#why was purple in the Christmas special?

[dalandduh]

Goober...

[woso-dreamzzz]

Heart: Christmas

Mapi León x Ingrid Engen x Child!Reader

Summary: Christmas with Sunshine

"You looking forward to it?" Frido asks as she crouches down at your side in training. "Santa's coming soon. Have your mummies made you write your letter yet?"

You look up from your colouring book, pausing in the movement of dragging the pink crayon over the mermaid picture. "We did them with our teacher," You answer, nodding to yourself as you switch from pink to purple.

"Has it been sent yet?"

You frown. "Where is it meant to go?"

Frido laughs, fondly pushing your hair out of your face. "To the North Pole."

"Oh." You look down at your colouring book. "I've never sent a letter before. Santa always just knows what I want." You rub at your chest, where the Santa Heart from last year beats.

You hadn't needed to write him a fancy letter to send off to the North Pole. He had just known you needed a special new heart like how the doctors knew and how Ingrid and Mapi knew.

He just did and he'd delivered.

He'd gotten you the new heart that's been in your chest for nearly a whole year now.

You frown a little, trying to work your mind through the idea of sending a letter to Santa.

"Does everyone send a letter to him?"

"Oh, yes," Frido says, nodding her head as she hands you the orange crayon you'd pointed at," Everyone."

"Even you?"

"Even me."

"What did you ask him for?"

"I asked...I asked for my boyfriend to cook us some good food?"

You scrawl the orange crayon across the little crab at the corner of the mermaid page. "That's a good idea." You swap your crayon for green to colour in the seaweed. "And everyone has sent their letters already?"

"They have."

"Can I ask what other people asked for?"

"Sure, let's go."

Ingrid smiles from a distance as Frido leads you around the pitch while everyone takes a water break

She can't quite imagine what her and Mapi's life would have been without you now that it's coming up to a year since you had received your new heart.

She can't imagine what would have been different if she hadn't met you in that hospital bed. She can't quite imagine what the team would be like without you around either, a little breath of fresh air with an even smaller camera in your hands clicking away at every possible moment.

The same little hands that hold your favourite camera now tug at Ingrid's shorts until she looks down.

"What did you ask for in your Santa letter?" You ask.

"Huh? My Santa letter?"

"Yeah, Ingrid," Frido says pointedly," The Santa letter that everyone writes and sends off to Santa."

"Oh, yeah!" Ingrid catches on quickly," That Santa letter! Well...I asked Santa to make sure that me, you and your Mami have a good day on Christmas and get to sleep in before presents!"

You nod along with a little furrow in your brow, like you're trying to commit it to memory or something.

You grab onto Ingrid's legs quickly, squeezing them into a hug before hurrying off across the pitch to where Alexia is talking to Irene and Marta - no doubt to ask them the same question.

You don't ever really explain why you went around asking everyone what they wrote in their Santa letters and Ingrid's content to let her curiosity go unquenched with that one.

It's not an overwhelmingly pressing issue to her. It's one she only thinks briefly of when the team come over for a Christmas party before everyone goes home for the holidays.

You're sat at the little coffee table in front of the tv, enraptured by another kid's movie that Alexia's set Mija up next to you to watch.

Mapi sits next to Ingrid on the sofa, filling up her wine glass again when she thinks Ingrid isn't looking.

"Do we think we got her everything she asked for?" Mapi asks, worrying her bottom lip with her teeth," I don't want her to have anything missing from her pile."

"We've got everything," Ingrid assures her," Trust me. Absolutely everything she asked for, we've gotten her."

"Even that Barbie camera that prints off the photos? I don't remember wrapping it! Do you think they'll still have it in the store?" Mapi stands up suddenly, the words flooding out of her mouth so quickly that Ingrid nearly struggles to keep up. "I'll head out now and check. Don't wait up for me. I might be a while."

Ingrid pulls her back down. "My parents got it for her. It's in the pile."

"Definitely?" Mapi checks. "They confirmed it? They bought her the actual one she liked, yeah? Not like a knock off version?"

Ingrid laughs. "They got her the proper one. I checked."

Mapi finally breathes a sigh of relief at that, settling back down into her seat for a moment before slipping off the sofa to join you and Alexia's daughter on the floor with the movie.

"You know I love you right, sunshine?" She mumbles into your hair and you peer back to look at her.

"I know," You say," I love you and Mama too."

"Yeah?"

"Uh-huh! I'm glad Santa gave you to me."

"I'm glad Santa gave you to us too."

You turn then, fully into Mapi's lap as you look at her.

"I wrote a letter to Santa," You say," My teacher helped. Is it too late to send?"

Mapi shakes her head. "It's never too late to send. Why don't you go and get it and me and Mama will get ready to post it?"

The letter is written on a tiny scrap of paper when you return from your bedroom, holding it out in front of you as you wait for Mapi and Ingrid to prepare the envelope for it to go into.

You decorate it with little stickers and Ingrid helps you write Santa's address on it before bundling you up in your coat, hat and scarf to walk down to the post box on the street.

"Mama," You ask," Can you lift me please?"

Ingrid lifts you up easily in her arms so you're just tall enough to reach the post box to slip your letter inside.

"And Santa will get it before Christmas? I'm sorry I left it late," You ask as you're tucked into bed that night.

"You know," Mapi says as she pulls the covers all the way up to your chin," Every night before Christmas, Santa's elves go to all the post boxes in the world to check for his letters and they bring them all back that night!"

"Really?"

"Really," Ingrid agrees, gently locking the door to Starshine and Moonshine's cage," And Santa reads them with a mug of warm milk and cookies so he can prepare for Christmas."

"So he'll be able to make sure he can definitely do what I've asked for?"

Mapi smiles, crossing her fingers and hoping that what you've written in the letter is something that's already been bought for you. "What did you ask for?"

"For everyone else to get what they asked him for. I took it back to school and my teacher helped me write what everyone wanted so Santa doesn't forget."

"You're so sweet," Ingrid says.

"And Santa will make sure everyone gets what they wanted?"

"He will. I'm sure he's so grateful that you reminded him."

You nod, settling down in bed. "Good. No one should be sad on Christmas."

[foxy-eva]

Spencer Reid Kink Collection

Since I can't participate in Kinktober this year, I thought it would be fun to do a little Kink Masterlist for my existing fics! This post is 18+, minors DNI!

Bondage

Bound Together: Spencer has a very pleasant surprise for his girlfriend

Body Worship

Adore You: Spencer makes sure his girlfriend knows how much he loves her body

Breeding Kink

Ever Expanding: Spencer and his wife decide it’s time to expand their family

Baby Fever: Ever since they decided to try for a baby, Spencer and his wife can’t get enough of each other

Degradation/Dumbification

Temptation: His girlfriend's new skirt is too tempting for Spencer to resist

Only Yours: After getting jealous at work Spencer reminds his girlfriend who she belongs to

Facesitting

Heart on my Sleeve: Spencer is entranced by the look of his girlfriend wearing the sweater he knit as a present

Worship: Spencer knows exactly how to make it up to his girlfriend after being late for date night

Hand Kink/Foot Kink

Stress Relief: When his coworker complains about back pain, Spencer offers a massage. Things escalate

Swept off your Feet: When Spencer gives his girlfriend a foot massage, he discovers something very interesting about himself

more fics under the cut!

Innocence Kink

Preciously Pure: Things seem to change between Spencer and Reader once she mentions her innocence

Orgasm Control / Edging

Purple Dress: Spencer and his coworker have a friends-with-benefits agreement. When he tries to end it, she shows him what he is missing out on.

Phone Sex

Careful Whisper: It's very hard to keep quiet when Spencer visits Reader in her hotel room at night

Over the Edge: Sub!Spencer is desperate for you to take care of him

Call Me: Spencer discovers new ways to feel close to his girlfriend while working on a case

Praise Kink

Nice & Naughty: His girlfriend has been a very good girl this year which is why Spencer spoils her in every way he knows on Christmas

Public Sex

Lavender & Lace: Spencer didn’t know how much fun going shopping with his girlfriend would be

Nude Beach: Reader finally convinces Spencer to go to the beach with her. Turns out it’s a nude beach

Skinny Dipping: It doesn’t take much to convince Spencer to go skinny dipping

Sex Toys

Play Time: Spencer is curious about a very interesting toy his girlfriend ordered

Somnophilia

(Don't) Wake Me: When Spencer learns that he shares a kink with his girlfriend, he finds a special way to wake her

Wake-Up Call: Reader can’t resist Spencer even when he’s asleep

Threesome

Lucky Number: When Spencer and his girlfriend run into Elle years after she left the FBI, they quickly realize that there's an undeniable tension between them that begs to be released

Find my General Masterlist here

Find my Dom!Spencer Masterlist here

[kbwrites]

Lingerie? No Way

synopsis: how the JJK guys feel about Lingerie.

⚝content: nsfw, links to lingerie included, f!reader (gendered language used)

Satoru LOVES when you buy a new set (especially using his credit card).

Takes pictures of you, and has a whole folder full of just photos of you in lingerie.

Which is separate from his nudes folder for some reason.

If you allow him, he has no shame using the pictures he takes as his home screen.

Any excuse to show off to everyone that his partner is the hottest.

In bed Satoru loves to fuck you with the lingerie on.

Likes grabbing onto the lace, using the straps as leverage while he’s fucking you.

“S-shittt princess, you look so fuckin’ pretty.” He whimpers as he gropes your breast through the mesh fabric.

His hips snap up, one hand gripping the headboard as you ride him. His slender fingers reach around your back to unhook the bra, feverishly fiddling with the clasp. He curses under his breath before–

Riiip

“Sorry gorgeous…. I’ll buy ya another one”

Money is no object for Satoru so he can literally afford to be rough. 

★。------ ＼｜／------。★

Suguru orders you a new set almost every week.

He’s sending screenshots.

“Look at this one babe, you’d look perfect in it.”

“It’s nice Sugu.”

Adds to cart.

His favorite thing to do when you wear lingerie is watch you. He’s sitting on the loveseat in your bedroom, one hand wrapped tightly around his cock as he pumps slowly. You’re sprawled out on the bed in front of him two fingers plunged deep into your aching cunt. You try your hardest to reach the spots your boyfriend hit so effortlessly. He smirks maliciously as you struggle. Knowing full well he was the only one who could make your toes curl. 

“Awww what’s the matter, pretty girl? Can’t reach?” Even though he knows the answer.

As you whine shaking your head “no” he gets up and strides toward you. Taking in your panting form.

He’s already thinking about how good you’d look in the purple version of the set.

★。------ ＼｜／------。★

Nanami prefers you save lingerie for special occasions.

Birthdays?

Christmas?

He wants to unwrap you.

He’d be really into babydoll dresses, the sheer fabric that stops just below your underwear. 

He didn’t expect when you texted him about an “early Christmas gift” that he would come home to you in a gorgeous red babydoll dress. With thigh-high stockings to match? He’s in heaven

Takes his time slipping the fabric off you, kissing every inch of your body as he slowly removes your underwear.

“You’ve been saving this one for me, honey? You look absolutely breathtaking”

As his head delves down, flattening his tongue against your cunt.

★。------ ＼｜／------。★

Toji is a simple guy, he can appreciate a nice set but he much prefers you in his clothes.

His shirt? The way it swallows you makes his dick twitch.

Or his personal favorite a moo moo?

He’s ready to go.

All you were doing was making dinner in your nightgown, stirring a pot of pasta on the stove. The next thing you knew your boyfriend threw you over his shoulder.

“Fuck...mama, you look so good.” He’s got your face down on the mattress with your nightgown bunched up to expose your ass. The pads of his fingers digging into the fat of your hips as he slams his thick cock into your pussy.

Your moans are muffled as your face is buried into the pillow.

“Gonna breed this fuckin pussy. That what you want baby?”

Sukuna isn’t very understanding as to why you’re wearing ANYTHING when he enters the room. 

He prefers you naked, laid out bare waiting for him. He loves your body, so he prefers an unobscured view.

While you do look good. The fabric is just in his way.

Did you want crotchless panties? Well, you have them now.

Two strong arms rip and tear the fabric off of you as his mouth nips and sucks at your skin. The other two arms pin your wrists above your head as he devours you.

“Ryo! I bought this for you–” You whine as he shreds the delicate material. But he doesn’t respond, as he fumbles with the strings.

“Quiet. This shit is hindering my meal.”

[missaengg]

A Heartfelt Gift

Day 1 of Ikemen Advent: Woolen Clothes Made for Ikemen Advent hosted by @queengiuliettafirstlady and @candied-boys Featuring: Ikemen Villains Jude Jazza x f!reader Tags: Fluff and humor Word Count: 1308

“Jude,” you called out, stepping into the parlor, a wrapped present clutched against your chest.

Jude lounged in the bay window with a heavy book propped open on his knees. The flame of the lantern flickered across his face while the soft glow of the moon shone iridescently on his hair. For a moment, you forgot to breathe because he looked breathtakingly beautiful…

At least until he spoke.

“What?” Jude snapped, tearing his sharp, amethyst eyes away from his book, but they softened when they landed on your approaching form, a languid smirk forming on the corner of his lips. “Oh, if it ain’t the carefree princess.”

Jude closed his book, shifting to the side to make space for you to sit. You nestled into his side facing him, and Jude’s arm snaked around your waist, stroking your lower back in circles. 

A giant smile overtaking your face, you beamed at your boyfriend. “I have something for you.”

“Do ya now?” he drawled, raising an eyebrow in response.

You thrust the gift into his chest, knocking it into his torso with more force than you intended in your excitement. “Merry Christmas!” 

“Hah?” Jude’s brows creased, but reached for the gift you were squishing against him.

You felt your throat close as you watched him turn the gift around in his hands and take in the lumpy, wrinkled wrapping and the listless silver ribbon holding it together. It wasn’t quite the picture you had in your head when you wrapped it, but it didn’t matter how it was wrapped, what mattered was what it contained inside, right?

Jude’s long, slender fingers pulled on the silver ribbon and then very gently and very methodically unwrapped the paper.

Your eye twitched. Had Jude always been so careful unwrapping gifts? You always assumed he’d be the type to tear the wrapping paper based on how he had a penchant for carelessly tearing off your clothes…

The paper parted, and you held your breath watching Jude slowly reveal the wool clothes that lay inside. You bit your lip, carefully observing him for his reaction.

This was your first Christmas with Jude as a couple, and you had wanted to give him something special, something memorable, something he couldn’t buy or source on his own, but… what does one gift a man who could buy anything he wanted?

You had racked your brain for days trying to think of something unique and personal.

Until one day while working at Raven Company, you watched Jude step outside into the cold for a cigarette and noticed how his shoulders hunched together and how his free hand was shoved in his pocket.

The answer hit you like a barreling freight train out of control. You could knit him a matching set of wool gloves and a wool scarf – black and purple in color to match his overcoat. Not only would he stay warm in the cold, he’d have no choice, but to think of you everytime he wore your handmade gift.

Quivering, you leaned forward, watching as he held the items up in the air, one in each hand. Would he like it? Would he receive your message of love and adoration? Would he feel special and appreciated?

Jude tilted his head to one side, his eyes narrowed. “Oi.” He flicked his eyes to you. “What is this?”

The expression akin to a frown on his face was so intense your smile wavered for a second, but you recovered quickly, puffing out your chest. “A scarf and a pair of gloves,” you twinkled. “I was wondering—”

“Didja say scarf?”

You faltered, the words tumbling out of your mouth screeching to an abrupt halt. “Y–yes?” you stammered, your eyes flickering from Jude’s to the wool items pinched between his fingers.

Then you saw it, the reason why Jude seemed unimpressed.

One end of the scarf was wider than the other. The scarf pattern you meticulously chose was warped and twisted from the mix of inconsistent stitches pulling on one another with no rhyme or reason.

You felt your heart sink into the pit of your stomach. In your glee to present Jude with a gift you had made, you didn’t notice how wretched the scarf had looked when you wrapped it, but here, in Jude’s fingers, you could clearly see just how much of a mess your gift must look to him.

“I made it,” you mumbled, casting your gaze down to your lap. “I didn’t know what to get you for our first Christmas together, and—”

“Ya made it?” 

You nodded, your gaze still averted down, blinking back the sting of tears in your eyes. You felt Jude shift from beside you, but you couldn’t bring yourself to look at him.

After a brief pause, Jude asked, “Is this… why ya kept sneakin’ off?”

