#we were talking about this while wrapping christmas gifts for her christmas party

[randomshenaniganery]

Last night I tried to tell my mom that she was racist and Islamophobic.

She replied with I’m not racist! They really do specifically go to school into this one university so that they learn to make bombs. (she believes this because of FUCKING HOMELAND SECURITY I HATE AMERICAN TV SO MUCH)

So I told her how would she feel if someone called me a gold digger because I was a Filipino and she started to protest strongly then I immediately said you’re doing the same fucking thing. You’re judging an entire group of people based on terrorists. Just because there are terrorists doesn’t mean every Muslim or middle eastern person is a terrorist. 

Just when I thought she was understanding it she replied with “but they really do that though...” 

To every Muslim I’m sorry about my family and everyone like them. They really do not have the ability to comprehend some things. 

[zegrasdrysdale]

[ a christmas surprise ] j. hughes & n. hischier

day twelve of malia’s christmas fic marathon

paring : Jack Hughes x fem!reader x Nico Hischier

summary : Jack sees the way (Y/N) is looking at Nico at the Devils Christmas party and makes an interesting proposal that neither of them can resist

warning(s) : smut ! approved cheating ? (idk if that's a thing but it's a thing for this fic), threesome, slight sub!reader, pet names during sex, oral (m&f receiving), fingering, protected and unprotected penetrative sex, multiple orgasms

author’s note : had to go all out for the last fic of the christmas marathon. my gift to y’all. merry (belated) christmas if you celebrate. i give to you, the finale of the christmas fic marathon ! this took me a lot longer to write than i thought but here y'all go

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She had no idea what to expect when she walked into the rental hall for the Devils Christmas party with her boyfriend of two years. She knows that Jack, Luke, Nico, Dawson, and Jesper decorated the whole thing, but she's surprised at how well it's actually decorated.

Everyone is either wearing red or back, which makes sense considering the Devils' colors are red and black. She thought there would be more green worn since it is the day after Christmas. A lot of the guys are wearing one of their arrival suits with crazy ties.

Jack isn't though. He has on one of his arrival suits and a black tie. He didn't go all out in his outfit but he did with the decor.

"Wow, Jack," she gasps when she walks into the hall. "Looks good. I had doubts."

He looks offended as (Y/N) greets him with a very quick kiss. "Ouch, baby," he says as he feigns chest pain. "That hurt."

"I mean, the oldest one out of the five of you that decorated is only 25," she defends. "Sorry if I had a few doubts about a bunch of mid to young twenty-year-olds decorating for a Christmas party. Luke also just left college in May so excuse me for being worried about how it would look with you guys decorating."

Jack drapes an arm around her shoulders and smiles. "We had our captain with us," he comments. "We were in good hands, (Y/N). He kept ordering us around and telling us where things should go. Merc even got yelled at in Swiss-German because Nico got so frustrated with us at one point."

She smiles as she walks further into the large room. "I wish I could've seen that," she laughs. "That sounds like a very Nico thing to do."

"What sounds like a very Nico thing to do?" a accented voice says from behind (Y/N). She freezes mid-step and turns with Jack to look at Nico Hischier.

"You yelling at Dawson in Swiss-German while we were decorating," Jack answers for her. No words form on her lips as she looks Nico up and down when a smile forms on his lips. She swears her cheeks get hot when he looks over at her.

She has no idea why she gets tongue-tied around the Swiss captain. He's been around since she and Jack started dating. She should be used to seeing him and talking to him by now.

Maybe it's that damn accent or the fact that there are no words in the English language that could describe how hot he looks in his suit and fresh haircut. The dimple that forms when he smiles makes her lose her mind every single time.

If she weren't dating Jack, she'd absolutely go for his captain. She's always had a thing for European guys.

"Well, it was frustrating that he wasn't listening," Nico says, pulling her out of her head. "You know when I get frustrated, I switch languages. It's something that's always happened. Sometimes it's out of my control."

"I'm well aware," Jack laughs, completely unaware that his girlfriend is checking out his captain, or that his captain is checking out his girlfriend.

It's something that started very recently, and neither of them have acted on their thoughts. (Y/N) is very much in love with Jack, but she is allowed to look at other men. As long as she doesn't act on the thoughts she has about other men.

An arm wraps around her waist and she looks up at Jack. "Why don't you go get us drinks and maybe something to eat?" he suggests. "I need to talk to Nico about some strategies for our next game against Columbus."

She nods and spares one last glance at Nico before walking off. She finds the area with the drinks and food. She makes a plate for them to share and orders them both a drink from the bar.

When she turns around with their plate of food and their drinks, she sees that Jack and Nico are still very deep in conversation. Nico looks surprised and confused at whatever Jack is saying to him. Nico does glance over at her then quickly looks away from her and back at Jack.

He nods at something Jack said before Jack turns and walks over to her. He takes one of the drinks and (Y/N) asks, "What was that about? It looked like a much different conversation than strategies about the game with the way Nico looked."

"Don't worry your pretty little head about it," Jack tells her with a soft kiss to her temple. "Just know that it was a very good and informative conversation between a captain and his alternate. That's all you need to know right now. Let's go eat, yeah?"

She nods and they find a table with Dougie, Erik, Vitek, and their significant others so they can eat. She enjoys the meatball hoagie she made for herself and Jack enjoys the piece of steak she grabbed for him.

The two of them make small conversations with each other and with the people at their table. Dougie compliments Jack on how good the decorations look and he talks all about how fun it was to decorate with Luke, Nico, Dawson, and Jesper.

(Y/N) doesn't realize it at first but her eyes scan the room looking for Nico the first time Jack mentions the captain. She's surprised when she doesn't find him anywhere. She hasn't seen him since he walked away from Jack nearly ten minutes ago now.

"Hey, Jack," she says to grab his attention. He looks over at her. "Have you seen Nico? He's nowhere to be found."

Jack blinks at his girlfriend. "Why are you looking for Nico?" he asks.

"It's just weird that I haven't seen him," she explains. "He's usually walking around and talking to everyone but I haven't seen him since he walked away from the conversation with you."

He swallows a bite of his food and says, "He said something about going to the bathroom. He's probably still there."

She's confused by how Jack is being so casual about his MIA captain. A teammate would go find him and make sure he's okay.

(Y/N) stands up when Jack goes back to talking with Dougie, Erik, and Vitek. She makes her way towards the bathrooms. Dawson walks out of the men's room and she grabs him. "Is Nico in there?" she asks. "Jack said he might be in there."

"Yeah, he's in there," he tells her. "He's freaking out about something but won't tell me what. Where's Jack? I wanna talk to him."

"At the table with Dougie, Erik, and Vitek," she replies. "They're talking about the decorations actually so if you want to go and brag, there you go."

Dawson smiles and heads into the main room.

(Y/N) hesitates for a moment before she slowly pushes open the door to the men's room. She peeks her head in and sees Nico leaning with his hands against the sink counter. His head is down, but he seems to be the only one in the bathroom so she walks in.

The door closing behind her gets Nico's attention. He blinks a couple of times before before he realizes that she's standing in the bathroom with him. "What are you doing in here?" he asks. "Where's Jack?"

"That seems to be a really popular question," she says with a smile on her face. The smile falters when she realizes he's being serious. "He's talking to Dougie, Erik, Vitek, and now probably Dawson. He said you might be in here so I came to check on you to make sure you're okay."

Nico still seems confused as to why she is standing in front of him instead of Jack. "Did he tell you?" he questions.

Now it's her turn to be confused. "Tell me what?" she asks. "He didn't tell me anything. He's actually being really weird and refused to come see if you were okay when I realized you haven't been seen in like ten minutes. Then Dawson said you were panicking about something so that really had me worried. I needed to come check on you."

He leans against the counter and crosses his arms across his chest. He's taken his suit jacket off and she can't help but look at how the button-up hugs his arms in all the right places. She presses her lips into a line so she doesn't say anything.

The captain squints his eyes at her and says, "I think you should talk to him about the conversation we had. I shouldn't be the one to tell you."

"Now you're being weird," she comments. "Why is everyone being so weird recently? I am really not a fan of-"

Nico crosses the floor in four large strides and pulls her by the back of her neck into a deep kiss, cutting her off from whatever she was about to say.

She gives in because she's always wondered what it would be like to kiss Nico. He's an attractive guy and she's always thought he was attractive.

The dark hair that he's let grow long enough to cover his forehead and form a curtain over his eyes when he looks down. Her fingers play with the ends of his locks on the back of his neck. The dimple in his cheek every time he smiles makes her weak in the knees sometimes. The deep, accented voice makes her wish that she got to hear how it sounds in bed.

She kisses him back after a lapse in her judgement.

The shock of the initial kiss wears off and Nico walks until (Y/N)'s lower back is pressed against the same sink he was leaning on five minutes ago. The kisses exchanged between them are feverish and desperate.

His free hand rests on her waist and she moves to grip the collar of his shirt so he doesn’t move away from her. Nico shoves a thigh between her legs and she has to refrain from grinding against it.

All she wants is to get some pressure on her core, but she doesn’t want this to be over so soon. If she starts to grind on Nico’s thigh, she’ll be coming in seconds.

She jumps up onto the counter behind her because her neck is starting to hurt from craning it to kiss him. His hand slides down to her thigh, his fingers dipping below the skirt of the dress that she’s wearing. She hooks her legs around his waist, and she feels something poke her upper thigh.

A door opens beside them and (Y/N) breaks the kiss to look at whoever walked in the door.

It’s Jack.

Her eyes widen and she pushes Nico away from her. “I-” she begins to say before Jack waves his hand to cut her off. She closes her mouth and tries not to cry.

The realization of what just happened sinks in the longer Jack stays quiet. She cheated on him with his captain. It doesn’t surprise her that he hasn’t said anything. He just looks between the two of them.

“Does she know?” Jack asks, looking behind her at Nico.

“I haven’t told her yet,” Nico says. She turns and looks at him. She’s surprised to find that he doesn’t look terrified at the fact that Jack caught them making out in the men’s bathroom.

Jack’s eyes flicker back to her. “Why do you look like you’re about to cry, baby?” he asks as he walks toward her.

A very surprised and confused (Y/N) says, “You just saw me kissing Nico. Heavily kissing Nico. You caught me cheating on you with your teammate, Jack.”

Through the tears in her eyes, she sees Jack smile. “The conversation with Nico was to tell him that it was okay if he did anything with you,” he tells her. “I’ve seen the way the two of you look at each other. It was obvious that you both were thinking the same thing.”

“But-”

“And I offered for him to join us in our bed tonight,” Jack admits, cutting her off. He brushes a piece of hair away from her face and tucks it behind her ear. “If it’s alright with you, of course. If it’s too much then you don’t have to but I don’t mind sharing you tonight and see where it takes us.”

She blinks away the tears and looks back at a flustered and slightly disheveled Nico. He has a small smile on his face as she realizes that it was okay. Nico knew it was okay to kiss her, and she’s going to get both of them as soon as they leave.

The thought of the two of them working together to take her apart is nearly enough for her to say that they should leave the party right now. The only reason she doesn’t is because they are both leaders of the team and can’t just up and leave just as the party is beginning.

“Jack, if you felt pressured to do this because you think I want this, I-”

“I want you to be happy, (Y/N),” Jack assures her. He cups her jaw in his hands. “It’s Christmas so I thought it would be a nice surprise for you. Plus, Nico is one of my best friends so if I’m going to share you with anyone, I’d like it to be him. You look at him the same way you look at me. I’d figure that I’d give this a try.”

She looks back at Nico, who hasn’t moved but keeps the smile on his face. “I’m okay with this,” he tells her. “Jack basically made me admit to him that I want to fuck you and he said that it was okay. If you don’t want this or if you aren’t okay with this then tell us and we don’t have to do anything.”

The thing is that she has wanted to get fucked by Nico. She just didn’t know how badly she wanted it until the opportunity presented itself.

“When can we leave?”

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

Jack and Nico make some excuse as to why they have to leave the party. (Y/N) is just along for the ride. Her body is already buzzing with anticipation of what will happen when they get to the apartment she and Jack share.

It takes nearly fifteen minutes for Jack to drive them to the apartment. She sits beside him in the passenger seat while Nico sits in the back behind Jack.

He reaches over the center console about five minutes into the drive and rests a hand on (Y/N)’s exposed thigh, right under the end of the skirt. She looks over at him and smiles. Jack’s eyes stay on the road as he squeezes her thigh. “Such a tease,” she giggles.

“Says you,” Jack replies with a smile on his lips.

She glances back at Nico, whose eyes are on Jack’s hand. His own hand was on her thigh not even a half an hour ago. The bathroom makeout comes back to her full force and her body shakes.

If that’s what Nico can do to her in two minutes, she isn’t ready for when he can take his time with her.

Jack pulls (Y/N) against him as soon as they walk into their shared apartment. She smiles and hears the front door close behind her. Jack looks behind her at Nico and says, "You don't have to just stand there, you know. You can come over. She's yours tonight too and you have my permission to do whatever you want to her as long as she's okay with it."

That's not something that (Y/N) ever expected to hear let alone hear out of Jack's mouth. That she's Nico's tonight too. She gets both of them. Two of the hottest men she's ever seen.

With permission from Jack, Nico takes the few steps over to the two of them. She turns her head and looks back at Nico, whose hands rest on her waist. She noses at his jaw so he looks at her instead of his hands. His curious eyes meet hers and she gives him a small smile.

She feels Jack's fingers on her jaw and he turns her head back to face him. "If you're uncomfortable with something-" he begins to say.

"Shut up and take me to bed," she interrupts. "Please."

He leans in and ravishes her mouth with his. His hands are on her jaw as he kisses her. They eventually slide into her hair and curl into the brown locks. She lets out a soft whine against her boyfriend's lips when she feels Nico's fingers trail down over her waist to her thighs. He presses soft kisses to her jaw and neck.

(Y/N) puts a hand on Jack's chest and pushes him toward their room. She grabs Nico's hand with her free hand and pulls him behind her. The three of them stumble through the dark apartment until they reach the bedroom.

She loses her heels and jacket in the journey to the room while Jack’s shirt gets unbuttoned and Nico loses his suit jacket. Jack picks her up and lays her on the bed as soon as they enter the room.

The kiss breaks in the process and she stares up at the two men in front of her. She bites her swollen lip as she waits for one of them to make a move.

Jack is the one to break the silence between them. “You or me?" he asks.

Nico looks down at her on the bed. "Me," he says, voice thicker than it was before. "My turn." Jack moves aside and lets Nico do whatever he wants.

She's able to smile for about two seconds before Nico crawls up her body and kisses her, continuing where they left off in the bathroom. The kiss is rough and Nico's hand is cupping her jaw. (Y/N) wraps her legs around the Swiss man's waist and digs her heels into the back of his thighs.

He kisses her more deeply than Jack does. Jack is rough, feverish. He constantly ravishes her mouth while Nico, while rough, kisses deeply. He kisses her with intent and lets her know what he wants to do to her.

It surprises her when she realizes that she loves the way they both kiss her.

Her hands run up and down his sides before she reaches between the two of them. With their lips locked, (Y/N) begins to unbutton his shirt. Nico uses his free hand to untuck the shirt from his pants. She shoves it off his body and runs her hands down his arms. His hand run down her thigh then runs up

He's more muscular than Jack is. His arms are bigger and his stomach is more toned. She loves it, but she also loves how Jack is muscular but doesn't completely cover her when he's on top of her.

She is going to get the best of both words tonight, and she cannot wait.

The mattress dips behind her and she feels fingers run through her hair. (Y/N) breaks the kiss and looks up to see Jack sitting on the bed with his fingers in her hair. He's ditched the unbuttoned shirt and suit jacket. Nico's lips attach to her jaw and he trails down her neck to her chest. The dress she's wearing exposes a lot of her cleavage and Nico kisses the exposed skin. Jack leans down and kisses her upside down.

Someone's fingers hook into the thin straps of her red dress and slide them down her arms. Nico pushes the satin fabric to the side and gets his mouth on her nipple. She groans his name against Jack's mouth and he pulls away. She tries to chase his lips but Jack pins her shoulders to the bed.

"Fuck," she sighs when Nico moves to give her other breast some attention. Jack reaches down and gets his hand on the breast that Nico abandoned. She whines when Jack rolls her sensitive nipple between his fingers.

She turns her head to the side notices the bulge in Jack's pants. She reaches behind her and palms him through his pants. She wants to get her hands on him so she blindly tries to get them unbuckled and unbuttoned. "Jack," she whines. "Off."

He moves off the bed so he can get his pants and boxers off. Nico pulls the dress further down her body as Jack sits on the bed. He pulls her against his chest while he leans back against the headboard. The dress comes off her body and Nico throws it to the floor, joining their shirts.

Nico's hungry eyes are on her when Jack moves her legs apart, exposing her ruined panties to the Devils captain. She can feel her core pulse the longer Nico's eyes are on her.

"Pretty, isn't she?" Jack asks as he tucks (Y/N)'s hair behind her ear. A soft hum comes from Nico as he begins to undress. Her eyes rake his body and she wishes that she could touch him.

Jack's fingers trail down over her jaw and neck, between her breasts and down her belly until they reach the waistband of the lace panties. His lips ghost over the swell of her ear. "You're our pretty girl," Jack whispers in her ear

"Our pretty girl," Nico agrees as he climbs onto the bed.

Our pretty girl. She's theirs. Those three words make her entire body shake.

"Come get a taste, Nico," Jack tells his friend. His fingers dip into her panties and he gathers some of the wetness. She watches as he licks up her arousal. "She's ready, like the good girl she is."

Her tongue darts out to wet her bottom lip as a now naked and smiling Nico lays on his stomach. He kisses her inner thighs as Jack turns her head. He kisses her at the same time Nico pushes her underwear to the side.

Nico's tongue runs through her folds and she moans into Jack's mouth. She reaches behind her and wraps one of her hands around his dick. Her other hand flies to Nico's hair when he wraps his lips around her clit and his tongue flicks the sensitive bundle of nerves.

She grinds her hips against Nico's mouth, needing more. She needs so much more.

This feels so much better than she ever thought it would be. Her legs are already shaking and they've only just started. Jack's lips on hers and his hands roaming her naked body. Nico's mouth on her clit. It’s a little overwhelming but it feels amazing.

Then Nico pushes a finger inside of her while his mouth is on her. She gasps and does everything she can not to come just from that. "Fuck," she moans against Jack's mouth. "Nico."

His fingers curl inside of her and her back arches off the bed. She knew he could do a lot of things with his fingers. She didn't know he could do this. Jack’s talented with his fingers, but Nico could have her coming in seconds with his.

(Y/N) breaks the kiss and slides down Jack’s body until she can turn her head and get her mouth on his dick. She licks up the bead of precome that has formed on the tip before she wraps her lips around the fire red tip. A soft groan passes his lips when she begins to move her head.

Every so often, Nico will curl his fingers or suck on her clit and she’ll hum or moan around Jack. Her boyfriend will sigh every time she makes a noise around his cock.

Her body can only hold off an orgasm for so long though. No matter how hard she tries.

The next time Nico curls his fingers in a “come here” motion, she’s coming with Jack’s dick in her mouth and Nico’s fingers in her pussy.

She pulls off Jack's cock and cries out as she comes on Nico's fingers without warning. Her legs shake and she pushes herself against Nico's mouth. She swears she blacks out because of how hard and how suddenly her orgasm hits her.

"Fuck, Nico," she whines as she comes down from her sudden high. She feels him licking up her release and soft sighs pass her lips.

