seen his fair share of strange Texan weather, not waking up to white covering every surface and bitter cold nipping at his skin has been throwing him for a loop. 

"Earth to TK," Paul says, tossing him a bell pepper. TK catches it, rolling his eyes playfully at his friend. "We should start figuring out a place and time for the Not-Christmas dinner."

"Carlos offered his place," TK says, without thinking. Paul just grins at him. 

"That seems to be going well, huh?" Paul asks, hip-checking TK as they walk side-by-side to the checkout. TK feels his face go warm, though he busies himself with adjusting the rolled sleeves of his black t-shirt, printed with the 126 crest over his heart. Paul just musses up his hair before ducking out of grasp for retaliation, sidling up to the cashier and offering his big smile at her while she begins to ring them up. "I'm happy for you, kid. We all are." 

TK does smile at that, because it's the one shining light in all of this. He hadn't been sure what a holiday season with a new boyfriend would be like, especially when every single one of his friends were also friends with said boyfriend, but they've all been relatively tame. No shoving them under the mistletoe yet, which TK guesses is only a matter of time. 

"Anyway," Paul says, and TK sticks his hands into his pockets, suddenly glad Marjan isn't here to poke at his pink cheeks. 

"Anyway," TK agrees. "Carlos did offer to let us use his place, though. He suggested the twenty-second, so that way people could still go see their families." 

"The twenty-second it is," Paul smiles, already typing the date into their group chat, followed by five question marks. Because Carlos thought ahead for these things, TK knows they're all already going to be on one of their twenty-four-hour off periods; Carlos works that morning but will be home by noon, and as long as TK has detailed instructions, he won't have a problem starting the food early. 

A small knot forms deep in TK's chest, even though he knows there's still two weeks before the proposed group dinner. He just thanks the cashier after paying with the credit card his dad gave him before they left the station an hour ago, and they head back out into the sunny, barely-cool, snowless, December afternoon. 

***

TK's just hanging up with his mom, absently kicking at a rock in the lot just outside the bay doors, when he feels someone creep up behind him. 

He doesn't even blink, though, because he smells sandalwood and tangy citrus and is smiling before he feels familiar arms settle around him. He tells his mom I love you, too, and stuffs his phone in his pocket and leans back into Carlos' touch, for half a moment, before turning in his arms and pressing their foreheads together. 

"Did you know you're impossible to shop for?" 

TK grins, and presses a quick kiss to the corner of Carlos' mouth before pulling back enough to look him in the eye. "What a welcoming statement after not seeing each other for twenty-seven hours." 

Carlos rolls his eyes affectionately, and tightens his hold around TK's middle. "I missed you, Ty." 

"I missed you too," TK grins, cupping Carlos' face between his palms and finally closing the distance between them properly. "But I do take offence to that. I'm perfect in every way." 

Carlos huffs a laugh against his mouth and presses in for one more kiss, before scraping his blunt nails against the fine hairs at TK's nape. "Believe me, I know, sweetheart." 

He feels a pleasant ripple shoot through him, and TK's struck again by the fact that he gets to have this. He's close enough to see the flecks of gold in Carlos' warm brown eyes, and he wonders how it's only been three months because he feels like he's known him forever. He thinks of decorating with Marjan today and the sudden pang of homesickness that he couldn't quite explain. 

"You okay?" Carlos asks, because he can read even the most microscopic of his expressions like the back of his own hand. TK covers it up with a smile. 

"Yeah, of course," TK brushes his thumb along Carlos' jaw, before standing back, dragging his hand down the length of Carlos' arm so he could grab his hand and tangle their fingers together. "Come on, I'll buy you dinner." 

"My prince," Carlos plays along, hand over his heart, but there's still a look in his eyes. He runs his thumb over the backs of TK's knuckles, and when TK squeezes his hand tighter, he gets a small smile in return. 

***

They'd realized sometime between Thanksgiving and the first of December that they'd have to celebrate as a team, this year. 

The non-denominational, coined-by-Mateo "Not-Christmas Dinner" idea was agreed upon pretty quickly, and TK is beyond excited to start creating new traditions with his family. But he's struggling, is the thing. He wouldn't ever mention it to anyone because he hates stressing them out, and though he has no urge to do anything stupid because for the first time in a while he's happy—like, really fucking happy—he can't help but to feel like everything has to be perfect. 

It boils down to this: he misses his mom like crazy, even though she stayed with him and his dad for a couple weeks back in September when he was still healing. He's finally getting back on track with his dad, after long nights of hashing things out about his childhood. And he and Alex never did much for the holidays save for giving each other a couple gifts because they could never work out how to spend an equal amount of time with both of their families—which, in hindsight, is yet another element of the two and a half years TK lost to the man he thought was his soulmate—but now with Carlos he just wants things to be special. They already have plans to visit Carlos' mom and sisters on Christmas Eve, and Owen had lovingly coerced Carlos into a Strand family dinner on Christmas Day. 

It just feels like a lot. 

"Hey, are you okay?" Marjan asks, bumping his shoulder with hers as she strolls into Carlos' kitchen. The twenty-second kind of crept up on TK, and now he's here, attempting to hold down the fort while Carlos makes a last-minute trip to the store. His kitchen's a homey space, and, like the rest of his boyfriend's place, it's tastefully decorated with garland and candles and little angel statues that have been passed down through his family. There's a photo of the two of them on Carlos' fridge, pressed together at a pumpkin patch they'd spent a date night at back in October, and TK gets a little lost in the memory. Marjan has to nudge him a little harder to get him to snap back into it. "TK?" 

"Oh, hey," TK smiles at her, and goes back to making sure that the green beans don't stick to the bottom of the pan. She claims a burner of her own to keep her tagine warm, leaning back against the counter with her arms folded over her chest. 

"You're spacing out a bit," Marjan says, and when TK keeps his eyes trained on the vegetables he swore he could handle, she just makes a small noise and places a hand on his shoulder. "You've been a little quiet lately."

There's a pause, where neither of them say anything, before Marjan drops her voice a little and adds:

"Hey, you know you can talk to me, right?" 

"I'm just—" TK shakes his head and bites at the inside of his cheek, turning down the heat to try and kill more time.

He doesn't know how to tell her—and the rest of them—that he's both so thankful for this family he's found and so, so terrified of messing it all up. Thankfully, he doesn't have to; there's a knock at the door and Marjan offers to get it, leaving TK alone with a soft smile. He sighs, and closes his eyes for a long moment. 

***

After food has been served, and gifts have been exchanged, they all sit around Carlos' living room. The conversations overlap like they always do, and TK sits comfortably under the glow of the light from the tree and the warmth of Carlos' arm thrown over his shoulder. He's slowly picking at a piece of Grace's pecan pie, and he knows he should just let himself get lost in the moment, but he can't. He taps his foot at a staccato beat against the floor, and even when Carlos throws him a questioning look and settles his hand on TK's knee, he doesn't stop. 

He finally excuses himself ten minutes later. 

Carlos' place has a nice little backyard area, where they've all gathered for parties and after-work hangouts countless times. It's a little chilly as the sun's gone down, and TK sighs out loud and sees his breath puff out in front of him. He smiles just a little, and kicks his foot against the porch, dropping down onto the steps. 

He's expecting Carlos to come after him; or maybe Marjan, or his dad. Instead it's Grace who settles down next to him, a hand splayed over her four-month pregnant belly. 

"Honey," she starts, and TK ducks his head. His eyes burn, and he roughly sniffs. "TK. You don't have to hide whatever you're thinking from us." 

He takes a deep breath, and scrubs a hand down his face. And then he says: "I don't want to bring down your mood." 

Grace gives him one of her warm smiles. "TK, every day I'm reminded why you and my husband get along so well." 

TK rolls his eyes and gently nudges her arm with his shoulder. 

"Now tell me what's wrong," Grace says, and TK rubs the back of his neck before he starts talking. 

He tells her everything. About how the holidays usually meant bickering with Alex. How it meant celebrating with both of his parents, sure, but also dealing with awkward dinners with their new significant others. About how he hasn't felt this good since he was a kid and he doesn't want to fuck it up. 

"You could never fuck it up," Grace tells him, squeezing his hand that she's been holding between both of hers. TK meets her eyes and finds nothing but sincerity, nothing but the warmth and reassurance that always seems to be there. "Never. And know that all of us in there don't care about perfect as long as we have you, as long as we're all together. Now, I'm going to send that beautiful man of yours out here so you can talk to him, because he's been worried." 

At that exact moment, they hear the telltale creak of the door opening; both of them glance over their shoulders and spot Carlos. 

He moves to leave, lifting a hand in apology. "Sorry to interrupt—" 

"I was just leaving," Grace says, getting to her feet and squeezing TK's shoulder for a brief moment. When she disappears back into the house, Carlos takes her spot, and wordlessly presses a lingering kiss to TK's temple. 

"Ty," Carlos starts, and TK stops him in his tracks with a kiss. 

"I'm sorry for being distant, lately," TK murmurs half against his lips, because even though he knows that Carlos has seen him pretty close to his worst he hates the thought of pulling him down; of making him unhappy. "I'm just—it's been so long since I've had this. And I've never had someone like you. I was so worried about not messing things up that I got in my head." 

"Hey," Carlos whispers, getting TK to look him in the eye. "Please don't apologize, okay? We're all healthy, and here together—that's what matters, right? That I get to have you by my side through it all?"

Could you blame TK for surging forward to kiss him again? 

When they part, TK whispers: "Thank you." 

"What for?" Carlos asks, eyes glinting with confusion. 

"For being you," TK says, knowing how it sounds. 

Carlos shakes his head, moving to lace their fingers together. 

They move in unison to press their foreheads together, and TK whispers, "I love you so much. I just needed you to know that." 

"Of course I do," Carlos says, smiling into it when he kisses TK before speaking again. "I love you too. And I don't want you to feel like you have to—to hide what you're feeling." 

TK just lets himself have what he wants, what he needs in the moment, and it's this: Carlos' mouth against his, again and again. 

***

They re-enter the party ten minutes later, and all eyes are on them when they slip into the living room. 

TK opens his mouth to make some big declaration, but Marjan catches his eye, and then Paul. Then it's his dad who dramatically clears his throat and points above the two of them. 

Because, of course, there's mistletoe fastened to the doorway above them. 

"I hate you all," TK mutters, to which Judd yells lies! and Paul yells something about getting on with it. So, TK does; he presses his palms to either side of Carlos' face and grins at him before closing the distance between them. There's a whoop from someone for effect, and then when they pull apart Marjan pulls him down next to her on the loveseat so he can be thrown into a conversation about fighting mall elves they'd had to deal with during a call yesterday. 

Looking around the room, he realizes he had nothing to worry about at all. And, to be fair, TK wasn't sure what to expect for his first holiday season in Austin. But he has his dad, he has his team, he has Carlos—and it's enough. 

[much-brighter-ink]

Secret Santa Queendom Exchange

Merry Christmas Eve! Enjoy your secret santa gift fic- since you said you were ok with anything, I went for a festive fic because I thought the queens experiencing modern christmas would be amusing (also my entire knowlege of Tudor Christmas tradition comes from a single Lucy Worsley documentary so apologies for any wrong details!)

*

‘Well that was a complete waste of time-’ Jane dropped her handbag and keys onto the kitchen table, scowling. ‘You would have thought I was asking for the moon from how he reacted!’

  Anna hummed sympathetically and got up to put the kettle on to make Jane a soothing post-shopping-trip cup of green tea. ‘No good?’

  ‘I said, I told him, that I completely understood that he might not actually HAVE one in stock, especially on Christmas Eve, but that we’d all agreed to check just in case and-’ Jane pulled out a chair with slightly more force than was necessary and Anna leant forward. 

  ‘What? What? He didn’t have one?’

  ‘He just laughed Anna!’ Jane’s annoyance softened into hurt. ‘He didn’t even answer, just laughed and then turned to the next person as if I was joking!’

  ‘Oh love-’

  ‘It was REALLy embarrassing AND then a lady stopped me before I could even LEAVE and asked why on earth I’d want to eat something like that…’

  Anna put a comforting hand on Jane’s shoulder and put a mug of tea in front of her. ‘Well you shouldn’t be too upset then- the very fact that she had to ask shows she’s obviously got no taste at all.’

  Jane chuckled weakly and took a sip of tea. ‘Thanks. It was just horrible- everyone looked at me like I was completely stupid.’

  ‘Well the others will be back soon, maybe they’ll have had more-’

  Anna’s words were cut off by the bang of the front door and the sound of a pair of shoes being angrily kicked off.

  ‘Kitty? Is that you?’

  ‘I’m back.’ Kitty trudged into the kitchen and leant into Anna’s side. ‘Don’t ask how it went.’

  ‘Why not?’

  ‘Because it was absolutely useless.’ Sinking into a chair, Kitty stared pathetically at Jane’s tea until Anna laughed and passed her a cup of her own. ‘No one could help and I got stuck listening to an hour long lecture about animal cruelty and The Law from some interferring old busybody that was passing!’ Kitty sighed heatedly. ‘Since when was it illegal to try and have some fun at Christmas?’

  ‘Weren’t you listening Kitty? If your lecture was anything like mine, it’s-’ Jane assumed a mincing tone. ‘-cruel the poor endangered boars. Or bears, in your case.’

Anna rolled her eyes. ‘God. Wiping them out globally is all fine and dandy then in the name of progress but kill one bear in a good old fashioned family bear-baiting to bring the community together and provide everyone with a bit of holiday cheer and you’re a monster…’

  ‘This century is so joyless.’

  Jane nodded. ‘You’re telling me.’

  Kitty turned anguished eyes upon her. ‘Don’t tell me you had no luck either!’

  ‘Sorry-’

  ‘Argh!’ Kitty let out a frustrated wail and let her head flop down onto her folded arms. ‘No bear baiting AND no boar’s head? It might as well not even BE Christmas…’

  The others murmured disconsolate agreement just as Catalina burst through the backdoor wildly.

  ‘That had better be some ill-judged Protestant humour-’

  Anna shook her head. ‘Sorry Catty.’

  ‘A tomar por culo! This is going to be the worst Christmas ever!’

  Jane looked at her oddly. ‘Didn’t you die at Christmas?’

  Catalina fixed a cold stare upon her former lady in waiting. ‘But at least I got to have one last Christmas dinner to keep my spirits up Jane!’

  ‘Fair point…’ 

  ‘Thank you Kitty.’

  The silence fell on the kitchen, and then Anna suddenly looked up.

  ‘Where are Anne and Cathy? Shouldn’t they be back by now?’

  Catalina looked up. ‘Didn’t they go with Kitty?’

  Kitty shook her head. ‘I thought they’d gone with you-’

  ‘No-’

  ‘They probably just-’

  ‘I bet they-’

  Their speculation was interrupted by the insistent buzzing of Catalina’s phone, accompanied by a rather tinny but still recognisable refrain-

  ‘Oh my god you have Anne’s song as your ringtone!’ Despite her earlier misery, Kitty now looked positively gleeful. ‘I can’t believe it, I KNEW you liked it really-’

  ‘It’s CATCHY-’ Catalina mumbled, as she half turned in her chair to hide her blush. Jane patted her arm sympathetically.

  ‘Catalina Trastamara de Aragon-’

  ‘Why does she always answer her phone like that?’

  ‘Leave her alone, as if Good Morrow, Bitches is any better-’

  ‘Madrina?’

  At her goddaughters voice, Catalina flapped an arm at the others. ‘Shut up! It’s Cathy! -Are you alright querida?’

  ‘I’m fine.’ Cathy sounded rather hesitant. ‘Just- promise not to panic, ok?’

  ‘Cathy?’

  ‘Promise!’

  ‘Ok-’

  ‘…..We’re at the police station!’

  ‘What?!’

  ‘How!?’

  There was a scuffle and Anne’s voice came on the line. ‘Hi! Look, before you get cross, absolutely NOT our fault ok?’

  ‘What did you do?’

