#also a friend sent me an assortment of sweets for christmas and i tried to draw my favourite sweet from the box on her card | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

sirthisisa-wendys · 3 years

Note

Hiii may I request Getou + 5 + female reader please? Thank youuu and I hope you have an amazing day/night💗

This is a whole MOOD.

Here you go, sunshine! Thank you for requesting!

Son of My Enemy: Geto Suguru x Fem!Reader

wc: 1.5k

tw: none

The sounds of the Christmas party in full swing bring you joy.

For years, you begged your mother to let you plan the yearly event that drew the most elite crowd away from the stagnant shores of winter and onto the fertile grasses of the Mitsuhashi estate. This year, you were given full reign to do as you pleased: dress code, invitations, decor, food assortment, everything.

And it looks like months of planning led you straight to success. As the paparazzi attempts to catch photos of the most famous guests from outside, you make your rounds as the hostess for the evening, smiling at old family friends and introducing yourself to the newest addition to the elite crew: Maki and Mai Zenin. Nobara Kugasaki, Maki’s girlfriend, also joined them, her eyes shifting over the crowd as you approached them, but softening up once you mention Louis Vuitton and Emilio Pucci.

“They’re sweet girls,” you think aloud to your best friend, Mei Mei, who simply sips on her champagne and shrugs. “Do you thin--” A flurry of commotion attracts your attention to the front of the ballroom, and two tall males make their way into the room, dressed to the nines in tailor-made suits and simple accessories. Your chin instinctively tilts a little higher when you recognize the sons of two high-ranking Saiko-komons in the Takadashi syndicate.

One of them, Gojo Satoru, is the epitome of a cocky bastard. His strut, his white hair, his blue eyes, and his good looks make him the most popular of the two, despite rumors swirling around his lack of morality and lack of condoms. The other one, Geto Suguru, is less cocky, but more cunning. The black-haired fox face makes a great wingman, you note, noticing how he smiles at everyone in an unassuming way. They’re obviously the Yin and Yang of your age group, and they act like it, too.

“Y/n, y/n, y/n…” Gojo chants, rubbing his palms together when he sees you. “You’ve outdone yourself tonight. This will be a party everyone talks about for a week, then goes back to looking for the next party in time for New Year’s.” You want to smack the smirk off of his face and make it a party everyone talks about for years, but instead, you hold your resolve, letting Mei Mei respond.

“If you two hadn’t drug yourselves into the room, I’m sure they would have talked about the civility of the party compared to last year’s fiasco.” The memory of a destroyed oversized nutcracker flashes in your mind, and you press your lips together in displeasure.

“Why are you two here?” you wonder, and Suguru raises a brow.

“You act like we weren’t invited.”

“By who?” you ask, and Gojo whips out an invitation, the gold, and white color almost exactly like the ones you sent out in July. When you look at the paper, you’re surprised to see Gojo and Getou’s names in raised gold lettering on the invite. “I left you guys off the list this year,” you recall, distinctly remembering telling your assistant that Geto and Gojo would be marked off the list of potential guests and watching her draw a line through the names on her ever-shrinking list.

“You forged it,” Mei Mei grunts, snatching the card. She looks it over as well, then holds it up to the light to see if the watermark - copyrighted by your family - would appear. And sure enough, it did. “Hm. Looks like your brother or your mom has some explaining to do.”

“Yuta’s here?” Gojo presses, and you observe him standing on his tip-toes to see over the crowd easier. When he finds his target, he heads off in that direction, and you flash Mei Mei a look that begs her to follow him. She nods once, then disappears into the crowd. You assume Suguru has left as well, but when you turn around, you’re thoroughly surprised to see him still standing there, eyes drifting over your red sequined dress and strappy gold heels. He lets out an appreciative whistle and murmurs,

“Damn, y/n. You look beautiful tonight.”

“I always do,” you retort, turning away from Satoru’s sidekick while rolling your eyes. He follows you to the bar, where you order a rum and coke, hoping to be rid of the headache that followed you.

“You know, I would’ve thought you’d soften up by now. I didn’t expect you to still be miffed about the--”

“Can we not talk about this here?” you inquire, sighing deeply. Geto shrugs his shoulders and raises a brow.

“Would you rather we talk about it in the broom closet like last time?” You curl your lip up as the bartender delivers your drink, and you wonder if Suguru has any decency left in him as you turn away again, leaving him at the bar.

“I’d rather you leave me alone.”

“My tongue still remembers the way you taste,” he calls out, catching the attention of a few party-goers in the vicinity. You freeze, heat creeping up your neck and cheeks, and Suguru reappears in your line of vision, smirking. “I knew that would get you to pause. Now will you hear me out or will you continue to act like this? My ears can remember the way you scr--” You grab his wrist, growling,

“Meet me upstairs in the drawing-room in ten minutes.” His triumphant smile is enough to let you know he’ll be there.

_____________________________________________________________

The door opens and closes quickly behind you, and you turn to face the intruder with a frown.

“You’re hell-bent on embarrassing me, aren’t you?” Suguru walks past the various couches in the room to approach you, sliding off his dark blue jacket and casting it on a chaise lounge.

“Not as hell-bent as I am to be with you.”

“Just because we fucked while we were on vacation last year doesn’t mean we’re meant to be together,” you counter, crossing your arms over your chest. You don’t really think he’s a terrible person - or a bad lay - but his status as an associate with the Yakuza isn’t doing him any favors. But why would your mother (or brother, for that matter) invite him to the Christmas party?

“I’ve been pursuing you since then, and you’ve been brushing me off,” he notes, fingering the timepiece on the mantle. “But you and I both know why you’re not allowing me to get close to you.” When he rolls up his sleeves, you can see the various tattoos scattered about his forearms. “Just tell me you don’t want me and I’ll leave you alone forever.”

You look over at the man in the firelight and consider telling him to go away and never contact you again, but that would negate your feelings. Sure, you felt attracted to Geto. That much you could admit to yourself. But could you admit that to him?

“I brought you a gift.” He motions toward his jacket, and you sit on the chaise lounge before digging around in the pockets. You pull out a medium-sized white box, and open it slowly, the gleam of diamonds catching your eye. A Vivienne Westwood tennis bracelet sits neatly inside, and you look up at Suguru, who leans on the mantle, eyes watching you carefully.

“You didn’t have to give me anything,” you whisper, but he shrugs, blinking.

“Consider it your Christmas present.”

“But I don’t think--”

“Don’t think too much of it. First, though, I want to apologize for causing a scene. Second, I want you to know that even though I’m part of the Takadashi clan…” Suguru runs a hand through his long hair, sighing. “It doesn’t mean that I’m going to make your life hell. I know what your mother went through with your father, but I swear that I’ll make sure you’re not put in harm’s way. Ever.”

“Yuta invited you,” you realize, and a lazy grin slides over his face.

“He called me and told me your trepidation.”

You shake your head, putting the box down on his jacket, and standing. “Why would my brother tell you that?” Suguru pushes off the mantle and walks toward you, hands now stuffed in his pockets. When he stops in front of you, you contemplate rising up on your tiptoes to reach his lips, but he tilts your chin up with his right hand instead.

“I guess he saw me pining after you and felt bad.”

“He’s not the type to take pity on anyone,” you counter.

“He’s also not the type to be in talks with the Takadashi clan about securing some sort of protection against the other clans, is he?” By now, Geto’s closed the space between you easily, pressing his other hand to the small of your back. “Besides, wouldn’t it be fun to play bodyguard and heiress? Have you tried that?” he murmurs against your lips, and you press yours to his in response.

“It wouldn’t be unheard of,” you reply softly, and he kisses you again, holding you flush against him while you two make out in the firelight of the drawing-room.

#geto x reader #getou suguru #getou x reader #jjk imagines #jujutsu kaisen #jjk geto #geto suguru

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unmaskedagain · 4 years

Text

Happy Birthday, Miss Bustier

Every year, Bustier looked forward to her birthday. All the teachers got together for drinks after school, and Bustier go show off all the wonderful presents her students got her. One gift in particular always was sure to wow.

However, the school year had been different than the previous ones. It had been a difficult year. The class seemed to be in a civil war. Marinette’s side versus everyone else. Caline was forced to expel Marinette after she was caught cheating. Only for it be revealed that she never cheated and Lila had a terrible disease that caused her to lie. The explosion was reversed and Bustier chalked it up to the students as terrible mistake.

Though the look Marinette had given her when she returned to class sent shivers up her spine.

Marinette resign as class president not long after. Lila took over but the sweet girl was so busy that the Alya and a few others were volunteered to step up and help out. Everything the class seemed to do or planned turn into a catastrophe.

An embarrassing one.

Caline started to avoid the teacher’s lounge after a bake sale ended up poisoning several of the students. Two of her students accidently started fires at another fundraiser. And the dance the class planned ended up with several students and two chaperones in the hospital because Lila ordered the gym floor to be waxed just before the dance.

She couldn’t take the snickering.

Plus, the other teachers had frequently needed to step in to sort out some of her students’ behavioral problems. Alya erupt in anger whenever she thought anyone had done anything wrong to her or her friends, got told off and given detentions many times before she finally learned her lesson. Alix had been caught tripping Marinette multiple times and had got suspended after the third incident. Lila had be verbally ordered by Mendeleiev to stop touching a clearly uncomfortable Adrien without his consent several times before she finally got the message. Mostly because Mendeleiev contact Adrien’s father and got a restraining order officially issued. Lila had to stay at least ten feet away from Adrien at all time when in class; fifty feet outside of it.

Which Caline thought was a bit harsh. She remembered what it was like to be a young girl in love. Emotions just overcome you at that age.

Normally, she would count on Marinette to rein the rest of the students in but girl had taken a step back from the other students. Or maybe they had taken a step back from her.

Marinette, Chloe, Adrien, Nathaniel, Juleka and Rose seemed at odds with the rest of the students in class. And for the life of Caline’s she couldn’t figure out why. The small group never went to any fundraiser, vocally letting the class know they would not being going on any trips with them. They didn’t go to the dance, and Marinette made it clear she wouldn’t be helping decorate it. The costumes for the school play had been abysmal and not the usually quality they were; then Mylene informed Bustier that they couldn’t get their last costume designer to help out. Their last costume designer was Marinette.

The year had been rough but Bustier still looked forward to her birthday. Last year, she got a gorgeous cashmere scarf, the year before that an entire assortment of different chocolate pastries; every year, every all the gifts were amazing. She come on the morning of her birthday and find her entire classroom amazingly decorated, her students’ adoring faces looking at her, and a pile of presents on her desk.

This year was no different… technically.

The classroom was decorated but not nearly as well as it had been the previous years. It looked like the cheap decorations the other teachers were used to; not her. A majority of the students were smiling at her; but a few, Marinette and her team, just looked bored. There were presents on her desk but they all looked… basic.

Still Caline smiled happily and thanked her wonderful students for their thoughtful surprise and gifts. Only when they left for lunch, did she finally take time to examine them.

There were the usually gift cards, a box or two of cheap chocolates, some flowers, lovely handmade cards, some perfumes, and a gift basket full of amazing smelling various bath products, which was by far the best gift by far. But nothing outstanding like she usually got. Nothing she could show off to the other teachers as proof that her student adored her. It was the same type of gifts all the teachers got. Nothing extraordinary.

And it soured Caline’s cheerful mood a bit. She couldn’t understand it.

She still went out for drinks that night with the other teachers, still showed off her gift basket but saw none of the envious looks she was used to. When she got home, she looked over the presents again.

Bustier saw that each gift had was from a different student. Chloe and Adrien got her perfume. Rose got her gift card for a mani-pedi. Alya got her chocolates. She saw Marinette got her the gift basket and nodded, unsurprised; the girl always got her the best presents…

Caline paused. Marinette? Marinette got her the scarf from the year before; she made it. She also remember that Marinette was the one who gave her the delicious assortment of chocolate pastries from her parents’ bakery, the teacher supposed. In fact, as Caline thought back, Marinette always was one to get her the best gifts; whether it was for her birthday, Christmas, or teacher’s appreciation day.

Marinette was also one who always decorated the classroom, she recalled.

Marinette who had claimed to be too busy to be class president, to be on the decorating committee, to help fund raise, to make costumes for the school play, to be the good example for the class Caline needed her to be, and apparently too busy to get the fabulous gifts for her teacher like she used to.

Clearly, her student needed to be talked to. Caline would have to stress the importance of being an active presence in the class. Marinette needed to be a good leader so the other students could model after her. Her friends counted on her for help, no one should be too busy for that.

The following Monday, Caline Bustier finally got around to asking Marinette to stay after class.

“Marinette,” Caline started. “I’ve noticed you’ve become rather… distant lately with the other students in class.”

Marinette fought the urge not to roll her eyes, “We’ve had a falling out,” she said innocently. Not bothering to mention that it was Lila’s doing. “It’s fine. Things change. Friends go apart.”

“They don’t have to,” Bustier smiled. “You were such a wonderful class president; the entire class counted on you. Don’t you think you were a bit hasty in resigning… in that regard.”

“There was no avoiding it,” Marinette stated. Most of the class at that point at turned against her. And every time she tried to make plans or come up with ideas to fund raise she was shut down. “I’m interning with Wilhelmina Slater. She’s currently editor and chief for Mode Paris. I couldn’t turn that down. On top of that I’m overflowing with commission request; some come in by the website I launched, others from recommendations from my other clients. Also Jagged Stone and Clara Nightingale, if you remember, both announced three months ago that I was their personal stylist. I’ve been getting swamped with work ever since.”

Caline did remember. She had been shocked when she saw her student’s face on the news announcing her as up-and-coming Fashion design MDC. A number of celebrities tweeted that they had commissioned work from the teen; a dress here, a suit there, costumes. The announcement had only caused more derision in class towards Marinette, “But don’t you think helping your friends is more important than making money?”

Marinette blinked. “I am helping my friends.”

“Alya needed your help with the fundraising,” Bustier said. “Lila needed help with the dance. Mylene needed costumes for the play. Nino needed someone to design his set for a gig of his. You were too busy. How do you think that made them feel?”

“First of all, they never asked me for help,” Marinette quickly said. “Second-”

Caline cut her off, “Maybe they didn’t ask because they knew you’d be too busy.”

Marinette looked the teacher up and down and continued what she was saying, “Secondly, I have very few friends in class; and you didn’t name any of them. Lila is not my friend. Alya is not my friend. Neither is Nino, Mylene, Ivan, Max, Kim, or Alix for the record.”

Bustier reared back; shocked at the unexpected tone from Marinette.

Marinette crossed her arms. “I am helping my friends. Chloe is my PR manager, which is giving her amazing experience. Juleka and Rose model for me, and frequently get poached to model for other designers. Adrien gets to sit back and relax for once. Claude meets all the directors and actors I work with. He ended up getting an internship at WB. Nathaniel and Marc’s Ladybug comic got exposer after I used some of his designs of her on my clothing line. Images comics is picking up their comic to turn it into an entire series. Aurore is my personal assistant but that’s only to give her a clear reason to be there so she can interview any celebrities, I’m working with, that are willing to talk with her. She posted an interview with David Tennant about a cameo in Doctor; with him, Rose, and their kid. An hour later the website: Tumblr crashed. I do help my friends.”

Bustier sighed, “You’re having an argument. You didn’t stop being friends.” Honestly kids could be so dramatic sometimes. “Once you apologize everything will go back to normal.”

“And why should I apologize,” Marinette asked. “I didn’t do anything wrong.”

“We talked about the Marinettes of the world, remember?” Caline smiled. “You have to be the bigger person; be an example for the other students. Show them the right way to act.”

“No.”

It was said so firmly but so quickly that the teacher nearly missed it as she opened her mouth to continue her speech but closed it as she processed what Marinette said, “No? What do you mean no.”

Marinette picked up her school bag and walked to the classroom door, “I mean, I won’t do it. I’m no one’s shining example. And in this situation, I refuse to be the bigger person. I have no intention of apologizing whatsoever.” She opened the door about to walk out. “Especially to people who you allowed to verbally harass me in class, trip me right in front of you, and disinvite me and my friends on class trips. I don’t care how it made them feel. I don’t care about them at all.” “Marinette,” Bustier started.

Marinette cut her off, “It is not responsibility to teach my classmates the right way to behave; it’s their parents’, it’s yours.” She said fiercely.

Bustier straighten herself up to her full height. She refused to allow any student of hers to speak to her like that. “I see. I will have to contact your parents to discuss your lack of participation in class.”

Marinette snorted, “Okay. You should do it soon, though. I and a number of other students sent in complaints to the school board about my wrongful expulsion, this class, the way you run it, and Damocles; with video evidence. Bourgeois and Agreste lawyers are leading the charge. Chloe out of sheer spite. Gabriel because of the clear case of sexual harassment you allowed Adrien to deal with from Lila. He’s out for blood.”