The Swiss captain crawls up her body and captures her lips in a deep but rough kiss. She hums as she tastes herself on his lips. (Y/N) Isn't happy when he pulls away. She watches him lick his lips and smile.

"You taste so good, liebling," he says. She shivers at the use of the nickname. "Fuck, I don't think I'll ever get enough."

A barely there (Y/N) mumbles, "Wanna suck you, Nico."

Nico glances up at Jack, who asks, "Think you can take both of us, baby?" She immediately lifts her head to look up at Jack and frantically nods. Jack smiles at her enthusiasm. "Hands and knees then."

Quickly, she rolls over onto her stomach and does what Jack told her to do. The boys switch their positions. Nico kneels on the bed in front of her while Jack kneels behind her.

She takes Nico's cock in her hand and glances up at him. She knew he had to be packing but she didn't know he'd be this big. She shivers at the idea of him inside of her but takes him in her mouth. Nico gathers her hair into a makeshift ponytail as she begins to move her head.

Behind her, Jack pulls off her panties and runs his dick through her folds, over her already sensitive clit. She hums around Nico's dick as Jack presses into her.

It doesn't feel weird to have Nico's dick in her mouth and Jack's dick inside of her at the same time. She always thought that it would be weird, but it's kind of hot. They're both using her to get off and she's perfectly okay with that. There's already another knot forming in her stomach.

Jack thrusts into her and presses his hands into her lower back. Nico has his fingers in her hair and slowly moves his hips so he's fucking her mouth. Her hand makes up for what she can't fit in her mouth.

"Look at you, (Y/N)," Jack says behind her. "Taking both of us. Such a good girl, isn't she, Nico?"

Nico hums above her and she looks up at him through her eyelashes. "Such a pretty girl taking my cock in her mouth," he replies. "Feels so good.

She screws her eyes shut and just feels. She feels Jack's dick moving in and out of her. She feels herself hollow out her cheeks and suck Nico's dick at the same time Jack moves. They're both thrusting their hips into her and she happily takes whatever they give her.

From behind, Jack leans over her body and presses kisses to her shoulder. She whines around Nico's dick when Jack uses his legs to spread hers further apart. The new angle lets Jack move deeper into her.

"You have no idea how hot you look taking both of us," Jack whispers against her ear. "Fuck, baby. We might have to do this all the time. I think you'd like that. Would you like that?" (Y/N) nods with Nico's cock in her mouth. "I knew you'd like that."

When he gets back on his knees, Jack wraps his arm around her waist and pulls her up to her knees. She whines when Nico's dick slips from her mouth but moans at the new angle. She reaches out for Nico as he says, "Look at you, liebling. Look so pretty getting fucked on your knees."

Her eyes are on Nico in front of her while Jack ravishes her neck with kisses and soft bites. She whines and moans as Jack thrusts into her. Nico crawls up and presses their chests together.

He cups her jaw in his hands and runs his thumbs over her cheekbones while Jack fucks her. Her lips are slightly parted and she lets out soft pants while holding eye contact with Nico.

Nico reaches down between them and gets his fingers on her clit as Jack speeds up his thrusts. "Fuck," she cries out at the pleasure. She gets a hand around Nico's dick and pumps him. Nico kisses her as Jack marks up her neck.

Jack's hands slide around to cup (Y/N)'s breasts. He plays with her nipples and she moans his name against Nico's lips.

She's quickly approaching her second orgasm in about twenty minutes. Her free hand flies to Nico's hair and she holds on for dear life. She's shaky on her knees. Nico realizes this and lays on his back in front of her. Jack lets her go and she's back on her hands and knees. His fingers replace Nico's.

With on hand on Nico's thigh and the other on his dick, she gets her mouth back on him. She sucks harsher than she probably should but Nico enjoys it since he's squirming under her touch.

"Gonna come, baby," Jack pants behind her. "Fuck. Can I fill you?" She hums in approval.

As soon as she feels Jack come inside of her, she's coming around him with a moan. Her vision whites out and she isn't sure what happens after that.

She doesn't know when Jack pulls out or when she collapsed on the bed. Jack is nowhere to be found in the room and Nico is hovering on top of her. He’s kissing her neck and he’s bumping himself to his orgasm.

“Nico, baby,” she breathes out. “Come. Use me to come. It’s okay. Do whatever you want.”

“Wanna fuck you,” he admits. “Please. I’ve waited so long to fuck you, liebling. You don’t have to do anything. Just lay there and look pretty. Take me like the good girl you are.”

She nods and whispers a “yeah”. Nico grabs a condom and uses Jack’s come to slip easily inside of her. She gasps as Nico thrusts slowly into her. She winces from the overstimulation but Nico moves carefully so he doesn’t hurt her.

Their eyes meet and suddenly the moment is more intimate than she expected. She has the urge to confess everything she feels for him.

“Nico, I-”

“I know,” he softly says. His fingers brush over her cheekbones. “Me too. Since day one.”

(Y/N) smiles and leans up to capture Nico’s lips in a kiss. It’s a deep kiss, unlike the other kisses they’ve shared. Unlike the kisses she’s shared with Jack tonight.

Nico’s fingers are on her clit again and she’s barreling toward her third orgasm. She doesn’t know how she’s about to come again, but it doesn’t take long since she’s so overstimulated.

He’s right behind her.

She clenches around him and she’s gone for the third time. Her body goes limp at the same time Nico groans and comes into the condom inside of her.

His head falls beside hers and he rolls off of her so he’s laying on the mattress. She’s a panting, tired mess by the time Jack comes back into the room from the bathroom.

(Y/N) looks over at him with her eyes half closed. Jack cleans her up and the mess around her up before he lies down beside her.

“You okay?” Jack questions. “Not too much?”

She looks at her boyfriend before looking at Nico. When she looks back at Jack, she says, “I wanna do it again. Is that okay?”

Jack looks past her at Nico. “As long as you’re okay with it,” Nico tells Jack.

“I didn’t mind,” he says to the both of them. “Next time though, can the two of you wait for me to be in the room before you fuck?”

A laugh passes Nico’s lips and she tiredly smiles.

“Tomorrow.”

They’re all in agreement as they all fall to sleep. Her head is on Jack’s chest and her legs are intertwined with Nico’s under the blanket.

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[arlana-likes-to-write]

Christmas Star

!!There are spoilers in the warnings!!

Summary: On Christmas day, you had the realization you wanted to give your wife a gift that neither of you have talked about, a baby. In your eyes, Natasha was going to be a great mother and no matter what you had to go through you were going to give her, her Christmas gift.

Warning: birth, labor, contractions, miscarriage, c-section, blood lost, angst with fluff and a happy ending.

Word Count: 3.9k

You were standing on the porch of the Barton Homestead with a cup of coffee in your hands. It was lightly snowing as the Barton Kids and Kate and Yelena played in the yard. It was only 8 am, but you were exhausted. You and Natasha were up late with Clint and Laura to prepare for Christmas morning. Then Nathaniel woke up at 5 am. So, presents were unwrapped, breakfast was eaten, and the kids were dressed for the snow. It was a long day, but your heart was whole. You felt arms wrapped around your waist and leaned into her warmth. “I was looking for you, moya lyubov’.” She said, kissing your cheek. She played with the ring on your finger.

“Sorry, baby. I was watching them.” She hummed, burrowing her face in your neck. Her warm breath caused goosebumps to form on your skin. You and Natasha have been married for two years but together for 7. You weren’t an Avenger, a SHIELD agent, or a mutant. You were just an everyday citizen who happened to catch the eye of the Russian spy. You were a chief, and Tony Stark hired you and your team for a party. Right off the bat, Natasha started flirting with you, but you ignored her, focusing on doing a good job. Somehow, you woke up the following day with a text message from the Black Widow asking you out on a date. The rest was history. “Do you want kids?” You asked. Your wife’s arms tensed up. You spun around in her arms and ran your hands up and down her arms as a sign of comfort. “I know we haven’t talked about it.” The topic danced around as you knew Natasha couldn’t carry kids because of the Red Room. “But do you want them?” Natasha looked over her shoulder to watch the Barton kids. She sighed.

“Yeah, I’d love to be a mother.” She looked back at you. “But I can’t have them. We could adopt. I-”

“I can carry them.” You cut her off. She looked at you in disbelief. You grabbed her hands and rested them on your stomach.

“Are you serious about this?” She asked. You nodded.

“I haven’t been this serious about anything.” You chuckled. “Well, besides asking you to marry me.” Natasha had tears in her eyes.

“I’m pretty sure I asked you to marry me.” You shrugged, put your arms around her neck, and played with the baby hairs that didn’t fit into her ponytail. “We are going to be parents.” She said, pulling you into a hug and lifting you off the ground. You laughed, shaking your head. She was going to be a great mother.

*

You were pacing the bathroom while waiting for your phone timer to go off. Natasha was in a meeting, and you timed it so you would get the test result by the time she returned. It had been a few weeks from Christmas at the Bartons. With help from Helen, Bruce, and Tony, they combined Natasha’s DNA with a few of your eggs so your child would both be yours. You were extremely anxious. You wanted to give this to Natasha more than anything. The sound of your phone timer going off made you jump. With shaky hands, you picked up the test, and tears immediately ran down your cheeks as you looked at the tiny plus sign. “Baby, where are you?” You heard your wife ask. You whipped away the tears.

“Bathroom.” You turned around as the door opened.

“Are you okay? What’s wrong?” Natasha asked, closing the distance between you and her. Before you could respond, she picked up the test. “Positive.” She said, looking at you. You nodded. The Russian dropped the pregnancy test and picked you up. You laughed as she spun you around. Your wife put you down, knelt so she was at eye level with your stomach, and lifted your shirt. She kissed your stomach softly. Her sweet gesture made you cry harder. She looked up at you with tears in her eyes. “We are going to have a baby.” She said. You nodded, cupping her face with your hands.

“You are going to be a mom.” She turned her head to kiss your palms.

“So are you.”

*

There was nothing that could prepare you for the weird pregnancy cravings. No amount of books you’ve read or researched online. Pregnancy cravings were wild. So you were in the Avenger’s kitchen making a dough of sugar cookies to drizzle chocolate and hot sauce over the top. It was….different.

As your alarm went off to signify the cookies were done, you put on the oven mitts and opened the oven. Pulling out the cookie tray, you gasped as a sharp pain ran through your stomach, and you dropped the tray. The metal clashing against the ground made you jump, causing another acute pain. “Mrs. Romanoff, it appears you are in a sign of distress. Should I alert the medical team?” The AI asked.

“Yes, FRIDAY,” you gritted out as your teeth clenched. “Tell Natasha.”

“As you wish.”

*

Natasha ran to the med bay as soon as FRIDAY alerted her of your medical emergency, leaving her meeting with Steve and Maria without another word. Part of her wish was that she could make portals like Strange so she didn’t have to wait for the elevator. As the metal doors opened and she walked into the med bay, Yelena awaited her. She wasn’t sure who alerted her sister, but she was grateful she was there. “Where is she?” Natasha asked her sister. Yelena held up her hands to stop her.

“Cho and Banner are with her.” She said.

“Is she okay? Yelena, I need to see her.” Panic spread through her at how quiet her sister was. You had to be okay. No matter what, Natasha could not lose you. The sound of a door open caused her to spin around, and she watched as Bruce walked out, closing it gently behind her. The Black Widow ran over to the scientist. “Bruce, is she okay?” Natasha couldn’t pinpoint the emotion on the doctor’s face.

“She’s okay, Nat.” he sighed. “But she had a miscarriage.” A miscarriage?

“Okay,” she simply said. “Can I see her?” She heard her sister’s footsteps walking up to her.

“She lost the baby,” Yelena said slowly. “You understand that, right?” She nodded. Of course, she knew what a miscarriage was. Before Laura was pregnant with Nate, she had a miscarriage. She called Natasha in a panic but tried to enforce that she didn’t need Clint. The Black Widow told Clint right away.

“I know,” she nodded again. “And it’s-” there weren’t words to describe everything she felt. “Yeah, but I need to see her, please.” Bruce smiled.

“Helen is with her,” he said. “She hasn’t said much since we told her the news.” Natasha wished they waited to tell them together. She buried the emotions that threatened to take her over and walked into the room Bruce existed from. As the scientist said, Helen sat beside you in the empty chair. She stood up as Natasha walked over to the bed and smiled sadly.

“Please let me know if you need anything.” The Black Widow couldn’t find anything as she moved next to you. You were curled underneath the covers with silent tears running down your cheeks.

“Hi, sweetheart,” You made no indication that you heard her. “Baby,” You silently reached for her hand and pulled her into the bed with you. Natasha moved behind you and wrapped her arms around you. You turned around to press your face in her shirt. Your body shook with sobs. “Sh, sweet girl. You’re okay.” You shook your head.

“I’m sorry.” The two-word phrase took a lot of work to hear.

“Why are you sorry?” She asked, kissing the top of your head.

“I lost our baby,” Natasha shook her head. She let you cry against her, but as your cries turned to quiet hiccups, she lifted your head.

“This is not your fault, my love. These things happen.” Your lips started to tremble. “I can’t imagine the pain you are going through, but this isn’t your fault, and I will remind you every single day.” You burrowed your head into her shoulder.

“I wanted to make you a mom.” You said. Natasha closed her eyes as she felt her tears. You were breaking her heart.

“I know, moya lyubov’,” she whispered, running her hand through your hair. “And we’ll try again when you are ready, or we can figure out another option, okay?” She felt you nod. “I love you.”

“I love you too, Natty.”

*

“Natasha!” You called out. You were standing in the master bathroom, looking in the full-length mirror.

“Are you alright?” Your wife asked, barging into the bathroom. You looked behind you.

“Oh, I’m fine.” Natasha huffed, placing a hand on her heart.

“You,” she took a minute to catch her breath. “You are going to give me a heart attack.” You giggled, holding out her hand. She took it, and you pulled her close, her front pressed against your back. “What’s going on?” Instead of answering, you placed her hands on your stomach. She looked confused, but her face morphed into awe. “Is that?” She whispered. You nodded. Getting pregnant took three more tries, but now you are carrying twin girls.

“They are little gymnasts.” Natasha laughed, looking down at your stomach.

“Be kind to your mother, little ones.” You turned around to kiss her.

“I love you so much.” You said against her lips.

“Not as much as I love you.” You heard the pounding of footsteps entering your shared bedroom.

“You better not be making me another niece or nephew.” It was your only warning before the bathroom door opened, and Yelena walked in. “At least wait till they are born before you start trying to have another.” You felt your body heat up from embarrassment, burying your head into Natasha’s neck.

“Suka (bitch),” Natasha said. Yelena laughed.

“The party is starting soon. We are just waiting for the guest of honor.” You rolled your eyes, stepped away from your wife, and grabbed your sister-in-law’s hand. When you placed her hand on your stomach, the blonde looked at you confused. "Whoa," she said when she felt the baby’s kick. “That is so weird.” You giggled.

“This is your tetya (aunt) Yelena.” Your Russian could have been better, but with so many people in your life who spoke the language, you figured you should learn it. The blonde had tears in her eyes, but she forced them away.

“I can not wait to get you all the loud toys and fill you with sugar.” You rolled your eyes with a kind smile. “Ya vsegda budu zashcishchat tebya (I will always protect you).” She smiled, whipping away a tear, and left. Natasha stood beside you with an arm around your waist, pulling you close.

“What did she say?” You asked. She smiled, shaking her head.

“Nothing bad, I promise. Come on, let’s go to this baby shower.”

*

Christmas Eve

You couldn’t find the hat you wanted, which generally wouldn’t be a big deal, but at seven months pregnant, your emotions and hormones were all over the place. “Dorogoy, we are going to be late,” Natasha said.

“I can’t find my hat.” You pouted. Natasha was an angel throughout this entire pregnancy. She dealt with every pregnancy craving, morning sickness, and mood swing. You couldn’t have done it without her. She smiled at the pout on your face.

“And what hat is that?” She asked.

“The one Lila made me for my birthday. I wanted to wear it because she’ll be at the party.” You explained.

“I think she’ll understand. Come on, krasivyy (beautiful), we will be late.” You rolled your eyes. The party was at the compound, and since you lived on the property of the compound, it was a 5-minute drive. The house was a gift from Tony and Pepper when you announced you were pregnant. It was far enough from the compound to have a sense of privacy but close enough if Natasha had to be pulled away for Avenger duty.

“Can you go check my closet one more time for me?” You asked, putting on your best puppy dog eyes. Your wife huffed, rolling her own eyes.

“I will go look.” You smiled, standing up and kissing her.

“You are the best.” She kissed your forehead.

“Make sure you grab your coat, okay?” You nodded, walking to the front door as Natasha approached your shared bedroom. You opened the coat closet and grabbed your winter jacket. You heard a pop and felt pressure in your pelvic area. The black leggings you wore felt wet as if you went to the bathroom. You gasped, placing your hands on your stomach.

“I found it,” Natasha said, rounding the corner. You looked at your wife as she had the crochet hat in her hand.

“My water just broke.” You said. She stared at you blankly. You’ve never seen her so speechless. You groaned at the first contraction. “Natalia!” Her name snapped her out of her trance. She dropped your hat and grabbed your pregnancy bag in the same closet. You held onto her hand. “It’s too soon.” You said, squeezing her hand. “I can’t go into labor. I can’t.”

“Sh, dorogoy. We are going to call Helen on the way.” You nodded as Natasha helped you exit the house and into the car.

*

Natasha kept herself calm. She needed to because she knew if she freaked out, you would freak out. FRIDAY alerted the doctor and was already at the compound due to the Christmas party. You held onto her hand tightly each time a concentration passed. “Are you okay?” She cringed at the question. “Forget I asked that. That was stupid.” Of course, you weren’t doing okay. You chuckled, wincing as another contraction came through.

“It’s fine,” you said and rubbed your swollen belly. “You know I love you, right? Because I’m not sure I want to go through this again.” Natasha laughed, squeezing your hand.

“One way to kick off the holiday season.”

*

Helen opened up the passenger door and helped you into the wheelchair. “Well, isn’t this a Christmas surprise,” the doctor smiled and put a blanket over your lap. “They sure know how to make an entrance.” She began to push you towards the door to the med bay.

“They get that from you,” you said to Natasha over your shoulder. The Black Widow shook her head. You saw the worried edge on her forehead. She hated any time you were in pain or sick. The doors opened as Helen and Yelena, Wanda, and Laura got closer. The blonde Black Widow smirked.

“You know I was looking forward to getting drunk off of Stark’s expensive liquor,” you smiled, winching as another painful concentration passed through. The smile on your sister-in-law’s face fell.

“There may still be time for that,” Laura said. “Just because she’s having concentrations doesn’t mean the babies are ready,” the small group followed Helen to a room. “It may be a while.” The mother of three hugged you. Oh, you hoped it wouldn’t take forever.

“We’ll be waiting outside,” Wanda hugged you. Yelena placed a hand on your shoulder.

“I’m excited to get my drinking partner back.” You smiled.

“Alright,” Helen said. “Let’s get you all set up.”

“And on some pain medication.”

*

“You’re doing great, detka,” Natasha said, rubbing a spot on your lower back that was killing you. “Just keep breathing.” You groaned, hands grabbing the blankets that covered you on the hospital bed.

“Natasha, darling,” you said. “If you tell me to breathe one more time, I’m gonna punch you.” The hand on your back stuttered but never stopped its movement. Yelena laughed, shaking her head at your comment. She never stopped playing a game on her phone that Cooper and Kate got her addicted to.

