#belated Mother’s Day gift

[mercurygray]

soft for marj + lip !!

There was always something peaceful about the Liptons' house.

It never seemed to matter that there were four children under seven underfoot, and that they were prone to accidents and scrapes and messes the way all children are. Quiet, was, after all, a relative term - but so was peaceful. And the primary difference, Joan thought, sitting on the back porch swing nursing her iced tea and swishing the lemon wedge once more around her glass, was that neither Marj nor Carwood allowed their thousand small disasters to bother them.

Today it was a skinned knee and the screaming three year old attached to it, wailing at such volume the neighbors were sure to hear.

"Now there, we'll get some ice and some mercurochrome and clean that straight up," Marj said, scooping her youngest off the ground to cradle her in her arms while she walked calmly inside, the other two boys following behind like guilty puppies, anxious to see that Mom would, indeed, make it better.

Joan stared for a little while at the door, and then returned her gaze to the backyard - the abandoned push bike and the dolls on the grass, and the little climbing structure that looked like a castle that Carwood had already built for the children. The afternoon light was hitting the grass just right to illuminate the dandelion heads and give them a golden glow. A far cry from Dupont Circle, for certain - and yet still peaceful, somehow.

The swing moved a little, and Joan looked over to see Marj's oldest daughter, Sarah, climbing up to help herself to her mother's vacated seat and push some of her hair out of her eyes.

"Did you see what happened?" Joan asked mildly, wondering if she'd need to be the neutral party taking down witness statements soon.

Sarah did not look disturbed. "Sam and Cliff were going too fast and Lessie couldn't keep up and she fell."

That sounded plausible enough - Sam was Sarah's twin, at seven, and Clifford five, and Leslie, or Lessie, was three, not quite good enough on her feet to keep up with the older ones. "Mommy will make it better," Sarah assured her. "Lessie's just being scared." She looked expectantly at the side table and the plate there, swinging her legs a little. "Are there more crackers?"

Joan shook her head, the half-finished glass of tea cold and slippery in her hands. "I'm afraid I ate them all. I'm not as good at sharing as your mom. And besides," she added, seeing the look of disappointment on Sarah's face, "it'll be time for dinner soon, once your mom cleans up Lessie's knee."

Sarah looked resigned to this answer, and allowed herself a little pout for a moment. Her mother's child, through and through - don't complain until you know someone will listen. "Aunt Joanie, why don't you have any kids?"

Joan sighed and looked at Sarah, considering the little body next to her that was somehow too warm and too sticky and perhaps a little too comfortable climbing straight into laps. Between Marj's kids and Harry's, she was still getting used to the non-sequiturs of the under ten set. (As was only befitting Harry's child, Danny Welsh would ask the darndest questions sometimes.) "That's a good question, Sarah. I'm not sure. Sometimes I look at what a good job your mom does and I don't think I could be as good as her."

"I think you're wrong," Sarah declared. "Moms have to be smart and kind and pretty and caring and tall and you're all those things."

Joan felt her heart flutter a little. Too many people had said the same, but it sounded different coming from a child - well intentioned, even. And there was something else in it, too, something she wasn't sure of and didn't want to put too much promise in just yet. "Well, thank you, Sarah. That's very kind of you."

"You're welcome," Sarah announced, sitting back in her chair with a bit of pride. For a moment it was just the two of them, and Sarah gave a big and theatrical sigh of contentment, crossing her legs and putting her arms behind her head - a movement Joan could say she'd seen Carwood do more than once. "Isn't this lovely?"

It was a funny word for a seven year old, lovely, but it was as good a word as any, and Joan made an affirmative noise, watching the grass and the dandelions and the afternoon light. It was indeed lovely, in its own way, lovely and soft, and it made Joan think of Pennsylvania, and the farmhouse Dick was thinking of buying when he got home from his Reserve duties. The rest of the world, and Korea, seemed impossibly far away here.

"Sarah Joan, did you take my seat?" Marj had returned, Lessie still in her arms and the boys nowhere to be found.

"I was just keeping it warm for you," the accused said defensively, crawling off the seat so her mother could sit down again, the baby resting her head on her shoulder and sucking her thumb.

"The mercury's near 80, I'm not sure you needed to," Marj said quietly, looking at Joan with a sarcastic raised brow that Joan tried hard not to smile at. "Lessie's going to sit with us for a little while, just us girls. Now, what were you all talking about?"

"Sarah thinks I'll make a good mom," Joan reported with a raised eyebrow of her own.

"Sarah's unusually wise for seven," Marj said with a smile for her firstborn that made the girl beam with pride, shifting Lessie on her lap a little. "And I think she's right, too. You made awful short work on those crackers, for starters." She fixed her friend with one of her signature patient stares. "Something you want to share with the class, Joanie?"

"Not - not yet, Marj." Joan lowered her voice, feeling soft and vulnerable in a way she had not felt in a while. Korea was far away and so was Dick, and this was a thing that she could not out-practice or out-maneuver or out-run. "But I have an appointment next week."

Marj nodded, leaning back in the swing and giving it a small push so it could start moving again. "Let me know when you do." She let out a sigh. "Five more minutes, and then we'll go in for dinner," she decided, still petting Lessie's back so she might fall asleep. Joan studied the sleepy face on Marj's shoulder, the blonde curls and rosy cheeks and round lips, finally content. Peaceful, said one voice. Lovely, said another.

#i have written a thing #mercurygraypresents #joan warren #marjorie gordon #a belated mother's day gift #1940s girl gang #postwar

[holdmytesseract]

Hello sweetie!!!

Good to know that you've opened requests because do I have A WONDERFUL request for YOU!

Okay okay, of course for me I'm going to request Loki so here goes...

Loki and Reader are arranged to marry and have never met before (either Reader is a princess or just a lady). The day of the wedding, reader suggests a first touch with her fiance - how could Frigga deny that? So they do it. Then, when they see each other at the altar, it's as if the world stops for them both.

I left it a bit vague so you can expand but I am so excited to see what you make of it! I love you so much and please do DM me if you need something 🫂🥰❤️

~LRM

Marrying a Stranger

Loki Odinson x fem!Princess!Reader

Summary: You are arranged to marry Prince Loki of Asgard. Fear and pre-wedding nerves get the better of you and you can't help but ask Frigga for help. Of course is the good-hearted Queen more than willing to help out...

Warnings: arranged marriage? angst, fluff, sweet Loki

Word Count: 2,5k

a/n: I actually wanted to post a new chapter of 'Through the Years' today, BUT the birthday of my wonderful friend @lady-rose-moon is definitely more important. 🥰 Therefore, I'd like to post this lil' oneshot as a gift. 😊 Again, happy (belated) birthday, friend!

Ps. I'm also incredibly sorry that his took me so long to write... I hope you like it nevertheless! I love you, too! 💚

Tags: @lady-rose-moon @huntress-artemiss @muddyorbsblr @ijuststareatstuffhereok89 @chennqingg @smolvenger @alexakeyloveloki @theaudacitytowrite @jennyggggrrr @asgards-princess-of-mischief @eleniblue @vanilla-daydreaming @loz-3 @valencia-rou @mishkatelwarriorgoddess @fictive-sl0th @bunny24sstuff @iamlokisgloriouspurpose @lovingchoices14 @linaax @mochie85 @goblingirlsarah @glitchquake @lokidbadguy @icytrickster17 @gruftiela @lulubelle814 @mandywholock1980 @november-rayne @chantsdemarins @simping-for-marvel @lou12346789 @aagn360 @lokiforever @anukulee @multifandom-worlds (Continuing in the comments!)

Masterlist °☆• Loki Masterlist

The day had arrived. The day you looked forward to in excitement and anticipation, but also with fear and nervousness. Your wedding. Your arranged wedding, to be precisely.

You were a princess. Only daughter of the king and queen of Vanaheim. And due to the royal blood pumping through your veins, you were not allowed to choose the man you'd marry. The man would be chosen for you. At first, you didn't approve of this and were literally appalled by the mere imagination of marrying a strange man you had never seen before, but your mother and all your tutors had quickly put you in your place.

There was no way out of this - and you had to accept that. It was your fate. Your destiny. The destined path for a princess.

This is not of importance, sweetheart. You don't have to meet your future husband, in order to marry him.

A few centuries ago, when you had reached womanhood, your marriage was arranged and announced within the kingdom. You were bespoken to king Odin's and queen Frigga's youngest son... Prince Loki of Asgard.

Throughout all the years you had never met your betrothed.

That is the man I shall marry?

That was what your mother had answered to your question if you could meet the prince you were going to marry.

So, the topic was off the table. You had been taught to obey your mother, so why would you dare to ever ask her again? The decision was made. No meant no. You only ever heard stories of your future husband... That he was quite special - and not in the good way. Most people spoke of his mischievous and cunning nature. Some even said villainous, brute and rebellious. To hear those words scared you.

You had dreamed of true love and romance. Of being courted and wooed. You dreamed of a sweet, kind man who would treat you like you deserved - and not of a brute who would treat you like his maid. You spent endless sleepless nights within your chambers, thinking about your future with Loki. What if he truly was just a harsh, mischievous scamp? What if your dreams were about to shatter?

And now, suddenly the moment had come...

But then you started to hear other stories of Loki Odinson as well. About how charming and witty he is. How gentlemanly and eloquent. And how utterly handsome he shall look.

You were torn. Torn by every story they told you - and the worst part was that you never got to find out what the truth was and which talk was cheap. At least not until the day you would marry him. It left you a mess.

You were standing in a huge chamber in the royal palace of Asgard. The room bustled with maids, who were preparing everything to get you ready for the wedding ceremony. You nervously fumbled your fingers; constantly tugging at the soft fabric of your wine red dress. Your mother had just left the room along with your father; leaving you and your troubled mind alone.

From the first encounter with Frigga, you could tell that she had a heart of gold. She was so kind and lovely. Perhaps the most good-hearted person you ever met. You got along with your future mother-in-law instantly. She had welcomed you with open arms. And right in that moment, you couldn't picture another way out.

You couldn't deny the anxiety any longer. It hit you full force; realisation dawning on you like the sun... I can't marry a man I never saw in my life.

So, you decided to order a maid to fetch the only person you hoped would be kind enough to help you. Queen Frigga. The Allmother. You and your family had arrived about a week ago and even in that week you never got to see Loki. Only the king and queen. Not the princes.

Frigga gently took your hands in hers and led you over to the bed; sitting down with you. "What is the matter, dear? The fear within you is stronger than your nervousity. I can feel it." You swallowed hard, "I- It's... It's just..." and had to take a deep breath. "I'm afraid of marrying a man I never saw in my life. I-I know that this is not of importance and probably even forbidden, but-" A radiant smile forming on the queen's lips interrupted you. You furrowed your brows; were confused. Even more when she started to chuckle.

Only a few moments passed, before the young maid returned to your chambers; following the queen.

"Y/N, my dear..." She immediately walked up to you. "You called for me?" You just nodded; anxious eyes meeting Frigga's beautiful blue ones. "I-I did. Could we... Could we talk in private?" "Of course!" She reassured you, then clapped her hands twice. "Would you all please leave and give us some privacy?" All the maids stopped in their tasks and immediately rushed to leave your chambers.

"My son requested the exact same. Barely before you called me to your chambers, I sat with Loki and spoke about this with him as well. I guess you are quite similar in that case." She chuckled again and reached for your hand again. You just stared at her; not quite believing what she just said. "I understand you, dear. I couldn't do such a thing either. Back when I had to wed my husband, I demanded to at least see him and share a few sentences with him beforehand as well. It helped me to adapt to the situation I was in. Therefore, I can't deny yours, neither my son's wish." Frigga stood up and offered you her arm. "Come on."

You swallowed hard; feeling your heart beat rapidly against your chest, as you approached the little pavilion.

You blinked; were utterly speechless. You knew Frigga would understand you, but that... That wasn't something you anticipated to happen. Still a bit stunned, you stood up and took her offer. She led you out of your chambers, down several hallways you had never seen before, until you were outside the palace and had reached a beautiful garden. She stopped, nodding towards a small pavilion quite a few meters away, which was surrounded by rose bushes and cherry trees.

"My son is waiting for you in the pavilion." Frigga let go of your arm and gave you a smile. "You have about an hour before the maids will return to get you both ready for the ceremony. Make sure to be back at your chambers by that time." With a wink and a soft pad on your arm, she turned around and left.

Your heart skipped a beat.

Carefully - almost shyly, you peeked around the corner.

A man was standing in the middle of the small pavilion, with his back towards you; hands clasped behind his lower back. You could see that he was wearing a green tunic and black leather boots. Gold accents highlighted his whole outfit.

He had long hair - as black as the feathers of a raven. It fell in soft curls over his shoulders. Your gaze climbed up and down his body. He was tall. Norns, he was so tall - and his hands were big. You could tell. They would swallow yours whole.

"H-Hello?" A dark, smooth and slightly high-pitched voice spoke. "A-Are... Are you Princess Y/N?" You could tell by his voice that he was nervous, too. Probably even afraid - just like you.

You didn't even notice how your mouth fell agape. Or how you made another small step forwards; totally enhanced by the God you saw standing in front of you.

Barely after you set one foot in front of the other, a small twig snapped underneath the weight of your body. You flinched - and the man quickly turned to face you; flinching the slightest bit as well. The gust which was created by Loki's quick spin was sent directly into your direction and no second later, his scent hit you; invaded your nostrils... Leather, something dark and musky, charred wood and a slight hint of mint and something fruity. It smelled so rich, so divine, but also so addictive and cosy. You almost fainted.

You needed a moment to get yourself together. "Y-Yes, I-" Your words faded into a gasp as your eyes met his for the first time ever. He had the most beautiful eyes you had ever seen. Blue like water and as deep as the oceans. They held so many emotions. Nervousity and fear, but also curiosity and excitement. But above all kindness - the same kindness which sparkled within his mother's eyes.

Loki smiled and took a few cautious steps towards you. "It is my utmost pleasure to meet you, my princess." He gathered a bit of his bravery and hesitatingly reached for your hand, taking it gently in his. With a soft bow, he bestowed a small kiss upon your knuckles; soft, smooth lips brushing against your cold skin. A shudder rippled through you.

"The- The pleasure is a-all mine, my prince." You more or less stammered out, now utterly distracted by his chiselled facial features. High cheekbones, sharp jawline and a perfectly shaped nose. Norns, you thought. He looks like carved out of marble.

Loki gave you a smile. "Thank you for agreeing to this little... secret meeting. I-I just had to see you before the ceremony, I-" You gave his hand - which still enveloped yours a soft squeeze. "I know. I felt the same way." A nervous chuckle left his lips, followed by an even bigger smile. "That makes this situation so much easier..." You reciprocated his smile. "Indeed, my prince."

You took a seat on the small, cosy bench and decided to use the time you had left to talk and get to know each other at least a little bit, before you'd become husband and wife. It was exactly what you - and Loki needed. But especially, it calmed your fears of marrying a brute, despiteful man. They had been wrong... Oh so wrong. Loki was not like that. He was like you hoped he'd be. Kind, gentlemanly, sweet - and utterly romantic. His heart may be battered and bruised, but you could feel that this man would do everything to be a good, loving husband for you.

The hour flew by way too fast; within the blink of an eye and soon it was time to part ways - for now.

"Thank you, my pri-" "Loki. Please... It's Loki for you." That made you blush even more - if that was even possible. "Thank you, Loki." You smiled. "I can't believe I'm going to be wed to such a handsome, polite and sweet man either."

"Again... Thank you for agreeing to this." Loki said; voice soft. You shook your head. "No need to thank me. I wanted this, too, you know..."

Silence settled over the both of you, until he let out a soft, breathy chuckle. "I can't believe I'm marrying such a beautiful, kind-hearted woman in barely a few hours." You blushed in the darkest shades of crimson at his words; suppressing a girlish giggle to slip past your lips.

That caused Loki to blush.

A nervous chuckle bubbled from deep within his chest. "Thank you-" "Y/N." You interrupted him. "Y/N." The way he rolled his name off your tongue almost send you into another dimension - you were sure of it.

His words hit you straight into your heart. You could swear it was aflame by now, burning for this man you knew so little, but were going to wed in a few hours.

"Are you still nervous?" Loki asked then; eyes soft. You nodded. "Y-Yes, I- I'm afraid it's going to get worse..." You giggled nervously; desperately trying to play it cool, but failing.

He took your hand in his again; gently caressing the back of your hand with his thumb. "I know this is normal. I-I am nervous, too, but... Please don't worry. You are not alone in this. I'll be there - and I won't ever let go of you."

You took deep breaths; smiling brightly. Now you could say that you were really looking forward towards your wedding. For the first time in centuries.

"T-Thank you. That is really reassuring to know. I-I won't let go either." Loki smiled, "That's good to know, my darling." and leaned in for a delicate, small peck on your lips. It was gentle and barely lasting - but it felt so right. So good.

Before you were able to answer something, his hand slipped from yours as he was passing you by; stepping out of the pavilion and out of your sight.

"You look beautiful, sweetheart." Your mother said with tears in her eyes. She placed her pointer finger underneath your chin. "It's time for you to enter the next chapter of your life. A lot is going to change, I know - but your whole life was spent preparing you for exactly that moment. You're a strong woman, Y/N. Never doubt that. And Loki is going to be a wonderful husband. He's the perfect match."

By now, you had to fight off the tears as well.

Your mother leaned in and placed a lingering kiss on your forehead. "I'm so proud of you, just like your father. I love you." You smiled; swallowing hard to get rid of the lump in your throat. "Thank you, mama. I love you, too." She gave you a loving, motherly smile and left to sit with the other wedding attendants.

You took a deep breath and with the sounds of the fanfare, you stepped through the golden doors and slowly walked down the red carpet towards Loki - who stood at the altar; dressed in his ceremonial armour, waiting for your arrival.

All eyes were on you, but you only had eyes for your prince.

When his eyes landed on you, they widened immediately; his mouth falling agape. He watched how your wedding dress swayed softly with each step you took.

She looks absolutely beautiful, he thought; feeling his heart beating rapidly against his chest.

It was all you needed in that moment.

You walked slowly, gracefully - like you've been taught. It felt like an eternity, until you finally reached him.

Loki immediately stretched out his hands for you to lay yours in his - and you did. The moment you touched, it felt like you could finally breathe normal again. His skin was so soft and warm; giving you the feeling of warmth and comfort. For you, his touch was a safe haven. He was anchoring you; preventing you to get lost in the sea of no-man's-land.

You looked up. His endless blue eyes met yours for the second time - and time seems to stand still around you. In that moment, it was only you and him.

You smiled and finally weren’t afraid anymore of the future. Not if it involved the man right in front of you.

#loki x reader #loki laufeyson #loki x female reader #loki #loki x you #loki fanfiction #tom hiddleston x reader #loki fluff #loki x y/n #loki laufeyson x reader #loki odinson

[boyheros]

Lord help me do i have a comic idea i want to execute so so bad.

#i am graduating soon so hopefully summer will give me time ! #but i should probably focus on making my mom her belated mother's day gift LOL #and my friends (soon to be belated) bday gift 😢 happy birthday fraulein sorry i dont have anything </3 fail #phx news

[mrprettywhenhecries]

wrapped in a bow [s.h]

Steve Harrington ✘ f!Reader

⇾ w.c. 2k words ⇾ warning(s). f!reader, no use of y/n, lingerie, unprotected sex, p in v, creampie ⇾ a/n. Belated Day Four of HoHoHoe Week. Prompt(s) - Present + Dressed up. Read part one and two, though it's not necessarily needed to understand this part.

It’s Christmas eve and you surprise Steve with an early Christmas present.  One that he gets to unwrap under the light of the tree, but little do you know, he has an early gift for you as well.