You nodded again, swallowing thickly. Just moments ago, you had felt so proud to give him his Christmas gift, but now… Now you felt ashamed at how unsatisfactory your gift turned out to be. 

And angry. At yourself. At him.

It might not be the most perfect scarf in the world, but you had spent hours knitting it thinking of him, and… if he didn’t appreciate it, then maybe he didn’t deserve it.

“If you don’t want it, give it back,” you grumbled, reaching for the clothing in his hands. He snatched them away before you could grasp them, and you glared at your boyfriend, no longer hiding your disappointment. “Jude.”

Jude scowled back, his amethyst eyes glittering with something dangerous you couldn’t quite identify. “Never said I didn’t want ‘em, princess.” 

He defiantly wrapped the scarf around his neck and shoved the gloves onto his hands. The gloves were comically large on his hands, and wrapping the scarf around his neck did absolutely nothing to hide how misshapen it was.

You felt your cheeks burn, and you pouted, holding out your hand and gesturing for Jude to return your embarrassing present. “Jude, just give them back.”

“No,” Jude glowered. “Ya said it was fer me. Ya don’t just get to take it back.”

“Fine,” you snapped, standing to hurry out of the parlor before Jude could see you cry.

Jude caught you by the wrist, pulling you back towards him and catching you in his embrace when you stumbled forward. The coarse wool of his gloves scratched you where he gripped your wrist. Pushing against him, you struggled to pull away, but Jude held fast, refusing to let you go.

“Let go, Jude.”

“No.”

You let out an exasperated sigh ready to give him a piece of your mind, but whatever you wanted to hurl at him died in your throat when you met his eyes staring down at you. His amethyst eyes burned with a dark heat, one that held you captive.

“Jude,” you breathed.

“Never said I didn’t like ‘em,” Jude husked and then pressed his lips to yours.

You melted into his arms, your head spinning as Jude claimed you with kiss after demanding kiss, so overcome, you barely noticed the wool scarf around his neck rubbing the skin on your neck raw.

By the time Jude pulled away, your mind was so muddled with giddiness you couldn’t help, but giggle from where you lay on top of him.

“So you liked my present?” “Tch, whattaya think?”

Humming, you snuggled into Jude’s chest, his fingers combing through your hair. “I think yes.”

After that night in the parlor, every time Jude stepped out for a smoke, he made sure to wear the gloves and scarf you made him, even if they made him look ridiculous, and if anyone even dared to make an unsavory comment about his new clothes, a fierce glare from Jude was enough to shut them up.

But… you didn’t think he looked ridiculous at all.

[jam3sacaster]

Merry Christmas, angel.

(Rivals) Rupert Campbell-Black x Reader

Suggestion by sweet @nebulastarr 🫶🏽

18+ FANFIC / Soft Christmassy Rupert with a smut! 🎄 Reader character aged at 21. Hope you enjoy! 🩷

Penscombe Court this Christmas was equivalent to a winter wonderland — a blanket of glittering snow covered the extensive fields, filling the cups of ivory snowdrops. Draped across the hallway, sitting room and kitchen were lengths of shimmery tinsel, shades of gold, red and green. Warm amber lights were pushed into any gaps not adorned in tinsel. The magnificent Christmas tree shone in the corner of the sitting room. And displayed around it was a mountainous pile of presents, wrapped slovenly but lovingly by Rupert. Your overexcited boyfriend led you down the winding staircase, his hands clamped over your eyes. “Santa has arrived, my darling.” He purred into your ear as he led you into the sitting room.

“Surprise!” He roared, removing his hands and watching as you blinked — slowly at first — in absolute awe. “My God!” You muttered, convinced that Rupert had ransacked Santa’s sleigh himself. “Rupert!” You giggled fantastically once more, turning to your lover to see him adorned in a Santa costume, his hat dangling gently from his head. The contented grin painted over his face filled your heart with unbridled joy. “Merry Christmas, angel.” Rupert exclaimed, wrapping his arms around you and planting a gentle kiss upon your lips. Your hazelnut eyes scanned the heap of presents, fingers itching to rip them open. “Can I start?” You asked, batting wispy eyelashes towards him. Rupert gave you a solemn nod, and watched as you collapsed onto the floor, desperately tugging at sparkling gold wrapping paper.

As predicted, Rupert had spent a fortune. Sitting on the chaise lounge with a gratified smirk, Rupert watched as you unwrapped the entire lookbook of your favourite boutique, a towering pair of stilettos, incredibly luxurious makeup and a set of curlers. He was surprisingly timid when opening his own gifts, kissing your forehead softly after every one — eternally grateful but regretful that you spent your own money. “I have one last thing for you.” You chirped, retrieving a compact red parcel from behind the couch. The small silver label read, ‘To my darling Rupert, Merry Christmas!’ Rupert winked towards you as he read it, carefully peeling open the gift. Inside the box, sat a golden Cartier watch, bedazzled and imposing. Beside it, a matching golden bracelet. You had never seen such a look of bewilderment on Rupert’s face — utter adoration and total shock. “Angel…” He whispered, running his fingers over the metallic strap of the watch. “Do you like it?” You asked expectantly, biting down on your bottom lip in suspense. “I love it!” Rupert boomed, setting it down gently on the plush purple fabric of the chaise lounge and pulling you onto his lap, kissing you passionately and stroking his fingers through your curled cocoa locks.

“You’re such a special girl, do you know that?” He purred, his brutish hands caressing the velvety skin of your thigh. You nuzzled your forehead into his chest, the plush red fuzz of the Santa costume sending shivers down your spine and his new aftershave intoxicating. “And because you’re such a special girl, I’ve got one more present for you. Follow me.” He beamed, taking a hold of your hand and leading you to the driveway. “Why are we going outside?” You begin to ask, but your jaw promptly swung open at the sight of a scarlet red Ferrari F40, a huge red bow tied across the bonnet. “Rupert!” You bellowed, padding barefoot onto the driveway and screaming uncontrollably in excitement. “You deserve it,” Rupert grinned, “So, let’s say we christen it? In the name of Christmas, of course.” He teased, beginning to untie his Santa coat and ripping down his trousers.

[zionloo]

🌟Hello, everyone! I hope we’re starting the year off on the right foot—and if it’s with both, even better, that way we can avoid stumbling! I hope Christmas and New Year’s were amazing for all of you!🎄

Well, about this drawing... I was trying to figure out which AU was which, but when I did some research, I realized that the fandom doesn't mess around — they created so many different versions of Swapfell that I ended up spinning faster than a Beyblade! XD

In this design, we have Swapfell Corrupted, Swapfell Purple, Swapfell Red and the classic Swapfell. Out of all these variants, I consider Swapfell by Money & Vi and Swapfell Red to be the most "original", but of course these are random designs that I ended up putting together after looking at so many designs!

Speaking of which, a special thanks to the incredibly talented @battlemaiden13 , creator of Swapfell Corrupted. And owner of Swapfell Red design! Her creations are simply incredible – she is pure talent, a true spectacle! 🎭✨ I saw that she finally came back after a short break. I hope she has recharged all her energy, Maiden! If she is not back to 100%, let it be at least 80%, right? She is already working in “economy mode”! XD Jokes aside, it is wonderful to have her back! 💜✨

Thank you so much for checking out my doodles! I hope you enjoy them! 🎨💖

And honestly... Why do sketches always come out better, huh? I think my finished drawings lose their naturalness — or maybe they just like to troll me! Kkkkkkk 🎭✏️

[fanfictwins]

SAGAU Liyue - Holiday Special 2024

Summary: “A Christmas surprise party with a Liyuean twist — the perfect gift planned for you by the two young girls who wanted you to feel more at home. How could you NOT have fun with it?”

Word Count: ~10.4k

The pleasant fragrance of mixed herbs, similar to the bunches of purple and white ones held in your arms, hit your nose as you stepped through the doorway of Bubu Pharmacy, the figures of two small girls by your side. With the variety of medicinal herbs stored within its walls, it was no surprise that it smelled great whenever you visited, no matter whether morning, noon, or night.

“Your Grace…? Why, I certainly hope you’re not here because you require my aid?”

Your gaze rose from the herbs to see Baizhu with a smile on his face, subtle surprise etched into his expression. Changsheng matched his gaze, raising her head up to better look at you.

“Oh, I’m fine, doc. I was just helping Qiqi with her wildcrafting.” You lifted your arms up just so, showing off everything you gathered with a proud smile, as the aforementioned zombie raised her own arms up to place the batch of herbs she collected on the counter. “I had to climb along so many cliffs and mountain peaks, but I got ‘em! I didn’t let a single one I saw go unplucked!”

Baizhu seemed to get more surprised, but it quickly melted into a calmer smile. “You needn’t exert yourself like that, Your Grace, but I thank you for your assistance. It’s much appreciated.”

You handed the herbs to Herbalist Gui, who visibly jolted when your hand brushed against his during the exchange. He excused himself so quickly after that he almost tripped and dropped the bundles everywhere, but managed to get away with everything held tightly in his arms and a flustered look on his face. It wasn’t anything that you weren’t already fully used to at this point.

“Aw, there’s no need to be so formal with me. In fact, if you ever need some rare or hard-to-get ingredient, you can always ask me. It’s no trouble at all! I like helping you and Qiqu out, honest.”

“Hmm… then I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Your Grace, you worked really hard today!” Yaoyao piped up, drawing your attention to her and her bright smile. “I think you deserve a break! We can handle anything else that comes up.”

You lightly exhaled. “Huh? I know I said I did a lot, but I’m actually not that tired-”

“I insist! In fact, I’m sure my master would love to sit down and have tea with you. It’s been some time since you’ve personally visited her, right? She still talks a lot about the last time!”

“I… guess I can go see her, then?” You were still smiling, if a bit confused now, but you waved off the four as you began to leave. “I’ll see you all around. Don’t get into too much trouble, ‘kay?”

The moment you were out of sight, down the pharmacy’s stairs, Yaoyao turned to her friend.

“You got everything written down, right?”

“...mmm, yeah.”

The zombie slowly took out her notebook, flipping it open to the newest page, which was filled with scribbles. Her handwriting made it hard to make out some words, but a closer look made most of them legible enough to read; some of the words were bigger than others, emphasizing their importance, but the biggest one was centered almost in the middle — “Christmas”.

Yaoyao smiled brightly, gently taking the notebook out of Qiqi’s hands and holding it up as she looked at it. “Perfect! Now we can make sure to tell everyone about everything we learned!”

“And what’s this about?” Baizhu peered down at the girls from his spot behind the counter. “Scheming behind Their Grace’s back after getting Them to leave? That’s not very nice.”

Changsheng scoffed. “It’s downright rude!”

“It’s for a good reason! Well… sort of.” Yaoyao turned the notebook around to show the doctor its pages. “While we were gathering herbs, Their Grace started telling us about Their home, and They mentioned this one celebration… “Criss-miss”? That’s how They pronounced it. And, They seemed a bit sad when talking, so I’ve decided that we should throw Them a “Christmas party”!”

Qiqi raised her arms in the air, mimicking Yaoyao. “Party…!”

“Oooh…” There was a hint of interest in Baizhu’s smile. “That sounds quite nice.”

“Yeah, and everyone can help make it a big surprise!” Yaoyao closed the notebook and gave it back to Qiqi. “So forgive me, Dr. Baizhu, but I have to borrow Qiqi for a bit. We’ve a lot to plan!”

“Very well, but stay safe, you two!”

The doctor called out as the two girls set out, hand in hand as they took the first step towards their goal — throwing the Divine Creator a surprise “Christmas party” with the other vessels.

- - - - -

There was always one thing on the top of your to-do list whenever you visited Liyue, and that was making a trip to Wanmin Restaurant. Even when the other restaurants tried to catch your attention, you usually passed them by; they weren’t bad at all, by any means, but there was just something about Wanmin that dragged you back in for a meal whenever you were in the harbor.

And Chef Mao never complained about the big boost of business he got after one of your visits.

“Chef Mao!”

You smiled at the man as you approached, the delicious scents wafting from the restaurant’s kitchen already invading your nostrils from half a street away. You were able to identify some of the restaurant’s dishes by scent alone, but there were also new ones you weren’t familiar with.

“Your Grace, it’s an honor!” Chef Mao smiled at you from his spot behind the counter. “Are you having your usual today? I always stock up on extra ingredients whenever I hear you’re around.”

You let out a long hum. “Maybe… but I’m also feeling kind of adventurous today…”

The sight of a familiar panda-esque bear poking his head out around the corner of the doorway to the kitchen cut off your train of thought, your smile reappearing as you turned towards him.

“Oh, Guoba! Hello!”

The bear flinched at being spotted, hurrying back into the kitchen and leaving you staring at the spot he had just been in. You couldn’t ignore the clanging of metal that soon followed from inside the kitchen, before hearing a familiar voice exclaim, “They’re here?! Right now?!”, which in itself was followed by the restaurant’s head chef stumbling out of the kitchen, Guoba on her heels.

Xiangling looked a bit unkempt, dusting herself off before looking at you with a smile.

“Your Grace, it’s an honor!”

Like father, like daughter.

“Xiangling, are you…” You gave her a once-over, taking note of the various splatters of colorful spices and sauces decorating her from head-to-toe, like an abstract art-piece. “...okay?”

Her smile became sheepish as she followed your gaze, looking down at herself briefly before looking back up at you. “Aha… yeah, I was just… surprised you’re here. I wasn’t expecting it.”

“Oh… sorry for the surprise. I just wanted to get some lunch.”

Xiangling nodded. “Then I’ll get right on that! The usual?”

“Actually, something smells really good in the kitchen. What’re you cooking?”

“Uh, it’s… um… I’m kind of just working something new out, I…”

Xiangling averted her eyes, her gaze looking at everything but you before it ended up on Guoba, asking him for help. The bear lightly flinched, his own eyes widening as he babbled incoherently.

“Oh, Your Grace.”

The cool tone of Shenhe’s voice cut through the air, cutting off Guoba and almost forcing your attention to shift itself over to her. Her hands held a large wooden crate that leaned against her body, the contents no doubt too heavy for any mere mortal to lift despite the ease at which the woman in front of you was handling it, and you watched as she calmly looked at Xiangling.

“Here. I gathered everything you said you might need for your secret dishes.”

That made you look at Xiangling again. “Oooh, secret dishes?”

The head chef looked ready to pass out, before she quickly shook her head and calmed down.

“W-Well, you see…” Xiangling fidgeted before she sighed, only to perk up moments later as an idea entered her head. “Actually, I could use your help. Yaoyao recently told me that you told her about this thing called “Christmas”...? And she mentioned a few dishes that are supposed to be made for it, but I’m struggling to figure them out since all I’ve got are the names of the dishes.”

“You’re… trying to make Christmas dishes?”

Xiangling nodded. “Yep! Because, you know… it’s food from another world! Your world! I’d really like to learn how to make dishes from your home, Your Grace! I’m sure they’re super tasty!”

That made perfect sense to you.

“You don’t need to be nervous asking for help, Xiangling. I’d be glad to give you a hand.”

“Thank you, Your Grace!”

You ended up sitting down at one of the nearby tables — even though it wasn’t necessarily a quiet hour for business, one table quickly became cleared up once you needed it — after your order was made with Xiangling right by your side, the chef eagerly listening as you told her all about some of the more common Christmas dishes that came to your mind between bites of your lunch. You tried your best to explain the dishes as much as you could, sparing no detail.

The variety was wide, from baked ham, mashed potatoes and gravy, stuffing, cranberry sauce, green bean casserole, candied sweet potatoes… even if you never personally had some of the dishes you listed out, you still named them and described what you had heard they were like.

“Oh, and there’s usually a roasted turkey.”

Xiangling blinked, an interested glimmer in her eyes. “Turkey?”

“Yeah, it’s… a kind of bird. I don’t think Teyvat has anything quite like them, though… oh!” You raised your utensils up, pointing at Xiangling. “There’s this one dish called a “Turducken” that some people have, where you stuff a chicken into a duck, then stuff that duck into a turkey.”

“So it’s a… three-bird roast?”

“Yep!”

“That sounds interesting… and I could do the chicken and duck part, but without a turkey…”

“I think some people use a goose instead of a turkey.” You lightly tapped your chin with your utensils. “Even in my world, turkeys are only available and easy to obtain in certain areas.”

Xiangling thought for a moment, before a smile returned to her face and she nodded.

“Alright, I think I can do that… no, I definitely can do that! I’ll make the best Christmas dishes ever! I can’t wait to try them myself! Thank you so much for all of your help, Your Grace!”