“Your wife is funny,” she chuckled. The door opened, and Helen walked in, followed by a nurse. Her name was Heather, you liked her.

“Alright,” Helen put on a pair of gloves. “Let’s see how we are doing.” You heard Yelena stand up.

“That is my cue to exist,” she said. “I hope Wanda brought back some good food.” She left the room. Natasha chuckled, kissing the top of your head. Heather walked over to check your vitals with a clipboard in hand. You needed to figure out what Helen was saying. Your head began to feel light and fuzzy. The sound in the room turned to white noise, like in a Charlie Brown episode when the adults would speak. Your head fell against Natasha.

“Dr. Cho, the heart rate of mom and the babies are dropping,” Heather said. You felt Natasha tense up.

“What-?” Helen moved next to you and rested your head on the pillow, then shone a light into your eyes.

“Heather, prepare the team. We need to do an emergency c-section. Take Natasha out of the room.” What? No. You wanted her to say. Please don’t take her away.

*

Natasha felt the nurse grab her arm, but she shrugged her off. “Helen, what is happening?” The doctor looked at her.

“Nat, I need you to leave to save your wife.” Save her wife? Save her wife? What was happening?

“The-the babies,” you stuttered, your eyes couldn’t focus. Natasha leaned forward and kissed your forehead.

“Don’t leave me, dorogoy,” she whispered, leaving with Heather. The door closed in front of her.

“Nat,” she heard her name but couldn’t pull her eyes away from the door. “What happened?”

“Her uh and the uh twins heart rate started to drop,” Natasha explained. “She needs an emergency c-section.”

“Jesus,” Yelena mumbled.

“Hey,” Laura grabbed her hand and led her to a chair. Her legs collapsed immediately, and she fell into the chair. “C-sections are pretty common these days, especially with twins.” Wanda sat down next to her in the empty chair.

“She’s in the best care,” the witch added. “Helen will take care of her.”

“I can’t lose her,” Natasha admitted. Yelena knelt in front of her sister.

“And you won’t. She is strong. She and the twins will come back to you.”

*

“Will you stop pacing?” Yelena snapped at Clint. Kate squeezed her hand to keep her calm. The older archer kept pacing, not bothered by the blonde’s threat. As soon as word got out regarding your condition, the party was called off, and the hallway was filled with the rest of the team. Some came and went, but Natasha paid little attention to any of them. Her green eyes trained on the tile floor as she played with her wedding ring.

There was too much time passing. Does this surgery usually take this long? If there were a problem, they would have notified her. Right? Natasha hated feeling this useless. She heard Yelena stand next to her, and the blonde gave her a lap on the back of her head to get her attention. Looking up, she saw Helen.

“Congratulations, Natasha,” the doctor smiled. “You have two beautiful baby girls.” Everyone let out a sigh of relief, but Natasha waited. She was happy they were healthy but needed to know about you. “Your wife lost a lot of blood, but she’ll pull through,” Helen answered the Black Widow’s unanswered question. “We’ve sedated her to help her body recover, but once they wear off, she will wake up.” Natasha sighed; a weight that rested on her chest was gone.

“Can I see them?” Natasha asked. Helen nodded. The Black Widow stood up and silently asked Yelena and Laura to join her. When she entered your room, she saw two bassinets with her daughters, but she made a beeline for you. You were so still and pale for her liking. The only reassurance she had was the beeping of the machines you were hooked up to. Gently, she ran her hand over the top of her hand.

“They’re so small,” Yelena whispered. “Are they supposed to be that small?” Laura hummed.

“It’s because they are premature,” Laura spoke softly. “They’ll get bigger over time. Nat,” The Black Widow looked away from you. “You should be the first one to hold them.”

“Me?” She slowly joined the duo and saw her daughters for the first time. They were a perfect blend of you and her. “I can’t. I don’t-”

“Yes, you can,” Yelena said. “You are their mama,” she’s held a baby before, and that wasn’t the problem. She imagined the first she kept her daughters; you would be healthy enough to witness it. Sighing, she carefully picked up the tiny baby with your hair color. She supported her head and held her close to her chest. Natasha let out a breathless laugh, tears forming at the corner of her eyes.

“You’re a natural,” Laura praised. Yelena leaned against Natasha’s arm to look at her niece.

“I can’t believe you made something this cute,” Natasha rolled her eyes.

“Thank you both,” she said. “Can you give me a minute alone?” They both told her to get them if she needed anything. When alone, she moved the bassinet over to you and sat in the empty chair. She sat in a comfortable silence, listening to the sounds of the machines.

“Hi, little ones,” she softly spoke. “I’m your mama. Your mommy did such a great job protecting you, and now she’s resting,” she explained. “Now it’s my turn.”

*

Soft singing woke you up, but you kept your eyes closed. You knew it was your wife’s voice. It was rare you caught her singing. Sometimes, it was humming a simple tone or singing the words to a popular song on the radio you cherished each time you saw her. She would become flustered, cheeks as red as her hair. The song was in Russian. The fog that was over your brain was allowing a few words in. Slowly, you opened your eyes and turned your head towards the sound. Natasha was so invested in the tiny baby in her arms with hair that matched your own color that she didn’t notice you were awake. “Hi, my love,” you made your presence known. The singing stopped. “Are they okay?” Natasha stared at you, blinking a few times as if her brain wasn’t processing that you were awake.

“They are perfect,” Natasha said. “You are perfect.” You sat up, winching slightly. “Take it easy, data.”

“Can I hold her?” You asked, holding out your arms. Natasha stood up without hesitation and put your daughter in your arms. Once she was secure, Natasha picked up her sister and sat on the edge of your bed. “My girls,” you whispered, your vision blurring with tears. “My beautiful tears.”

“You scared me,” Natasha admitted and kissed the top of your head. “You gave me two healthy daughters, but it wouldn’t have mattered if you weren’t here to see it.” You leaned your head back and kissed her, savoring the feeling of her lips against yours.

“I’m sorry,” you apologized. “Has the team met them?” Your wife shook her head.

“Only Yelena and Laura,” she said. “I was waiting for you.” You smiled and looked at your daughters.

“You have so many people that love you already, little ones. They will protect you, spoil you, and hopefully babysit when your mama and I need a break,” Natasha chuckled. “Our little Christmas stars.”

“Merry Christmas, Elena, and Gabby Romanoff.”

[repulsiveliquidation]

La Princesa

[Ona Batlle x Reader] Part 1.5 of [She's going to be okay.] [Royalty] [Angel in the House]

Days with La Princesa!

“Patri! Help me with the cake, will you?” you yell through the house. Lucy is helping Kiera bring out the hors d'oeuvre as you were tasked with the massive cake Alexia had gotten. Ona’s mother insisted on having dinner with everyone so a large table was set up outside. The whole team was here, some of your England teammates had made the trip too since the party was during Christmas break.

Speaking of Ona, she was sat on the back porch with a virgin margarita in hand chatting away with Alessia, Ella and Grace. Leah was helping set the table as Georgia fanned away at the barbeque. There wasn’t a quiet corner anywhere, everyone buzzing since the announcement of the baby’s gender. La Princesa was the talk of the town, Ona’s hand rubbing her belly affectionately every time anyone spoke about her. It was a new habit, one that you had many pictures of on your phone.

There were steaks, seafood and piles of vegetables as everyone helped themselves to all the food. You were cutting up some steak for Ona (because she’s the OG La Princesa) when Mapi cleared her throat at the end of the table. Everyone groaned and rolled their eyes when she stood up, signature grin on her face. This couldn’t be good.  

“I would like to propose a toast to our team mom and dad. Y/N, you take care of us and make sure we’re okay. You notice things that many people would simply ignore. You’ve been there for us more than we deserve. Ona, you’re always ready to help any one of us at the drop of a hat. You are the sweetest person I know, I love you for that. The two of you are perfect together, no need to thank me for setting you two up. But because of that I propose we name La Princesa after me. Thank you, I love you both, ¡Salud!”

“As touching as that was Mapi, we are not naming our daughter after you.”

“A middle name will do.”

“Absolutely not.”

“Okay, okay! We have presents to open, cake to eat! Let’s head inside!” Leah called, ushering everyone inside as the girls began to quickly clean up. Once everyone settled inside, you helped Ona on the couch beside you, wrapping your arm around her shoulders as she leaned into you while everyone else brought over their presents.

“Are you okay, darling?” you ask her, kissing her forehead softly as you rub her arm.

“Sí, she’s been kicking a lot. I’ve also needed to pee too many times today.”  

“Our little footballer. I love you so much.”

“I love you too, mi amor.”

“Are you sure I can’t convince you of just one name; we are Spanish, she can have several names.”

“No, Mapi!” you both yell at her, Ingrid yanking her to the kitchen to help serve the cake.

//

“Oh Patri, it’s adorable!”

“How did you even get that?”

“Mamí, Esto es perfecto!”

“Girls, I didn’t think they MADE these!”

You heard Ona and the girls opening gifts in the living room. You were putting away all the extra food in the kitchen when Alexia walked in with another dish. She smiled awkwardly, being quiet. You didn’t push it, wiping your hands and moving the containers into the fridge. Suddenly she cleared her throat and you turned to look at her.

“What’s wrong?”

“Ona told me.”

“What exactly did she tell you?”

“That you wanted me to be La Princesa’s godmother.”

“Oh, yes. Do you want to be?”

“It would be my greatest honor. But, why?”

“When we were thinking about it, only you came to mind. Don’t get me wrong, I would die for all those girls out there and I know they would do the same for my family. But I know without a doubt that if something happened to me, my girls would be safest with you.”

“You are my family too, I will protect them with my life; I promise you.”

“I love you, Ale. You’re a sister to me, I don’t think you understand how important that has been to me over the years.”

“And you for me, hermosa. I love you too.”

//

“Baby? We’re home, love.” You shook Ona softly and as she woke, you walked over and opened her door for her. She climbed out slowly, feet swollen and aching from being on them all day. She was too stubborn to ask you to carry her, walking gingerly into the house. You were grabbing stuff from the boot of the car when you saw her walking slowly. You put everything down and walked up beside her, gently picking her up into your arms. She giggled and held onto you as you walked into the house with her and laid her in bed. She kissed you cheek and whispered an accented “thank you,” before you walked back out to grab all the gifts and bags from the car. Dropping them on the dining table to be dealt with tomorrow, you walked into the bedroom to find Ona already asleep again.

Chuckling, you slowly take her shoes off and slip your jersey she was wearing off before pulling on one of your hoodies over her small frame. It swallowed her but she snuggled into it anyway. You make quick work of yourself, changing into shorts and a sports bra before climbing into bed behind her. She searches for you in her sleep, reaching out and holding onto your arm as she goes back to sleep. You smile fondly, hand rubbing soothing circles over her belly and whispering “I love you girls,” before falling asleep yourself.  

//

“That’s not the right one.”

“What do you mean, this is exactly what you sent me to get.”

“No, I wanted the blue one, this is red.”

“Angel, you asked for red.”

“I remember asking for blue, Y/N.”

You sigh, shoulders slumping in defeat. Ona was having a bout of crazy cravings that began at 3 in the morning. She sent you to the shops to look for Chips Ahoy (a/n don't ask, they are my current obsession.) the other night but they didn’t have them so you bought a different kind and put it on a plate for her with a glass of milk like she requested. She took one bite and knew they were wrong, immediately starting to cry.

“Please Mi Reina, it’s late. You have a checkup tomorrow, we need to sleep.”

She sniffled, “But I wanted Chips Ahoy.”

“I know baby but all the stores I went to didn’t have them. I’ll go look tomorrow and buy them for you, okay? Please darling, you need to sleep.”

“You better buy all the Chips Ahoy you can find, amor or it’s the couch for you.”

“Yes, your highness.”

//

“Love, please stop moving.”

“You try sleeping with a literal football inside you kicking like there’s no tomorrow.”

“When we have a second baby. What can I do for you?”

“Talk to her please. She always calms down when you do.”

You throw the covers off and move over to lay between her legs. You can just about see her face above her belly. She's smiling, eyes sparkling as she watches you talk to the baby. You rest your head on her thigh, left hand holding Ona’s, right hand rubbing her belly softly.

“Hello princess, it’s Mama. I’ve missed you, you’re getting so big already. I had a pretty good day at training, met all your aunties too. They can’t wait to meet you, you’re going to be the most spoilt little girl out there. Now, mami is trying to sleep okay? She needs her energy so we can see if you’re being a good growing girl tomorrow hm? Can we put your striker skills to the side and let your beautiful mother sleep? That’s my girl. I love you, I can’t wait to meet you.” You kiss her belly softly, leaning over and kissing Ona too.

“For your information, she’s going to be a defender.”

“Please darling, she’s already showing signs of being a wonderful striker like me.”

[backtothefanfiction]

A Christmas Blessing: The Gift of Moving On | frat!Peter Imagine

Summary: You and your boyfriend had a messy breakup at Halloween. Almost two months later you think you’re ready to move on, even if he’s still holding on.

Warnings: jealousy, messy break up, sweet Peter, fluff

Word Count: 1K+ (wrote in app again so not completely sure)

A/N; it’s Christmas party season and I was scrolling through fics when this idea came to me so here we go.

He couldn’t help but watch you. It had always been the way. Ever since his frat brother had brought you back to the house that first time. Peter was mesmerised. By your hair, your eyes, the way you dressed. The way you had 5 different laughs. The way you always found time to say hi to him when you came over to the house. If you came over before Matt had gotten back from the library or a lecture or wherever the heck he was, you’d grab a drink for the two of you and just sit with him and talk. It was always just so easy for you both to talk.

It had only gotten worse after you and Matt broke up at Halloween. You’d caught him hiding out in one of the upstairs rooms of a party over at the Theta Beta Phi house, making out with some girl in a slutty super girl costume. The argument the two of you had had, instantly killed the party. Peter had gotten so angry with Matt when he’d found out what he’d done. If the party hadn’t been over when you walked out, it definitely was after he punched Matt in the face on the front lawn.

He couldn’t help but watch you now. Your gaze was focused on something in the adjacent room. Your cup was held frozen in mid air near your chin with one hand, while your other arm wrapped protectively across your chest. You were stood alone, your back to a messy stack of shelves. Where once you looked so comfortable at parties surrounded by friends, now you just looked like you’d rather be elsewhere. And that made Peter sad.

“What are you staring at?” He asked as he approached, but as soon as he was stood in the right angle to follow your gaze, he knew exactly what you were looking at.

Matt stood in the hallway with the girl from the Halloween party. However instead of her slutty super girl outfit, she wore a slutty Santa costume. She was giggling at every word he said. His finger reached out to play with her hair. He took one look in the direction of Peter and you, before he plucked the girls hat off of her head and placed it on top of his own, his body shuffling closer to her.

“It’s like watching a car crash.” You say to Peter. “She doesn’t even realise he isn’t actually into her. He’s just trying to make me jealous.”

“How come?”

“Because I wouldn’t take him back.” You said, finally looking away from them as you took a sip of your drink.

“Good. I’m glad.” Peter said, only slightly fumbling over his words. “I mean, he was a dick and you are way too good for him.”

“Are you allowed to say that?” You question as you adorably tilt your head at him. “Isn’t he your fraternity brother. Isn’t that part of the brotherhood and the pact, to always have each other’s backs.”

“Yeah but I think the rules my Aunt and Uncle taught me about not being a dick to women kind of overrule any fraternity pacts or rules.”

“Well,” you say, lifting your cup towards him for him to cheers with his own, “I guess that must make you a rare breed of man, Peter Parker.”

Your words make him blush as he looks down into his cup as you take a sip from your own.

You both stand with each other in awkward silence for a moment until another fake giggle draws your attention back into the hallway where Matt is now making out with the skinny blonde in the red and white mini skirt. His hand groping at her ass for everyone to see. Peter’s head turns back to looking at you as the expression on your face turns sour.

“He looks like he’s trying to swallow her face.” You comment. “Please tell me we never looked like that.” Peter’s brow furrows, so you elaborate. “When we were drunk making out at parties. Please tell me we didn’t look like that.”

“You didn’t look like that.” He said as you both watched Matt and the girl break apart only long enough for her to giggle, take his hand and starting leading him upstairs.

“I’m sorry.” Peter says.

His statement throws you. It takes you a moment to work out why. It’s because you’re relaxed. For the first time in weeks, your chest feels steady and not jittery. Your mind is calm and not racing a hundred miles a second with a thousand different hypothetical’s. You don’t feel intimidated by Matt or the girl. You feel sorry for them. You think on the way he had come grovelling to you just days ago, begging for your forgiveness only to now be shoving his tongue down another girls throat.

“Don’t be sorry.” You turn and say to him. “She can have him.” And it’s then you really look at Peter. He’s handsome, despite the bleached blonde hair he currently had because of some dare. He’s not like those other frat boys. He has a moral code. He’s always been friendly to you and if rumours are true, he stuck up for you after you had left the Halloween party.

“So um, are you headed home for the Christmas-“

“Would you like to go out with me?” You suddenly asked him, catching him off guard.

“Um uh, like right now or?”

“Or later. Tomorrow? Friday night? Whenever.”

“Uh um, uh,” he struggles with his words, his wildest dreams coming true like it’s some Christmas miracle. “Yes. Yes!” He finally gets out. There’s a pause between you both before he says, “Are you sure? I mean, it’s not too soon or-“

“No. I’m sure.” You smile at him and he feels like the cow that just jumped over the moon. “It’s just,” you say, bashfully looking down into your cup, “I just realised that I don’t think I was ever really supposed to be with Matt, you know.”

The way you look at Peter says so much. It’s always been easy for you two to talk to each other and it seems that also goes for silent conversations as you slowly inch closer to one another.

Before he knows it, he’s reaching a hand up to your face, guiding you closer to his own. You don’t protest as he kisses you, instead breathing a deep sigh of relief. Yeah, you thought to yourself, she can have your shitty ex boyfriend, you have something better right here.

[something-tofightfor]

Snow and Mistletoe - Part 2

Pairing: Joel Miller x Female Reader

No Outbreak AU.

Word Count: 6,325

Rating: M - as a whole for language and innuendo, but this chapter's mostly fluff... and maybe a lil smooch.

A/N: This is a continuation of the @pedrostories Secret Santa fic gift exchange for @burntheedges. I meant to post it yesterday but then we got caught up in family stuff ... so here we go now, and part 3 should be up later tonight.

I'm so glad you liked the first part ... and hope you like this one, too. (And to everyone else - THANK YOU for reading!)

Summary: The Chamber of Commerce Christmas celebration is the first time you and Joel will have together after admitting that there's something there.

But it turns out that that environment isn't the best for getting to know someone ... so Joel takes matters into his own - very capable - hands.

Part 1

When you left work the following Friday afternoon, you were nervous. 

There was no reason to be, because yes you were going to the party with Joel, but the Chamber event was casual, and you’d likely both be pulled in fifteen different directions to talk with people, not stuck to his side all night. 

Ellie and Sarah had almost shoved you out the door of your store, both girls grinning from ear to ear and promising to see you later, Sarah’s fingers wrapped tightly around the neck of the acoustic guitar she held. 

The nervousness grew as you drove home, fingers tapping on the steering wheel, and then blossomed when you got into the shower, the hot water heating your skin doing absolutely nothing to calm you. 

It was just Joel. 