[ masterlist ]

Christmas eve found you at the Harrington household, visiting Steve’s parents after the few days you had with yours.  However, nearly as soon as you arrived, the two of you were dragged along to a Christmas eve party his parents’ friends were throwing.

“Mom, I thought we were gunna spend a quiet evening with you and Dad.  Do you know how long we were on the road for?” Steve huffed, annoyance radiating off him in waves.

“Steve, darling, we can’t miss the Ferons’ annual Christmas eve party!  We go every year,” his mom explained patiently, as if Steve were a pouting child.

“Yeah, I know, but–” Steve began, only to be interrupted by his father.

“Don’t argue with your mother.”

The frustrated look on your boyfriend’s face tugged at you – you knew all too well how strained his relationship with his father was – and you jumped in to save him, just as he huffed that he wasn’t arguing.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Harrington, Steve was just wondering if we could duck out a little early, since I’m pretty beat from the drive,” you said, laying your hand on his father’s arm, and the older man softened.

“Oh.  Well, why didn’t you say so?” he exclaimed.  “Son, why don’t you take your girlfriend back home and let her get some rest?”

Steve flashed a tight lipped smile at his dad as he ducked his head in a sullen nod.

“Yeah, we’ll do that,” he muttered and you said your goodbyes, assuring his mom that you’d be alright, that you just needed to sleep off this headache that was forming.

“Thanks for that, that was some quick thinking,” Steve murmured once you were back in the car, driving down the quiet streets of Hawkins.

“It was nothing, babe.  I could tell how much you wanted to get outta there,” you assured him, reaching across the center console to take his hand, rubbing your thumb across his knuckles, and Steve smiled softly at the gesture, bringing the back of your hand to his lips.

“I’m just sorry my parents would rather get drunk with their snobby friends than spend time with us, but I don’t know what else I expected,” he sighed, pulling into the drive of his childhood home.  “At least we’ll have the place to ourselves,” he murmured and an idea sprang to your mind.

“Meet me in the living room, I have a present I want you to open early,” you exclaimed, hurrying up the stairs to Steve’s old room to fetch it as soon as you were inside.

“Okay,” Steve chuckled, watching you disappear upstairs.  “I have something for you too,” he murmured, reaching into his pocket, but you only half heard.

Kicking the door shut behind you, you began to strip, rummaging through your luggage for the red lacy outfit you’d packed, hoping for a chance to surprise your boyfriend with.  You’d planned on breaking it out once his parents were asleep, since they at least seemed to have no qualms about the two of you sharing a room, unlike your own parents, but the opportunity to do it under the soft glow of the Christmas tree was too good to pass up.

Getting dressed in the complicated garment took longer than you’d planned and you hoped that Steve hadn’t fallen asleep on the couch while waiting for you.  Wrapping a silk robe around yourself, you slipped back downstairs, letting out a sigh of relief as Steve lifted his head from the back of the couch when he heard you return.

“Where’s my present?” he asked with a chuckle, his eyes widening as you stepped in front of him and let the robe fall to the floor.

“Right here.”

Steve swallowed, wetting his lips as his gaze traveled hungrily over your scantily clad form – the red lace hugging your curves and leaving little to the imagination.  

“Merry Christmas, Steve,” he breathed, his lips tugging into an awe filled grin.  “All this for me?” he asked, his eyes flicking up to yours as he pulled you closer, his hands sliding up your hips.

“All for you,” you murmured, arousal already throbbing through you and pooling between your thighs.  “Do you like?” you asked, even though the answer was obvious.

“Do you even have to ask?” Steve replied, pressing his lips to your navel, and you let out a soft moan, running your fingers though his hair, letting him kiss his way up your stomach and between your breasts.

“Are you gunna unwrap your gift to play with?” you purred, tilting your head down to watch him, already practically soaking through your lace panties.

Steve shook his head slowly, holding your gaze.  “As much as I would love to tear this off you and sink inside you, I think I wanna take my time,” he mused, raising his eyebrows at you, a ghost of a smirk on his lips.  “With wrapping this pretty, it’d be a shame to tear it.”

You let out a whine, but didn’t argue, anticipation coursing through you as his hands ghosted down your sides, first unclasping the garters strapped around your thighs before slowly working the see through thigh high stockings down.  Setting your foot between his legs on the couch, your knee bent in front of him, he pressed slow kisses against your skin as it was revealed, finally slipping one stocking off and then repeating the action with the other leg.

Once your legs were bare, he set your foot back on the floor, glancing up at you as he kissed your navel, his soft lips grazing your skin, leaving a trail of goosebumps in their wake as his hands slid up your body to work your garter belt down and let it fall to the floor with your discarded stockings.    

Steve held your gaze as he next slipped his hands under the sides of your now practically soaked lace panties, tugging the fabric down agonizingly slowly as your cunt throbbed with want.  A moan caught in your throat as his lips followed, the tip of his nose brushing the soft hair between your legs, and the panties too fell to the floor, pooling around your ankles.

“So beautiful,” Steve breathed, leaving languid kisses everywhere but where you wanted him, deliberately driving you crazy with each lingering kiss and touch, his large hands running up your legs before once more resting on your hips and guiding you backward a few steps as he stood, kissing his way up your body.

Pressing your thighs together discreetly against the aching between your legs, you could already feel your slick practically dripping down your inner thighs and you whined as Steve’s hands found the clasp of your bra, desperate for him to hurry up.

Steve chuckled at your petulant whine, pausing to nip at the curve of your neck, his teeth sinking into your flesh as the bra slipped down your chest, and as soon as your tits were free, his hands covered them, massaging gently and you moaned, slipping your hands under his sweater, your fingers teasing the skin just above his trousers and it was his turn to hiss a breath as your hand found his trapped erection, palming him through the fabric.

“Steve please—“ you breathed, your gaze catching his, his dark eyes blown wide with want, and he swallowed.  

“Lay down,” he murmured, stealing a lingering kiss before he released you, quickly pulling his sweater over his head, and you obeyed, getting comfortable on the soft rug next to the tree.

Catching your bottom lip between your teeth, you couldn’t tear your eyes away as Steve stripped, his movements hasty before joining you on the floor, crawling over you, adoration in his eyes.

“This is the best present I think I’ve ever gotten,” he chuckled softly, taking you in his arms, his touch gentle, but firm at the same time, as if he never wanted to let you go.

“I’m glad you like it,” you breathed, Steve’s body pressing to yours sending a fire through you.  “I want you so badly,” you whispered, pressing your lips to his neck, his jaw, his chest, anywhere you could reach.  

When his cock slid between your folds, coating his length in your slick, the needy whimper that left your lips was sinfully sweet and Steve couldn’t help but echo you, his forehead pressing to yours as his hips rocked against you.

“You’re so wet,” he marveled and you nodded helplessly.  

“You did that,” you whined, canting your hips forward to try to coax him inside you and he huffed a laugh.

“So impatient,” he breathed, kissing you slowly and thoroughly, making your head swim.

“Steve,” you mewled, desperation lacing your pitiful plea.  “Need you.”

It was those two words that did it and he smiled, caressing your cheek as he slid into you, slowly filling you.

“This what you need, baby?” he asked, moaning softly as he finally stilled, enjoying just being inside you, your slick velvet walls hugging him so sweetly.  

“Uh huh,” you gasped, clenching tighter around him, urging him to move.  “Need you so bad, Steve.”

“You’re so beautiful like this,” he whispered, pulling back to thrust into you again, slow and deliberate, each rock of his hips growing slightly faster, his languid lovemaking turning desperate and intense until you didn’t know where he ended and you began.

Your words fell away and the room was filled with your heavy breaths and the lewd sounds of skin on skin, Steve’s expression illuminated by the soft glow of the white Christmas lights and your mouth fell open as you hung suspended, teetering on the precipice of your release.  It felt like time slowed to a stop right before the tightly compressed spring of pleasure inside your stomach finally snapped and your vision went white as you fell apart, crying Steve’s name like a prayer as his thrusts turned jerky and he filled you, painting your walls with white ropes as his mouth fell open and his eyes screwed shut.

For a long moment, neither of you moved, Steve’s panted breaths the only thing you could hear over the pounding of blood in your ears and you pressed your face to the crook of his neck, your bodies sticking together from the light sheen of sweat on your skin, but you didn’t care, only holding him tighter as you floated down from your high.

“Holy shit, that was intense,” Steve finally gasped, lifting his face to look at you, his long hair mussed and out of place, several strands stuck to his damp forehead, but he’d never looked better.

“That was perfect,” you agreed, running your hand through his hair to push it out of his eyes and press a kiss to the corner of his pink swollen lips, his cheeks flushed from exertion and his eyes shining with affection.

“I love you so much,” he breathed, echoing your actions, his palm caressing your cheek as he watched you and you could hear the hitch of emotion in his voice.

“I love you too, Steve,” you answered, nearly swept away by the depth of your feelings for him.

His lips stretched into a wavering grin and he shifted, reaching blindly for his trousers that he’d discarded nearby.  “I think I mentioned I have something for you too,” he said, his brows drawing down slightly as he struggled to pull something from his pocket.  “I was going to give it to you tomorrow, but I think tonight’s the perfect moment.”

Your mouth fell open as he produced a small velvet box and opened the lid, the soft light surrounding you sparkling off of the diamond inside.

“Steve–”

“Will you marry me?”

Your eyes flicked up to his, your vision swimming for a moment before blinking, your tears catching in your lashes, but you were already nodding emphatically.  “Yes!  A million times, yes!”

Steve let out the breath he’d been holding, his hands shaking slightly as he slipped the ring on your finger and you pulled him into a fierce hug. “This is the best Christmas gift ever,” you whispered.

⇾ taglist. @heartbreak-sandwich @b1tchy3lf @afestivelegend @hawkinsglasscloset @sugarcookiesteve @birminghamshelbyboys @hohohoeweek2023

#hohohoe23 #steve harrington #steve harrington x reader #steve harrington smut #steve harrington fanfiction #joz.fic

[psychickiss]

i’m not too late

— saiki kusuo x reader (gn, 2nd pov)

— summary: You come over to Saiki’s house to give him a (kind of last minute) birthday gift, which ends with you two hanging out in his room.

— notes: nottt beta read also!! maybe ooc kusuo 😵 also also! dt @kusuokisser

— things: confessions... blah blah... romantic!! quite awkward

— masterlist | request form | retrospring

Saiki’s mom calls out to her son, “Ku! Check who’s at the door for me, please?”

Saiki nods. He’s already heard the inner voice of whoever rung the doorbell to his home– he knows it’s you, and he knows why you’re there.

“Belated happy birthday, Saiki! Sorry I’m late, I didn’t know your birthday at first.”

Now, he needs a way out.

First, he accepts your gift. Maybe you’ll leave after he takes it. Of course, Saiki can’t just rudely shut the door on you– he doesn’t want to hurt your feelings get scolded by his mom. So, he engages in small talk. “It’s alright. You got the month right, at least. The only ones who greeted me correctly are Mera, Aiura and– to my surprise– Toritsuka.”

Confused, you ask, “And who... got the month wrong?”

“Everyone else. We partied in May. Is that all?”

Saiki tunes in to your thoughts, and he’s hopeful he’ll spend the rest of the day alone. Yes? No? I wanted to hang out, but maybe not? He clings onto that “maybe not” of yours.

Like any other person, you get curious. You ask him again, “No...? May? You guys partied in May?”

“It’s a long story,” he says. He’s hearing your (still) inquisitive thoughts. Saiki internally sighs. I need to get this over with, quick. There’s a show I want to watch that airs at 4:30 PM. It’s only 1 PM, but time is fast. He steps to the side, allowing you to walk past the gate. He doesn’t know why he’s letting you in. Saiki takes off his footwear before entering his house, and you do the same.

Saiki announces his presence to his mom, as well as yours. “Oh, dear! Are you here to celebrate Ku’s birthday? Have you eaten lunch already?”

You nod in response to both questions from Saiki’s mom. “Well, I’m not too sure about the celebration part... I figured I’d just give Saiki his gift, then leave–”

Saiki’s mom shakes her head. “No, stay! You obviously made the effort to come all the way here. Stay as long as you’d like.”

Good grief. Saiki forgot to take his mother’s friendly nature into account...

“Okay, I’ll stay.”

... As well as your politeness. Not to mention, the fact you’ve been looking for opportunities to be alone with him.

So, you and Saiki head up to his room.

You two aren’t the closest of friends. Sure, you’d go straight for him when you needed a partner for school and you two would sometimes walk home together, but you aren’t as close to him as Nendou and the others.

That doesn’t stop you from having feelings for Saiki, though. What started as a silly crush to help you pass the time in class developed into full-on fantasies of going on dates with him.

Usually, Saiki wouldn’t mind such things when it came to people like you– people who don’t act on their feelings– because that means he wouldn’t need to actively avoid you, but you confused him.

Saiki sometimes wanted nothing more than to ask you about your feelings for him, but that just felt uncharacteristic for him to do.

He wants you to act on your feelings– tell him how you feel. For what reason? He cannot put a pin on it. Not yet.

Saiki opens the door to his room, letting you enter first.

You sit on the foot of his bed and ask, “Did you have fun?”

Saiki sits on the chair in his room, which isn’t too far from you, before answering. “I don’t really celebrate my birthday in the way others would, but I splurged and bought lots of coffee jelly. My mother baked cake too.”

You give him a small smile. “So, is that a yes?”

Saiki nods.

Saiki didn’t really have much of a plan or intention to kick you out of his house. You didn’t talk his ear off as often as his other friends, so he figures you two can sit in his room alone in silence. He doesn’t hear you mentally complain, anyway. Most of your thoughts at that moment were in regards to the way his room looked.

Most of your thoughts.

I should ask about the show that’s going to air later this noon. Oh. My god. I can’t believe I’m alone with the guy I like, it’s the perfect time to confess!

Saiki hears your thoughts, yet he does not do anything about the confession part. He and you both know you’ve thought of confessing your feelings multiple times but chickened out everytime.

Hm. Saiki wonders if this time, you get the courage and finally tell him. He knows what he’ll say.

Your eyes dart nervously to Saiki, then at the TV right next to his bed, where you’re seated.

“Have you... Do you know about the show that’s airing later? 4:30?”

Saiki nods.

“Would you want to watch it together?” You take a deep breath after asking. Fortunately, he nods.

“Would you like something to drink? Or eat?” Saiki asks. If you’re staying, he might as well be a good host.

“Ah, just water. Maybe, uhm, coffee jelly– if you’re going to get some of your own.”

Saiki nods and he exits his room, leaving you alone.

You eye the gift you handed to Saiki. You had only gotten him a cardigan, unsure of any specific tastes of his, although the design was quite... un-Saiki; it wasn’t plain, but it wasn’t too much design. It just didn’t look like something he’d wear often, though you figured he could probably try out new things.

You just hope he likes it. To be safe, you had bought him a gift card to the store you got his gift from.

Saiki opens the door with a tray in his hands. Two cups of coffee jelly and one glass of water.

You make yourself comfortable on the floor of his room, Saiki sitting across from you and setting the tray down.

You take a sip of water before muttering, “Thank you.” Saiki gives a small nod before silently eating his coffee jelly.

He doesn’t really like being talked to while he’s eating, you think. You’re left to just look at Saiki with that expression he’s always wearing when he’s eating anything sweet. It’s cute.

You’re opting to confess, Saiki feels it. As unromantic as the scene seemed to be– two friends sitting on the floor without talking– he figures if he should be confessed to, it’d have to be nothing grand.

Plus, he knows what he’ll reply, anyway. He’s prepared his response since the first time you backed out of confessing to him.

You grab a plastic spoon and open your cup of coffee jelly. Before you take a bite of the sweet treat, you finally say the words.

“I like you.”

I know. I’m still chewing, hang on.

You quickly eat a spoonful of coffee jelly before Saiki could even respond. Say something, please?

You anxiously eat your coffee jelly, waiting for Saiki to finish eating his.

...

Finally, finally, Saiki replies.

“I don’t really know yet, but I might like you too.”

You feel as though a wave of relief washes over you. At least it’s not a rejection. Oh my god. “Really?”

Saiki nods. He doesn’t say anything else, and in shock, neither do you.

“Don’t ask me how I know this–”

Mentally, you interject, I probably won’t, but continue.

“–but I know you’ve liked me for a while now.”

You sigh in frustration. “I thought I was hiding it well...”

I can’t help that I have telepathy. Saiki discards that thought, instead saying, “No, you were pretty obvious.”

You laugh quietly. “God, I’m sorry! Glad that you might like me back. At least that being obvious wasn’t in vain.” You smile at Saiki. “Belated happy birthday, again. Next year, I’ll be sure to greet you on time.”

Saiki lets out an amused hum. “We’ll see.”

#saiki kusuo x reader #saiki x reader #saiki k x reader #saiki k #saiki kusuo

[thedeviltohisangel]

All The Things I Did (Interlude): My Little Bunnies

a/n: happy belated easter to all those who celebrate! i wanted to write john & cass' first easter as parents and it became a 10 page fic with smut/fluff/angst. read on to meet their twins, meet cass' parents, learn more about her family history and so much more. and to the anon who sent an ask about them getting a bloodhound, yes. he is here. this was a real labor of love but it is my gift to you. i hope you all love it and please come let me know your thoughts on this little family. xoxo

warnings: smut

When Cass was quiet, it meant she was thinking. And since they had left the driveway of their beach house, she had been quiet. A notebook in one hand and a pen and leash in the other, John thinks she was attempting to memorize her to-do list for Easter Sunday.

“You know part of the reason I was convinced into coming here this weekend was your insistence on family walks,” he looked down at the two little bundles that were already gazing right back at him, “tell Mama she can relax for one night.”

“I’ll relax after everything goes off without a hitch tomorrow. It’s their first Easter and our first time hosting a holiday and the first time my family is seeing the house and-” She paused as Gale let out a sound of discomfort and started to squirm in the carriage, Cass quickly reaching down and smoothing a finger over his cheek with a coo. He quieted just as quickly at her touch and blinked up at her sleepily. “There, there my sweet boy. I’m right here.” Not for the first time, and not for the last time, John was endlessly amazed by his wife. How she managed to be a mother, a wife and still impress the brass in DC was beyond his comprehension. He hadn’t known it was possible to fall more in love with her and here he was. Falling in love with her more and more everyday. 

“We Egan boys get cranky when you aren’t around to dote on us.”

“Is that so? Do you agree with that, Butter?” The bloodhound gave a gentle bark in answer which John took as his agreement. “Well, Miss Penelope does have a habit of looking at every plane in the sky while she waits for you to come home.” He grinned so wide his eyes crinkled at the corners.

“That’s my little lamb,” he said with a gentle tickle to the top of her tummy, her giggles making her parents laugh right along with her. “And what about you? What do you do all day while you wait for me to come home?”

“Oh, I just stare longingly out the window because the thought of you not being around paralyzes me, Lieutenant Colonel Egan.” Cass held her hand to her forehead and feigned hysteria.

“I guess it is kind of beautiful here,” John relented as their walk took them to the beach. The waves were crashing against the sand as the sunset laid a pink backdrop to the view. He lifted his arm and Cass fell into his side with ease.

“I told you so,” she murmured against his chest. Cass had loved growing up on her family’s estate outside of Charleston. She had learned more about life running around that land than she ever had anywhere else. But every summer her mother would take her and siblings for Kiawah Island, where her father would join on occasion, and she would roam free on the sand and in the sun. There were no boys trying to dance with her and her mother didn’t yell at her for being barefoot and she was able to laugh loud and run fast and there were no consequences. “You see that gray house with the white balconies a few hundred yards that way?” She pointed in the general direction and John shaded his eyes to look. 

“That’s not a house, Cass, that’s a mansion.”

“That’s my parents house. My dad built it for my mom when I was little,” she said sheepishly. When she had been old enough to truly understand love and relationships, she had thought it was the most romantic thing. Had seen how happy it made her father to provide for her mother. How happy it made her mother that it was hers and only hers and almost a monument to the life they created together. “Since then, I’ve always wanted to raise my own family here.” John watched her caress the cheeks of their sleeping children with a smile.