Caline Bustier paled. She couldn’t feel her legs. The school board? “Nothing is as bad as you say. You are overdramatizing everything.”

“My lawyer say different,” The bluenette shrugged. “If anything, they think I’m not understating things. Much like when I tell them, you’re a bad teacher.”

“I will not be spoke to like that!”

“What are you going to do?” Marinette asked with a single eyebrow raised, “Expel me?”

There was only silence to answer her question. Marinette just shook her head and left.

Leaving Caline Bustier wondering just how she let things get so out of hand. And more importantly, if she would even have a job come the new school year.

#ml fic #ml salt #marinette dupen chang #Marinette deserves better #adrien agreste #chloe bourgeois

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hotchley · 3 years

Text

the first christmas

please don’t judge the title or quaity of this, it’s 00:50 and i’ve not proofread it. we’re just going to go with it.

summary: it’s baby hotchner’s first christmas that he’s actually going to remember. it’s mostly pure fluff with like the smallest amount of angst, but the ending is happy and nobody dies or gets hurt so we’re classing it as a win. and fluffy.

trigger warnings: implied/referenced child abuse

read on ao3!

Christmas was fast-approaching, and they still weren’t ready. Initially, Dave had wanted everything to be perfect. Now… he just wanted everything to be ready before Aaron woke up. SSA Hotchner had taken a tumble into a river and emerged from it as an eight-year-old. Well, a sort of eight-year-old. He had memories of being an adult, but they were fuzzy at best. And his speech, the way he did things, and his size were that of an eight-year-old.

Jack seemed to be having the time of his life. Dave was just worried they were going to do something horrifically wrong. Like Christmas. Hotch never really opened up about his plans for the holiday season, and now, every time someone tried to get him to open up about what he wanted to do, he clammed up. Or he’d change the subject.

One time, Spencer had asked, and he’d run out the room before he could even finish the question.

They stopped trying to ask him after that. Jessica had no idea what his Christmas traditions had been growing up as her family had only moved when he was going into his senior year, and after him and Haley got married, she still never really knew what the two of them got up to. Jack had seemed uncomfortable when they asked him. After much prodding and gentle confirmation that there would be no judgement, no matter what he said, Emily managed to pry the information from him.

In the years between the divorce and Haley’s death, Christmas was spent with Haley and Jessica, with Aaron there but not really there because you could cut the tension with a knife. After she died, Hotch had always sent Jack to his grandparents for Christmas because then he could see his cousins and spend time with the family he rarely saw. Which meant Hotch usually spent Christmas as an adult alone and sad.

He couldn’t believe none of them had ever realised, but then JJ and Will would always go and see her mom. Spencer would go down to Las Vegas. Derek and Penelope would go to Chicago and then to visit her parents grave. Dave’s plans varied on who was in the area and Emily usually went as far from her family as was possible. But they had all at least had someone. Hotch had nobody.

Rossi suspected that was how he spent a lot of his childhood too. There was no other reason that he would be so small. Because Rossi remembered Jack and Henry when they were the age Hotch now was. They were both healthy and lively. Hotch seemed far too small and far too nervous for a child that was supposedly safe.

He shook his head and stared at the sight before him. The tree that he had gotten at the last minute was still bare because every time he tried to decorate it, something just wouldn’t look right. Garcia was going to come round with cookies and the rest of the team would also be arriving at various different times with assorted items. He knew that meant presents.

Garcia arrived thirty minutes early. When he opened the door to her, he was greeted by bags. Lots and lots of bags.

“Penelope, what have you done?”

She walked in with the two smallest and lightest bags. He sighed and picked up the rest, following her into the hallway as she toed off her shoes and hung up her coat.

“Well Hotch won’t open up about Christmas so we don’t know what traditions he remembers or did. Which means we need to do all of them. I have decorations, cookie ingredients, stockings, films, books and of course, everything you need for the perfect hot chocolate. And he may still believe in Santa so there are some carrots and mince pies.”

“Wait. Cookie ingredients? I thought you were going to bring them?”

Garcia didn’t respond. She’d walked into the living room whilst she had explained what was in the bags and Rossi suspected it was because she hadn’t heard him. He sighed and followed her in. She was staring at the tree.

“What is that?” she whispered, seemingly horrified.

“Look don’t judge me. I tried to decorate it. Multiple times. But every time, something just didn’t look right and I had to start over. I’m a perfectionist. Sue me.”

She turned and stared at him. “Rossi, I don’t know what planet you’ve been living on, but a Christmas tree isn’t supposed to look perfect. It’s supposed to be fun. And I know you want to surprise bossboy, but I think he should be involved. After all, he probably doesn’t remember a single Christmas fondly.”

Rossi realised she, as always, was right. “I guess I got so caught up in trying to get everything to be perfect for him that I forgot it was meant to be fun.”

“Would you look at that? He’s willing to admit when he’s wrong. Where is baby Hotchner at the moment?”

“Upstairs, napping. I don’t think he slept well last night. I also don’t think he likes being called baby Hotchner given that he’s not actually a baby.”

“Well what am I meant to call him? If I say Hotch, then it sounds like I’m referring to the big, mean to unsubs but sweet to the rest of us, federal agent. And Aaron just feels wrong.”

Rossi smiled at her antics. “Maybe. We’ll come up with a better nickname at some point. Do you want me to get him or will you be okay?”

“Oh I’ll get him! Kids that have just woken up are the cutest thing ever!”

Twenty minutes later, Garcia came down the stairs, her hand being held by Aaron.

He looked tiny, even for a child. His pyjamas, which consisted of a green dinosaur top and matching bottoms (only the bottoms had different dinosaurs all over it whilst the top was a single red one) seemed to swallow him up. His hair was falling in his face and incredibly floppy, only made worse by his recent waking up.

It was an adorable sight, watching him rub one eye to get the sleep out.

Dave crouched down, even as his knees winced. Aaron stared at him with wide eyes.

“How are you feeling little one?” he asked.

Aaron shrugged. “Miss Penny said that we were going to do something fun because of Christmas, so I guess I’m okay.”

It took Rossi a moment to understand what he was saying. He doubted any of them- aside from Will- would actually be able to understand his accent immediately for a long time.

“Yeah. We are going to decorate the Christmas tree that’s over there, and then we’re going to bake some cookies. Then, we can all sit on the couch, drinking hot chocolate and watch a film that you’ll get to pick. And after that, when it’s time to go to sleep, we’ll read a special Christmas story!” Garcia said, more excited than the actual kid.

Aaron turned to stare at her, a little disbelieving. “Really?”

She nodded. “Yeah baby Hotchner. Really.”

He still seemed suspicious. “No catch?”

Garcia’s smile faded and she sat beside him too. “No baby. No catches.”

Hotch regarded her for another moment then turned to Rossi. “Promise Mr David?”

Dave’s heart cracked a little. “I promise.”

“Okay. How do we decorate the tree?” he walked over on little legs to stare at it in awe, before moving onto the bags. He looked at Garcia for permission to look through and when she nodded, he smiled so brightly that Dave wanted to freeze the moment and live in it forever.

Garcia turned to Dave. “Rossi, I-”

“Don’t. Not now. He’s very perceptive. Aaron, we can decorate it however you want. You’re too small to put some of the stuff on, but if you tell us, we’ll do it for you. You can do the branches that are lower down.”

Aaron dropped the tinsel. “However I want?”

Garcia nodded. “It’s your tree.”

Aaron grinned and immediately started dragging all the decorations that he wanted to use towards the tree. Both adults got the hint and stood up, walked over to him and started talking about where the best place to put the various items was.

JJ and Derek came in halfway through the decorating process. Aaron froze momentarily, but when they both smiled and complimented the very hectic tree he relaxed and carried on like nothing had happened.

Morgan lifted him up so he could put the star on and Hotch let out a childish squeal that none of them were ever going to let him forget, and just like that, the tree was done. There was tinsel in all the colours of the rainbow draped over random branches, and baubles hanging off every available surface. The lights were wrapped around each section, going the opposite way to the tinsel and the star at the top was crooked. In Dave’s honest opinion, it looked horrific. But Aaron’s smile and pride in his creation made it beautiful.

When Spencer joined them, right before they started making the cookies, Aaron went into shy mode and hid behind Dave’s legs, peering out from behind him to see Spencer joking with Morgan and Penelope.

“Do you want to go and say hi to Mr Spence?” JJ asked gently.

Aaron shook his head. “Last time he was here, I ran away so I don’t think he wants to be my friend.”

JJ looked shocked. “Of course he wants to be your friend! He gets why you ran away, it’s okay darling. You don’t believe me? Okay. Hold my hand, and I’ll show you how much Spencer wants to be your friend. Come on, let’s go.”

He looked doubtful, but Hotch liked and trusted JJ so he stopped hiding and went over to where Spencer was.

“Hotch! Hi there!” Spencer greeted.

Hotch looked up at JJ who smiled encouragingly.

“Mr Spencer, are you angry at me for running away?” he asked.

Spencer frowned. “No. Of course not. I was a little bit upset, because I thought you didn’t like me, but now I get why you ran away and it’s okay. We’re still best friends forever right?”

Hotch nodded, face very serious. “Forever.”

“Well now that’s been established, lets make some cookies,” Derek said.

“You just want to eat mine,” Garcia scoffed.

“I’d rather eat something else of-”

Garcia hit him. “Not in front of baby Hotchner.”

“Miss Penny? When is Miss Emily going to be here?” he asked.

As if on cue, the door swung open to reveal her. “You really shouldn’t keep the spare key under your doormat. Anyone could just waltz in.”

Hotch threw himself into her arms and she stumbled back slightly. “Oh hello child.”

He looked up at her, cheeks slightly flushed. “Hello Miss Emmy. We’re going to make cookies.”

She smiled. “I love cookies. Do you?”

He nodded. “Miss Penny made some a week ago, but these are going to be special because they’re Christmas cookies. She decorated the tree as well, but I got to tell her what to do. Come and see it!” he said without breathing before dragging her to see it.

The others just shrugged, not willing to dampen his spirits.

“I love him as a kid,” Derek commented as they watched him explain the tree in extensive detail.

Baking cookies consisted of Garcia telling the others what to do and then doing it for them because they couldn’t do it right and Aaron giggling at all of them for being silly. His eyes lit up when Garcia gave him the bowls and a spoon before telling him to eat the cookie dough.

He watched the oven very intently. Reid sat beside him, and before anyone knew what was happening, Hotch was running over to them and asking if they wanted to hear what Dr Spencer- not Mr- had taught him.

Garcia let him decorate a whole batch. More icing ended up on his poor countertops and Aaron’s clothes than on the actual cookie, but if you didn’t look too closely, his reindeer and snowman actually looked like they were the things they were meant to be. And then Derek let him have two, which led to Spencer chasing him all over the mansion- not the house- to burn off the energy.

After several hours, they both collapsed on the couch. Aaron climbed into Garcia’s lap, eyes bright and cheeks red.

“I had so much fun Miss Penny!” he exclaimed.

“I’m so happy for you. Do you want a hot chocolate? We can put… marshmallows and cream and cinnamon in it,” she said.

He smiled. “Please Miss Penny.”

“Okay kiddo. One hot chocolate coming right up.”

He settled onto the couch, nestled in between Dave and Penelope when she came back and handed him the mug, full to the brim with cream and other assorted toppings that were definitely going to ruin his teeth.

“This is the best thing I’ve ever had,” he whispered to her, as though it was a very important secret.

“Even better than Mr David’s spaghetti?” she teased.

Aaron paled and seriously considered her question for a few moments before giving the slightest nod. Garcia squealed then went silent when Dave shot her a strange look. It was halfway through Nativity! that Aaron drifted off, the events of the day finally catching up to him.

Derek was the only one able to carry him up without waking him, so the moment they all realised he was indeed sleeping, they switched the film off. Whilst Derek took the sleeping Hotch to Dave’s guest room that they were going to redecorate as soon as possible, Emily grabbed the first book off the pile and followed. The rest stayed downstairs to wrap the presents that Garcia had left in her car, just in case.

Upstairs, Derek and Emily were watching Aaron sleep. Emily read him Stick Man, deciding it was the best story they could have picked.

“He’s so small,” she whispered.

“He shouldn’t be,” Derek said, switching Aaron’s nightlight on before stepping out the room, leaving the door slightly open.

Emily sighed. “Why are we so full of sadness on Christmas Eve?”

Derek wrapped an arm around her. “It’ll all be fine. There. Optimism.”

She rolled her eyes but smiled at him fondly. “Let’s just go help the others wrap, and by that I mean eat the mince pies meant for Santa.”

It was Derek’s turn to roll his eyes.

Dave woke Aaron up slightly later than normal, deeming the events of the previous night reason enough to let him sleep in.

“Merry Christmas little one,” Dave said.

“It’s Christmas?” Aaron said.

Dave nodded. “And I want you to come and see something. You don’t need to get dressed or anything like that. Actually, do you need to pee?”

Aaron nodded, so Dave let him go.

When he came back, Dave stood, ready to just go downstairs when he picked up on Aaron’s hesitance.

“What is it?”

Aaron stared at the carpet for a few moments.

“Little one, you can tell me.”

Aaron didn’t say anything but made grabby hands.

Dave smiled. “Of course.” He picked Aaron up, regretting it almost immediately but only setting him down when they were about to go into the living room.

“Close your eyes. I promise you it’s a good surprise.”

He only hesitated for a moment before complying and walking in, both hands covering his eyes that were almost certainly squeezed shut.

“Open your eyes,” he said, flicking the light on at the same moment that Aaron did.

“Merry Christmas baby Hotchner!” Garcia shouted.

The others chimed in with their own festive greetings.

Aaron seemed overwhelmed, so Spencer went and knelt beside him, explaining exactly what they were going to do, which calmed him down as he started smiling and seemed very excited for all the presents that were under the tree and addressed to him.

Hours later, when Aaron was resting his head on Spencer’s lap so his hair would be played with, Jessica and Jack arrived, having left her dad’s house early. They watched the scene play out from the doorway, smiling when Dave walked over. He nodded in acknowledgement, not wanting to disturb the scene they were all watching.

“He looks so relaxed,” Jack said.

“I still can’t get over how well you’re taking this,” Jessica admitted.

He shrugged. “I’m just trying to not think about it too much. If it means Dad is going to smile and have some better memories, then I’ll choose to focus on that instead.”

Dave smiled at that. They would worry about the cure later. For now, they would give Aaron some better memories.

When they were winding down for the day, Aaron went up to Dave and Penelope, Spencer holding his hand as the two of them were Best Friends Forever and had to do everything together- Aaron’s words.

“Mr David? Miss Penny?”

They paused in their washing/drying duties and turned to face him so he knew he had their full attention.

“Yes?” Penelope said.

“This was the best Christmas ever.”

Penelope scooped her into his arms, and when the others realised they were hugging a definitely touch-starved Aaron, they all came running over and in that moment, there was no evil or bad in the world because for the first time, child Aaron Hotchner felt completely and utterly safe.

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popculturebuffet · 4 years

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Star Vs the Forces of Evil Reviews: The Blood Moon Ball (1-15)

Welcome back.. though to most of you probably just joining me, welcome. I’ve been on a sorta hiatus from revewiing due to a combination of procrastination, depression, and being really busy. But I finally decided it was time to put boots to the ground and get back to doing what I love: Going on way too long about children’s television. As such, with She Ra taking a bow a few weeks back and nailing it I got to thinking about another show that just so happened to end the year before: Star Vs the Forces of Evil. Part of it was very simple: She ra ended on a trriumphant note, making a well set up romance that had been it’s backbone canon, having a wonderful final battle, tons of payoff and a throughly happy ending that satisfied all involved and got tons of well earned coverage for having a deep, meaningful relationship between two lesbians finally coming together being the thing that saves the universe. It was freaking great. Meanwhile a year prior Star Vs, after having been treated like toilet dinner by disney for no good reason by having it’s final season shoved out over a few sundays after a yearlong hiatus.. ended not with a bang, but with a wah wah trumpet. The series ending was unsatisfying, left more questions than answers, had the title character loose all likeablity and was in general miserable. I hadn’t been this pissed off at a finale since How I Met Your Mother and hadn’t seen a romance botched this badly in animation since “Merry Christmas Mordecai”. It was BADDDDD. However it did make me want to go back to the series; To revisit the good, the bad and the just plain weird to remember what made me love the series, what made me want to throw my tv into a river before reminding myself “No dude, shit’s expensive. “, and what COULD have been, what SHOULD have been and what WASN’T. So i’ll be reviewing assorted episodes.. and the best place to start for me was with the introduction of one of the series best characters, as well as at the same time the start of a ship that was a good idea at first but would slowly take the series down with it as it started to fall apart. This is Blood Moon Ball. There will be blood, and a dead horse, after the cut.