“It’s no problem.” You laid your utensils down on your empty dish, wiping your mouth off with a napkin before you stood up. “I just hope you allow me to taste-test them when you’re done.”

Xiangling let out a slight laugh, looking away nervously. “Y-Yeah, of course you’ll be able to!”

You gave Shenhe a word of thanks as she collected your empty lunch dishes, and gave Chef Mao and Xiangling a hearty wave goodbye as you left, only making it past the neighboring shop before a horde of people rushed by you. You glanced over your shoulder to see them all queuing up at the restaurant, and sighed from knowing that you were the sole reason for the lunch rush.

Xiangling loudly exhaled the moment you were out of sight, her whole body relaxing at the same time. Guoba copied her movements, before smiling up at the young girl and babbling briefly.

“Shenhe!” Xiangling’s cheeks puffed out a bit as she looked up at the tall woman. “Please be more careful! I’m lucky I was able to get some advice out of it and that Their Grace didn’t catch onto the plan, but it would’ve been super bad if They found out! It would’ve ruined the surprise!”

Shehne blinked. “...ah, my apologies, but I did state that your new dishes are a secret, didn’t I?”

“You’re not supposed to say that it’s a secret out loud!”

“Ahem, Xiangling! Shenhe! I could use a little help here!”

The two ladies — and Guoba — looked over to see Chef Mao overwhelmed at the restaurant’s counter. They could hear most of the customers asking for “what the Divine Creator ordered”.

“Sorry, dad! We’ll be right on it!”

Xiangling and Guoba hurried back into the kitchen, the clanging of metal starting up again as they began to prep food to serve, and Shenhe returned to the dining area to clean the tables so that some of the customers would have a place to sit when dining on the day’s “popular dish”.

Chef Mao sighed. “...and this is why I make sure to order extra ingredients.”

- - - - -

Even with many pairs of eyes staring at you for almost the entire time you were passing by, walking around Liyue Harbor was usually a peaceful and pleasant experience; the stares you received from the locals were mostly of awe, and they never tried to get into your actual space, instead always keeping a respectful distance that allowed your walk to go without a hindrance.

But those were just the behaviors of the normal folk.

Your vessels were of a completely different sort.

“Your Grace…!”

You had been strolling near the docks, admiring the ships out at sea, only to look in front of you to see Xinyan — who had called out to you — and Yun Jin coming to a stop before you. The two had to take a minute to catch their breath, Xinyan even having to place her hands on her knees.

“Xinyan? Yun Jin?” You looked between the two performers with a concerned frown on your lips, your eyebrows furrowed. “Are you two alright? Why were you running? Is something wrong…?”

The rocker stood up straight with a smile on her face, shaking her hands out as she shook her head. “It’s nothing bad, Your Grace. Whew, I just finished up a real blazin’ performance, so-”

“Halt!”

Your head swiveled in the direction of the shout, seeing the two girls follow suit from the corner of your eye, just to see a couple of Millelith soldiers with gazes solely focused on Xinyan. They came to a stop next to you and the performers, not having to catch their breath like the latter.

The rocker frowned. “Shoot.”

The two soldiers stared Xinyan down, one tapping his polearm on the ground. “Miss Xinyan, you have been charged with multiple fire code violations. You can’t just keep running away from us.”

“The only thing that got burned was the stage I built myself…”

“That’s not an excuse. Someone still could have gotten hurt.”

“Oh, okay… that makes sense.” You smiled at Xinyan. “You were running from the law, huh?”

The sound of your voice, your tone a bit amused, made the soldiers finally take notice of your presence, and the way they were taken aback to realize that it was you made your smile grow just a little bit more. Their eyes went wide, and they seemed to lose any and all strength in their stances — if only for a moment before they corrected themselves, their faces now a light pink.

“Ack- the Divine Creator?”

The soldiers fumbled with their weapons before bowing to you.

“Forgive us for not acknowledging you, Your Grace. It was rude of us!”

“It’s not a big deal, guys. You two are just doing your jobs, focusing on handling crime-”

Your attention briefly shifted itself back to Xinyan, who was clearly trying to tell you something through just her gaze and body posture. Her head made wide turns as she looked between you and the Millelith soldiers, the sparkle in her eyes conveying a plea as dramatic as a rock opera.

“BUT…! You can leave Xinyan to me.”

The rocker pumped a fist at your words, smiling wide once you received her signal.

“I’m sure you have more important matters that take precedence over this situation? I can make sure that Xinyan receives a punishment befitting her fire code violations. Consider it dealt with.”

The soldiers blinked a few times, before glancing at each other.

“Is… is that allowed?”

“It’s the Divine Creator. They should be able to handle it… right?”

They looked back at you after a quiet moment of deliberation amongst themselves, giving you a nod in affirmation. “Very well. We shall leave this matter in your capable hands, Your Grace.”

You continued to smile as you watched the soldiers hesitantly leave, casting glances over their shoulders at you before they disappeared out of your sight, before you looked at the performers.

“...I’m surprised that that worked. I didn’t think they’d accept that I have any authority for this.”

“But it’s a good thing it did!” Xinyan smiled. “Thanks for helping me out, Your Grace!”

Yun Jin hummed as her head tilted. “What kind of punishment would you even give Xinyan?”

You thought for a moment, putting a finger on your chin, before you smiled again.

“Eternal banishment?”

“Aw, shucks.” Xinyan continued to smile brightly, even as faux disappointment laced itself into her voice and a small chuckle escaped her lips. “Ain’t that just a bit too harsh, Your Grace?”

You snorted, rolling your eyes before focusing on the rocker again. “I suppose so. Just be more careful, okay? I doubt you’d actually end up hurting someone during a performance, but still.”

“Since you’re the one saying to, Your Grace…”

You shared another small laugh with Xinyan before noticing Yun Jin perk up, her eyes widening as if she had just had a sudden thought, and you found her red eyes looking right into your eyes.

“Oh, Your Grace, if you have the time, we actually require some of your help-”

“Well, now, what’s with all the commotion here?”

With the suddenness of a cheap indie jumpscare, a familiar figure popped up from between your little trio, springing onto her feet with her usual smile plastered on her face. The question of when she had snuck so close was wholly forgotten as Xinyan, Yun Jin, and you reacted appropriately.

“Wha- Hu Tao!” You clutched a hand to your chest. “Are you trying to give us all heart attacks?”

“Oh, no, no no! It’s far too early for you three!” The unwavering smile of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor director did little too soothe you, especially when she winked. “But… if you’re ever feeling unwell, Your Grace, I hope you’ll choose our humble business to make your exit a smooth one!”

“Director Hu, I highly doubt Their Grace will require our services anytime in the near future.”

“Hehe, you can never know~!”

The director was, of course, accompanied by the parlor’s consultant. His golden gaze moved from his boss to you, a hint of fondness softening the stoic expression displayed on his face.

“Zhongli!” You smiled at the sight of the consultant, Yun Jin and Xinyan greeting him with a bow and a wave respectively. “Am I to assume you two are currently on another advertising kick?”

“Yep, yep!” Hu Tao nodded. “New clients are always guaranteed, but we still must make sure all potential clients know exactly where all their farewell needs will be dealt with the proper respect.”

You hummed before looking at Zhongli. “And how many future clients have you two convinced?”

“The director… managed to get plenty of attention towards our business.”

Hu Tao playfully laughed. “Hey now, only time will tell how many clients take up our offer.”

You snorted and shook your head. “You… are certainly a handful, Hu Tao.”

“Mmm-hmm! But enough about me! What’s been going on with you three? While passing by, I couldn’t help but notice that you three all seemed to be having quite an interesting time together.”

“Just saving Xinyan from the Millelith, I suppose- oh!” You swiveled on your heel to face Yun Jin once more. “Right, you were asking for my help with something? What do you need from me?”

Yun Jin perked up again, seeming to remember she was about to request something before the shock of the funeral parlor’s staff arrival interrupted her, and nodded. “That’s right, Your Grace. I was just going to ask you about… I believe it’s called “Christmas” music? Yaoyao told us about it recently, and we were interested in learning more about it. We hoped that you’d help with that.”

“Huh? Oh, yeah!” Xinyan sported a brief look of confusion on her face before she also nodded, a smile appearing on her lips. “It sounds mighty interesting, Your Grace! I’d love to learn enough to perform music from your world! I’m sure there're plenty of rockin’ tunes you could tell us about.”

It took you a moment to process what they had said.

“You guys… want to learn about Christmas music?”

“Oooh!” Hu Tao leaned over your shoulder. “Music from Their Grace’s world? Count me in!”

Your gaze moved between the three ladies — the rocker, the opera singer, and the poet — who all stared back at you with interested gazes, before it flickered over to Zhongli, whose demeanor was more alert than it usually was around you… which you honestly should have expected; that he of all people would be interested in learning more about you in any capacity was no surprise.

“Uh… I guess I can teach you guys the songs I know? But don’t expect me to write down any of the melodies or anything. I have no skills in musical notation, especially if it’s just from memory.”

Xinyan waved her hand in dismissal. “You can just sing them for us, Your Grace.”

“Wha- wait, what? Me, sing?”

“To hear the Divine Creator sing…” Zhongli mused to himself, arms crossed with a finger held up to his chin. “...that would be quite the honor. It would make Glaze Lilies full-bloom, no doubt.”

You let out a weak laugh. “I-I’m not too sure about that…”

“Aw, come on, come on!” Hu Tao grabbed onto your shoulder, leaning in even closer, her face inches from your own. “Some people would find the chance to hear you sing worthy to die for!”

You took in a sharp inhale as you practically felt the hopes and expectations emitting from the four people around you, and eventually let out a long sigh, your shoulders coming to a slump.

“...fine, but how about we all go somewhere… not so public first?”

- - - - -

The two blue-haired boys in front of you each had a different expression on their face, one of which was a look of concern — though he was clearly trying to keep himself cool at the same time — while the other was fighting to hide the subtle hints of a smirk creeping onto his lips.

Your own face was a perfect display of confusion. “I… I’m sorry? What is this about?”

“Your Grace, I’ve heard rumors of a… a “Christmas” demon! But I’m unfortunately without any knowledge on what type of fiend it may be. I’m going to require your assistance to exorcise it.”

You stared at the young exorcist in front of you for a few seconds before looking to the second son of the Feiyun Commerce Guild, catching him hiding his laughter and disguising a snort that escaped as a cough with a closed fist over his mouth, and you slowly furrowed your eyebrows.

…that explains it.

“Well-” You looked at Chongyun again. “-the only Christmas “demon” I know of is “Krampus”.”

Chongyun raised a hand to his chin. “Such a sinister name… please, can you tell me everything you know about it? I must know as much as I can about the fiend in order to be able to stop it.”

“It kind of depends on who you ask, but, basically, Krampus is a demon who punishes naughty children around the time Christmas is celebrated. You know… the kind of children who cause a lot of trouble for other people, who misbehave and don’t play nice, who lie for no good reason.”

You glanced at Xingqiu, who had gone still with an almost worried smile at your expression.

“He’s covered in dark hair, has horns and hooves and fangs, and a long pointed tongue — oh, and he carries around chains, I think? Sometimes with bells. The punishments he doles out on bad children are stuff like swatting them on the butts with branches… or snatching them away in a basket to who-knows-where. To drown them or eat them… or something along those lines.”

“That… that’s horrible!” Chongyun appeared to actually get a bit heated as you spoke, his hands clenching into tight fists in front of his chest. “I must make sure to stop it before it hurts anyone!”

“Whoa there, Chongyun. Calm down and have a popsicle, ‘kay?” You let your lips curve up into a smile, and put a hand on the exorcist’s shoulder. “Krampus sure is a horrible guy and all… but he’s also fictional; just a character that parents tell their children about to make them behave, to teach them lessons about being nice and stuff. He’s not actually real — well, not that I know of, anyway — and, even if he was, he wouldn’t be anywhere in Teyvat. He’d be stuck in my world.”

Chongyun’s breathing was heavy, his face already flushed, but he managed to take one of his popsicles out and bite into it to calm himself. “Ugh, Your Grace… you could’ve started with that.”

“I know, I’m sorry. I won’t do it again.” You let go of Chongyun’s shoulder. “But how’d you even hear about Krampus? I don’t think I’ve told anyone about him before right now with you two.”

“Xingqiu told me about it.”

The guilty party put his hands up in defense as you looked at him. “H-Hey, I was just having a little fun. I honestly had no idea that there was actually a demon associated with Christmas.”

“An unlucky guess then, huh?” You paused for a moment. “...but how’d you even hear about Christmas? Did Yaoyao tell you about it too? It seems like the talk of the harbor nowadays…”

That innocent line of questioning had a greater chilling effect than his popsicle, it seemed, as Chongyun froze at the moment. Xingqiu stepped in and quickly pushed his friend aside, your hand leaving the exorcist’s shoulder to linger in the air. “She did inform us of it, yes. It sounds like a quaint holiday, so it makes sense that a child such as herself would want to tell everyone she knows about it. I admit, it has even perked my interest too, from everything I’ve been told.”

“...huh, that’s nice. I’m glad everyone seems to be enjoying the concept.”

There was something off about all this, but not in a bad way, so you brushed it off for now.

Xingqiu nodded as he continued to smile at you happily. “But now that that’s settled, we should get going. I’m sure you’ve got a busy schedule, Your Grace. We wouldn’t want to hold you up.”

Chongyun blinked, coming back to reality. “Ah, wait-”

“Tsk, Chongyun, you’re still all red. You should have another popsicle.”

The exorcist didn’t get a chance to speak again before Xingqiu stuffed another tasteless frozen treat into his mouth, the latter then hurriedly pushing his flustered friend away down the street.

“It was pleasant to speak with you, Your Grace!”

The two boys soon disappeared into the distance, leaving you standing there alone.

“Uh… bye, I guess?”

- - - - -

Another day, another surprise.

You blinked a few times, making sure that the lady you were looking at was actually there. You didn’t exactly have a history of having hallucinations, but everything had been… bizarre this last week or so, and it wouldn’t hurt you to just check that you were still all there up in your noggin.

“Lady Ningguang?”

“Your Grace, what a pleasant surprise.”

The Tianquan was calm, politely greeting you with a soft smile on her lips, a smile reserved for you and you alone. Her being was a living display of high-class status, the epitome of luxury…

…and she was currently just hanging out at the docks.

You were not someone who could criticize her for it, though; for some people, it was odd for you to be hanging around Liyue Harbor’s docks so casually, as no one really expected to see one of the gods they worshiped watching the ships or examining the goods of incoming, docked ships.

“Uh… so, what’re you doing here? Taking in the ocean breeze?”

Ningguang chuckled. “I simply have business to discuss with Beidou. It’s nothing of concern, but is important enough that I have decided to come see her myself as soon as she arrives.”

“Wait, the Alcor is docking soon?” You perked up, your gaze glancing between the water and Ninguang, who looked at the water herself. “Wow, my timing’s great! Mind if I wait with you?”

“I’d see it as an honor, Your Grace.”

You got into position beside Ningguang, leaning forward slightly as you looked out at the ships sailing across the nearby waters. The operation at the harbor was always so smooth, orderly, and satisfying — you were embarrassed to admit how much time you had spent just lingering around the docks whenever you visited Liyue, being a bystander to the comings and goings of the ships and the people working here. This time, however, you were trying to focus on spotting the Alcor among the other seacraft, assuming its distinct design would stand out among them.

The moment was quiet, aside from the waves and workers, until Ningguang spoke again.

“Your Grace, I’m planning to do a bit of decorating around the Jade Chamber.”

“Oh?”

“I was thinking about adding a tree.”

You paused for a few seconds, before slowly looking at Ningguang. “A… tree?”

“Yes, a tree. Would you have any suggestions for the type?”

Wow.

You suddenly forgot about every tree you have ever known about.

“Ah, hmm… well, it’s your Jade Chamber. You should choose whichever tree you prefer. I know you’ve got good taste, and will be able to fit anything you choose into your amazing aesthetics.”

“I should choose, you say…? Very well.”

You soon settled back into a comfortable silence, continuing to wait on the docks with subdued excitement pumping through your veins, before finally catching the sight of the Alcor making its way over to the docks. It took a while for the ship to actually dock, having to navigate around the multiple others nearby, but the moment that it had, Ningguang and you made your way over to it.

You passed by some of the crew members unloading various types of cargo, before seeing the captain of the ship walk down the gangplank, who smiled when she saw you and the Tianquan.

“The Tianquan AND Their Grace are here to greet me? Something serious must be up, huh?”