Just Joel - Sarah’s dad, the man you’d gone to high school with and spoken to occasionally throughout the years at Sarah and Ellie’s school events or little league games, the man you said hello to and carried on limited conversation with a few times a week when he came into the store. 

But as you toweled off, you had to admit that he hadn’t really been just Joel for a while. 

He’d morphed from a cute former classmate and the dad of your niece’s best friend into the object of a crush the more you’d gotten to interact with him, and now that something was being done about it, you weren’t sure what to think. 

It was more than his good looks. There was no denying that Joel was handsome; his profile was something that you’d thought about plenty of times, as were his facial features and overall build. But Joel was also kind and capable, the man’s devotion to raising his daughter and giving her the best possible life admirable for many reasons. It’s even more than that, though, too. 

Pulling on a nice pair of jeans and a new sweater, you settled down in front of your mirror to do your hair and makeup, eyeing your reflection. It was no secret that Joel was one of the most eligible bachelors in your area, with his brother Tommy not far behind. 

He’d dated - casually, never letting things go on for longer than a few times out with each woman, and you’d heard good things secondhand. But he’d always seemed unattainable - more focused on Sarah and building his contracting business than on getting serious or settling down. And you couldn’t blame him. 

You knew what had happened after Amanda left Joel and Sarah, and the struggle he’d gone through as a single parent. Everyone that knew him had been witness to that - including Anna and Marlene.

Until Ellie had been more permanently in your life, you’d had no reason to interact with him on a regular basis, even though Marlene had. She’d talked about him to you more than a few times throughout the years, keeping you updated. And despite the things you knew to be true about him, the bits and pieces you’d learned firsthand were even more endearing, though they made him no less mysterious. 

But that night would be the first time it was the two of you actively together somewhere that had nothing to do with Ellie and Sarah, and that was what made you nervous. That was especially true after finding out that Joel was interested in you - enough to invite you to a second night out before you’d even gone to the first. “This is going to be awkward.” You sighed, using both hands to prop up your chin, studying your reflection. “And fun. This is going to be -”

You were interrupted by the ringing of your doorbell and a motion alert from your camera, the sounds startling you as your eyes drifted to the closest clock. Shit. He’s early. Heading downstairs, you opened the front door to find Joel standing on your porch, a tan jacket zipped over his broad shoulders. You froze - momentarily - and then recovered, smiling and inviting him in. “I just need to brush my teeth and put on shoes, and -”

“You look amazing.” He blinked a few times, one hand stuffed into his pocket and the other hanging loosely by his side. “Not that you usually look -” Ok, so he’s nervous too. Good to know. 

“Thank you.” Tugging on the collar of the sweater with two fingers, you grinned. “I got this sweater on sale and haven’t had a chance to wear it yet. Thought tonight would be a good opportunity.” He agreed, giving you another onceover, though it didn’t feel weird the way it usually did when a man looked you up and down “Be right back. Do you want to sit down?”

“Nah, I’m good. Take your time.” 

You left him standing in the hallway to go back into the bathroom and give yourself a final assessment while you brushed your teeth. It was good to know that Joel was felling off-kilter, too - and it surprisingly made you feel a little better. 

With a final spritz of your perfume, you made your way back downstairs and paused long enough to watch Joel running a palm over the woodwork in your entryway, his eyes following its path. You gave yourself a few seconds to watch, trying to push down the feeling of how much you enjoyed seeing him in your house, but before you could tell him you were ready, he spoke up. 

“Gorgeous work. I take it this was here when you moved in?” 

“It was.” You closed the distance between you, bending down to pull a pair of boots on. “There’s more of it throughout the rest of the house. The kitchen cabinets, and there are some built-in bookcases upstairs. And then my bedroom’s got this trim that’s one of the most intricate things I’ve…” You trailed off, shaking your head. “Long story short, yes. It was all here when I moved in and it was so … charming that I didn’t want to change any of it, so I didn’t.” 

He turned his head to look at you, brown eyes filled with warmth. “Good. You shouldn’t.” His smile was small but still there, and you gave him one in return. “It’s beautiful.” 

“Is that why you really volunteered to come pick me up?” Head tilting to the right, you winked at him. “Wanted to get up close and personal with all the vintage wood in my house?” 

“If I wanted to do that, I would’ve asked to see what’s in your bedroom.” That left you speechless - but when Joel winked at you, reaching out to take your hand, you found your words again, speaking up as his fingers slipped against yours. 

“Well, you didn’t… so now you’ll never know what my answer would have been.” He swore under his breath while pulling the front door open, his grip on you tightening. One point, me. 

— 

The party was fun. You were enjoying mingling with everyone, but you hadn’t really seen Joel in almost an hour… and that bothered you. Not because you’d expected to be with him the whole night, but because when you looked for him, you hadn’t been able to find him anywhere. 

He wasn’t sitting at any of the tables, their tops covered in checkered tablecloths and fake Christmas greenery. He wasn’t standing next to the bar, talking with any of the people that had seemingly taken up residence beside it, not wanting to stray too far from the allure of free drinks. 

He wasn’t even on the side of the building that had been opened for families, a jolly looking man dressed as Santa sitting on an ornate throne with stacks of brightly colored gifts and fake snow piles surrounding it. 

You were confused, to say the least, and although as you made the rounds, you attempted to look for him, it seemed to be in vain. Ellie and Sarah will be here before I find him again at this rate, and - 

“Hey.” You felt him step into place next to you, reaching over to touch your elbow. “Sorry about that. Had to step outside and take a work call about the job we’re starting in January.” He spoke almost directly into your ear, and even though you didn’t acknowledge him until you’d ended the conversation you were having with the owner of the movie theater, he didn’t move away from you, either. 

When you did look at him, you saw that his cheeks were pink, the tip of his nose a little red, too. “Cold out there?”

“The wind’s cold.” He shrugged, reaching up to unbutton the top button on his plaid shirt . “I’m good now.” He still had his hand on your elbow, the man’s fingers closing around it. “You done talkin’ to everyone in this place? Want to grab something to eat?” 

“I am and I do, but …” Looking past him and at the food stations, you sighed. “The lines are really long, Joel.” He looked, too, and as he did, you let your attention linger on the man’s neck, finding that even in the slightly muted lighting, you could see scattered freckles on his skin. I never noticed those before. “I… um.” You cleared your throat, taking a breath. “We could go get a drink before we wait for food.” 

“Yes.” He looked back at you, his smile widening. “I like the sound of that.” Joel took your hand again and the two of you walked over to join the short line at the bar, the man saying hello to a few people as you passed. “People are watching you.” He leaned over while you waited, speaking into your ear. “I can’t believe you weren’t going to come tonight.” 

“Or,” you replied, turning your head toward him so that you could meet his eyes. “Or they’re looking at you, and are thankful that you graced them with your presence tonight, Mr. Bigshot Contractor.” His cheeks went pink again, and that had nothing to do with the wind. “You and Tommy are a local success story, Joel.” You stepped up to the bar, placing your order and then moving off to the side to wait. “Miller Contracting is like two jobs away from getting national attention. I’m not surprised that people are staring. You’re single, your brother’s single, your business is booming, your kid’s basically a genius… what’s not to like?” 

He seemed shocked as you were handed the festive cups, but Joel was silent until you got into the food line. “Wait, before you drink…” He raised his glass, making a face as he thought. “What should we drink to?” 

“Oh. Um…” Why not make it a little awkward? Tapping one finger on your lips, you hummed. “How about to the teenage girls we live with and love taking things into their own hands and making this night happen?” He snorted, tipping his glass forward to meet the rim of yours. 

“To Sarah and Ellie and their meddlin’.” You drank together, both of you laughing as you lowered your glasses. “They should be getting here soon, shouldn’t they.” You nodded, scanning the room as you inched forward. “She’s been on my ass about you for months now, by the way.” 

“Oh?” You turned toward him, brows raised in surprise. “Really?”

“Yeah. At first she was subtle, too. But then …” He shook his head, wrinkling his nose. “Right around my birthday, she got real specific.” 

“When’s your birthday?”

“End of September.” He cocked his head to the side, shrugging. “But that was right in the middle of the project. I barely had time to sleep. I wasn’t even thinking about asking anyone out.” September? Hmm. 

“Sarah started working for me at the beginning of September.” You sipped your drink, thinking. “I wonder if that had anything to do with it.”

“Probably.” He laughed, tipping his head back. “She started spendin’ another 20 hours a week with Ellie, and more time around you.” 

“And here I thought she just got a job so she could get a discount on things for you.” You nudged him with your elbow. “Never thought she’d do it just so she could play matchmaker.” 

“You did say she was pretty much a genius.” He grinned, the smile splitting his face. “But it worked, so I can’t really complain.” You didn’t know what to say to that so you stayed quiet, the two of you shuffling forward and toward the serving tables. Did it work? 

You thought things were going pretty well, despite the limited amount of time that the two of you had actually spent together that night. You wondered if he felt the same, wondered if Joel was still looking forward to the following night as much as you were, or if he’d regretted preemptively inviting you for a second date. “Joel, I -”

“Oh, good!” You both turned your heads toward the new voice, a small wave of disappointment at being interrupted coursing through you. “You two are already waiting for food. Perfect.” Ellie and Sarah headed for the line, cutting through a few small groups until they were standing beside you. “How’s it going?”

“Going good, kiddo.” You nodded, looking between the girls. “Everything alright at the -”

“It’s fine.” She waved you off, rolling her eyes. “It didn’t burn down, Sarah remembered to set the alarm, and the drawer was only off by $426 dollars, so -”

“Actually, it was $427.” Sarah cut in, raising her hand to stage whisper to Ellie. “Remember?”

“You two are terrible.” You groaned, scowling at both of them. “Maybe we don’t want to let you in line with us. Maybe -”

“Too late, we’re already here.” Ellie’s grin was infectious, and even Joel laughed, using one hand to gesture for the two of them to step in front of you. Once they were in line, he moved back a half step, putting his hand against your back and letting it rest there. 

It was the most intimately that he’d ever touched you, and despite reminding yourself that you needed to keep calm, you leaned back and into it, glancing over at him and catching his eye. He didn’t say anything - but he didn’t look away, either. Yeah. I think he feels the same. 

— 

The four of you sat and ate together - you and Joel on one side of the table and Ellie and Sarah on the other, and for the next twenty minutes, you and Joel barely spoke to each other. It wasn’t that you were silent - instead, the four of you had a conversation, Joel and Ellie going back and forth about some sci-fi thriller that was older than the girl and you and Sarah interjecting when you could. 

It felt good - sitting and conversing with them for longer than a few minutes at a time outside of the shop. The Christmas music and brightly colored lights strung around the room only added to the cheerfulness of the atmosphere, as did the scent of cinnamon and spice in the air. But again, you were slightly disappointed that you and Joel weren’t getting time to yourselves. Especially after they made sure we’d come here together. 

The room was loud, and admittedly wasn’t the best place to get to know someone. So it’s fine. It’s fine, and … “Hey.” Joel said your name, pulling you out of your thoughts. “Do you wanna get out of here?” 

Sarah stopped speaking immediately, her eyes going wide. You caught Ellie elbowing her sharply, but Joel never looked away. “And go where?” What are you … 

“There’s a place down the street that’s open late.” He pointed with one finger, keeping his eyes on you. “Great coffee. Even better cake. And -”

“You’re just going to leave us here, Dad?” Sarah blinked slowly, her chin resting on one hand. “We just got here, and -”

“Y’know, after the two of you worked so damn hard to get us here together, the fact that you’d want to hang out with us is kind of surprising.” Ellie snorted, quickly disguising the sound with a cough. “Is this supposed to be a date? Or is this two people with their kids at a Christmas party?”

“A date.” Sarah stood abruptly, staring down at Joel. “Definitely a date. Come on, Ellie. Let’s go and see what’s going on in the other room.” The second girl stood a few seconds later, the smile on her face widening, though you could feel the smirk behind it. “Bye.” 

They gathered their trash and beelined it away from you, leaving you and Joel alone at the table again. “Hope you don’t mind. I love my daughter, but I don’t usually make it a point to bring her on first dates.”

“So this is a date.” You leaned against one elbow, tapping a fingertip on the table. “Good to know.”

“Of course it is.” He stood, picking up his plate and glass. “And so is tomorrow.” Joel used his chin to gesture to the main doors. “I was serious about leaving, though. I’ve had about all I can take of We Wish You A Merry Christmas sung by Alvin and the goddamn Chipmunks.” 

You laughed hard at that, nodding and standing with him. As the two of you headed for the main bank of trash cans, you tried to compose yourself, catching your breath. I figured he was funny, but that was really funny. You threw everything away, brushing your hands off on your pants as you turned toward the exit. “Joel, before we -”

“Shit.” He swore loudly, one hand on his hip and his gaze directed upward. “Fuckin’ mistletoe.” You looked up, too, wincing when you saw the plant hanging from the ceiling above where you stood. “Of course they put it right there.” 

“It’s fine, Joel.” Your heart was thumping at the mere thought of him kissing you, but you didn’t want to expect anything. “We can just pretend we didn’t see it, and go to the …” You trailed off as he moved closer, both of his hands rising, palms settling against your arms. What is he doing? “What are -” 

He leaned in, his lips set into a small smile, but instead of aiming for your mouth, Joel took a quick breath and then kissed your cheek, letting it linger. Holy shit, really?  “No way in hell I’m kissin’ you for the first time next to a trash can and in front of all these damn people.”  

That made you laugh again, but before Joel could pull away from you, you whispered his name and then turned your head, pressing your lips to his cheek in return. He froze, though his fingers tightened on your arms. When you stepped back, you saw shock on his face. Good. Because that’s exactly how I feel, too. “What is a good place for a first kiss, then?” You felt warm - your entire body almost tingling just from his proximity. 

“Guess you’ll just have to wait and see.” He recovered and answered quickly, squeezing one bicep before he let go and put more space between you. “Now c’mon. Let’s get out of here before someone else tries to talk to us.” 

You had no problem with that request, giving Joel a single nod and then heading for the door, heart still pounding. His phrasing - wait and see - implied that he planned on actually kissing you at some point… and that was something else you had no problem with. 

— 

It was only a block or so to the place he’d mentioned, and the two of you walked there side by side, Joel’s arm brushing yours. 

You both ordered coffee and a dessert, but before you could reach for cash to pay for yours, he set money down, telling the employee to keep the change. 

It was quiet in the restaurant - most of the usual clients either already at home or down the street at the party, and that meant you had your pick of places to sit. He let you choose - and when you settled into an overstuffed armchair, Joel dropped onto the one across from you, letting out a sigh. 

“I’m not used to that at all.” He gestured with one hand, pointing in the direction of the party you’d just left. “Job sites are easy. I tell people what to do, and they do it. Gettin’ contracts and meetin’ clients is easy, because they tell me what they want and I tell ‘em whether or not I can get it done.” He took a drink of his coffee, pausing. “But that? Hours of small talk and a crowd of people and all the holiday shit?” 

“Not a fan of Christmas?” You leaned back in your chair, coffee mug cradled between both hands. “I know a lot of people aren’t.”

“It was hard for a while… with me an’ Sarah?” He frowned, shaking his head. “I wanted to make Christmas special for her, but when she was real little, that wasn’t … I couldn’t always do it. And it’s better now, because me an’ Tommy are actually getting work, but …” Joel looked down, focusing on the table in front of him. “It used to just be us. And I got used to that, to keepin’ to myself, focusing on work and on her and worrying about everything that came next.” When he looked back at you, his eyes were clear, resolve apparent in them. “Didn’t have time for a party like tonight, because it all had to be about her, and both of us survivin’, not small talk.” 

“I’m sorry.” You took a drink, too. “I didn’t even think about …” 

“Nah, it’s fine. Don’t let me ruin the night.” He cut a piece off of his cake and brought it to his lips, the fork slipping between them. Joel chewed and then smiled at you, rubbing his hand over the top of one thigh. “Like I said, it’s better now. And I’m gettin’ there when it comes to socializin’.” 

“Is that why you don’t date much?” You bit the corner off of your pastry, thinking. “Because you don’t like the small talk or the getting to know someone?” 

“No, I don’t date because I’m still busy. Between work and Sarah’s sports, it’s hard for me to find time to do things by myself. Bringin’ someone else into that seems unfair.” He leaned closer, shifting in his seat. “But I like this, tonight? This doesn’t bother me.” He sipped again, shrugging. “Maybe it’s because it’s with you, though.” 

It blindsided you - the compliment and admission from Joel in the same sentence, said almost nonchalantly. But he’s made comments like that a few times now, and … hmm. “I like it too.” You sighed, looking around the cozy space before settling your gaze back on him. “They were surprised you wanted to leave.” He laughed, the sound low but still incredibly endearing. “In all the years I’ve known Ellie, she’s never pushed me like this with anyone before.” 

“She’s a teenager now.” Joel’s smile widened. “Knows what she can get away with. Same with Sarah. I think she’s worried about me bein’ alone next year.” He went quiet then, his expression changing, and you realized - for the first time - that even though you were dreading Ellie leaving for college the following summer, Sarah leaving Joel was probably much more difficult for him to consider. 

“You won’t be alone. You’ll have Tommy.” Raising a brow, you took another bite, talking around it. “And I’m sure he’s got some plans for you.” 

“You have no idea.” He groaned, swiping a hand over his face. “He’s only 5 years younger than me, but it seems like so much more sometimes.” You didn’t know Tommy too well - he’d been on the outskirts of your friend group for a while, but had drifted away when he turned 18 and enlisted - moving even further away after coming back and joining Joel on job sites. But what you did know was that were Joel was quieter and more practical, Tommy was extroverted and impulsive, more than happy to play the part of uncle and friend to Sarah  - and in turn, to Ellie. “What about Ellie? Is she thinkin’ about school?” 

“Yeah.” Clearing your throat, you tried to refocus. “She is. She’s nervous about it because all she’s ever known is Austin, but she’s been applying. She’s going on a couple more campus visits in the spring, too. Marlene’s got some contacts in Utah and Colorado, so she’s going up there, but…” You shrugged. “I’m not sure what she’ll choose. Maybe she’ll stay here and go to UT or TSU.” 

“Hmm.” He narrowed his eyes, staring at you. “How long’s she been with you? Marlene left what, five years ago?” Nodding, you watched as he tipped his mug back, taking a long drink. “Long time. You’re gonna have a quiet house if she decides to go out of state.”

“Just me and all that fancy wood left.” Grinning, you finished your dessert and then leaned forward, reaching for your napkin. “I’m sure Sarah won’t go far, Joel. She -”

“She’s talkin’ about going out of state, too.” He closed his eyes, taking and holding a deep breath. “Funny enough, she also mentioned Colorado and Utah. I think I even heard Boston in there, but I don’t know who the fuck willingly goes to the East coast to live, so…” He shrugged. “I’ll deal with it when I have to. Can’t keep her locked up forever, right?”

“Right.” Sitting up straight, you let your gaze wander over his face, eyes lingering on his mouth and the way his lips curved upward in the barest hint of a smile. “Can I admit something to you?” He nodded, mimicking your position and leaning forward, his hands hanging between his spread knees. “I ddn’t expect us to talk so much about Ellie and Sarah tonight. I figured they’d come up, but I was looking forward to talking about you, Joel. About you and -”

“That’s what tomorrow’s for.” He rubbed his palms together, the tip of his tongue darting out to wet his lips. “I told you, we’ve got a little bit of a drive. Plenty of time to talk.” He was right, but part of you still felt that there was more opportunity that night with him, even though you knew it was almost time to go home. “What do you want to know?” Scooting forward, he pushed his plate to the side. “I’ve gotta warn you, I’m pretty boring.”