Before we get into the episode, one of the series most notable and honestly a damn good one, for those 2 of you not familiar with the series a quick refresher: Star VS is the story of Star Butterfly, a rebelious 14 year old princess from the Kingdom of Mewni. Mewni is your standard medievil fantasy kingdom.. but you know with wifi because they have magic compacts that work as phones and large sale acess to the multiverse. Their also ruled over by a long sucession of queens with great and terrible magic power, which is channeld through an increidbly powerful wand that’s passed down from generation to generation. On her 14th birthday Star gets her turn with the wand.. and not long after sets everything on fire. Not wanting the kingdom to get blown up while Star figures out thing, her parents send her to Earth, and after bribing the school principal into enroling her, that’s not a joke on my part but an actual joke from the pilot, Star soon becomes an exchange student, boarding with the Diazes and soon becoming best friends with their teenage son Marco, a saftey obessed, shy talented martial artist. The two are frequently forced to beat up the hordes of Ludo, a spoiled monster king who wants the wand for himself. Things would get way darker... like in literally two seconds as the revelation star’s people stole mewni from the monsters and Star’s hatred being revealed to be partly racisim instead of standard hero and villian stuff. But that’s for future reviews. Today we have demons, internet commentors and ship tease to get to. So with the basic premise set up let’s finally get on with it. We open on the arrival of my boy and yours, hopefully, Tom Lucitor. Tom is the prince of the underworld, basically exactly what it sounds like: fire, brimstone, demons spooky scary skeltons sending shivers up your spine. He’s also Star’s ex boyfriend. How they broke up is.. never really explained. While more details about their relationship, includign the fact Tom bought Star her iconic Devil Horn headband on their frist date, were revealed in the tie-in spellbook, and reveals that star’s arson that got her sent to mewni happened right after her and tom broke up, but never explains WHY. My guess is since the series clearly frames the breakup as Tom’s fault in this episode and on his anger, they probably didn’t want a scene of him screaming his head off at star, either to keep him sympathetic or , more likely, because a scene of a teenage girl watching her boyfriend having a rage fueld breakdown that leads to htem breaking up would be MASSIVELY uncomfortable to watch and unlike some uncomfortable to watch scenes, wouldn’t tell us anything we didn’t know already. So unlike some later things they never pulled the trigger on this one at least makes sense. Anywho, Tom arrives, parking in the handicap spot (a nice little gag as Star’s crush at the time Oskar points it out, while the dead skeletal horse pulling tom’s carriage turns around to look at him), and all the girls stop and stare.. including Janna, who would probably regret this moment once she realize tom was a bad boy because he’s socially awkard and has anger issues. Basically he’s Kylo Ren but his redemption dosen’t come straight out of JJ Abrhams ass. Tom arrives at Star’s classroom, removes his shade and damn if he dosen’t have game.. but naturally showing up unnannaounced to her school (Not that TOm probably gets what school is as Mewni dosen’t have those, but still), basically assuming she’ll go out with him, after they had a messy breakup it dosen’t go well and we get a great cut of Star shoving tom back into his carriage.. we also get the best joke of the episode. Star: So take your invitation and your fire and your dead horse and go. Dead Horse: wait.. i’m dead? Sad but hilarious. Anyways it’s quickly conved to viewers like us that Tom has anger problems, but he insists to star he’s doing better: he has an anger managment counsler he takes with him places, Brian, voiced by the wonderful and weirdly in Disney’s pocket these days Stephen Root, and a bunny he pets. Before star can pet said bunny Marco , KARATE CHOPS TOM’S HAND OFF.. I just.. until this review I hadn’t sat back to consider just how freakishly strong that boy is , that he can just accidently chop off a hand. I mean tom may have weak joints or something but even after taking far worse blows later on his hands just.. don’t come off. Tom flies itnto a rage and it becomes clear that yeah, whatever happened, it was tom’s fault, and given the kind of rage she flies into, you can see why i’d assume the writers really didn’t want the audience to see him at his worst. I certainly don’t. Star both worried and clearly having seen this sort of thing go bad before urges Marco to run but tom quickly recovers, both reuniting with his hand and having calmed down, and he and Marco are formally introduced, with star explaning the invite. We also get a great line with marco encouraging her “Star never go with a preadator to a second location”. This show was damn good at getting shit past the radar and i’m here for it. Anyways, Star isn’t quite sold despite tom clearly TRYING to get better, and Tom , in a really nice move, gives her a bell and tiny hammer to summon his carriage with if she decides to go but leaves it up to her, not pressuring her or anything. For how selfish tom is initially.. this is a spark that shows h’es not a TERRIBLE person, just one who has some growing up to do. Marco however is not convinced and wants to go with, with Star teling him no because A) he wasn’t invited and it’d be rude to ask and B), she appricates the concerns but she can handle this, and implicily, despite her reckless nature knows this is a risk but knows if the night turns she can handle Tom, and that maybe he’s changed. Marco insists Tom can’t change.. which I find hilarious given his massive character arc to the point I had as eires ofessays planned, and one don about his growth before deciding to change formats to doing each ep of his journey instead every so often, to the point where two years on in the series timeline.. we’ve gone from Marco thinking Tom is a predator to...

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But star decides to go and .. it’s clear from the subtext that while part of it is clear concern for star, Marco’s line about “it being fun here all the time” may mean that while he DOES have the best intentions.. part of him is jealousssssss. More on that in a bit. For now we go to the underworld with the second best gag of the episode as Tom is toning down the spookiness to please star, and one of the guys in the picture at the top insults him... and when tom asks which one he says me. We sadly don’t get an answer but it’s small gags like this that made me want to do this episode by episode. Star arrives.. and things quickly go south. Tom tries giving her a corsage that’s a live spider and she rejects it. This admitely looks bad on both as Tom , living in you know, a hell dimenson probably sees it as a sweet gesture, and Star is refusing it.. but star does so POLITELY, and for understandable reasons, and Tom is still clearly pissed about it. Not long after, they line up for what’s essentially a prom photo.. and to get Carried by a bucket of unicorn blood, another nice little gag. Star refuses since well her best friend is a unicorn, one of them anyway, or at least it’s head.. and yes one of the species in this series multiverse is a bunch of headless unicorns. IT’s wonderful. And star also notices tom needs his anger managment bunny and is clearly pissed about it when, having dated her for several months, clearly should’ve KNOWN this might bother her. That’s really tom’s problem here: He wants everything his way on his terms and only compromises if he thinks it’ll get star to do things with him. He’s made the PRETENSE of changing.. but he really dosen’t WANT to yet. He just wants her back and wants to change just enough to get her back so he can stop trying again. He also may , due to the underworld being diffrent and a place where being covered in a bucket of blood is a time honored tradition instead of the thing that turns a young mutant into a mass murderer, and yes I think a carrie x-men crossover would be the shit. He probably dosen’t GET that star wouldn’t like a spider corasge or bathing in her best friends blood.. but the problem isn’t that. that’s culture shock, that can be bridged with some talk.. the problem is tom dosen’t want to talk, he just wants her to do what he wants and things to be all cool and to get his way. Being a prince with two loving parents, we’ll meet them soon enough just not this episode, and tons of servants, I get the impressionf rom this and other episodes tom simply isn’t USED to not getting what he wants.He’s not USED to being told “No”, and thus has no way to deal with it healthily and isntead lashes out like an angry toddler. It dosen’t make his actions RIGHT but it does make them more understandable and makes it so Tom’s later growth FEELS natural depsite some of his sketchier actions beforehand.

Back at Marco’s house, Marco is depressed eating nachos in a sumbrero.. which if I had corn chips, cheese and a sombrero would probably be my daily life right about now. It’s then we get a WEIRD dropped bit, as Marco hears a weird piratey voice telling him the blood moon is the moon for lovers and stuff. This is IMPLIED to be his monster arm, from an earlier episode.. but it’s.. never explained. Whatever it was going to be was dropped. Which would be fine if the blood moon itself and the end of this episode didn’t get a full explination in season 4 with the writers clearly going back to it to resolve the dangling thread.. but still not explaning the spooky voice. I mean what was it? Marco’s pirate ancestor? the sea captain from the simpsons? the monster arm? terry that bastard? Burt Macklin FBI? Old Man Withers the guy who runs the amusment park? Dirk Dastardely? A sentient payphone? The alps? Tell us damn you! Okay that tangent aside Marco decides to party crash at the advice of the ominous voice.. seriously is it Flintheart Glomgold? Nevermind. Back at the ball star is bonding with a small skeletal fish int he magma punch whent his random asshole comes up and whines for a good minute,if hilariously so, about the ball being changed.

He’s feels, looks and acts like the combination of those morons who were mad adora wasn’t “as hot” in the she ra reboot and was aged down to a teenager and the threw it on the ground guy. After that interlude, tom shoos away a guy asking star to dance and the guy makes vauge comments about tom wanting his and star’s souls to be link while making kissy nosies. Before Tom can explain what he means by that, or at least lie about what he means by that, the blood moon is about the drop, the lights turn red and tom walks off because he wants the music to be perfect. And then Marco arrives in his really damn cool calevara outfit. Which fair play, I can see why, besides ship reasons, it gets a lot of art: it looks really damn neat. Speaking of shipping.. it’s time. Star, not realizing it’s marco, dances with him.. quite romantically in fact. It’s here that the show conciously starts Shipping star and marco together. Starco is born, and the scnee is really good: romantic, well animated, jsut great all around. While the ship would .. end up done rather poorly and lead to some really terrible stuff at the time.. it wasn’t abd and already shipping them I loved this and even now, even knowing what woudl come later... it’s not a bad sequence. The only bad thing is what would come later, but I can’t fault the writers of THIS EP for what they would do in a LATER ONE. That’s just not fair. The ship wasn’t bad to start and the later arc springing from it in season 2 would be good.. it just quickly went in bad directions as the series went on , then disappeared, then how it finallyc ame about was just awful. But as much as I want to.. I can’t blame the sequence on this. It didn’t create rabid shippers or poor writing, it was just good and deserves to be praised as such. Naturally tom takes this about as well as me when I found out HBO max wouldn’t be on roku at launch and prepares to murder Marco.. and promptly gets frozen by star who decides to wisely get out of there. It’s a ncie moment.. and reminder that Star is crazy powerful, as is the wand itself, because as we’ll see later, tom is no slouch himself in the power department, but even if her attack was from behind, she still stopped him in one move. So Star takes marco home and dresses him down for sneaking in, understandbly so: while it was an iffy situation, Star knew who she was dealing with and as shown at the end, was strong enough that tom was no threat to her, and given what we learn later, Tom’s parents would likely never let her come to real harm. For all her reckless decision making, Star thought this one out and Marco shoudl’ve repsectied that and didn’t for his own reasons. To his credit though he apologizes, Star admits to liking the dance, then the two speak in unison a few times, and we wont’ get followup on that till the last season! Roll credits. I don’t have the credits for this episode so enjoy this instead:

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Final Thoughts: Blood Moon Ball is a spectacular ep. A good plot, a great introduction for tom, and great animation and humor really make the episode pop and it’s nice to get our first look at the underworld and tom himself. Tom would be back, and i’ll be back to tom eventually, but on it’s own the episode is really good and it’s standout sequence still holds up even as starco ended up in the sewer quality wise. All in all a great ep and a great starting point if you haven’t watched the show yet. Coming Soon: A return to Star in the near future probably since Tom is great and his second ep deserves love too, as do several other star eps, as well as a look at the saluna episodes of the loud house because i’m in a gay mood for obvious reasons, and a loud house mood for less obvious reasons. Until then, feel free to hit me up with asks with suggestions or commisosns for future reviews, and until next time, later days.

#star vs the forces of evil #star butterfly #marco diaz #tom lucitor #startom #starco #animation #shipping #she ra #rider strong #blood moon #blood moon ball

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earth-ambassador-jim · 4 years

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Hearts Warm and Bright

~~~~

This is a short story for @purplerose244 for the @toa-secret-santa event. Surprise! I was your Secret Santa. I saw your post about sweaters and just had to incorporate it.

(Also thank-you to @archaeopter-ace who created the reference I used for the Akiridian writing)

Now without any further ado:

~~~~

Krel knocked on the Domzalskis’ front door with some sense of trepidation. He wasn’t sure what to make of the humans’ different little “holly-day” traditions but… the festivities were part of his friends’ cultures so he was determined to at least try to enjoy them. That aside, he’d never really had a chance to be properly part of a festival without his status as a royal affecting it. It might be fun.

The door opened and a blast of warm, sweet smelling air hit him. Steve grinned widely from the other side of the doorframe.

“ ‘Bout time you got here! We were starting to think you’d gotten lost in one of your nerdy science things.”

“They are not ‘nerdy’,” Krel grumbled.

“Yeah, sure… Whatever helps you sleep at night.” Steve rolled his eyes. “Did you bring anything for the party?”

“The Blanks made some cookies?” Krel offered. “I hope it will appease the Santa Claus?”

Lucy and Ricky called out cheery greeting behind him.

Steve snorted and looped an arm around his shoulder.

“Get in here buttsnack.”

Krel shoved half-heartedly at the appendage wrapped around his shoulder, with only two hands at the moment Steve had the advantage.

Inside the house was decked out in lights and plant pieces. A large tree was standing upright in the middle of the living room. It was of the non-leafy variety that Krel thought he had heard the humans call “pines”.

The Coach Lawrence and Steve’s mom were already there talking to Nana and Toby. They turned to look in his direction as the cold air from outside reached them.

Toby’s face split into a wide grin.

“DJ Kreb is in the house!” He hollered and made his way over.

“Of course,” Krel said waving back. “The house is definitely preferred with how cold it is outside.”

He didn’t know how humans had lasted so long with their heat requirements. He looked over Toby curiously noting that he was wearing different garments than usual.

“What is that?” He asked pointing at the odd thick shirt Toby was wearing with his own name on it.

Toby blushed slightly.

“Nana makes Christmas sweaters for the family… and Dr. L and Jim,” He explained smoothing down.

“Oh!” Krel said. He thought for a moment and then did ‘fingerguns’. “Crispy.”

Toby groaned. “Not you too.” He grabbed Krel’s hand. “Come on! We’ve got presents to unwrap and cookies to eat and then I am beating you at whatever game Uncle Fin sent me this year.”

“Unlikely, but you have my interest.”

Krel followed him over to the couch, releasing this transduction on the way over. It was much more comfortable to have all four arms.

Once they got there they were all handed wrapped boxes containing presents and got to work. Krel thought it was a little odd to go to all the work to make the packaging look pretty only to destroy it, but he could appreciate the fun of the surprise.

From Steve he got a remote controlled car, from Toby an assortment of human sweets, from the Coach a set of weights (unnecessary with his new ship/house’s training deck but he appreciated the thought), and from Barbara Lake an adventure book. The winged troll, Strickler, gave him an odd piece of technology he didn’t recognize.

“I’m told you enjoy solving puzzles of the technological sort,” He said with a wink and gave no farther explanation.

After that there were sweets and games, contrary to Toby’s boasts, Krel managed to beat him twice at the new video game before the short human won a round.

Krel’s cheeks almost were hurting from smiling by the time Nana pulled him to the side.

“Can I help you with something?” he asked.

Nana gave a little chuckle at that and patted him on the shoulder.

“You’re such a dear,” She said and then handed him a box. “I have one more gift for you.”

Krel eyed it curiously. The wrapping paper was white with the little red and white mint candy hooks on it. After a moment of hesitation he started to tear it off. Inside was a brown box and inside that was something made out of cloth. The texture resembled the garment Toby was wearing.

“It’s a ‘sweater’, right?” He asked hesitantly as he unfolded it.

“Yes, dear.”

He pulled out the blue-black material to get a better look at it and stilled. It had four arms. Not only that but on the front of it, above a little depiction of a tree, was his name in both English and Akiridian.

There was no way it came from a store. Krel opened and closed his mouth a few times before getting words out.

“You made this? For me?”

Nana smiled and nodded.

“But Toby said you only make these for family,” He protested even as his hands tightened protectively on it.

“I do, but there’s far more to family than just who you’re related to,” Nana said with a wave of her hand.

Toby had drifted away from the others while they were talking to stand next to her. He shifted from foot to foot and wrung his hands.

“I um…” Toby hesitated. “I told her about what happened to your parents and I know what that’s like. Well not exactly! But I lost mine when I was little and… Well with you on Earth and us being friends I thought that maybe…”

He broke off flushing and looking uncharacteristically awkward.