“Oh, no, nothing like that!” You smiled. “I just got lucky to be here as you got back.”

“Haha, you flatter me, Your Grace. I’d typically consider myself the lucky one.”

Ningguang shook her head just slightly, her expression more reserved than yours. “Although it’s not of any major concern, I do have something to discuss with you, Captain Beidou. Shall we?”

“Huh, alright.”

Beidou gave you a nod as she walked off with Ningguang to talk, the two women leaving you on your own. You found yourself curious about what they could be talking about, but figured it would be rude to try and eavesdrop or force yourself into the conversation; that, and your attention was finding itself quickly caught by something — or, rather, someone — else that you noticed nearby.

“Kazuha!”

The lips of the wandering samurai turned up into a smile after he heard you call out to him, your form practically bouncing over to him. His eyes followed your movements as he turned to you.

“Greetings, Your Grace.” He gave you a polite nod. “You appear to be in good spirits.”

You waved your hand to the side, before letting it fall to your side in a loose fist. “Aw, I’m always happy to see you. It’s probably impossible to not be; actually, no, it definitely is impossible.”

Kazuha let out a soft chuckle, his shoulders bouncing with the tiniest movements. “Your words today are as warm as the mid-afternoon sun, Your Grace. I’m glad. How have you been lately?”

“Mmm… normal, I guess. Though it feels like something fishy is going on around the harbor.”

“Oh…?”

You held back a snicker. “Get it? Fishy? But, really, I feel like something’s up.”

“That’s troubling. I can lend you my assistance if you desire?”

“Huh? Oh, no!” You waved your hands in front of yourself, your eyes widening just a bit as you continued to smile. “I’m sure it’s nothing big, and, besides, I wouldn’t want to bog down our time together with worries. I don’t see you often enough since you’re always on the road, traveling.”

“Ah, of course. If you’d like to hear it, I’ve come up with some new poetry since we last met.”

“Oooh! Then go ahead and bless my ears, Kazuha.”

The hustle and bustle of the docks faded away as you chatted with Kazuha, intently listening to each and every one of the poetic words falling from his mouth. You even tried coming up with a few poems yourself, but it was difficult to do it on the fly; the praise Kazuha gave your attempts kept you from being discouraged, though some of the metaphors you tried to use felt a lot more poetic in your mind than when you said them out loud. You were in the middle of thinking up how to describe a certain line in your next masterpiece when you realized a lot of time had passed.

You felt a presence approach from the side, and looked up to see Beidou standing there.

Ningguang was nowhere to be found when you gave your surroundings a quick once-over, her elegant presence absent from the nearby crowds, and that meant she must have left long ago.

The captain looked between you and Kazuha, her smile apologetic when her gaze stopped on you. “Sorry, Your Grace, but I have something to talk about with Kazuha. Hope you don’t mind.”

“Hmm? Oh, well… that’s fine. I should probably be going anyhow. See you around!”

You bid the two farewell, seeing them respond in kind, and started walking away from them.

Beidou kept her eye on you until you were completely gone, and she turned to Kazuha.

“Okay, so, there’s this thing called “Christmas”...”

- - - - -

“Please accept my offering, o’ great adeptus, and bless me with your presence this quiet night.”

“...you don’t have to do that, Your Grace.”

The evening air was cool, gentle breezes rolling in from the distance and brushing against you where you stood on the highest balcony in Wangshu Inn. The lanterns from inside and hanging by the doorway cast a warm glow outwards, giving the balcony a cozy atmosphere despite how it faced the dark landscapes of Bishui Plain, the warm hues of the land hidden within shadows.

Your hands held tightly onto a plate of Almond Tofu — expertly and lovingly crafted by your own hands, you were proud to admit — as you smiled at the familiar figure that appeared before you, the sight of the inn’s resident adeptus never failing to bring you joy. The dim lighting made it hard to tell, as well as his usual distant demeanor, but you swore that he was looking a little flustered.

“Aww, why not? Everyone else does it.”

Xiao crossed his arms over his chest. “But you’re not “everyone else”.”

“Hmph.” You pouted, extending your arms out to present the Almond Tofu to him. “Here, you can at least take this. I made it special, just for you. I worked hard to learn the recipe, from the best.”

He stared down at the plate in your hands for a few seconds, before he slowly uncrossed his arms and carefully took it from you. The adeptus continued to stare at the food you prepared while you stared at him, the faintest hint of a blush on his cheeks — you internally cursed to yourself about the lack of decent lighting in this moment — before he finally took the first bite.

You spent just a moment watching Xiao carefully savor your expert culinary craftsmanship, and then looked out at the water and shadowed silhouettes of the nearby mountains, leaning yourself against the wooden railing of the balcony. The wood was cold and rough within your tight grip.

“...you know, everyone’s been acting really strange lately. Not in a bad way, but still.”

Your lips parted as you sighed, adjusting your arms to have your elbows on the railing.

“Even the other adepti are being weird. I tried to visit Cloud Retainer in Liyue Harbor, but Shuyu told me that she was really busy, even though she’s normally willing to take a break to chat with me whenever I drop by. Don’t even ask me how the other two are doing, I spent a good amount of time looking around their domains but wasn’t able to find them. It just feels like… like I’m being left out of something; like everyone is hiding something from me. Something that feels… major.”

You turned your head to look at Xiao. “Would you have any idea why?”

The adeptus briefly paused, his gaze meeting yours after having seemingly moved to you while you were talking, before wiping off the almond tofu around his mouth with the back of his hand.

“I…”

He hesitated, his eyes shifting away from you.

- - -

“As one of the Divine Creator’s vessels, you HAVE to come.” Hu Tao had a wide smile on her lips, her hands clenched together into tight fists in front of her chest. “Besides, it’ll be totally fun!”

The adeptus looked uncertain, his gaze shifting to the man accompanying the funeral director.

Zhongli met Xiao’s eyes with a soft smile, giving him a nod as well. “Indeed. Their Grace seems to also be quite fond of this “Christmas” business. It would be a shame if you did not participate.”

“Yeah, yeah!” Hu Tao nodded frantically, bouncing into the space between the adeptus and her consultant to direct the attention back to herself. “Come on…! It’ll only be the other vessels and adepti there. There’s no need to be all cautious and standoffish about it, so what do you say…?”

Xiao still looked conflicted, his eyebrows furrowed, before soon letting out a sigh.

“...very well. For the Divine Creator’s sake.”

Hu Tao clapped her hands. “Yay!”

“Just make sure to keep it a secret from Their Grace, if you end up encountering Them before then.” Zhongli looked pleased with Xiao’s answer, although he was much calmer than his boss was. “It’s supposed to be a “surprise party”, so try to avoid spoiling its existence at all costs.”

The adeptus nodded, crossing his arms.

“Got it.”

- - -

You couldn’t say for sure what exactly was going on inside Xiao’s head, but the expression on his face made it look like he was having some kind of internal war with himself, a struggle with the proverbial “rock and a hard place” that left him not looking forward to picking either option he was presented with. This was probably the most readable his feelings had ever been to anyone.

“Uh… hey, you don’t have to answer, Xiao.”

The adeptus appeared to snap back to reality, blinking as he looked at you.

You slightly smiled as you pushed yourself off of the railing. “I can kind of assume what’s going on. I just wanted to make sure that I wasn't going crazy and seeing something out of nothing.”

Xiao’s lips parted, the softest exhale leaving them. “...I can’t lie to you, Your Grace.”

“Then just don’t say anything.”

You winked at him, your tongue sticking out from your lips. “And you should be busy eating the Almond Tofu I made you, anyways. It’s rude to speak while your mouth’s full, don’tcha know?”

Xiao briefly glanced back down at the plate in his hands, before he nodded.

“...okay.”

- - - - -

“Your presence is requested at the Jade Chamber.”

That was what you were told, but you weren’t able to think of any important reason of why that might be. You had always made sure to greatly distance yourself to the extreme from anything major regarding Liyue’s leadership — no political decision-making or “ruling with an iron fist” for you, even if some folks acted like your word was the single most important thing in all of Teyvat.

The Yuheng and the general secretary both knew that about you very well.

“Is… it for something important? Or does Ningguang just want to, like… play chess with me?”

Ganyu and Keqing shared a brief look with each other, before the former looked back at you, a bit of a nervous frown now on her lips. “It’s… nothing bad, but you should go see for yourself.”

“Here.” Keqing gestured for you to follow after her. “We can escort you.”

You looked down at Keqing’s hand for just a moment, before everything clicked.

The stranger-than-usual behavior of everyone lately… the random-but-very-frequent mentions of Christmas… and now you being requested to such a place as the Jade Chamber practically out of the blue. You even thought about how you couldn’t find a single one of the vessels around the harbor today, despite how you walked through the entire city front-to-back and back-to-front and side-to-side, checking each and every nook and cranny with the hope of finding someone.

You smiled.

“Oh, no, that’s okay. I can get us there quicker.”

You grabbed Keqing’s outstretched hand, the warm hue of her face matching Ganyu’s after you had grabbed the half-qilin’s hand too. Your grip was gentle but firm as you stood between them.

“You- Your Grace…”

“H-Hey, wait-!”

Within seconds, you heard the familiar teleporting sound resonate inside your head before you and your two current companions were warped up onto the platform of the Jade Chamber…

…only to hear a muffled thud accompanying a sudden cold, wet sensation that landed on you.

It felt like a worse version of getting an ice cube put down the back of your shirt.

The powdery substance slid off of the upper-half of your face after you blinked your eyes a few times, which revealed to you that what had just covered you was a thick blanket of snow, and it had also trapped Keqing and Ganyu, turning you three into vaguely self-shaped snow mounds.

You were completely befuddled at this situation.

Snow? At this time of year, in this part of Liyue, localized entirely within the Jade Chamber?

You attempted to shift around, eventually managing to catch sight of the cause of the surprise snowfall. There was a strange machine that almost resembled a snowblower from your world, water being poured into one end and snow coming out of an upwards-chute-like exit located on the other end. The snow coming out now fell softly to the ground, unlike what had just hit you.

The one who created the device crossed her arms, pushing her glasses up slightly.

“Hmph. If the Divine Creator wishes for it to snow, then one shall make it snow.”

“Wow, Aunty Cloud Retainer! You’re amazing!”

Yaoyao looked up at the adeptus with awe, clapping her hands with a bright smile.

You continued to look around — as much as you could in your new form as a snowman — and saw several others lingering about the area, all of which had been mysteriously missing today.

The musicians and performers were all gathered near a small stage that had been set up, doing last-minute checks and practice from what you could tell. You took a few moments to take in the sight of it before you snapped out of your thoughts and focused to hear them through the snow.

Gaming shook his hands out, Man Chai following his lead and shaking his whole body out. “Aha, I’ve been practicing for days and everything, but I’m still getting so nervous all of a sudden…”

“Pre-show jitters, huh?” Xinyan stood on the stage, fiddling with her guitar as she looked down at the Wushou dancer with a slight, unsure smile. “Can’t help but have them myself right now too.”

Yun Jin walked across the stage, her head tilted up to check the decorations hanging up. “Their Grace is so kind, there shouldn’t be any reason to worry… but I can understand the feeling.”

“Hey, hey, just don’t get so nervous you have a heart attack.” Hu Tao had the only smile near the stage free of hesitation. “The business would be nice, but it would be way too inconvenient now.”

There was another section where a buffet had been laid out, Xiangling hovering over the spread with her gaze flickering around to all the various dishes, almost like she was looking for anything that needed any last-minute adjustments made. Guoba stood on a chair next to the chef, putting his paws on the edge of the table as he looked between the dishes and at her with a happy aura.

“I had to make a few guesses here and there about the recipes, even with the advice from Their Grace…” Xiangling furrowed her brows before letting out a sigh. “I hope They like everything.”

“I’m sure They will.” Madame Ping had a gentle smile on her face as she glanced at the food the young chef had prepared. “It all looks and smells absolutely wonderful, there’s no doubt about it.”

Beidou nodded and chuckled. “Now, this is what I call a feast! You outdid yourself, Xiangling!”

“It all sure looks… interesting.”

Yanfei tilted her head, her eyes moving down along the long buffet table as she spoke.

“I… I’m having trouble making out what some of these dishes are, though.”

Xiangling smiled at the reassurances. “Oh, don’t worry. I can explain everything, if you’d like.”

Your attention, however, was soon captured by the main centerpiece of the whole occasion: a beautiful Sandbearer tree decorated with lanterns of all colors, all organized to create the most breathtaking sight you had seen all day. There were actually a lot of lanterns hanging around all over, now that you were conscious of their presence; it almost resembled Lantern Rite, in a way.

Well, a Lantern Rite that was being held on a very miniature scale.

“This is very pleasant.” Kazuha looked up at the tree, his hand over his chest. “I never imagined that a “Christmas tree” would look like this. It brings to the mind a kaleidoscope of Crystalflies.”

Ningguang had her arms crossed, also standing nearby to admire the tree she had put up and decorated to a degree befitting her luxurious aesthetics. “I was informed that the tree was to be decorated in lights and ornaments. I believe Their Grace will be quite pleased with the result.”

“Their Grace has some intriguing traditions from Their world.” Zhongli placed a hand to his chin in thought, his eyes briefly breaking away from the tree. “No wonder They spoke of it so highly.”

By this point, you were getting cold. Way too cold. So cold you felt stiff.

You shook the snow off as you took in a deep breath.

“Okay, that was an experience…”

“Your Grace?!”

You felt two dozen pairs of eyes land on your form as everyone’s head snapped towards your direction, the sound of your voice might as well having been a siren to their ears — your arrival had been expected to be normal, after taking the long route instead of the shortcut you chose to take instead, with some semblance of warning. You smiled bashfully, pulling a now-unconscious Ganyu and Kequing out of their snow piles since you were still holding their hands all this time.

“Hehe… guess I’m not the only one surprised at this surprise party, then?”

- - - - -

Today was the day you discovered how good Guoba and Man Chai made for living Warmies, your once-shivering and soaked body able to warm up and dry off after only a short but sweet cuddle session with them. The party couldn’t start until you were comfortable, after all… as well as until Keqing and Ganyu finally regained consciousness and also got themselves warmed up.

…and the start was unforgettable.

“Behold, Your Grace-”

Truly unforgettable.

“-for one has donned the appearance of a Christmas hero spoken of in tales from your home.”

There, standing in front of you, were some of the adepti, and although the three ladies and Xiao were in their human forms at the party, the other two men were not. That included Moon Carver, the one who had spoken to you first when they approached, who proudly stood in front of you in his stag form… with a glowing red nose — likely made possible by adepti magic, you assumed.

You briefly recalled telling Yaoyao and Qiqi about some stories related to Christmas, which, of course, included “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”. Turning slightly away for a moment, you raised a hand to cover the smile slowly growing on your lips as you tried to calm yourself down.

“Yeaaah…” Your voice wavered, you being unable to stop your eyes glancing to and from Moon Carver. “Christmas would’ve been cancelled if not for Rudolph. He’s a… a true hero, alright…”

The snort that slipped from your lips went unnoticed by Moon Carver, the adeptus preening at your approval. The planned festivities luckily continued on before you actually started laughing.

- - - - -

They had only had about a week to prepare, but the musical performance was probably one of the, if not the, best thing you had ever witnessed in your life; most everyone had gathered into a crowd in front of the stage as Xinyan, Hu Tao, and Gaming took their places in the spotlight. You were almost too enamoured with the show to notice how Yun Jin occasionally snuck a couple of glances at you from her spot in the crowd next to you, a smile growing on her lips at your own.

The musicians had taken the songs that you told — or, rather, sang to — them and used them as inspiration to come up with a brand-new Christmas song, complete with Xinyan’s rock guitar and Hu Tao’s iconic rapping. Gaming had even created a special routine to go along with all of it.

“Bravo!” You clapped your hands frantically after the performance finished, a whoop escaping your lips as you cheered. “That was… incredible! I loved it! I’ve never seen anything like it!”

The sense of relief that left the performers’ bodies was noticeable, their forms relaxing as your praise finally casted away all of the tension that had plagued them from their pre-show nerves.

“I’m glad, Your Grace.” Yun Jin smiled. “We only had so much time, but we worked really hard.”

“I can tell.” Your cheeks hurt a little from how much you were smiling, and you tilted your head. “I hope I get to see it again someday. That was way too good to be just a one-time performance.”

Gaming let out a chuckle, a sense of weariness in his tone. “I’d be happy to dance for you again, Your Grace. Just… I still need a moment to calm down from the excitement of the first time.”