“I doubt that.” Crossing your legs at the ankle, you held up one finger. “I remember you from high school, Joel. There was nothing boring about you.” 

“That was also 20 years ago.” He scoffed. “Twenty years and one kid and a hell of a lot of muscle aches ago.” You looked past him and at the clock hanging on the wall, pointing at it. 

“Speaking of sleep, It’s almost 10. Do you turn into a pumpkin at any specific time?” His mouth dropped open, Joel spluttering out your name. “I wouldn’t want to be responsible for keeping you out too late.” 

“Smart ass.” He rolled his eyes, sighing. “No, but you said you have to work tomorrow morning, so we should probably head out.” He was right, but you didn’t want to agree. Despite the fact that the conversation had only circled the topic of the two of you, it had highlighted something very important: Joel was just as easy to talk to one on one as he was in a public setting. And that’s good. I like that. I like it a lot. “You want me to drive you home, or do you want to walk back and find Ellie an’ Sarah?” 

“You.” You answered immediately, standing and gathering your mug and plate. “I’d like you to drive me back, Joel.” 

Your answer didn’t seem to surprise him, and only a few minutes later, you were back in his truck, the heat on low and Joel’s jacket tossed into the back seat. “Should I get ready before you come and get me tomorrow, or can I change in the room once we get there?” 

“Either’s fine. But if you’re gonna get ready at the hotel, I’ll need to come and get you a little earlier, just so we show up on time.” He sighed, putting the truck into reverse. “There’s a schedule. Dinner’s on there, and they have a toast, and -”

“Oh, so this is fancy. You weren’t joking.” 

“No. I wasn’t.” He cleared his throat. “An’ they really like me. The CEO of the hotel company’s going to be there, and she could -”

“Say no more.” Reaching over, you squeezed his knee. “I’ll be ready to go when you pick me up. I promise.” He hummed in approval, pulling onto the main road. Silence filled the cab of the truck, and before you could speak and fill it, your phone vibrated at the same time his center screen lit up, a text message from Sarah sliding in from the top of it. “Oh. Interesting.” 

He reached out, pressing the button to read the text, and you raised your phone, eyeing it. Ellie. 

It turned out that only one of you needed to check the message, because they both said the exact same thing: 

Meeting friends from school at IHOP. I’ll be home before curfew. 

“They definitely didn’t plan this.” You wrinkled your nose, turning your head to look at Joel. “It’s definitely not convenient.” 

“Of course not.” His hand tightened on the steering wheel, Joel’s sigh loud. “It’s pathetic, right? My seventeen year old kid’s settin’ me up on dates and telling me that she won’t be home til later than me.” 

“Not pathetic, no.” You took a few seconds, trying to organize your thoughts. “I’ve only really known her for a couple months, but she’s a really thoughtful kid, Joel. It’s clear she cares about you and wants you to be happy. And,” you continued, leaning closer and dropping your voice. “If she’s anything like Ellie, the idea of accidentally seeing you with someone probably horrifies her, so -”

Joel pulled into your driveway, cutting the engine, though he kept the heat running. “Ellie caught you and some guy?” You hadn’t planned on telling the story, but since you’d brought it up, you figured you had to, groaning as you unbuckled your seatbelt. 

“Not like you’re thinking, no.” You had to laugh about it, though at the time it had happened, it had been mortifying. “I went out with a guy about a year ago, and he walked me to my door when he dropped me off.” You leaned back in your seat, crossing your arms over your chest. “We were saying goodnight on the porch, and he just … went for it. I kissed him back because the date had gone reasonably well, but only a couple seconds in, I heard Ellie’s voice through the doorbell camera, and she was … less than enthusiastic.” 

You didn’t expect him to laugh as hard as he did at your words. Joel actually leaned forward and covered his face with both hands, elbows resting against the steering wheel. It hadn’t been funny at the time, Ellie’s annoyance clear even through the tinny speaker, and when you’d watched the video back later that night, you’d cringed. You’d been embarrassed but laughed it off, though in the end, Ellie’s interruption had been a good thing. Your date hadn’t found the humor in the situation, and he’d stopped returning your texts a day or so afterward. No loss there. 

“Bet you’ll never kiss another man on your front porch again.” He was still chuckling when he swiveled his head toward you. “Or if you do, you’ll disable the camera first.” 

“No. I think Ellie learned a valuable lesson about checking the camera when she knows I’m coming home with someone.” You pointed at the door. “However, I think that if you and I were to walk up to that door right now, they’d both be watching to see if their little plan worked.” 

“That might be a worse first kiss than next to a trash can and in front of a hundred people.” He sighed, tapping his palm against the wheel. You let your eyes wander over your front yard - the lights strung through the bushes and around the front windows and door, brightly colored bulbs casting a cheerful glow over everything.  “But what if that wasn’t the first one?” 

“What?” Turning your body in the seat so that you were angled toward him, you eyed Joel with some curiosity. How wouldn’t that be the first one? “Joel?” 

“Ain’t ideal in the truck, but …” He shifted, too, unlocking his seatbelt and then leaning his elbow against the steering wheel. “Shit. I haven’t done this in a long fuckin’ time.” 

He didn’t move, though - no closer, no further away; the man simply stayed put, watching you. “Was… was that you asking if I wanted you to kiss me, Joel?” You found it hard to believe that he’d be so hesitant. Any man that looked like Joel including Joel likely would have had women lining up for the opportunity, and yet there he was, parked in your driveway and waiting. “Because if it was, then yes. I’d like that.” 

There was no reason to deny it. You were out with him, you were alone in his truck, and the two of you had been flirting back and forth all night. “Good.” 

He said the single word and then moved closer, Joel’s arm lifting from the steering wheel, that hand rising to the side of your face so that he could tilt it back. His fingertips slid over your cheek, thumb beneath your chin - and when you heard him say your name, the sound quiet, you finally closed your eyes, leaning in. 

Joel kissed you softly - the press of his lips firm but somehow reserved at the same time. And you let him - humming at the contact and reaching one hand out. It slid up the back of his arm and stopped there, his skin warm beneath the soft material of his shirt. 

There was no zing of connection, no electric current that shot through your body at the touch of his lips to yours… but there was a feeling of contentment, your body unconsciously leaning in toward his while you continued to kiss him, fingers firmly holding his arm. 

He didn’t pull away from you, prolonging the kiss after inhaling through his nose, and when Joel’s hand moved back, palm cradling your head, you sighed against his lips. That was an invitation for him, Joel groaning and parting his lips against yours. You felt his tongue press against them briefly, followed by light pressure as he closed both of his around your lower one, but that was as far as he took it. 

Backing away, Joel took a deep breath, though he didn’t move his hand and his eyes were focused on your face, the man waiting for your response. Did that happen? Did that just … “Hey, Joel?” You took a breath and held it, your hand dropping from his arm to his thigh. “I’m glad you waited to do that.” 

He visibly relaxed, his expression going from apprehensive to a wide smile. “Yeah?” You nodded, feeling his fingers tighten briefly before he let you go. “Me too. There was more you wanted to say, but before you could, he gestured to the front of your house, sighing. “It’s gettin’ late. Let me walk you in?” 

As the two of you headed for the door, Joel once again put his hand on your back, staying close. Part of you wanted to invite him in; to sit with him on your couch with only the glow of the tree illuminating the room. But that’s too forward. We’ve kissed once, and Ellie will be home soon, and … “I had fun tonight, Joel.” You stopped on your porch, digging through your bag for your keys. “Thanks for asking me.” 

“‘Course.” He smiled again, sticking his hands into his front pockets and leaning against the side of your house. “We good?” 

“We are.” Holding up your keys, you nodded. “I’ll see you later?” He agreed, pulling his hands free and then stepping forward, sliding one arm around your waist and then the other around your shoulders. You hugged him back, turning your head so that you could get closer. If you’re watching, Ellie, I hope you’re happy. “Goodnight, Joel.” Murmuring the words, you squeezed him and then let go, meeting his eyes one more time. “Get home safe.” 

He assured you he would before he turned away from you, heading back for the truck and giving you one final look at the way the material of his flannel stretched over his broad shoulders. “Shit.” You rubbed at the bridge of your nose with the hand not holding your keys, and when his lights turned on, the truck backing out of the driveway soon after, you turned away and unlocked the door. 

You were halfway inside when you heard her voice, the girl’s disappointment evident even through the small speaker. “Shoulda kissed him.” I knew it. 

“Aren’t you eating pancakes right now?” Leaning back so that you could look at the doorbell, you raised a brow. “Don’t you have better things to -” 

“I can eat and spy on you at the same time.” She laughed and so did you, but Ellie cut you off quickly. “I’ll be home soon. We’re leaving in a few and I just have to drop Sarah off on the way.” 

“I’m going to bed. I’ll see you in the morning.” She didn’t reply again, and when you shut the door a few seconds later, you locked it and then sagged back against the wood, closing your eyes. 

All things considered, your date with Joel had been damn near perfect … and you had another one to look forward to the following night. 

---

Part 3

[differenteagletragedy]

Swap AU idea - Baxter and MC the first Christmas he lives on the street vs their first Christmas together as a couple

Our Life Swap AU: The Christmas Special!

(If you are not up on the Our Life Swap AU, this is an AU where Baxter is the kid who moved across the street from you when you're 8. It's a very very fun place to be. All the stories I've written for this are tagged with "Our Life Swap AU" for ease!)

The very first Christmas that Baxter spent in Sunset Bird, he spent it with you -- though not entirely on purpose.

It was Christmas Eve, and you were doing your normal traditions with your family. Liz and Mommy were in the kitchen, pulling the cookies out of the oven and setting them out to cool, and you and Mom were in the living room by the tree, looking for the perfect presents for you and your sister to open early.

"Remember, just one for each of you tonight," Mom reminded you, and you nodded. But before you could make your choice, there was a knock at the door.

Your mom moved to answer it, and you followed behind, curious to see who would be coming over unannounced at a time like this. When you peeked around her, you saw your best friend.

"Hey Baxter!" you greeted cheerfully. "I thought you had a party?"

He was wearing a suit, looking much older than his eight years, and when you glanced at his house across the street, you saw several cars parked outside -- it looked like the fancy Christmas party his parents were throwing was in full swing.

"I'm sorry if I'm interrupting," he said, flashing a smile at you and your mom. "It's just that I was very bored."

Mom let out a big laugh and opened the door wider, gesturing for him to come inside. When he did, she shut the door behind him and said, "You know you're always welcome here, Baxter."

Your parents did not get along with Baxter's, you knew that. You weren't sure why, but after they'd moved to the neighborhood, they just weren't friendly with your moms like the other neighbors were. Sometimes they didn't want Baxter coming over, but he was equal parts smart, determined and annoying, so usually they would give in.

If it had been Shiloh, you knew they'd want to get permission from his mom for a visit like this on a special day, but your mom just brought him over the tree where you'd just been and gestured to it.

"The tradition is that the kids get to pick out one present to open on Christmas Eve," she explained. "That's what we were doing."

"I can leave if you want," he offered, "I wouldn't want to --"

"Kids get to pick out one present," she repeated. "You're a kid, pick out a present."

He looked at her for a minute, then peered at the gifts wrapped under the tree. Nestled among the ones addressed to you and Liz, there were some for Baxter, too. He looked back at her and then over to you, his mouth hanging open.

You grinned -- you knew your moms had gotten presents for your friend, you'd helped them pick some of them out. It was nice to see him so surprised.

Your mommy and sister came in then, bringing a plate of cookies. Mommy smiled warmly when she saw Baxter had come over, and she held up the plate to him.

Still in awe of the whole situation, he took one, though he didn't eat it.

You realized that your family's version of Christmas must be so different than Baxter's. While the two of you usually spent time together outside or at your house, you'd been over at his enough to know that his mother and father weren't the nicest people. You imagined the party going on over there now, thinking it must have been full of grown-ups and being pretty, as he'd said, boring.

Before you had a chance to think about it, you blurted out, "Can Baxter spend the night?!"

Immediately, your moms looked at each other. They had one of their silent conversations, the ones where they only used their eyes to talk. Eventually your mom said, "We'd need his parents' permission, kiddo, and I'm not sure they'd give it. Tomorrow is Christmas."

"Would you want us to ask, Baxter?" Mommy asked him softly.

Still looking like he couldn't believe that this was how some people celebrated a holiday, he nodded.

Soon your moms both made their way across the street, and as they left you heard them muttering to each other. They didn't seem too happy, but you had a feeling it wasn't because of Baxter.

"Why are you wearing that?" Liz asked him after they were gone, pointing at his suit.

"It's a formal party," he answered.

"Are there cookies?"

"No," he said, "there are mostly different kinds of hors d'oeuvres."

"Sounds like a dumb party," she scoffed, and he didn't disagree.

When your moms came back home, they looked a little angry, but they quickly put on smiles when they saw the three of you looking at them. Mom whispered something to Mommy, you thought you heard the word "pathetic," and she said something about a "poor excuse," but that's all you caught before they were standing in front of you.

"Settle in, Baxter, looks like we're having a holiday sleepover," Mommy told him.

That night, you and Baxter stayed up late, lying in the dark and whispering to each other. You told him what would happen tomorrow, what traditions your family did for Christmas day, and he told you that he hoped his parents would let him stay long enough to do everything with you.

Looking back, that was probably the night that he truly became part of your family. It didn't matter if your parents had to argue with his, if he had to sneak out of his bedroom and into yours, if your moms flew him home from Virginia while he was in college or after you started your very own family traditions, you never spent a Christmas apart after that one.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

15 years later, Christmas with Baxter began in his apartment -- well, your apartment now, too -- warm and cozy in bed.

You woke up before him, and you took the opportunity to take in the sight of him. He was as graceless sleeping as he was graceful awake, hair going in different directions and drool pooled in the corners of his mouth.

But he was yours.

You had plans for the day -- you were going to your moms' house that afternoon, Liz was in town so the idea was to spend a good chunk of time there since you rarely got to see her. But right now, as Baxter clung to you in his sleep, you thought staying in bed all day might be the better idea.

Eventually his eyes fluttered open. The first thing his conscious mind did was pull you tighter to him, and you smiled.

"Merry Christmas," you said, moving your head to place a kiss on his forehead.

"Merry," he paused for a yawn, then finished, "Christmas."

You stayed silent for a bit, just enjoying each other's company. When he felt a little more awake, you felt him smile against your skin, and he said, "Would you like to know the greatest gift I've ever received?"

"Hmm," you thought. "Is it that skunk stuffed animal Liz got you when we were teenagers?"

"No, but that was very thoughtful on her part."

"That goofy shirt with the eyeballs on it I got that you loved?"

"Not quite, but yes, I was rather fond of it."

"Is it me?" you asked, batting your lashes.

He laughed, then said, "You're not a gift, you're my entire world."

You softened at that, and after giving him a kiss, you said, "You're mine too."

"The greatest gift I've ever received was the kindness you and your family showed me when I first moved to Sunset Bird," he revealed. "Without your friendship, your love, your mothers' nurturing and even Elizabeth's banter, I would have been so alone. I would have had only my parents and their endless parties with their vapid friends. I would have been miserable, lost, if it weren't for my dear, dear neighbors across the street from my childhood home."

You pulled back enough to look at his face. He was still smiling, serene and happy. It was beautiful.

Bringing up a hand to cup his cheek, you said, "You'll never be alone. You'll never be lost. I'll always find you."

He put his hand over yours and kissed your palm, saying, "You always have."

[esmedelacroix]

2 days til' Christmas

going on a strange date with husband!miguel o'hara⋆꙳•̩̩͙❅̩̩͙‧͙ ‧͙̩̩͙❆ ͙͛ ˚₊⋆

3 days til' christmas ← previous part

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

Keeping your pregnancy from Miguel to surprise him on Christmas day was no easy feat so you really hoped he appreciated all the effort you put into lying to him.

The two of you went to the gym together that morning after spending two whole days lazing around. Afterward, the two of you visited your parents since you would be celebrating Christmas Eve and Christmas alone together because there would be a huge snowstorm.

While Miguel and your father along with your sister's wife probably talking about stocks and politics in his study over scotch, your mother, sister Angelica, and you watched Christmas Hallmark movies while wrapping gifts and filling stockings. "Ladies, I have an announcement," you started as you put a trinket in your father's stocking.

"What is it?" Angelica asked.

"Please don't tell me you're staying over for Christmas, you know what happened last time," your mom said, referencing last Christmas when you and Miguel attempted to make dinner and almost burned down half of the kitchen.

"No, I promise that won't happen again," you sighed, rolling your eyes.

"You and Miguel are still banned from my kitchen," your mom said firmly as she put extra candy into your stocking.

Her comment was met with giggles and a teasing nudge from Angelica. "Tell us your good news sis," Angelica said as her giggles died down.

"I'm pregnant," you squealed.

In response, your mom and sister squealed as well and fangirled over the fact. "No way!" Angelica said, taking your hand.

"Oh my god, how far along are you?" your mom asked, taking your other hand.

"I'm two months pregnant, I just found out like 5 days ago," you said.

Your mom and sister squealed again and paused the movie to turn their full attention toward asking you a million questions about your pregnancy.

"Have you started the nursery?"

"Are you planning the Baby Shower?"

"When will you know the gender?"

"Do they know they're going to have the best aunts ever?"

"Do they know they're going to have the best grandparents ever?"

Then the golden question was asked by your sister, "Wait, does Miguel know?"

You shook your head 'no' with the stupidest smile on your face. "I'm waiting until Christmas to tell him, it'll be a surprise," you explained, already imagining your reaction in your head.

"That's so cute, he'll be ecstatic!" Angelica exclaimed.

"I was wondering why he didn't walk in here and just start talking our ears off about how excited he was to be a father," your mother chuckled as she put on her reading glasses and already started scrolling through Amazon for strollers.

"Mom, there's no need to do that please!" you laughed. You were far too late because when you looked at your sister her laptop was propped open and she was designing invitations and looking at party favors for your baby shower.

"Don't worry hon' we got this," your mother said as she sent you like 20 cribs to look at.

After the three of you got done with wrapping gifts and filling up stockings, you made some fried Oreos and got some help planning your baby shower and gender reveal party. Your mom had bought some Christmas gifts for your baby which were the cutest things ever as well.

After you had lunch with your family you said your goodbyes and put the gifts they had gotten for the two of you into your trunk. Your mom shot you a wink as you waved goodbye and the two of you got ready for the date Miguel had planned.

He took you to the place where the two of you had your first date, and where you first met. It would’ve been so cute if you weren't pregnant. The place that you had met was a sushi bar. Of course, it wasn't going to be easy to hide your pregnancy from Miguel but come on. He was practically parading the one food you loved most right in your face not knowing you couldn't eat it.

"Aw I love this place thank you, Miguel," you said leaning your head on his shoulder.

He heard the slight strain in your voice and wondered what was wrong. Once your waiter came to your table he shook it off. Miguel didn't know much about sushi so he probably wouldn't know it if you ordered something that had no raw fish in it. You usually just ordered and he would eat whatever you ate. "We'll have a shrimp tempura roll, a California roll, and an Angry Dragon Roll," you said, giving back the menu.

"That's different, it's not your usual favorite," Miguel said when the waiter went to get your order to the chef.

"I just wanted to try out something new," you responded.

"Okay," he said, again having full trust in your answer. That sad feeling pulled at your heart when you lied to him seeing how much he trusted you and almost never doubted you.