“What Toby-pie is trying to say,” Nana said, mercifully choosing to finish the explanation for him. “Is that you have a home with us as well.”

“I…” Krel didn’t know what to say.

He stared down at the sweater in his hands and felt wetness swell in his eyes. It was a funny trait that came with constant use of transductions, a very human trait. He swallowed and hugged the gift close to him.

“I’d like that.”

Toby whooped and hugged him. Krel let out a startled laugh and returned it. A moment later he felt Nana’s arms wrap around both of them. This was nice, he thought.

He had a second to relax into the embrace before Steve’s loud voice broke through his warm haze.

“Group hug!” The blond oaf hollered.

“Hey!” Toby whined as he was squished between them.

Krel tried to glare at him, but couldn’t quite manage it. He might grumble and get annoyed sometimes but loved his dumb humans.

Eventually they all pulled apart to return to their various revelries of choice. Krel took the moment of opportunity to slip his sweater on. It fit perfectly. He ran his fingers over it reverently as he savored the warm feeling in his chest.

It was strange…

He had wanted to make his mark during his time on Earth (And he had in both big ways and small ones) but somehow, despite destroying and asteroid and defeating a tyrant-turned-god, it was the friends that he had made he was most proud of. He knew he wouldn’t be here forever, he was still King and one day he would have to return to Akiridian-5 to rule, but he couldn’t help but think that this odd little town on a planet he had once complained of as a “boring mudball” would always be home to him.

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lissy-strata · 4 years

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Three Times Vicki Used Fire For Good and One Time She Didn’t

This is my Secret Santa gift for @austerlitzborodinoleipzig, who asked for Vicki being awesome. (I’ll post this to AO3 as soon as I can.) Merry Christmas! :D

1. Light

The cave was only marginally warmer than the outside, which was so cold one could toss out a pitcher of boiling water and it would freeze before it hit the ground. Like a dangerously enthusiastic snow globe, the wind blew the snow fiercely, making it almost impossible to see more than a few feet in any direction. What little light could penetrate the thick clouds slipped inside the cave opening, waiting out the storm with the two shivering travelers inside.

Vicki’s fingers shook as she tried to tie the end of a string to a bow-shaped stick. The string wrapped around another stick once, then joined the other end of the bow. “There!” she said, succeeding in her task. “Now I just n-n-need some sort of f-f-f-flat rock or s-something for the t-t-top.” Feeling around on the ground, she found a small piece of bark.

Beside her, the Doctor was fumbling around in his pockets for something to use as kindling. Miraculously, they had wood. The cave was filled with bits of branches and sticks that had one way or another come in. Some of it was even dry enough to burn.

“Hmm...” He peered through his spectacles at a few crumpled sheets of paper. “No, not this one...must remember to return that to Mr. Jefferson. Ah, yes! This should do nicely.” He handed her one of the pages. It was brown with age.

Vicki looked at it. “S-symphony No. 10....is this Beethoven?”

The Doctor pocketed his glasses. “Only a fragment. Nobody will miss it. Besides, I told him the second movement needs tweaking...” he trailed off before seeming to remember the urgency of the task at hand. “Are we going to sit around chattering all day or are we going to make a fire?”

She tore the paper into tiny shreds and piled them up in a heap. The Doctor reached for the bow. “C-can’t I do it?” she asked.

“What do you know about fire starting?”

“I know enough. Ian s-s-showed me. B-back on J-J-Juno.” She put the end of the stick in the middle of the paper, held the bark between her palm and the top of the stick, and began moving the bow back and forth. “See? T-the string moves the st-st-stick faster and it should heat up the p-paper.”

The rapid movement also helped warm her up a bit. The Doctor didn’t seem to feel the cold the way she did.

He sat back and watched her in silence for a few seconds. “Chesterson saves us all with fire again...” he mused.

“What?”

“Hmm? Oh, nothing child. Nothing. I was just thinking about another fire in another cave...”

“Was that with Susan?”

Silence.

“...How did you know that?” he whispered, almost hoarsely.

“Ian told me about it when he was showing me how to do this.” The tiniest wisp of smoke wafted up from below. “He said it was when he and Barbara first met you.”

“He did, did he?” The Doctor’s tone was defensive.

Vicki decided not to pursue that line of conversation. Instead, she said, “He told me about Susan.” More silence. The paper started to smolder slightly. “Was she really your granddaughter?”

There was a long pause. Silence, save for the sound of scraping wood. Her arm was starting to tire, but she was sure the paper would catch soon.

“Yes,” said the Doctor.

For an instant, she saw a look of terrible sadness flicker across his face. He quickly hid it away.

“Barbara said she fell in love.”

“Yes. She did. With a young man on Earth. And I...” the words hung in the air.

The paper caught fire.

Together, they carefully fed the little flames until they had a decent blaze going. Vicki pulled her mittens back on and huddled next to the Doctor, letting the much-needed warmth wash over them.

He sat staring into the fire thoughtfully, occasionally adding another stick. Vicki couldn’t tell what he was thinking, but she didn’t need to be telepathic to guess that he was lost in a memory.

“Doctor,” she began. He turned to look at her. “She sounds like a wonderful person. Do you think...” She hesitated. “I mean, maybe the Tardis... Maybe one day I could meet her?”

For a second, she was afraid she’d crossed a line. An unspoken boundary. But then a small smile played around his lips. “Maybe someday we will,” he said as he put an arm around her shoulders. “Maybe someday...”

2. Baked

“They’re coming through the windows!” screamed Barbara.

Ian rushed to the window where a seven foot tall gingerbread man was trying to break through and beat it savagely with a candy cane. The monster cookie roared and fell back, and Barbara grabbed a giant gumdrop off the floor and stuffed it into the broken window. It wiggled at bit as the gingerbread man pounded on it, but held firm.

“How many more are there?” Ian asked breathlessly.

“At least half a dozen,” said Barbara. “I’ve locked all the doors and windows, but the whole place is made of sweets, it won’t hold for long!”

Ian put the end of his sharpened candy cane down and leaned on it. “Where’s the Doctor?”

“With the mayor. He’s trying to get the attraction shut down.”

The attraction in question was the gingerbread mansion they were currently standing in. Every year, the humans on New Saturn built a new Christmas wonderland- a forest of ice sculptures, a maze of Christmas trees, a replica elf village. The tourism did wonders for the local economy. However, this year their elaborate gingerbread mansion hadn’t panned out the way anyone expected.

For example, nobody had expected the gingerbread men to come to life and start attacking people.

Outside the parlour, there came a loud crash, followed by a scream and the sound of someone running. Vicki burst into the room, wielding a long stick with the remains of a marshmallow on one end. Behind her, wearing the rest of the molten marshmallow, was an on-fire gingerbread man, waving its arms madly and roaring.

“I think I’ve found their weakness!” shouted Vicki. “They don’t like fire!”

“You just made it angrier!” Ian grabbed a nearby chair and threw it in the path of the rampaging cookie. It tripped and fell to the ground, still burning. As it tried to flip itself over, Barbara pushed Vicki behind her.

“It’s between us and the door,” she said.

Ian hefted his candy cane. “I’ll hold it off. You and Vicki make a run for it.” The gingerbread man managed to roll itself over, smothering the flames. “Run!”

“Wait!” said the cookie.

They stared in astonishment as the gingerbread man stood up and brushed itself off. “Wait,” it said again. “I...I’m done.”

“Done?” asked Barbara.

The cookie scratched the back of its head. “I’m done. Finished. Completed.” When the humans still didn’t seem to understand, it said, “The process is complete. My insides have hardened.”

“Are you saying,” said Vicki, “that you’re finished cooking?”

“Yes.” The cookie smiled.

“Now hang on a minute,” Ian said as he lowered his candy weapon. “You’re telling us that all the gingerbread men out there are on a rampage because they’re only half-baked?”

“Yes.”

“So all we need to do is finish baking them?” asked Barbara. “Vicki, can you get more marshmallows?”

Twenty minutes later, they were on the roof with bags of giant marshmallows, a small bonfire, and an improvised slingshot.

It was going to be a very eventful Christmas.

3. Explode

“Who are you?” asked Vicki.

The girl who had unlocked the cell door wasn’t at all who Vicki who had been expecting. She looked just a little older than Vicki, and she wore a black bomber jacket decorated with an eclectic assortment of pins and badges.

“I’m Ace. C’mon, we’re getting out of here.” Ace took Vicki’s hand and pulled her out of the cell and down the corridor with all the confidence of someone who either knew what they were doing, or who was really good at pretending.

“But my friends-”

“They’re fine. You just got stuck in a time slip. You’re something like fifty-seven years ahead of them.”

Vicki stopped short, jerking her hand out of Ace’s. “Wait! I’m in the future? Well, compared to them.”

She must have looked pretty distressed, because Ace threw an arm around her. “Don’t worry, kid. The Professor sent me to get you and send you back to the right timeline.”

“Who’s the Professor?”

“Don’t worry about it. Let’s go!”

She allowed Ace to lead her through the twisted corridors of the research station. It looked so different from when she had come in with Steven and the Doctor. Newer, obviously, but also when they came in it had been an ancient castle. Now, it had been modernised- kitted out with new lights, new furniture, more computers, and a whole new wing dedicated to deep space telescopes.

“See, what happened is there’s a buildup of tachyon energy and if you happen to walk through the right place at the right time, you get zapped to the other end of the timestream.”

“I see,” said Vicki. That certainly explained the sudden dizziness and waking up alone. And the-

There was a bang from somewhere in the distance.

“Cybermen!” they exclaimed. Ace looked at her.

“I see you’ve met them.”

“Well, I didn’t lock myself in a cell!” snapped Vicki.

“All right,” said Ace. “And I’m not looking forward to a reunion. Let’s go!” She motioned for Vicki to follow her toward an alcove containing a stone spiral staircase.

“But the front door’s right there,” said Vicki, pointing. “We can escape.”

Ace stopped on the stairs. “Well, you know how I said we’re in the future?” Vicki nodded. “Okay, so it’s not the future future. Not the real one. It’s like a chunk of future but a bit to the left. All closed off from the rest of time.”

“Like a bubble?”

“Yeah, exactly! And we need to get to the focal point so we can get back to our own timelines and trap the Cybermen here. At least, that’s what the Professor said.”

A horrible electronic screech echoed from a nearby corridor. Three Cybermen entered the great hall somewhat shakily. A strange foaming substance oozed from various heads and chests. The one in front pointed at them and screeched again.

“Move!” shouted Ace. Vicki didn’t need to be told twice. The two of them scrambled up the steps as fast as they could go. At the top, Vicki watched as Ace pulled a silver canister out of her rucksack and fiddled with the top.

“Just giving them something to think about,” she said, grinning. From below, they could hear the Cybermen ascending the steps behind them. Ace tossed the canister down the stairs. It bounced out of sight and then there was a loud explosion that shook the walls.

Three more corridors and another set of stairs later, they found one of the newer rooms, filled with futuristic computers and equipment and tangled wires weaving haphazardly through it all.

“What do we do?” asked Vicki.

Ace powered up the computer. “I think...yeah, they didn’t change the coordinates. It looks like they just unplugged everything.” She tapped a few commands into the computer. “Okay, that should send us back to where we need to be. Help me reconnect all this...”

It wasn’t difficult to plug all the wires back in. Most of them were even helpfully color-coded. It was just that they were tangled and there was a lot of them. They were almost finished when they heard another strangled electronic screech. Ace swore. She was halfway underneath one of the machines, up to her elbows in cables. “Hey, kid! Get another can of Nitro-9 out of my bag!”

Vicki dropped the tangle of wires she was working on and dove for the bag. She pulled out another silver canister while Ace shouted directions.

“Just don’t use it until you actually see a Cyberman,” she said. “Don’t want to give away our location.”

“Okay.” Vicki slid open the door to reveal a Cyberman standing right outside.

It was still scorched from the first explosion.

“Here!” Vicki quickly thrust the can of Nitro-9 into its outstretched hand, slammed the door shut, and threw the bolt home.

The following boom shook bits of rock and debris from the ceiling.

“Ace!” said Ace.

The machine, when fully assembled, looked an awful lot like three old-fashioned television cameras arranged in a triangle around a raised platform on top of a nest of cables.

Vicki stood on the platform, holding a remote control, and watched as Ace carefully fiddled with her last canisters, placing them strategically around the room.

“Why..?”

“So after we’re gone, those things can’t follow. Don’t looks so worried, it’s a long fuse. I’m like, 93% sure of it. We’ve got about a minute before they blow up.”

She ran to join Vicki on the platform. “Ready, kid?”

“Ready as I’ll ever be.” Vicki hit the button.

Thirty seconds later, the now empty room exploded.

4. Tradition

“Are you sure this is all right,” Steven asked as he peered around the corner at the city square. A fresh blanket of snow covered the previous blanket of snow, giving their target a festive winter coat.

“Of course it is. Lars said it was.” Vicki fumbled with the lighter. “And we’re just in time to be the ones to do it this year if we hurry.”

“But why would people go through the trouble of building a giant straw goat just for someone to burn it down?”

Vicki handed him a lit torch and began lighting the other one. “It’s tradition. It doesn’t have to make sense. It’s probably some ancient religious thing that nobody knows the meaning of anymore.”

“Yeah, but wouldn’t they pick someone to burn down the goat? Why leave it up to chance?”

“That’s probably part of the tradition.” She tucked the lighter into her pocket and held her torch in front of her and grinned. “If you’re lucky, the goat survives. And if you’re not, the goat burns down and you get six more weeks of winter.”

“That’s Groundhog’s Day.”

“Oh, who cares? It’ll be fun!” She went to the end of the alley and checked to see if the coast was clear. “Ready?”

Steven shrugged. “I guess. What do we do?”

“Follow me!”

Vicki burst out of the alley and ran at top speed toward the huge straw goat, whooping and hollering and waving her torch. Steven ran after her, with much less noise, and together they circled the enormous legs, touching the fire to the straw until the flames grew and the goat was completely alight.

They stood back, panting, watching the structure burn.

“It’s gorgeous,” said Vicki.

“I have to admit,” said Steven, “it does look pretty spectacular.”

They only had a few moments to admire their handiwork when they heard sirens and an angry voice yelling, “Hey, you!” They turned to see Swedish police officers running towards them.

“...maybe this isn’t really a tradition...” Vicki said softly.

“Yeah. And if we’re lucky, we’ll avoid jail time. Run!”

#classicwhosecretsanta #austerlitzborodinoleipzig #Vicki Pallister #First Doctor #Barbara Wright #Ian Chesterton #Steven Taylor #unexpected Ace #writing #fic

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pandamilo · 6 years

Text

Merry Christmas from your Secret Santa <3

@oek I hope you have a brilliant Christmas and enjoy this silly Ritsu x Takano ficlet, it’s teeth-rottingly fluffy so be warned :P

Secret Santa Ritsu

It was Christmas… the worst time of the year.

Not because Ritsu hated it or anything of that nature. He liked the atmosphere, the excitement of children, family and friends… all those normal sweet things that came with Christmas he liked.

It was the presents that he hated.

He hated receiving them, never really knowing what to say or how to show he liked what he was being given, even if he didn’t – he really wasn’t great at pretending.

But even worse than getting gifts, was giving them. No matter how well he knew a person, he always doubted he was getting them the right thing, thought they were feigning their interest in it even when they seemed happy with it.

Don’t even get him started on things such as secret Santa and gifts that came from strangers or ones he had to give to strangers. Is it a generic gift if you don’t even know the person? It isn’t like you can ask them what they wanted.

Do you get them chocolates, soaps, gift cards, hobby ideas… all those presents you get from your grandmother that you pretend you really love but you never really need?

This year when the editors at his publishing company decided it would be an excellent idea for everyone to pick a name out of a hat and get a gift for them.

So, of course, Ritsu picked the one person he really didn’t want…

Takano Masamune.

What in the world was he meant to get a man who either had everything, didn’t want anything and to top it all off, was quite open about the fact that he loved him.

You could just give him yourself for a present.

Ritsu had been making himself a coffee and nearly dropped the entire contents of the scolding hot coffee onto himself in shock. He seriously hadn’t had enough sleep over the last little while (or basically since he began working here) if that was the answer his brain came up with.

Maybe an obscure book? He reads like I do… Or a scarf, it has been extra cold lately… Eh, maybe I’ll just get him chocolates or something…

Ritsu had been dealing with this predicament for three weeks now and after all this time thinking and worrying about what to get, it was just two days before he needed to give him his gift and he still didn’t have anything.

That and he still hadn’t come up with anything that could be good for the out-there man he used to love.

What else did he used to enjoy?

Imagines of Takano and himself together in high school, always fuzzy and faded from time and distance, memories, but the feeling of warmth, the smell of books and the heat of Takano’s fingers on him always made Ritsu feel a little dizzy.