“All I ever want, Cass, is for you and Gale and Penelope to be happy and safe. Nothing else matters to me.” The white house that was surrounded by trees on one side and the beach on the other had been a dream of Cass’ for a long time. She had told him about it back at Thorpe Abbotts and he had dreamed about it in his bunk on those cold German nights. Dreamed about buying it for her and carrying her over the threshold and filling it with their love and the pitter patter of little feet. 

“Lucky for you, that’s all I want, too. And maybe some more kisses.” 

“You’re saying I don’t kiss you enough?” he asked with raised eyebrows. She shook her head.

“Not nearly enough.” John had worked overtime for months to set aside enough for the down payment. Had turned down her father’s offer to buy it as a wedding gift. He had wanted to get this for her, for his wife, all on his own. She was the reason he was alive. It was only a drop in the bucket for what he owed her. 

“It’s talk like that that got us here in the first place,” he whispered with a nod towards the carriage. “You being a little kiss thief.” Butter whined with displeasure.

“He doesn’t like when you’re snarky to me.” Their chests were pressed together now, his nose bumping hers as he laughed. “You’re the one that spent his whole puppy life telling him he had to be my guard dog,” she added with a gentle poke to his chest. Cass had just sweet talked her way into convincing John that Butter was meant to come home with them, having found him in a horse stall at her family’s place, when he asked if she wanted to take a drive to the beach. She thought he meant somewhere close but as they drove past the turn for Folly she began to get an idea of where he was taking her. She remembers her heart sinking when SOLD was in big red letters on the sign. John had asked if she wanted to take a look around anyways. For old time’s sake. 

“Yeah and when he successfully chased that crazy bird away from you last month you were very grateful for it.” He scratched behind the hounds ears for good measure.

“I was. Seagulls scare me, you know that.” Ever since one had snatched her lunch right out of her hands on the very beach they were looking at when she was still in pigtails. Cass had told him that story while they walked around the house. Her hands wistfully touching the floors and her smile at the scent of the water making it hard for John to keep the secret in. She had known back then she was pregnant, hadn’t found the right time to tell John yet and hadn’t known there were two baby Egans on their way, but had told him she hoped this house made a family happy. That they loved it the way she had as a little girl and didn’t change a thing. He had told her to close her eyes and hold out her hand. And she looked confused at the cool metal that he placed in her palm, understanding registering when she opened her eyes and saw it was a key.

 What do you say we fill this house with our family, my love?

----

As it was most mornings, her nightgown was bunched around her waist as she gasped into John’s mouth. She was gently rotating her hips while his fingers gripped her hips tighter and tighter and his hips thrusted up into her slowly. 

“Fuck, John,” she moaned as he sat up and kissed her roughly. 

“You close, baby?” It was always a bit of a race to get there before the twins woke or before a housekeeper or nanny knocked on the door to get the day started. John wished he had all the time in the world every time but wouldn’t trade the moments he had with her for anything, no matter how quickly they went. “Look me in the eyes, my sweet girl.” His thumb found her clit between them and pressed until she threw her head back.

“Don’t stop, please don’t stop,” she panted as she knocked her forehead against his. John wouldn’t even dare to think to stop as she came undone around him and his own finish followed instantly. He fell back against the pillow, her lips on his the entire time, and stroked her cheek gently as he tried to regain control of his breathing. “Think they’ve got five more minutes in them so we can-” The sound of one baby crying pierced the tranquility followed in quick succession by the other. 

“That’s a no,” he remarked with a smile. “They probably think if they cry loud enough, you won’t make them dress all fancy and go to church.”

“They are always perfectly well behaved at church.” Butter’s barking joined the cacophony and the bubble was fully burst. “If you let him out and start the coffee, I can change diapers and get their clothes out.” He gave her bottom a gentle pat as she begrudgingly let him slip out of her. 

“Hey, Spook?” Cass turned from where she was slipping her underwear on. “I love you.” Unable to keep herself from blushing, she pecked him one last time before the craziness of the day settled in. 

“Hey, John?” He hummed with delight as his nose rubbed against hers. “I love you, too.”

----

True to her word, the twins behaved like angels at their first Easter mass. Gale had only tried to kick his shoes off for a few minutes and Penelope had only required John to make silly faces through one hymn. Cass had rolled her eyes on their way out the door as her husband produced two stuffed bunnies from behind his back and tucked them between their fingers. She had reminded him they each had a whole basket of stuffed bunnies waiting to be opened by the fireplace and probably many more arriving as gifts later in the day. One more from their dad couldn’t hurt was all he had to say.

The house was near mayhem when they arrived back. Caterers had taken over the kitchen, their house manager Alice was leading a small army in pillow fluffing and men with white gloves were polishing glasses in the dining room. John was once again reminded how differently he and his wife had grown up.

“Mr. and Mrs. Egan, Happy Easter, I hope you had a wonderful morning.” Alice reached for Cass’s purse and gloves, taking them before smiling at the sleeping twins who each had a head on one of their father’s shoulders. “I can have Joan take them off your hands, sir.” 

“It’s quite alright, Alice, I think the three of us are going to find a cozy spot on the beach to keep out of my lovely wife’s way.” 

“Perhaps someone could find them an umbrella and blanket and chair?” Cass inquired as she began to walk towards the kitchen, handing Alice her hat as well along the way. “How’s the ham looking? It smells wonderful.”

“Yes, ma’am, we’ll get the beach set up for them. And the ham should be ready to carve exactly as we scheduled dinner for.” John side stepped around a group carrying boxes down the hall. “That would be the two options for porcelain Mrs. Cooper sent for your consideration.”

“Porcelain?” John thought it was a simple family dinner. He didn’t think it would be such an affair when Cass broached him with the idea of hosting.

“Yes. And if I pick the wrong one then I will never hear the end of it.” She turned back to Alice. “I’ll need to see a complete place setting of each one.”

“Yes, ma’am. I’ll have them get right on it.” 

“What happened to you not wanting to be reduced to a housewife?” John asked as he walked towards the back door, Cass opening it for him and following him down the back steps and onto the sand. 

“I just want everything to be perfect today. I’ll be back to the Spook you know and love as soon as this is over.” 

“First, I love all of you, all the time. Second, I heard you talking to Alice and Joan about hiring more staff, that word is honestly beyond my comprehension, when we go back to Virginia.” Cass took Penelope from him and laid her gently on the shaded blanket that had been set up, her hand brushing over her curls and kissing her forehead gently. 

“And? You don’t want the help?”

“I thought the two of us were getting by quite well on our own.”

“I can’t put off going back to work any longer and I want someone I know and trust with them during the day. And if Alice or Joan are watching them, then they need someone else to do the things they have been doing.” Sure her and John had figured out a rhythm. But eventually Cass needed to get back to doing the work she loved. Rediscover who she was just as Cass and not just as John’s wife or her children’s mother. “Besides, they aren’t watching them so I can go to tea or try on dresses. I need to get back in there. You know what they’ve been saying about Korea.”

“Is that what you’ve been worried about? It’s a few years from anything active, Cass, if anything at all.” She wasn’t used to the anxiety that coursed through her veins after she had the twins. Wasn’t used to feeling her chest so heavy when she thought about how hard this world was going to make it to protect them. 

“Yes, but if I can even do one thing to help prevent them from having to live through a war…” She trailed off and wiped angrily at her eyes, lifting Penelope against her chest and kissing the top of Gale’s head where he still rested against John. “I don’t want them to ever have to experience anything like what we went through.” He gathered her into his side and kissed her temple.

“We went through that so they could live in a better world,” he said softly. “Came out the other side because right here, right now is where we belong.” She looked up with a laugh as she noticed Butter trotting his way over to them, his nose sniffing at Gale and Penelope before he plopped on his side in the shade. 

“If it bothers you, I’ll tell them all to go home and never come back. The five of us can figure the rest out.” 

“No, they’re fine. It’s just not how we did things in Wisconsin. It’s taking some getting used to.” He had assumed Cass came from money when he met her. The well-manicured nails and silk nightgowns and impeccable table manners cluing him in. He just hadn’t realized he was marrying into a Carolina rice dynasty. It came with multiple homes and polo matches and hunting trips and acres of land and hundreds of employees in the home and around the burgeoning corporation. For so long, Cass had thought marriage and kids were not in the cards for her so the structure of a household was a non-existent problem. But then she had fallen in love with John Egan and married him in London and spent two years dreaming of their future and the comforts of her childhood had found their way in.

“Well, Butter, you keep an eye on these three while I pick out porcelain and tie drapes and whatever the heck else a lady is supposed to do these days.” With one last kiss to the top of her daughter’s head, her son’s head and her husband’s head, Cass was off and pulled into a million directions upon re-entering her home. Whenever she could, she would look out the window at her husband tickling their tummies or helping them put sand in a bucket or carrying them to dip their toes in the water. She knew none of the material things around her mattered. And if it made John more comfortable to get rid of them, she would in a heartbeat. She only needed those three humans and the one furry family member to be happy. To be fulfilled in this life beyond her wildest dreams. Any threats on the horizon be damned.

----

Cass waited anxiously for her parents' new Italian sounding car to pull into the driveway, her siblings, extended family and some of the local friends her and John had found already socializing about the house and grounds. She had taken a sip of her husband’s whiskey she was so nervous. 

“Baby, I know for a fact your dad is going to be too focused on the twins and the other grandchildren running around to even care about the way I carve the ham. And who cares if your mother doesn’t like the color of the shutters? I didn’t spend a whole weekend painting them for her.” He had for Cass. She had spent days deciding between two shades of green that John thought were exactly the same but had provided his minimal input when asked. 

“I rewarded you handsomely for your efforts, Mr. Egan.” John remembered. They hadn’t left their bed for days after Cass couldn’t stand the sight of him sweaty and with a pencil tucked behind his ear working on their house any longer. She had had her way with him and John had taken on many more projects around the house ever since. And every time, his wife was unable to maintain even a shred of decency. 

“I never got that round two you were mentioning this morning, Mrs. Egan,” he mused as he drifted closer and closer until his hands wrapped around the small of her back and her arms draped over his shoulders.

“We have a house full of guests,” she giggled as he nipped gently at her lips. 

“Yes but the babies are occupied which means no little angelic interruptions.” She moaned as he pressed a searing kiss to her lips, her toes curling in her new heels. 

“Not even on Easter Sunday can you two find a sense of decorum?” 

“Shush, Gale, they’re in love,” Marge said with a gentle slap to his arm. If Gale Cleven had a nickel for everytime he had caught the two of them in various stages of passion, he would have been able to use the profits alone to buy a similar house to the one he was standing in.

“Oh, I am so happy you were able to make it!” Cass kissed Gale on the cheeks eagerly and let out a squeal of delight as she wrapped Marge in a hug. “I’ve got you both all set up in the guest room furthest from the nursery so you can hopefully sleep in peace while you’re here.” Before John could even say his own hello, Cass and Marge were off towards the backyard with their heads close together as they whispered. 

“Well, we did always say they’d be thick as thieves,” he remarked as he grabbed the suitcase Marge had abandoned by the door. “Up this way.” Gale smiled and nodded politely at all the strangers that were dressed in black and white, bustling in and out of the kitchen and dining room with haste. He could only imagine how it was driving his best friend crazy.

“Who would’ve thought? John Egan having ten people cook his Easter dinner for him,” Gale teased as John set the suitcase down in the guest room and dropped himself into the armchair by the window. 

“I hear it’s being served on porcelain,” he mused back. Gale settled in the chair across from him. 

“It’s a beautiful house, John. You’ve got to be proud of yourself.” John stared out the window and nodded.

“Yeah, it is. Makes Cass happy to be out here.” It wasn’t that she was unhappy at their home in Virginia but John knew she missed South Carolina. Missed the beach and her family being close by. 

“And are you happy?”

“With her and the kids, always. Just learning this new side to her is all.”

“That seems to be what marriage entails. Learning to love something new everyday.” The hum of a car engine broke the comfortable silence between two old friends and Gale peeked out the window with a low whistle. “Is that a Maserati?”

“That it would be, Buck. You want to come distract my mother in law with your good looks for me?” When John and Cass had their more official wedding last year, Buck Cleven had been the hottest commodity. The women of Charleston hadn’t given him a moment to breathe. 

“No I think you’ve got the Cooper women under control, Bucky.” Gale clapped him between his shoulder blades. “Now where’s that beautiful baby you named after me?”

Cass was at the bottom of the stairs waiting with a baby on each hip, Gale kissing their sprouting curls on his way to find Marge on the beach, and John forgot all about anything negative he had been feeling that day. 

“Say hi Daddy, we were looking for you.” The twins smiled like they always did when they had their parents attention solely on them. The sound of Cass’ voice bringing them a calmness only John could ever begin to relate to. 

“Hi, my little bunnies.” John took Penelope onto his own hip, kissing her cheek around the stuffed bunny ear that was between her teeth, Cass reaching to tuck a few of his curls back into place. “I thought you preferred them all messy.”

“I do but-” the door opened and the words died in her throat. 

“Cassandra Ann, that dog of yours does have a habit of sticking his nose all over the place.” 

“Hi, Mama. Happy Easter to you, too.” John whistled for Butter who came and sat at his side dutifully. “Hi, Daddy.” She pressed a kiss to each of her parents’ cheeks and almost cringed as she saw the line of valets carrying colorful baskets into the backyard. The level of stuffed animals entering her home was reaching a near suffocating level. 

“Oh, John, how handsome you look this afternoon.” Cass rolled her eyes as her mother stepped forward to kiss John’s blushing cheeks.

“Thank you, ma’am, you’re looking very lovely yourself. Sir.” He shook her father’s hand firmly, smiling when Penelope reached for her grandfather instantly. 

“Cassandra, aren’t you going to show me around? I’m very curious as to which place setting you chose.” She looked at John to say I told you so before guiding her mother down the hall. 

“Of course. We can start in the dining room if you’d like.” John felt like a bad father as his son looked at him with wide blue eyes over his mother’s shoulder as they disappeared around the corner but he would make it up to him with something sweet after dinner.

“Can I offer you something to drink, sir?” 

“Whiskey, John, thank you.” While John had had to work his charm hard on Mrs. Cooper to convince her he wasn’t a street urchin there to steal her daughter, Mr. Cooper had taken no convincing to know John was the right man for his daughter. Had sat down for one dinner with the two of them and saw how they looked at each other. How he had kept a hand on her protectively the entire time. Had seen the absolute gratitude in Cass’ eyes that John was alive and next to her every time she looked at him.

“I told Cass you’d be more interested in the grandkids than the way I carved the ham later,” he pointed out as Penelope was filled with utter glee at the way her grandfather was tickling her cheeks with her bunny.

“Cassandra has always been my most perceptive child yet, on occasion, forgets that is one of her own most formidable qualities.” John handed him a glass, bringing them together with a clink before taking a sip. “How is my daughter doing?” 

“This one and her brother keep her busy and she’s looking forward to getting back to work. But she’s good. She smiles everyday, I’ll always make sure of it.” Penelope’s lower lip began to wobble and John gathered her against his chest just as the first tear rolled down her chubby cheek. 

“I can go find the nanny-”

“I’ve got it, sir.” John kissed her forehead gently and she quieted. “She’s just like her mother. Pouts until she gets a kiss then she’s fine.” Now she was focused on the fabric of John’s tie and trying to get it into her mouth. Yes, Mr. Cooper thought, Cass had made the perfect decision to marry this man.

“Son, if I may offer a few pointers on carving the ham.”

----

Hours later, after bellies were full and babies were sleepy, the house was beginning to calm down. Cass had shed her stockings and tied her hair back and accepted Marge’s offer to put the twins to sleep. There were people finishing dishes in the kitchen and packing away porcelain in the dining room. Alice was orchestrating the entire effort for which she was grateful, her fingers wrapping around the neck of a bottle of whiskey and heading towards the small fire that was glowing on the beach.

“You hiding from me?” she teased as she dropped a kiss to the top of his head and sat in the chair next to him.

“Never, baby. Was just having a cigarette before coming in to help with bedtime.” Cass wanted him to quit but was starting with not allowing him to smoke around the kids. She handed him the whiskey and took the cigarette from his fingers, inhaling a few times before putting it out in the sand. 

“Marge asked if she could put them to bed for practice. I ran away before she changed her mind,” she giggled. “Thank you.”

“For what?” he asked around a pull from the bottle.

“Everything.” 

“Spook, you know my ego needs specifics.” He opened his arms, summoning her into his lap, and closed his eyes in peace as her head settled under his chin.

“Not letting me chase you away all those years ago. Not divorcing me when I showed up at your bunk bed in Germany. Our babies.”

“I had very little to do with those two but I’ll take it.” She kissed him gently, lovingly. Without a care in the world and in no rush. “Everything to your liking today?”

“Yes. I promise we won’t host anymore holidays for awhile.”

“You pick the right porcelain?” 

“Of course not.” John laughed and she joined in, taking her own swig of alcohol. “And I was very impressed by your knife skills at dinner.” John kissed the tip of her nose.

“Your dad told me it was important the man of the house not treat it like carving a ham but like he could use the knives to protect his family.”

“Did he?” she asked with a furrowed brow. 

“I think he was trying to convince me to take it more seriously. It worked.” 

“It certainly seemed it did.” Cass twisted her finger around the loose curl in the middle of his forehead as he looked out towards the ocean. “I do have one last ask up my sleeve.” Slowly undoing the buttons of her dress, John was more focused than he had been all day. Between her breasts was an Easter egg with hearts painted on it. 

“I would’ve joined in on the egg hunt had I known, Cass.” 

“Open it.” As soon as he had it in his fingers, her lips were on his jaw and down his neck and he had an inkling what might be inside. He could barely read the words she had written as the blood rushed from his head to between his legs. Round two? His lips were on hers in an instant, John groaning as his hand slid up her thigh and found nothing but bare skin. She made quick work of his belt and zipper, sliding his waistband down just enough to free him. 

“Fuck, baby, no time for teasing.” His hands lifted her hips and he sunk into her with a contented sigh, his lips latching onto her collarbone as she found a steady pace. “Want the neighbors to hear how good I make you feel.”

“John,” she whined as his hand wrapped around her throat and squeezed gently. Unable to hold himself back, he laid her onto the blanket and used the new leverage to increase the pace, her legs hooking around his hips and urging him to go harder and faster. “You’re going to make me cum.” 

“You look so pretty when you cum, baby,” he cooed into her ear as he felt her clenching around him. “That’s my good girl, taking me so well.” His wife looked so good underneath him. Like she truly was made to be his. 

“Fuck, right…there…oh, God,” she arched her back into him as her orgasm washed over her in a waves, John’s hips stuttering as he moaned into her mouth and she took all he had to give her. “I love making you moan.” John was handsome and rugged and all the masculine words that she could think of. But he was also so damn pretty.

“Good thing you’re so good at it,” he said as he nuzzled into the side of her neck. “You’ve worn me out, Mrs. Egan.”

“Can you carry me to bed?” she murmured as her own eyelids were growing heavy. 

“Just let me hold you like this for a few more minutes.”

“Hey, John?” He kissed the side of her neck in acknowledgment. “I love you.”

“Hey, Spook?” She smiled in anticipation. “I love you, too.”

And if Gale earned another nickel as he was closing the blinds that night, no one needed to know.