  ‘We had no idea it’d go like this-’

  ‘What did you DO?’

  ‘It’s was Cathy’s idea!’

  ‘Anne!’

  ‘We just thought it’d be fun!’ Cathy wailed from the background. ‘We never got to do it back then but it always sounded so exciting-’

  ‘And Jane SAID we needed to make more of an effort with the neighbours!’

  ‘What did you DO?’

  ‘Well….and let me just remind you again that it was CATHY’S idea, seeing as it IS Christmas Eve…’

  ‘Anne-’

  ‘Turns out people get REALLY weird when you cover your face and burst into their house in disguise-’

  **

To the queen’s disgust, it turned out that the jolly Tudor practise of Mumming was, in the 21st century, considered to be highly suspicious and also in contravenence of the law. 

  A quick and grovelling conversation with the neighbour who had called the police (plus a promise of free yard work and snow shovelling for the foreseeable future) saw the two errant queens released and sent home with the stern warning not to try anything like that again.

  **

  Jane entered the living room where the five rather dejected queens sat in gloomy silence in the living room. ‘So they’ve agreed they won’t press charges and I THINK they’re going to keep quiet about it so that’s sorted at least.’

  ‘Thanks Jane-’ Cathy made room for the third queen on the sofa and Jane joined her.

  ‘What are we watching?’

  ‘Anna suggested we try a modern Christmas film to try and get into the spirit-’

  ‘Oh?’

  Kitty made a face. ‘It’s about a demon who goes around sneaking into the houses of children before Christmas day…’

  ‘Oh. Weird.’

  ‘Yeah not very cheering…’

  ‘Speaking of which, where IS Anna?’

  ‘Oh she said she had a surprise to cheer us all up-’

  Cathy hugged a cushion to her chest. ‘Honestly, I can’t think of ANYTHING that will make today ANY-’

  She was interrupted by Anna- Anna von Kleve, dressed in an oversized red hoody with Trust No Bitch emblazoned on it in gold sequins and bearing what looked to be Jane’s best Le Creuset mixing bowl, filled to the brim with-

  ‘Is that….what IS that?’

  ‘Mmmm….vodka….and the gin that was left over…and about a half cup of cooking sherry….’ Anna looked up defensively. ‘What? I know the wassail cup is MEANT to be cider but we didn’t have enough to fill the bowl!’

  ‘I suppose that’s fair enough-’ 

  Catalina reached for the bowl and took a swig. ‘At least that’s one tradition they can’t take away from us. Even if we’re the only ones to do it anymore…’

  ‘They can take our boar and our bear and our mummers but they’ll pry our wassail cup out of our cold dead hands!’

  ‘Yep’ Anne nodded decisely. ‘It can still be a BIT like Christmas IF we can all drink alcohol out of a massive bowl….’

  The other queens nodded, looking slightly cheered.

  *

  Needless to say, the Boxing Day performance had to be cancelled.

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

Ahhhh @cynicalrainbows thank you so, so much!!! This made my day, I love your writing so much - have a wonderful Christmas Eve! @queendomsecretsanta

[utterlyinevitable]

hc about what happened in the time jump for the bryce and raf routes to fix this mess? Make the lack of progression make sense! please and thank you

Sorry it’s taken a while to get these two done, i’ve been too busy living in my carefully curated Ethan timeline 😅 You can find Ethan x MC During the Time Jump here. (raf will be another post) 

Bryce x MC During the Time Jump

After the gala, things weren’t that much different between them. 

The most notable difference was the intimacy. It seemed stronger, deeper. Effortless. 

They weren’t casual anymore that much was certain. They weren’t just fucking for fun. They were making love to last a life time. Their bodies knew one another in a tale as old as time.

But they’re both too timid to admit it. They won’t say the weighted phrase until they’re certain life and residency won’t tear them apart.

MC spent any free time she could having dinners with Keiki and Bryce. MC did most of the cooking but Bryce was the best sous chef learning how to adventure past pasta. The two doctor’s helping the teen out with her homework however they could. As smart as they are, they don’t understand Common Core...

But then Ethan turning the hospital into a greater version of the clinic meant MC was constantly busy. She barely even had 30 minutes to grab lunch. And sometimes she was even much too tired for drinks at Donahue’s.

Bryce had to lean on his surgical acquaintances a lot more now that his internal medicine buddies weren’t around. The clinic hadn’t trickled down to the surgical department; mostly because there were only so many ORs and you couldn’t rush procedures.

The week before Thanksgiving Bryce and Keiki were invited to MC’s apartment to celebrate with her roommates on their only day off together in weeks. 

Despite the exhaustion everyone felt, they were up early and super cheery. 

Sienna did most of the cooking with MC and Aurora lending a hand. Bryce and Jackie were on drinks duty and Elijah was in charge of entertainment. 

They all crowded around the dining table on the matching chairs and ones from their bedroom desks in order to accommodate. It was a mismatch but it was perfect. 

Conversation flowed freely and everyone said what they’re thankful for and what they think the upcoming year will hold.  

Then out of seemingly nowhere Keiki brought up boarding school.

Bryce looked at her with utter shock. The other’s asked questions about it. 

Keiki shrugged saying, “it’s just an idea. I can’t live with Bryce forever”. 

It was true, but doesn’t mean Bryce felt a little sad at his sister leaving all too soon.  

Christmas came sooner than anyone realized. 

MC saw her family the weekend before the holiday as became her tradition since med school. 

Since Bryce’s call to his mother about the funds to send Keiki to boarding school, she was sending him more messages and asking Keiki to come home for the holiday. She offered to pay for first class flights for her two darling children to come home. 

Both Lahela’s were against it.

Bryce took off as much time as he could to spend with the kid before she goes to school. But there’s only a handful of days he could take off at the busiest time of the year.

He managed to get Christmas and the day after off, and a half day on Christmas Eve.

Eve evening, Bryce came home to half priced decorations unceremoniously scattered about his living room, and Keiki and Mc standing on the couch trying to hang a daisy chain banner that looked like kindergarteners made it.

He couldn’t help but smile and pull MC into the biggest hug. She made everything 1000x better. 

The small family spent the evening eating and laughing and decorating the table top tree MC and Keiki picked up at the Walgreens down the street.

Cuddled up on the sofa in each other’s arms and Keiki on the makeshift bed she’d been sleeping on since her arrival, they watched classic Christmas movies and ate chocolate. It was perfect. 

Except MC had to work the next evening.

The amount of patients coming through Edenbrook’s doors tripled in the upcoming days and kept everyone busy.

Luckily the group of friends were able to spend New Years together. 

There wasn’t a single question as to if they were kissing at midnight. 

Bryce started kissing MC during the countdown; from her neck, up her jaw to her ear, cheeks, to the tip of her nose and then her lips at midnight. 

Shortly after the brief celebrations with the others, the two retired to her bedroom and kept ringing in the new year the right way.  

Keiki leaves for boarding school a few days after New Years. It was a very emotional journey down to Connecticut. 

Bryce was endlessly thankful MC accompanied him. Without her he’s pretty sure if would have cried a lot more on the drive home. And he probably would have stopped off at some sketchy gas station for a pick-me-up snack. Thankfully, MC suggested they hit Buffalo Wild Wings before entering the city instead. 

The couple thought Keiki being gone would give them more time together.

They were so wrong.

Mc got busier and busier and her time off didn’t coincide with his schedule, and everything got so damn complicated.

They hadn’t seen one another properly outside the hospital that wasn’t in passing in weeks.

So Bryce carved out some time around Valentine’s Day. 

MC was too busy to even realize the significance of the day. Every single day melded together to the point she didn’t know what was up or down, the month and barely clocked the time. 

She was leaning against the nurse’s station rapidly filling out charts when Bryce made a move. 

He slid up next to her, rubbed her shoulders and told her to take break with him. 

“Bryce I can’t I have patients. You see that line don’t you?”

“You haven’t taken lunch yet,” he said simply. He dropped his hands and turned around and called, “Hey Inès, MC is going on lunch!”

“Enjoy!” the senior resident called back. 

Bryce folded up the charts, handed them to Sarah behind the desk and dragged MC by both the wrists down the hall to the elevator. 

“Where are we going?” MC asked. 

Bryce may have set up a little rendezvous spot in a shut down inpatient wing. He had some take out he picked up from the café around the corner set up by the window and two clinical chairs. On the still-made bed was a stuffed bear holding a “Be Mine” heart and chocolate that he certainly did not steal from the gift shop. 

“The last time we were in one of these something really magical happened,” he said as he closed the door behind them. 

“The only thing magic was your hands.” MC wrapped her arms around his neck and pecked his lips. 

The evening of the group’s night on the town started off rough and stressful.

Bryce admitted he applied for a transfer to MK. He needs to be in Boston or really any hospital within driving distance of his sister’s school. She didn’t fly all the way out here just to be abandoned by him again.

MC understood - of course she understood his reason for staying here. She just didn’t know what to do for herself. They hadn’t talked about the long term, if they were going to try and be close. They hadn’t talked about their future at all, actually. The only times they did Keiki was the main subject. 

And she guessed she just had to apply to places and hope for the best. She knew where he’d be and now she needs to figure out if she fits into that.  

When applications got sad and boring the group got all dolled up and went out for a drink. Or six. Enough alcohol to forget the awkwardness that was earlier in their apartment. To forget the looming uncertainty of their unofficial relationship. 

Bryce was committed. MC was committed. They just weren’t vocal about their devout commitment. 

They got so drunk and ended up at the helipad on top of Edenbrook.

Cracking beers in hand, dancing and singing and enjoying the evening to it’s fullest. Bryce held her close and they lamented on the view as they sat against the wall, anticipating the sunrise over the horizon. 

The nightly breeze picked up. He rubbed patterns up and down her arms and she drew circles at his inner thigh. 

MC looked at him, their eyes locking.

Bryce’s lips turned upwards in a weighted smile. MC leaned her forehead against his and let out the sigh she didn’t know she was holding in. 

He kissed the corner of her mouth. Then her cheek. Then her nose. Then her neck. Her hands gripping to the lapels of his sports coat. 

They went back to his place and they didn’t talk about the future at all. Both of them clinging to the here and now. 

That evening they didn’t have sex. They held one other the entire night. They fell asleep to the sound of the other’s heartbeat.  

Small pleasantries were exchanged in the morning along with light kisses. 

For another time that year, they both felt the change. 

Edenbrook’s last day came and they were both in their feelings. Bryce was set to start at MK in a few weeks time and MC still didn’t know where she was going. Not a single application response on the east coast had come back yet. 

Bryce was standing outside with his best friends when the lights of Edenbrook finally went off that fateful day. 

Minutes later MC walked out. He noticed how her features, mood and hopes simultaneously fell lower than he’d seen in a while.

Her eyes found him right away, his arms waiting for her. She melted into his hug. Deep in his embrace with all her friends chattering around them, a part of her hoped they could compromise. There was so much more to explore between them. This couldn’t be the end. 

The entire Boston Bucket List event was bittersweet. As much as they enjoyed the escapades and these memories with their friends Bryce and MC just wanted some time alone. They needed time together to combat the unknown. 

By the time it was MC’s turn she chose a total cop-out. A kiss with Bryce. 

A kiss she hoped encompassed every feeling she was too scared to say. A kiss that told him just how much the uncertainty of their future was eating her up inside. A kiss he desperately needed as well. 

________________________________________

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Bryce

@eleanorbloom @weaving-in-words

Bryce HCs

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[youidiotprince]

ALT ER LOVE SERVER GIFT EXCHANGE: FIC SET

happy holidays @soluxogobsc! I’m so sorry for posting this at the last possible second, but I hope you enjoy these fragments of fic for your favorite evak pairings (evak, elu, and davenzi) during the holiday season, each echoing the one before, their love rippling across the parallel universes. you can read them all under the cut.

EVAK

Somehow, without Isak or Even even noticing, the holiday season had crept up on them and nearly passed them by. As soon as they started their winter holidays from their Universities, time lost all meaning to them, and suddenly it was the day before Christmas Eve and they hadn’t purchased a single gift or set out a single decoration. That evening, a bit in a panic, they divided to conquer; Isak hunched over the coffee table to wrap the gifts they’d bought for their friends and family earlier that day, and Even moved between the tree and the open storage boxes of decorations, trying to bring some spirit into their apartment.

Dispersed amongst the boxes were precious tokens of their five Christmases together, the odd bits and trinkets they’d accumulated over time, their shared life together viewed through this one time of year that meant so much to them. Even pulled ornaments for the tree from the boxes. Some were sentimental, like the strip of film Isak had gotten framed as a gift for their second Christmas together, stills from one of the many videos Even had taken of them over the course of their relationship; some were comical, gag gifts given to them by their friends; and some were just traditional, like the angel they would put atop the tree later. When Even found an ornament that Jonas had gifted to them the year before that he had forgotten about, a reindeer lifting its leg to pee like a dog, he turned to Isak, amused, ready to remind him.

“Isak, what is that monstrosity in your hands right now?” Even assumed it was the candle they’d gotten for his mom, since the package seemed vaguely cylindrical in shape, but it was buried in what seemed to be three layers of wrapping paper, all haphazardly crumpled around the object within, a few pieces of tape stuck on to try to pull it all together. Even’s eyes shifted to the three other presents Isak had wrapped in the last hour, each one worse than the last. “What have you done?”

Isak rolled his eyes good-naturedly, but Even cut off his reply. “How did I not know how bad you were at this?”

“I’m not that bad,” Isak tried to defend, but then he looked back to the gifts, the mess before him, and he saw it anew, as if for the first time. “Okay, maybe I’m that bad.”

“You’re absolutely hopeless.” Even’s lips were parted in disbelief, but they quirked up at the corners with amusement.

“Hey,” Isak warned, pretending to be offended. “I usually get help with my gifts for you, and you wrap ours for us. So, it’s honestly kind of your fault for trusting me.”

“Oh, it’s my fault? Really?” Even asked, voice teasing as he stalked towards him. Isak only nodded, a mischievous smile tugging at his lips that he fought to suppress. When Even reached Isak, he crouched in front of where he sat on the couch, their lips only a breath apart. “Are you sure it’s not just a little bit your fault for not disclosing your lack of gift wrapping ability?”

Isak shook his head slowly, brushing his nose against Even’s, raising his chin just a bit to look down at him.

“My bad, then. How can I make up for my grave mistake?”

Isak leaned into Even, closing the bit of space between their lips as the tension between them reached its peak. It was a short kiss, to both of their dismay, a quick treat before they got back to more pressing matters.

When Isak pulled away, he answered Even’s previous question by motioning to the supplies around him. “You can start by taking care of all of this.”

“We’re going to be up all night.” Even’s eyes drifted to the pile of unwrapped gifts next to Isak that he’d yet to even touch. Isak’s did the same. The clock was ticking, but when he looked back at Isak, whose eyes crinkled in the corners with his lingering smile, he couldn’t bring himself to dive back into it yet. The presents and decorations would be there in the morning. “Do you want hot chocolate? Let’s take a hot chocolate break.”

ELU

The first thing Eliott did when he woke up on Christmas morning was make hot chocolate, one for him and one for Lucas. He stirred the warm liquid with a candy cane and topped them both off with a big dollop of whipped cream. Mugs in hand, he bounded back into his bedroom, where Lucas still lay, duvet pulled up to his chin as his shoulders rose and fell in that slow, steady rhythm of sleep he knew so well.

“Lucas, wake up, it’s Christmas.” He set the mugs on the bedside table so he could shake Lucas awake.

“What?” The sound was thick with sleep and confusion, more groan than word.

“It’s Christmas! I’m bringing you hot chocolate in bed, and it’s Christmas!” Eliott sat on the edge of Lucas’s side of the bed, turning to coax him out of his sleep. He tangled his fingers in Lucas’s mess of hair and ruffled it. “Wake up.”

“Eliott, it’s too early,” Lucas grumbled, fighting to pull the duvet up even higher.