He hated that more than presents.

As soon as he turned in his last edits for his author, Ritsu was streaming down the snow-covered side walk, frantically seeking anything that grabbed his attention. Nothing seemed to fit, it was too dull, too weird, too un-Takano, that he was almost ripping his hair out in frustration when he turned a corner only to bump into the devil himself.

“T-takano.” Ritsu bowed slightly as way of apology and greeting.

“Onodera, what are you doing? It’s freezing.” Takano looked mildly annoyed, studying Ritsu’s flushed face as Ritsu averted his gaze.

Takano sighed, something he always did when Ritsu wouldn’t look at him, unwound the scarf from his own neck and draped it around Ritsu’s with a tug to wrap it a little tighter.

The sudden action had caused Ritsu to look at the man in front of him, their eyes locking and he knew he was doomed, he couldn’t look away once he was trapped in those pools that seemed to prod through to his very soul.

“You need to be more prepared for weather like this.” Takano stated by way of explanation at the sudden closeness. “I’m headed home, return it to me tonight.” Takano pushed his fingers through Ritsu’s hair as he was walked past, pushing the slightly too long hair out of Ritsu’s reddened face.

When he knew Takano was gone he buried his face into the scarf out of embarrassment, only feel utterly worse when the strong smell that was distinctly Takano assaulted his noise and sent an involuntary shiver up his spine.

He smelled of ink, almond soup and coffee – something that Ritsu would think to be an odd combination on anyone else but he resisted the thought that to him, it was actually horribly comforting.

With the scarf wrapped around his neck, Ritsu pressed forward, the smell of Takano making the expedition both worse and better, all at the same time.

When he was walking passed an old second hand store that sat away from the normal shopping district, with assorted art pieces sitting in the front window, Ritsu couldn’t have told you what made him go in.

The shop was cluttered, overflowing with junk… or another man’s treasure and somehow, he found himself scanning the shelves upon shelves of books, he could feel himself searching but for the life of him, he didn’t really know what for.

That is, until he found it.

Tucked away in a back corner was a leather bound, faded, worn (or as Ritsu saw them, well loved) copy of a book he had seen Takano borrow more than once when he was in high school.

High school…

Of course, his brain pulled out a memory, one Ritsu didn’t even realise he had until it all came tumbling back to him. Takano in his usual spot in the library, reading a book for the second time, something Ritsu couldn’t remember ever seeing him do before.

It was a good book, full of adventure, well written and bounded beautiful, well this copy was when it was originally published, now it was more tattered and worn.

Just like you and Takano.

Ritsu almost throw the book away but found himself leaving with it clutched tightly to his chest a minute later. It was such a silly memory, a dumb idea but it fit so perfectly to Takano that Ritsu couldn’t bear to leave it behind.

***

When he arrived at home he was surprised when he went into his bathroom awhile later and saw the stolen scarf, still wound tightly around his neck. He needed to return it but that would also mean having to see Takano and give him the book.

The issue with this of course being Ritsu was, in fact, terrified… what if he remembers it and then thinks it means more then it does… worse, what if he doesn’t remember and…

I feel like a fool.

Ritsu took a shuddering breath, pulling himself together and tugging the scarf from his neck. Standing outside of Takano’s door, eyes flicking back to his own next to it a few times with his hand raised to knock, he spent more time then he should have hesitating.

After a few seconds the door was opened, Takano looked slightly dishevelled, hair out of place, his shirt looked too big for him, hanging off his shoulder.

“Oh, Onodera, sorry. I was getting ready to sleep, come in.” Takano looked genuinely surprised to see him, which was unusual considering how many times he convinced Ritsu he needed to be at his house with him.

“Did you just come to bring my scarf? It’s quite late, you could have waited till tomorrow… you seem unhappy, what’s wrong?” Takano was scrutinising his face, reaching out and pulling his chin so they would be looking at one another.

“Here.” Ritsu thrust the scarf at Takano, the book firmly wrapped up in it in paper wrapping and went to leave. His entire face felt like it was on fire, red hot and making him want to crumple to the floor of embarrassment.

Before he could take two steps back towards the door he felt Takano’s large hand envelop his wrist, holding him in place, he could feel his warm breath on the back of his neck.

“Ritsu, what’s this?”

“Merry Christmas from your secret Santa.” Ritsu mumbled out, attempting to yank his hand free but knowing full well the effort was in vain.

He heard the rustle of paper being ripped and a soft gasp that could have been his hearing, at this point the rushing of blood in his own ears would drown out most sounds if he let it.

Suddenly Ritsu was enveloped in long arms that wound around his stomach and pulled him flush against Takano’s chest, Takano’s face burying roughly into the side of his neck as Ritsu stiffened in shock.

“Onodera, how… how did you find it?” Takano’s voice was small and soft but hot in his ear as he spoke, sending a shiver up his spine.

“I-I knew you liked older books, I just f-found it at-at a second-hand store.”

“Not the book, Onodera, this one in particular… did you remember?” Takano’s voice was warm with affection as his lips brushed Onodera’s ear and he swore his knees were going to give out from under him.

“Merry Christmas, Takano.” Ritsu replied simply, unsure of what else he could say at this point – apparently Takano had other ideas when Ritsu went to pull away.

“Onodera, I love you. Thank you.”

Ritsu felt his lips press harder to his neck before he was spun around and pushed against the wall, the look on Takano’s face was more worrying to Ritsu then being pressed flush against the wall.

There was a slight glint in Takano’s eyes, moisture there that hadn’t been there a minute ago.

“Takano?”

“I love you Onodera, I know you won’t say it back but at least you show it sometimes.” Before Ritsu could respond his lips were enveloped in the heat of Takano’s, kissing him softly but with passion that forced a shudder to course through him.

Ritsu tried to resist, pull away to leave but Takano knew as well as he did that Ritsu wasn’t leaving tonight, probably not in the morning either… apparently, he wasn’t wrong when Ritsu had thought he would give Takano himself for Christmas.

I love you, Masamune Takano…

#sekaiichi hatsukoi #secret santa #gift #writing #my writing #ao3 fic #new fic #ao3fic #boys #corny #teeth rotting fluff #fluff #takano x onodera #onodera ritsu #takano masamune

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overwatch-imagines-hub · 7 years

Text

Fictober - Vampires (McCree)

You bet your ass I used a nickname from that list of nicknames by Denny’s during this. I’m also pretty sure that this is my longest piece so far. What can I say? McCree’s my huckleberry.

An old non-Overwatch RP scenario I did a few years ago inspired this lovely little piece.