“Oh-ho! But I’m ready for round two right now!” Hu Tao pumped her fists as she snickered. “I knew Their Grace couldn’t resist my excellent rhyming skills! I could do this all day, any day!”

Xinyan adjusted her grip on her guitar as she looked back at the stage they performed on. “Uh, I think we may have gone a little overboard with the pyrotechnics, though… even for me, heh…”

You followed the rocker’s gaze to the stage, seeing that it… kind of didn’t exist anymore, with all that remained being a stage-shaped pile of charred wood. Given that three Pyro users had used it for their performance, where they had turned up the heat to give you the show of a lifetime, you should have expected this, especially considering Xinyan’s track record with this sort of thing.

You couldn’t help but let out a small laugh.

“Yeah, okay, I think one performance is enough for today, then.”

- - - - -

“Wow, I didn’t know you had such an appetite, Your Grace.”

Xiangling’s eyes were wide as she looked at your plate, which was piled high with servings from the buffet. There was a little of everything, as you wanted to try all of the different dishes that had been prepared by the chef; some looked traditional, and very close to what you had described to her about, while others clearly had creative choices made during their creation. There were also some traditional Liyue dishes being offered — considering how many people were present at the party, Xiangling really made sure that there would be enough food for everyone to have their fill.

You held your plate carefully in front of you. “I can’t help it. Everything looks so good.”

It appeared that many others also held the same opinion, almost everyone filling up their plates with various dishes from the buffet. There were plenty of options; everyone could eat something.

“What is this…?” Ganyu observed a red jam-like substance in one of the bowls, tapping it gently with the small spoon that was provided for folks to scoop it. “It smells like some kind of fruit…?”

“Ah, that’s Valberry sauce!” Xiangling piped up and moved over to the half-qilin. “Their Grace mentioned a dish made with this type of berry called a “Cranberry”, so I had to find a similar substitute. You should be able to eat it, Miss Ganyu. It doesn’t contain any animal products.”

“What I’m more interested in is that!” Beidou pointed to what-could-be-considered the main dish of the whole spread, her eye and smile both wide. “Now that looks like something real special.”

Xiangling smiled as she made her way over to the captain. “That’s a three-bird roast called a “gooducken”. It’s a chicken inside of a duck inside of a goose. I had to do a lot to get it right.”

Beidou let out a long hum. “Oooh, that sounds impressive! I’ll have a big portion, then!”

“I should try something new too…” Keqing looked between her plate and the buffet, a small frown coming to her face. “...but all that I’ve got on my plate is Golden Shrimp Balls so far…”

“Ah! Chongyun! Qiqi! The cold dishes are over here.” Xiangling directed the two over to one side of the buffet table, waving them over while gesturing to the dishes. “There’s plenty for you to try.”

“Here, I’ll help!” Yaoyao scooped food onto Qiqi’s plate. “This looks good. Make sure to eat it all!”

“Okay.”

Chongyun held his plate away from Xingqiu, his eyes shifting between his friend and the food he was putting onto his plate. “Please don’t try to sneak anything spicy onto my plate this time.”

“Why, I would never.” Xingqiu chuckled, a hand held up in defense. “What a random accusation.”

“Your Grace…” Baizhu eyed your plate as you took a seat next to him, his gaze scanning all of the generous portions you served yourself. “I’m not entirely knowledgeable on how much a god can eat, but make sure not to overstuff yourself. I can’t imagine it’d be good for your stomach.”

“I’ll try, but I can’t make any promises!”

And after stuffing yourself full of Xiangling’s cooking, it felt like a happy mistake in the end.

- - - - -

The party was going well so far; after the performance and initial serving of food, it was nice to see everyone mingling together and having fun. You scanned the area, taking in the groups that the characters formed amongst themselves, before refocusing your attention back on what you were doing: being busy at the “Winter Weather Device” Cloud Retainer built for the occasion.

And snow was actually a lot more pleasant when you weren’t buried under a heavy blanket of it.

“Shenhe, if I ever get into a snowball fight, I’m recruiting you to my team.”

The woman stared at you, seriously. “I would slay all your foes if need be, Your Grace.”

“Aha… snowball fights aren’t that serious, but thanks.”

You continued to pat down the snow you held into a snowball, the cold flakes a higher-quality than what nature ever made. The water used to make them apparently came from the adepti abodes, which, of course, was why the snow was so soft and powdery, like from a fairytale.

“I’m…” Yanfei stood by you, also crafting a snowball in her hands — which shook slightly from the cold steeping into her fingers — at your insistence. “...not sure I see the appeal in this.”

“The appeal is the glory of victory over your foes.”

“...right.”

Yanfei left the snowball she had made in the growing pile by your feet. You watched the younger partygoers play in the snow, stomping around and making vaguely snowman-like structures out of the cold flakes, before you felt someone approach you from behind, and turned to face them.

“Yelan! Hey! I didn’t notice you were here, are you having fun?”

Yelan let out a soft exhale, the warm light of the nearby stone lanterns illuminating her face from below as she faintly smiled. “It’s hard not to have a good time when you’re around, Your Grace.”

“D’aw, you’re just flattering me. I know how you work.”

You snorted as Yelan chuckled at your comment, before a thought struck you.

“Oh! I just realized I haven’t seen you around for a while! Where’ve you been this entire time?”

“Places.”

“Doing what?”

“Things.”

You stared at Yelan for a few seconds, her gaze amused as she stared back.

“...okay, then. Keep your secrets.”

You played with the snowball in your hands, rolling it back and forth between your palms as you briefly pondered all of the mysterious — and probably legally-dubious �� things Yelan must have been up to this past week and a half, before you were snapped out of your thoughts by the sight of a wrapped box being held in front of your face. The hand holding it was Yelan’s, the shiny bow adorning the tiny rectangular container bending in the gentle evening breeze that was blowing by.

The box was pushed into one of your hands, the snowball now held in the other.

“Here. For you. I hear giving gifts is a custom for this little holiday we’re celebrating, hm?”

“Where’d you hear about… no, wait, never mind. I’m not gonna get an answer, am I?”

“You know me too well, Your Grace.” Yelan chuckled again, her eyes narrowing ever so slightly as she smiled at you. “If you were anyone else, that’d be a problem. But if it’s you, it’s just fine.”

You had never felt so lucky to be yourself as you did right now.

“I suppose I’ll let you rejoin the rest of the party now. Everyone worked so very hard to put this whole thing together just for you, I shouldn’t keep you from rewarding them with your attention.”

Yelan turned away from you, glancing over her shoulder as she walked away.

“I’ll be watching. May we meet again soon, Your Grace.”

- - - - -

Despite all of the fun you were having, the party sadly couldn’t go on forever.

The daylight soon blended into night, and with it, the guests started to take their leave. The first to go were the youngest of the characters — Qiqi left with Baizhu and Changsheng, Yaoyao with Cloud Retainer, Madame Ping and most of the other adepti. Yaoyao had even started to doze off at that point, requiring her to be carried by Cloud Retainer. Shenhe also left with the latter group.

Then went the next youngest: Xingqiu, Chongyun, Xiangling, Hu Tao, Yun Jin, Gaming… before they left, you made sure to give both Guoba and Man Chai another extra tight hug for the road.

Those who had work the next day soon followed. Yanfei, Keqing, and Ganyu all gave you polite goodbyes as they left, and Yelan vanished into the dark as easily as she had appeared to you.

Beidou left after saying goodbye to you and Ningguang, who simply headed inside of the Jade Chamber after bidding you a good night. Kazhua left with the pirate caption, his farewell another one of his poems that you were unfortunately too tired to think of one of your own in response to.

The harbor seemed to glow below the Jade Chamber as the city’s lanterns lit up in the absence of the sun. You fiddled with the gift from Yelan in your hands, still wrapped up and unopened.

“Your Grace, would I be correct in saying the surprise party was a success?”

You brought your gaze back up from Liyue Harbor and turned to see Zhongli approaching to stand beside you, his arms politely folded behind his back and his eyes focused on your face.

You smiled, giving him a nod. “Oh, yeah! It was so much fun! And I’m definitely going to figure out how to thank everyone for it, especially Yaoyao and Qiqi since they planned the whole thing!”

His lips turned up into a soft smile. “I’m very pleased to hear you say that, Your Grace.”

Your gaze shifted from the man standing next to you to the roof of the Jade Chamber, and you waved at Xiao to come join you and Zhongli. The legendary boy-adeptus had kept his distance from most others during the party, opting to watch from the rooftops as an onlooker rather than an active participant in it, though you were just happy that he was near all the festive energy.

With a sudden burst of green and black wisps, Xiao was at your side.

You looked at the adeptus with an enthused smile. “Sooo… did you enjoy yourself, Xiao?”

“...as long as the party made you happy, then I’m happy, Your Grace.”

You clutched a hand over your heart. “Xiao… you’re too sweet.”

This felt like the perfect ending to a perfect celebration, and as you looked between the adeptus and the Archon, you only felt all warm and fuzzy — it was almost too much for you. Almost.

“Hey, I don’t feel like sleeping just yet. Let’s go for a walk around the harbor together.”

“We’d be honored to, Your Grace.”

[empathicliar]

⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀𝘪'𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳. ¸.•* 𝘵𝘰𝘫𝘪 𝘧𝘶𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘶𝘳𝘰.

𝟒𝐤. 𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐚𝐬𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐝 , 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐦𝐲 𝐰𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐬 𝐛𝐫𝐲𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐫 𝐜𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐝

༺❀༻ || 𝐡𝐮𝐬𝐛𝐚𝐧𝐝!​toji , 𝐧𝐨𝐧-𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐫!​toji , 𝐣𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐮𝐬!toji , pregnancy , company ua , toxicity , argument , fluff , a little aot crossover because i love armin , mentions of kids , tears.

⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀

" listen, don't go in here acting a fool toji. this is really important to me and its my first time ever being invited to the christmas event. " its sad how much you know your husband when it comes to situations like these. he gets inside of that big head of his and twists a whole different narrative when he feels something off.

toji took those words into consideration and he was fine at first. you mingled with a few of your work buddies. a few ogling at him before realizing that sparkling diamond rock on your finger had been his special doing.

he's observing everything to a t, from the way two male come to hug you and how quickly you introduce them with a adorable grin on your face. he's shaking their hands to hide the glares. he notices the way your close friend, tasha touches your belly and smirks with a glass of wine in her hand, feeling eely when she glances at him for a short second that barely felt intentional.

the impending doom came when it was time for you to greet your boss. the middle aged man has always been somewhat of a greasier. he has untamed brown hair, dark undereye bag's that sagged with every company brand deal they'd ever made. he has a wine glass half full of sparkling champagne in his left hand while the other is used to talk.

" the production company from shibuya took your offer. " allen, your boss is telling you randomly. " great work , fushiguro. " your heart is pounding from the news and your swinging around to ask your husband if he'd heard what allen said.

its then you're realizing he's doesn't care for that. see toji has this thing, this problem actually. he's constantly wanting you to himself. he's clingy – but not boyish clingy, full heart throb clingy. he knows if you were to get this promotion that simple, plain office on the B side of this big building would be left in the past.

you'd be next to this punks office and he doesn't like that at all. he's toxic and he knows it. which is the awful part about it. " i'm sorry mr. parker, can you excuse us for just a second? " you nicely say, dragging the hunk of a man into one of the many empty offices on side b of the building. cornering him, he's annoyedly stating that man was only trying to get in your pants. " you're always doing that 'ji, not every guy is trying to fuck me. " your riling up, hand on the expensive silver celine belt that tugs on your hip.

lavish all black palentine suit pulling everything in snugly, matching that snazzy black Italian classic suit toji is wearing. dark purple Christian Louboutin's heels clanking with every step taken on these polished, extremely loud tiles. he's leaning against the clear desk and to keep your distant and making it known you're disappointed once again, your staying by the door.

" oh come on, your not that ditsy in the head, doll. " your face scrunches with disgust. " are you trying to call me an idiot? " beyond mad, your thinking back to the simple task you gave him. just behave. maybe that's why you're boiling over the pot with rage.

" why can't you just ever be happy for me? " your fist are balled and its taking everything inside of your previously joyous body not to hit him.

" who said i wasn't happy? " he's asking sarcastically, his scarred lip twisting into a subtle smirk. does he think this is a game or something? that you'll sit back and continue to let this be a problem you couldnt stand for anymore?

" you don't have to say anything for me to know you aren't. " he staring at you, not saying a word. you feel its your place to give some insight on your feelings so he can at least try to understand it.. " i'm standing there about to fucking cry from happiness and you just killed my whole mood. "

" then go hip, hip hooray with that fucker then if that's what you want. " he's waving off, knowing the moment you even think about leaving him, he's making a move.

he isn't getting it and its only pissing you off more. you roll your eyes, huffing out a laugh you didn't think you had in you. " you got it bro. " this day was supposed to be remarkable. big plans for not only your future, but the combined future for you, toji and the little surprise laying in your stomach like a pear. you'd never have to go through any financial troubles ever again. yes, the work was going to be hard and stressful but you were doing it for your family. for him.

– and he had no remorse for you. no respect to think about it from your view. your mood is already killed. the only thing calling your name is that lofty bed at home to sleep away this heart ache. 'my big day...' you're thinking with a tilted head down.

" lets just go. " you uttered lowly, opening the door and not waiting for him to move before your already out in the hallway. it almost sounds like he said something, you just cancelled out the sound of his voice and continued walking back to the A side of the building. the elevators awaiting you.

" mrs. fushiguro? are you leaving? " armin, one of the younger staff on the team and a good work friend of yours who refuses to call you by your real name is asking you. he looks a bit out of place from the big crowd but is still ultimately having fun. you nod.

" yeah, i don't want the roads to be to frozen over. " you lie, letting that friendly flowy laugh fall from your throat. armin frowns. " could you wait for just a bit? " confused, your looking around trying to find a reason to. it'll only make you even sadder to have fun knowing the one person you want beside you cant even fathom a bit of happiness for you.

you're upset all over again.

" why? "

" i cant tell you why, but you wouldn't want to miss it. trust me. " your pondering on the words 'i don't have enough time', but he's staring at you with those ocean blue puppy eyes you cant really say no too. your sighing, taking a look back at your husband.

he's walking down the hallway slowly, looking at the paintings of fruits and a few trophies with his hands in his pockets. he looks almost regretful, but that stoic face of his will never truly express how he feels.

" fifteen minutes. " armin nods a bunch and thanks you before hurrying off somewhere that seemed to be a back room. it's the first time you have actually seen him run. it feels weird to be here now, your just standing off to the side like a stranger.

toji is keeping his distant since he knows he royally fucked up this time. you didn't yell but all of one time, that's already telling him he's in the wrong. he's only confused as to one thing, why you're still here. hands on your phone to pass the time instead of talking to the people you introduced him too.

if you changed your mind he isn't to mad about that, he isn't mad at all anymore. was he even mad in the first place? he's doubting everything he felt only because one look at those sad eyes of yours have him punishing himself internally.

is today the day you decide your done with him...?

he knows he deserves it and it serves you right to want better but he'll be damned if you tried to leave him. you're his wife, he made that known the moment you two engaged in conversation. it was always something about you.

butterflies in his stomach , the actual need to slow his pace down and start slow with something. you're wonderful – a hard working women he could never lose. its his own fault for the way he acts, he knows it isn't fair to blame it all on you.

he just ugh, he cant help it. you bring attention anywhere you go. not only are you gorgeous, you treat yourself like a goddess because you know you are one. you didn't need him to tell you that for you to have some self confidents. independent as hell, breaking your own self down even while someone is trying to help.

that's one of the things he loves about you, but in this situation he hates it. he hates how easily he shattered your dreams , your wants. he couldnt recall a time where you weren't talking his head off about this job, then you got it, and it was like the room fell in awe.

he's happy for you. words couldn't describe how happy for you he is. it was just the thought of someone here being better for you than he is that kept him from being super supportive. better mentality , better lifestyle. someone who can match that level of ' go getter ' that he couldnt.

like that nasty boss of yours who eyed you down like candy even when he was standing right there. the respect he had for that punk was gone the minute it formed and maybe you hadn't notice, and that's why you were so angry. oh he fucked up, this is worse than he ever had. that wall of vulnerability he didn't mean to repair is written all over your-

almost happy face. what has he missed?