#masters of the air #john egan #callum turner #mota #masters of the air fanfiction #john egan fanfiction #callum turner fanfiction #mota fanfiction #masters of the air fanfic #john egan fanfic #callum turner fanfic #mota fanfic #john egan x reader #john egan x oc #cass and bucky

[craigslisthorses]

On September 3rd, 2014 baby Houdini took his first breath. He weighed only 40 pounds, small enough to me to carry across an 18 acre pasture and to a smaller, safer pasture. Houdini's mother was abandoned when my neighbors moved away and they simply couldn't catch her, she was 18 years old and not halter broke. Her owners stated she was "infertile" because she never had a baby on her side after running loose with 5+ stallions on a large piece of property for several years. I still think it was meant to be for Millie to be left behind for me. Millie didn't look pregnant at first, but 2 months after she came into my care, she gifted me something so special. A perfect little moose child. On October 15, 2017 at 2:30pm.. Houdini took his last breath, just shortly after his 3rd birthday. He was just starting to wear a saddle and bridle. Never offered a single buck, everything came natural to him. He was talented, level headed, relaxed. Houdini didn't care about anything and always wanted to please me. I often think about what he'd be today, how good of a trail pony he'd be, how special he was meant to be. I relive the moment where I found him unable to move, his little nickers and cries when he saw me absolutely broke me. I did everything I could for him, we treated him in every way we knew how but he was paralyzed. Houdini was never going to be okay, and I had to make the decision to let my sweet moose go. I lost my passion when he left this world, I was truly heartbroken and I still miss him to this day. I hope 2024 is the year I regain some of that passion. Happy belated birthday baby Dini, you're always gonna be a star.

[tiny-pretty-sana]

be as one | twice

pairings: nayeon x jeongyeon, momo x mina, sana x jihyo genre: christmas fluff warnings/tags: au, unnie line as mothers, school meal club as kids, twice reunion, stablished relationships, domestic fluff, christmas day, subtle past angst, not proofread w/c: 11.2 K a/n: i wanted to post this for christmas but it's too cute to stay in my drafts, so take it as a belated christmas gift from me 🧸🤎

"Aren't you excited to meet the dogs?" Sana asks the little girl in the back seat as Jihyo watches her from the rearview mirror. 

Tzuyu looks at her with her eyes wide open and nods her head sheepishly even though she has been waiting a whole week to meet not one but three doggies as promised by her new moms, Sana and Jihyo. They also told her that she will meet two girls like her and their mothers, but this part is not so exciting to her and they know it. 

She is a really shy kid. She gets nervous in crowded places and it takes her a while to feel comfortable around new people. It took her around five visits to start talking back to Jihyo and Sana and she finally told them she wanted to go home with them after six months of almost weekly visits. So the idea of meeting six new people for the first time at the same time is not very appealing, that is why their moms have made sure that their friends bring their dogs. Tzuyu loves dogs and Sana and Jihyo love Tzuyu and they are willing to do anything they can to make her feel comfortable, safe, protected, cared for and heard. 

It has been a month since she arrived home and since then the three of them have been going through a process of adaptation that is not over yet. Soon she will have to start school, so when Jeongyeon told them that her sister had rented a hanok for her to spend Christmas with her family and invited them to join them with Momo and Mina as well, they did not hesitate to accept the offer. It would be the perfect opportunity to introduce them to Tzuyu and besides, their daughter could start socializing with children her age and it might go better than their attempts to get her to interact with other kids at the park.

A little further on, in Jeongyeon and Nayeon's car, Chaeyoung asks her moms in concern "Does Tzuyu like strawberries?" while absent-mindedly caressing Kookeu that sleeps resting his head on her lap.

Jeongyeon sighs while driving because she has already lost count of how many questions her daughter has asked them about the new member of their unique family. Since she found out that it was not a baby but a six-year-old girl like her, her interest increased and she has been asking nonstop about things like her favorite color, if she likes painting or drawing, what food does she like and a dozen other things that Nayeon and Jeongyeon can only answer by saying that she can ask them herself when they arrive.

Something similar happens with Dahyun, although her questions are undoubtedly much more complicated, as she doesn't quite understand how her aunts have had a daughter Chaeyoung's age instead of a baby. "I don't get it" she says, crossing her arms somewhat frustrated and looking at her mother suspiciously. 

"It doesn't make sense, mommy" she says fussing and raising her voice slightly "How can auntie Sana have a 6 year old girl in her belly? She can't fit in! And auntie Jihyo is even smaller!" she cries out.

In the driver's seat Momo tries to hold back her laughter, but can't help but let out a chuckle with her last statement. Next to her, Mina just giggles as she realizes why her daughter is so worried about the whole situation, maybe they should have had this conversation earlier and not on the way to meet Tzuyu, but with everything that Mina has had on her mind these past few weeks she has been letting the now unavoidable conversation slide.

"Honey, Tzuyu doesn't come from Sana's or Jihyo's belly. Remember when we talked about the different types of families there are?" Mina begins to explain.

"Yes" Dahyun nods energetically. "Some people have a daddy and a mommy, other people have two daddies or two mommies and sometimes they have just a mommy like me, but there are as many types of families as there are colors" she quotes the explanation her mother has given her so many times.

Mina can't help but smile as she hears her daughter repeat word for word the phrase she has repeated every time she leaves the father's information blank on field trip permission slips, when other children ask her where their father is, or that time she had to make a family tree. Her daughter knows these words by heart and she can only hope that she feels that way too. 

"Well, there are also children who don't have parents and there are families who don't have children, so they adopt those children and become a family. Tzuyu used to have no mommy and daddy, but now she lives with Sana and Jihyo who are her mommies" she explains, trying to find the best words.

During the explanation Dahyun listens attentively and her mother can see her opening her mouth slightly showing the gap left by her baby teeth that are no longer there as she processes all this new information. 

"What does it mean to adopt?" she asks, frowning at the new word. 

This time it is Momo who leads into the answer "It means they take her home to live with them and now they take care of her, give her hugs, help her get dressed, feed her...just like I did with Boo and-".

But before Momo can finish she is cut off by a slap from Mina on her thigh "Oh my god you're not comparing the dogs to Sana and Jihyo's daughter" Mina scolds her in a hushed tone so Dahyun can't hear her. 

"Sorry" Momo mutters as she turns her attention back to the road, pero Boo después de escuchar su nombre ladra durante unos instantes. 

"But if she didn't come out of no one's belly how can she be their daughter?". 

"She doesn't need to have come out of any of your aunt's belly" Mina smiles softly "Don't you love Momo?".

"I love Momo" she says, nodding quickly. 

"And I love you, Dubu" Momo speaks again with a big smile. 

"And she's your family, right?" Mina already knows the answer, as this has been confirmed to her by all the drawings pinned on the fridge door with three stick figures surrounded by hearts and joined by two circles with ears that are supposed to be Boo and Dobby. 

"Yes!".

"But you weren't in her belly and Momo takes care of you just like I do, she makes you breakfast, walks you to school, takes care of you when you are sick, dances with you and lets you sit on the counter while she cooks. She loves you just like I do" she says, watching Momo's cheeks blush.

"MOMO IS ALSO MY MOTHER?!” she screams and immediately adds a second question “Can I call her mom?" Dahyun asks, causing Momo to almost swerve

This time there is only one person who can answer the question, so Mina just looks at her partner with the most loving gaze while Momo is short-circuiting. It's not as if the conversation never came up, the two have talked about it many times and she knows that, to Momo, Dahyun is her daughter and that she loves her as such, even if she hasn't vocalized it yet at least consciously. On occasion the little girl has called her “mom” or “mommy”, but she always assumed she did it accidentally, so to hear from her own mouth that she wants to call her the same way she does with Mina is a big deal.

“S-sure” Momo stutters after a few seconds and just smiles widely.

Beside her, Mina feels like her chest is going to burst as she grabs Momo's hand and looks at her smiling with eyes sparkling with love. The truth is that for some time now when she thinks of family she no longer thinks only of Dahyun and her older brother but also of Momo, Boo and Dobby. When she thinks of family she thinks of her friends whom she sees as sisters and her daughters whom she sees as nieces. It's just a word, but it makes it all more real. They are a family. 

While the two adults in the front seats try their best to hold their tears back, behind them Dahyun starts rambling about how she will tell Chaeyoung that now she has two mothers too and that her mom can cook just like Jeongyeon, so she has a mom and a mommy who can cook yummy things as if it's some kind of competition. They know that at some point they will have to tell her that she should not brag about these things to other children, but for now they let her enjoy the moment.

The way is long, but they all think it is worth it when they see the stunning place that Jeongyeon's rich and famous sister has rented a belated birthday present and an early Christmas present so that they can enjoy this holiday with their other family, the one that her sister and sister-in-law have built and chosen. Jeongyeon's parents did not like the idea of not spending Christmas spoiling their first and only granddaughter, but when Jeongyeon told them that it would be a good opportunity to meet the newly adopted daughter of her friend Jihyo and her wife Sana, they were quick to ask their daughter and Nayeon to organize a lunch at their house with all the kids and went straight to buy matching pajamas for Chaeyoung and the other girls.

It is a large traditional style house surrounded by nature, away from the city, but close enough to a village not to be too isolated, to be able to easily go to a supermarket to buy some last minute ingredients or to take a walk. The air is fresh, there is no pollution and the only thing that can be heard is the one or two birds, since at this time of the year most of them have flown to other places in search of higher temperatures. Without a doubt, it is the perfect place to celebrate Christmas and take a well-deserved rest that will last until the last days of the year. The truth is that there is still no agreement on whether they will celebrate the New Year here as well, but at least they will stay long enough to celebrate Sana's birthday together.

They all arrive around the same time and as soon as the cars stop two little whirlwinds jump out of Jeongyeon and Jihyo's cars.

"BROOOOOOO!" they both scream at the same time as they do their – secret in theory – handshake before melting into an embrace as if they hadn't seen each other a few days ago at school. 

Mina sighs and covers her face with her hand "I need to have a word with my brother" she says aloud as a reminder to herself. 

"I think she's adorable" Momo replies. 

"Momoring, you are the least objective person in the world when it comes to these two" she smiles at her girlfriend. "They can literally do anything and you'd say they're adorable." 

Between all the fuss caused by the two girls who are slightly over a meter tall Tzuyu goes almost unnoticed for a few seconds as she clings to Sana's leg and grabs Jihyo's hand with her other hand.

"This is Chaeyoung and Dahyun, I promise you they are usually quieter" Jihyo informs Tzuyu as Sana laughs at the sight of the two's handshake and greeting. 

At the sound of their names the two immediately turn their heads to their Aunt Jihyo and then to the girl holding her hand. Their eyes widen and point at her, then they look at their aunt again and it is Dahyun who speaks first.

"Is she Tzuyu?" she asks in excitement.

Jihyo and Sana nod at the same time while Tzuyu shyly waves her hand without saying a word. 

They again turn their gaze to Tzuyu and then look at each other. 

"You are very pretty" Chayeoung says, looking at her again. 

"You are very tall" Dahyun says.

“Gracias” Tzuyu dice en apenas un susurro mientras intenta refugierse aún más tras las piernas de Sana. 

The women noticing how shy the little girl is decide to give her some space before starting the introductions. 

"Why don't we start taking things inside?" Jeongyeon asks saving the new family member. "And you girls could give the dogs a turn to pee, since there are three I think we're going to need Tzuyu's help, don't you think?".

The girls nod their heads and to which the eyes of the one Jeongyeon just named light up at the suggestion as since she got out of the car she hasn't taken her eyes off the three doggies still waiting in the cars for their seat belts to be unbuckled. 

"Tzuyu would love it" Sana states as she crouches down to Tzuyu's height to explain that she is her friend Jeongyeon, the mom of Chaeyoung and a pomeranian named Kookeu.

She just nods and stays silent but lets herself be guided by Sana, who walks with her to Momo's car, where Dahyun starts with the introductions. She introduces herself first, then her mom Mina, her mommy Momo and it is the latter who introduces her to Boo and Dobby while she puts the leashes on them and hands Boo's to Dahyun and Dobby's to Tzuyu who, despite her shyness, is clearly filled with joy. 

At all times Sana stays by her side and gives her comforting glances every time she looks up and gently squeezes her hand reminding her that she is by her side. The gesture reassures Tzuyu who dares to thank Dahyun, Momo and Mina and then says in a whisper "I am Tzuyu, nice to meet you", just as her moms have taught her.

Dahyun smiles as she grabs the leash and seconds later Chaeyoung and Kookeu join in. This time, the oldest girl introduces Chaeyoung and Tzuyu formally explaining that they are both the same age even though Chaeyoung is shorter and Tzuyu is even taller than Dahyun herself. Sana watches the interaction closely and can't help but laugh, her heart melts every time she sees Dahyun taking on the role of unnie as she usually does with Chae, and now she is doing it with her daughter. She walks and watches over the three of them as they explore the surroundings of the house with the dogs before going inside while the rest of the mothers are taking bags and backpacks full of clothes, food, supplies and - of course - gifts out of the cars while the girls are distracted and out of sight.

"No, no, no, no" they hear Nayeon say as she takes some bags from her wife's hands. 

"Oh come on honey, are you serious?" grumbles Jeongyeon. 

"I'm dead serious, join Sana and the girls. I'm not going to let you carry anything."

"Nayeon... Even on the assumption that I was you-know-what, I could carry this. I'm already taking all the precautions and taking vitamins, but I'm not going to be getting the pregnant woman treatment as if I can't do anything. I refuse to do that" she argues and in response receives a negative head shake. 

"Look, I have a good feeling so I'm not going to let you carry anything. And the only reason I'm letting you drive, for now, is because we both know that between you and me only one of us is capable of getting us safely to a house in the middle of the mountains. And obviously the one with the side of the car with scratches in the three colors of the parking column is not the one".

"Don't tell me you scratched the car again" sighs Jeongyeon tiredly. 

"Don't change the subject and go inside the house now or go stretch your legs a bit with your daughter before we lose her among these plants that I'm sure are taller than her."

Faced with such an argument, Jeongyeon has no choice but to accept her wife's suggestion and joins Sana, the three girls and the three dogs. 

Once inside the house, Nayeon, Momo, Jihyo and Mina put everything in order and catch up with each other. Since the group was formed they try to see each other regularly and in the case of Momo, Mina and Nayeon - along with Jeongyeon - they often see each other at school and occasionally on play dates in the park. However, with the hectic pace of work, raising the girls and taking care of the house, sometimes it is almost impossible to meet all of them together. Besides the fact that Jihyo and Sana have been practically absent these last few months, since they spent some time preparing everything for Tzuyu's arrival at home, and that this last month has been entirely dedicated to adapting to this new situation. This is the main topic of conversation among the women who ask Jihyo how she is handling it, if it is difficult, assure her that the best is yet to come, ask her how Sana has been doing and give her some advice.

Jihyo is euphoric, she and Sana are the extroverts of the group and in general she is a very vocal person, but it is more than obvious to everyone that she is more talkative than usual. It is not the first time they see her like this, she was the same way when she met Tzuyu for the first time and when they started the adoption procedure. They love to see their friends like this and Mina and Nayeon remember that feeling of being new moms and how their friends were there to share the joy, the fears, the doubts and how they listened to them talk for hours about names, diapers, cribs, milk, clothes, ultrasounds and a thousand other things. 

In fact, it was Jihyo and Sana who were present during their pregnancies respectively. Jihyo was the one who took a Nayeon who was suffering from contractions to the hospital while Jeongyeon at her side told her how to breathe, even though she was the one who needed the breathing exercises the most at that moment. And well, Sana was even present when Mina gave birth to Dahyun taking the place of the biological father - or the sperm donor as Sana calls him -.

Momo, despite being the most recent addition to the group, two years ago, shares the excitement equally as the three of them listen to the first anecdotes that Sana and Jihyo have already experienced with Tzuyu at home. The truth is that they have all been hearing about her for more than half a year and although today they have finally met her, they already feel that they have known her for a long time and that she is part of their family. 

"And it looks like Jihyo and Sana aren't the only new moms in the group, right Momo?" asks Nayeon arching her eyebrows looking at her "new" best friend. 

Mina hearing it can't help but smile and Jihyo makes a surprised face, they both look at Momo who smiles shyly.

"It seems so" she says while still smiling "Dubu has officially given me the title".

"I was honestly surprised she hadn't called her mom by now. There are times she looks more like your daughter than mine" she says to Momo as she holds out her hand and strokes it with her thumb. 

Mina takes advantage of Nayeon bringing up the topic of conversation and explains that it all came up in the car talking about Tzuyu and the adoption thing. Nayeon almost gets tears of laughter listening to Dahyun's confusion with the logistics of the matter and, like Momo, can't help but let out a laugh when she hears that one of the things she was really worried about is that Jihyo would have had someone so big in her belly when she was so small. Nayeon, for her part thanks aloud that Chae's questions were not so complicated, although they all agree that she and Jeongyeon have admirable patience after hearing that the questions didn't stop during the three-hour drive. 

Jihyo's heart warms, despite her height being a joke even to her seven-year-old niece, to hear how the little ones have taken the news. It was clear to her that both her friends and her daughters would welcome Tzuyu with open arms, but hearing the girls' doubts and their mothers' responses gives her peace of mind knowing that her daughter is surrounded by such wonderful people. For a while she felt guilty for not being able to give Tzuyu some grandparents to spoil her since the relationship with her parents is non-existent and that Sana's parents live in another country, but that thought disappears from her head when she listens to her friends. This is her family.

Not only is she comforted by listening to the three women but she takes note of their experience and especially Mina's explanation to her daughter about the different types of family in case she ever has to use it with her own daughter. 

"Wow that's great" says Jihyo excitedly "Tzuyu still calls us by our name from time to time, but at least she has stopped calling us Mrs. Jihyo and Mrs. Sana" she laughs.

Once everything is in place, Mina starts preparing tea for the adults and milkshake for the girls. Chocolate for Dahyun, strawberry for Chaeyoun and for Tzuyu... When she is about to look for Jihyo to ask her about it, the three dogs run in followed by the two children, Jeongyeon and finally Tzuyu who hasn't left Sana's side the whole time. Seeing the cute scene makes Mina smile tenderly, it reminds her a bit of herself when she was a child, so she can't help but laugh a little as she imagines how such a shy girl will handle having the most outgoing people she knows as mothers, for now they seem to be handling it quite well, she doesn't remember seeing Sana this calm in her life. 

"Tzuyu, which milkshake do you prefer? We have chocolate, strawberry and vanilla" she asks her.

The girl looks first at her mother who gives her a little squeeze on the shoulder encouraging her to answer herself, even though she already knows the answer.

"Vanilla, please. Thank you" she replies immediately.

"Good choice. Dahyun is going to be delighted but you might break Chaeyoung's heart". 

"Don't worry about that part, Mitang. We brought that ice cream that has all three flavors and I think everyone will be happy" says Sana looking at her daughter. 

"Is Jihyo still competing with Nayeon for the favorite aunt spot?" Mina asks while Sana nods, rolling her eyes. "I think Nayeon brought the ingredients to make hot chocolate, I just hope Dahyun doesn't try to eat it all." 

Sana laughs and replies "If it happens let's hope then he won't get a stomach ache like that time. I just can't stop Jihyo, you know how she is. She is very sexy when she gets into competitive mode." 

"Have some decorum" she says laughing, covering half of her face with her hand and looking towards the little girl. "I can imagine, it's going to be fun when school starts. Remember when Nayeon almost got into a fight with a parent on sports day."

The two laugh while Tzuyu plays distractedly with the seams of her mother's pants and also with her hands and rings. The conversation does not last much longer because when the girl sees the dogs, she asks her mother to come with her to play with them.

As soon as Sana disappears from the kitchen Jeongyeon shows up, offering to help Mina, but they both know it's just an excuse. Like Momo and Nayeon, they haven't known each other practically all their lives - as is Jeongyeon's case with Nayeon and Jihyo - but from the beginning they connected very well and are now quite close probably because of how similar their personalities are. Being two people who sometimes deal with a bit of anxiety and have a tendency to overthink, they have found someone to lean on who understands them.

"You haven't done it yet, have you? "Jeongyeon asks Mina first. 