Alternatively titled “Oral Fixation?” Enjoy.

~~~

You hummed along to some song on the radio as you pulled your second batch of Halloween cookies from the oven. You swayed a bit to the beat and bumped the oven door shut and placed the assortment of ghost, pumpkin, and witch hat shaped cookies on the kitchen counter.

You weren’t always a hugely festive person but when it came to the last three months of the year, you jumped on the holiday fanatic bandwagon. You’ve had the house decked out in anything and everything Halloween since September twenty-fifth and by noon on November first the Halloween hovel would be turned into a Thanksgiving cabin; the day after Thanksgiving struck Christmas tree hunting and colored lights strung up around the outside and inside of the house. Of course, making Halloween treats and pumpkin spice goodies until Christmas preparations rolled up--where pumpkin spice would turn to sugar cookies and candy cane--was a necessity and this explained the several end table trays around the house filled with homemade sweets, tupperware containers being filled with cookies and sent off to neighbors, friends, and family, and no lack of candy for trick-or-treaters when the time came because an entire kitchen cabinet was filled with bags of store bought candies.

You were taking in your wonderfully festive handiwork when something caught your eye outside the kitchen window. However, you saw nothing when you peeked outside, so you shrugged and carried on with your business. You plucked freshly baked cookies of the cookie sheet and placed them in a swirled pattern on a large plate.

“Hey, babe, cookies are done!” you hollered. You were hoping to get Jesse’s attention from where he was hanging out upstairs; he was the biggest fan of your homemade treats, after all, and one of his favorite parts was watching you using the icing to draw pictures.

Still, you were given no response.

With a shrug you got the icing ready and muttered, “Fine then. I’ll decorate these beauties on my own and you won’t get to see it.” You put the bag of icing’s tip to the first cookie’s surface and began to work. After a moment you added to yourself, “Maybe I’ll eat the first cookie too.”

Suddenly, the same movement from outside caught your eye again, this time coming from the back door’s window. You stopped your icing mission, eyebrows raised curiously.

“Don’t you dare be trying to scare me while I’m in the middle of the most tedious part cowboy,” you warned, placing your icing on the counter and wandering over to the door. However, a nervous shiver crawled up your spine as you peered outside for a few moments, then checked the door to make sure it was locked for the night; you were sure Jesse was upstairs cleaning his Peacekeeper, which made this scenario all the more creepy.

After a few minutes of hesitation and checking to see if the movement happened again, you made your way back to the counter and continued your work. Five cookies in and you’d mostly forgotten about the events that had happened, until a growing shadow on the kitchen counter from something walking up behind you caught your attention. You couldn’t help but hold your breath; Jesse had never been a quiet person but whoever was behind you was dead silent. You for a knife nearby, in what you hoped was a discreet fashion, as you waited for the intruder’s next action.

Then a low voice, clearly Southern but attempting to mask it with some other unrecognizable accent, hummed against your ear, “Good evening, darling.”

“Jesse motherfucking McCree,” you breathed, relaxing and leaning heavily on the counter in front you. “I could have stabbed you. What the fuck is that accent you’re trying to pull off?” You dropped the knife you had just caught in your fingers and turned around to face your partner.

Jesse took a step back with a wide and cheeky grin plastered on his face, cosmetic vampire teeth plainly visible where his canines were. He wore a well-tailored black tailcoat suit of slightly shimmery material with a long cape of black satin draped over his shoulders. His jacket had only the center button done up, revealing a collared white dress shirt that clung to the man’s broad chest and the white bow tie that matched it. The cowboy’s hair was slicked back, shining in the kitchen light from the amount of product needed to force the usually unruly mess down, and his irises were blood red as a result of colored contacts. His eyebrows and facial hair were controlled and styled with just as much effort as the hair on his head and subtle eye makeup--shadow, liner; everything but fake eyelashes because his were already those of gods--was not subtle enough to go unnoticed by you.

When you glanced down, however, he was still wearing those god forsaken roughed up cowboy boots.

“How the hell did you sneak up on me in those?” you inquired aloud. Then you met his cocky gaze with a quirked eyebrow. “How the hell did you sneak up on me period? I thought you were upstairs cleaning your gun or napping or something.”

“I snuck into the pantry when you went to the bathroom earlier,” Jesse replied. He dropped the bad Dracula accent for the time being but kept his proud stance.

You stood on your tiptoes to glance over his shoulder at the small dark room he’d exited, then looked at him incredulously. “That was like an hour ago. You stood in there for an hour?”

“Genji was doing the flashy thing outside the windows.” Jesse took the edges of his cape in his hands then raised his arms, giving him the appearance of bat wings. In his bad accent, he asked, “Do you know who I am?”

“An ass who put way too much effort into this?” you answered, pretending to answer his question. “Oh, wait, I know. Someone who not only isn’t going to eat the first cookie but who is also going to sleep on the couch tonight.”

“Vampires don’t sleep,” Jesse countered, though his grin deflated slightly and his pointed eyebrows furrowed.

“Hm, you’re right,” you replied, “Do I have a stake anywhere?”

“Aw, angel cake,” Jesse said, dropping his act completely and shuffling up to you, “did I bother ya that bad? I’m sorry, bubbles. I just wanted t’ do have some Halloween fun; I thought you’d enjoy it.”

You turned back to your work pointedly and gestured at the cookie you had been working on when Jesse initiated the final act of his prank; the cookie’s icing was smeared and you had dropped the bag of icing on the others that had already been decorated, ultimately rendering your icing mission pointless. “Boy, you ruined the cookies.”

Jesse wrapped his arms around you, overall wrapping the both of you in his thick cloak, and rested his chin on your shoulder. His facial hair softly tickled your cheek and you look see out of your peripherals that he was now pouting. “Sorry, sweetheart.”

You felt a rush of regret for making him feel bad. You weren’t really upset with him, after all, just the fact that he--and Genji, apparently--had made you think someone had broken into the house.

“You smell like hair products,” you commented. You leaned back against his chest and turned your head slightly, pressing a kiss to his jawline.

“I am wearing a lot of ‘em, so it’s not surprising,” he replied, partial grin grin returning. He discreetly tried to reach over and scoop up some discarded frosting on a finger, only to get his hand smacked away. He let out a whine, similar to that of a puppy wanting attention, and placed his arm back around your waist.

“They’re still not done,” you warned.

“Could use the frosting for somethin’ else,” he mumbled; it earned him a smack to the shoulder. “Ow!”

“Vampires don’t feel pain,” you said with a snicker. “Now shove off, Dracula. I fix this mess.”

“How about I drink your blood instead, blah,” Jesse suggested, the terrible accent returning. He began to sway with you where the two of your stood and buried his face in your neck, tickling your soft skin with both facial hair and the edges of artificial fangs. You shivered slightly, then felt McCree’s smile widen against your neck before he started nibbling on your skin, quietly murmuring “nom” as he did so.

You felt blood rush to your face and your knees wobble a bit; damn this cowboy vampire man.

“Is Genji still around?” you asked suddenly.

Your vampire cowboy raised his head and gave you a look of confusion. “I sent him off after his part was over. Why?” He paused, then continued slowly with raised eyebrows, “Do, uh, ya want him to be?”

“Jesus, Jesse.” You rested your head back against his shoulder and laughed, which was a very nice feeling after being mildly terrified a few minutes before. After calming down you squeezed McCree’s arm and replied, “That is not at all what I had in mind, my dear Dracula. I just figured Genji peekin’ around while you’re giving me hickeys is not the prefered scenario.”

“We can go somewhere else for me to give you hickeys,” Jesse suggested, giving you a light tug back against him.

“Sorry, cowvamp,” you replied, slipping out of his grip and looking at your mess of a cooled cookie plate. “I have cookies to fix and finish. We can talk about frosting, hickeys, and bloodsucking later.”

“Sounds like an ideal way t’ spend the night to me, sugar.” Jesse hummed and moved to lean against the counter beside you. He eyed the cookies.

“You put a finger on those cookies and I will consider stabbing you again,” you stated. You started to carefully remove the icing tube from the mess of cookies.

“Here’s an idea though,” Jesse said carefully,” How about I eat the frosting off the icing thingy? There’s no use for it being outside the tube if it’s not on the cookies.”

“How about you help me decorate the cookies,” you countered, “so we can move onto more fun events of the night.” You wiped the frosting tube clean with a rag hanging from a drawer then set it aside while you used your fingers to clean up the messy cookies. Sticking a frosting-covered thumb into your mouth, you glanced over to the man questioningly.

You were greeted with a look that made you wonder if you were about to be picked up and hauled to the bedroom at that moment. Then Jesse grabbed the tube of frosting, gave the cookie plate a red-eyed glare of determination, and asked what he should do first.

#overwatch #overwatchimagineshub #overwatch-imagines-hub #overwatch fanfic #overwatch fanfiction #fanfic #fanfiction #jesse mccree #mccree #mccree x reader #jesse mccree x reader #overwatch jesse mccree #overwatch mccree #fictober #2017 #2017 fictober #fictober 2017

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hollywoodblondeatlarge · 7 years

Text

Baking it Forward

bake love. give love. be love!

Thinking back, I guess it began with the ruggelah.

It was years ago. My pal, Petr sent me his amazing cinnamon and walnut twists- individually wrapped, shapely, doughy swirls of decadence that made me swoon. This aromatic package made its way from Philly to my Los Angeles doorstep. Lucky me.

Petr’s always been a great baker but this particular basket of goodies had that wow factor. They were perfect and the time spent in airmail didn’t seem to affect their delicacy. This event kicked my pie-baking hobby into high gear. While I couldn’t send pies quite so easily in the mail, it definitely up’d my baking game.

Over the years, I baked pies. Lots and lots of pies. You got your fruit pies, you got your pumpkin.. and everything in between. Pies are lush. They drip all over you and stain your lips like watercolor nectar from the gods.

They require dollops. Whip cream, ice cream, clotted cream, and crème fraiche. They can refresh but you can also enjoy them hot.

I like things hot.

Pies seem to have been my forte. I even named them.

Better than Sex Pie. Substitute Husband Pie. Right to my Thighs Pie…

I listened to songs about pies (Patty Griffin – “making pies” is a must). And I watched the movie, Waitress several times in homage. She named her pies too.

Well, OK, I stole that idea from her.

Since I lived in Hollywood, my pies not only had to taste great, but they had to be pretty. After all, it’s all about presentation…is it not?

Well, what presented itself seven years ago, however was a move to England- - where are pies are just not the thing. Now, Cakes?

Cakes are a thing.

Here in West Country, it seems wherever you go, there you are - with a cuppa and slice of cake.

So, I perfected my apple Dorset cake and tried on a host of others with a secret booze ingredient to set me apart. The Dorset cake has a drizzling (ok, more like several shots ) of cider brandy.

Boozy cakes. I had a boozy brand.

I decorated them lavishly and topped them off with a little romance and glam. Hollywood Blonde’s “Taste of Tinseltown.”

This Persian Love Cake baby is one of my favourites....with a dusting of pistachio, the cake is two layers- one lemon and one vanilla. It is then topped with a rosewater. whipped cream. Let us not forget the booze... there’s a bit of anisette in the cake.

I began selling my cakes to locals. While it was a sideline, it gave me great pleasure to present these works of cake-art to my UK friends.

On a trip home to Los Angeles one year, I baked some cakes and pies for a party. Then, went out on a limb and made a few pounds of shortbread. Popular fare here with a nice cuppa.

Within days, the shortbread demand became quite insane. My sister, my friends and perfect strangers were all asking for my shortbread.

OK, I lied about the perfect strangers.

They were not perfect at all.

Some were weird.

Still, I had yet to discover making shapes!! So, I got creative. Made multiple varieties in hearts and stars… dipped them in milk chocolate, doused them with cinnamon and pecan, coated them with dark chocolate and almonds or orange zest, jumbled them up with a mixture of macadamia nuts and white chocolate nibs, milk chocolate-chipped them, spiked them with rum and stem ginger, iced them with lavender lemon and vodka, or dunked them in white chocolate and pistachio. I’ve made green tea shortbread, toasted coconut-lime and tequiia shortbread and savory rosemary shortbread.

Me -ee -ee - ee and Mrs…. Mrs. Shortbread, Mrs. Shortbread… We got a thing going on….

I’m enjoying shortbread-ing and growing with every new batch (in every dimension, mind you….) I’m experimenting with different butters and shapes, playing with the amounts of flour and gluten free flours. Testing out both savory and sweet recipes.

A few months back, I sent some shortbread to Petr. His box included and array of lavender lemon stars, blood orange, stem ginger and chocolate dipped.

In return, the master baker himself (that’s with a K not a T) sent me some of his outstanding pecan and toffee cookies and an assortment of his specialty...homemade toffee-almond bits. How lovely is that!

WOW. They flew off the plate. Had to hide a selection in the freezer so my Terry wouldn’t finish them off.

Oh YUM. See, that’s the thing about this whole baking adventure. People surprise you with the grooviest of gestures. And just maybe it offers a little inspiration to do something for someone else…

Now, Petr has an artist friend in Italy. He wanted to send her some baked love but apparently, Italy would not accept food packages from the US. So, Petr asked me if I would mind baking something for her and sending it off for him -since I live in the UK. Sure! My pleasure.

In fact, I sent her shortbread in the packing box I received from Petr… to make the circle complete.

Danaide in Italy received some of my fancy schmancy amaretto-laced shortbread and an assortment of other boozy biscuits. It arrived after about ten days and she wrote this to me- (translated from Italian).

“Finally I opened the package, with the excitement of the children when they open the Christmas gift ... now eaten immediately one, sweet relief from this cold winter... each cookie is different from ' another, every one has its own flavor, today I tried that from the simplest form with frosting...the language of food ... this package has called me many thoughts, smells ... emotions ... I need a space to express them.... ... meanwhile, a hug…”

It touched me. Her words. Poetic. I could imagine her there in her Italian landscape, surrounded by her paintings and photographs. A few FB exchanges later, she offered to make me some jam from the lemons and oranges in her garden. I now await this beautiful aromatic gift from Italy. I hope to meet her one-day.

Here I had sent some shortbread to Petr. He had asked me to send some to his friend in Italy and now Petr is baking me some more ruggelah and toffee to boot! What joy! And what an interesting circle of kindness.

After I baked Danaide the shortbread, I posted my cookies on Facebook and requests for biscuits followed.

I baked some for a dear FB friend I have yet to meet in person. He recently lost his wife and I thought some sweetness was definitely in order. I sent a box of assorted shortbread to Canada. After several weeks, he finally received them. Because Petr had wrapped his cookies individually, I copied his idea and did the same and, voila the freshness was preserved.

My Canadian friend sent my Terry and me some crazy maple leaf candies from Ontario. And in the box, pure maple syrup and outstanding maple sugar cones. A wonderfully unique, thoughtful and tasty gift. We loved it.

More carefully packed boxes of shortbread gifties have gone out to my friends and family in the recent weeks. From Cape Cod to LA to New York. Scattered with rose petals, wrapped in tissue and tinsel, my packages of love always include a toy a crown, tiara or a horn blower. That way, everyone gets a little shortbread party.

I like the lavender lemon stars, personally. But what I especially like is the idea of sending something hand made to someone who gives you pleasure.

Or simply sending a gesture of good wishes during a hard time. In these politically challenging times, you might want to stick your head in the oven.... but don’t... we could all use a dose of sweetness. As long as we’re spreading around the love, it’s all good, I say.

Hollywood Blonde signing off.

And hey...

#baking #cake #pies #shortbread #cookies #gifting #Hollywood #Hollywood Blonde at Large #friends.#love #bake it forward #giving #desserts #sharing the love #ruggelah

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clickwish2-blog · 5 years

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Lemon & Chicken Soup

Ahhh . . . Winter. That time of year when the heart and belly long for warming, comforting, sustenance food. Foods like stews and soups . . . Soups like this fabulous Lemon & Chicken Soup, that are not only delicious but also simple and quick to put together. To be honest, I am not overly fond of tinned soups and only use them when I have no alternative. Most often I like to make my soups from scratch. My mother always made delicious homemade soups when we were growing up. This spoilt us a bit for tinned soup, with the exception of Tomato Soup. I have always enjoyed tinned tomato soup.

Every month I am the lucky recipient of a Degustabox. Once a month, around the middle of the month, I am sent one of these lovely boxes which contain a delicious assortment of all things foodie. I just love these boxes. Opening each one is tiny a bit like opening a Christmas gift. Always a surprise, and always filled with things that pique my interest and desire to try. Degustabox is a monthly foodie subscription service that sends out a range of 10 to 15 specially selected foodie products.

There's always a great mix of new products that I haven't tried before, as well as plenty of treats from more established brands. Quite often you will have the opportunity to try new products before they arrive in the shops, so it can be a bit of a sneak peak! Each Degustabox costs only £12.99, delivery costs are included in the price, and there is no fixed contract involved - you can cancel at any time. I love getting these boxes! They are great value for money spent.

I also enjoy the challenge each month of creating a recipe using at least one of the products included in the box. Sometimes they immediately jump out at me, and sometimes I need to chew them a bit in my head. When I saw the Delverde pasta in my December box, I knew it was something that I wanted to use in a recipe, but it took me a few days to decide what to do with it. Lemon & Chicken Soup is what I came up with, but more about that later. First I want to share with you what all came in my December box!

Funkin Cocktails exist to shake up the ordinary making great tasting cocktails available to all. Simply add spirit and ice and make it shake to create four delicious cocktails. Available in a range o classic flavours such as Mojito, Pina Colada, and Espresso Martini.

We don't drink alcohol, but our neighbour and her son were really pleased with this. It kept them company on NYE!

Indulgent fruit centres, delicately coated in rich, smooth dark chocolate. Discover a new indulgent chocolate experience.

I love Green & Black's anything. These were no exception.

Jack Daniel's Lynchburg Lemonade combines the distinctive character of their fine Tennessee Whiskey. a dash of triple sec and a measure of zesty lemonade for an expertly crafted drink.

Again, we don't do alcohol, but they were enjoyed very much by a friend

MAGGI FUSIAN Noodle Pots/chowmein/spiced curry/sweet chilli 3 C £1.15

Take the taste of Asia with you wherever you go with the new Maggi Fusian Noodle Pots. Each pot included premium noodles and sachets of spices and veggies, so you can enjoy Asian flavoured noodles which are ready in just four minutes!

These are always handy to have in the cupboard when you are starving and just want something quick, quick to eat!

The iconic Slush Puppie is now available in convenient, resealable pouches The brand new range contains the original Slush Puppie taste but with no added sugar. Available in Sour Cherry Blue Raspberry and Strawberry. Each pouch contains just 95 calories. Simply freeze, squeeze and drink!

This was the product of the month and is available now as Multi packs of 3 for £3 at Tesco. I like that there s no sugar in them. These are refreshing. I also like that they are resealable! Now you CAN take the pooch home!

NESTLE Shredded Wheat Breakfast on the Go 1 X £1.99

Made with just one natural ingredient, 100% wholegrain wheat, which is crafted into deliciously crispy biscuits for a mouthwatering good breakfast cereal for the whole family Their wholegrain wheat is sown, grown and ripened in Britain, using a recipe unchanged since 1893.

I love shredded wheat and love the portability of this.

NATURE'S STORE Salted Caramel Popcorn Bar

New Popcorn bars from Nature's Store are a super healthy, free from way to snack. They contain popcorn, seeds, dates and gluten free oat with no added sugar Belgian Chocolate. With four high fibre, nutrient rich seeds and at less than 150 calories per bar, they're the perfect healthy and delicious snack Soon available in major supermarkets.

Delicious!

Sleep Well is the new, natural milk drink that helps you relax and get a better night's sleep. A gorgeous tasting, long life drink for the whole family made with whole Jersey milk, honey and Valerian, the herb that's been helping people relax and sleep for 2000 years.