" and this for you, for putting your all in and making a way for us to secure a permanent spot with shibuya's production company. we wouldn't have been able to do it without you. " allen says, presenting a big box with your name on it. its being carried by armin and ollie to the front of the room.

people are staring at your stunned face, smiling and clapping and you have no idea what to do. you only look at toji who's giving you one of those thoughtful smiles that make the scar on his lip quiver.

" this is really heavy. " ollie said, sitting the box down in front of you with a rough groan. " what's in it? " your quietly asking, ollie looks like he's about to tell you but armin punched his shoulder, shaking his head with sass.

you feel like a kid on christmas again, opening a gift while all the adults await you on. is it a barbie house, or that new rapunzel princess dress? is what the child in you is thinking. the adult version is beyond confused. you reached down, thankful for being in this classy suit.

you scratch a bit of tape off and begin to undo the bright green, white and blue colored wrapping paper with snowflakes. you pull the wrapping paper off and gasped. " you're fuc- freaking joking!? " the minute the top pieces of paper is off, you see the gift. its a ninji foodi pro air fryer, its sad how you know exactly how much it cost too.

it feels like tears are welling in your eyes and its either because of the thought or these new hormones' you hadn't gotten accustom too yet. everyone and maybe their own families too knows how much you've been wanting a air fryer and not the cheap one either. that's why you never pulled the trigger on it.

it feels like that barbie house is in your lap all over again, you touch the front then look up at your co-workers – your friends and laugh. " thank you guys. " you pull the two closet people into a hug armin and ollie, they laugh in your ear and you pull away quickly.

tasha is already walking up to you, eyes squeezed shut while she hugs and wobbles you around. " i love youuu. " your saying in her ear, they don't even realize how much it means. its not just a air fryer anymore, its the fact that they changed your mood entirely.

you going around the room now, everyone is getting a hug expect for your boss. you keep it professional even though he was the one who bought the gift. you shook his hand and gave him a thankful smile he takes with gratefulness. " better get going, that ice isn't playing around. " you gave him a weary look then it hits you. that lie. " oh, yeah right. thank you again mr. parker. "

" allen. " you nod. walking off. you completely forget your husband was even in the building if honesty was coming into play. he's making his presence known by picking the heavy box up with ease.

the office is waving goodbyes, jazzy music turning back up with your departure. its quiet while you two walk to the elevator and while you press the number one on the elevator numbers and while he's loading the air fryer in the car like a baby.

it's even quieter the whole ride home only because he hadn't said anything. if he wanted to talk, you would talk. your mature to a limit. the outside lights are on and your staring out the window, getting a good look at your rocky front yard.

its only when you step out of the car and go towards the side the air fryer is on, toji is speaking. " i'll get your things. " his deep voice replays in your head, you want to start something or start a sentence that could eventually lead to him apologizing but you don't. you just... you don't have the energy for it.

walking on the bare, cold concrete with your heels in one hand, you fondle with the house key. the car door slams shut around the same time the lock is clicking. walking into the house, your puppy, kone is running towards the door, little barks alerting the so called intruders.

" it's me konnie. " bending down to touch his fluffy fur, you grin when he's twisting around to lick your hand. " excuse me. " there's a lot wrong with toji saying that. first, it seems like he's finding little things to say to you that don't even make sense, and second, your not even in his way?! he's trying to go to the kitchen that has nothing blocking it. you almost laugh.

you only 'mhm' your way through a 'can you shut up please'. instead, you stand up with your baby and creep into the bedroom, shutting the door on your way in. you have no idea what time it is, no idea what to say to toji right now. all you can think about is the one rule you both agreed on.

never go to bed upset at one another.

it seemed easy in the moment, interlocking pinkies to seal the deal. luckily all the other incidents happened in the early mornings. not when your feet are screaming of pain and your eyes are dead-set on staying close when you blink them.

yawning, you unbutton the suit slowly, palm brushing against that lacey bra you couldnt wait to take off.

knock.

you know its toji knocking and this is technically his room too, but you don't let a come in slip from your pretty lips. " what? "

" can i come in.. " he pauses. " please. " back turned away from the door, you snicker and take a deep breath. ' gotta' stay mad. ' you replied with a soft yeah and continued undressing. undoing the black belt with ease.

the door crept open, squeakily and kone barked before seeing his dad. it's unknown to you what happens while your back is turned but shuffling of sheets is a main soundwave and the light blue bell on kone is constantly ringing.

shrugging those uncomfortable suit-pants off, you sigh out in content. placing one singular hand on your stomach and walking into the master bathroom. you stayed in there for a good while, letting the water run in the shower twice as long to think. it takes time for you to come up with words.

– not because you lack the skill to form sentences but only because you lack the empathy to not hurt someone's feelings, such as toji's. there was a lot you could've said earlier. a lot of things he wasn't going to like to hear but you kept your cool. classy for someone who had scarred palms from digging to hard into their hands.

you rub the scar. then you move on to the red indents around your bra strand. its deep, nipples sore from being held hostage for too long. your running a hand down to your stomach, looking to the side to see if the little bump forming is noticeable. everything leaving you uncomfortably irritated. you shower, using that time to reflect on the past. the happy moments. not these ones.

wrapped in a root brown towel, you stepped out of the bathroom feeling ten times better than before. the steam is exiting the wide door like a sauna and toji, who's still up, no longer in that sexy ass suit and perched on the headboard looks at your big entrance.

too obsessed to not sit and stare, he does so, teasingly. those sharp eyes of his trail down your body like a basket of freshly baked cookies. he licks his lips and damn near passes out when you drop the towel like its nothing.

he clicks his tongue on the top of his mouth, trying his hardest to pull away from the sight of your plush ass even while you bend down to grab some fresh underwear. " let's talk. "

" about? "

" you know what. "

" i really don't. " your a bit muffled with how deep your reaching into the closet, he deserves to see what he could've had on a silver palter tonight.

toji grumbles something under his breath and you don't catch it properly, knitting your eyebrows, you pull one of his t'shirts out and throw it on. " what'd you say, i didn't hear you. "

" can you not do that? " with a shit eating simper on your lips, you turn to finally look at the man. his face is beet red, mind tied up from so many emotion, he doesn't know if he wants to charge at you and kiss you or beg his way into your panties.

" do what toji? "

" you're so fuckin' difficult for no reason woman. " he pats the bed. " let's talk, c'mere. " stubborn, but not immune to the kinder side of toji. you listen. trancing to the bed, hopping on knee first instead of cuddling to his side.

" well? " you say, sappy smirk on your face.

" give me a second. " your shaking your head, he had at least forty minutes to think. in truth, that's another reason why you took an eternity in the shower. to give him enough time to come up with a proper apology.

sitting in silence, your finding things to do. petting kone's sleeping form. puppy exhausted from doing absolutely nothing all day. bunching your hands on the back of your ankles, soothing the ache that pounds the moment you apply pressure.

it gets to a point where your thinking about the whole day again. from the moment you drove over to the party, music blasting, all around in a good mood. to the middle – where nothing seemed appeasing anymore and the unmade bad you were beginning to be un-fond of became the best thing in the world.

" alright, i'm sorry. " pushing your head up, you look at toji and hum. " what? "

" that's all you have to say? " you reply in a monotonal tone, eyes low with discernment.

" yes, i apologized didn't i? " that confident yes, almost turned into a no easily when he noticed you weren't rushing to put him in his place. he hates when your submissive, its hard to read what your thinking up in that smart head of yours.

" right. " disappointment has passed. together for two years, married for one and he still couldnt sum up a better apology. your coping with it in your own way. in silence. shuffling the sheets back to get inside of them, he's talking again.

" wait, your not mad at me? " he says in disbelief. you turn on your side, facing away from him. " oh i am, i just don't have the time for this. " you say with calmness, shutting your eyes to keep yourself from crying.

he smacks his lips. " i'm not gonna' apologies for being upset about him checking you out. "

" okay and i'm not going back and forth with you if you think that's the only reason why i'm mad. " you snap, fisting the pillow for added comfort. toji's rolling his eyes like a teen, tough back still laying on the wooden headboard.

" then tell me what the problem is. " you ignore him, shutting your eyes again to end the day faster. not going for the silence, toji wraps his hand around your shoulder and turns you around manually.

you gasp, holding his wrist. " |⋆|, " he's saying a lot chiller than he was before. it seems like nothing is going to be said after that, well not until toji's eyes are softening. " just talk me to baby, make me understand. " those prickly tears you tried to ignore swelled your eyes and instead of squeezing his wrist to cut the circulation, you hold it for dear life.

" your so mean 'ji, i just wanted to have fun today. " you hiccup, gnawing on your lip to suppress those icky wheezes. toji's in a panic state, never knowing what to say when you're crying. he just feels around – holds you until you're the one unlatching from him.

that's exactly what he does, bringing his big arms around you and cradling you like a deer. his eyes are closed and his heart is breaking knowing those hard cries are because of him.

" i know baby, i'm a dickhead. i'm sorry. " he's repeating in your ear and only making it worse. cries turning into silent plea's of do better. he's holding you tight, fingers dancing along your lower back in a sway. body slightly shivering when you dig your nails into his shirt.

its like the air isn't forming inside of your body, a complete crybaby in his arms for a good reason. in truth, its surprising you how hard you're breaking down. then those two words you had been preparing to say for two weeks now is back. on instinct, your pushing toji away from your belly but never breaking the sappy hug.

" what's wrong? " toji whispers with concern in the crease of your neck, nerved with how fast your heart is pounding now. you swallow, finally cracking your eyes open to see the many puddles your tears had left.

you take a deep breath, then you spoke. " i'm pregnant. " toji stills in your arms, he stops rubbing circles into your back. its like he frozen and hadn't even noticed it himself.

" y-your what? " you know he heard you, his body language spoke before he could. you push him away from your soft skin and keep a grip on his chin. staring right into his eyes. " i'm pregnant toji... " eyes wide, he doesn't know whether to smile or ask when it could've happened. he chose the ladder.

" since when? "

" i don't know. i'm over a month along... you know that's what happens when you cum in someone three times in a row. " he can't help but to laugh at your attempt at going back to normal, he's pulling you back in – scared to death from the news and being extra careful around your tummy now, but not backing down from his role as a husband.

" could've made it a big surprise. " you smack the meaty part of his forearm. " i was going to but you pissed me off. " he sighs contently, glad to have you smiling and not completely mad at him still. he kisses the clothed piece of your shoulder, cold lips hovering.

" 'promise ill be better for you... and the baby. "

©𝙀𝙈𝙋𝘼𝙏𝙃𝙄𝘾𝙇𝙄𝘼𝙍 any sort of stealing or modifying is prohibited, mess with your momma not me.

[devilmen-collector]

Hell Palaces' Christmas Trees

You know in palaces, hotels and other places like the White House, they literally have a big main Christmas tree in the hall or a special room, so this post will be a headcanon about the main Christmas tree in the palace of each country in Hell.

Christmas was never a major celebration in Hell. That was the case until you came to Hell. Now every devil in Hell celebrate Christmas with beautiful decorations and ofc, Christmas tree is a must.

Each king has a big Christmas tree set up in the main hall of his palace, with different decorations and themes, unique to each country.

Gehenna

As the country with the most beautiful scenery in Hell with the capital and streets look like a scene from a European town in pre-modern period, Gehenna possesses the most vibrant and lustrous forests in Hell. That's the reason why they have a lot of trees to make Christmas trees.

Gehenna palace's Christmas tree is the tallest (Satan insists), with most diverse decorations.

The decorations ranging from Zagan's talismans, Paimon's hanging stickers, Leraye's headless teddy bears, Amy voodoo doll... Wait, Amy voodoo doll??? SITRI!!!!!!!

There are also small replicas of the Red Lumps hanging on a tree.

Tartaros

They don't use a real tree. Mammon set up a big golden tree with silver leaves.

Most of the decorations are precious stones like rubies, emeralds, sapphires, etc.

You can't look straight at the tree for too long because it's too bright.

Eligos managed to stick some pink ribbons on the tree.

Hades

Second most traditional theme with Hades's tree, only after Paradise Lost.

A lot of purple decorations, the color that signifies both Leviathan and the Descendant of Solomon (both share the same color, so it must be fate, you see).

You can find a Hades devil being hung on the tree as decoration almost everyday.

Abyssos

Abyssos devils hang most unconventional things on the tree, from chokers to guns.

Beel puts random things on the tree, such as his spending bills, to irritate the hell out of Bael.

Stolas got angry once after seeing a picture of him pouting hanging on the tree, he immediately took out his guns and shot randomly. Thank goodness Bael, Naberius and Amon were able to intervene in time to protect the tree.

Got multiple protection spells put on it to protect it from the chaos of Abyssos.

Paradise Lost

The tree with most traditional decorations. Lucifer believes honoring tradition is important and beautiful traditional decorations help improve patients' moods.

Maybe the only country to have Nativity scene displayed near the tree.

Miniature versions of Jjok and dragon Gamigin are also used as decorations, the only departure from tradition theme.

Niflheim

All the decorations are recycled trash, however, that doesn't mean the decorations are ugly or unsightly.

Miniature version of Harumon is hung on the tree, which makes Harumon extremely happy.

They have some fake oranges on the tree as well, as per Agares's request.

Abaddon

...

I don't think the tree will survive. Especially with the horny Asmodeus who may use the tree to pleasure himself.

Even if the tree survives, it will be in a state I don't want to talk about.

[angelwings-crossbowstrings]

Let Your Heart Be Light

Pairing: Daryl Dixon x Fem!Reader

Setting: Alexandria Era

Warnings: None

Summary: You want to make the holidays something special for Daryl. Throw in a little Christmas magic and it just might mean something more to you too.

*gif is not mine

This run hadn’t been about gathering supplies or intel. This run had been about making a holiday for Judith. The adults understood that just being alive and together were gifts. But little Jude? Smart as she was— and she was smart —hadn’t yet grasped that concept. 

Things had already been gathered for her by everyone else, but Daryl had never really celebrated as a kid. Never gave gifts or received them. Before Alexandria, there was never a reasonable sense of safety that allowed for celebration. This would be a first for the archer. When you asked what he had found or made for the little girl he so obviously adored, he had appeared gutted. Of course, you had offered to go with him and help him find something. 

The sky was thick with purple clouds as you burrowed into Daryl’s back and tilted your face upward just enough to watch the puffs of lavender magic float carelessly across the limitless expanse. The wind was icy but the elements never seemed to bother the hunter. You, on the other hand, were freezing your proverbial balls off. Your heavy jacket, gloves, scarf, and toboggan hat did little against the onslaught. You couldn’t help but wonder how Daryl hadn’t turned into an ice archer. You also weren’t above pondering why the fuck he had insisted on taking the motorcycle!

When the bike rolled to a stop outside a little strip mall, you could hardly wait to jump off. You squealed about your ass being numb and zipped past him and up to the first door. Daryl started to intervene but swiftly shut his mouth when you acted accordingly, tapping the blade of your knife against the window to lure any walkers. 

When none shuffled forward, you gave him a thumbs up. “You start on that side, I’ll go here. Look for coloring books, crayons, stuffed animals. Nothing with small pieces that she could choke on.” You advised, watching him nod blankly. You smiled at his adorable cluelessness and ducked inside, willingly leaving him on his own. Usually you would pester him to stay together but you had your own search to conduct. Judith wasn’t the only one getting a gift this year. 

You did intend to help Daryl as you’d promised, but you had some selfish reasons for coming along as well. You hadn’t heard if anyone else had come up with something for the archer, but you sure as shit would. He was your best friend. Your person. This would be the start of happy memories for the season.

None of you could be sure when Christmas actually was but hell, it didn’t really matter at the end of the world. Decorations had been found here and there, enough to decorate Rick and Michonne’s house. You’d all gather there so it made the most sense. 

The store you had chosen appeared to have once been a pawn shop. Toys were in abundance so you took a moment to grab a babydoll and a stuffed monkey before heading to the display cases. The glass had long ago been broken and weapons all swiped. That wasn’t what you were looking for anyway. You wanted something less—violence oriented. No jewelry either. He wasn’t the type. You would know the perfect gift when you saw it. 

And you did. 

Grabbing it up, you stuffed it and the toys into your rucksack and headed to the next mall space, hoping it held what you needed to go along with the first present. Considering how certain items were treated like gold in those times, you didn’t hold your breath. 

You had to be sneaky or Daryl might catch on, considering the type of store. You watched for him while repeating the process to check for walkers. Met with silence, you ducked inside. Pickings were slim— almost nonexistent—just as you’d expected. You had just allowed yourself to be bummed when you spotted one peeking out from beneath the counter. After a short happy dance, you hid this one in your bag as well.  You grabbed a few newspaper pages to use as wrapping paper and started to open the door when you saw the archer walk by and into the pawn shop you had just vacated. 