She shakes her head "I've tried, I promise. But the truth I'm glad I waited, if you give me a hand tonight I think I will do it" she says, unable to hide her gummy smile as she thinks about it.

"Yeah sure, just tell me what you have in mind and we'll find time to set it up."

"Same goes for you, I overheard your conversation with Nayeon earlier. So if there's anything I can help with, let me know" she offers.

"Don't worry about me, I've got it all planned out, Mitang" she tells her as she starts placing the cups of tea and milkshakes on a tray. "Or should I say bro" she teases her. 

"Oh shut up Jeong, I'm regretting letting my brother babysit. The other day she called me 'bro'!" she says making her friend laugh.

When Mina and Jeongyeon appear in the living room, they all sit around a table and start drinking tea while the girls drink their smoothies, obviously Tzuyu's choice of flavor doesn't go unnoticed by the other two. Just as Mina predicted, Dahyun couldn't be happier to keep all the chocolate for herself while Chaeyoung is a little put off that her new friend doesn't share her passion for strawberries, although she is more reassured when she tells her that her favorite is vanilla but she also really likes strawberries. Chae and Dahyun soon get up to start exploring the house and play hide and seek while Tzuyu, still overwhelmed by all these new people, stays by herself playing with the dogs.

She talks to them, throws the ball and tries to teach them tricks although the only one who responds to her commands is Kookeu.  They all look at Tzuyu with adoring eyes as they see how tender she is with the animals while Nayeon's look of pride is directed at her beloved dog. Still she can't resist how adorable her new niece is so she takes the moment to introduce herself while showing her the tricks she has taught the pomeranian, making Tzuyu feel more comfortable. She is a shy and quiet girl and it is normal that the situation is too much for her, but as soon as they start talking about dogs, Nayeon gets to see the Tzuyu that Jihyo and Sana have already known within the walls of their home. She is lively, smiling, intelligent and can become talkative when the topic of conversation interests her, at least if it's about dogs.

After a while Chayeoung goes to look for Tzuyu who is still playing with Kookeu and her mom while Dahyun makes a loud announcement for the adults. It seems that they have found a Christmas tree so big that it almost touches the ceiling with some boxes around it with all kinds of decorations in one of the rooms of the house, some of them similar to the ones they have at home and the ones they themselves have made at school. For the girls it is something magical and the adults let them believe it. 

The next few hours they are all together decorating the tree, both kids and adults, while talking, laughing and singing. The end result is... colorful and eclectic. The tree has lights, ornaments of different colors and shapes that they had at home, the girls have collaborated with diy decorations full of glitter and doodles and some stuffed animals and superhero toys and even Mina and Jeongyeon have made their contribution with ornaments made of LEGO. All that's left is to put the star on the top of the tree.

Deciding who puts the star turns into a rock-paper-scissors competition between Chaeyoung and Dahyun, but also between Nayeon and Jihyo who want their daughters to place the star. After three rounds, Sana encourages her wife who has already rolled up her shirt sleeves showing her shoulders and put her cap on backwards and it is not until Jeongyeon sees the same competitive expression on her wife and daughter's face that she decides to put an end to it. Fortunately, they make the wise decision to have the three girls together put on the star with the help of their mothers. Jeongyeon, being the tallest of them all, has no problem holding Chaeyoung in her arms. Mina is a little taller than Momo, but her daughter has grown up and she finds it harder and harder to carry her in her arms as she did before, so the girl ends up in the arms of the oldest one. The same happens with Sana and Jihyo, however, Jihyo's strength does not make up for her height even though Tzuyu is quite tall so she reluctantly lets Sana hold Tzuyu while Nayeon looks at her amused.

Each of the little hands holds a part of the star with the help of their mothers and it is Nayeon who captures the moment first with her film camera and then with her phone, sending the photos to the group chat instantly. As soon as she receives the photo, Mina smiles when she sees one of them with only Momo and her daughter in it and quickly makes it her new lockscreen. The camera stays in Nayeon's hands for the rest of the day. 

Decorating the tree together gets the youngest out of her shell, she continues to play with the dogs, but she also starts playing with Dahyun and Chaeyoung. They run around the house for a while until Chaeyoung takes out her notebooks, coloring books and crayons. In the kitchen Jeongyeon, Momo and Mina prepare lunch and in the dining room Sana, Jihyo and Nayeon set the table. The house is full of voices, laughter, jokes, curious questions from the girls and some barking from the dogs and the girls. When the food is ready all nine manage to adjust to the small table eating with their arms glued to the one next to them. They wouldn't change it for the world, but they comment that they should come back during the spring or summer so they might be able to eat at the large outdoor table under the sakura tree to enjoy the beautiful place where they are. From that moment some of them take out their phones and start looking at dates on the calendar, but Mina's mind travels to other places when she hears that the big tree outside the house is a sakura.

After eating and cleaning up together with the help of their daughters, they go around the house. Surprisingly, they get the girls to agree to take a nap, probably tired from being up early and having been awake throughout the long car ride. Jihyo joins them, as do Boo and Dobby who find a gap between Dahyun and Tzuyu, the younger one snuggles up to Jihyo's chest who even in her sleep puts her arms around her protectively, something that comes naturally to her.

In another room the rest have some Japanese sweets made by Mina and Momo with a game of cards between them, without Jihyo and Chaeyoung, there is no one to fuel Nayeon's competitiveness, leading to the most peaceful card game they have had in their life. It's certainly something that tends to happen when Nayeon is around Mina as long as Jihyo and some kind of game, competition or betting isn't also present and it seems that Tzuyu has that same effect on her mothers. But like all good things, the quiet is short lived and in less than an hour the girls wake up and show up with Jihyo, she could still take another hour of rest. She instead sits behind Sana resting her chin on her shoulder and wrapping her arms around her until she realizes that her wife has some cards in her hands and after giving Nayeon a defiant look she starts whispering a strategy in her partner's ear.

Dahyun realizes that they are playing cards and runs to her backpack and takes out her UNO for children and they start a more serious and less noisy game than their mothers. If it wasn't for the colors and the animals that appear on the cards, anyone would think that they are the ones who are betting money and not Jihyo and Nayeon who keep shouting while Sana only laughs. This time it is Momo who captures the moment on film after being the first to lose in the game. She stealthily sits next to Dobby and Boo and caresses them while watching and listening to them, she can't help but smile as she listens to the questions they ask Tzuyu trying to get to know her. When the game ends in a draw by Dahyun's decision and without any protest from Chaeyoung and Tzuyu, even though Momo doubts they have understood the game well, she finally asks.

"Who wants to make cookies?". 

The question revolts the three little girls who immediately get up and squeal an enthusiastic "YES YES YES!" in unison joined by an excited Sana. 

Momo takes them to the kitchen where there are two bags with everything they need. From the first bag she takes out three aprons like the one she wears in her restaurant, but these are a small version with each one's name embroidered on them. This small detail touches them so much that for a moment they forget the reason why they have put them on and Sana, despite not having an apron for herself, gives Momo a huge smile and says "thank you", touched by her friend's gesture.

In the end the little cooking class that Momo had prepared attracts the attention of the older ones as well and they all end up in the kitchen among flour, eggs, dough, icing and all kinds of toppings with all kinds of colors. Of course, they replace the Christmas gingerbread cookies with chocolate cookies, vanilla flavored cookies and cookies with strawberry icing to please everyone's tastes. Some mix, some knead, some shape the cookies and then bake them, and each one ends up with a pile of cookies to decorate according to her taste and decorating skills. When they are done with the cookies, they all dare to make a big cookie house, all nine of them.

To say that when they finished the kitchen was the typical mess after cooking would be an understatement, as it took almost as long to clean up as it did to make dozens of cookies and the eccentric cookie house. When everything is finally cooled down, they make some hot chocolate and coffee with whipped cream, marshmallow, caramel... Then again they gather around the table with a cup in their hands.

It's not very late, but it's been dark for a few hours now and the only light outside is from the lamps hanging from the ceilings of the house and some bulbs decorating the garden of the house and the lights of some houses in the distance. It's time to shower and get ready for bed, at least for the kids who instead of getting more and more tired are more and more animated as the evening comes and the time when Santa Claus will bring them their presents is closer. There are only three girls, each under the care of two adults, but it takes them more than an hour to get them showered and dressed in their matching pajamas in the bed they have prepared for them. At first Tzuyu does not seem very sure about the idea, not that she is not used to it, in fact she used to sleep in a room with about ten or fifteen other girls, but this month she has spent it in the bed between Sana and Jihyo because she is still not able to sleep alone and now the idea of sleeping without them does not convince her.

"Come on, Tzuyu sleep with us" asks Chaeyoung, who can't stay away from her new friend. 

"Sleep with us Tzuyu, you can sleep in the middle, since you are the little one we can take care of you just like when I let Chae the side of the wall so she won't fall" Dahyun tries to convince her.

That last statement just melts the heart of all the women who are watching their little negotiation, but especially Sana and Jihyo. They are no strangers to these special moments between girls but now, witnessing it as mothers, hits different.

"I have an idea" interjects Sana. "Why don't I read a bedtime story to the three of you so Tzu can test if she likes this bed and if she likes it you can leave her one of the sides so she can come to our room if she needs it" she says while looking at her daughter who nods in agreement with the solution offered by her mommy. 

"Yes, you read it, auntie Sana!" exclaims Chae excitedly as Dahyun nods.

They love to listen to Sana telling them bedtime stories with the funny voices she does and Sana loves to read them bedtime stories. It has always been her favorite part of babysitting either of them and on occasion when she and Jihyo would invite them to have a sleepover at home giving their moms a break while at the same time she could enjoy something she thought she would never have until Tzuyu came into their lives. Sana has always had a very strong maternal instinct and with these things it shows even more. Her storytelling, answering the strangest questions and convincing three kids excited for Christmas to be in bed even before their usual bedtime are things that come naturally to her. Jihyo feels like her heart is about to explode when she sees these kinds of scenes and her friends couldn't be happier for her, to see that finally something she saw as an impossible dream is now a reality.

Normally the only one who usually stays awake until the end of the story is Chae because she gets absorbed with each story and can't sleep unless she hears the end, but this time Sana has to read them up to three stories until they all finally fall asleep.

Finally it's time for the adults to relax, drink some wine, beer or soju and be able to talk and gossip without having to keep an eye on their surroundings to make sure that there is not a half-meter girl that they can badly influence if they hear them say a swear word or talk about some inappropriate topic. From time to time one of them goes to the room to check that everything is all right and that they are still asleep.

Once again, Mina somewhat nervously finds an excuse to drag Jeongyeon into the kitchen where she finally tells her about her plan and asks her to keep an eye out in case Dahyun wakes up or needs her while asking for some discretion. As she leaves the kitchen she heads to her room and returns with two coats, giving one to Momo to go with her to get some air. The others either don't notice or for Mina's sake pretend not to notice except for Jeongyeon who gives her a subtle thumbs up.

Her obvious nervousness and shaking hands suddenly catches Momo's attention causing her cheerful and slightly drunk expression to change to a worried face holding Mina's hands immediately.

"Babe, has anything happened, has your family called?" asks Momo worriedly knowing it's one of the things that triggers Mina's anxiety around this time of the year. 

"No, no. Everything is fine" Mina assures her with a nervous smile and unable to hold her gaze. 

"We've already talked about this, your hands are shaking. You can tell me anything, Mina. I got you" says Momo wrapping her arms around her and Mina can only feel lucky to have someone like that by her side.

She lets herself be taken in by the embrace and breathes in Momo's perfume, something that always soothes her, before pulling away and starting to talk. 

"Baby, I'm okay. I promise" she says, grabbing her hands to stop the shaking of her own hands. "But if I'm going to need you to listen to me".

Momo nods and looks at her expectantly.

"I'm going to need us to move to that tree" she says pointing to the huge tree that by this time has not a single leaf or flower. 

Once they are under the tree sitting on a small wooden bench while holding hands looking into each other's eyes, the youngest takes a breath and begins her speech.

"This isn't as cute as I had originally envisioned in my mind, but this is a sakura tree" she says gesturing awkwardly as if she is introducing the tree as the other looks at her in confusion. "I don't know if you remember" she takes a deep breath trying to calm her nerves so her voice doesn't sound so shaky. "But when things started to get serious between us, when I was afraid to let you into my life and Dahyun's, you told me that when you looked at the two of us you felt the same as when you saw the sakura blooming in the spring when you had only been here in Korea for a short time because they made you feel at home. I feel something like that too. When I think of you I think of family and when I think of family Dahyun's face is not the only one I see, I see you too." She thinks about her words for a bit and adds "It's not like I didn't see you as part of my family before, but today when Dahyun started calling you 'mom' I felt like everything was finally in place.... W-what I want to say is that I want you to be our Dubu's mom, I want to say that you are my daughter's mom when people ask me and I also want to say that you are my wife" she finishes saying with bright eyes full of tears while looking at Momo in expectation.

Momo also has some tears in the corners of her eyes and can barely articulate any words for a moment until she finally speaks "Minari, are you asking me to marry you?" she asks with a smile from ear to ear.

"Yes, s-sorry I forgot the most important thing" she stutters nervously searching for the ring in the pockets of the huge jacket until she finally pulls out a small velvet box and opens it before her eyes "I wanted to wait for the sakura bloom, but I couldn't wait any longer and when she asked if she could call you mom-" she starts to ramble as she does when she gets nervous.

They have been together for more than two years and it still happens to her at times like this. It still happens to her just like it did during the dozens of encounters they had until Momo understood that her best customer might be interested in more than just the Japanese food she missed so much and finally asked her if she would like to meet outside her restaurant. Mina hates that she still makes her stutter sometimes and for Momo it is one of her favorite things in the world to know that despite the time she still has the same effect on Mina. 

Suddenly she feels Momo's lips crashing against hers in an clumsy and rushed kiss, but full of emotions. Their arms are wrapped around each other's body and they can feel their cheeks wet with tears as the older one pulls away and softly says "Yes!".

"Let me ask you the question!" she whines. "Hirai Momo, will you marry me?" she asks finally resting one knee to the ground and all. 

"Yes. I will marry you, Myoui Mina" she says laughing as she uses her full name.

Momo smiles as she sees her with one knee on the ground giving her the ring, a scene she thought she would never experience like so many other things when she discovered she liked girls in her last year of high school. Now she has the most beautiful woman in the world saying she wants her to be a mother and a wife, asking her once again to make a family together. They are already family and they both know that the ring doesn't change anything because they have been a family since the moment Mina decided to introduce Momo as her girlfriend in front of her friends and then her daughter, when Dahyun started treating Dobby and Boo like her own dogs, when Momo offered to pick up her daughter from school when Mina couldn't, when Mina asked her if she would like to live with her and Dahyun, when Momo started calling the little girl Dubu and started reading her bedtime stories or just a few hours ago when Dahyun asked her if she could call her mom.

"I'm sorry but Nayeon and Sana's rings are going to have to go to the other hand", Mina bothers him being now more relaxed, taking her out of her thoughts while she takes her hand and starts to put the ring on it. 

It is a thin, simple, white gold ring decorated with three diamonds, while she puts the engagement ring on her finger she explains that since she prefers simple rings she thought it would probably be better to have a few small diamonds than one big one and that she liked the idea of three diamonds because they are three. This time she explains it more calmly, as if she isn't feeling her heart pounding in her chest at full speed.

"I love you" says Momo, this time in her mother tongue. 

"I love you, Momoring".

It's been impromptu, no picnic in the spring watching the sakuras bloom and no dinner at the nice restaurant she saw when they passed through the nearby village and the speech she's been preparing for a month was forgotten as soon as she saw how Momo cared about her when she thought something bad had happened, but Mina couldn't care less. Momo has said yes to continue having a life together now with the promise of forever and that's all she needs. 

It's cold and the first snowflakes are starting to fall from what looks like it will be the first snow of the year. Neither of them move, enjoying a little alone time before going back inside the house. The two cuddle and kiss, some of those kisses are short pecks on the lips and some turn into heated kisses that leave them breathless. When Mina's freezing hands sneak under several layers of clothing to caress the skin of Momo's stomach under her shirt sending a shiver throughout her body they go back inside.

When they came back they all know, even though all she asked Jeongyeon to do was to keep an eye on Dahyun and keep her mouth shut. You can't really blame her, the time they were there for them felt like an instant but it was really over forty five minutes of listening to Nayeon and Jihyo listing every moment they had told her some secret or gossip since they have known each other while Sana was about to have a breakdown thinking they were arguing and thinking about what she would do if they made her pick a side. All this while her social battery was at a minimum, so she ended up confessing everything and even shared some parts of the speech Mina had texted her asking if it was too cheesy.

As soon as she enters the door all eyes turn to Momo's hand and before Nayeon, Sana and Jihyo start to scream, Jihyo cures Sana's mouth with her hand and Jeongyeon covers Nayeon and Jihyo's mouths. Mina and Momo are completely blushing trying to hide in each other's neck while Jeongyeon apologizes for announcing it before them, knowing that they would have preferred to say it one by one to avoid this.

The three of them start asking them a million questions and start planning their wedding. Then Sana whines about not being the first to know but this topic doesn't last long because they all agree that she would have been so happy that she would have told the others and maybe even Momo herself if Mina had told her about her plans. After a while Jihyo shows up with more soju and even a bottle of champagne she had prepared in case they stayed to celebrate New Year's Eve, but the occasion is worth it. And if there's one thing Jihyo doesn't mess around with, it's alcohol, so you can trust that it's some good, expensive champagne.

They all toast to Momo and Mina's engagement with champagne except for Jeongyeon who raises her cup of tea, no one is shocked because since she started the artificial insemination treatments she has not been drinking for months, but they all need to know as soon as possible if she is finally pregnant because they really need to get used to the idea that Nayeon is going to keep drinking for the two of them at every celebration. Nayeon is not a bad drinker, but as she is drunk she won't be still for a second, she even becomes more giggly and hits the arm of anyone next to her. Jihyo and Jeongyeon tell that sometimes during their college outings they would wake up with bruises on their arms.

When they decide it's way too late and they have to put all the presents on the tree, the only one who is drunk – thankfully – is Nayeon. Momo and Sana have a slight blush on their cheeks while Jihyo has drunk twice as much as Nayeon and is doing better than Mina who has only had a glass of champagne because it is her own engagement, but is still a bit dizzy from today's emotions. 

It doesn't take them long to place the gifts despite Nayeon's interruptions and her and Sana's giggles threatening to wake up the girls. Luckily, Jeongyeon and Momo go a couple of times to check that they are sound asleep when they hear a soft snore from one of them.

They all say their good nights among smiles and laughter, feeling as excited as their daughters to open the presents as a family. Each couple disappears into their respective rooms and the moment they lay their heads on the pillow, they all fall asleep instantly. It has been a tiring and intense day and the best is yet to come. 

The next morning they are all woken up at 7 am one by one by the three girls who only scream "CHRISTMAS", "SANTA" and "PRESENTS". The strategy they follow is the same, Dahyun and Chaeyoung come in screeching and jump on top of the adults shaking them followed by Tzuyu who is less shy around them but not enough to assault the adults like her friends do, so she just carefully tugs at their pajama sleeves while the others do the rest of the work. When they arrive at Nayeon and Jeongyeon's room things are different and Chaeyoung instructs the attack to be directed only at Nayeon because she has told her that she has to be careful with her mama.

The older ones have only had a couple of hours of sleep and some have a slight headache, but they make their way to the tree at about the same speed as their daughters until all nine are seated around the tree. Nayeon takes pictures with her camera while Momo has her cell phone in one hand and a video camera in the other with the intention of recording at least the highlights. Each time she checks that the camera settings are correct she can't help but smile at the sight of the new ring that now decorates her hand. 

Finally it's time to open the presents.