Your food arrived and it did a good job of keeping guilt off of your mind until Miguel ordered soju. Soju is alcohol. I can't have alcohol. You thought to yourself. "Um, Miguel I'm thinking no on the soju today," said suddenly, your waiter sensed the tension and gave you two a moment.

"That's fine, but please tell me what's up?" Miguel asked, almost begging. Of course, he realized that you were keeping something from him a while ago but, he always gives you space and time to process your emotions and situation before you talk to him about it.

"My stomach has been bothering me all day(not a lie), and it feels like my head is spinning all the time(not a lie), I just haven’t been well," you explained.

"Do you want to go home? I'll take you to a hospital tomorrow if the snowstorm doesn't start early. I'm worried for you," he said as he moved his hand from your shoulders to cup your cheeks.

You leaned your forehead against him. Hoping maybe this would make him read your thoughts and know that you are okay. "Miguel, I'm okay, I am," you assured taking his hand and putting it on your chest.

"I just want you to be great, to be happy, not just okay," he said. You almost chuckled at his words, you were much more than happy, you were elated.

"Babe, I have never ever been happier," you said almost giggling.

It was only then Miguel knew with his eyes prying into yours, that you were telling him the absolute truth. For the first time in days. "Let's get out of here," he said, taking your hand.

The two of you walked through the stands and attractions on the streets going home afterward. The two of you were spent after your shower. You went immediately to bed and cuddled each other. "How are you feeling?" you hear Miguel's low lazy voice mumble.

You hummed yes in response on the edge of sleep as Miguel massaged your scalp. "You know, I love you. I can't wait to spend another Christmas with you but, can you promise me something?" he asked.

"Yes of course," you murmured into his chest.

"Please promise me that what's going on isn't a bad medical thing, like cancer or something," he said nervously awaiting your answer.

"It's nothing like that," you responded, giving his hand a reassuring squeeze.

Miguel planted a thankful kiss on your temple lulling you to sleep with the sound of his heartbeat in your ears.

. . .

next part → 1 day til' Christmas

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taglist: @aripet22@to-the-endoftheline

[mamadoc]

Hello! I posted the last chapter of my current Chenford fanfic. Here’s a snippet to wet your palate.

When they parked at Tim’s house, he couldn’t stop himself and leaned over to give Lucy a kiss. Then he reached into the back seat to grab their Thai food, while Lucy grabbed her duffel bag and backpack. Tim opened the door and gave Lucy another quick kiss. “I’m just going to put this food in the fridge,” he said as they entered the house. “Don’t go anywhere.”

Lucy hummed her response as she toed off her shoes and set her things down by the door. She looked around Tim’s house again, remembering the evening they spent there together two days ago. Then, she felt her phone buzzing and pulled it out of her pocket. She scowled at the name on the screen, but she decided it was in her best interest to answer the call since she was going to keep calling if she ignored it. “Hello?”

“San nin faai lok [Happy New Year],” the voice said with a harsh tone.

“San nin faai lok. Gung hei faat choi, muqin [Happy New Year. May you be prosperous, mother],” Lucy responded in the nicest tone she could manage.

“I thought it would be best to call you instead of waiting any longer for you to call me. I didn’t even hear from you on Christmas,” Lucy’s mother said.

“Duibuqi [Sorry]. I got snowed in on my way back from Denver on Christmas Eve. Then I had to go to work as soon as I got back to LA. But I sent you gifts that you should have received by Christmas,” Lucy said kindly.

Tim heard Lucy speaking as he moved back into the room. He scrunched up in face in confusion as she spoke in Chinese. He could feel the tension coming off of Lucy from the phone call, so he thought he would do what he could to make her feel more comfortable, and he also wanted to convince her to get off the phone as soon as possible. He moved behind Lucy and wrapped his arms around her middle. She relaxed back into him and sighed as her mother spoke.

“So, you’re using your job as an excuse again. Is that what I’m hearing?” Vanessa Chen asked.

“It’s not an excuse, Mom. I was just busy with work that day,” Lucy said defensively. “Did you have a good holiday?”

Tim could sense that this uncomfortable phone call was not getting any easier, so he upped his game a little bit and started kissing and nibbling at Lucy’s neck to convince her to be done.

“It was fine. We met with your grandmother and Aunt Amy. And we were with them again last night to celebrate New Year’s Eve. You didn’t call then, either.”

“Duibuqi [Sorry]. I had a couple parties that I attended yesterday, and I was busy. But I’m talking to you now. Did you have a nice New Year’s Eve?” she asked. She swatted at Tim who was so distracting that she was having a hard time continuing her conversation. He responded by moving from the right side of her neck to the left side.

“It was fine. Your Aunt Amy insisted on making dinner instead of ordering dinner. But her lotus root soup is never seasoned well, so I had to fix it. Then her dumplings were undercooked. And her bao weren’t pinched properly.” She huffed. “I should have just offered to make dinner myself.”

“Duibuqi [Sorry]. I’m sure she was trying to do something nice for you, so you didn’t have to do all the work.” Lucy swatted at Tim again because he had found just the right spot and made her gasp in the middle of talking to her mother.

“It’s fine. It’s all over now. Your grandmother was asking about you. Even if you want to continue to be disobedient and rude to your parents that doesn’t mean you should ignore your grandmother.”

“Yes, mother. I’ll make sure to stop by soon,” her last few words went up significantly in pitch as Tim had gone back to her sweet spot again to nibble and suck a little bit harder. Her eyes rolled back to her head, and she slumped back into Tim a little bit more.

“Lucy? What are you doing?” she said accusatorily.

“Hmm? Oh. I… I was just…” she struggled to find what she wanted to tell her mother as Tim’s fingers crept under the edge of her t-shirt and spread out across her belly pulling her further into him and not letting up on her neck at all. “I was just enjoying a cup of tea, and… and it… it was just a little hot.” Tim chuckled into her skin, and Lucy tried ineffectively to swat at him again.

“The tea was too hot?” she asked, confused.

“Yes. I’m very, very hot right now. I mean… the tea. The tea is very hot,” Lucy said a little breathlessly.

Tim laughed softly into her skin at her slip up, and then bit the area he had been sucking on, making Lucy involuntarily release a high-pitched squeal. Her unoccupied hand came up to cover her mouth in surprise.

“Lucy?”

“Duibuqi [Sorry]. I must have burned myself on the tea. I’ve gotta go. Bye,” she said quickly, hanging up the phone. She heard her mother start to say something back before she ended the call, but she just couldn’t continue the conversation any longer. She let out a breath, her hands falling down to her sides. Then she spun herself around to face Tim, her hands on her hips.

For a moment, Tim was afraid she was upset, that he had gone too far. But Lucy’s face softened quickly as she said, “What was that?” she asked with a laugh. “You’re impossible!” She paused for a second and then said, “That’s the most… interesting phone call I’ve had with my mother in a long time.” Her hand came up to the spot on her neck that Tim had focused on. “I’m fairly certain I’ll soon have a mark to match yours. Are you happy now?”

“Not quite,” he said grabbing her phone. He walked further into the house and disappeared down the hallway. Lucy followed him for a few steps, but she wasn’t sure if it was okay to continue to follow him or not. A moment later, she heard a series of a few beeps and then the sounds of a door clicking open and shut. Tim reappeared a few seconds later with a smug look on his face.

Lucy narrowed her eyes at him. “Did I just hear you lock our phones into your gun safe?”

“Umm hmm,” he said, pulling her close to him again. “Nothing else is more important right now than you and me.”

Read more here. https://archiveofourown.org/works/52514971/chapters/135896581

[lostinwoso]

Christmas Surprise (Mapi León x Reader)

A late Christmas fic, made from this request.

It’s the first training session in December, so the main topic in the locker room today is what everyone has planned for Christmas. Since you and Mapi haven’t talked about that topic yet, you try to dodge those questions as good as you can, knowing that it’s something you should probably talk about with your girlfriend in private first. 

You and Mapi started dating thanks to a kiss at the last New Year's Eve party that the team held together, which is why the topic of celebrating Christmas hasn’t come up before.

Your girlfriend noticed your silence during the conversation in the locker room, so as soon as training was done and you two are now on the way back to her apartment, she decides to bring the topic up, “So, what is the plan for Christmas? Are we going to celebrate together?”.

“I was planning on going home for Christmas? I never missed a Christmas at home, it’s like a tradition for me to go home for it.”, you admit, hoping that Mapi won’t be upset or mad at you for not mentioning it earlier. 

“That’s alright.”.

“It is?”.

“Of course, why wouldn’t it be?”.

“I don’t know, I thought you might be upset about me telling you so late.”, you admit.

Mapi places her hand on your thigh, “Mi corazón, it’s literally the beginning of December, so you are totally not late. And I understand that you want to celebrate it at home, of course Christmas is not going to be as much fun without you, but it’s fine. We can have our own little celebration when you are back.”, she reassures you.

“Thank you for being so understanding, te amo.”.

“Yo también te amo.”.

___

The next few weeks leading up to Christmas you two went through a couple of different stores, trying to find the perfect gifts for each of your respective family members to give. 

After getting the last gift for one of Mapi’s cousins, you two decided to end the shopping trip with a stop at your both favorite café. 

“I’m so happy we finally got gifts for everyone, this was more exhausting than I expected it to be.”, your girlfriend huffs out before taking a sip from the coffee she ordered. 

“I agree.”, you reply, just as happy that the whole Christmas shopping stress is finally over.

“I was thinking we could wrap the presents together, the day before you leave, we could order some food after and watch some movies.”, Mapi suggests. 

“That sounds great.”, you say, making Mapi smile.

You both finished your warm drinks, already on the way to the defender's car, when a thought comes up in your mind, “Wait, do we have enough wrapping paper for all the gifts?”.

Mapi comes to a stop at your question, thinking about it for a moment before she lets out a groan and takes your hand to walk back to one of the many busy stores in the city to get the wrapping paper you two would need.

___

Just as planned, you two are now sitting in the middle of Mapi’s living room, on the floor, to wrap all the presents you bought over the December weeks. 

“Why does yours look so much better than mine?”, your girlfriend whines, glancing between your neatly wrapped gift before her eyes settle back to the messy attempt in front of her.

You can’t stop the chuckle that leaves you, when you see how she tried to wrap the gift, making her pout, “You are using the wrong technique.”.

“Show me?”.

After showing her the easiest way to wrap a present up, the first few still looked a bit crooked but still way better than before, before she really got the hang of it. Wrapping the presents up was faster done than you two expected with the amount you two bought for your families, but the light music in the background and the little break where Mapi’s cats decided to join in the fun and started to play with the gift ribbon, made the time fly by. 

You two were placing the presents into bags, when the doorbell rings, meaning that the food you ordered arrived, “I’ll go.”, you say, grabbing your wallet on the way to the door to tip the delivery person. While you were getting the food, Mapi continued to pack both your gifts in the respective bags.

So with that out of the way, you both took the food and got comfortable on the couch, ready to end the evening with some nice movies. 

During the second movie, you notice your girlfriend checking her phone with a huge smile on her face, “What got you smiling like that?”. 

“That’s a surprise.”, the defender answers, turning her phone off with a cheeky smile before pulling you into her embrace. 

 “A good surprise?”.

“I would say so, yea.”.

You tried to pry some info out of your girlfriend about the ‘surprise’ she seems to have planned, but no matter what you tried to get her to open up, nothing seemed to work. So after a few failed attempts, you decided to give up and just enjoy the night before you would split for the next few days. 

The next morning, Mapi and you said your goodbyes, with your girlfriend acting a little more dramatic than it really is, before you made your way home for Christmas. 

What you don’t know is that as soon as you left, Mapi started to get ready for the surprise she had planned. The defender grabbed the bag of gifts and made her own way to her family, but unlike you, she would already celebrate the holiday as soon as she arrived. 

She managed to convince her family to hold an early Christmas celebration, so she could visit you at your home, wanting to spend the day together with the person she loves. 

___

The morning of Christmas, you and your family had a big breakfast together before it was time to move onto the presents. As you started to place the gifts you brought under the tree, you noticed that one was missing. Confused, you counted every single one you had already taken out, but no matter how often you counted, one was still missing. 

After checking if it might have ended up falling out and is somewhere in your old childhood room, only to end with nothing again, you started to get upset. It was the present for your mother, one you knew she wanted for a long time.

 “What’s wrong?”, your mother asks you, when she notices how defeated you look after coming back down the stairs.

“I forgot your present at Mapi’s place.”, you admit, letting yourself fall into the empty space on the couch next to her. 

“But that’s alright, you can just give it to me next time.”, she tries to reassure you.

“But that’s not the same.”.

Before your mother can speak up again, the rest of your family comes into the living room, ready to open up the gifts, when suddenly the doorbell rings. Confused, you look around the room to see if anyone is missing, but no one is. What you don’t notice is that you seem to be the only one confused by the interruption.

“Can you go?”, your mother asks you.

“Do I have to? I’m really not in the mood.”, you state, but the look she sends you leaves no room for discussion, so you stand up to make your way to the door and open it.

“Hello?”, you greet while opening, but when you see your girlfriend standing there you are at a loss for words, definitely not having her expected to be here. 

Your girlfriend starts to smile at your reaction before holding up her hand, “I think you forgot something.”. 

Looking at her hand, you see her holding the present for your mother, “I- what?”, you stammer out confused while taking the gift out of her hand. 

You glance between her and the gift a few times before you really realize that she is truly there, standing in front of you, but as soon as the realization comes, you pull her into a tight hug, “What are you doing here?”.

“That’s your surprise, plus you forgot the present.”, she replies, holding you just as tight. 

“Best surprise ever, and thank you.”.

After holding onto each other for a moment longer, you two go back inside to join your family, who were waiting for you to come back to open the presents. The upset expression you held before is now completely replaced by happiness, thanks to your girlfriend's surprise.

[anabdaniels]

Family reunion

Paring: Agent Whiskey x Female Reader (works for plus size reader)

Word counting: 1.7k

Rating: +18

Warning: Clothed sex, squirting, fingering.

A/N: This is the part 2 of Choosing gifts.

Main Masterlist | Cowboycember Masterlist

“Honey, calm down.” Jack said probably for the fifth time.

“I’m trying, but it’s not that simple.” You sighed while Jack parked in front of his family’s ranch.

“Darlin’ ain’t the first time you spend a day with my family.” He said while turning off the car.

“But it’s the first time I'm doing it on Christmas and after finding out that a few of your relatives don’t like me.” You raised your eyebrows, making Jack chuckle and cup your cheek with his hand.

“Just to remind you that just less than half of my relatives will be there because not even my parents like their siblings and my mother already told you that if was a choice, I’d be the one kicked out of family parties instead of you.” You couldn’t hold a quiet laugh since your mother-in-law in fact had told you that.

“Alright, you’ve made a good point here.” You finally agreed shaking your head.

As you two got out of the car, Theo, the family dog was the first one greeting you, followed by the figure of your sister-in-law, already looking excited and not thinking twice before wrapping her arms around her brother.

“Hi, little one.” Jack said while also holding Julia tight as it always happened between them.

“I was missing your old ass.” Julia said pretty sincerely, making him chuckle.

“We saw each other yesterday, Julie.”

“I don’t care. Your Mary Poppins service in my childhood is showing its consequences now.” She winked with a smile, looking very much like Jack, then letting him go and turning to you “Hi, sister.” She said already hugging you tight, making you smile widely, besides being only 15, Julia seemed to like a lot to spend time with you.

“Hi, darling.” You hugged her back, feeling Theo sniffing both of you animatedly.

Exactly as Jack had told you a hundred times, everything worked amazingly; all his uncles and aunties were amazing with you, just like his parents and cousins, you felt more at home than ever and Jack’s mother spent the whole day talking about how much she loved the necklace you gave her.

After an enjoyable cozy day, you and Jack were back home, accompanied by the tone of gifts his family had given to both of you, letting everything on the living room floor and getting comfortable on the sofa.

“I wonder if your mother had taken off the necklace.” You said with a soft chuckle taking off your shoes.

“Knowing her, I’d say that our dear Olivia will stay with it for a week.” Jack affirmed while letting his hat resting on the coffee table “But now we need to talk about your Christmas gift.” He said with an excited expression.

“Yes, we need, because I’m dying in curiosity.” You said holding your hands together.

“Gimme a second.” He walked through the hallway and entered his office. No more than two minutes later Jack was back with a box of considerable size and sat next to you. “I hope I got the best option.” He said while giving you the gift.

“Knowing your skills to choose gifts, I already know you’ve made an amazing choice.” You answered with an excited smile while carefully opening the wrapping paper, getting more curious when it revealed a white paper box with no identification and not thinking much before removing its lid, smiling widely as you saw the content of it. “There’s no way.” You said while grabbing what was inside the box, a deluxe edition set with all seasons of your favorite show ever. “Jack Daniels, you’re the best husband in this world.” You left your gift on the coffee table and leaned forward, sinking between his arms and holding him tight.

“I’m glad you liked it, honeybee.” Jack pressed a kiss on the top of your head with both arms around you.

“I loved it.” You affirmed sincerely and leaned your head back to look at him “And I should warn you to not have high expectations about your gift.”

“Just the fact that you spent time on it is more than enough to already make me happy with it.” Jack said with a warm smile, kissing your forehead.

“Very well then.” You smiled and got up, grabbing him by the hand and walking upstairs. Once in the bedroom, you made him sit on the edge of the bed. “You wait right here, ‘cause we don’t want any spoilers.” He nodded promptly despite dying out of curiosity and with what you had in mind. You walked inside the closet, feeling butterflies in your stomach with the realization of what you were about to do. Trying not to overthink it, you got dressed, took a look to make sure your hair was in place, and then took a deep breath to create the necessary courage. “Close your eyes.” You said before taking another deep breath.

“Alright.” Jack answered closing his eyes, dying in curiosity about what your plans were and completely clueless about what could it be. You walked inside the bedroom, trying to keep your composure and control your mean thoughts that insisted on telling you that you were being ridiculous doing that. Jack tilted his head slightly when he felt the familiar weight of your body on his lap and couldn’t resist his curiosity anymore, opening his eyes and smiling widely as he saw you in that black lace nightgown, looking like the best thing he had ever seen in front of his eyes.

“I tried to think about an actual good gift, but I couldn’t think of anything, so…” you got interrupted by Jack’s thumb resting on your lips.

“My love I can assure you that nothing in this world could be a better gift than my dear wife looking so beautiful.” Jack answered sincerely resting both hands on your waist, caressing the sides of your body. “Just for the record, I don’t mind getting the same gift next year.” He stated while shamelessly checking out your cleavage.

“You’re way too kind with the pathetic things I do.” You said quietly, looking down.

“Hey, hey, hey.” Jack grabbed your face between his hands “Don’t talk like that about such an amazing surprise and your amazing look. You’re a stunning woman and for sure the best gift I could ever receive.” Before you could form a retort, he leaned forward and kissed you, passing one arm around your body and pulling you closer, letting you feel the restrained erection inside his jeans, giving you the assurance that he meant every word he said.

Before you could realize it, Jack’s hands were all over you, groping hands full of your curves as he kissed all over your jaw, neck, and chest, inhaling deeply to enjoy the scent of your skin mixed with your perfume. Laying one hand on your hip, Jack smirked against your skin as he noticed you had nothing under the nightgown, making Jack even more turned on. With no ceremony, Jack undid his belt and zipper, freeing his throbbing cock and looking at you with a desirous gaze.