“It’s not even that early.”

“It is,” Lucas said grumpily, covering his face with his hands since the duvet wouldn’t budge from under Eliott. “Why don’t you come back to bed?”

“No, I left you a present under our little tree. Don’t you want to open your present?” Lucas had also left him a present under the tree, and maybe, just a little part of Eliott was so antsy for Lucas to wake up so that he could open his gift from Lucas. The anticipation had been killing him ever since Lucas kicked him out of the bedroom the night before so he could wrap it. Eliott liked surprises, both giving them and receiving them, but that didn’t mean he had the patience for them.

“The only present I want right now is more sleep.”

Eliott didn’t have to see Lucas’s face to know the exact pout he was sporting at that moment; it was one he knew well, the one Lucas used every time he didn’t actually mean it.

“You leave me no choice, Lucas,” Eliott said, sounding as if he really did regret what he would have to do. Because Lucas’s hands were still hiding his face and shielding his eyes, it was all too easy for Eliott to jump up from the bed and take the warm, cozy duvet with him. Lucas’s hands flew from his face to follow the blanket, trying desperately to grab onto it before it was out of reach, but the lingering sleep made his limbs too slow.

“Eliott,” Lucas whined, but he was finally wide awake and he was laughing despite himself. “Okay, but at least let me drink my hot chocolate in the comfort of my bed.”

Eliott gave in and dropped the blanket back over Lucas’s legs as Lucas reached for the decadent mug and cradled it to his chest. Eliott sat back down where he had been before and watched Lucas raise the drink to his lips, holding his gaze over the top of the mug. When he pulled it away from his mouth, there was a white line of whipped cream above his lip. It was too adorable and endearing for Eliott to resist, so he leaned over Lucas and pressed his lips to his, enjoying the sticky sweetness of this kiss. Lucas put the mug back on the table before sliding back down into the bed so he was lying flat, pulling Eliott with him. There was a fleeting moment in which Lucas thought he had won, that Eliott would come back to bed after all, but before he could properly process that thought in his love drunk haze, Eliott was pulling away, was standing up, was grabbing Lucas’s hands and dragging him along with him.

“Not yet,” was all Eliott said before he walked out to the living room of their apartment, Lucas begrudgingly following after one last exasperated sigh.

DAVENZI

“David, no,” Matteo grumbled with an exaggerated sigh as he tried to resist David tugging him to his feet to follow him to the kitchen. David’s sister had spent the entire afternoon baking cookies, and she wanted the boys to help her decorate them. David couldn’t say no to her, but grumpy Matteo, who had only gotten more and more comfortable around David’s sister, didn’t seem to have the same problem. So far, asking nicely and using sheer force had not been working, so David made one last attempt to motivate him.

“Why don’t you want to? Are you scared your cookies won’t compare to mine?” David taunted, hoping to strike Matteo’s playful competitive nerve.

“Please,” Matteo huffed, feigning indifference, but David noticed the way he sat up a bit more, like maybe he was giving in.

“There’s no need to be embarrassed that I’m better than you.” David leaned closer to Matteo, raising his eyebrows in a challenge.

Matteo squinted one eye at him before leaning forward too, meeting him in the middle. “How are we doing this then?”

“We’ll each decorate a batch, and then my sister can be the judge?” David offered, pulling away to consider.

“Won’t she be a bit biased? Is that really fair?”

“If anything, she’ll be biased towards you.”

“Oh, good, sounds fair then,” Matteo said, smug. “Let’s go.”

“There you guys are,” Laura said, turning at the sound of their continued teasing. As always, she was listening to music as she cooked, singing along to some traditional Christmas songs this time. “I was starting to get worried.”

Matteo sat on the kitchen stool and rested his head on David’s shoulder as David filled Laura in on their little competition and her role as the judge. She adored the idea, mostly relieved that she wouldn’t have to do the decorating alone after all. She had already mixed a few colors of frosting and put them into frosting piping bags, and she’d also laid out a few different kinds of sprinkles. David and Matteo each set a tray of cooled cookies in front of them, but didn’t start decorating right away.

“Should we start?” David asked. Matteo shrugged as Laura said they should, and so they did.

There was only one piping bag for each color of frosting, and somehow one of them always needed the color the other was currently using, which led to bickering and attempts to steal the bag from the other’s hands, followed by fits of laughter as the commotion would cause the other to mess up, squeeze too much out at once or miss the cookie entirely. The efforts to sabotage only increased as they finished more and more cookies, “accidental” shoves or elbows to the ribs turning to blatant attempts to throw the other person off when they were working on more intricate details.

Once, without thinking, Matteo smashed his hand onto one of David’s already decorated cookies, which successfully rendered the cookie useless in the competition, but it covered his palm in red and green icing, which David thought was the funniest thing until Matteo smeared said palm across David’s cheek, leaving bold streaks of color there. When David made a move to grab one of Matteo’s cookies, no doubt to smush it on his face in return, Laura saw the impending food fight and intervened.

“Okay, okay!” she called, reaching in between them. “Time!”

“What do you mean? This wasn’t timed,” Matteo said, but Laura just shrugged.

“I’m the judge. Time’s up.”

Matteo and David surveyed the damage, and they hardly had one decent cookie between the two of them. There was no way Laura could pick an honest winner.

Still, after a few seconds of examining the trays, Laura decided, “Matteo is the winner.”

“But he cheated,” David countered, motioning to his cheek.

Laura laughed and corrected, “You both cheated. You just got the worse end of the consequences.”

“I knew I would win,” Matteo said, beaming.

David pretended to pout, refusing to look at Matteo as he crossed his arms over his chest stubbornly.

“Hey, you have a little something right… there,” Matteo teased, licking his finger and swiping at the frosting on David cheek.

David tried to shrug him off with a yelp before he leveled him with a glare that lacked any real intensity. “You’re not funny.”

“And you’re not so better than me after all.”

“I hate you.”

“No, you don’t.” And of course he didn’t. This was precisely what he loved about him.

[evak-fic-rec-turtleanon]

Evak Fics - Christmas 2018

Christmas fics posted in 2018  (Includes non-English fics) 

Snön ligger vit på taken by MinilocIsland, Treehouse (In Svenska, 62k words) - Det här extrajobbet måste vara den bästa idén Isak någonsin har haft. Långa, ensamma nätter med massor av tid att plugga. Helt chill. Ingenting som stör. Tills den där långa, snygga regissören flyttar in i taksviten. 

Hele Norge Baker by MermaidsandMermen (61k words) - Are you brave enough to stay? Or strong enough to walk away? Isak Valtersen is neither, still reeling with guilt over leaving his little family, walking away from a life that was slowly suffocating him. He’s neither strong or brave, he’s a coward. Stupid, weak and easily led, with no idea how to make things right. He’s made himself a promise though, he is going to stay single and finally take control of his own life. He’s going to be happy. Work hard. Be the best father he can be, and he is never going to let himself get dragged into a relationship again. He’s been there, done that, and it’s not for him. He is going to have a quiet winter, a quiet Christmas and he is going to chill. Lick his wounds and for once just be himself. That’s the plan. 

The First Noel by colazitron (2k words) - Even's parents have a cabin in Hemsedal where the family traditionally spends Christmas. This year, Isak's coming with. 

Fucking Bieber by Kollakolan (6k words) - “So,” Elias starts. “You’ve decided to join us on Christmas Eve?” Isak just nods, as he is just about to take a sip. “Great. It’s not really that complicated. The baskets are already made; you’ll just pick them up and deliver them according to a list of addresses. Oh, and also, you need to be wearing at least a Santa’s hat.” “Since it’s Christmas specials and all,” Mikael adds. 

boys and boys and girls and girls by colazitron (2k words) - Noora meets a handsome boy at the Christmas market one day, but all is not she may have originally thought. 

The first star you see may not be a star by Laika_the_husband (53k words) - In this story of dark and woe Isak is a sex worker who specializes in services of not traditionally sexual nature. Want to watch someone sharpen a pencil really slowly, making a long twirly unbroken strip, for your kicks? Isak's your guy. He is good at his job and he likes it, and it pays the bills while he's studying civil engineering at the Met.It's also convenient that Isak doesn't have to actually touch any of his clients. Because he can't touch anybody, and nobody can touch him, or he'll freak out completely. One day, Isak goes to meet a client, and sees EvenStarr, the video artist whose stuff he loves. And his request is not the most bizarre, but the most disturbing one Isak has ever received. 

Christmas prompts by nofeartina (4k words) - Collection of prompts Tina wrote for on tumblr. 

The wish I wish tonight by imminentinertia (1k words) - A visit to Marianne, and a present, of sorts 

Jumpstart by colazitron (2k words) - Isak and Even spend their first Christmas just the two of them in Trondheim. 

What is the light by unsungyellowraincoat (1k words) - That year Mom can’t put up the Christmas tree. 

Santa Baby by Laika_the_husband (21k words) - Part 3. The story where the author suddenly found out Isak is polyamorous. And genderqueer. The POV changes every now and then. I'm making this to examine the poly Evak from various angles. 

Expiration Date by Treehouse (5k words) - In the midst if the December stress, Isak has to make use of the gift card Eskild gave him for Christmas last year. A gift card for a freaking massage. 

The Næsheims by Kollakolan (2k words) - “Well, you know the Næsheims?  ”Yes, Isak knows the Næsheims. Or rather, he knows of them, and he knows that Sana knows them. They have a restaurant down town where Sana’s brother works. They’ve gone by a couple of times when Sana needed to hand him keys or something. Isak also knows that the son in the Næsheim family is maybe the hottest guy in all of Oslo. Not that he has told anyone that he think’s so, but I mean come on, it’s not like Isak must spell it out. They have eyes. 

By Your Side by MinilocIsland (1k words) - Some Christmas traditions may not be what they seem, but it doesn't really matter. 

In una sera così serena by imminentinertia (2.6k words) - Isak has had quite enough of Christmas and it's only December 13. 

December 2018 by imminentinertia (Series, 6 Fics) 

bits and pieces of their love by cammm (Series) - One shots. All may not be Chrismassy. 

Ho Ho Ho!!! by MermaidsandMermen (5.5k words) - A big fundraising School Christmas Market, to raise the last bit needed for that big Revue. It will be great. Lots of local families coming to drink glogg and buy hotdogs and do stupid money pinching games. Yes and the kids can meet Santa. Sit on his lap and get a present. Such christmassy fun. 

one thing I really do need by colazitron (3.5k words) - Isak comes home from meeting the boys for some gløgg feeling festive and cheerful. 

Den lengste natta by hjertetssunnegalskap (Crazyheart) (In Norsk, 22k words) - Det er fredag den 21. desember 2018 og vintersolverv. Fruktbarhetsguden Frøy, i Evens skikkelse, må for første gang gjøre seg fortjent til den gaven han ønsker seg aller mest; kjærlighet. 18 år gamle Isak syns kjærligheten virker uoppnåelig, helt til han kommer hjem til Oslo på juleferie og besøker Jonas og Eva på kafeen Eldrimni. 

Gay Jesus by unsungyellowraincoat (1k words) - Eskild has an encounter. 

A New Tradition by bri_ness (1k words) - Lea has Isak and Even over for Christmas Eve.��

A different celebration by Kollakolan (3k words) - “We realized a few years ago that we were a few friends who never celebrated Christmas with our families. At first it was just me, Elias, Noora and one of Elias friends. But now usually some exchange students come along as well as other people that we find on the way.” “Like me?” Sana just smiles at him. 

Times like now by nofeartina (3k words) - Isak watches him, looks into Even’s eyes with what light’s left, watches his mouth go slack as Isak slowly puts his hand inside the fly and pulls out Even’s dick. He’s so hard. Isak wants to worship him, wants to show him how perfect he is. 

Warmth by bri_ness (557 words) - Isak doesn't know how to accept a Christmas present from his mom. 

From Spark to Flame by MinilocIsland (1.5k words) - He'd thought he'd be alone in the castle for Christmas as usual. This year, however, there's a slight disruption to Isak's Christmas plans. 

i wish for by hippopotamus (2k words) - Isak just wishes that one person would want to get to know him before they knew that he could do magic. 

i think i recognise your face but i've never seen you before by monsterandmana (1k words) - Even works in a coffee shop. Isak is on the coffee run. It's Christmas. 

Fotokalendern by Kollakolan (In Svenska, 12k words) - Tags says Christmas but not really so I’m not sure. 

The Magician by folerdetdufoler (3.6k words) - the "christmas magic" prompt 

Two truths and one tale by evak1isak (7.6k words) - Isak ends up in Eva's cabin for a Kosegruppa's New Year's Eve Party. And begins the new year with a new boyfriend. 

I'll be home for Christmas by teatrolley (9k words) - They’ve been in Trondheim for half a year now. But for Christmas, they’re coming home. Or: Sometimes the things you were running from become the things you want to run towards 

Merry Kiss My Ass (under the mistletoe) by TheGirlNoOneKnows5 (10k words) - Working in retail during the holiday season is a nightmare. Especially when Isak has to work right alongside his just friend and not at all crush, Even. Among freaky customers, secret santa presents and constant reminders of his one night of passion with Even, Isak doesnt know if he'll make it to the new year. If only he could figure out who was behind all the random mistletoes he keeps finding... 

The Magic of Christmas by wyoheartsmusic (4k words) - Isak hates his job - especially during Christmas; to be honest, he pretty much hates anything involved with Christmas. But then Even comes around and maybe he doesn't hate anything all that much 

o night divine by thekardemomme (4k words) - This is the first Christmas in nearly five years that he’s spending without Isak, and while he still decorated his apartment and bought eggnog and spent an excruciating amount of time wrapping all of his gifts perfectly, the hole in his heart hasn’t gone unnoticed. It creeps in every time he goes to ask Isak for a bow for his gifts, every time he comes home and has to turn on the Christmas lights himself because Isak wasn’t there to do it for him, every time he plays Christmas music much too loud because Isak isn’t studying in the other room and teasingly pleading for him to turn it down a few notches. It also creeps in when he sees Isak’s present sitting under the tree, neatly wrapped. It’s been wrapped for two months, actually. 

I'm Stuck on You by Twinklylightseverywhere (6k words) - Jonas lets out another nervous laugh. Isak wishes his best friend would shut up. “You two will take the spare room. Uh… with one bed.” “ONE BED?” Isak and Even both shout at the exact same time. “Merry Christmas!” 

Mine egne meninger by hjertetssunnegalskap (Crazyheart) (In Norsk, 17k words) - Eva kunne allerede kjenne hjertet banke raskere. Hun visste det var tullete, men med ett bare visste hun at hun kom til å slite med å dele rom med Vilde. Hun kom til å bli gående rundt en feberhet tåke og tenke på Vilde hele helga. Til ingen nytte. Fy faen. Dette kom jo til å bli en helt strålende romjulsferie.  I think this is an Evilde fic. 

Shall I Find No Other by ultimatelawrence (5k words) - Everyone is born with a compass on their body, inked into their skin and commonly on their inner left arm. Instead of pointing to north, the needle on the compass points in the direction of your true soulmate. Even wants to find his as soon as possible. 

hope you're wearing your best clothes by colazitron (2.6k words) - Even's original plan was to get Isak Harry Styles merch. One of those “treat people with kindness” sweatshirts because Isak likes being cosy and he likes Harry Styles and it's a nice slogan. 

[bytheangell]

Can We Always Be This Close

(Advent Prompt: Christmas Eve) (Read on AO3) “Christmas Eve tradition dictates that each of us gets to open a gift early,” Clary declares, eyeing the presents under the tree.

Isabelle frowns at that. “Not in my family it doesn’t,” she points out. And it isn’t that she doesn’t want to give Clary an early present. In fact, part of her is so nervous for tomorrow that she wonders why she’s waiting at all and hasn’t already given Clary the small box that’s hidden in the far back of the present pile.