Dahyun receives a small digital piano that is halfway between a toy and a real one to start with and a microphone, lately she is in her singer and rapper phase. Momo and Mina know that in a few days they might regret leaving her not one but two things that make noise and they also know that they will end up dancing and singing with her or that they will enjoy the small recitals that their little Dubu organizes at home. Another surprise they have prepared is for her to start piano lessons, but first they have to make sure that they know she would be going to real piano lessons and that it is not like when she plays her toy piano keyboard at home. They also give her some books from her favorite collection and of course, chocolate.

Chaeyoung, like every Christmas, birthday or any other special occasion, receives paints, sketchpads, watercolors, pencils and other art supplies that are of better quality as she gets older. The little girl always gets excited as if it were the first time she gets them as a gift because in a month half of the things are already used up and her mothers no longer know where to keep so many drawings. The last gift she opens, however, is something that makes her even more excited and that is a toy set to make temporary tattoos with markers. Since she was a toddler, she has had the habit of painting all over her arms and legs even before she could speak, and now there is not a day that goes by that she doesn't come home with a drawing in one hand and a note from her teacher in the other. When Nayeon saw the advertisement for the toy while she was on her phone, she ordered it online and it has been hidden in a corner of her house since summer.

Both Chaeyoun and Dahyun have among their gifts a package of a different color than the rest, Dahyun insists that Santa Claus knows they are bros and that's why he always gives them something that matches. The truth is that it's Jihyo and Sana who always get their nieces something special, since they didn't have a child to buy presents for until now. The fact that this year Tzuyu has come into their lives is not going to change this little tradition. This year Dahyun receives a stuffed eagle and Chaeyoung a tiger, their favorite animals. The choice of the oldest is surprising and even more surprising is that the couple found a cute stuffed animal of an eagle.

As for the new member of the family, she has been receiving gifts from her mothers ever since she arrived at her new home. Most of them such as clothes, school supplies, books and toys were just things that a 7-year-old girl needs at home, but Sana and Jihyo are still in the excitement of being new mothers so it is likely that she has been spoiled a little too much. After asking their friends for advice, they decided it was best to give her a few meaningful gifts rather than showering her with presents as they originally planned.

They didn't count on the fact that Tzuyu, given where she came from and with her background, is not the type of kid who asks for things, instead if she likes something you can see it on her face and maybe she mentions it because it has genuinely caught her attention and not because she is asking for it in a subtle way. They are both very happy to have such a good little girl and know that anything will be welcomed with sincere joy as they have seen so far, however it has made the job of being Santa Claus difficult for them. Luckily, since they discovered Tzuyu's passion for dogs, it was clear to them what the perfect gift would be. A dog, this was the perfect gift, except that they had their doubts about it. After much discussion and thinking about it, Jihyo and Sana agreed that they didn't want to be the kind of mothers who give a dog as a toy for Christmas, especially after listening to Jeongyeon talking about how many dogs arrive at the shelter a few months after Christmas when they are no longer adorable puppies.

Tzuyu for the first time receives presents that are actually for her and not generic toys donated to the orphanage. On her first Christmas with her new family Tzuyu opens a package bigger than her and almost the size of Jihyo, it is a life-size golden retriever stuffed dog that makes Tzuyu cry instantly. As soon as the stuffed dog is free from the wrapping paper the little girl hugs it tightly and goes to her mothers and hugs both of them. 

"Thank you mommy Sana, thank you mommy Ji" she says sobbing making her mothers also cry with her. 

"You don't have to thank us Tzu" says Sana as jihyo takes her and the huge stuffed dog in her arms. "Santa got it for you because you've been such a good girl," she says. 

" All we did was tell Santa that you changed your address," Jihyo adds and kisses her on the head.

There are still two gifts to be opened, one of them an illustrated book about dogs and then a letter that her mommy Ji has to read to her. It is an invitation to visit the shelter and help the dogs living there. At the bottom of the invitation are a pair of paw prints of different dogs for which Sana and Jihyo are very grateful to Jeongyeon who has also offered to be the one to accompany them to the shelter where she started volunteering and where she now works as a veterinarian. 

The other two children don't quite know what is going on, so they clap their hands when their mothers assure them that they are crying from happiness and not sadness. They themselves try to hold back their tears and in Nayeon's case hide them by covering themselves with the camera as she captures the emotional moment.

The next picture they take is one of the girls holding their stuffed animals. Dahyun poses like a rapper, Chaeyoun still doesn't know how to smile in photos and next to her Tzuyu stares at the camera with her eyes a little too wide. They take a total of thirty photos of them and they all agree that it's best to save those photos for posterity and not for Instagram. Luckily, the girls come out much better when they get their pictures taken while playing and Nayeon keeps saying that she can wait to develop the two rolls of film she has already spent since they arrived the day before. 

After the photos it's time for the older ones to open the gifts and as with the card game the task of telling who is more mature is difficult. Of course, Nayeon turns it into another rock-paper-scissors competition to choose the order and Jihyo accepts so the others are dragged into the game. The oldest loses and in addition to enduring her wounded pride, Nayeon will have to wait until the end to receive the gift. 

Contrary to other years when they have played secret friend, they have preferred to take the easy way and the gifts are only between the couples with the only condition that they are not allowed to give each other inappropriate gifts in front of the children. A rule especially addressed to Sana who on all Jihyo's birthdays gives her a lingerie set which is actually for herself and which Jihyo accepts with too much enthusiasm in front of all of them.

Sana gives Jihyo a designer leather jacket, a bottle of a really expensive soju that Jihyo loves with some glasses with a nice and elegant accompanying the bottle. " I'll give you your other gift later in the room" Sana whispers in her ear before giving her a kiss. 

Nayeon gifts Jeongyeon a fancy watch and a letter which she asks her to read another time and is quite insistent that she doesn't read it in front of the others.

Mina tells Momo that her gift was given to her in the evening, but she has a small detail. In the package is a t-shirt with a drawing of the family done by Dahyun, there are a total of five t-shirts and Momo for a moment freaks out at the sight of two small t-shirts until Mina tells her that they are for Boo and Dobby making everyone laugh at Momo's momentary panic.

In between laughter, there is a loud sob and suddenly they all realize that Jeongyeon is crying her eyes out as she reads the letter. "Jeong! I told you not to read it!" says Nayeon in between laughing and crying as he wraps his arms around his wife and whispers "Well it's already in the letter, I love you baby." At another time her friends would have teased, but Jeongyeon seems to be truly touched so they leave the couple a moment and continue. 

Mina is next and receives a LEGO set that Momo has caught her browsing through more than once when they go to the mall and a Nintendo Switch game, as well as a simple necklace adorned with three hearts. Mina loves it all and Momo is still surprised that jewelry always ends up being the gift that costs her the least money and effort.

Sana is surprised to receive an envelope from Jihyo because she has always been very thoughtful with gifts and usually receives a seasonal branded bag among other things. What she sees in the envelope, however, makes her scream in excitement more than any bag when she sees the tickets to go to Japan with their and Tzuyu's names on it. "Let's go see your parents next week, so they can finally meet their granddaughter," Jihyo says before she has to look up the details on the tickets herself.

Last of all is Nayeon. Finally her turn comes and she can't stop jumping up and down with excitement when she sees the box that Jeongyeon hands her. She tears the wrapping paper excitedly and when she opens the box and sees what's inside, her smile disappears. 

"Seriously Yoo Jeongyeon" she sighs, looking at her seriously.

The others just stay quiet not sure how to react because Nayeon seems really annoyed so they just watch the exchange between the couple. Then she takes out what's in the box and they all burst out laughing when they see a t-shirt that reads 'World's #1 Dad' on it.

It's a good joke and it's nothing that's unusual for the couple, they love teasing each other as much as they love giving each other kisses and whispering sweet nothings. This time it looks like Nayeon is not having it.

"I hope you have something better hidden, I spent days looking for the perfect watch" she whines and at that moment everyone sees the usual Nayeon again and the mood of the room instantly lightens up.

Jeongyeon also looks serious but it is obvious that she is holding in laughter when she says "I think I should have gotten you new eyeglasses, haven't you seen what else is in the box?".

Her wife rolls her eyes and looks in the box again, not very convinced that there is anything in there, thinking it is still just part of Jeong's joke. You never know with these two, once Nayeon gave her fifteenf boxes tucked inside each other for their anniversary in college, though then he gave her something that kept them busy for several days locked in the room. One of the best gifts she ever gave her, unless you ask Jihyo who at the time was sleeping in the room next door. To this day, the youngest of the three has not wanted to know what that gift was, but today she is dying of curiosity, just like the others.

"OH MY GOD JEONGYEON!" she screams at the top of her lungs, making her friends jump in their seats and catching the attention of the girls who have been busy with their new gifts for a while now. "If this is a joke I swear-" she says trying to sound tough as she starts bawling her eyes out.

"I'm serious," Jeongyeon says in a whisper, taking the paper Nayeon is holding in her hands and showing her friends the ultrasound.  "We're going to be mommies again" she says with a huge smile.

It takes a few seconds for everyone to react and all of a sudden everyone starts to congratulate them while the oldest one complains to her wife that she didn't tell her, even more so when she finds out that she is almost three months pregnant and that they are expecting twins. Neither of them can believe that Jeongyeon made it on the first try and they couldn't be happier, especially with Chaeyoun's reaction. The little girl stares at them with wide eyes and when they confirm that she will be the big sister to two babies, her eyes glaze over and she climbs onto her mom's lap to hug them and caress her mama's belly. 

"This is a better gift than the tattoo machine" she says, still pouting.

All these emotions seem to have made them hungry and they soon gather at the small table, which is now more crowded with the girls' stuffed animals. In the middle of the table they have a mountain of cookies that they didn't finish yesterday and there is also hot chocolate, tea, coffee and milkshakes. The Myoui-Hirai family is wearing their t-shirts. Sana and Jihyo tell Tzuyu about Japan, tell her about the food and let her know that she will meet more new people, this time it will be her grandparents. Jeongyeon is still forced to listen to a scolding from her wife for not telling her earlier that she is pregnant and lists one by one the things that could have happened until Jeong admits that she was afraid something would go wrong and Nayeon's gaze softens.  She knows that fear better than anyone, so she just stops and reminds her that everything will be okay because they have each other and because they have this wonderful family they've built. A family that was formed within the walls of their shared dorm during university and that has been growing ever since.

#twice fic #twice oneshot #twice au #twice imagines #twice fluff #twice nayeon #im nayeon #twice jeongyeon #yoo jeongyeon #twice momo #hirai momo #twice sana #minatozaki sana #twice jihyo #park jihyo #twice mina #myoi mina #myoui mina #twice dahyun #kim dahyun #twice chaeyoung #son chaeyoung #twice tzuyu #chou tzuyu #2yeon #nayeon x jeongyeon #jeongyeon x nayeon #mimo #twice mimo #momo x mina

[cupcakeshakesnake]

A painting of flowers, as a belated Parents’ Day gift for my mother

(Don’t ask what kind of flowers bc I made them tf up)

#originalart #digital painting #flowers #bouquet #flower art #flower painting #snake's art

[silverhallow]

Bridgerton drabble: A Princess Diaries AU

Part #1 Sophie’s Choice.

A belated birthday gift for @bridgertonbabe and @sophiebernadotte

Wasn’t life as a princess supposed to be fair? Or maybe not fair, that might be the wrong word. She was privileged, she knew that… even if she had only known she was a princess for a few short years.

Royalty led lives that were in the public eye, normally having been raised in that environment, but here she was… sitting in a country that she’d only known about for 4 years, listening to her grandmother scolding her for jeopardising the wedding that was to take place in a few days time, which would then lead onto her coronation a week after that and it was all Sophie could do not to throw up or cry because she knew her grandmother was right… she had ruined everything.

She’d always dreamt she’d marry for love, that she’d find a man that made her stomach fizz, give her butterflies, that would make her heart skip a beat and her palms sweaty and her feet pop when she kissed him. She wanted the kind of love her mother had told her about, that her mother had experienced but due to the unfairness of her situation, it was an arranged marriage or lose her throne. Those were her options.

A throne that until she turned 16, she had known nothing about.

She had been blissfully unaware that her father had been a Prince… Prince of a tiny country in the middle of the Italian and French sea. Her mother had kept it from her, taking that secret with her to her grave.

Her mother had died 10 weeks before Sophie’s 16th birthday, which was the day her entire life changed.

She’d been stopping with her best friend Kate Sharma and Sophie had been in English when the poshest woman Sophie had ever seen in her life came in and dropped the bombshell of all bombshells on her over a cup of tea…

Which she promptly spat all over her “grandmother's” face.

She was a princess.

A bastard princess but a princess nonetheless, and the only living descendant of the Gunningworth line.

Her father, Richard, had passed away 9 months earlier and to Sarah’s knowledge he had been childless.

It was only after discovering something in her late-husband’s writing desk, did she learn that there was in fact an heir.

Her.

Sophie was saving the country from being taken over by the Cavender’s. Their son Phillip had a terrible temper and an even worse reputation at just 17 years old and had once been rulers of their own lands until the people revolted and won back their lands and banished the Cavender’s but their royal blood was connected to Penwood and now it was Sophie, or the Cavender’s and Sarah was determined that her throne would not pass into their hands.

She had learned that Reginald had sent Esme away when she was pregnant with Sophie, he didn’t want a child out of wedlock and he certainly didn’t want the Crown Prince, only Heir to the Throne marrying a commoner and so she’d been paid off and shipped off back to England. He provided money monthly to keep Esme quiet and Esme had been promised that she and her unborn child would be left alone and the secret of Sophie’s birth went to the grave with her.

Reginald had known about Sophie and he had been working out how to tell his wife that they did in fact have an heir and where they could find her, and what had happened, his own guilt weighing in after he’d pressured Richard into a marriage with a woman that bore no children between them other than two step-children who could not inherit the throne but when Reginald died 3 months after Richard it had thrown a spanner in the works as he’d not gotten around to telling Sarah the truth.

Sophie was dumbfounded.

Sarah was Regent, as they had their heir but she was underage and she was able to prevent Cavender getting his hands on the crown.

Since Sophie was underage she would learn the role, but upon turning 20 Sophie was told she’d have to take over the throne, she would get 6 months post her 20th birthday to marry and be crowned Queen otherwise, Cavender would take over.

So Life changed.

Gone were the days she was invisible, where she could blend into the background with Kate, sitting laughing about Shakespere and just being a teenage girl to…

Being a Princess.

She stayed in school but Kate was almost glued to her side. She worked at her studies, she travelled back and forth between the countries as she learned.

Once she was 18, Sophie moved to Penwood and Kate and her family came with her, they’d been her family when she had no one else and Kate wanted to work with Sophie, for Sophie as part of her staff once she’d graduated from University.

And Sophie knew from the moment she moved to her new home that she wanted to be Queen, that she would do anything to be Queen. Her beautiful country that she was learning to love, the rich culture and history that was hers to protect and nourish and the more time she spent there, the more she got to know the people, the more she knew she wanted to be Queen.

So between her studies, her Queen lessons with her Grandmother and getting to know the country’s leaders, she was starting to look for a husband.

Not just any husband, she needed someone titled, not in line for their own throne, someone who understood her importance as Queen. Someone harmless, inoffensive, who would stand there by her side and be a pillar of strength and a symbol but would let Sophie lead.

She would be Queen, and she knew finding a husband would be hard but she had time… or so she’d assumed. She was only 18 after all, she had two years. How hard could it be?

From the moment the plane touched down, Sophie knew that whatever she’d thought her life was going to be like, nothing compared to the circus it was becoming

.

18 turned into 19 and Sophie had still not found someone that she wanted to marry, any male around her age that would be eligible was not interested in marriage, any man she met at a bar knew who she was and wanted a piece of her as a trophy.

She was to be Queen… Everyone knew that. “Your highness, you must know there isn’t a man on this planet who isn’t interested in marrying you, but it is finding the right person for you who will make your everyday life easier, who makes the mundane fun and who makes you smile” her Prime Minister Edmund Bridgerton had told her as the days got closer to her 20th birthday and she had still not found someone to be her husband, time was running out and she was getting desperate.

“That is all well and good my Lord but I have 6 months, we have 6 months to make this work or everything has been in vain” Sophie sighed during their weekly meeting. Sophie loved meeting her prime minister, They had joked on a number of occasions it was a shame that his title came with his position and didn’t transfer to his children since he had eight of them and the two eldest boys were a little older than Sophie and Kate, she’d yet to meet Benedict who was off travelling and studying and she got on well with Anthony, who was training to take over from Charlie as the Royal Household Chief of Security once Sophie ascended to the throne.

The little wrinkle there was Anthony was dating Kate. Kate was working up to the role of Chief of Staff within the palace and eventually they would run the palace between them and despite their prickly start, Sophie thought they were perfect for one another but it served as an almost daily reminder that she didn’t have that and she needed that. 6 months to fall in love, marry to become Queen…

“There are other ways around it, your grandmother is reluctant to bring it up because she knew how much you wanted to find someone the traditional way but there is always an arranged marriage, I am sure between Ms Gibbons, your grandmother and my wife Violet, they’ll be able to come up with a list of possibilities for you. Aim for friendship first, it worked for your grandmother… love everything else, it is lovely but friendship and companionship will hold you in just as good a stead” Edmund explained

“That’s easy for you to say, you married the love of your live and have 8 children” Sophie replied flippantly but sighed “but I shall think about it, it is likely to be the only option”

“Speaking of my children…” Edmund grinned and Sophie rolled her eyes

“Smooth… what are they after this time?”

“It’s nothing actually just Benedict is back from his travels eventually this weekend after being away for the last two years studying and he is on the last portfolio for his masters and I was wondering if perhaps as a small favour we could add him to your official photographers list up to the coronation and allow him to capture some more… candid photos of the next few months”

“Why not, some candid ones will be lovely I guess after all the formal things…” Sophie said “and i’ll make sure there is a ticket to my 20th birthday party for him as well, if he is back in time that is, it would be nice to meet another of your ridiculous brood. but I will give some thought to your suggestion, having some of those possible bachelors come to the party and meet them…” Sophie sighed.

But after the events of her 20th birthday, Sophie had known it was time.

The only person she’d met the night of her birthday party, the only person she’d felt a connection with had been someone she knew she had no chance with.

She’d been walking through the party, trying to get away from Prince Hans and his incessant staring, as well as Lady Rosamund who was making snide quiet remarks about how it should be her that was going to be queen when Sophie had run straight into a stranger stomping straight on his foot, the most handsome stranger she’d ever met.

It was only after she’d danced and flirted with him and spoke to Kate, did she realise that it was Benedict Bridgerton and it had broken her heart almost instantly.

She’d assumed he was one of the many suitors her grandmother had invited for to meet so to realise who he was, that he was untitled, he was, despite being the son of a Lord, not someone Sophie could ever hope to get to know on a more intimate and romantic level… she knew based on the rules that had been set out for her future husband, it was a no go.

So the morning after her party, she’d called Kate, her grandmother, Ann Gibbons the current chief of staff and Mary and said “it’s time”

A week later she was sitting in the palace movie room with the screens up, profiles up as she looked through all the eligible bachelors that would be interested in an arranged marriage.

Two hours it had taken, going through picture after picture before Sophie had spotted one.

Yes he was a second son but he fit the bill where no one else did. He was the second son of a Duke. His older brother was already married and had twins, their line was secure, he was a Sir. He had a title, a ceremonial one but all the same…

Sir Phillip Crane was everything that Sophie had been looking for.

He was the same age as she was, he was academic, he was cute. He was someone that Sophie could see herself being at least friends with…

It was a start.

And it had turned out Phillip was everything that Sophie could have hoped for. He was kind, he was funny and they seemed to have a lot in common and Sophie knew she’d made the best possible choice…

Or she would have thought so if it wasn’t for Benedict being everywhere she went.

She’d forgotten about her agreement with the Prime Minister and being Anthony’s brother, and he seemed to get on really well with Kate. he was always there.