“I promise you I’ll give you all the attention you deserve later, honeybee, but I need you now.” Jack said in a hoarse voice, pressing a gentle kiss on your lips, taking a moan from both of you as he rubbed his cock against your wet cunt, slowly sliding inside you.

Your hips involuntarily moved forward to meet his thrust, making you clench around him and grab the collar of his shirt tight. Heavily carried away, Jack grabbed your hips, making you move at a steady pace on his lap, giving you not much options beyond whimpering and contorting on his lap, leaning your head back with your eyes closed hard.

“Fuckin’ Christ, I’m starting to love Christmas.” Jack said in a heavy breath, admiring the vision of your body bouncing so beautifully on his lap. Eager for everything he could get, Jack slid the shoulder slings of your nightgown down your arms, gently pulling the fabric of your cleavage carefully, releasing your breasts and grabbing both of them, thumbing your nipples and kissing every inch of skin around and between your breasts.

To be honest, you didn’t expect that to have such an effect on Jack, and it was ruining any self-control you could have, making you ride him intensively, sinking your hips on his lap, taking every inch of him inside you unbelievably effortlessly, as you kept your head leaned back and your fingers twisted on the collar of his shirt.

Immeasurably catch by the whole moment, Jack was aware that at every move of your hips accompanied by those sweet moans, his rationality was being thrown out of the window and he knew that holding back wouldn’t be possible for much longer, so Jack took the most reasonable decision, moving one hand to between your legs and rubbing your clit at the same time he leaned forward and kissed you, everything at once almost overwhelming you and pushing you over the edge, resulting on you whimpering against his lips and clenching unbearably much around his cock as you felt your body making his jeans wet as you sank into your orgasm. Completely mesmerized by everything going on, Jack let himself go, moving both of his hands to your back to keep your body pressed against him. He bit your lower lip softly while erratically thrusting deeply on you, strongly sinking his hands on the soft flesh of your back as he came, filling you up while letting out a hoarse groan.

Keeping you in his arms, Jack let his body collapse back on the bed, letting you rest comfortably on his chest as both of you got your breaths back. After a few moments, he caressed your hair and kissed your forehead while nestling you better in his embrace.

“Sugar, can I ask you something?” too lazy to do anything else, you simply nodded and waited for him to proceed “Don’t wanna sound like a leech, but I’d love to have the same gift for my birthday.” You couldn’t hold back a genuine laugh at his brutal honesty, shaking your head slightly and getting more cozy against him, aware that he was serious about it.

[enkvyu]

#DCD0FF ┈ scaramouche (wanderer) x gn!reader ; genre/trope: an angsty christmas special! ; wc 3000+ ; warnings: just an unrequited love fic... mentions of happy people idk

[6:44pm] gingerbread lingers in the air, despite the fact that you had shoved your pathetic attempt of a house in the bin a while ago.

still, the scent remains amidst the twinkle of christmas ornaments and the rustle of golden tinsel.  like a mockery of fate, it hangs around from early night when you had given up waiting, to the current midnight when the flicker of christmas lights along the neighbourhood was beginning to fade.

it seemed that this christmas, you would have to spend it alone.

"i'm so sorry!" you had replied. "i already have plans for the night."

some of your friends, like zhongli, had hummed thoughtfully. "i see. it is always nice to spend this festive season with your loved ones. it is a shame i couldn't spend it with you, however."

some of your friends, like zhongli, had hummed thoughtfully. "i see. it is always nice to spend this festive season with your loved ones. it is a shame i couldn't spend it with you, however."

"there's always next year." you found yourself apologising again, though in your heart you knew the situation would only repeat. "and i'll see you at the new years party." 

“new years, hm? then i suppose i will have to settle for seeing you then. have a wonderful christmas, name.”

hu tao beams from his right. "we'll be seeing you there! have fun with your special someone!"

others, had been a little less understanding, their whines and protests dragging on into the day.

"can't we see each other even for a second? please, please?"

"klee, name has already told you they'll be busy." albedo had interjected, appearing at her side, attention only partially directed at the conversation. 

the child pouts, fists balled at her side. "that isn't fair! i wanted us to sing jingle bells, all three of us! and to decorate the christmas tree, and to see all the christmas lights! then, we were meant to stay up to meet santa and leave gifts for him!"

"i'll still be there." albedo points out.

"it's not the same."

you laugh. "i'm sorry klee, i'll make it up to you next time."

"you said that last time. you were meant to make it up to me today." klee sniffles. "are you a liar, name?"

"alright, klee, that's too far." albedo frowns. "you have to say sorry."

"it's okay! besides, i'm the one in the wrong." you crouch down to talk face-to-face, gently wiping away the stray tears fallen on her cheek. "how about we go fish blasting on new years, hm? we can go to every pond and lake in teyvat, we'll do it for however long you like."

"really? what about santa?"

“your big brother albedo will invite him!” pointedly ignoring albedo’s gaze, you keep selling your point. “we’ll have so much fun, you’ll see.”

albeit still a little upset, klee snorts up the last of her outburst and nods. 

“i pinky promise this time." you wrap your pinky around hers and gave it a tight squeeze.

"you pinky promised this time. don't break it okay?" she repeats in a small voice.

you nod, standing back up. turning to albedo, you also give him a soft smile. "sorry i can't make it either, to your christmas party."

"it was sucrose's idea, i think that apology should be for her."

"still, i would have wanted to spend christmas with you."

"why can't you?" his eyes startle you in all its clarity as he turns, question capturing you on the spot. his clipboard seems almost disregarded in his arms. 

"i have plans!" you blurt out. “i’m… busy.”

albedo looks at you and for a second, you’re sure he can see right through you. "a significant other?"

the chill from dragonspine is chased from your body, a prickling red flush hot in its pursuit. "no, no way, nothing like that!" after a pause, you awkwardly rush to finish the sentence. "not yet, anyway."

he smiles in return at your confession before leaning down to face klee. "come on, we shouldn't bother name anymore. they have things to do." and then to you, as klee scurries away excited at the prospect of another adventure, he wishes you luck.

“i’ll deal with the santa.” he turns, waving back slightly before ushering klee inside.

some friends already knew the man in your heart, and their invitations are gateways for jokes.

"coming to my christmas party, name?" yaemiko had suggested, before her hand flies up to her mouth. "oh wait! i forgot you have better things to do, and better people to see."

"what's this? you won't be coming?" ei perks up, eyes flickering above the book at her lap. "after all our preparations?"

yaemiko interrupts you before you can even defend yourself. "name here already has plans."

"with who?"

your face warms rapidly. "it's nothing."

"nothing? you're not coming to our party, for nothing?"

"stop it." you whine, burying your burning face in your hands. "you already know why i can't come, yaemiko."

"all the more reason why it's so very fun to poke at it."

"what? what is it? stop leaving me in the dark, you two."

"shall i do the honours?" yaemiko asks.

"ei, i made dinner plans with someone tonight. so, i can’t make it."

"oh?" the god replies. "and who is this person?"

you ignore the sly fox's chuckle, and press onwards to answer. "someone... special. someone i, someone i like."

yaemiko gasps dramatically before snickering. "blush any harder and you might come down with a fever, dearest name."

you cup your cheeks and scowl at her. "you're awful."

"and so is your love life. really, name, how long have you been pining for this man? and for this to be the first move you make is really something else."

"what she's trying to say," ei interrupts, aware of the murderous expression on your face. "is that we hope you have a good time with your special someone. though we will miss you, we hope for the best, really."

and some friends had known since the very beginning.

"eager?" tighanri asks, the very first words to leave his mouth as you enter his abode. when you don't reply, he turns to you. "it is today, right?"

"right." you groan into your hands. "should i postpone it after all? leave it to another day? what if i'm not ready after all, what if he doesn't even feel the same way as me and i look like a complete fool after everything i've done to prepare?"

"name, he would be completely stupid if he doesn't appreciate you. and you know if it doesn't end well, collei, cyno and i are joining everyone else to watch nilou perform tonight. no one will say anything if you sneak in."

you look up at him and smile. "thanks, tighnari. i don't know how but you always say the right things at the right time."

'it's called impeccable timing, i just so happen to have it. speaking of, here's the icing you wanted, for the gingerbread houses."

you inhale in the scent of sugar. "that smells really good."

"i know." turning his back to you, he begins fussing around his area. "i've been told i could make a killer wife."

"yeah?" you poke a finger in the bowl. "who said that?"

"collei."

placing your finger on your tongue, you hum in appreciation. "she's not wrong this icing is delicious. you could sell this, honestly."

"are you offering?" he turns around with a smirk.

"i can pay with friendship?"

he laughs, shaking his head. "i don't need that."

you stick a different finger in the bowl and eat that too, closing your eyes at the taste.

"do that again and the bowl will be empty before it's night."

"i'm not eating that much."

"here."

your eyes widen, bowl completely forgotten as you look at the wrapped present in tighnari's hand, adorned with a bright red bow.

"this... this is..."

"my present to you." tighnari replies, a smile on his face. "merry christmas name, i hope tonight goes well."

all these holiday wishes, abundant in counting, yet there was still a hole in your heart from where a special someone had yet to say it. you find your mind blank aside from a single, daunting thought, the blanket you had hastily placed over your shoulders failing to keep the cold as the hours went on.

you replay the memory of your invitation to him over and over and over again, struggling to find any indication that he may just be late, may have just been caught in some last minute mission, that he would still be coming because he had said yes. you find that the invitation had been so causal, such a fly away suggestion, that he would have no choice but to assume it was an offering as friends, as comrades, rather than lovers. but that was alright, even if he came to your doorstep as a friend, because at least that meant he had come, because at least that meant you hadn't sat in your own home, more alone than any other day, for hours on end, waiting for the soft thud of his footsteps up to your door.

because at least that meant he hadn't stood you up.

you had definitely just been stood up.

the frosty breeze outside causes your nose and ears to tinge. you rub your arms as the cold settles in, but even the chill from the night wasn't enough to suffocate your thoughts. the crunch of snow, the whistle of the wind, the scuttering of cats as you near a little too close, all these things were not enough to erase the meaningless thoughts in your head.

it had all been so promising, the progression of your relationship, the final moment of courage that made you ask, the smile that he sent you, so full of adoration though now you can only wonder if it had all been your imagination. as the snow rains on, you wonder if you’ll forever associate the light sprinkling of white to this very moment, where the disappointment is enough to submerge you. 

well, tighnari had said you could always join him, if all went wrong.

"a christmas night alone for you, name?"

you look up, squinting at the rush of snow. a single figure stands in the distance, something about his posture so familiar to you. at last, you place a name to the face and you huff a cloud of steam into the air.

"scaramouche, no, the wanderer." you reply, his name dry on your tongue. "i wouldn't be mocking me if you were doing the same."

he shrugs, closing the distance between the two of you. you find him wearing a red scarf, and the very sight of it reminds you of someone else. "i choose to spend my christmases alone, though i don't think that would be the case for you."

"how can you be so sure?"

he smirks, the gesture so natural to him. "you've been crying." when you rush to rub at your eyes, he chuckles, loud and unapologetic. "rubbing it will only make it worse, don't you think?"

"shut up, wanderer." 

“not in the mood to talk? that hurts me, especially on a beautiful night like this.” 

you huff, letting the cold from your fingers settle into your burning eyes. “whatever. just leave me alone.”

silence, though not the type you like. you wonder why you can’t here the sound of his footsteps leaving you like you were so sure he was going to do. after all, the relationship between the two of you had never been close, simply friends of friends, sparing one another a nod in acknowledgment and maybe a few snarky remarks. 

when you look up, he’s still standing there, illuminated by streetlights. 

“why aren’t you leaving?”

“what kind of person would i be to leave a crying woman alone out on the street?”

“the same type of person you’ve always been.” you sniffle, cold.

the gesture isn’t lost on the wanderer, and with a sigh, he begins to unravel his scarf. you frown, backing away slightly. 

“what do you think you’re doing?”

without a word, the wanderer takes a step, and then another until he’s right in front of you. catching your eyes, he huffs, the steam blowing over your face, before slinging the scarf around your neck. 

at his touch, you fall silent. 

“so.” he begins. “who was the one that broke your heart?”

“it was no one.” you do a poor job at avoiding his eye. 

“i’m not a patient person, name.” 

again, you ignore him, shuffling into the scarf around your neck. though it hurt your ego to admit it, the world around you definitely felt warmer. 

with a tsk, the wanderer jabs a finger at your forehead and pushes back, forcing you to look up with a yelp. your eyes meet, and an insult raises to your tongue. “what the fuck! let go of me.”

“answer the question. who stood you up?”

you shake yourself from his touch and wiggle backwards, placing distance. “it was childe, if you have to know. jesus, wanderer, your finger is cold as shit.” 

“childe?” the wanderer repeats. “childe? you’re all sad and moopy because of childe?”

you glare at him. “shut it. i don’t need you to criticise my love life.” 

finally, a loud laugh escapes his throat. he even throws his head back, though you were almost positive your confession wasn’t even the least bit funny. that doesn’t stop him though, a hand wrapping around to clutch at his stomach, his laughs quickly becoming gasps of air. 

“yeah, yeah, laugh all you want. no really, thanks for that. it’s really helping.”

the wanderer peeks up at you through one eye, the most vibrant smile you’ve ever seen on his face still remaining. “oh you have no idea how much that made my day!”

“i think i have a rough idea.”

“you’re hilarious, name. what made you go ahead and fall for childe?”

“your heart is as cold as your fingers, wanderer. besides… i didn’t say i liked him.”

“you didn’t have to. the red on your face is enough.”

your heads cover your cheeks again, cursing your body for being so expressive. “whatever. now let me leave.” 

“hold on.” his arms stops you from walking past him, his gaze lingering at your waist before he pulls back. when he turns to face you, you don’t step back despite the proximity. it felt like a challenge, like he was daring you to back down. “you’re really spending the christmas alone? seriously?”

“it doesn’t concern you.” 

“well i’m about to make it concern me. spend the christmas with me.”

this time, it was your turn to laugh. “you’re kidding me, right? we barely know each other. and you totally laughed in my face, like, a second ago.”

“you just did the same thing to me just now.” he points out. “it cancels out.”

you hold your ground. “i am not spending the christmas with you. what, are you asking me out right now?” 

“why? getting nervous?”

“as if. you’d have to be the last person on teyvat for me to go on a date with you.” 

“that’s harsh.” his breath fans over your face as he laughs. “i would have gone on a date with you if you asked.”

“well, i’m not.” 

he hums, and something in his gaze changes, like a gear clicking into place. “but i am.” 

you hate that his words leave you flustered, blaming it on the fact that his suggestion had been absurd and abrupt and not the fact that he was looking at you the way you always hoped childe would. “wanderer, don’t joke. i’m really not feeling that right now.”

ignoring your words, his fingers creep up your arm, leaving a warm trail, dragging upwards to tuck a stray strand of hair behind your ear. “well, you’re not the worst thing i could pick up on a chirstmas night.” 

“woah, you really have a way with words, huh.” your heart beats faster, a betrayal to your mind. even as you speak, you find yourself enchanted by the way he looks at you, like he was holding you in the palm of his hand. 

“not pushing me away?” his fingers drift up your cheek, and you shiver. 

then, his hand finds purchase on the top of your head, fisting a handful of your hair and yanking it up. you yelp, hands flying to the spot of pain, words of protest already on your tongue, your mind telling you that you knew it, you knew he was up to no good, when his words cuts through the panic and freezes you.

‘look.” he says, his tone somewhere between disinterest and humour. “what’s above us, hm, name?”

you study the green above the both of you in a daze. “mistletoe.”

lighter this time, he lowers your head so he can look at you, fingers caressing your head slightly as if it will erase the pain. and it does, in a wonder that only christmas can bring, you find yourself speechless. the boy in front of you doesn’t register, though you can’t miss his degrading smile and the way his head is tilted for your response. you can’t move however, unsure if moving will break the moment, unsure on why you are so hesitant to end the situation when you really should be ending it, unsure on the warmth blossoming in your chest. 

with another hand, the wanderer swipes a finger under your lip before letting it drop to pull you closer by the waist. “not protesting anymore? i always thought the snarky part of you was your only redeeming factor.”

you open and close your mouth, then open it again. 

“i guess your stupidity has it’s own charm.” he snickers. “you’re bright red.”

“i’m bright red?” you squeak. 

“mhm.” leaning in, he finally closes the distance. 

and when your lips meet under mistletoe, it isn't the soft caress of his tongue that you notice but that he didn't quite taste like gingerbread.

merry christmas everyone! whether you celebrated yesterday, or you're celebrating today, or even if you don't celebrate at all, i hope you all have a wonderful day with friends and family !! ☆ i'm a little busy so sorry for the draft (again) !!

[swampgallows]

its been over a decade since ive had a partner. he was fairly abusive but above all was just an asshole. a definitive event that sticks out in my mind to this day was his family's christmas party.

i was dragged out to the desert, three hours from anywhere, to meet a bunch of people i didnt know and who were not interested in knowing me. many times when my boyfriend, R, bothered to introduce me to anyone in general, he would just refer to me as "my girlfriend" or sometimes just "my girl" if he couldn't spare the syllables. it was rare that he ever gave my name.

the only family member that bothered to talk to me was a grandmother i'll call gertrude. gertrude was sweet, asked about my university, things like that. she sat alone while the rest of the family busied themselves stressing in the kitchen or smoking in the yard. they rejected both of our offers to help.

the family did an anonymous gift exchange, a big group event where everyone all gathers around the tree, picks a random present, and then shows off what they got. i was told most of the loot was usually alcohol, so we brought a (wrapped) handle of wild turkey. the gift i picked also ended up being some kind of alcohol.

that year, the family had a big scheme going where one of the presents was a vibrator. pretty standard gag gift, a spencer's staple. but they were going to goad gertrude into opening the gift that contained the vibrator, knowing it would shock and upset her because she was a reserved old woman. a vibrator as a gag gift (or even intentional gift) is obviously fine, but it bothered me that they bought it with the explicit purpose of offending their grandmother and essentially depriving her of an actual gift.

so the time came for gertrude to pick a present, and they coaxed her into opening the one with the old lady floral wrapping or whatnot containing the dildo. i will never forget the way her face fell, how her eyes brimmed with disappointed tears. the kids were asking what grandma got, the adults around them all referring to it as a "bob" to avoid saying vibrator or dildo around their children but otherwise telling them it was just something for "lonely old ladies". they did not have a real present for her in lieu of the gag gift. her present was only a prank meant to entertain them.

after the exchange, there was a dark cloud over the entire affair. the family was bickering amongst itself about what a stuffy old bitch gertrude was. that she didnt react how they wanted, or that they were made to feel guilty "for no reason" despite them deliberately gifting her a present they knew would embarrass her. and then they spent the rest of the evening getting progressively more and more drunk, yelling and sneering about how grandma cant take a joke and "ruined" the gift exchange.

maybe gertrude was a heinous human being. but considering the other 20+ people in the family outright ignored me or otherwise ridiculed me the entire weekend eventually escalating into one of them sexually assaulting me, to which my partner yelled at ME for it the entire drive home, im more compelled to believe that grandma was stuck in a shitty fucking family, grandpa'd already gotten his ticket out, and she was whittling away the last couple of years leapfrogging from one tolerable moment to the next until her number came up.

[yelenasdiary]

Hello how are you? Still accepting late Christmas orders? 😂

ha It could be America's first Christmas with the Maximoff family (Wanda, Reader and the twins)

Reader and Wanda have adopted America, and this is the first Christmas and New Year's Eve party she'll spend with her family. America can be a little anxious, but Wanda e Reader calm her down.