Except she knows exactly why - because she’s stalling. Isabelle planned on proposing for weeks now, and each time she came up with some excuse not to, some reason why it’d be better to wait. She hoped that putting the ring under the tree would force her to go through with it when Clary got to the box on Christmas morning, but all day she’s been thinking about sneaking out to the living room once Clary’s asleep and taking it back to wait a little longer.

So now, with Clary sifting through the wrapped presents under the tree, Izzy weighs her options. She could say no and insist they wait until tomorrow - but Clary’s already so excited and Izzy doesn’t want to ruin her eagerness for the holiday, and she definitely doesn’t want to risk starting a fight over something stupid right now.

“Alright. One present tonight,” Izzy agrees, figuring the chances of Clary picking that one are slim-to-none. It’s small and hidden, and wouldn’t someone logically go for the largest gift if you can only pick one to-

“I want this one!” Clary says, and Izzy’s breath catches in her throat as Clary pulls out the goddamn ring box from underneath the tree.

“No,” Izzy says, moving forward. “Not that one.”

But Clary’s already sliding her nails under the tape and pulling the paper off, smirking and shaking her head. “That’s not how it works. You don’t get to pick-” Clary starts to tease, her words stopping abruptly at the sight of the black velvet box. They aren’t big jewelry-gifters, and Clary prefers necklaces and bracelets. In fact, the few rings Clary does own are hand-me-downs from her mother and grandmother, of purely sentimental value. It doesn’t take a genius to put together the only sort of ring Izzy would buy her.

“Fuck,” Clary breathes out. She hasn’t even opened the box yet, she’s just staring at it wide-eyed. “Iz-”

“This is for the best,” Izzy says, forcing herself into action because there’s no going back now. “Because otherwise, I’d probably hide it away for another few days, then another few weeks, because I don’t know how I managed to get someone as perfect as you in my life, and I’m afraid that asking you to stay forever might just jinx whatever luck kept you here so far.”

There are tears in Clary’s eyes now, which immediately bring tears to Isabelle’s, but Izzy keeps speaking. This isn’t the speech she practiced in her head; it’s bits and pieces of a lot of thoughts she’d had about proposing over the past few weeks, and she tries to focus on the most important ones now before she loses them. Isabelle takes the box from Clary as she continues, opening it up to reveal an emerald engagement ring.

“But I’m going to ask anyway because I cannot imagine going through a single day without your warmth, kindness, and love in it. You’ve changed my life in more ways than I can count, and all of them for the better. I love you, Clarissa Adele Fairchild, and I’d love to spend the rest of my life with you. Will you marry me?”

“Yes,” Clary says, almost before Izzy can finish the question. “I love you so much, Iz.”

Izzy takes the ring out to put on Clary’s finger but Clary stops her. “Wait,” Clary says, which isn’t exactly what you want to hear immediately after getting engaged, though Izzy does her best to ignore the knot in her stomach at the sudden hesitation.

Clary turns back to the tree, shifting a few things around before she pulls out a small present with Izzy’s name on it - a small, square present, that’s suspiciously the same size as the one she just opened herself.

“I can’t believe I ruined my own proposal,” Clary says, shaking her head as she unwraps the box herself and opens it to show Isabelle a beautiful ruby engagement ring. “But I’m going to say it anyway. Isabelle Sophia Lightwood, I’ve never met anyone so passionate and caring in my entire life. You put your entire heart and soul into everything you do, including loving me, and that’s not something I’ll ever take for granted. I know there’s really no point in actually asking now, but-”

“Yes,” Isabelle says anyway, the rings momentarily forgotten as she pulls Clary in for a kiss that, true to Clary’s claim, Izzy pours her entire heart and soul into. Their reluctance to break apart is replaced by an eagerness to actually exchange rings, and Izzy breathes a sigh of relief that Clary’s fits perfectly. Clary mirrors her when Izzy’s ring slides on without issue as well, and they both take a minute to let the moment settle around them.

Izzy hadn’t been sure at the start that they’d ever get here - that she’d get to have this sort of contentment in her life of constant uncertainty and danger. But now that they’re here, now that she has it, has Clary, she can’t imagine her life any other way.

And thankfully, now she doesn’t have to.

[quillsareswords]

Christmas Eve

Batboys Headcannon

What’s it like to spend Christmas Eve with each of the boys?

Prompt List // Masterlist (in bio)

Dick Grayson

  Christmas Eve at Dick’s apartment is magical. The extravagant decorations are up, music is soft, presents are wrapped neatly under a perfectly sized tree. There’s no obligations and no worries, aside from the annual ball of Bruce’s that you’ll attend the next day. But even that isn’t until the evening.

  Christmas is his favorite holiday, right above April Fools and Valentine’s Day. He’s thrilled to spend it with you, and even more so when you agree to stay the night before, which is arguably a separate holiday of its own.

  He pours you a glass of eggnog and a mug of hot chocolate, and then you huddle up on the couch beneath a red and green striped blanket to watch every Hallmark Christmas movie ever made.

  At the end of your marathon, you exchange small gifts. It’s a tradition you’ve upheld for the past three years, and he certainly isn’t about to let it go. Sometimes it’s a cozy pair of socks you become obsessed with, sometimes it’s a new pair of pajama pants he scarcely takes off, and sometimes it’s giant box of candy you both end up emptying before New Year’s.

  This year, it’s a snuggly, ugly sweater from you, and tickets to a ballet the next day from him.

  Then, you move to the bedroom, dragging that red and green striped blanket with you.

  You slide under the covers with him, curling close to keep out the cold that thin window panes do little to defend you from, fully intent on getting to sleep at a decent time.

  Alas, as seems to happen every time you lay down in hopes of sleeping, you end up lying awake until nearly midnight, chattering about old memories of snowflakes and shining wrapping paper and evergreen trees.

Jason Todd

  Jason Todd, as hard as he tries, doesn’t have a lot of spare time.

  He’s either in his dark office, out patrolling, or off in some part of the world farther from home than you’d like for “work”. Any spare second he does have is spent making it up to you. You don’t mind. You’re busy enough with your own masked duties and a day job.

  Even through the holiday season, you’re both a bit lost in blue screens and odd phone calls.

  Thus, Christmas Eve is typically spent putting up a few cheap decorations and wrapping simple—albeit thoughtful—gifts all while listening to age old Christmas movies.

  This year, you ended up spending Christmas out of Gotham. A safehouse somewhere in New York City. It was shabby and a little odd smelling, and you didn’t have a TV.

  So, you lit cheap candles to chase off the smell and set up your laptop on the coffee table. Jason griped and groaned about having to bring your single, fully packed tote of Garland and lights and other odds and ends of red, green, and gold. But around eight o'clock, you found him fussing over the little tree you’d propped up in the corner with a bowl of water.

  “Even the Charlie Brown tree and a bulb on it,” he argued. “At least you can have some lights and these little ornaments.”

  You let him do the tree himself. You always do. You trust him with the handful of childhood decorations you kept. He didn’t have much of this through his childhood. Even with Bruce, the tree was set up and decorated while he was asleep.

  When the living room is finally finished, and the tote is empty, you settle down on the couch with a glass of wine each to finish the playlist of Christmas movies.

  This year, you fall asleep with heavy eyes settled on the modest pile of presents wedged under the tree that barely reaches your waist.

Tim Drake

  For as long as you’ve been together, you’ve spent both weeks of Christmas and New Years at Wayne Manor. Partially because Bruce always has a place at the table for you both, and particularly because Bruce always needs help with the holiday mugging and minor theft.

  The manor is always decorated perfectly to the heavens for the holidays. All you and Tim bring into the house, aside from your bags, is a few presents. Though secretly, Tim’s been bringing some of your hand-me-down family ornaments to be sure they make it on the tree, on an endtable, or anywhere else he and Alfred can find a safe, subtle spot.

  You always carry on your family’s tradition of ruining the kitchen on Christmas Eve. Sugar cookies, pineapple cookies, peanut butter balls, coconut rockers, mint brownies, and half the kitchen’s contents all strung about the wide counters of the huge kitchen.

  You always get your cookies made, but true to tradition, most of the ingredients end up all over your clothes, the floor, and somehow the ceiling. And once, despite every manor of logic, the roof (a story your family loves to hear at every gathering. They lose it every time Ace plunges through the window, even though they’ve heard it a thousand times).

  Damian is never sure how the baking gets done. Every single time he strolls past or pops in to steal a few fresh made goods, you’re singing loudly and off key while Tim guides you around in some sort of messy ballroom freestyle. He doesn’t say anything, because you’re always grinning, and he’s always laughing, and the cookies are very good.

  Once all the cookies are finished, and rationed, you steel upstairs to clean up and slip into pajamas.

  You always finish the night off with delicious dinner and warm fireside conversation with his family, and this year isn’t any different.

Damian Wayne

  Typically speaking, you’re more inclined to stay in all night and most of the following day. You aren’t close with your family, and he finds his own a bit overbearing when all in one building.

  Though, they drop in separately, throughout the evening. They have their own plans, most of the time, but they always seem to find time to stop in and say hello, and merry Christmas, you hermits.

  You don’t do gifts. Since you were childhood friends, you’ve never exchanged gifts on particular occasions. You decide it just isn’t all that practical, with all the money you spend of one another on random days through the year. Though, you always join forces to tackle the long list of family he has to shop for and the never-ending stream of Christmas cards from and to your family.

  Christmas Eve is a lot of movies. And some baking, but mostly movies. You’ve both worked hard to make sure you both had the extra time to take a week long break, so you’re both exhausted. By movies, we mean sleeping on the couch all day, you on top of him (and a few times, him on top of you), with holiday movies playing in the background.

  You can’t count the number of times you’ve cracked your eyes open, still bleary and half-witted, to find his droopy, tired eyes sparkling as he smiles so sleepily at the dumbest Hallmark romance tropes. You never comment, never speak of it. You merely close your eyes again, and drift back off to sleep with dreams of sugar plums and fairies and your Ice King (a name he earned over a triumphant feast following a won snowball fight with his brothers last year) and his glittering cold crown.

  That evening, when you’re both wide awake, you sit down with glasses of wine and a holiday puzzle with more than 1,000 pieces. By the time you finish, you’re mumbling words to Christmas songs that you aren’t sure are entirely correct, and he’s laughing loudly about it.

[imitranslates]

Fukigen na Mononokean Ch. 76

Day one of the search for Aoi comes to a close, bookended by a special guest and, a present?!

Please remember to check out the official English release when it comes out, preferably on Crunchyroll if you’re able to!

The newest chapter can be read on the official website by clicking the yellow button labeled 読む!

Fukigen na Mononokean Chapter 76 - Starry Tree

Page 1

Ashiya: AOI-SAAN!

Ashiya: Are you around?!

Ashiya: Hello, good morning?

Ashiya: Not here...

Ashiya: Aoi-saan!

Ashiya: Where are you?

Ashiya: Sigh...

Ashiya: They're not here...

Page 2

Ashiya: I wonder how many hours have passed since we started searching?

Ashiya: It looks like it's slowly getting dark around here...

(I'm not sure we'll be able to find our way back if it gets much darker...)

Ashiya: Abeno-saan!

Ashiya: Shouldn't we be getting back to the Mononokean sooon!?

Ashiya: The daylight's fading!

Abeno: ...

Ashiya: ...Hm?

Page 3

Ashiya: Abeno-san, are you listening?

(sfx: WHACK)

Ashiya: OWW!

Abeno: !?

Abeno: It's dark...

Abeno: Damn... The day's already over. (I didn't notice...)

(Ashiya: I even tried to approach you quietly so I wouldn't get hit...)

Page 4

Abeno: We've got no choice... Let's stop here for today.

(Ashiya: I curse you...)

Ashiya: Before that, aren't you going to say something about my cheek?

Abeno: There's a compress in the medicine box.

(Ashiya: You should apologize first!)

Ashiya: !

Ashiya: The bugs are all leaving...

Abeno: That's because we're about to enter the range of the barrier.

Page 5

Abeno: Speaking of that, there might still be some tiny insects that have attached themselves to folds of your kimono.

We should be careful.

Ashiya: That's the purification water we used to take care of the insects, right!

Abeno: Correct.

Abeno: Very good job.

Ashiya: (cough) A... Abeno-san... You're not going to burn the plague plants growing outside the barrier?

Abeno: That's right.

We're limited by how much medicine Kiyakudo can prepare. Out here the plague plants grow like

weeds, so we'd run out right away if we used it like that. (cough)

Page 6

Abeno: Alright... Let's get back to the Mononokean.

Ashiya: Yes!

[In the end, we didn't find any clues on our first day of searching...]

[But!]

[We did learn that there's a dead-end in the forest!

We were only able to search for around half a day, but we'll be able to use the whole day tomorrow!]

Page 7

[It's okay!! We'll definitely find them!!]

Ashiya: Aoi-san!!! We'll be back tomorrow!!

Page 10

Ashiya: I'm baaack! Uwaaah! Hahaha, you're tickling me, Fuzzy!!

Ashiya: (Fuzzy~) You were waiting around the whole time for us?

Abeno: We're back.

Page 11

Legislator: Welcome back!

Abeno: ...Ah?

Legislator: Itsuki! Ashiya-kun! Good work with day one of your search for Aoi!

Merry Christmas!

Ashiya: Merry Christmas...

Page 12

Legislator: According to the Mundane world's calendar, today is Christmas Eve, a day of feast?

Legislator: People enjoy the roasted meat of large birds and deep red alcohol made from fruits, right~~?

Legislator: That sounds nice... I wanna try it! It's called wine, right?

Legislator: Itsuki~~ Run off and buy some wine for me! (Merry Christmas.)

Abeno: Who was it? That one who told this festival-loving guy about the culture of the Mundane world... (It definitely wasn't me.)

Ashiya: According to the laws of the Mundane world, a minor can't buy alcohol.

Legislator: (Oh no...) So buying it is no good... How disappointing...

Legislator: Oh, that's right!

Legislator: At the end of the feast, isn't there a dessert called a cake?

Legislator: Go buy a ca...

Abeno: I refuse.

Abeno: Now take down the decorations you put up without permission and go home, you drunkard.

Page 13

Legislator: I-tsu-ki.

Legislator: Go buy a cake. That's an order.

(Legislator: Merry Christmas.)

Abeno: ...Understood.

Page 14

Abeno: If you're going that far, then I'll buy some...  In exchange, will you eat every single bite...?

Ashiya: (That expression says he's planning to torture him by forcing him to eat the entire cake he buys...!! [One that's the size of a wedding cake...!!])

Ashiya: (If Abeno-san buys that cake, the Legislator's blood sugar will be in the danger zone!!)

(I have to stop this blonde devil from going to a cake shop on Christmas Eve somehow!)

Abeno: Mononokean, open a door to the store...

(Legislator: Yay, cake, cake!)

[Mononokean: Okay!]

Ashiya: (Ah! That's it!)

Ashiya: There's Christmas cake at my house!

Ashiya: I'll go bring some in so please wait just a moment!!

(Ashiya: I'm home!!)

(Nara: Welcome back~!)

(Ashiya: Thanks for the cake!!)

(Nara: Hanae, where are you going?!)

Page 15

Legislator: ~~~Mm!

Legislator: So this is cake~! What a delightful thing!

Legislator: I could get used to this airy texture! (Thank you, Ashiya-kun!)

Ashiya: I'm glad it suits your palate.

Abeno: You got to eat it, so will you go home?

If you thought we were going to hang out all night for your feast, then I'm sorry.

Legislator: When you say that, it makes me want to stay a little longer!

Page 16

Legislator: Don't worry, I'll be heading out soon enough.

Legislator: After all, you have work tomorrow, right?

Legislator: So... How did it go?

Legislator: Was there any response on your search from Aoi?

Page 17

Abeno: ...No.

Abeno: I don't have anything worth reporting.

Legislator: I see.

Abeno: Was that your reason for coming here today?

Legislator: No? But since we were talking, I thought I'd ask.

Page 18

Legislator: The reason I came here today is what I put in the alcove.