The torment Sophie felt was horrible, she felt attracted to Benedict in a way she knew she’d never be attracted to Phillip but she knew that she could never be with Benedict and have the life she so desperately wanted.

She wanted to be Queen, she wanted to rule this country that she’d learned so much about, that she was so passionate about and she was close to mucking it all up.

Two weeks before the wedding it all came to a head when during the summer party, Sophie had slipped away from Phillip, leaving him with Kate and Benedict’s sister Eloise as she wanted to get out of her head. Cavender’s son had been lurking and making lurid remarks about her and she just wanted 5 minutes.

She’d given her ladies maids the slip, and was just sitting on the edge of the fountain, trying not to hyperventilate.

She’d not seen Benedict at all during the party, he was employed during these events to take photos as part of her agreement with his father and she knew that it was the last thing she needed. Whilst she desperately craved him to soothe her frayed nerves, she knew being around him was making it worse.

They’d had many a spirited debate about Bryon, about poetry and art and she always seemed to know when he appeared, her skin tingled and pricked but he knew as well as she did, that whatever there was between them, wasn’t possible.

With the way the rules of the country where, fate was destined to keep them apart.

But that day… he’d caught her unaware, they’d given into a moment of weakness and kissed.

It was only when Sophie’s beloved dog Bernie, had come running through the fence with voices behind him, that they’d separated and in their shock at nearly being caught, they had tumbled into the fountain.

It had been the start of her downfall.

She’d confined Kate how she felt about Benedict, how she wished things could be different and she knew that Benedict had felt the same and how she couldn’t have him around her anymore because it was breaking her heart.

Benedict had agreed to step away, to leave his position because he knew the country needed Sophie more than he did and he would never have forgiven himself to do anything that would have ruined her dream to be Queen,

But he’d asked if he could see her one last time before he left, before he walked away and Sophie would marry Phillip and Sophie had agreed as long as no one found out.

But someone had found out. Someone had overheard and warned the press that if someone followed the Prime Minister’s son… they would find a scandal.

And whilst it wasn’t as big of a scandal as it could have been, Sophie and Benedict had just talked, shared a kiss or two, they’d fallen asleep under a tree in the grounds of the castle and it was upon waking that they’d been spotted…

And Sophie was sure her life was going to fall apart.

Sarah yelled at her for over an hour about it, about how she should not be sneaking out and despite the fact she knew how her granddaughter felt about him, she could see how devastated Sophie was about the choice.

Heart or country.

It was a choice she’d known all too well but Sophie knew what she wanted.

What was required of her… it was just a matter of if Phillip would still want to marry her.

“Phillip wait, please! Let me explain! Nothing happened” Sophie said as she ran after Phillip a few hours later after he’d arrived at the palace so they could talk.

“Yes but you went Sophie, you still went didn’t you?” he replied, his voice was strangely calm and not angry and Sophie wasn’t sure if she’d rather he’d been angry or not “I don’t think you understand… despite my geekiness as the press back home call it, I am an extremely eligible bachelor” he said, though Sophie could tell he cringed a bit at the words, knowing he didn’t like to big himself in that way. “I really am. I’ve got plenty of friends, lots of lovely… erm women friends” he said gesturing as they looked at one another

“But i… I still think marriage is a good idea.” he said and Sophie looked up at him in disbelief as Phillip’s face softened as they looked at one another,

“Sophie…” he said, before taking a step forward, placing his hands on either side of her face and kissing her.

It was the first time they’d properly kissed, it had been a brief kiss on the lips when they’d gotten engaged, the same on the balcony when they announced their engagement several weeks ago and as kisses went…

It was the most awkward kiss either of them had ever experienced.

It was like kissing a sibling. It was so awkward Sophie was sure the entire world stopped moving and she could hear the cows in the field several miles away Mooing…

Eventually Phillip pulled away and Sophie with her eyes still shut brought her hand to her lip to almost wipe the kiss off as she had Phillip looked at one another again

“So?” he asked “anything?” already anticipating the answer.

“It was lovely… just… there was no…” Sophie said

“Spark?” they said at the same time and Sophie groaned as she knew what the right thing to do was.

“What are we going to do?” Sophie said her voice breaking a little as she felt herself close to tears. The wedding was a few days away, she’d come this far and now she’d thrown it all away.

Phillip sighed and took a step forward putting an arm around Sophie’s waist, rolling his eyes as the security guards shovelled up the stairs behind them

“No privacy…” Sophie grumbled.

“Sophie… you chose me… and I accepted” he said pressing an almost brotherly kiss on her head “I accepted and so we’re going to stand up in the church next week and say “I do” and become man and wife… and then you’re going to be crowned Queen of Penwood and make the most amazing Queen in the history of this great country” he said tenderly, honestly and a smile on his face that made Sophie feel like perhaps everything could be okay.

“Thank you” she whispered as she kissed his cheek as she smiled back at him.

This was it. Her choice had been made. Country and Duty over her heart. Phillip was a good man and she could do a lot worse…

#bridgerton #bridgerton drabble #Benophie AU #Princess diaries AU #benedict bridgerton #sophie beckett #sir phillip crane #benophie #benedict x sophie

[baratiddyappreciator]

Christmas with the Baki Cast

So uh, here's the lost post! :D I got all the way down to the beginning of the NSFW short for Chiharu when I did a fucky and lost *everything* up until the HCs for Hanayama. So uh, merry (belated) Christmas! Enjoy y'alls juice! SFW HC's and NSFW short stories (coming soon) This is gonna get posted late because I have to fly back to Canada and won't have internet until late. Natsue and Doppo are being written as a "you are the third" type deal because I love them as a couple too much to break them up.

Baki:

He never really had a proper Christmas since both Yujiro and Emi were very neglectful of him, but he did sometimes have people swing by his place with gifts, which stopped after Emi’s death, so he hasn’t really celebrated since. He does get Musashi some gifts, but dog treats and a toy don’t make proper gifts for him. You’re going to have to show him the ways.

He’ll indulge you in Christmas activities, especially the ones that involve him getting something to eat! Hot chocolate with marshmallows, Christmas cookies, he’s down with all of it. Getting a tree? Yeah! Sounds like fun! He’s not as good decorating, his trees make a big chaotic mess every time he tries to decorate, so you’ll have to help him, or embrace the chaos.

Take him skating and watch the great and powerful Baki Hanma fall flat on his ass several times. He’s strong, graceful, agile and he has pretty good balance, but he’s never been skating before and he has no idea how to. You’ll have to drag him over to the boards and show him how. Once he gets the hang of it he’s not too bad, but he has no idea how to stop even though you’ve showed him five times, so he’ll just slam into the boards or fall on his ass.

He does try to behave about Christmas gifts, but he doesn’t always succeed. The man is determined to get a peek at what you got him, since all of his gifts would be dropped off on Christmas eve. That was for a reason. You’ll need to get dummy boxes so he gives up on looking for his actual gifts. As to him giving you gifts, he goes a bit all-out. Careful what you mention wanting around him, because he will get it for you with no regard for how much he has saved up in his inheritance (a lot) and you won’t be able to put it all away.

He’s actually really good about stockings though! You can fill his stocking with just about anything and he’d be absolutely delighted to have it! Snacks, knick-knacks, practical stuff, he loves it all because it’s from you. On his end though, your entire stocking will be full of snacks and tinier gifts he couldn’t bother to wrap (he sucks at it).

Chocolate advent calendars are a win with him, but he’ll only go along with them for a few days before he tears the whole thing open in the middle of the night while you’re alseep. You’ll notice evidence of his crimes (missing calendar, little pieces of cardboard he didn’t see) in the morning when you wake up. He’s both very sorry and not sorry. Yours is safe though, he promises not to touch it.

Kozue:

For the longest time it was just her and her mother for Christmas and they didn’t really celebrate it that intensely, but now that she has you she has an excuse to go all-out. You’ll walk to her house one day and discover that the entire thing has been shot with a Christmas canon. There are lights and decorations everywhere, and it’s glorious. Inside isn’t much better, her poor mother has to accept the fact that Kozue is just going to take over their shared living space temporarily.

She loves the more low-key Christmas activities, like sitting curled up on the couch and drinking hot cocoa or eggnog, but she’s not opposed to going out and sledding down a hill or building a snowman (weather permitting). As long as she’s spending time with you, she’s perfectly happy! Just don’t make her watch those Hallmark Christmas movies unless you’re both hatewatching.

She’s pretty good on the ice! Not some godess or something, but still, pretty good! She’ll be glued to your side for most of the time, snuggling as you two skate around or holding your hand, but she will take off at some point to do a few laps around the rink to get the energy out. It’s like when cats get zoomies, just taking off at full speed, zipping around and then returning for cuddles when they’re done.

She does actually behave about her gifts! She’ll be perfectly fine with you leaving her gifts beneath her tree at home, won’t even think about peeking until maybe Christmas eve. This being said, all of your gifts are wrapped by her mother, because Kozue is helpless when it comes to wrapping things up. She can put them in a gift bag no problem, but actually wrapping? Can’t do it. She’ll try for one or two and you can tell which ones she did. Her gifts are very thoughtful, so there aren’t usually many unless there are a lot of smaller things.

She loves stocking stuffers because she also doesn’t have to wrap those. She’ll have a stocking for you hanging on her door, and she’ll put a little gift inside it every day leading up to Christmas. A lot of her gifts are either practical or knick-knacks she saw that reminded her of you. As for what to get her for stocking stuffers, anything practical is greatly appreciated! She’d adore you for giving her socks, a scarf and a hat, and you will absolutely see her wearing them for as long as possible.

She’s good with chocolate advent calendars, she’ll do as she’s supposed to do and open a flap every day. Hell she even has a routine so that she can have her chocolate before bed every day and end it on a high note!

Hanayama:

You’d think he’s not into Christmas at all but you go to his house on the first of December and it looks like someone’s been decorating for weeks and not just a matter of hours. He goes all-out for the holidays because he knows that his mother really used to like them, and it’s a tradition he’s going to carry on. He’ll at least wait for you to pick out a tree though.

Speaking of trees, that’s one of his favourite christmas activities if he’s being honest. Going out to pick out a tree is always fun because then he can look at other things at the same time! Efficient? Yes! Fun? Well, he’s enjoying himself, but after the fifteenth stop before even looking at the trees you’re going to get bored. He’ll also enjoy sitting in and drinking, but don’t expect him to carol or watch movies, he can’t stand them. (He already watched all of them at least once when he was little.)

Normall he’s pretty damn sturdy, you’re not going to shake him if you shove him while he’s on stable ground. Put him in a pair of skates on the ice and it’s like he’s a newborn fawn though. You can poke him and he’ll collapse, he has absolutely no balance on skates in general, the ice just makes that worse. He’ll be stiff the entire time and won’t relax until he sees some kid pitch themselves full-force against a sideboard and be completely fine because they went limp. You’re going to have to hold his arm because he’ll obliterate your hand if he wobbles.

He’s so good at ignoring his own Christmas gifts that you’ll have to remind him that they’re there when it’s time to open them. He appreciates them, of course, but there’s literally no temptation for him because he knows he’ll open them eventually. Good luck opening yours though, they’re wrapped so well that you’re going to need a knife to get them open. I’m serious, there are no visible seams that can be felt, the tape is going to be your only hint as to where to pull. It’s impressive.

Stocking stuffers from him are no less frustrating because he’ll wrap those too. Did he get you a candy? It’s wrapped. Socks? Wrapped. Little trinket? Wrapped. Does he do it to watch you suffer? Partially, yeah. Doesn’t matter if it’s already pre-wrapped anyways, he’ll tear that off and wrap it himself. And he does get you a fairly good mix of things! As for what to get him, anything practical is a win in his book, but you can hit him real good with a proper thoughtful gift.

He doesn’t really care about chocolate advent calendars unless they’re dark chocolate. He’ll leave the milk chocolate one for you to eat on Christmas, but dark chocolate? Oh no, you can’t even look at the thing or he’ll glare at you. That’s his, don’t touch it.

Chiharu:

He tries his best with what he’s got, but his Christmas decoration collection is so sad. He’s got old stickers he can put on the window that are so beat up they look like they were in a house fire, he’s got a little snowman he puts outside his front door and another one he likes to put on his kitchen counter, but that’s about it. Please get this man Christmas decoarations he will use them all and love you forever.

He’s down for literally every Christmas activity there is. Caroling? Bet your ass! He’s off-key the entire time but he’s having fun! Sledding? He has no sense of self-preservation, so you’ll have to drag him away from anything legitimately dangerous. Driking cocoa and eggnog? Hell yeah! Especially if there’s booze involved! Getting a tree? Hell yeah! He’ll make room for it in his living room! Decorating said tree is one of the few moments where he’s genuinely calm. He has the most beautiful tree too, it’s just the right mix of cluttered and bare that makes a tree look stunning.

He sucks at skating, even he will tell you that, but he’ll always accept an offer to go! You’ll find him zipping around the ring only to hear him crash straight into the boards. It’s fair to worry that he might break some bones. It’s absolutely because he doesn’t know how to stop by the way. He has no clue how and he’s too scared to ask at this point. Besides! It’s fun! Good luck getting him to stay next to you though. Once he’s gone he’s gone.

He’s just as bad as Baki when it comes to his gifts. He just has to know what you got him! He’ll try his best to sneak a gift, only to find that the most appealing one was a dummy! Surely the others wouldn’t also be dummies, right? You’ll wake up to him begging you for forgiveness because he knows that you’ll notice all of his “gifts” have been opened. He’s surprisingly pretty good at wrapping gifts though! So if he really wants to hide the evidence, he will… For about an hour, then he’s spilling his guts. He can’t lie to his baby!

Stockings aren’t safe either, but they’re safe for longer. Once he cracks open all his gifts, you have about two days before he tries for the stocking. Mess with him, fill his up with coal and he’ll properly give up until Christmas. knick-knackks and snacks are greatly appreciated, but he won’t turn down anything more practical either! Hair care is a quick way to ensure he’s happy for the rest of the day. Your stocking stuffers from him are surprisingly thoughtful and really sweet, he gets you things he knows you’d like and appreciate, a mix of everything is in there.

Advent calendars aren’t safe from him no matter what they contain. Chocolate? Gets eaten. Puzzles? They get assembled over the course of one night. Anything you can think of in an advent calendar just gets ripped out and admired over the course of a few minutes after you give him the calendar in the first place. No patience from this man. Yours is safe for as long as you tell him it’s boring.

Katsumi:

Everyone, meet santa himself. I’m serious when I say that he decorates his appartment and the dojo on the first of December. He comes home dead tired afterwards, but he still does it every year. He puts a lot of effort in, he even organises a Christmas party for Shin-Shin-Kai members and their families, with a hired Santa and everything. The dojo is rarely going to look that festive ever again, and it’s a good way to get the future generation into Karate! Also: Christmas at his parents house is mandatory.

He’s down for all of the activities, and the bonus of getting not one, but two Christmas trees! One for home, and one for the Dojo! He loves decorating them too, if he can get the kids to help him decorate the one at the Dojo it’s even more fun and special, they all absolutely adore him. Katou can make fun of him all he wants, but he knows for a fact that he’ll get more gifts from the kids than anyone else, and Katou can then sit and be jealous in the corner.

He is beauty he is grace, he will not fall on his face. Take him ice skating and see some lingering influences from his time in the circus as a child. If this man knows how to figure skate, then he won’t tell you, but you won’t be able to tell if he does or not because he’s just doing stuff to impress you. He’ll eventually come back to you though, don’t worry! He’ll hold your hand and skate with you, you’ll both wind up with sore cheeks from laughing so hard.

He’s good about his gifts, if only because Natsue would kick his ass if she found out he ruined your fun by peeking at his gifts. Please do let him open one on Christmas eve though, boy is about to combust in anticipation. He’s about average when it comes to wrapping gifts, but he does make a considerable effort to make yours look pretty. And speaking of yours, he gives you some pretty extravagant stuff.

Stocking stuffers are the things he finds hardest to resist. Like he knows there’s goodies in there, they’re easy access, but he’s not going to touch them because he knows you’ll be disappointed in him. He promises he won’t. He doesn’t care what it is, gifts are gifts and he appreciates whatever you get him. He’ll do his best to get you something sweet that you can use.

Advent calendars are used properly with him, he loves the chocolate ones, and he will use each piece of chocolate in a new way. One day it’s in his coffee, the next it’s in his hot chocolate, he’s going to take full advantage of having some. Your advent calendars are safe, but once you pull the chocolate out you’d better immediately eat it or else you’re getting a cup of the exact same stuff he’s drinking.

Jack:

He’s religious, so that aspect of the holiday is somewhat important to him, but in general he doesn’t care about Christmas. He doesn’t really do well with gifts, and he’d rather just spend time with the people he cares about, so his mother, his brother and you, but he’s not going to complain if that doesn’t happen since he didn’t get much of a Christmas when he was younger, so anything you do is probably going to be better than what he had.

He honestly just doesn’t mind going out to do Christmas activities with you, other than caroling. It brings back good memories for him. He’s especially fond of getting some nice hot chocolate or apple cider and going for a walk through the woods, it fulfils his need to just get outside and enjoy the cold weather he’s more used to before the warmth comes back.

Actual god out on the ice. You don’t really expect for such a big man to be able to move that fast or that gracefully, but he does, and it’s both enchanting and terrifying to watch. He’s gone skating a bunch in his past, so this is nothing new. You actually get to see a much softer and more energetic side of him, becase the second he touches the ice he’s gone, but he’ll come back for you after about 10 mintues asking where you went. He’ll be skating ahead of you, backwards so he can look at you. You won’t be able to keep up with him unless you’re holding onto him.

He’s so good about gifts, you can hand him a shopping bag full of his gifts and ask him to go put them in the bedroom so you can wrap them and he’ll do exactly that, no questions asked, no peeking. Just there and back asking if you need help with anything else. As for getting gifts, he’s surprisingly sweet about the stuff he gets for you. He’s not the best at wrapping, not by a long shot, but he tries fairly hard for you.

He honestly forgets about his own stocking until you hand it to him on Christmas, he just sorta stares at it for a second before he opens it. He won’t complain about anything you get him, it’s more than he thinks he deserves, but he does always appreciate more practical things. Snacks are very hit or miss for him. As for what he gets you, it’s a mix of practical and knick-knackk, he’ll take you to go get treats after Christmas when most of it goes on sale, that’s when it’s the best.

He doesn’t really care for or about advent calendars. Chocolate, puzzles, they’re all pretty eh to him. He’d rather save his to give to you later since he doesn’t have a big sweet-tooth. Chocolate is nice, sure, but he doesn’t really care for sweets and candies. Pastries on the other hand, are a guilty pleasure of his, get him a danish or a beaver tail and he’ll melt.

Kosho:

He’s the complete opposite of Kureha in the sense where he does anything for Christmas in the first place. He’ll decorate, he’ll get a bit festive, but he does keep it fairly subtle. Don’t expect him to go even close to the level that say Hanayama or Katsumi go to, but he is a happy medium. He even has a rug he puts by the door to get a bit more openly festive.

He’s open to doing most Christmas activities, sledding is fun, getting drinks and treats is an automatic yes, but caroling won’t happen. Over his dead body. You won’t manage to even bring it up, you get the first sylable out of your mouth and he’s already done listening. He won’t turn down apple cider though. If he does, assume that something is very wrong or that he’s been replaced.

He’s not bad at skating at all! He’s gone a few times when he was younger but it was never really his thing. He’ll stick by you pretty happily, especially if you can have cider on the ice. In that case it’s easily the best thing to do, going to skate, holding hands, and drinking cider. He will be laughing at the kids that fall flat on their faces though.