Real Good Ketchup is an awesome range of Award Winning, No Added Sugar ketchup's made with rich Mediterranean tomatoes, allergen free & plant-based ingredients – nothing artificial. Winner of the Best New Sugar Reduced or No Sugar Product & The Food Talk Clean Eating Gold Award. Deliciously tomatoey!!

This was actually very nice. I am not surprised it has won an award.

Delverde Pasta is made with the best durum wheat and the water from a very special place; the Verde river, which flows through the Jarella National Park, in the Abruzzo region of Italy. Made using traditional bronze dies and slow dried to preserve its wonderful flavour. Available as Festonati, Spaghetti or Penne Zita Regate.

This is the product I decided to highlight with a recipe this month and what a recipe it is! The perfect recipe to use with the perfect pasta!

This is a soup you won't want to make too far ahead of time because of the pasta in it. The pasta will swell up, having absorbed all the liquid if you do. So do plan on making it right before you go to eat it.

That's not a problem really because it is so quick and easy to make. If you are really keen on making it ahead, you can get the stock ready, squeeze the lemon juice, peel and slice the carrots, cube the chicken and break up the spaghetti ahead of time, but that's about all the ahead of time that I would recommend!

This is a fabulously tasty chicken soup, with fresh flavours! It uses chicken stock along with lemon juice. You might think the lemon would be overpowering, but it really isn't. It adds a lovely layer of flavour that is quite pleasant!

It also uses already cooked chicken, so you can use leftover chicken, chicken from a rotisserie bird, or you can poach chicken. I always have poached chicken in the freezer ready to use.

One optional ingredient is a Parmesan cheese rind. I always have them in my fridge. We eat a lot of Parmesan cheese, and I always grate my own. Grating your own is so much more delicious than buying already grated. They add things to already grated to make it free flowing. When I was growing up we always had the one in the green can. We didn't know any better and were happy with that. As an adult I have come to love and appreciate the real, unprocessed product, and I always save the rinds from them. I keep them in a jar in the refrigerator. They are great for using in flavouring soups and sauces!

You will want to break the spaghetti up into 2 inch pieces. That's very easy to do. Just wrap it up in a tea towel and then, grabbing both ends of the wrapped towel, pull it sharply down over the edge of your counter. You might have to do it in sections. I find this technique works best when your bundle of spaghetti is no larger around than a one pound coin (about 1 inch).

Your spaghetti will break up into perfectly sized bits. Easy peasy.

You don't want really long strands of spaghetti in this . . . its soup and you won't be eating it with a fork!

This soup is well flavoured, delicious and satisfying . . .

Served in heated bowls with some crusty bread and a scattering of more cheese on top, it is a wonderful belly warmer. Hearty and healthy without any fat, except for the cheese!

Yield: Serves 4Author: Marie RaynerPrint Recipe

With ImageWithout Image

Lemon & Chicken Soup

prep time: 15 minscook time: 25 minstotal time: 40 mins

This soup is so simple to make. Its quick, easy and is very delicious, low in fat and makes good use of leftover cooked chicken.

ingredients:

1.5 litre of chicken stock (6 cups)

80ml fresh lemon juice (the juice of 2 large lemons)

(Bring your lemons to room temperature and roll them

on the counter firmly before juicing to extract as much

juice as possible)

2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced into coins

1 broken bay leaf

1 Parmesan cheese rind (optional, but nice)

225g spaghetti, broken into 2 inch pieces (8 ounces)

450g cooked chicken, diced (about 1 pound)

handful of chopped fresh flat leaf parsley

225g grated Parmesan cheese (1 1/4 cups)

salt and black pepper

instructions:

Measure the stock and lemon juice into a large saucepan. Bring to the boil. Add the Parmesan rind (if using), bay leaf, and carrots. Simmer until the carrots are crispy tender, 5 to 6 minutes. Add the broken pasta and cook for a further 6 to 7 minutes until al dente. Stir occasionally. Add the chicken and heat through. Remove and discard the cheese rind and bay leaf. Stir in half of the cheese and the parsley. Taste and adjust seasoning as required with salt and pepper. Ladle into heated bowls. Top each with some of the remaining cheese and serve immediately.

Degustabox is running a Giveaway competition until the 19th of January (2019) where anyone who has purchased a Degustabox has the opportunity to win a free box for each themselves and a friend. To be in it to win it just follow the steps below:

1. Follow the Degustabox Instagram account @degustabox_uk

2. Post a picture of the December box, or a picture of you enjoying some of the products in the box.

3. Tag your post with #degustaboxnewyear and tag one of your friends who you think would like to receive a free Degustabox. Your friend will also have to follow their Instagram account @degustabox_uk

DEAL: Get your £5 off your first box, plus get free bonus item and delivery! Use coupon code HELLOSUBSCRIPTION18.

In the US but just looking for fun? Use code HELLOSUBSCRIPTION7 to get your first US box for $12.99! You’ll also get free shipping and a free bonus gift!

So, that was the December Degustabox - a nice selection of products as always. We loved it. The price of each Degustabox is £12.99 (including delivery). To order your box, visit www.degustabox.com

Many thanks to Degustabox UK for sending me this box. I have to say I really look forward to getting my box each month. There are always lots of things in it to enjoy and new products to try out. I highly recommend. You can also tailor the boxes to your own likes and dislikes by filling in your own Taste Profile. Do you like the sound of this box? Why not sign up now! I find them to be really good value for money spent and I really enjoy trying out new products that I have not tried before.

Follow them on Facebook

Follow them on Twitter

Note - Although I was sent a box free of charge any and all opinions are my own.

Bon appetit!

Source: https://theenglishkitchen.blogspot.com/2019/01/lemon-chicken-soup.html

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avaycarter · 6 years

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EPIC @BabbleBoxxTeam #BabbleBoxxHoliday Party including: @23andMe @AQUACarpaticaUS @algenist @BadgleyMischka @cinzanoofficial @EarthFootwear @Edible @EdibleSelfie @grandecosmetic_ @JustFabOnline @Match @MyMo_Mochi @Perfumania @SabonNYC @SplashMixers @teaforte @TheOwlsBrew

♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ Event Recap Coverage, NOT compensated ♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ

Happy Holidays Butterflies! Wishing all butterflies a very magical day today, I hope you were nice and Santa brought you just what you wanted! Remember that un-boxing video that I posted via Social Media promising a full recap of BabbleBoxx's Epic Holiday Party? Well here it is! BabbleBoxx as you probably guessed if you are not already a member yourself provides products to influencers and bloggers to share the product love on their channels or blog. I am relatively new and only recently joined, so I was stoked to be invited to the holiday party considering I haven't reviewed my first box yet! Here are the brands I met at the Bash in mostly alphabetical order (at least my attempt at it with Christmas brain):

Above: This shot was provided by BabbleBoxx, I did so much talking with the rep from 23andMe that I forgot to nab a shot. I can't wait to try this out and as a science nerd I would love to try out the Health part of the services they offer as well. My understanding is you start with the ancestry kit and can upgrade to a health report for an additional fee. Will share more once I have tried it and have my results, hopefully they will come back and do something fun just for you butterflies.

Above: Us busy New York City Editors have got to stay hydrated and I wasn't passing up on the chance to try "Nature's Most Perfect Water", pretty bold right? The Natural Sparkling Water is Nitrate Free, Sodium Free, Natural Electrolytes, Rich in Bicarbonates and stimulates metabolism, while the Natural Spring Water is Naturally Alkaline ph8,2 and also touts itself as being best for Prenatal and Newborn Care, that is a lot of benefits in a simple bottle of water my friends!

Above: As much beauty as I review, I must be living under a Beauty Rock, because folks were going nuts for Algenist! I haven't tried them before this event, but did like the feel of the products I played with during the holiday party and am looking forward to trying out my sample of the Genius Liquid Collagen - they use sea algae in their products so I am hoping that the results will be something akin to what I experience with La Mer, you know without the budget busting price tag! One La Mer product = ramen for month as a single gal in the city with no room-mate, Algenist I can swing!

Above: You may remember that Badgley Mischka was in the un-boxing video I sent out, here is a closeup of some blinged out shoes. They were hosting a raffle and a ton of folks I know won, guess who was NOT so lucky. Can't win em all, but who doesn't want blinged out shoes? Can I get an Amen Ladies?

Above: The folks at Cinzano are magicians I tell you! They can take an $11 bottle of Prosecco and make it taste like a $60 bottle of Prosecco. I'm not sure how they do it, but their Prosecco is fab and I will be featuring here again for New Year's Eve so stay tuned! Can you believe it's almost 2018 already? Pick up some Cinzano Prosecco to ring in your New Year with something sparkling!

Above: I was SO STOKED to see one of my favorite footwear brands in attendance, Earth Footwear who are no stranger to my feet and to these pages (Prance Boots (the giveaway is CLOSED, Talera Shoes, Veria Shoes) came strong with the Raleigh Boots pictured above which I instantly fell in love with and now they are sold out. THE TORTURE!!!! I must have these particular boots in my life! They are just so me and they are waterproof which I need for the winter!

Above: I finally got to try Edible Arrangements, YUM! I can't believe I hadn't tried them yet. I did attend a conference years ago with their marketing director, but they were attendees of the conference, not exhibitors. Glad I got the chance to finally try them out and also hope they will come back and do something fun!

Above: Have you ever seen a prettier COOKIE? Yes that is me drinking my Cinzano Prosecco and the clever folks at Selffee have taken event photo booths to new heights by putting photos directly onto something edible. Sorry lovelies but I left it in the clear wrapper sealed to take this shot because I wanted to preserve it. Not to brag but it is a little too pretty to eat! Notice my trusty canon camera strap around my neck! My signature ponytail was totally making it presence known that night! I think I could have used a hair touch up booth.

Above: Grande Cosmetics had a great assortment of ready to gift options, their lip kits are the business!

The folks at Match.com provided one of the most unique booth experiences I have had at an event so far! Palm Reading? Nope. Tarot Card Reader? Nope. Tired of guessing? Attendees got a "Lips" reading. They provided a lovely universal red lipstick and then we pressed our lip impressions onto a paper and got a lip reading! My lip reader said that I am super inquisitive and have a strong ability to get to the bottom of things and that I am a natural writer who loves to express myself and my voice through writing. Who knows maybe that novel is in me somewhere waiting to get out! I have never tried a dating service before not on or offline. I have never even tried speed dating before. I have always described myself as blissfully single. Who knows maybe someone will sweep this butterfly off her feet this year. Do you think the future Mr. Butterfly is waiting for me on Match?

Above: My/Mo Mochi Ice Cream was a very tasty surprise! They surround premium ice cream in a soft gooey dough and they are different from anything I have ever tasted! See that ball back there? They were taking Holiday Wishes you got to pick someone you would like to surprise with the gift of Mochi. I had to nab a close up:

Above: There were so many sweet and heartfelt wishes, it was fun reading through a few while I sampled some of the Mochi Ice Cream Flavors

Above: Pictured Above: The Strawberry Flavor and the Cookies and Cream Flavor My/My Mochi Ice Cream Ball, I just had to get a cheeky shot with the hand wipe telling guests to 'deflour yourself"!

Above: I am using BabbleBoxx's overview shot from the Perfumania Booth, guests were invited to select a scent which they placed in the handy travel perfume atomizers that you see in the lucite display case. One of my longtime faves, Dolce & Gabbana Light Blue was on display, I live for this scent year round although most people only wear it spring or summer.

Above: I also love wearing men's cologne, I have that chemistry that makes many of them work well for me, I liked Vince Camuto's Terra For Men so I nabbed this close up of it!

Above: I loved SabonNYC's set up, that little tub filled with ornaments though! I am living for this idea, except mine might have ice and alcohol mixed in with the ornaments! LOL

Above: Isn't that snowflake just too cute?

Above: When it is Cocktail Time, I want to prepare them quickly so I can enjoy time with my guests, with Splash Cocktail Mixers you can do just that, add your favorite spirit, or enjoy them as is if you prefer a non-alcohol version!

Above: I actually nabbed a similar shot but I didn't like the way mine came out, so I borrowed this one from BabbleBoxx.

Above: Now this is the highest compliment I can actually pay - I am NOT a Tea Drinker, if I am drinking tea it is normally because I have the Flu or a Cold or my throat is sore. I LOVE these. For someone who is not a tea drinker by nature to tell you they can get behind a tea, it's a very high compliment. I also love that they are invented to attach to your cup and not move all around, GENIUS! I am definitely inviting them to come back and do something fun for you butterflies, I can see why they call it "The Exceptional Tea Experience". I think the only other time I have ever enjoyed a cup of tea this much not being sick was when I visited the Japanese Tea Garden in San Francisco and enjoyed a full Tea Service. This was comfort in a cup!

Above: Ever have that moment where one of you wants a Beer and the other Tea? If you have then The Owls Brew might just be the answer you have been looking for it is BEER & TEA

Above: That's My Jam was my fave but I also really wanted that cute stuffed owl!

MY TAKE: There were gift bag inclusions by some brands that were not in attendance like Just Fab - they offered to send us shoes and so did Earthies, which I am like a kid at Christmas waiting on. I keep stalking my UPS and Fedex Carriers! I did get a box of love from Mochi Ice Cream and one from Cinzano, so you will see those under separate posts. There was nothing not to like, the decor was set up by Christmas Central, all the brands were top notch and really engaged and it was plain fun! Spill Butterflies: What is the best Holiday Party you have ever attended? Why? What is the best Holiday Party you ever hosted?

˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙˙·٠•●♥ Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ ♥●•●•٠·˙

FTC Disclosure: This is NOT a sponsored post, all opinions are 100% my own! This is an event recap, no compensation has been received, there was a phenomenal gift bag but this in no way influenced my opinions. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission 16 CFR, Part 255 - Guides Concerning the use of endorsements and testimonials in advertising, you may check our Giveaway & Disclosure Page for additional information regarding Ascending Butterfly Disclosure. Things that lure this butterfly out of her cocoon: Technology, Travel, Fashion, Beauty, Spirits (Sparkling, Champagne, Prosecco, Sake, Bourbon, Craft Brews), Foodie Fun - really I'm such a *simple girl*.

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marauderingbad-blog · 7 years

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One Was Gold

A Chronology of Lily and Severus’ Friendship: Year Three

Part 4/7

Read the Full Story on AO3: http://archiveofourown.org/works/11690688/chapters/26319129

Snow was falling in clumps that littered Severus’ black cloak with icy flakes. He didn’t mind the cold very much, though. What he did mind was the abundance of human bodies crowding the narrow streets and shops of Hogsmeade. There was only a week left until the Christmas holiday and so the village was packed and peppered with extra exhilaration.

Severus stood in front of Honeydukes' showcase window wearing an irritated scowl. He was hoping to enter and purchase Lily a small christmas gift with the limited funds he possessed, but the shop had been so crowded that all he could do was bounce about from body to body. Plus, Potter and Black had barged their way in, and confronting them was sour enough when they weren’t basically on top of one another. He left the shop unaccomplished.

Mulciber and Avery eventually climbed their way out from the store with their arms filled with assorted candies and treats. They had even begun to shovel handfuls of peppermint toads and Bertie Bott’s beans down their throats.

Severus eyed them with both humor and envy. He couldn’t fathom having the kind of gold that could allow you to indulge in such gluttony. He couldn’t help but laugh, though.

“Have you two bought out the store?” he sniggered.

“Not yet,” Avery grinned. “But I’m close to getting my dad to negotiate the deeds with the owner.”

“I’m sure,” Severus smirked.

Avery dipped into his rucksack of sweets and dumped a few boxes of chocolate frogs into Severus’ palm.

“For your secret girlfriend,” Avery snickered.

Severus glanced down at the chocolate before meeting Avery with with a raised brow.

“I don’t have a secret girlfriend,” he replied firmly.

“Sure you don’t. You’ll just be disappearing off to yet another Slug Club meeting tonight, eh?” Mulciber chimed in.

Severus pocketed the candy in his cloak and left his hands there to keep warm. He had kept his word to Lily this term. At least once each week he dedicated a night to spend with her. It also helped that the two actually were in the Slug Club, which gave them extra time together. Severus had to admit he had been growing sloppy with his excuses for his absences, but he had been so happy being with Lily. He had even been starting to wonder if it were at all possible that she was starting to see him as more than a friend. Stranger things have happened, after all.

“Let’s get out of here. I can’t stand it so packed.”

Severus led them through the crowds of the windy narrow streets back towards the image of Hogwarts, which at such a distance appeared almost completely shrouded in white. All the while he wore a small, happy expression as he replayed those words, secret girlfriend in his mind attached to Lily’s face. They weren’t kids anymore...Severus and Lily would turn fifteen the next month--and they were both spending the christmas holiday at Hogwarts this year. Perhaps things could change…

He had been so lost in his imagination that he failed to notice the small blonde girl walking in the snow just a bit in the distance. They had exited the village by now and had made it to the outskirts of the grounds. The snowfall had picked up, and brought with it a howling wind.

“Oi!” Mulciber called out, pointing to the figure. “Isn’t that one of the Gryffindor mudbloods?”

Avery peered ahead as Mulciber called out, “McKinnon,” he identified. “Half-blood, but just barely,” he snarled. “Her father is on the Wizengamot, he’s a mudblood and a loud-mouth, doesn’t know his place.”

As if that decided it, Mulciber bent down and made a snowball--then he murmured a spell to harden it and used all the strength and aim he’d gained as a chaser to launch it at Marlene’s head.

With her guard completely down, oblivious to the boys watching her, the snowball took Marlene unaware and collided with her right eye. The impact knocked her clear off her feet and the air left her lungs entirely as she landed painfully on her side.

“What the fuck?” she cursed, panic rising as she tried to open her eye, then touched her fingers gingerly to her eyelids to find that they were already swelling shut. It occurred to her that who’d ever done it was probably still in the vicinity--normally, Sirius and James were the ones who initiated impromptu snowball fights, but she knew from the viciousness of the hit that it hadn’t been them. If they’d hit her in the eye by mistake, they’d already be running over and apologizing, not cackling.

Marlene spun around in the direction of male voices laughing loudly, her wand now out and pointed. She felt her stomach drop as she saw it was Mulciber’s Slytherin gang.

“What are you lot on about?” Marlene yelled over, trying to sound tough, but it wasn’t so easy with her right eye swollen shut and a tear running down her left cheek from the pain.

Severus witnessed this scene play out with white horror on his face. Lily was friendly with most people at Hogwarts by now, but Marlene was one of her closest friends. Really, they could have picked almost anyone else in the school and this would have been fine--possibly even humorous.

“You idiot!” Severus called out suddenly, turning to Mulciber with a relentless glare.

Avery suddenly stopped laughing and watched Severus with confusion. “What are you going on about, Snape? She’s a half-blood and a bloody Gryffindor…” he said with astonishment.

Severus turned to Avery with the same glower. “SHE’S LILY’S FRIEND!” he burst out suddenly at both of them. Immediately he regretted this when he saw the blank looks on Avery and Mulciber’s faces. “...Which means she’ll go to Dumbledore,” he hastily added, looking away with embarrassment at his impetuousness.

Mulciber shrugged indifferently. “Let her. Dumbledore’s a crackpot old fool, let him try and expel me,” he sneered, then turned back on Marlene.

He took four long strides towards her without saying anything at all--Marlene fought the urge to step backwards as she stood her ground, lifting her chin slightly in a look that she hoped was defiant.

“Tell your father that if he doesn’t want something like this happening to his daughter again, he’ll shut his Godric-damned mouth,” Mulciber said, raising his wand. “Or better yet, resign...there’s no place for filthy, half-witted mudbloods in our government.”

Marlene gasped, her wand now shaking furiously, “Loco-” she began to say, but Mulciber swiftly beat her to it, muttering something as he sent a stinging jinx right at her face, then blasted her backwards with another swift "Impedimenta!"

“Nice one, Mulciber,” Avery smirked.