Abeno: Ha?

Ashiya: In the alcove...?

Abeno: How unpleasant... What did you put there...?

Legislator: Ah, that's no good! You're not allowed to look at it until tomorrow! (Shall I make it an order?)

Abeno: And leave that suspicious thing lying around...!?

Legislator: How cruel~~ It's nothing like that.

It's more like... An aid to help you with your prayers, maybe?

Abeno: ?

Page 19

Legislator: Thank you for the food, Ashiya-kun!

(Legislator: I'll give you back the red doll on top.)

Legislator: Well then... I'll take Itsuki's advice and go home.

Mononokean, connect a door to Newt Lake for me.

Mononokean: Very well.

Page 20

Legislator: Alright, you two. Good luck at work tomorrow!

Merry Christmas!

Shizuku: Big brother...?! Where have you been skipping work at!! (The Mononokean!?)

Legislator: Hey, Shizuku. I'm back~

(Ashiya: Merry Christmas....)

Page 21

Ashiya: Is it okay not to wait til tomorrow?

Page 22

Ashiya: (Isn't that medicine for the parasitic shrub..!)

Abeno: ......

Abeno: That Legislator... What is thinking bringing medicine for parasitic shrub here... (Suspicious...)

Page 23

Mononokean: He said, "If Aoi's still alive, they'll probably need this."

Mononokean: "After all, the medicine that Itsuki has now has gotten old, so its potency has decreased over time..."

It seems like he asked Koura-sama to buy them for him.

Abeno: So... this is actually supposed to be helpful...

Abeno: Suspicious... For the Legislator to use his own funds for something before himself... If I accept this, who knows what kind of scheme I'll be dragged into in the end...

Ashiya: You shouldn't doubt him that much... (It's amazing how cautious you are toward your own boss...)

Page 24

Ashiya: I think it would be fine to accept it as an innocent gift, though?

Abeno: Ah?

Ashiya: It is... However you look at it,

Ashiya: A Christmas present, right?

Page 25

Ashiya: Right? Mononokean?

Mononokean: Merry Christmas!

Abeno: (So...) It's because of his eccentricity...

Abeno: But why say, "Don't look at it until tomorrow..."

Mononokean: Doesn't Santa leave presents tonight so that they can be opened during Chirstmas morning?

Abeno: I see... So you were the culprit who filled the Legislator's head with all sorts of unnecessary information...

Abeno: What, you're keeping quiet now?

Ashiya: Don't worry about it...

Page 26

Abeno: It would be rude to try to return it, so...

I guess I should obediently accept it...

Ashiya: You should properly express your thanks to Legislator-Santa tomorrow.

Abeno: (Ah?) We let him have some cake, so that isn't necessary.

Ashiya: Ah, that's right!

There's still some Christmas cake left. Do you want to come have some?

Abeno: I'll refuse.

Ashiya: As I expected...

Page 27

Sis: Ha-na-e!

Sis: Huh?

Sis: He's not here...

(Hanae: Thanks for the cake!!)

Sis: That's strange... Where did he run off with that cake? (Don't tell me he went out...?)

Sis: I wanted him to see this year's Christmas present already...

Page 28

(Ticket: Hot Springs Inn Guest Voucher

Traditional Inn & Hotel.

One guest for a 1-night, 2-day stay, 2 meals included. Valid until 12/31.)

Sis: A family trip for the end of the year!

(Ashiya: I'm hooome!)

Sis: Ah!

Sis: Ha-na-e!

Sis: Merry Christmas!

[westallenfun]

Diamonds at Jitters - 1/1

WestAllen secret santa gift 

From: @backtothestart02

For: @lyta2323

Note: I hope you enjoy! I hinted at it in parts, but this is a sequel to my fic, Love at Jitters, if you haven’t read it.

Synopsis: College!AU - It’s Christmas Eve. Barry has a special surprise for Iris.

.

The snow fell light and fluffy outside Iris’ window, signifying winter had finally come to Central City. And on Christmas Eve no less.

She had a date with Barry later – they’d managed to squeeze an hour into their calendars for just the two of them amidst family gatherings where they showed up part of the time for both their families and extended families. Iris couldn’t explain why, but she was unspeakably nervous. Not that there was anything to be nervous about, but still. It had been 10 and a half months since their first impromptu date. They’d been through a lot – Iris’ birthday, meeting the parents, Iris’ brother, Barry’s idol, their best friends/roommates, a handful of not-very-serious arguments, and probably the most passionate sex Iris had ever been party to.

But Christmas. Christmas felt big.

Iris’ phone buzzed on her vanity where she stood applying her make-up and making sure this pair of earrings was truly the one for this particular short-sleeved, black velvet dress with matching heels.

Seeing the name, she smiled, and hit the answer button and then the speaker.

“Hey, Lin. What’s up?”

“You sound happy,” Linda Park said, cheeky as ever.

“It’s Christmas Eve. What would I have to be unhappy about? It’s my favorite holiday. And-”

“You’re hoping Barry goes down on bended knee.”

Iris nearly choked on her own breath.

“W-What?” she wheezed.

“Aha! I knew it!” Linda cheered.

“You don’t know anything,” Iris said, trying to get herself focused again now that her lipstick had been drawn in a crooked line across the bottom of her cheek. “Barry is not proposing tonight.”

“You don’t know that.”

“I do know that. We’re having a romantic dinner just the two of us, and then we’re going to his side of the family and then mine tomorrow.”

“So. Just the two of you, huh?”

Iris sighed and rolled her eyes. There was no stopping her best friend when she got ahead of herself.

“What are you doing tonight? Are you getting together with Peter again?”

She gagged through the phone.

“I guess that’s a no.”

“That’s an ‘oh, God, no’.”

“Did something happen? I thought you really liked him.”

“Uh-uh. My body liked his body.”

“Ah.”

“Once he started talking about his life and his job and his passions…oh, my god, I couldn’t stand it.”

Iris chuckled to herself.

“So, what are you doing then?” There was a moment of silence. “Lin?”

“Hmm? Oh, um… you know…”

“Don’t tell me you’re spending Christmas Eve alone.”

“What?” she squeaked. “No way. I’m a party animal, you know that.”

“Oh, yeah? So whose party are you going to?”

“Well, now nobody’s, since the biggest party of the year Peter will be at.” She frowned, disappointed in the predicament she’d created for herself.

“I can cancel,” Iris started to say, but even as she did, she was glad Linda cut her off with a negative. Despite the weird nerves she had, she was really looking forward to seeing Barry tonight and exchanging gifts. She didn’t want to cancel.

“No. You are not canceling. No way in hell am I gonna let you miss your own proposal.”

Iris rolled her eyes, but she was smiling.

“Okay, so what are you going to do then? I can’t have my best friend all alone on Christmas Eve. Single shouldn’t mean solitary confinement.”

Linda blew locks out of her face.

“Don’t you have a brother?”

Iris brows narrowed. “Linda, no.”

“I’m not gonna sleep with him,” she said, appalled.

“Good,” Iris said. “He’s practically a baby. And he just got out of a serious relationship.”

“How serious could it be if they’re still teenagers?”

The silent tension could be cut with a knife.

“Okay, okay…just thought he could use some company. Like, the platonic kind. Maybe ice skating? I used to do that with my brother back home.”

Iris was skeptical but finally reluctantly agreed.

“I’ll give him a call.”

“Great! Maybe I can get him to drink the spicy hot cocoa they have at the rink this year. I bet it’ll blow his mind.”

“He doesn’t like spicy food.”

“Even better.”

Iris’ wariness increased tenfold.

“Relax,” Linda said. “I’ll bring him back in one piece and untouched. You have my word.”

With everything inside her, Iris really wanted to believe her best friend.

“I’ll talk to you later, Lin.”

“Later, Babe.”

Click.

Trying to put the image of her player of a best friend and her sweetheart of an 18-year-old baby brother aside, Iris nearly jumped when the phone buzzed again. But this time she was ready – her make-up fixed and earrings chosen – even as her cheeks burned with anticipation.

“Hey, Barry,” she said, almost a purr.

“Hey.” His lovestruck tone melted her always. “You ready?”

She nodded, biting her bottom lip as she started to fantasize about undressing him – until she realized he couldn’t see her.

“Iris?”

“Ah, yes, I’m ready. I’ll be down in a sec.”

“Okay. I’ll meet you in the lobby.”

“’Kay.”

Five minutes later Iris was downstairs looking at the nervous wreck that was her boyfriend pacing back and forth in the lobby.

“Babe,” she called out, more than once because he was so absorbed in his own thoughts to register her voice. Finally though, he stopped pacing and looked at her and his jaw dropped.

Iris slid her warm wrap down her arms so he could get a full look at her dress.

“Not too shabby, huh?” She grinned, her eyes twinkling.

He closed the space between them and took her in his arms.

“I’d ravish you right here if we didn’t have plans for the night,” he said against her lips.

“And if there weren’t cameras,” she said, pointing them out to him.

His shoulders slumped, and she laughed, adoring every second of the expressions that crossed his face.

“We can do this though,” she said, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling his face down to hers for a quick greeting kiss.

“Mmm, that’s pretty good,” he murmured against her lips. “How about another one?”

She granted his request but then made a point to pull away just as he started to take charge with the clear intention of a passionate make-out right there in her apartment lobby.

“We have a date,” she whispered, and he sighed.

“Yes…yes, we do.” Then he jumped back, eyes wide. “We do!”

Iris laughed and looked at him strangely.

“So…should we go then?” she asked.

“Yes!” He grinned. “Let’s go.”

He took her hand in his, pulled her out of the building, and revealed to her their mode of transportation for the night.

A long stretch limo with their own personal driver.

“Ms.?” The driver opened the back door for her to step in.

“I…thank you.” She slipped into the vehicle and Barry rounded the other side. “Barry,” she half-scolded. “This had to have cost you a fortune. I know it’s Christmas Eve, but-”

He silenced her with a drugging kiss.

“Mmm, okay, talk later.”

He grinned against her lips and gave the driver the signal to drive to their destination.

…

A cold wind whipped against her face as Barry led her up a long, winding staircase with his hands over her eyes.

“Barry, are you sure this is the most practical thiii-” She gasped, tripping over a step.

Wrapped around her back, Barry made sure she wouldn’t fall.

“Probably not,” he said. “But we’re almost there.”

“Almost where?”

Barry peeled his hands away as soon as he guided her through the final door.

At first glance, the table set before them looked like a beautifully romantic setting on the top of an otherwise bare rooftop. But for Iris, she knew exactly where they were.

“Jitters?” she blanched, turning to face him – which was difficult when she was facing the candlelit table for two with roses and lights and two men, one playing violin and the other a cello, whisking her away into a romantic fairytale.

But she managed, because damn it, she was in love with the man who had prepared it all.

Barry chuckled.

“There’s no surprising you, is there?”

She shook her head, a million questions buzzing in her mind.

“It feels special to us – or to me at least. I mean, it’s where we-”

“First met,” she finished, smiling.

“Yeah,” he said softly.

When she said nothing more, he guided her to the table and pulled her chair back for her to sit on. Then he rounded the small table and nodded to the musicians to begin.

“This is so romantic, Barry,” she marveled sometime later when he was pouring champagne.

“Is that your way of saying you like it?”

“I love it, and you know it.”

Barry’s eyes twinkled when their eyes met.

“I was hoping you would.”

“I should’ve expected something like this, but I just…didn’t, I guess. But wow, Barry, I’m…” She licked her lips. “I’m in love.”

She’d said the words before, and to him too, but it never ceased having an effect on him, one that was drugging for her to witness.

“I’ll never get tired of you saying that,” he said, then reached across the table to take her hand in his own and kiss the back. “I’m in love too.”

“With me,” she said, her eyelashes fluttering of their own accord.

“With you,” he confirmed, and pressed his forehead into her palm.

Iris didn’t know how much more of this she could stand. She’d gotten nervous over the prospect of him proposing tonight when Linda had teased her about it, but now she couldn’t imagine him not doing it. Not on such a perfect night as this. She imagined telling all her friends and family – Barry better have asked her dad for his permission to marry her or he’d have a fit. Tradition was tradition, and Joe West took it very seriously.

But she wasn’t worried. Barry Allen was the only boyfriend her dad had actually taken to, even if it took some family game nights to get him to that place.

God, could he just ask her already? He didn’t even need a ring right now. If he would just ask, she would say yes. She wanted to so badly it almost hurt.

“Dance with me,” she said, the soft music and gentle wind blowing around them. The December chill was nothing. The heat rising off their skin kept them warm.

Barry lifted his head and smiled. Then the two of them walked a little ways from the table and began slow-dancing.

“I love you, Iris,” he whispered, his face against the top of her head as she rested hers against his chest.

“I love you, Barry,” she said, voice muffled against his jacket but clear as day to his ears.

“I hope it’s not too much to say I think we’re destined to be together…”

She shook her head against him. It used to bother her when his certainty regarding fate and destiny and them was used so early in their relationship. But now she believed it almost as fervently as he did.

“Not too much, Bear.”

He licked his lips. “You sure?”

Iris smiled and looked up at him.

“Our second date was you taking me to meet your parents. If I didn’t run away then, I’m never going to.”

He sucked in a breath. “Good to know.”

She pulled his head down and gave him a sweet kiss as the music carried on the wind.

“Oh, Iris,” he murmured, pressing his forehead against hers.

“What?” she teased, loving when she made him weak in the knees.

“I really wanted to wait until after we’d eaten.”

Her eyes flashed open.

“Wait for what?”

He pulled back and dug around in his pocket for what felt like an eternity.

“Oh, my God…” fell past her lips when she saw the size and shape of the velvet box in his hands.

His gentle smile turned into a smirk.

“What… What is that?” She couldn’t look him in the eye. She was almost shaking.

“Your Christmas present.”

“Huh?”

Her brows furrowed as disappointment engulfed her. Maybe it wasn’t an engagement ring after all. It could be earrings for all she knew. And here she’d let Linda’s claims get to her, convincing her she’d be engaged by the end of the night.

But then he got down on one knee, and he opened the little velvet box, and the most dazzling engagement ring shone up at her, sparkling in the moonlight, candlelight, and Christmas lights strung around the rooftop.

“Iris West…”

She swallowed hard.

“A lot of people would say you and me meeting at Jitters 10 months ago was just a coincidence, but I don’t believe that. You know I don’t. I’m not a ‘It’s just pure luck’ guy. I’m a ‘there’s no coincidences’ guy. You walked into my life right when I needed it, and now, Iris…I can’t imagine my life without you. I love you with my whole heart, and I always will.”

He pulled the ring from its case and stuffed the box back in his pocket. He took her hand in his and let the ring hover over the tip of her ring finger.

“Will you marry me?”

Tears filled her eyes and she nodded for several seconds before she could speak.

“Yes! Yes! Of course I’ll marry you, YES!!!”

Barry slid the ring onto her finger, then jumped to his feet and kissed her. The musicians clapped wildly before starting a peppy tune as Barry picked Iris up and spun her around, inhaling her light giggles like oxygen before setting her down again.

Smiling so much her cheeks hurt, Iris finally lifted the diamond to eye-level.

“Wow, it’s beautiful, Barry. Really.”

He smiled, proud of his selection.

“I’m never taking it off.”

“Well, maybe in the shower…or for dishes…”

“Nope. Never. It’s mine now. It’s never coming off.”

He swooned, staring at her, never looking away.

“Besides,” she said innocently before looking up at him. “Who says I’m going to do the dishes?”

His jaw dropped, and she laughed. He got up and leaned across the table and kissed her to silence them.

Then his suit caught on fire from the candlelight, and Iris threw her glasses of champagne and water on him to stop the flames.

“Well, at least it happened after the proposal,” he said, and Iris stood up again, pulling him away.

“Dance with me again,” she said, and he wrapped his arms around her, guiding her into a slow spin. She kicked off her heels and drew herself closer to him.