And you can also add Wanda breaking the news that she's expecting her fourth child. Something really fluffy and soft 😊

☃️ Christmas Joy ☃️

Pairing: Wanda Maximoff x Reader

Summary: It’s the first Christmas you, your wife and twin boys get to spend with the new family member, America. 

Comfort | Slight Angst | Fluff | 1.3K | Pregnancy talk | 

AC: Just wanna say thank you to everybody who sent requests in for the Advent Calendar series! I loved writing the fluffy Christmas theme vibes and I hope you all did too! 

Day 24 | Advent Calendar Masterlist 🎄

America has been in the Maximoff family for almost a year now, after discovering her story of her mothers, you and Wanda wanted to adopt America to keep her from falling into the system. At first, things were slow. She was talkative and herself but over time you and Wanda started to notice she'd get anxious and would try to avoid talking about what was making her so anxious. After a while, she admitted that she was worried that you and Wanda would think it was a mistake adopting her and she was worried she'd be on her own again. Of course, you and Wanda assured her that would never happen and that you both loved her and that the family wouldn't be complete without her. 

Now whenever America starts to get anxious, Wanda is able to calm her and assure her of any of her worries. The twins love her so much! They're always including her in their games and activities, they're always making crazy messes around the house, building pillow forts and playing plenty of tricks on both you and Wanda. You both loved seeing how well she fit perfectly into your little family, and you couldn't wait to spend the holidays with America as a family for the very first time. 

"America, would you like to help me bake some cookies while the boys are out with Y/n? we can all decorate them when they're back, they should be cool enough by then" Wanda asked as America sat on the sofa reading a book, "Sure! I'd love too!" The teenager jumped from the sofa and followed Wanda into the kitchen. "I haven't baked cookies since –"she paused, her eyes dropping to her feet. "It's okay honey, how about you show me how you and your mothers baked?" Wanda offered, quickly earning a wide smile.  "Are you sure?" America asked just to be sure, Wanda nodded with a soft smile. 

----

"How was she today?" you asked Wanda as the two of you pulled the covers back on your shared bed and got comfortable, your arms instantly wrapping around her and pulling her closer to you. "She was great, we baked some cookies, she had a small moment but we got through it and she was back to baking" Wanda explained with her hands on top of yours that were resting on her stomach. "She looked very pleased with the end results" you replied before placing a kiss on Wanda's cheek.

"How were the boys?"

"Mhm, they were good, we got the gift shopping for you and America done without a hassle" you replied already falling asleep. Wanda waited until she could hear the soft snores coming from behind her before she stroked her thumb over your knuckles, "I can't wait to tell your mama about you" she whispered to herself. 

Christmas Eve came with plenty of excitement from the boys and America even though both you and Wanda could see that she was missing her mothers and she was starting to get anxious about spending Christmas with her new family. Usually, the boys would have to wait until Christmas morning to open gifts, but you and Wanda thought one gift before the morning couldn't hurt. Of course, the twins were jumping with excitement and wanted to pick out a gift, "Boys, let America pick her gift first then you can look through them, the big ones are off limits!" Wanda said with a cocked brow.

America picked up a medium sized gift and started to open it slowly, Wanda sat comfortably on your lap while the boys waited patiently for the okay to raid the tree for a gift each. Wanda and you already knew what the gift was and were excited for America to see it. She pulled out a framed picture before turning it over, a photo of Wanda, the boys and yourself in a frame of her favorite color. She smiled softly before looking up at you and Wanda with tears lightly filling her eyes. "Are you okay honey?" you asked unsure if the gift was too much. 

"I h-haven't been a part of a family since my mother's went missing" she broke down, the twins looked at each other then back at America. "This means a lot to me, both of you taking me in, the twins being the best little brothers I could ever ask for" America added with more tears building up in her eyes, "Darling, you will always be a part of our family, even when we do find your mothers, you will always have a place with us, forever" Wanda stood up from your lap and pulled America in for a hug. "Wands is right, you're our daughter and always will be" you stood up and joined in on the hug, "Yeah! We love having a big sister!" Billy crashed into the hug along with Tommy. Giggles soon erupted within the group hug, "I love you guys" America smiled, wiping her tears once the hug was over. 

Once the boys had gone to bed and you were in the shower, Wanda knocked on America's bedroom door with a gift in her hand. "Wanda, I don't need any more gifts, you and Y/n have given me so much already" she said as she placed her book to the side. "Actually, this is a gift for the entire family but I thought you'd be the best person to help me with this" Wanda smiled softly and placed the gift bag on America's bed, "open it and tell me what you think" she added. 

America looked at Wanda with a confused expression as she opened the bag and pulled out a tiny new-born baby t-shirt. "Wanda!" She gasps, the t-shirt, "My big sister is my best friend" with a few tiny love hearts. "You're pregnant?!" She asked with another wide smile, Wanda placed her finger to her lips, "you're the only person who knows and I was hoping you'd be able to help me tell the others tomorrow?" Wanda asked. American nodded instantly, "I'd love too! This is so exciting! Wait…wouldn't Y/n already know? I mean with the IVF and all?" she questioned. "We have our ways, they don't know. It was a surprise to me as well" Wanda explained with a soft smile, "now don't stay up too late" she playfully winked before leaving the teenager's mind to run wild with ideas. 

----

After all the Santa gifts were done and the boys were setting up their new toys and what not, America came up to Wanda privately in the kitchen while you helped the twins. "What do you think of this?" she asked Wanda as she showed the message board with a pined ultrasound photo with a message that read "No more silent nights, baby Maximoff due 2023". Wanda smiled softly at the idea and nodded, "it's perfect" she replied. "I'm glad you like it!! Can we show them?! I'm just so excited!!" America smiled, "Come on, honey".

"Guys!! We have a last special gift for you!!" America sang as she and Wanda walked into the living room, you and the twins stopped what you were doing and looked up at the two. "Surprise!!" America turned the board around and let you three read the message. Your eyes shot up at Wanda, "No way! Really?!" you stood up and walked over to her, "we're pregnant?" you asked in shock and gently placing your hand on her yet to show bump. 

"Are you okay with this? we spoke about thing happened and being a surprise –" 

You cut her off by kissing her soft lips, "baby, I couldn't be happier" you smiled against her lips. "We're going to be big brothers?!" Tommy asked as he looked up at Wanda, "the best big brothers at that" Wanda smiled before the twins tackled her into a big hug.

Taglist: @red1culous | @sayah13 | @charl-lally | @when-wolves-howl | @bentleywolf29 | @fxckmiup | @lissaaaa145 | @high--power | @parkerdaramitzzzz  | @mmmmokdok | @wackymcstupid | @kiwiana145 | @shin-conan-kun | @nattyolw | @ripofflizzie | @goofy-goonie | @makegoodchoices | @wandsmxmff | @apollo2907 | @wandaroman0ff | @dumb-fawkin-bitch | @lovelyy-moonlight | @santana1437 | @fluffyblanketgecko | @puta1 | @inluvwithfictionalwomen | @tintedrose12 | @jaymieflorissssssss | @tita001 | @lizzieslcver | @youralphawolf72 | @donnietarantino | @natashamaximoff69 | @hehehehannahthings | @pandaemonium111 | 

[virtie333]

Day 21 - Life Day Damerey Celebration

Prompt: Matching Pajamas

Summary: The prompt speaks for itself

Notes: Modern AU. This was fun!

AO3

It was their first Christmas living together, and Rey was excited for Christmas Eve, when the two of them would open their presents, both the ones sent by friends and family, and those they had gotten for each other. Rey could already picture it. They would light the fire, and then turn off all the lights except those on the tree they had decorated together just after Thanksgiving. Having grown up in foster homes and orphanages, Christmas had always been a touchy holiday. While she always got a present or two from whoever her guardian was at the time, she never really felt the joy and excitement she had always believed most children felt around Christmas. But this year, she was as giddy at the little girl that she had never had a chance to be.

They were planning on going to Poe’s father’s house the next day for Christmas dinner, but the night before it would be just the two of them, and that was more than enough for Rey. She had long ago learned that spending time with one person who she loved and trusted was far better than spending time with a dozen acquaintances.

After dinner that night, as she finished clearing off the table and loading the dishwasher (whenever Poe cooked, Rey cleaned), Poe came into the kitchen with a shit-eating grin on his face and a brightly decorated gift bag in his hand.

Rey was confused. “I thought we weren’t going to open presents until later?”

“We aren’t,” Poe confirmed. “This is special. You need to open it before we start the unwrapping tonight.”

Rey gave him a wary look. “I don’t trust you when you smile like that.”

Poe looked offended. “There are times you don’t trust me? Like when?”

“Like when you smile like that,” Rey explained. “It always means something’s about to happen that is going to embarrass me.” Like the time he started twerking to ‘Big and Juicy’ when they were at Rose and Finn’s engagement party. Or when he starting singing New Rules on the Karaoke stage at the Tavern; it didn’t matter that they weren’t having Karaoke that night, nor that he was really good.

Poe looked around the room, wide-eyed. “Is there anyone here to be embarrassed in front of?” he asked. “It can’t be me. I’m the guy you fart on, remember?”

She smacked his arm. “Shut up!” she said, laughing. “What’s in the bag?”

“Are you sure you want to know? I don’t want to embarrass you!”

“Poe!”

“All right, all right!” He handed her the bag.

Cautiously, she took out the tissue paper on the top, then peered inside. It looked like… a blanket?

She reached in and pulled whatever it was out. It wasn’t a blanket. The green material was soft to the touch, and was decorated with images of Christmas: Santa, presents in red wrapping, candy canes, and snowflakes. She pulled the whole length of material out and shook it, revealing a complete, adult sized, onesie. With feet.

“Footie pajamas?” she asked. Poe knew she liked to sleep in soft, sleeveless nightshirts, her feet bare.

“Look! Look!” Poe exclaimed. He rushed out of the room, then came back in holding an identical pair of pajamas. “We can match!” He grinned.

Rey stared at him. He looked so genuinely happy, but she was flabbergasted.

“I… I…”

“No one else is gonna see us, Rey,” he told her, his smile fading just a little. “Come on! Just while we open presents tonight. For me?”

Damn it. He was giving her that puppy dog look.

“All right,” she said through clenched teeth. “But there better be alcohol involved, too.”

Poe jumped up and down a bit. “Of course!” he agreed. “Enough alcohol, I can maybe talk you into a cute little matchy-match selfie!”

“In your dreams, Dameron.”

“Nope!” he denied. “That will be after we open presents.” He leaned in to whisper in her ear, his voice suddenly dropping in timbre. “When I assist you out of your footie pajamas for the night.”

Rey shivered. “Keep talking like that, and I just might agree to that selfie,” Rey teased.

“Count on it.”

[justmultifandom]

Kidge winter event

Day 6: Mistletoe/Movies

Christmas didn't exist in Altea, so Coran was very surprised when Lance asked him if they could celebrate it with their families at the new Castle of Lions. Keith remembered how complicated it had been for all of them to explain each tradition to him, and since they came from different cultures, each paladin had different traditions for that joyous day. He remembered how Lance boasted about the gifts to give to everyone, while Hunk talked about the cooking competitions with his family, while Pidge explained the religious reason in which she had been rigorously educated by her parents. Of course, Keith also had traditions that had been passed down to him by his father, and which he had continued to do after his death. However, Coran liked the idea, so he immediately nodded and accepted the proposal. For a week, the castle was in total commotion as robots hung pine garlands, branches, and fairy lights throughout the castle. The ballroom had been decorated and illuminated, and in every corner one could find small or large Christmas trees, and for a moment, although he hated large parties, he thought it was a nice thing to get all together on a day that it was Allura's commemoration.

December 24th arrived quickly, and all the families and important friends of the paladins showed up at the Castle of the Lions elegant and smiling. The foods that Hunk had carefully cooked together with his and Romelle's group accompanied the buffet of appetizers full of laughter, smiles and harmony, and for a moment everything seemed perfect in Keith's eyes. At least until the Holt family arrived, late, but not without smiles and elegant clothes; and as soon as he saw Pidge in a gorgeous, elegant green dress… well… that was more than perfect for him. The dress was a simple green dress with thin straps, a skirt with layers of tulle that fell above the knee but reached the calf at the back, a V-neck and stockings that perfectly reflected the color of her pale and warm complexion . She smiled and sat at the table apologizing to everyone for being late, while he watched her move around the room. Hell, it took Hunk to lock his jaw shut! But only then did he realize that, damn, she was now twenty years old and no longer a little girl, but it had taken such an elegant, tight and feminine dress, that it had surely been Colleen's idea, to make it for her. note? Apparently yes, but apparently that stupid reaction of his made someone else understand something else, even if in fact it didn't take him long to understand it. His cheeks colored every time he looked at her from behind or in front, even though he didn't have this effect with the other girls, who were dressed more or less the same.

Lance had approached him while he was drinking a glass of champagne in the corner of the party a few minutes after eleven while everyone else was dancing, an evil smile on his face.

“How's it going?” He laughed, wrapping his arm around his shoulders.

“Good…”: Keith replied, shrugging and taking a sip of the yellow, gaseous liquid, hoping it would stop the slight blush on his cheeks, while he looked at her from across the room talking to Matt and Curtis.

“Pidge looks beautiful tonight, doesn't she?” Lance chuckled, hitting that sore point Keith had hoped he wouldn't mention, and in fact he almost choked on his champagne.

“W-What? Well, in short... It's the usual Pidge...": he stopped his embarrassment by wiping his mouth with a napkin.

“Do you really hope that I believe you? Poor naive person, we all saw that as soon as she entered on your face exploded little hearts ...": he sighed, shaking his head.

"Everyone?": he turned pale: "Even her?"

“I don't know, either she's the only one who hasn't noticed or she's too kind to pretend nothing happened”: he replied.

“AH”: Keith nodded: “So what should I do now…?”

“You definitely can't miss her, I mean, look at her! She is smart, strong, smart and beautiful! Once upon a time, I admit, I would have questioned the fact that she was cute but now, man...": he interrupted the sentence, but the other immediately understood where he was going. For Keith, beauty was a subjective thing, and after seeing different alien races in so many physical aspects they had made him believe that, rightly, beauty wasn't that important, but then why was he now so attracted to her in that way? Once, as paladins, he was amazed at her strength and speed, her ingenuity and her mentality, perhaps it was that attraction that returned to the surface after all that time that made him react that way?

“You can't escape from love…”: his father always repeated every time he placed a mistletoe leaf on the ceiling. He always said that he did it because his mother liked that tradition, and that therefore for him it was like a symbol of hope that she would return. This had always made baby Keith cry.

“I didn't mean that…”: he shook his head: “I mean… How… How do you conquer a woman?”

"Oh! Wow! I never imagined I would have to give this speech to lone wolf Keith Kogane!”: Lance laughed.

“Just answer!”: he whispered, embarrassed and with his face on fire. Lance simply pointed to a small archway at the end of the room, where there was some mistletoe tied with a red Christmas bow.

“Are you kidding!?”: Keith shook his head, feeling his cheeks as red as his former uniform.

"Why not?"

“Because that's in front of everyone, you idiot!”

“Oh, well, then what's another one in the corridor before the stairs and the bathroom, almost no one ever goes there!”: he explained.

“Okay!”: He grumbled, rubbing his cheeks to reduce the blush. He looked back across the room at Pidge, who was standing up and giving Matt the glass of water. From her lips and how she pointed to the door he could assume she was going to the bathroom, perfect.

“It's your time!”: Lance exclaimed, giving him a pat on the shoulder that almost made the champagne fall. He growled for a moment, then sighed and with slow steps headed towards the door. Once he crossed the threshold he could see a short corridor lit only by the classic blue neon lights of the castle and by a few light lights on the stairs to the left, which had a small mistletoe plant on the ceiling at the beginning. He was alone for the moment, although he could hear the water running from the bathroom not far away, so he decided to lean on the start of the stair railing without rushing and waiting for her. Pidge came out a short time later waving her hands at the ground as if to dry them and when she looked up she jumped slightly.

“Keith, you scared me!”: she laughed, approaching him and leaning on the pillar as well.

“It's been a while since we talked, alone and as friends I mean…”: he sighed, and thanked heaven that the alcohol was finally having its effect, making his tone much calmer and sedate and his cheeks less reddish.

“Yeah…”: she nodded: “I've been pretty busy with the Garrison…”

“I know…”: he replied, looking up once again towards the mistletoe. After all, it was he who told Coran to put a few leaves hanging here and there around the castle, after all it was his tradition, and each paladin had been pleased with an important piece of their culture: Lance had embellished the tree and the gift packages with colored shells, Hunk had shared much of the traditional food on the menu, Shiro had bought lights of all kinds and Pidge had managed to steal an old nativity scene from her mother.

“Anyway, I was surprised to hear that your Christmas and your traditions are different from everyone else's…”: Keith confessed, looking at her.

"What can I say? My parents are very religious and then the traditional Italian Christmas is much less complicated than the American one. There's no mistletoe, Christmas Eve parties, stockings hanging on the fireplace...": she sighed: "You only see all this in those horrible Christmas films..."

“Have you really never imagined a kiss under the mistletoe?”: he asked.

“A kiss under the mistletoe? We don't even use mistletoe...": she shook her head.

“Oh, well, it kind of sucks… I thought everyone did that…”: Keith admitted.

“But, now that you make me think about it, it would be nice…”: she thought, thinking out loud: “It seems romantic…”

“It is…”: he nodded.

“Have you ever tried this?”: Pidge asked.

“No, I've never had the opportunity, like you…”: he shook his head.

She sighed, looking at him and then moving her gaze to the green leaves above his head. She looked around the empty hallway as loud sounds of music and laughter could be heard from the front door. Sometimes you could even hear someone yelling about the Christmas countdown.

“What if this was an opportunity?” She finally found the courage to speak, and he raised an eyebrow at her.

"Really? Would you like it?”: he asked shocked.

“Well, yes, just to try, and then we can just forget everything…”: she shrugged, moving away from the column and opposing him.

“What does it tell you that I want to forget?”: He followed her example, approaching her and looking down at her; she had grown and stood tall, but he still towered over her.

“And what does it tell you that I don't want to forget either?”: she replied in the same way. They both smiled as they slowly approached, moving backwards slightly so they were completely under the mistletoe. Shouts could be heard from the main room, probably the countdown had started.

“5!”

Her arms wrapped around his neck, gently massaging his tense muscles and jaw, adjusting the collar of his red shirt. Likewise he grabbed her waist, pulling her as close as possible and studying her hips with his fingers through the delicate fabric of her green dress.

“4!”

His hands moved from her hips to her cheeks, stroking them gently and looking into her eyes. With a slow gesture he moved her glasses, moving them above her head, definitively freeing those golden and shining eyes of hers.

“3!”

She looked into his eyes, drowning in that work of art of purple colors and shades. Maybe that was the only way she could tell that part of him was Galra. She wet her lips slightly, and, even though she had never done it, she didn't feel scared or embarrassed. Maybe it was Christmas that gave such a magical atmosphere?

"2!"

They came closer, again and again, closer each time. His hands fell to her sides again, while her arms wrapped around his neck as she moved on tiptoe despite the small heels she wore, and he bent over.

“1!”

Their lips joined with heat and passion, carried away by each other's taste as they gave impetus to what they had desired and hoped for for years.

"Merry Christmas to all!"