Perfect!

Stepping outside, you moved off the walkway and waited for him. He emerged a moment later, looking a little concerned. 

“Thought ya’d still be in there.” He huffed, holding out two coloring books—one of safari animals and the other, Dora the Explorer—and a box of crayons with two missing. 

“Were you worried, mister Dixon?” You smiled sweetly while taking the items to place in your bag. “Hey!” You dissolved into giggles when he pulled the front of your toboggan hat down over your face. He was already walking back toward the back by the time you fixed it. “I found a couple of toys too!”

“Got what we came for.” He swung a leg over to straddle the bike and waited for you to climb on. “Let’s head back. Snow’s comin’.” You grumbled and secured your scarf around the majority of your face. “S’the matter? Don’t like snow?”

“I love snow. Just not on a motorcycle.”  Taking your place behind him, you wrapped your arms around his middle and went ahead with burying your face in his back. You felt more than heard his chuckling. 

Without a way to predict the weather, there was no way of knowing that scattered flurries would soon turn into a complete whiteout. Daryl had pushed the bike as far as he could before the snow on the ground became too dense. You hated watching him leave it behind, but if he was distraught, he didn’t show it. 

You both had your packs, yours full of gifts and Daryl’s stuffed with a little food, a canteen, and scant medical supplies. You’d be okay for a day or two until the weather cleared. You had radioed home while the archer brought the fireplace to life. Your signal was choppy but the message was received. 

A little while later, the snow was surging down outside, making it impossible to see even the trees that were littered around the small cabin the two of you had stumbled upon. Literally. You’d almost walked into the side of it with the limited visibility. 

Your coats were hanging up near the fire to dry. You had a small meal of jerky and an apple. Now the two of you sat quietly, the silence not uncomfortable. You were bummed that you couldn’t make it back for Daryl to give Judith the gifts. More disappointed for him, really. This was supposed to give him good memories. 

Your gaze left the winter wonderland on steroids to shift over where the archer was perched by the fire. He was holding the stuffed monkey while he stared into the flames. Standing from the chair by the frosty window, your bare feet hardly made a sound as you padded across the room to sit cross-legged by his knees. 

“Don’t be sad.” You folded your hands on his thigh and rested your chin on them, looking up at him from under your lashes. 

Those ice blue eyes slid over to you and held your gaze before he looked away with a dismissive pfft, tossing the stuffed animal on top of his rucksack. “Ain’t sad.”

The smile you gave him was soft, sympathetic. “Yeah, you are. But you shouldn’t be. She’ll be just as excited tomorrow as she would have been today.” Your head tilted, smile broadening. “Judith doesn’t care what day you give her a gift. You’re Uncle Daryl. She’ll beam at you like you hung the moon no matter what.”

One corner of his mouth ticked upward. He hummed and ruffled your hair, the other side of his lips mirroring its counterpart. Sitting back, you swatted his hands away with an exaggerated series of waves. 

“We can still make this special.” Teeth worried your bottom lip but you fought to push down the anxiety slithering around in your tummy. When the archer tilted his head, waiting for an explanation, you crawled across the floor and reached into your bag. The newspaper wrapping was sloppy with no tape or bows to make it nice but it was the end of the world. You worked with what you had. Shuffling back to him on your knees, you sat back on your heels and held out the black and white papered mess. “Here.”

His face was unreadable, that scowl firmly in place as he stared at your offering. You would have felt dejected had you not seen the myriad of emotions steadily streaming through those pretty blue eyes. After what felt like hours, Daryl cleared his throat and reached for the wadded mess. 

“Ya didn’t—uh—ya didn’t hafta do nothin’ like this.” It was easy to discern the slight tremor in his hands. 

“Yeah, I did. I wanted to.” You wiggled back and forth, both eager and nervous for him to unwrap it. When he just held it, you stilled. “What’s wrong?”

“I, uh—” The archer carefully lowered the gift to his lap but kept his hands around it, his thumb rubbed back and forth across the newspaper. “Never really had stuff like this growin’ up—presents an’ shit.”

Rubbing your lips together, you placed a hand on his knee, just beside the gift. He didn’t look away from it. “Just open it when you’re ready. I’m in no hurry.” Keeping your hand where it was, you maneuvered into your previous position: cross-legged with your chin on the very edge of his leg. 

He was committing the moment to memory. You could tell by the way he studied the object, tilting it back and forth just so. But this is what you wanted; to break through the past he had suffered with thoughts of a future full of new memories to make. And to share. 

He cleared his throat again. It was then that you noticed the shine of moisture holding steady on his waterline. “I—got ya, uh—I got ya somethin’ too.” He balanced the gift on his lap with one hand and dug around in his pocket before finally pulling out a small, blue drawstring bag. So much hesitance; he started to hand it over before pulling it back. He did that three more times before he allowed you to take it. 

Now, your eyes began to leak. “Oh, Daryl.” You pulled the little bag toward you and pressed it against your chest. Whatever was concealed inside was hard and twisted but you didn’t venture to guess. You wanted complete surprise. 

His eyes flitted between your gift and his. Still, he made no move to open his own. The present you’d given him was quite a bit larger. Maybe he was worried that that somehow bothered you. When he finally looked up at you, your heart clenched. He was adorably lost. 

“Open it?” You suggested gently, lowering your hands to your lap with the small bag visible in your cupped palms. He was chewing on the inside of his bottom lip for several seconds before he slowly began to unfold the paper. You watched with bated breath as the items were revealed, studying his demeanor as discreetly as possible. If he didn’t like it, you wanted to know for next year. 

Next year. A bittersweet thought. How many of you would even still be there to see it? You minutely shook away the distressing notion and just in time, too. 

The corners of his mouth slowly lifted into the smallest yet most genuine smile you’d ever seen him wear. A calloused finger traced over the image of a motorcycle on the shiny Zippo. There was a carton of cigarettes and a small container of lighter fluid as well but the lighter had his complete attention. 

“Now look, mister. I don’t condone your habit but I figure we all need our guilty pleasures now more than—”

“Thank you.” So soft that you barely heard it. 

You melted in an instant into a gentle smile that he didn’t see, hiding behind a fringe of dark hair. “You’re welcome.” You waited him out. He was having a hard time with the entire concept and you may have heard a quiet sniffle but no, you didn’t. 

“Ya gonna,” he cleared his throat and sniffed, “ya gonna open yours?” You looked down at the bag, seeing him wipe his face on the back of his hand from the corner of your eye. You’d never tell him, though. You’d let him keep that one. 

You were careful with your expression, keeping the excited gleam in your eye as you pulled the top of the bag open. It could be an acorn and you’d adore it because it was Daryl who went through the trouble of finding such a pretty little bag for it. Just for you. 

You dipped two fingers inside, curling them around cold metal, prodding your curiosity. What you began to pull out was a thin, braided chain. It was still a shiny silver. You weren’t even sure what it was made from and it didn’t matter. It would remain around your neck even if your skin turned green. Still, once the entire thing was revealed, it wasn’t the chain that held your focus. 

Your inquisitive gaze lifted to find his cheeks a shade of pink and one hand rubbing at the back of his neck. 

“S’a—well, s’a hex nut.” Your head tilted. “From my bike.”

You stared at him in complete awe, knowing that when he finally looked at you, he was going to panic but you’d settle him once you worked through your own emotions. You carefully placed the chain over the edge of your hand so the nut laid in your palm. It was small with small knicks and dark areas, indicating use. You were so enthralled with it that you didn’t feel the tear escaping down your cheek. 

“Know s’stupid but—” 

His arms shot out to the side when you collided with him, your arms tight around his shoulders and face against his neck. Once the initial surprise had worn off, he wrapped one arm around you and then the other, his cheek against the top of your head. 

“Thank you.” You whispered. “This is the best gift anyone’s ever given me.” When he huffed out a laugh, you sat back and wiped at your face with the tips of your fingers, the necklace he’d made for you still dangling from your hand. “Don’t say a word. I’m not just blowing smoke up your ass. It’s really the most thoughtful gift I’ve ever been given.” Your hand traveled out to rest against his cheek. “And I love it. Will you put it on me?” 

“Um, okay.” 

You beamed at him and held out the chain, spinning around and gathering your hair out of the way. Daryl was hesitant, you could just picture him trying to work through how to get it around your neck without invading your space. You knew it was impossible but you’d let him figure that out on his own. 

Finally you felt him reach over your right shoulder, then your left, to part the two ends and pull them back to fasten against the back of your neck. Your breath hitched when his fingertips lingered against your skin for a moment longer than necessary. 

“There ya go.” 

Your skin felt colder when he pulled away but you didn’t linger on it. You turned to face him, holding the piece out so you could look down at it with a brilliant smile. 

“Thank you.” You said again, twisting the gift back and forth. 

“You’re welcome.” He mumbled. 

Shimmying closer, you laid your head against his leg and looked at the fire, fingertips still brushing against the cool metal hanging from your neck. Above you, he was flipping the lid of the Zippo open and closing it repeatedly, as if it was the first one he’d ever seen. You were admittedly surprised he hadn’t already lit up at least three cigarettes.

“You did replace the nut you took from the bike, right?” You erupted into giggles when he bounced his leg and jostled your head.

It was almost comical to you that Daryl was this tough badass but so shy when it came to even someone as close as you were to him. It was incredibly endearing. Tilting your head back, you smiled up at him. He responded by placing his hand over the entirety of your face, his expression remaining neutral. You still saw the twinkle in his eye when you freed yourself. 

Then your smile disappeared, replaced with a sudden look of bewilderment. The archer noticed immediately, brow drawing in concern. 

“What?”

You weren’t looking at him though. You were looking past him, at the ceiling. Slowly you sat up straight, tilting your head while holding your gaze steady. Daryl finally followed your line of sight to the area above your heads. 

There, hanging from the wooden rafters, was a branch of what appeared to be fresh mistletoe. A red bow was tied prettily around the stem. 

“Is that—” You began. 

“—mistletoe.” Daryl finished. 

Both your heads lowered, your eyes meeting. You could tell from the way he looked at you that he wasn’t ignorant of the tradition. Your own cheeks had grown warm just as you watched the subtle flush settle over his. 

You should have been questioning the presence of the plant. How it got there. Why it looked new in an otherwise desolate, dusty cabin. 

But those inquiries paled in comparison to the way Daryl’s eyes flitted down to your lips and back up. 

“Be a shame to go against tradition.” You reasoned. 

“You’re the expert.” He gave a single-shouldered shrug. 

With a soft breath past your lips, you sat up on your knees, inching a little closer. Daryl moved toward the edge of the chair, leaning down slightly. You were so close that you could feel his breath against your lips.

“Merry Christmas, Daryl.”

A beat. 

“Merry Christmas, Y/N.”

When your lips met, nothing else mattered. 

Not the snow that now fell in gentle flurries. 

Not the motorcycle that now leaned against the wall just outside. 

And certainly not the bare rafters above your heads where nothing was hanging.  

[chrystal-ink]

Shadvent Calendar Day 14

Shadow X GN Reader

Christmas lights

The list of things Shadow will protect with his life is simple you, the earth, team dark, and his bike.

Being able to touch his bike is a ride of passage few have earned, even fewer have actually ridden on it, You being the only one Shadow has ever allowed. It was always a special occasion whenever he let you, your first date, the first time you spent the night, and the day the two of you moved in together are prime examples.

Tonight however, was really something special.

"Put this on." Shadow said throwing you some of your clothes. you were already in your comfy pants getting ready to wind down for the evening when he made his demand.

"What? Why?"

"Were going out."

"Now? nothing's open anymore darling."

"Don't worry, you'll love it I promise were taking my motorcycle."

That was all you needed to hear, you grabbed the clothes and put them on without a second thought. Whenever Shadow wanted you on his bike good things followed, and you were not about to pass this opportunity up.

making your way out of the house Shadow was already waiting for you atop his bike. the way he looked in the moonlight was enough to make your knees weak.

"you look nice tonight"

"you picked my outfit"

"Well I have good taste." he smirked "Now get on we have a long drive ahead of us."

You obeyed climbing onto the beloved motorcycle pulling yourself close to him as you wrapped your arms around his torso. This was your favorite part about riding with him, being able to hold him as close and as tight as possible.

"Ready my love?"

"Always."

"Good but before we go I need you to do something for me."

"What is it"

"keep your eyes closed, and don't open them until I say so."

you agreed choosing to take the risk he obviously planned the whole night and who were you to question it.

you heard him roar the engine and a few moments later the two of you were off.

The chill wind felt cool against your face as you rested your head against Shadow's back, streetlights shined through your closed eyelids as you passed, the familiar scent of lavender lulled you into a state of bliss as your beloved partner whisked you off to your destination. An hour had passed when shadow slowed the bike to a stop.

"okay you can open your eyes now"

cracking your eyes open a cascade of colorful lights surrounded you.

rows and rows of houses covered in twinkling lights and beautiful displays were before you, people walked the sidewalks admiring the works of art before them. Displays danced to music bringing you back to your childhood

"I found this place not too long ago on my way home, do you like it?"

"It's beautiful"

Shadow smiled as he slowly drove down the street.

you looked at each house in awe at the work and dedication these people took to bring joy to complete strangers.

the two of you drove around for hours talking about the different displays, you described childhood memories of looking at the lights in your neighborhood, pointed out your favorite lights, all while you got to snuggle your boyfriend.

"That was incredible." You said on the way home.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it my love, I have one more surprise for you."

he pulled up to your house and handed you a small button

"Press that for me darling"

you obeyed and as soon at the button was pressed your house was illuminated in beautiful Christmas lights shining red, green, purple and blue, outlining your roof.

"How did you do all of this?" you said nearly in tears.

"I asked Rouge and Amy to help while I distracted you."

You looked at Shadow feeling the same butterflies you did when you only had a crush on him. How did you get so lucky? Clearly you must have done something truly remarkable in order to deserve someone as wonderful as him.

as soon as the two of you got off his bike you gave him the most passionate kiss you had ever given in your life. pulling him in as you communicated through your lips the true depth of your love for him. he returned the kiss cupping the side of your face bringing the two of you closer than ever. The kiss lasted two minutes but you could have gone on for eternity.

After the two of you broke apart you stared deeply into his eyes you made sure he was staring back into yours so he could see and know beyond any shadow of a doubt that you meant every word you were about to say, that even a thousand years from now he could still look back and know you were telling the truth.

"I Love you Shadow the Hedgehog"

Shadow returned your stare grabbing your hand.

"And I love you Y/N"

he brought your hand to his lips as he gave it a gentle kiss.

You squeaked as Shadow scooped you into his arms and carried you into the house for a passionate night of love.

[enchantedchocolatebars]

Fic Request: Luz and Camila take kid Philip to the mall to see Santa Claus.

Seeing Santa

Summary: Kid Philip meets the "real" Santa Claus at the mall.

Ao3 version

Thank you for the motivation + help, @pokeycub!

Enjoy!

"So, are you excited to see Santa, Philip?" Luz asked, her voice as bright and cheerful as Christmas morning.

She and her mother stood shoulder to shoulder with Philip, both holding his hand as they waited in line to see Santa at the mall.

Philip smiled at Luz and nodded.

"Mm-hm!" he happily hummed, knowing that he has been a very good boy all year round... for the most part.

He, of course, made minor slip-ups from time to time, but not enough to receive a hefty lump of coal in his stocking.

Luz and Camila shared an abundance of knowledge about Old Saint Nick and Christmas in general with Philip, including bedtime stories, cooking, baking, caroling, wrapping presents, decorating the tree, and watching popular holiday specials on TV.

They even took him to a parade once where the Santa Claus there performed an adrenaline-fueled motorcycle stunt off of a fire truck.

"Philip," Camila began. "If you're really well-behaved on Santa's lap, I'll take you to go get hot chocolate," she promised, smiling warmly at the brunette.

Philip released a tiny gasp, his blue eyes lighting up like a Christmas tree. "Really?!" he beamed.

Camila, letting out a light giggle at his enthusiasm, nodded.

"Really," she assured him, pulling out her phone to take pictures.

When it was Philip's turn to meet Santa, both Luz and Camila laughed quietly as he rushed up to the male actor dressed in the classic red suit, promptly hopping onto his lap.

"Remember to be nice and smile!" Camila gaily told him, holding up her phone.