“I’ll never stop,” he said, and she knew this time he wasn’t talking about dancing.

She felt the shivers trickle down her spine as she repeated the sentiment.

“Don’t ever.”

[froggy-beans]

Masterlist (For Irondad, Stucky, and Clintasha)

Fics are posted under the cut :)

Irondad

everyone feels like a liar these days (don’t know how not to feel that way)

Written for the 2019 Irondad Fic Exchange for CinnamonrollStark. Prompt: Tony comes back to life after the Snap and this is their reunion.

----

Then, as Peter dodged bullets and destroyed drones, a flash of red and gold caught his eye. Attention elsewhere, he slammed into a drone and was sent sprawling to the ground. His mind raced a mile a minute.

It’s not real, Peter. It’s not real. It’s not real. You know what Beck is capable of, he’s only trying to distract you.

He could only watch, stunned, as he saw his childhood hero blasting drones out of the sky. Beneath his mask tears began to fall as he told himself it wasn’t real. How could it be?

| 1/1 Chapters | 7,121 Words | No Archive Warnings | Teen and Up Audiences |

link to story

I Remember You 

There was no reason the experiment should have gone wrong. FRIDAY ran countless simulations, each one giving good results. And yet, it does, leaving the Stark family to suffer the consequences.

Prompts: Peter Parker is Tony Stark's biological son and Amnesia

| 1/1 Chapters | 4,755 Words | No Archive Warnings Apply | General Audiences | 

link to story

There Will Come Soft Rains 

Just a little thing I made when I was supposed to be doing something else.

OR:

Tony Stark's funeral as There Will Come Soft Rains by Sara Teasdale (also well known from Ray Bradbury's short story of the same name).

| 1/1 Chapters | 389 Words | Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings | No Archive Warnings Apply |

link to story

Pilot 

Due to popular demand the Gilmore Girls Au has become a tangible thing!

OR

After running away from home with a kid at sixteen, the last thing he wants to do is ask his parents for help. But with his kid's future on the line, he doesn't have much of an option.

| 1/1 Chapters | 3,580 Words |  No Archive Warnings Apply | General Audiences |

link to story

Not One Single Thing 

There isn't anything in the world that Tony Stark wouldn't do to save his kid.

OR:

I was feeling angsty and decided to write this little drabble.

| 1/1 Chapters | 522 Words | Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings | General Audiences |

link to story

I’ll Be Better For You

Tony Stark had no idea what to do when Mary Parker showed up on his doorstep with a baby and a question. He just hopes he'll make the right decision.

Series: Part 1 of Star-verse

| 1/1 Chapters | 2,210 Words | No Archive Warnings Apply | General Audiences | 

link to story

“Can we build a rocket?” 

Winter Break!! Christmas Eve Traditions!! Fluff!!

OR:

The fourth installment of the Stardust series brings to you Christmas fluff (yes I know it's September, no I don't care) and the gift to the world that is Peter Stark.

Series: Part 4 of Stardust | Part 5 of Star-verse

| 1/1 Chapters | 1,234 Words | No Archive Warnings | General Audiences |

link to story

Oh My Darling, Don’t Be Sad (For You Are Made Of Stardust) 

Everyone knows kids are assholes, but at least Peter has his dad to pick up the pieces for him at the end of the day.

OR

This is a continuation of the Stardust series, which is basically my excuse to write cute science inspired fluff scenes between my favourite father-son duo.

Series: Part 3 of Stardust | Part 4 of Star-verse

| 1/1 Chapters | 1,167 Words | No Archive Warnings Apply | General Audiences |

link to story

Star Pictures 

Nightmares plagued Peter Stark even before his dad went missing, but they were a hell of a lot easier to deal with when he was there.

OR

Some late night stargazing because I can't let go of the headcanon that little Peter would love space and Tony would love teaching him about it. Fight me (or please don't, actually, I don't want to go to the emergency room)

Series: Part 1 of Stardust | Part 2 of Star-verse

| 1/1 Chapters | 808 Words | No Archive Warnings | General Audiences |

link to story

The Universe Is Infinite 

Peter Parker's dad has been missing in Afghanistan for three weeks. It's hard to fall asleep when the comfort you need is thousands of miles away, luckily though, Peter manages.

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

Or: Peter steals his dad's sweatshirt and I'm a slut for it.

Series: Part 2 of Stardust | Part 3 of Star-verse

| 1/1 Chapters | 753 Words | No Archive Warnings Apply | General Audiences |

link to story

The Shield Literary Society 

This is an Irondad AU based on one of my favourite movies, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. If you havent seen it, you should totally watch it.

----

Tony's life is a mess after the war. No home, no family. No life. Outside of his writing, that is. But when he gets the chance to write a column for the New York Times, his life changes in a way he didn't think was possible anymore.

| 8/8 Chapters | 22,861 Words | No Archive Warnings Apply | Teen and Up Audiences |

link to story

I’m Scared, Mr. Stark

Peter Parker gets caught at school during an active shooter situation . . . He may have an astounding hero complex, but beneath all that, he's a teenager. A scared teenager.

| 1/1 Chapters | 1,384 | No Archive Warnings Apply | Teen and Up Audiences |

link to story

I’m Not A Liar 

This is the fourth installment of the fix it series "You Don't Have To Worry Anymore" and takes place between We Owe It To Ourselves and Maybe It Will Make You Feel Better, Too. I suggest reading the others first before reading this otherwise things won't make sense.

----

Peter feels insecure about staying with the Starks. After all, they built a whole new life while he was gone.

Series: Part 3 of You Don't Have to Worry Anymore (on hiatus)

| 1/1 Chapters | 1,339 Words | No Archive Warnings Apply | General Audiences |

link to story

Nightly Visitors 

Just my collection of nightmare fics, so that I have a place to stick them all. Tags will be added as more are posted. Always shows as complete because I don't have a set update schedule on this story and each chapter works as a standalone.

---

Chapter One; Nightlight

Chapter Two: Spanish Class

| 2/2 Chapters | 1,450 Words | No Archive Warnings Apply | General Audiences |

link to story 

You Kept This? 

Peter discovers that Tony keeps the pictures kids send in to him. He's even more surprised when he finds out Tony kept his.

| 1/1 Chapters | 968 Words | No Archive Warnings Apply | General Audiences |

link to story

Maybe It Will Make You Feel Better, Too 

This is the third part of my series "You Don't Have to Worry Anymore", and I definitely suggest reading those pieces first or some of this may not make sense.

------

Peter Parker has a nightmare and Morgan Stark shares her secret to feeling better after getting one.

| 1/1 Chapters | 781 Words | No Archive Warnings Apply | General Audiences |

link to story

We Owe It To Ourselves

This is a follow up to the fic "Before? maybe. But now? not so much." so I suggest reading that one first because that is the basis for this fix-it series!

----

Tony Stark has a nightmare, but its okay because Peter is there when he needs him.

Series: Part 2 of You Don't Have to Worry Anymore (on hiatus)

| 1/1 Chapters | 1,875 Words | Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings | General Audiences |

link to story

Before? Maybe. No? Not So Much.

Avengers: Endgame made me sad, so I wrote some fix-it. I firmly believe Carol Danvers can wield the infinity gauntlet because she has the power of the tesseract literally in her body and also, she is just amazing.

----------

Tony Stark doesn't die. That't it. That's what happens. Oh, also, Peter Parker gets a hug from his mentor-- cough-dad-cough.

Series: Part 1 of You Don't Have to Worry Anymore (on hiatus)

| 1/1 Chapters | 1,030 Words | No Archive Warnings Apply | General Audiences |

link to story

Stucky

Days Off 

During the war, the commandos have a break in between HYDRA raids. Bucky forces Steve to take a rest, because everyone knows that Steve Rogers does not know how to take care of himself.

--------

“Let’s take the day off.” Bucky said. Steve looked up at him with a wistful expression.

“I wish we could, but-“Steve started, but Bucky cut him off.

“No buts. The closest base is another two hundred miles from here and we couldn’t fly out until tomorrow afternoon anyways. So, let’s take a break and relax for once.” Bucky used his best puppy dog eyes, the ones he knew Steve couldn’t resist.

| 1/1 Chapters | 1,262 Words | No Archive Warnings | General Audiences |

link to story

Fight Me? 

Based on the tumblr post; when I was in the hospital I kept telling the nurse (a cute guy) to fight me when he came to check my vitals. I must have seduced him with my terrible lungs, because on my last day he gave me a coffee cup with his number that said "fight me?"

OR: Steve is stuck in the hospital for the seemingly millionth time, but this time he has a cute-- no scratch that, Hot-- nurse.

-------

I saw this post a really long time ago and wrote this piece, but I'm just now posting it because I found it while cleaning out my computer files! I saw this post and immediately thought, "Oh my gosh, Stucky!!"

| 1/1 Chapters | 1,618 Words | Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings | Teen and Up Audiences |

link to story

Clintasha

Pistols and Pirouettes

Natasha Romanov is a student at the Red Room Ballet Academy. One night her and her roommates discover some loose floorboards in the back of their room that leads to a secret tunnel. For three nights Natasha sneaks out of the school through the tunnel, sometimes alone, sometimes with friends.

OR

A Twelve Dancing Princesses AU featuring Natasha Romanov and the Red Room Ballet Academy.

| 1/1 Chapters | 8,751 Words | Rape/Non-Con | Teen and Up Audiences |

link to story

Silent Vows 

Just some happy Clintasha fluff after that farce that was Avengers: Endgame. Or more accurately known as Avengers: EndME

| 1/1 Chapters | 1,285 Words | No Archive Warnings Apply | General Audiences |

link to story

[aviationfiction]

XXXV

Autumn Dupont

“Autumn, how the hell do you come up with this shit? Dante, you’re going to be overweight about six months into your marriage, once you two finally tie the knot.” As my lazy frame further sunk down into the chair on the right side of the dining room table, I snickered as my brother stuck his fork into the nearly finished pile of gingerbread Belgian waffles that I placed in the middle of the table about a half an hour ago. With it, I fried up a couple of pieces of boneless chicken and scrambled some eggs for the hell of it. The setting felt like an odd double date between Isaac, Lauren, Dante, and myself as we all sat around the table enjoying the breakfast I made after both men whined endlessly about being hungry.

I had no intention to make breakfast, because I wanted to go out for it and Dante was more than willing to oblige that request if I dressed myself quickly enough, but instead of pressing his pregnant wife to cook, Isaac pestered me into the kitchen and in front of the stove. With it being Christmas Eve, the gingerbread aspect of it made sense and plus it’s a recipe that I actually wanted to test out for breakfast tomorrow. Now I’m going to have to come up with something else. It’s bad enough that I’ve been baking since this morning.

“What’s that in the oven that smells so good?”

“I tested out this new recipe that I found online. It’s an apple-pecan gingerbread cobbler.” My fiancé nearly choked on his orange juice as his eyes widened in excitement at the sweetness that his taste buds will experience tonight and tomorrow night. Christmas is always my baking extravaganza. While in Miami, I was quite ridiculous with it and would do it out of sheer boredom, only to end up having to throw away the majority of it because I couldn’t eat it all alone. Anything that wasn’t trashed went to Mario’s house. I even baked for Lebron and Savannah James a couple of times and in exchange, she’d always make an extra one of her famous red velvet cakes with cream cheese frosting, just for me. Now that? I absolutely indulged and I’m not ashamed of it whatsoever.

“I can finally use the excuse that I’m eating for two and no one will bother me about it.” Lauren endearingly ran her hand across her budding belly.

The baby has certainly become an everyday topic of discussion around here with my mother being in overdrive and overkill mode. We’ve already secured a venue for Lauren’s baby shower and given the magnitude of it, the guestlist is going to contain a couple of hundred attendees. I’m not sure if I’ve ever attended or been a part of planning a baby shower that has already leaped over the imaginary twenty-five-thousand-dollar budget Isaac playfully tossed out there when it was spoken about, but twenty-five thousand seems to be just the tip of the iceberg. 

Per the parents-to-be request, if they’re having a boy, Winnie The Pooh has to be incorporated into the theme and if it’s a girl, Tinkerbell. There’s also Heather’s celebrations that I’m automatically in charge of given that I’m the only one in her life who has the best friend and “sister” title. In all fairness, her mother and I agreed on a gender reveal being done right here in New Jersey and the actual baby shower being in Miami, where both she and Mario currently reside. With Mario being from Anchorage, Alaska and Heather being from up this way, choosing Miami is fair. That way, everyone has to travel and no one can pull the “inconvenience” card due to jealousy or indifference about the event being in either one of their native cities. Despite Heather’s protest, I’m paying for a portion of both events. It’s the least I can do as the God-mother. My gift to Isaac and Lauren will be the Balmoral Pram stroller that she’s been raving about ever since she confirmed her pregnancy and maybe an incredible bassinet of some sort.

“You certainly can. I’d like to think that’s one of the joys of pregnancy; eating and relaxing.”

“It’s going to have to be a joy because it seems to be all the grandmas and your brother wants me to be doing.” The way Isaac treats her as if not even the ground is not even worthy of her footprints, says more than enough. No offense, but her being barefoot and pregnant has been his goal since the two of them met. He’s the bread winner millions of times over, so what is the point in her having to do anything else? He never once asked her to sacrifice her career for him. It was a conversation and a choice that she ultimately made and she’s been more than satisfied ever since, from what I’ve observed. So that comment is no complaint. It’s leaning more in the lane of bragging.

“Well you know how this family is.” With her. In plenty of ways, Lauren has replaced my presence around here and it’s up to me to come to terms with it and whatever it entails.

“Hey. You still feel like driving me into the city so that I can pick up that last-minute gift? If you don’t feel like it, I can take myself. It’s no big deal.”

“Yeah, of course. Whenever you’re ready.” Dante instantly nodded his head as I pushed my seat away from the table and stood up.

“I just need to take that cobbler out of the oven and wash the dishes. I should be ready once I’m done with that.”

“I can do the dishes. You cooked. I’ll wash them.” He volunteered without a second thought about it and I shooed his effort away with the wave of my hand and the shaking of my head. Even with the fiancé status, he’s a guest in the house. I could never and would never allow him to wash a dish in here.

“No. It’s fine. Just finishing digesting those waffles. I have it under control.”

“I’ll do it. Go and handle your business. I’m sure the traffic in New York is a nightmare right now. The quicker you get there, the quicker you’ll be able to come back.” Isaac’s offer came as a surprise. Though I’m unsure if there’s a motive behind it, I’ll take it for the sake of exactly what he mentioned. Last minute shoppers are always a nightmare and I’d rather not have them trigger an intense headache that is sure to ruin this Christmas Eve as I try to maneuver through their desperation to finish off their Christmas lists. What I need is already gift wrapped and awaiting my pick up. 

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, go. Maybe you’ll run into mom and pop out there.”

“Dear God, I hope not. She’ll keep me in the store longer.”

Once I secured my cobbler in the perfect place for it to be able to cool down, I ran upstairs to grab my bag and met Dante at the car. He’d gone out ahead out me to warm it up and to make a phone call.

It didn’t take much of a debate to get him to come and spend the holidays with my family. Initially, I was going to keep things between just he and I simply because I decorated his apartment for specifically for that and most of all, because I didn’t want to necessarily snatch him out of his comfort zone, but he insisted that he was more than okay with joining in for our dorky Christmas traditions and my enthusiasm about the holiday. The man is currently donning an exact replica of the Christmas sweater the Grinch wore to the Whobiliation in the Jim Carry live action remake, just for me. I’m one hundred percent sure he probably internally cringed when I pulled it out of the box that it came in but he put it on without much protest. I hope he’s just as enthusiastic about the matching pajamas we’re going to be wearing tonight.

“We’re going to the one on Fifth Avenue?”

“Yeah, the Rockefeller Center location.”