Marlene landed hard in the snow, painful welts cropping up all over her face, blinding her completely as one sprouted over her left eye. She moaned from the pain to the back of her head, unthinkingly touched her face to assess the damage, only to find the welts hurt worse at the touch.

“That should teach her, and hopefully her rotten father as well,” Mulciber said indifferently. “Let’s go.”

Severus stared down at struggling Marlene with vacant alarm. She needed to be taken to the hospital wing. This was Lily’s friend...she needed help. Without a second thought, he crouched down adjacent to her.

“Don’t--Don’t use your hand...The snow...it’ll hel--”

“SEVERUS. Hurry the bloody hell up!” Avery boomed as the two began to run through the snow back towards the castle.

Severus found himself standing up. He didn’t understand why it was happening...he needed to help Lily’s friend. The antidote was simple...but he needed to take her to the hospital wing…

Although his mind was screaming to stay, his body was already taking him away from Marlene. He grabbed her wand quickly from the snow and shot off red sparks high up into the air just above her. Then, Severus gave Marlene one long apologetic look.

“I’m sorry…” he uttered breathlessly before turning around completely and running away in his friends’ wake.

~~*~~

James was trying to walk and toss pepper imps into Peter and Sirius’ open, willing mouths at the same time, bumping into people as they tried to catch the flying candy--they failed more often than not, leaving a trail of fallen imps that fizzled and let off little puffs of steam as they landed in the snow.

Remus, evidently, was too dignified for this, though he wasn’t too dignified to laugh at the display.

When Peter caught one, smoke emerging from his ears and nose as the mint candy hit his tongue, James let out a triumphant “whoop!” and highfived him.

“Alright, satisfied now?” asked Remus with an amused grin.

“Hardly,” James said, ripping open another imp and tossing the candy in their air. “I’m practicing off-pitch, don’t you know? Shacklebolt is going to love it when he hears.”

“I highly doubt Kingsley is going to love this,” Remus countered with a smirk.

James was just about to toss the pepper imp over at Sirius when a burst of red sparks in the distance caught his eye.

“Ooooh,” he said, looking up. “Wonder what’s going on over there…”

Sirius’ jaw was still unhinged and tongue outstretched, anticipating the throw when he, too, observed the sparks.

“Dunno, I thought that only happens when Remus lets one rip,” Sirius replied, shooting Remus a rapid smirk, to which Remus rolled his eyes.

Peter, meanwhile, gaped at the sparks with a far more serious expression. “Red means trouble! My mum taught me to do that if I’m ever assaulted!” he squeaked.

Sirius snorted at Peter. “Honestly, Pete, who would ever assault you. And you don’t need sparks, all you’d have to do is sit on them.”

Peter ignored Sirius and tugged on James’ jumper. “I mean it, James, sincerely! Red means trouble!”

James regarded the sparks wearily--red meaning trouble sounded about right, he had to admit.

“Alright, well, let’s go have a look,” he said. “Even if it’s just a laugh, it’s probably some place we want to be,” James reasoned, and tossed Sirius the last pepper imp.

Sirius dove for the imp, tumbling into a pile of snow. He emerged cheering with a toothy grin as steam erupted from his ears and nostrils.

They then began to head off towards the sparks. Sirius had taken up the lead, his interest peaked by the investigation. Peter sulked a bit behind. He hadn’t realized that bringing the danger to his friends' attention would make them head towards the danger rather than away from it. Though, he really should have expected that one by now.

The boys made it just outside of the village when they found the source of the sparks. A crumpled body lay writhing in the snow just ahead. A Gryffindor scarf was vibrantly visible in the snow.

Sirius’ intrigue instantaneously hardened into alarm when he absorbed the shape before them.

“What the…” he began, meeting James with a disconcerting stare. “...That’s a student!”

James frowned, his brow furrowed deeply as he met Sirius’ look. He took a step closer, as Remus knelt down in the snow next to the girl. James kneeled beside him.

The girl’s face was so swollen and covered in welts, it was hard at first to tell who it even might be.

Remus peered a little closer, then turned back suddenly to look at his friends. “I think it’s Marlene,” he said.

James started and jumped back to his feet--for a terrifying moment, he watched as Marlene stopped moving, and he thought she might be dead--her face was so bloated and puffy, she looked like she’d drowned and washed ashore.

But then, Marlene let out a whimper.

“What happened to her?” Remus asked quietly, his eyes still wide from the shock.

James shook his head, “It looks like dark magic, whatever it was was clearly violent. I don't know a spell that could've done that,” he said grimly.

“Don’t worry, Marly. It’s James and Remus and Sirius and Peter. We’re going to get you help,” James assured her, snapping back to his senses. He pointed his wand at her and murmured, “Wingardium Leviosa,” and she floated up easily. Marlene kicked her legs limply, as if resisting the magic. James kept his wand trained on her so that she didn’t float too high up.

“Grab her arms to steady her,” he instructed. “Then let’s go.”

Remus nodded, wrapping one of Marlene’s arms around his neck and holding it against his shoulder as she floated beside him.

Sirius rested Marlene’s free arm around his shoulder and held her lame wrist in his hand. He surveyed her injuries with a grave expression as they began to trudge through the snow.

“I’ve heard of dark jinxes like this. My cousin Bellatrix would go on and on about them. Never heard of her actually using one on a student at school, though--and she’s a maniacal loon.”

He turned his stare to James. “You know who did this.”

James followed at a brisk pace behind them, keeping the spell on Marlene. He glanced away from his wand for only a second, expression livid as he met Sirius’ eye.

“Snape, most definitely,” he agreed, looking away as he turned his focus back to his wand work and keeping Marlene steady and afloat. Snape and his whole lot were dark arts fanatics, and as much as James despised them, he had to admit it would take someone pretty skilled at jinxes and magic in general to do a thing like this. Snape easily fit that criteria.

“Why Marlene, though?” James asked angrily. “She doesn’t give them shite,” he said, shaking his head. “Those bloody jerks probably just wanted someone to try it on.”

“I grew up knowing loads like Snape,” Sirius explained darkly as they approached the main entrance of the castle. He reached into his back pocket to retrieve his wand then flicked it towards the door, which made it burst open.

“Blood is their excuse for everything.”

~~*~~

Lily was frantic as she made her way through the hallway towards the Gryffindor common room, Mary and Dorcas walking swiftly at her sides. Marlene had never made it to the Three Broomsticks where they were all supposed to meet for lunch; this in and of itself wouldn’t have been so alarming, but Lily had heard rumors earlier that Black and Lupin and the rest had carried a girl back to the castle who was so badly jinxed or hexed as to look unrecognizable. She couldn’t be sure it was Marlene, but she had a sickening feeling that it was.

Tumbling out of the portrait hole, Lily was met with a somber common room. Potter was there with the rest of his crew, but he was also surrounded by several members of the Gryffindor Quidditch team, Kingsley Shacklebolt looking both grave and angry at once.

“What’s happened?” Lily asked, looking between Potter, Black, Lupin, and Pettigrew. “Is it Marlene? Tell me you didn’t do something ridiculous.”

“Evans…” James said sympathetically, knowing she didn’t yet realize the severity of the spell. “This wasn’t us. We’d never do something like that to Marlene, she’s my friend and teammate, too,” he said, taking a breath. “It was dark magic.”

Dorcas covered her mouth with her hands.

“Is she okay?” asked Mary. “Who did it? It wasn’t...one of those Death Eaters, was it?”

Remus had stood up from his seat on the couch the moment the girls walked in. He frowned as he looked to Mary, Dorcas and Lily. His gaze steadied on Lily.

“She’s in the hospital wing now. Madam Pomfrey said she’s going to be alright,” he explained firmy to all three. “And we don’t know with certainty who cast the jinx yet--”

“Yes we do!” Sirius suddenly spat as he jumped up from his armchair by the fire. The entire common room (including the lion portrait on the mantle) all turned to watch him.

Sirius approached Lily with his arms crossed. “We all know who is best at hexes and jinxes in the school. And who would target a Gryffindor girl with some muggle lineage,”

“Sirius…” Remus frowned, attempting to interject.

“It was Snape,” he finished sternly.

“It was not Severus,” Lily said hotly.

Mary and Dorcas exchanged a glance behind Lily’s back--they didn’t look so convinced.

“Lily…” Dorcas began tentatively. “He does fancy the dark arts.”

“It. Wasn’t. Severus,” Lily insisted through gritted teeth.

“How can you know that?” demanded James.

“How can you?” Lily spat right back.

“Alright, settle down you lot,” Kingsley said in his firmest Quidditch captain voice. “Whoever did this will be found out soon enough, and they will face the consequences,” he said, then cast a pointed look at James and Sirius, “From Dumbledore,” clarified Kingsley. “It’s not up to any of you to play auror.” He turned to this rest of his team for support--they offered some half-hearted nods as if they weren’t quite on board with the let-the-adults-figure-it-out plan.

“Yeah, alright,” said James in a tone that plainly said he wasn’t actually on board at all. Kingsley glared.

Sirius gave Kingsley an unforgiving glare of his own before he stormed out of the common room and disappeared up the spiral staircase to the boy’s dormitory. The sound of a door slamming was heard moments after.

Remus sighed and turned back to Lily, Dorcas, and Mary. “Madam Pomfrey says you can visit her in the morning. She’s going to be okay,” he assured them.

Lily’s jaw tensed as Sirius stormed upstairs. She leveled a look at Potter that could make even a grown man cower.

“Don’t make this worse,” she told him fiercely, then headed up to her own dorm with her friends behind her.

“James,” said Remus imploringly, but more gently than Lily had. He shook his head in response. Remus could tell just from his look that this wasn’t the end of it. He followed James upstairs, with Peter trailing behind them. Remus was sure he and Sirius would start plotting tonight, and he’d try to stop them, but Remus didn’t expect that he’d succeed.

~~*~~

Lily, Mary, and Dorcas were up at the crack of dawn--none of them had slept very well, not with Marlene’s bed empty. The girls dressed and killed some time in the common room, staring gloomily into the fire as they waited for the clock to strike an hour they thought Madame Pomfrey would deem acceptable. They settled on seven-fifteen, then headed out.

None of them spoke as they made their way to the Hospital Wing--they were too tired and raw from a long night of worry, frustration, and anger to talk.

Once they entered the Hospital Wing, they could see that Madame Pomfrey looked much the same. Her face was grave and pale, as if she hadn’t slept well herself. Madame Pomfrey had seen no shortage of gruesome injuries in her tenure at Hogwarts--mainly from the barbaric sport of Quidditch, though. She’d rarely seen a student do something so vicious to another student. Madame Pomfrey had noticed with more than a little bit of alarm that attacks on students by other students seemed to be on the rise ever since the creed and deeds of the Death Eaters and their infamous leader had made their way into the public consciousness--the students were channeling this violence and division into their own lives, Pomfrey thought.

“Ms. Evans, Macdonald, Meadowes,” she said by way of greeting. “I trust you’re here to see Ms. McKinnon?” asked Madame Pomfrey.

The girls nodded.

“I’ve just administered a potion, so she’s up, but she very badly needs rest. I’ll give you a few minutes, though,” she said.

“Thank you, Madame Pomfrey,” Dorcas said, and the girls made their way over to Marlene’s bed as Madame Pomfrey pulled the curtains back.

Lily was shocked by what she saw, and this was actually an improvement from the state she’d been in originally. There were still some welts and swelling across Marlene’s face, but it’d gone down considerably overnight.

“Marlene,” Lily said, her voice tight. She sat down in the chair beside her friend and took her hand.

Marlene’s eyes welled with tears when she saw her three best friends approach her. She quickly blotted her eyes gently with a soft towel before the tears could further irritate her skin.

“It’s much better now..” she assured them, though her voice was shaky. “Madam Pomfrey says the swelling will go down in a day or so. And it mostly doesn’t hurt anymore,” Despite the trauma of her injuries, Marlene was much more concerned about assuaging her friends' anxieties.

“I hope you all weren’t too worried--I’m fine, really,” Marlene explained, but couldn’t quite meet the girls’ eyes as she spoke.

Dorcas tossed her braids over her left shoulder so that they wouldn’t brush Marlene’s face, then wrapped her firmly into an embrace.

“We’re so glad you’re okay,” she told her, then pulled back. The three girls looked between one another carefully--none of them quite wanted to upset Marlene by having to relive what happened, but it seemed important to know the truth.

“What happened, Marlene?” Lily finally asked, cautiously.

Marlene’s expression grew a bit weary at the question but she nodded.

“My head's gone foggy…” she explained with a slight frown. “I remember leaving the castle to meet you three...and the next thing I remember is Potter and Black standing over me in here.”

Marlene looked off into the distance as she poured through her available memory. “I think I remember something else though…” she uttered quietly.

“I remember a voice, someone talking to me. They were scared--maybe trying to help me. I think...”

She turned, looking right at Lily now. “...I think it was Severus.”

Lily didn’t know whether to feel relieved or horrified--she settled on feeling both simultaneously. For Marlene to confirm that Severus was there at all made her feel sick--how could he allow this to happen? But then, if he really was helping her...maybe he’d just gone to get a professor. Maybe he hadn’t just left Marlene there.

“Well…” Lily began uncertainly, feeling Dorcas and Mary’s gazes upon her. “I’ll talk to him. We have to figure out who did it,” she resolved. “Whoever did this can’t just get away with it.”

“I’m sorry, Lily,” Marlene frowned, she knew how much Severus meant to Lily--they all did. Even though Marlene, Dorcas and Mary were always wary of him, none of them wanted Lily to be hurt.

“I’m sure he left for a good reason…” she added.

~~*~~

Lily couldn’t get Marlene’s revelation off her mind. She knew the day would be wasted until she could speak with Severus, so after Madame Pomfrey had shooed them away, Lily ate a half-hearted breakfast with Mary and Dorcas, then set off to find Severus.

Just like when they were back home at Cokeworth, Lily usually knew where to find Severus when she needed him. It was a quiet Sunday morning, and it would be even quieter in the library as the rest of the student body had already slumped into the winter break stupor, forsaking their studies for long lie-ins in bed or snowball fights out on the grounds. An empty library was, perhaps, Severus’ favorite spot in all of Hogwarts.

As she entered the library, she found it just as she expected--there wasn’t a soul around apart from Madame Pince, who guarded over the empty stacks like a sentry nonetheless. Lily softened her tread so as to not disturb the librarian.

The library had a blue-ish, wintry tint as the morning sun bounced off the snow and cast a glow through the tall windows.

Lily walked deeper into the library, knowing she wouldn’t find him right up front; surely enough, she found him at a table near the partition of the forbidden section.

“Severus,” Lily said urgently, standing beside him. “We need to talk.”

The incident with Marlene had lasted mere minutes and yet each moment, each detail had been spinning in Severus’ mind since the very instant he left her behind. His shame over leaving Marlene had refused to let up, even after he heard that she had been found and brought to the hospital wing shortly after his departure.

Nevertheless, in abandoning Marlene, Severus had made his decision. It was a cowardly one, which he had to admit, but he was now committed to it. And besides, the girl was going to be fine. He was familiar with the jinx and knew that the symptoms were treated early enough so that there would be no residual scarring.

Severus looked up from his Numerology and Gramatica text and faced Lily, expressionless.

“Yes, I’m sure we do,” he replied calmly, gesturing to the chair beside him. “I was sorry to hear about Marlene. How is she?”

Lily remained standing. She was taken aback slightly by the blank stare and how he seemed to know precisely what it was that she wanted to talk about. Then again, Lily supposed he would have to know.

“She’s doing better. Healing,” she said, not quite meeting Severus’ eye. Lily paused for a moment, bracing herself for what she had to ask him, and the fact that she might not like the answer.

“Marlene said you were there,” Lily told him. “She said she thought you might’ve been trying to help,” she clarified. “If you were there, you must have seen who did it,” Lily pointed out. She didn’t quite accuse Mulciber outright, but she thought it was fairly likely it was him. There was Avery and Wilkes, too, but she didn’t think either of them capable of the type of magic used against Marlene.

Severus managed to suppress the alarm in his countenance when Lily told him that Marlene remembered him. He sniffed to give himself a moment to gather his thoughts. Many jinxes and hexes cause disorientation, and clearly Marlene had suffered severe memory loss. There was no sound evidence in a muddied memory.

“I wasn’t there, Lily,” he explained firmly with a frown, using his ability to mask his emotions against her. “Dark jinxes like hers often cause confusion and memory loss. I was in the village getting you a Christmas present, actually.”

Lily frowned, clearly still uncertain--she wasn’t sure to feel guilty for accusing Severus of something when he was getting her a gift...or if she should stand her ground, because she frankly wasn’t quite sure that he was telling the truth that he wasn’t there.

“It was the only thing she remembered,” said Lily. “I’d prefer that you tell me the truth--maybe you are--but Marlene said you were trying to help her. I’d like to know the rest of the circumstances, though” she said. “Where was Mulciber, for instance?” Lily asked, arching an eyebrow. “Not many students are capable of that type of magic.”

Severus sighed quietly. This was really stretching the limits of his loyalty to Mulciber. He really couldn’t stand lying to Lily, especially over something that had outraged him. Honestly, he just wished he could apologize to her for being a coward--but he felt it was too late for that now.

“He was with me.. I’m sorry, Lily.” His frown deepened. “I wish I could help.”

“Well, I sure hope they figure out who did it,” Lily said, folding her arms over her chest. “Because you’ve heard that Potter and Black found Marlene, right?” she asked. “They’re hell bent that you did it, of course. Black stormed up to their dormitory that very night with Potter close behind, they’re probably already plotting.”

Lily leaned in close to Severus, locking eyes with him. “I am unwaveringly, whole-heartedly positive you didn’t do this, and I told Black and Potter that in front of virtually all of Gryffindor,” she told him. “But I am not positive that Mulciber didn’t do it. If you tell those two, or let me tell them, they’ll redirect to him, I’m sure of it.” Lily leaned back. She felt vaguely uncomfortable--this felt an awful lot like blackmail, but it was true. Black and Potter were going to come after him for something she was sure Severus didn’t do...even if he was, perhaps, a bystander.

Severus kept Lily’s stare, even though he really just wanted to escape into his book. His anxiety slipped through his stoic demeanor when Lily revealed that he was on Potter and Black’s hit-list. It wasn’t surprising, all things considered, but he had no desire for that kind of attention from those two.

He swallowed hard and slid his quill nervously between his fingers.

“Tell them I said that If they’re looking for the truth they might want to have a chat with Mulciber,” he suggested, looking miserable. “But they will keep my name out of this.”

Lily finally slumped into the seat across from Severus, still watching him carefully. “I’ll tell them, and I’ll try to get them to back off on you. Maybe Marlene will tell them she thinks you tried to help,” she said. Lily pressed her forehead into the heels of her palms. She just sat like that for a moment, letting her hands carry the weight of both her head and her thoughts inside of it. She was exhausted--Lily had barely slept since the night before, sick with worry for Marlene.

“Did you help?” Lily asked again, thinking perhaps that Severus might be more inclined to honesty now.

Severus’ eyes flashed with irritation at Lily’s question. “I’ve told you too much already,” he spat bitterly before abruptly standing up. He violently shoved his belongings into his bag and gathered his books in his arm. After taking a few steps away from Lily, he stopped.

Lily practically launched herself around in her chair; I’ve told you too much already. What was that supposed to mean? Lily’s mouth was open, ready to pose that very question, her face twisted in indignation--then, Severus continued.

With his back towards her, he frowned--tears gathered in his eyes. “I didn’t do enough,” he admitted with despair before he disappeared behind the sea of bookshelves.

Severus was gone before Lily even had a moment to gather her thoughts. He’d all but admitted it to her. Lily turned back around in her seat to face the table again, then she quite simply lowered her forehead to the wood, her arms still lying limply in her lap.

She didn’t know whether to feel relieved that Severus had at least helped, or furious that he’d let it happen at all--and above all, she didn’t know if maybe Severus was right and he hadn’t done enough. How ever he’d helped Marlene, he didn’t pick her up and carry her back to the castle. He’d left that for someone else to do, and left Marlene in the snow in the meanwhile. Still, Lily knew she’d defend him from Potter and Black, anyway. She knew she’d try to get Marlene to talk to them, too, and Lily also knew that Marlene would probably do it.

Lily turned her head so that her cheek was now resting on the table--another thing she knew was that she was very, very tired.

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avaycarter · 6 years

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