"And no biting!" Luz playfully added, pulling out a purple digital camera.

The Santa actor smiled at Philip as he adjusted himself in his red and gold trim chair.

"Ho-ho-ho!" he emitted from his belly, lowering a white gloved hand on Philip's head.

"Looks like someone's excited to see me," he said, gently ruffling Philip's hair, which earned laughter from Luz and Camila.

"What's your name, little boy?" Santa asked.

"Philip!" Philip excitedly told him. "Philip Wittebane! I'm ten years old! How old are you, Santa?"

"Much older than that," he replied with a jolly chuckle, Luz and Camila laughing as well.

"Was there something special that you wanted for Christmas, Philip?" Santa questioned with a smile.

"There is!" Philip chirped, filled with Christmas spirit.

"My very own race horse! I want a brown one with a black mane and tail! I wish to ride him every day! Are you able to fit him down our chimney?"

"A horse? Well, I can try," Santa chuckled again.

Philip slowly shifted his attention to Saint Nick's beard, distracted by its fluffy appearance.

The brunette swiftly began tugging on it without much thought.

"Wow, Santa! Your beard is so soft!" he complimented.

"Why, thank you. I--"

After the fifth tug, Philip accidentally tugs off "Santa's" beard, revealing a man with a stubbly face.

This causes Philip, along with the children in line, to gasp in shock.

Luz and Camila's eyes widened as they silently turned to each other.

Still holding the not real white beard in his hand, Philip turns on a frown as he hops down from the actor's lap.

After the beard is dropped on the ground, he points an accusatory finger at the fake Santa.

"You're not the real Santa! What did you do to him!?" he demanded with a stomp of his foot.

Luz quickly steps in to intervene.

"Alright, little buddy," she said with a sheepish smile, taking Philip's hand as she took him away from the scene.

"Let's just... walk this way."

She returned to her mother.

"But, Luz, the mall lied to us!" Philip protested.

As Luz and Camila began to walk away with Philip, they turned to smile apologetically at the mall Santa, who smiled an embarrassed but understanding smile as he waved goodbye, reaching down for his beard.

[lostryu]

i need gay rights because literally not a single self-proclaimed cis/het 'ally' understands the alienating experience that comes with being the only gay person in the workplace.

i am a gnc butch lesbian. i use he/him pronouns. when i came out to my manager regarding my pronouns (i had been an open lesbian since the moment of my hire), she told me that she supported me, but she could not enforce or ask our clients to use the correct pronouns for me. she told me it was something i would have to learn to deal with. she never uses the correct pronouns for me unless a person from a different department (who also happens to be LGBT+) is present. she is our HR in addition to manager.

none of my coworkers in my department ever remember to use my pronouns. if i remind them, they go over the top with the "im sorry's" and the "im still learning" and "you know i try my hardest's!" and "i swear im not homophobic!", it has been over 6 months since i came out. if i say nothing, they continue to use she/her (unless that other lgbt+ person from the other department is present, then they miraculously get it right).

sometimes they call me 'girl'. they always flounder and correct to "man-boy-uh youknowwhatimeanright". they laugh it off. they never bother to ask what terms i am comfortable with, or if i even cared in the first place. they don't care about my gender, they never bother to ask. somehow the subject gets changed every time i try to tell them, or set a boundary.

once in a while in a slow shift, the conversation will hop to our dating lives. somehow, it always jumps to how men suck and how dating a woman must be so much easier. they wish they could be gay and not straight. every time, they'll stare at me expectantly, like i am an animal at the zoo. no matter what i say, positive or negative, i must be lying. i cannot be that happy in my relationship, or if i have any issues, they must be minor. if i say 'why don't you try dating a girl then' to their remarks, they'll laugh, say something like "there is no way i possibly could" with that special tone of disguised disgust.

i am a prop, at work. they tell me about how much they love their kids. how they could bring anyone home and they wouldn't care. "they could be black, brown, or purple," they'll say "it could be a woman or a man! I support gay rights!" Then they will talk about how hungry they are, and how they will be going to Chick Fil a for the 4th time this week. 'as a treat'. it is thursday. they talk about going to Hobby Lobby again for christmas decorations, or another sale. sometimes i think i can taste blood.

its june. they talk about the pride parade and how excited they are to see the queens and their 'funny costumes'. they talk about how fun it is to go and watch, how they like the free things the corporations hand out. they don't want to bring their younger kids though. they're not old enough. they do not know that the first pride was a riot. they do not know what happened during the AIDS crisis, how many died. they don't really care when i try to tell them, they'd rather focus on the fun parts of the parade. the spectacle.

i wear a pronoun pin, to make it easier. still somehow no one can get my pronouns right. a client notices it. commends me for "being brave" and "coming out." she never uses my correct pronouns. i stopped wearing the pin after the 11th person asked me if my name on my name tag was my real one, and after the 45th person went out of their way to use incorrect pronouns every sentence. my manager, the HR, did not care.

i need gay rights, but somehow everything got resolved when they allowed us to marry in 2015. to our allies, the work is done. somehow i am left more alone than when we started.

[blu3haw4]

Lexa has been very naughty this year. Instead of coal in her stocking, she wants Clarke to fill it up with something else 😏

Listen. I almost didn't write this one... and now is kind of my favorite one 🤭

For Day 2: Naughty or Nice List

Mature. G!P Clarke. Cracky and ... cute? more than smutty. It's so unserious though 😆

Soooo, what am I getting for Christmas, santa?" Lexa jokes, she toys with the white pompom of Clarke's Santa hat still placed over her head even after all four rounds they just got down to.

Clarke snorts, shaking her head as she looks down at her "You've been so naughty this year"

They giggle, Clarke running her hand on Lexa's side with the hand not currently holding her own head.

"Your stocking are going to be full of coal" she huffs as Lexa, laying on her back beside her keeps playing with the pompom of her had

"What!? No! That's not fair!"

"Just yesterday you sent me a nude while i was having lunch with my dad!" Clarke yelps.

"You said you were in the car!"

"With him!"

"That was an accident!'" Lexa huff, and continues playing with the pompom "All my past naughtiness, if i recall correctly, you've throughoutfully enjoyed"

"You've still been naughty" Clarke rolls her eyes playfully "And people on the naughty list only get coal" she fake frowns, and then really frowns "Specially if you call me Santa, please don't fucking call me Santa again"

Lexa laughs with an eyeroll of her own "I think I've done plenty of nice things for you, miss. Haven't I?"

"Mmmh, maybe" Clarke can't help but smile

"Maybe my stockings could be filled with something else"

"See! Naughty!" Clarke laughs as Lexa's smirks turns into a grin.

"Oh I am merely trying to be nice, only for your benefit really"

"Oh my benefit? How so?"

"Well your balls should alway have a safe place to be relieved, shouldn't they?" Lexa tries her best at a serious face and fails spectacularly when a giggle escapes her.

"Ohhh, i see" Clarke laughs and leans down to kiss her, slowly but surely moving and laying on top of Lexa

"You want me to fill you?"

"Yess, my love"

"You do, baby?"

"Mmm, always."

//

Mmm, let's see what might be in this one" Lexa says softly shaking the gift box in her hands.

Is Christmas morning and they're laying on the floor of their apartment beside their tree.

She smiles at Clarke until she hears the rocking of the items inside the box and her smile drops as she shakes the box again, more strongly.

"Is this-...? Clarke did you seriously got me coal?"

"What did you expect? You've been a very naughty girl, Lexa" Clarke says with a small smile.

"Clarke, i swear to fucking-" she shakes the box forcefully glaring at Clarke until she interrupts her.

"Why don't you open it, hun? It's very very nice coal"

"If you-"

"Open it" Lexa huffs, but complies, glaring at Clarke all the way to make sure she knew how terrible it would be for her, if she had decided to get Lexa actual coal.

At first glace, they did look like coal.

At second glance though? The box had scattered around an array and variety of plugs, bullets and small dildos. All black, some shiny, so mate, some sparky and some with purple or blue shades as well.

Lexa's eyebrows lifted in surprise as her mouth fell sightly open, slowly a smile started to grow as she could help little giggle and gasp that she let out.

"What...? Clarke!" She turned to laugh at a grinning Clarke, still very casually leaning against the foot of the couch

"You deserved all that coal for how naughty you've been"

Still laughing Lexa crawls forward to straddle Clarke and kiss her "You just got me like 15 different sex toys" she laughs between kisses as Clarke just smiles at her

"To be fair i had already bought some of them... I just replaced them for black ones"

"I love you"

"I love you. And we should be trying all of them today" Clarke smirks at her

"Clarke! No!"

"But it's going to be fun!"

"There's a butt plug that's the size of my fist! We're not trying that today!" Clarke merely laughs and looks up with a little shrug.

"Clarke I mean it. No. No as in Rudolf no"

Laughing hard Clarke throws her head back "Okay, the best thing we've ever done is make our safe word Rudolf" Lexa laughs with her, and still cupping her face leans in for another kiss.

[eternal-kosmo-ghoul]

*°:⋆ₓₒ day 11. aphrodisiacs

.｡❅*⋆⍋*∞*｡ “picture perfect”

˚₊· ͟͟͞͞➳❥ — ❤︎ ivy was not expecting this little christmas get together to get all.. steamy.. but now he has you all to himself

pairing: iv (ivy) x gn!reader

a/n: he’s a slut and i want him

cw: nsfw content. aphrodisiac. there are aphrodisiacs laced in the drinks. dubcon-ish. both parties are affected by the aphrodisiacs. intense foreplay.

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“fuck what are you doing to me…? get over here. now.” —❤︎

┅✦┅

the nighttime bar was bustling with life. it was filled with a variety of many different people, having a good old time and using the night to unwind and just relax, drowning themselves in the rave of chaotic excitement.

christmas was a time for joy, but of course, there were always party animals that wanted to wallow their emotions into the empty sweetness of elicit liquor and frosted sugar pastries that the fancy, rich distilleries had to offer.

that’s where ivy found himself tonight.

accompanied by his lonesome self, he idly twirled a shot glass in his hand, watching the rich drink in the cup swirl around against the glass, keeping his fingers on the rim of it. ivy wasn’t so sure why he came here in the first place, especially on christmas evening of all days, where the party was high and people were rowdy. the guitarist wasn’t much of a party person to begin with anyways. but, his band mates wanted to come here to celebrate another successful year as a musical group, and of course, he couldn’t say no.

still, he’d much rather be home at the moment.

“still by yourself, ivy?”

that familiar voice snapped him out of his trance. ivy’s gaze lingered to your form, and he just let out a heavy sigh.

“you know i prefer to be away from the crowds.” ivy sighed, sipping a little bit of alcohol from his glass. “but i can’t say no to vessel. that big oaf he is.”

you chuckled and took a seat next to ivy, keeping your hands on your lap as you spoke to your fellow member, deciding to distance yourself away from the crowds for now.

“that’s sweet of you, vy. but really, you didn’t have to come out here if you don’t like parties.”

“nah, it’s the least i can do. i love you guys too much to say no to you.”

your heart warmed at the sound of ivy’s words. he was always so intricate and precise with his wording. he meant every sentence of that.

“thanks, ivy.” you thanked with a genuine smile.

underneath his mask, he smiled back. “anytime, y/n.”

you wished that ivy would show this sensitive, soft side to himself more often. it was really a beautiful sight, really. to see someone who’s usually super stoic, be all caring and watchful for those he loves. it was quite nice.

the two of you exchanged small talk for a bit, just talking about your most recent tour and how you’re both excited to get to work on the new albums and eps that vessel had planned for the next year. it was going to be one hell of a year to remember, that’s for sure. ivy was surprisingly a very pleasant person to talk to. he always had different topics to bring into the conversation, and he was just an easy person to chat with.

though, as the two of your exchanged pleasantries, sharing a couple of laughs here and there, the bartender slipped you both two alcoholic drinks in fancy cups. both of you raised your eyebrows at this, considering you did not order another drink, aside from the casual shots.

“sir? we didn’t order this.” you tried to correct, but the bartender only gave a coy smile.

“don’t worry, it’s on the house.” he winked. “consider it a … special holiday drink.”

you and ivy couldn’t even get another word in, because the bartender went off to do his work, serving other clients and customers that came in. the guitarist just side-eyed the bartender for a bit, before taking the time to observe the drink he was given. it was clearly alcoholic, and the rim of the class seemed to be lined with crystallized sugar. the actual liquor itself seemed to dawn a sunset-pinkish shade, with red and purple swirled into the liquid. ivy couldn’t tell what kind of alcohol it was, but he had guessed it to be some sort of vodka, mixed with another unknown drink.

ivy eyed the glass suspiciously. the drink looked pretty… almost too pretty for it to be just some casual alcoholic drink. though, his curiosity was piqued, and his mind wondered how the taste would pop in his mouth.

“strange… that guy was kind of weird, giving us a drink like that out of nowhere.” he chided, still holding his suspicions high as he observed the glass.

“yeah… but i haven’t had a good drink in a while.” you said with a curious voice, tilting your head as you brought the rim of the glass closer to your lips.

the two of you shared a look for a moment, thinking the exact same thing.

“how about it?” you asked. ivy pondered for a moment, before nodding.

“why not?”

the two of your clanked your glasses together, before downing the drink in one go. it tasted sweet, some of the crystallized sugars finding its way into ivy’s mouth and sizzling into a sugary delicateness that bursted with flavor. it tasted sweet… very sweet. ivy actually found the taste to be warm.. but that warmth went from his throat, to his stomach. slowly, it started to simmer into an uncomfortable warmth.

that warmth flowed throughout ivy’s body, and it soon become an itching hotness that clung to his skin. the guitarist’s eyes widened from the sudden feeling, and he could immediately feel himself sweating. he started to fan himself by flapping his shirt, trying to relieve himself of the uncomfortable heat that clung to his body like a parasite.

“what the hell…?” ivy practically panted out, trying to find a way to make himself feel better. “what the hell was in that drink?”

you nodded, arms heavily pressed against the bar counter as you groaned and panted, sweat beads sticking to your forehead. you were having the same problem as ivy.

“i don’t know… but i sure as hell feel so damn uncomfortable right now.” you gasped out, running a hand through your hair as you tried to maintain your composure.

ivy was about to agree with you, turning his head to meet your gaze, but the moment he locked eyes with you, its like the fire burned within him more brightly. he suddenly felt… needy, and just looking at you was enough to send his mind into overdrive. he was practically drooling over your form, aroused by the very sight of you alone.

what?

what was ivy thinking? why was he thinking this way? and why couldn’t he stop…?

“y/n…” he practically growled out. his hands moved to grip your shoulders, and you gasped from the sudden closeness. “stop that…”

your voice was quivering, and you leaned back against the bar counter. the surrounding people didn’t even matter anymore, it’s like it was just the two of you.

“stop what?” you practically stuttered out, feeling a familiar burning hot desire brew within you as you looked at ivy.

“that.” he rasped. “looking so damn… appetizing.”

you looked at ivy with wide, yet lustrous eyes. at this point, you both came to realize what had happened. the drinks you were given were laced with aphrodisiacs, of course they were. however, ivy couldn’t stop himself from what he was doing.

“fuck what are you doing to me…? get over here. now.”

his fingers fumbled with the buttons of your shirt, and he slowly unbuttoned them while kissing your neck, not even caring about the people around you guys. besides, they were too focused on partying to see what you two were doing. you let out soft sighs of pleasure, but tried to snap back into your senses, trying to push ivy away despite your growing lust.

you gasped as you felt ivy start to bite and nibble your neck with his teeth, and his fingers trace over the exposed skin on where he unbuttoned your shirt. this was so provocative and risky, doing this out in public. you couldn’t even think straight, with how your mind was hazy with promiscuous desires, and ivy was only feeding into your fantasies.

“ivy…” you muttered our lustfully, moaning a bit loudly as he kissed your neck, jawline and face with deep, needy kisses.

“i need you.” he grunted. “i need you so badly. this heat, it’s so fucking uncomfortable. please… please let me touch you.. i promise i’ll make you feel good.”

ivy’s voice was desperate, almost like he was in pain. the aphrodisiacs that bastard gave him was making him so incredibly horny and hard. he couldn’t stop kissing you, trying to feel your skin on his.

fuck. you needed this too.

with a heavy sigh, you nodded, looking down at him with hearts in your pupils. “please take me.”

that was all the confirmation ivy needed, before he swept you away into a dark, secluded corner of the bar, away from the party.

from there, he could give you the fuck of a lifetime.

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