Per his usual, he looked on as I pulled the seat belt around myself and secured it. He then double checked it. As his eyes transitioned to the driveway, I change the station on his radio to Light FM so that I could enjoy the endless sounds of my favorite holiday songs. I’ve been doing it every single time I’ve gotten into his car or anyone else’s since the middle of November and I have no plans to stop until New Years Eve.

“You know, I’ve been watching you in action ever since December hit. You’re so in love with the holiday season. I feel like I should be mentally preparing myself for when we have kids because it’s going to be all that you’re doing now, but times a thousand.”

“Sounds about right buddy. You got down on that knee and asked, so you’re stuck with me and all of my Christmas loving antics.” Am I loser for looking forward to my first holiday Christmas card with my own family? We’re going to shoot for a holiday Christmas card once we’re married whether we have children or not at that specific point. Do you know how many of them I’d gotten in the mail in Miami from the fellow WAGs on the team? I had to deal with a stack or two being piled up on the entryway table in our foyer all throughout December. And then there’s the one that my own family does that I avoid like a plague nowadays. Even since being back, I’ve yet to find time to make it to the little photo shoot they do in the living room right after Thanksgiving. I’m one hundred percent sure that I’m going to look like the oddball and will be the one all of my relatives have so much to say about when it lands in their mailboxes. I’m the “fuck up”; you know the one who did everything wrong. The more I stay under the radar, the less they have to say about me. I thought I’d been doing a good enough job with that until Richard St. James decided to make himself a presence between his son and I.

“I’m looking forward to it.”

“Is it because of Heather and Lauren?”

“No. I’m thrilled for them, but I’ve always wanted kids of my own. You know this.”

“I do know that. What I mean is, does it make you want to speed up the process?”

“No, not really. As I said to you before, whatever happens will happen. I used to have a time frame on it, but I don’t anymore.”

“I have a time frame on it. I have nothing to show for myself individually. I’d at least like to get somewhere in life so that my kid will be able to be proud of me.”

“And where do you believe you are in life right now?”

“A college dropout.”

“Yeah, and so is Mark Zukerberg, Michael Dell, Steve Jobs was one, Bill Gates, Evan Williams, Jan Koum, and a bunch of others. What’s your point? I will never understand why you constantly berate and belittle yourself all in a way to unfairly compare yourself to others.” I don’t expect him to understand it, because he’s not in my position nor will he ever be. It’s something that I have to live with until I improve on it.

“Did you just compare me to the men who created Facebook, Microsoft, and Apple?”

“I compared you to college dropouts.” His lips pursed together as his brow creased in a growing frustration.

“The comparison was to make the point that the college dropout label has no standing when you go and do something beyond that. Why is it that everyone else notices the talents that you have more than you do? If going back to college is what you want to do, then baby, I’m all for it. I’ve told you that before and will tell you it again. Go back and get that degree. I know that it means something to you and you’d like to be able to at least have one higher education diploma hanging up on your parents’ mantle alongside Shane and Isaac’s. If you don’t want to go back, don’t. I’m just as fine with that. If you want to go full throttle into beginning a business for your designs, I am all for it. Whatever you need for it, I’m going to give it to you with no second thoughts or hesitation about it. Your event planning expertise is unmatched. You want to open a business for that? I’m supporting it. Whatever you want to do, I have your back, sides, and front. So, don’t sit there and make it seem like our children will look down on you because you didn’t graduate from college. If the way you take care of those who you love is any example of the kind of mother you’ll be, then consider our kids blessed.” His words never fail to silence me, especially when he’s expressing a point about what he feels about me.

In a lot of cases, we typically feel like those who love us have those moments of obligation to say something nice, whether they mean it or not, especially when we’re being our own toughest critics. Whether they truly do believe I’m a failure or not, my parents do it. My mother is always eager to have a moment to pet me and shower me with love that I sometimes do and don’t need. My father is less likely to do it than she is and it’s because I try my best not to have too many emotional moments within his presence more so for his sake than my own.

I don’t think he knows what to say to me at this point in my life other than for me to get it together and he doesn’t even say that because I’m sure he believes I’m too sensitive to hear it from him. I’ve disappointed him, though he doesn’t use that exact word or anything synonymous with it. He had to go from bragging to the entire family about my future as a doctor to maneuvering around with his head tucked between his thighs because I’d become a public spectacle. So, I usually control the direction of our conversation with one another and I keep them extremely general or focused on whatever is going on in his life. It’s for the better.

“Stacey is planning our engagement party. I just thought you should know.”

“Sounds like something Stacey would do. I’m not surprised.” At all. I’m one hundred percent sure she began planning that party in her mind as soon as he slipped the ring on my finger; maybe even before that.

“I think she wants to reach out to your mother about it. It would probably be best to include her in the planning of something like that, right?”

“I don’t know, I guess so. She kind of has herself tied up in everything going on with Isaac and Lauren’s baby, so if Stacey can bare the bulk of the work, it would probably be for the better.” The faint dust of snow trickling onto the windows immediately caused my eyes to lighten up. We’re not going to have a white Christmas at all. Because I was never anticipating it, I’m more than okay with the flurries that we’re going to get throughout today and the middle of the night. They’re further enhancing the spirit.

“Okay.”

“I already know you shut down at least twenty of her ideas about it.”

“Not twenty but maybe five or six. She’s trying to invite the whole entire New York City. You know that’s not my vibe.”

“You have a nightclub.”

“And that’s exactly why it’s not my vibe. I’d rather not have people putting on the most expensive outfit in their closet and showing up to a personal event of mine for the sake of clout chasing. If I can’t look at you and immediately recognize who you are, then no thank you. Speaking of the club, are you coming to the New Year’s Eve party?”

“I’ll be there. Will you have time for me is the real question here.”

“I will. We’re going to be double staffed that night, so that’s less of a work load on Fred, Mike, and myself. So, I’ll be by your side the majority of the time. I promise.”

“Alright, because I don’t want to have to find some random to kiss when the ball drops.”

“I’d rather not start the New Year off in handcuffs, Autumn.”

“You’re one to talk. I was five seconds away from snatching that bartender from behind the bar at the holiday party.” The smirk on his face nearly made me punch him in the chest. Though I doubt he fed into her antics, I’m sure it stroked his ego and allowed him to know that he still has that aura that can instantly make a woman drop her panties for him without him ever having to try or say anything.

“You saw that?”

“How could I not? Her eyes were following you around the room all damn night. And then, she looked like she wanted to kill me when we were speaking.”

“You had nothing to worry about. Heather was going to kill her for you. I had to hurry up and hug her so that I could get her to turn around. If looks could kill, that chick would have been instantly dead.”

“That’s my sister!” My shoulders rose in pride. I would have done the same exact thing for her.

“I already know that you know you have nothing to worry about, so I don’t think I have to reassure you, but I will anyway. I only want you.”

“Even when I’m a horny old lady and my boobs are sagging down to my stomach?”

“We’re just going to get you a good bra and I’ll pop a Viagra or two and handle that.” As I ran my hand over his arm, we shared mutual laughter over what our lives may be like when we’re somewhere in our late sixties or seventies. I’m looking forward to it. When you’re living your life and you have someone alongside you who only enhances the greatness of that, all you want to do is live out the experiences so that you’ll have something to be nostalgic about when speaking to the younger generation. God willing, our love story will be one worthy of a novel or one that will pass down through generations of our grandchildren.

The best part in myself singing and snapping my fingers along to all of my favorite Christmas hits is Dante in the driver’s seat butchering them after I invited him to join me in my glee. While snapping his fingers, he threw in words and lines that were never apart of the songs or would ever make sense. It was so comedic that I had to whip out my phone and record him. If we had the windows down, we certainly would have attracted the attention of New Yorkers walking along the sidewalks in the busy city. I had to accuse my man of being biased because while he butchered all of the songs sung by white artists, he certainly knew the Motown classics much better than he did those. I’m so mad that I didn’t bring our Santa hats out of the house with us. They would have been perfect for the video.

“This is a gift for your mother?” Dante glanced around at the display cases while I waited for my pick up order. I’d gotten her eighteen karat rose gold bangle with round rubies within it from their Atlas collection. It cost me just a little over six thousand dollars. The bracelet I originally wanted to get for her was a nearly ten karat gold cuff with three large rubies in it, but the thirty five thousand dollar price tag was a bit too hefty. Hopefully I’ll be able to grab it for her next Christmas. It’s so regal and attention commanding, much like herself.

“Yeah. It’s a bangle. She loves bracelets.”

“Good, because I got her one too.”

“Did you? That’s perfect. I know she’s going to love it and I don’t even know what it looks like.”

My curiosity had gotten the best of me, just as his did, and I too began to look around the store at the breathtaking pieces that most would only see in a fantasy. As the thought of Dante purchasing my mom a bracelet for Christmas, I couldn’t help but to think about his own and if he’d gotten her anything. I can’t even begin to imagine how it feels to have the one son born from her womb not be interested in seeing her on the most family-oriented holiday of the year.

“Wow.” I was a bit breathless as I nearly pressed my face against the glass to get a good look at the bracelet that was reminiscent of a flower bush with its light green tourmaline gems representing accenting leaves and floral patterns filled with diamonds. I’ve never seen anything like it.

“You like that?” I didn’t even know he was behind me.

“It’s beautiful.”

“Want it?” I knew it was coming. I fucking knew it.

“No.” As quickly as he asked is as quickly as I shut him down. I don’t even want to know how much it costs.

“Why? It’s Christmas.”

“So, what.”

“And you call me the fun police.” As I waved him off, he rolled his eyes.

I thought shutting him down would keep him off of my trails as I continued to look around the store, but he still continued to follow along and then linger around areas that I’d walk away from. Even after I picked up the gift, I still continued to walk around the store for a couple of minutes not only taking in the beauty of the jewelry but also the Christmas decorations donning every area of the place. I’ll miss all of the decorations when they’re gone next week.

“Are you hungry again? You want to grab a bite to eat before we go back to the house?”

“I have something else in mind. We’re in good timing too.”

“Good timing for what?”

“You’ll see.”

“See what?”

“Oh, don’t you love this song?”

The Temptations “Let It Snow” easily drowned me out during our short-lived drive. He literally only drove a few blocks and parked the car. I threw out every urge to be stubborn and continue questioning him as we walked down the sidewalk hand in hand, and I immediately wanted to jump into the air and click my heels as Radio City Music Hall came into view. I nagged about forgetting to get tickets to this show two weeks ago. We saw it literally every year when we were kids but I haven’t been in quite some time now. I’ve yet to experience the new changes such as the 3D effects and the LED lighting.

“It took ya’ll long enough. Do ya’ll know how cold it is out here?” Mike readjusted his beanie hat.

What I thought was going to be a little afternoon date between Dante and I turned out to be a group outing that included Mike, Fredrick, Erica, Stacey, and surprisingly Heather and Mario. How does this man do it?

“Aw! My friends!” The sight of all of them standing there warmed my heart more than anything else could have done within that moment. Everyone was just as festive as Dante and I in their ugly Christmas sweaters and hats. Heather had even gone all out and gotten green and red stripped leg warmers.

“Friends? Friends don’t let their friends freeze.”

“I didn’t even know.” To further annoy him, I pulled him into a bear hug and jokingly rubbed my arms up and down his body to warm him up.

“Don’t be rubbing on him. His body heat can handle that.”

“Don’t be a hater your whole life Al B Sure face ass.”

“Where were ya’ll anyway? Dante kept texting us to make sure we’re all on time and look at the late ones.” Heather cut her eyes at him.

“At Tiffany. We were literally a few blocks away.”

“Doing rich people shit, on colored people time. Sounds like Dante.” Stacey drew me in for a hug and I immediately made a mental note to ask her about her perfume.

“I’m surprised you’re here. Where’s the baby?”

“At home with my husband and his family. His mother is getting on every fucking nerve I have, so this saved me. If I wasn’t doing this, I was going out regardless. I’ll be back in time to be there with them for the evening.”

“Can we go inside? It’s fucking cold.”

“Can we? Because if he says that one more time, I’m leaving his ass out here.” Fredrick warmed Erica’s arms by doing the same exact thing that I’d done to Mike.

“Yes. Come on. We’re going through the entrance on the side of the building.”

Our kids are going to be spoiled. I’m beyond sure of it now, because I felt like the biggest pre-teen ever as we attended the pre-show reception in the Roxy Suite. He didn’t want to go and eat because there was already a ready-made buffet and open bar for all of us. And the best part? We were able to mingle with Santa and the Rockettes, take pictures, and we shared a hot chocolate toast to the coming holiday. Though they all ripped me to shreds for shedding tears of joy, I couldn’t refrain from doing so even if I tried. This is the first holiday season without an emotional roller coaster happening within my mind. I’m not experiencing those unstable moments of my mood being up and suddenly viciously crashing without warning. Though I miss Shane with every fiber of my being, I’m smiling and living. There’s a fulfillment there that I haven’t touched the surface of since everything spiraled in my world. I feel good; great even. My tears are joyous this year. I’m thankful.

“You know, this is the happiest he’s ever been for this holiday. Look at how much Scrooge is laughing.” Stacey quickly pointed towards all four men who were huddled together and laughing at God knows what as we awaited the show’s start.”

“It’s crazy, because Fredric said the same thing.” Erica winked to give me all of the credit for that.

“I know. I thought I was in overkill mode and making him uncomfortable, but he’s been such a good sport.”

“Anything for Autumn.” Heather mocked his tone of voice as best as she could.

“It’s not even like that.”

“Yes, it is.” Unison. It felt like I was standing before a choir of three as that response came out of their mouths. Okay, I’m a bit spoiled, but so what? He’s spoiled too.

“It’s alright though. Though he didn’t agree with me, he needed someone to take care of him in all of the ways that people weren’t; in ways that I couldn’t. I do my best in the big sister role, but he needed more and you came. I believe in fate. You’re damn sure that.”

“Fate, huh?” That’s an interesting way to put it.

“Hell yeah. He’s yours too. Someone had to come through and show you that Andreas wasn’t about shit when you met him and isn’t about shit now. Now look.” Indeed. I don’t regret anything and I’m not into labeling people an upgrade, but I learned when you open yourself up to change, some beautiful things can happen within your life in the best ways.

“Well damn. Just slander the man Heather.”

“Slander? I still contemplate slashing his tires at every game I attend.”

There was a point in time when I too, wanted revenge, but I’d like to think I’m having it already. Most of all, I’m having it healthily.

Our seven o’clock arrival time back at the house was the perfect timing. I’d made it back just in time before my mother began to call my phone complaining. While changing into our pajamas for the evening, I was able to wrap up her bracelet and slip it under the tree without her ever detecting it and our traditional board game festivities began. While playing, we experimented with different flavors of hot chocolate. I came up with the idea days ago and scrambled around Jersey looking for the ingredients. I think the milk chocolate peanut butter, gingerbread, coconut tres leche, and Oreo flavors were hits. I enjoyed the eggnog version more than most of them did and there was something about vegan chai flavor that slightly impressed me. I’ll be trying that one again.

“Autumn, we’re not watching the Polar Express. Grow up. We’re watching A Christmas story.” Isaac and I argue every year during movie time. We’d already been arguing because he cheated to win Monopoly but I don’t care about that. Movie time, is my time.

“I don’t want to watch that. We can watch that tomorrow after we’ve eaten and we’re all falling asleep from the itis. The Polar Express is a better watch. It has music.”

“Let her watch it.” He’d say anything to get either one of us to quiet down. My dad hates when we argue.

“No. I want to watch a Christmas story.”

“Why don’t we just watch both tonight? That should work right?” Dante’s solution sounded like bullshit to me because we’re watching Home Alone and Home Alone 2 right after.

“Nope.”

“Baby. You have to be fair.”

“I am being fair. I said that we can watch it tomorrow.” 

“Autumn. Be fair.” I thought Lauren would say something, but for whatever reason, this particular argument, she found to be hilarious. She hasn’t stopped giggling yet. It’s not even funny.

“Ma, I am being fair.”

“Whatever. She can pick the movies like she does every year. The bratty youngest child tradition continues.”

“You’re just mad because you’re old and boring.” Dante threw an arm around my shoulder as we sat on the floor and leaned against the bottom of the couch. Though he protested against wearing a onesie, there he is, sitting there in one that is identical to mine. My promise to be completely naked under mine is what convinced him to put it on, but who cares? It worked.

“And don’t forget, we’re all opening one gift before we go to bed. It’s tradition.”

“I didn’t get Autumn anything.”

“I got you something. I bought you a personality big brother.”

As I continued to search for the movie, a pillow smacked into the back of my head and laughter filled the room soon after. Once I selected The Polar Express on the screen, I relaxed against Dante in satisfaction that I’d gotten my way with the movie selection. I’ll be the same way until their child is old enough to do it. The youngest always gets to choose. That’s my tradition, whether they know it or not.

“How did you like your gift?” Unlike everyone else, Dante’s hands randomly selected one of his better gifts under the tree. I opened up a spa gift certificate from Isaac. My mother opened up a pair of Christian Louboutin pumps gifted to her from my dad. Isaac opened up Tom Ford cologne from me and Lauren squealed in excitement when she opened up The Golden Girls complete series from me. I’m not sure why she’s so obsessed with that show.

As for Mr. St. James, he opened up a vintage 1964 Rolex watch with a yellow gold smooth bezel and a navy-blue strap that even had me slightly jealous. Engraved inside was: ‘We Love You Son’. Everything about it is timeless and sophisticated. Both my mother and father had done well with that one. She claimed they picked it out because that’s exactly the vibe they’d gotten from him upon meeting him. Their observations were on point if I must say so myself.

“I’m in love with it. Your mom is the sweetest.”

“She is.”

“It further lets me know how lucky I am, because you have a lot of her qualities.”

“Look at you trying to talk me out of my panties.”

“Based upon the agreement that we made earlier, they should already be off.”

“They are.” He didn’t hesitate to reach for the zipper of the onesie to confirm it. As the weight of his body met mine, I had to laugh because I’m beyond shocked that he’s even willing to go there while in my parents’ home.

“I love you.”

“I love you too.”

“You have to promise me something.” His lips met mine for a tender kiss as he palmed the sides of my face with his hands.

“What’s that?”

“I know you like to surprise me sometimes and I always love and appreciate it, but promise me that you will never show up to A&M again. Don’t even stop by if you happen to be in the city and want to see during my work hours. I don’t want you coming there. Okay? Promise me.”

“Why?” And just like that, paranoia settled into the room like a thief in the night and snatched the joy away.

“There’s a lot that you don’t understand right now, baby.”

“Is there someone else?” His eyes narrowed.

“I only want you Autumn. Just you. There is not and will never be anyone else. You have to trust me with this. Please.”

Before the disappointment, I saw indifference within his eyes blended with a fear that I cannot understand. His needed promise was more of a plea and if I didn’t grant it to him, he wouldn’t be at peace. But why?

“I promise.”

“I only want you Autumn.”

As our lips met again, his hands began to draw away the wool material covering my frame. He rid me of my thoughts and it had to be his intention. I could only be lost in a world that only nested he and I; a world that is slowly being invaded no matter how hard we fight back.

The sweat on our skin meshed our frames together in a stickiness as I opened my eyes from my short-lived slumber. My eyes washed over his beautiful face as he peacefully slept. The moonlight illuminated it so perfectly. As I reached my arm up to caress his skin, diamonds dazzled and danced along my wrist like the most beautiful lighting show. A gasp instantly left my chest as I stared at the bracelet I fell in love with at Tiffany. It was the only piece of anything covering my skin besides my engagement ring. How could I ever protest this? I can only be humbled and gratified; loved and cherished.

“Merry Christmas, baby.” I kissed his supple lips.

“Merry Christmas.” Though it was mumbled and rasp filled, he opened his enchanting eyes and stared into mine.

Aside from the birth of Christ, this right here is truly the reason for the season.

Love.

[worldwalkernovel]

The dynamic duo: What is their favorite book/poem/song of earth? Of Alleirat? Can they sing? What are some instruments of Alleirat? What are they made of? How are they made? Are they widely available? Of earth's instruments, what is their sound similar to? Are there major festivals/holidays? Any strange ones (like the city in Spain that has an annual tomato fight)? What are Alleirai beds like (raised on four legs/futons/hammocks)? Are there sleeping bags or does everyone just suffer on the road?

Hey, y’all, sorry I just...fucking vanished there!  Real life obligations caught up with me.  Ironically this is a long term positive--I’m much more productive in writing when I have a job, because it leaves me less time to second guess myself.  Point is, I’m going to try and actually Do Things on this blog again.  Also the last one about holidays got pretty long so I put it under a cut.

What is their favorite book/poem/song of Earth?  Of Alleirat?

Oh my God, listen, I’m not gonna get to most of this question because I got overexcited, but let’s talk about these two and Earth poetry, yeah?

Crispin discovers Emily Dickinson in seventh grade English class, and the first poem of hers he ever reads is, of course, Because I could not stop for Death.  He traces his fingers over the words “Since then – ‘tis Centuries – and yet//Feels shorter than the Day//I first surmised the Horses’ Heads//Were toward Eternity –” and for some reason he can’t quite put his finger on, his throat closes up tight and his voice breaks when he’s asked to read aloud.  Some indiscernable something about her words ring in his head like English hasn’t rung in years, and he checks a collection out of the library the same day.  His favorite poem of hers is--it’s not really his favorite, but the poem of hers he knows by heart and can’t seem to peel out of the beat of his pulse is I measure every Grief I meet.  Some days he loves it, for how cleanly and purely it seems to scribe him into neat four-line stanzas.  Some days he can’t read it without crying, or throwing the book across the room.

The only Dickinson poem Brenneth likes is Tell all the Truth, and sometimes when she looks at Crispin she thinks it was written for him.

Brenneth doesn’t like poetry much, she mostly prefers songs--they’re easier to remember and she knows what to do with them, she doesn’t really know what to do with poetry (can’t sing it, doesn’t have a narrative, can’t even go see it performed) and she doesn’t like not knowing what to do with a thing.  But once she read Goblin Market, by Christina Rossetti.  She started it by accident, and there was a story, a narrative threading through the ramble, and she kept reading, and--

Brenneth has dreams for a week, dizzy uneasy dreams of Crispin biting into strange foreign fruits and letting juice as thick and red as blood stain his mouth, and of hands--his hands, strong and crackling with lightning--pressing the fruit against her mouth and saying eat, eat, and of a mouth on her jaw and neck and collarbones, drinking the juice from her skin.

What are Alleirai beds/travel beds like?

The basic structure of Alleirai beds is “four legs, some kind of pad, sheets/blanket, maybe a pillow” but there’s a lot of scope there and it’s not unheard of for people to have a different arrangement based on what they’re used to--sailors are used to hammock-style bunks on ships, travelers used to sleeping rough are most familiar with bedrolls that consist of little more than two blankets and possibly a very thin pad.  At the end of the day, though, since a large portion of the continent is arable, elevated beds have the practical advantage of being easier to keep relatively clean of dirt, water, and creepy crawlies.  As such, a cot-style arrangement is considered the bare minimum, with a base of taut cloth and no mattress at all. The rich might have a four-poster bed with a down mattress.  Most people are somewhere in the middle with plain frames and horsehair or straw ticks that get exchanged on a semi-regular basis.

Can they sing?

Yes!  Brenneth has a nice folksy low alto, it’s nothing special but she used to sing shanties and ballads while she worked in her forge, especially while she was hammering or doing anything else that required a rhythm.  Sometimes she gave people a discount on their work if they were willing to teach her a new song instead, and people made jokes about the singing smith.  Crispin has a beautiful mid-range tenor, sweet and clear as glass when he was a child and deepening to something warm and full as he got older.  He has formal voice training, which was part of his education--singing is a good way to learn to project your voice, which is a desirable trait in a hero of legend.  However, he hates to sing alone, which is where all his training lies, so he taught himself to sing harmony to Brenneth’s melodies and that’s the only way he sings anymore.

What are some instruments of Alleirat/what are they like?

They hit a lot of the same major categories as we do--they have necked and non-necked string instruments (things like guitars or fiddles and lyres or harps, respectively), drums and other percussion instruments, wind instruments.  They lack the finesse to make out modern instruments, and most wind instruments are made of wood rather than metals, whereas they have a lot more metal drums than hide-and-wood drums, so playing the drum in Alleirat is equally about knowing how to stop a sound as start it.  You know that dome-shaped hang drum thing?  Something similar to that with only a few tones (like four total) is pretty common on ships and is used to keep time for sea shanties, and more complex versions are popular during festivals, in combination with strings and singing.  Vocalists are prized in Alleirat, so wind instruments are less common than things that allow singing and playing simultaneously.

Are there major holidays/festivals?  Any weird ones?

I’d have sworn on my life I answered this already, but apparently not.  The Alleirai seasons each have a festival at the height and one at the end of the year, four religious festivals and one political.  The political festival is Unification Day, the commemoration of the unification of the continent of Alleirat and the formal truce of the lengthy wars that threatened to kill everyone on it, and takes place in the early days of summer.  How seriously and/or cheerfully people take Unification Day depends on how they’re feeling about the Unified Council at that moment, and whether or not their protectorate state is on the verge of civil war with a neighbor.  

The religious festivals are:

the Feast of the Wanderer, which takes place at midsummer and is a festival of plenty and warmth and alcohol--the Wanderer is the god of life and fire, and the festival is encouraged to embrace and embody joy and revelry.  There are also ritual fights, which are largely in fun and more like friendly bar brawls than formalized gladiator matches, and both participants are usually quite drunk.  Agreeing to be the on-call flesh workers standing ringside on the Feast makes you an obscene amount of money, but you have to be sober.  Gifts are also exchanged at this festival--material gifts, specifically.

the Lady’s Night, or the Night of Stars, which takes place at midwinter and is very much a festival of...keeping out the dark, I suppose, would be the way I’ll put it.  The festival is about remembering that We Are Alive And Life Is Short, as well as remembering the dead, with a lot of candles lit in memorial and just for light--traditionally, you stay up from dusk until dawn, and if your candles and fire go out, you’ll have bad luck all year.  There’s still drinking and feasting and general celebration, but it’s more intimate and less raucous than the Feast.  You exchange stories and sing and hold your breath whenever the flames flicker.  (Cheating with magical glowglasses is considered bad luck as well.)  There are people who learn a single story or song all year in preparation for the Night of Stars, and you display them as a gift for the people you’re celebrating with.

the Landing, the first day of the new year at mid-spring, which marks the day that tradition and lore say the gods first came to Alleirat.  It’s probably not the right day, sort of like Christmas was moved around a bunch, but no one but the very well educated or very pedantic care.  You leave offerings at the temples or shrines at dawn, and then you go out and celebrate.  All day if you can, more often just from “whenever you get off work” to “whenever you collapse.”  The large cities and sometimes smaller towns and villages hold a parade, and crown young people, a boy and a girl in their mid to late teens or early twenties, as the Lady and the Wanderer for the day.  The crowns assigned to each of the two (generally flower crowns, rather than anything valuable) is supposed to be handed around over the course of the day, as a sort of village-wide game of Tag with the crowned people as “it”, and whoever holds the crowns at sundown has the responsibility of leading the town in the service of the Landing, which is a whole thing.  It’s sort of like religious hot potato with drinking.

the Eve of Dead Gods, which is pretty much what it says on the tin.  In terms of the feel of the Eve, it’s sort of somewhere between old celebrations of Halloween and Yom Kippur, with an emphasis on considering your own actions of the past year and serious reflection, as well as a  day when...well, they’re pretty serious about the dead gods.  Gods can’t be ghosts, of course, don’t be foolish, but--but when you worship the last two of a mighty pantheon, it doesn’t hurt to do honor to those who went before.  On the Eve, you lock your doors and windows at dusk and don’t go outside again until the sun is shining, and you remember that everything dies.  Even gods.

Some people--those whose ancestors escaped the sinking of the western continent--hold a quiet holiday for the Chained Lord, the god who didn’t answer when they called for salvation and whose death throes killed thousands.  It’s a small thing of fasting and candles and salt scattered on the floor, observed by most as little more than a cursory tradition and not even a shadow of a shadow of what his festivals must have once been.

[theinsignias22]

Never-ending Travels

Identity Paper by Jaselle Abundar

A journey through life is full of problems to solve and lessons to learn. Life feels like you're traveling, but it isn’t ending. You don’t know when you will reach the terminus of your life, where it will be, what your purpose is, and why life needs to be solidified first to achieve colors on a plain and dull paper. Taking that path with different shapes of rocks, unpaved roads, and different shades of darkness will answer our own questions in life. 

Peridot and spinel are the birthstones of the month I was born. Peridot, with its significant lime green color, is believed to instill power and influence in the wearer. Spinel has a brilliant range of colors and is believed to protect the owner from harm and soothe away sadness (Wixon Jewelers, 2022). A loud cry was witnessed and heard in one of the famous hospitals in our province, the South Cotabato Provincial Hospital, on a moon that was in the waxing gibbous phase. It is half-illuminated but not yet a full moon. On the 11th day of August, 2003, the journey of my life started in this world full of ups and downs, harm and horrifying places to live. The name Jaselle Jane was named after me. Supposed to be it was just Jaselle, but my Aunt added Jane to make it longer. The origin of my name wasn’t told to me, so I searched its definition on the internet, and Jaselle, in its German origin, means "One who is pledged." While the name Jane is of English origin, it means "God is gracious".

Both of my parents were from families of low-standard living. They work for money, not for happiness. They strive harder to fulfill their own needs in life. My mother was born in the place where pineapples are famous: Kablon Tupi, South Cotabato. She was raised by strict parents. Every single day that passes, she feels lonely, unloved, and doesn’t have the freedom to express herself. born and raised in a place where the "Rice Bowl" or the "Rice Granary" is famous for its slogan, the municipality of Norala. My mother's experience is similar to my father's. He did all of his best to show his parents that he deserved to be at school, but it wasn’t enough for his parents. People have limitations, and my mother and father could no longer bear it. So they decided to leave their house and continue life on their own in a place that is home to many shopping malls in South Cotabato. It serves as one of the tourist economic centers of the province, Koronadal City, and the place where my parents saw love that will last forever. They support each other despite their nine-year age difference and have a loving and perseverant son and daughter with a six-year age difference. To have a parent that's religion isn’t the same is hard. My mother is devoted to her religion, Seventh-Day Adventist, and my father was christened a Roman Catholic. Arguing what is true and defending their own beliefs is hard to hear from their children. Nevertheless, my father is the first one to stop because love and understanding matter to him.

My mom has a belief that was passed on to me. And that is the forbidden practice of eating pork meat. It is a belief in our church because there was a story that pigs were once accompanied by an evil spirit. My father did not permit my brother to hold that belief, but both my brother and I are Seventh-day Adventists. Also, our tradition on both my parents' sides is that every Christmas Eve, we gather and exchange gifts with each other. They raised us as good individuals and taught us to learn to give to people in need and never underestimate anyone’s capability. I know that it is not hard to solve a problem, but my family and friends shaped me to be great and have the confidence to achieve my dreams. I always take with me as I conquer the world my parents' taught lessons, because with these I can do all the challenges that may come. 

Open to all challenges. That is my inspirational quote for my life as of today. I've been in this world for 18 years, catching closing doors, running for the end of the rainbow, and stumbling through various challenges with bullets of sweat, dry lips, and darkness around my eyes, and I'm still wide open to any possible events in my life. The first step is the hardest one to do. Stepping out of your comfort zone needs a lot of time and confidence in yourself. Today, I am still not taking that step. I am still covered by the darkness of the shadows of my parents. I am still afraid, but I know that at the right time I will surpass this challenge with a warm smile and glittering eyes in front of people who doubt me and believe in me. I am still a flower that slowly opens. And I am still exploring things on this endless journey.