He’s the worst at gifts, because he’ll mess with the wrapping and you won’t even notice. He gets subtle with it, he’ll slice through the tape, so unless you get patterned tape that you keep hidden expect him to break into all of his gifts. He’s wicked good at wrapping too, so if he messes one up, which isn’t likely, he’ll just re-wrap it and you won’t know until he opens them in front of you and has like no reaction. He’s okay at getting you gifts, if you can tell him what you want he’ll get it for you as long as it’s within his price range, otherwise he might struggle a bit.

He’s bad with stocking suffers too, so unless you rig up his stocking he’ll absolutely get in there and see what he has. He really likes sweets and practical stuff, so mess with him by just filling his stocking with balls of old wrapping paper and he’ll realise that you’re onto him. Your stocking from his is just full of sweets. He expects you to share.

Advent calendars aren’t even safe. He’ll go along with them a day late so he has extra chocolate for Christmas day itself. No he’s not sharing, it’s not his fault that you don’t know the trick. He absolutely learned it from Kureha by the way. They both do this and it’s infuriating.

Kureha:

He’d prefer not to celebrate if he can avoid it, it’s just more cleaning in the long run, though he can’t deny that it is fun to get gifts, he’d rather not deal with the predatory donation seeking and all of the caroling. It annoys him to no end. He works in a hospital, you think he wants to hear any mention of a holiday where people are infamously nasty and usually also drunk? He can tell you horror stories that will permanently ruin the holidays (and some liquors) for you.

You mention getting a real Christmas tree and he shuts you down immediately. He’s not dealing with the mess of the needles and sap. He’s not doing it. He’ll get you as realistic of a fake tree as he can if you really beg, but that’s it. He will at least decorate and have drinks and snacks with you, but don’t expect him to do much else.

He can skate pretty well, he’s fairly graceful out on the ice, but he’ll probably get bored. That’s when you remind him that it’s either skating or going to work, and he’ll shut up real quick. Don’t expect him to jump in and help anyone if they fall. Unless there’s blood, and a lot of it, he’s not saying anything about him being a doctor, and if you don’t want the cold shoulder for a solid three days, you better not say anything either.

Gifts are his favourite part of Christmas! At least, getting them is. He’s kinda bad at giving gifts, but getting gifts is no problem. He’ll try for you, of course. It’s honestly better to just give him a list of things you want and he’ll look into it for you. He’s surprisingly easy to buy for though, he’s not super picky about gifts like one might think, he just likes getting gifts. It means that he was on your mind, and he loves being on your mind. He can wrap gifts pretty well, he’s good with his hands. Has to be, considering he’s a surgeon.

He’s really good about stocking stuffers. He puts a new item in yours every day until Chrismas eve, saving the biggest gift for the last day. It’s a lot of surprisingly sweet gifts and healthy little snacks he thinks you’ll enjoy. He enjoys some healthy snacks and more practical things, but get him a knick-knack and you’ll find it on his desk the next time you pop into his office, or hanging on his wall. Get him something for his nametag and he’ll use it.

He’s the same as Kosho when it comes to his advent calendar, but if he catches you copying him he’ll outright just steal your chocolate unless it’s milk chocolate. He doesn’t mind it as an occasional treat, but he much prefers dark chocolate. If you catch him he’s not even sorry, it’s your fault for trusting him around his favourite sweet treat.

Retsu:

He didn’t really do Christmas when he was younger, it wasn’t super popular at the temple, but now that he’s grown he’s fully embraced that he’s a Christmas adult, and he’s not sorry about it. He’ll decorate nice and subtle, because while he adores Christmas now, he doesn’t really care for an over abundance of decorations, he thinks it’s a bit ignorant to have too many, and too much of one colour gives him a headache.

He’s down to do almost every Christmas activity, but ask him to bake with you and he lights up. The kitchen is where he thrives, and if you give him the recipies and the ingredients, he’ll provide you with some really good food that you can enjoy. He’ll make a lot too, like, too much for just the two of you, so everyone in his appartment building gets a small basket, and he brings whatever is leftover to the underground arena for the other fighters to enjoy before or after their fights. Apple cider is a fast win for him, he adores it, especially if it’s fresh and warm.

He’s fairly graceful on the ice when he still has both legs, but he needs a bit more stability after he loses one. Either way, he’s sticking by your side, holding your hand and overall just having a really nice time doing some relaxed laps around the ring. Unfortunately for you though, you’ll get very warm because he insists that you bundle up.

He’s an angel about gifts. You could wrap his gifts right in front of him and he’ll just keep his eyes on whatever he’s doing, be it also wrapping yours (in which case he keeps the couch between the two of you) or cooking. Hell, he might even just be training a little. Whatever he’s doing, his attention is on that and not what you have in your hands. He likes to gift you things he knows that you’ll use, so expect some clothes and all that fun stuff. But sometimes he just gets you something because he thinks it’s nice and that you’d think it was cool.

Stocking stuffers are his one weakness, he can’t help but want to peek at what’s inside, though he’ll restrain himself. He doesn’t want to ruin the surprise, and he knows you’d be sad if he did peek. He likes practical things, but he won’t turn down snacks. As for what he gets you, it depends on the kind of year you’ve had. He’s very intuitive with his stocking stuffers.

Advent calendars with chocolate are nice, and he really likes the dark chocolate ones, but he won’t touch them until Christmas eve so he can use the chocolates to make something for the two of you to share. He doesnt’ mind, it means that he can see you smiling.

Doppo:

He’s such a stereotypical dad about Christmas it’s insane. He wasn’t that bad before he and Natsue adopted Katsumi, but he is terrible now. Constant puns and jokes, it doesn’t stop. He’s the kinda guy to wear the ugliest Christmas sweater you’ve ever seen and be proud of it. He and Natsue have Katsumi over for supper every year since he moved out, and he usually stays until the day after Christmas, then he hauls all his gifts home and doesn’t come by until new years, when they all have another big family dinner.

He’ll indulge in almost every Christmas activity you can think of. You wanna go sledding? He’ll go with you and drag Katsumi along. You wanna get some Hot Chocolate and sit by a fire? He’s down for that too. He’s happy to go along with whatever you and Natsue want to do. It’s the holidays and he’s not stingy about his time.

He, unlike Katsumi, isn’t the best at skating. He can do it, but he can really only skate slowly and stop, he’s not going to be racing you around the arena unless you piss him off enough, in which case, yeah, he’ll go after you, and poor Natsue will be stuck dealing with the two of you being way too boisterous. (She loves it)

He’s fine with gifts. He has patience, he knows good things are worth waiting for That being said, any big gifts are going to have his attention immediately and he’s going to pester you about said big gifts until he can open it. He’s very thoughtful with his gifts to you and Natsue, he wants the two loves of his life to be happy with what he gives them, and normally, you two will be very happy.

Stocking stuffers are always right for pranking. Prank him and he’ll love it, but prank each-other and it’s a glorious night where you both end up laughing so hard your ribs hurt. DO NOT open your stocking from Doppo in front of Katsumi, that’s a fast way to traumatise the poor man. He’ll get you something, whether it’s good, bad, or just downright hilarious is up to chance at that point honestly.

Get him a puzzle or model advent calendar, one of the big ones, he’ll be busy with it for hours once he gets all of the pieces. He’s a secret lover of puzzles and model kits. Anything he has to put together by hand is an automatic win. You’ll walk into the livingroom to do something and he’ll be there late at night, a light on, glasses equipped, slowly working on that puzzle or model kit. Getting him a Warhammer or Gundam kit would sweep him off his feet.

Natsue:

She likes Christmas a lot, she ropes you and Doppo into helping her Decorate about a week into December and you won’t regret it, because it winds up looking really good and being a really pleasant experience with two of your favourite people out there.

She’s down for literally any Christmas activity, be it just the two of you, all three of you, or just her and Doppo. At least once before Christmas though, she’d love to break out the hot chocolate platter and watch some movies. Bonus points if Katsumi is there, because the she has the three most important people in her life all together, getting along and having a good time.

She’s not bad at skating, but much like Doppo, she really only goes one speed. If you rile Doppo up he’ll chase after you, and usually she’ll wind up being used as a human sheild between you and her husband, and it won’t really work, as a heads up. She’ll let him get you with no hesitation.

She’s great at gift wrapping, if you need help you ask her and she’ll show you as many times as you need until you get it down. She doesn’t want a lot of gifts, never does, but somehow she winds up having the most. It’s just easy to see something and go “Yeah, Natsue would really like that!” She gives you some of the most heart melting gifts too, she’s good at doing that. Let her get a gift for each of the usual arena fighters and I guarantee you even Hanayama will start tearing up with how thoughtful her gifts are.

Stockings from Natsue are always safe, in sharp contrast to Doppo. She gets you an even mix between snacks, knick-knacks and practical stuff. You get at least one piece of jewlery from her in your stocking by the way.

Natsue likes advent calendars, she thinks they’re neat. Get her any kind and she’s perfectly happy, but if she expresses an interest in starting a new hobby around Christmas, you can and absolutely should look into getting an advent calender with supplies for said hobby in it, she’d melt.

Motobe:

He’s quiet in his enjoyment of the holidays in general, but he won’t lie, Christmas isn’t his absolute favourite. He’ll put up a few decorations (or more realistically, he’ll convince someone from his dojo to do that for him), but he doesn’t really do much about Christmas.

He’ll indulge in more laid-back Christmas activities, but anything more energetic is usually a polite no from him. He doesn’t mind, but depending on the weather and what it is, he might have to tell you no and suggest an alternative instead.

Skating is a really relaxed affair with him. Unlike Doppo, he maintains his one speed with you, and it doesn’t matter if you try and rile him up, he’s pretty patient. He mostly just wants to skate around and hold your hand, enjoy the weather and each-other’s company.

He’s good about gifts. Hell, he’ll even help you wrap his stuff if you let him. At the very least, he’ll help you put stuff away under the tree. He doesn’t really mind secrets, and he’s not really one for surprises, but he understands if you want to surprise him with whatever you got him. His gifts to you are usually pretty fun I won’t lie. Man will full on get you a good knife for Christmas every year that you’re together. Lessons on how to use that knife come without charge.

He will outright tell you to be careful with his stocking to you. He’ll put god knows what in there, and honestly, the thought is really sweet, but opening a stocking to several sharp and dangerous objects is very jarring. Especially considering that beneath all the weapons will be really sweet gifts and candies. He outright tells you he prefers practical things in his stocking, and while he won’t refuse a gift, if he doesn’t think it’s useful it’ll just sorta sit in this little cubby he has in his room.

Advent calendars are fun, he’ll accept any one you can get him, but dark chocolate and model kids are popular with him, especially if it’s a proper model kit of old battleships and fighter planes. Your advent calendar from him, shockingly enough, usually is a perfume calendar (unless you’re allergic).

Shibukawa:

Mischeivious old man will take every opportunity to rub the fact that it’s getting to be Christmas in the face of every young fighter he meets. They start charging him? “Well, I know who’s going to be on the naughty list!” It gives them just enough pause that his crazy old man act completely drops and he whoops them so hard they legitimately need to take a break.

He’s good to do almost any Christmas activity as long as it’s not too cold out, his old bones can’t really take the cold as well as they used to. Either way, toss a heavy coat at him and he’ll stop his grumbling and drop the act. He expects you to dress up as much as he does though, so don’t think you can get away with wearing a coat less thick than his.

He’ll skate, sure! He’s not bad at it either, he’s pretty graceful.Given the chance he’ll zip around the ring once or twice before he comes up to you expecting you to hold his hand and hang around him for a surprisingly wholesome moment with him, free from his pranking and mischief. That being said, if a kid eats it in fornt of him, he’s going to laugh.

He’ll peek at his gifts out of sheer spite if you ask him to behave. And he’ll do it blatantly too. Don’t worry, he’ll tear the wrapping off while the gift is still in a bag or something so he doesn’t actually know what it is. His gifts are fun, admittedly. They’re real good too. The first one he hands you will always have you snorting so hard you give yourself a headache. He doesn’t expect you to keep that one, he’s just happy he can catch you off-guard.

Stocking stuffers are sacred to him. He gets you the sweetest most tear-jerking gift in that stocking and it’ll be the very last ting you find because he deliberately stuffs it way into the toe. It’s enough to make you cry, and for once, he’ll be nice and not tease you about it right away. He’ll wait a week, at least. He’ll take anything you give him, but fun little tools of mischeif are always appreciated. He’s got a collection that started from when he was young, it’s honestly impressive.

His favourite advent calendars are, in fact, candy ones, if only so he can be that kind old grandpa that hands kids a candy, only for it to be the most sour thing in existence. He’ll troll the neighbourhood kids so hard, but don’t worry, it’s a mutual prank war.

Tokugawa:

He loves Christmas, his entire home gets decorated for Christmas, and he even tries to gussy the arena up a little bit. Once Jack came around, he convinced him and Baki to help him hang an upside-down tree from the ceiling near the lights, it was a great source of confusion for quite some time.

He’ll do his best to convince the fighters to come participate in Christmas activities with him, and if you’re one of the fighters then you’re no exception. If he can’t bring them to Christmas though, he’ll bring Christmas to them in the form of Christmas drinks being served to them before and after fights. He often bonds with the other hot chocolate enjoyers about the richer flavoured ones.

He absolutely loves going skating, but including the fighters in it is a bit messy. Between the younger fighters getting a bit chaotic and the others that may be present, he usually takes shelter with the older fighters or Hanayama, who tends to stay fairly calm. Once Jack gets the initial “I need to go” out of his system though, he’s happy to hitch a ride. He hasn’t ever gone that fast over ice and it’s absolutely thrilling to him, though he doesn’t get to enjoy that long before Baki insists on racing his big brother and he’s relegated back to skating on his own two feet.

Gifts are fun with Tokugawa. He makes it clear that has favourite fighters, and they often get gifts from him, though what he doesn’t ever expect is another gift in return. Sometimes it’s a stunning match dedicated to him, and other times it’s an actual gift. Upon learning that he was a hot chocolate lover, Jack got some of the good stuff from Canada, and Doppo got him a brand new pipe.

Stocking stuffers from Tokugawa are fun, because he leaves one on each changing room door. They’re refilled for each contestant that fights, so everyone gets at least one. It’s not a lot, but it’s something that they’ll all use and appreciate. Most of the time it’s a first aid kit, just to be on the safe side, but sometimes it’s a little something to show his appreciation.

Tokugawa has a lot of time on his hands when he’s not planning fights or tournaments, he pays people to do the simpler stuff, so he enjoys picking up new hobbies. Puzzle advents are popular with him, especially if you can get custom puzzles. Getting the main fighters to agree to take a picture for Tokugawa to be turned into a puzzle isn’t the easiest thing, but they’ll all eventually cave in and agree to it.

#baki the grappler #baki son of ogre #baki dou #grappler baki #baki headcanons #baki hanma #kozue matsumoto #hanayama kaoru #chiharu shiba #katsumi orochi #jack hanma #kosho shinogi #kureha shinogi #retsu kaioh #doppo orochi #natsue orochi #motobe izou #shibukawa gouki #tokugawa mitsunari

[idk-bruh-20]

Irondad fic ideas #110

The Iron Spider suit is a completely sealed environment. During the pandemic, Peter has been using this suit to stay safe on his patrols and to give Tony and May peace of mind

However, he quickly realizes that the suit also gives him an amazing opportunity. In these new and upsetting times, with everyone stuck at home, afraid and isolated from each other, Peter, in the Iron Spider suit, can pretty much go wherever he wants

So, during the pandemic, Peter expands his usual patrol routine. In addition to his daily grind of getting cats out of trees and stopping bicycle thieves, he starts delivering food and other necessary items to those who can't leave their homes

Maybe someone is immunocompromised, so even after lockdown ends they need to stay inside. Maybe someone is sick and staying home to heal and to keep others safe. Peter visits their fire escapes with groceries, offers to do their laundry for them and walk their dogs. He entertains kids with sick parents through their windows. He gives someone a hug who has been stuck alone in their room for days. It becomes commonplace to see Spider-Man swinging through the city with, essentially, care packages.

Eventually, people start leaving notes on their windows about things they need. Most of the notes start like, "This is only for if you're not too busy!" but Peter loves being able to bring someone their favorite tea, or to help a young mother stock back up on baby formula. Some of the notes are about other people, "My friend at 123 Something Street is sick and he really loves this one pho place..." All of the notes end with sincere gratitude.

(Some of the notes just are gratitude. Paragraphs and fanart and so many people expressing their thanks.)

In this way, the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man keeps everyone connected and cared for, even if they first thought they were alone

Bonus:

Inspired by Peter, Tony starts up a new charity (alongside all of his other pandemic relief efforts). The charity allows people to make requests for things they need and to note gifts they'd like to send to others.

It's all ranked by urgency, with the most vital stuff getting sent to people right away. But, the public is also encouraged to donate to a fund (with Tony matching all their donations) to make the less urgent things happen too. Because yes, needs are important. But fulfilling small wants -- giving each other things that aren't exactly required but are deeply appreciated -- is how we show we really care

In this way, the whole city can be inspired by Spider-Man

(Without even having to leave their homes -- since, obviously, the charity's care items are delivered by Iron Legion robots)

Whatever acronym Tony uses for the charity's name, it has something to do with Spider-Man and how, in spite of tough times, we are all still one big neighborhood

This fic idea is dedicated to @lbozzie! Happy belated birthday! I am leaving this fic idea on your fire escape for you to find <3

#irondad fic ideas #peter parker #tony stark #irondad and spiderson #iron dad and spider son #spider-man #iron man #fic idea #fic ideas

[arielchelby]

Mayfair Witches AU

This is my submission for for Day 3 (Prompt: Witching Hour) of the Jonerys Falling for You event hosted by @iceandfirejonerysdiscord!

My belated birthday gift to @moondancer71 ! A fall gift for a summer birthday 🥳 All she had to do was make me a gorgeous moodboard and beta read! 😊 Thank you, Moon!

Thank you also to @evax3 for beta reading! They both have a thing for demons and romance which was very helpful! 😘

Summary: For generations, Targaryen women were known as powerful witches – at least until Dany’s mother died and left her in the care of her brother, Viserys. Jealous of her magic and possessive of her inheritance, he kept Dany locked away and ignorant of the secrets of her foremothers. 

Dany had long accepted her fate and that Targaryen magic would die with her. But then, as her 25th birthday approaches, a man half hidden in shadow begins invading her dreams. He’s devastatingly handsome and assuredly not human. Perhaps she should be afraid, but she finds herself intoxicated by his promises of freedom and everything she desires.

A figure stood by the window, masked in darkness, with her window curtain billowing behind his silhouette in the breeze. Drawing her knees to her chest, she clutched at her covers and cast a sideways glance at her phone on the nightstand.  It was just out of her reach.  “You won’t need that,” he said. His voice was low and his accent strange. “I’d never hurt you.”  Dany felt herself start to shake from fear while contemplating if she should run for the door. She sat up and tried to make herself sound strong. “Who are you? How did you get in here?”  “Good evening, witch,” the shadow man answered. The way he said witch almost sounded like an endearment. “I’ve called this house my home for a long time.”  “I’m not a witch,” she answered, swallowing a lump in her throat. “You must be mistaking me for my mother.” His voice was deep and soothing. “I make no mistake.”

Read complete fic on A03

Ice and Fire Jonerys Discord Server

#jonerys falling for you 2023 #ice and fire jonerys discord #jonerys fanfic #jonerys #jonerys fanfiction #jon snow #daenerys targaryen #mayfair witches au #demon!Jon #witch!dany #inner demons #ariel writes

[moonchildreads]

small town

Chapter 24 - Up Where We Belong

IN THIS CHAPTER: Graduation gowns, strawberry milkshakes, and Wayne asks a question [9.9k]

WARNINGS: dealing with grief (nancy, dottie, eddie to a less extent), writer not knowing how graduations are in the us

A/N: happy new year!!!! i hope everyone is having a wonderful start of 2024, here's your belated christmas gift from yours truly. if you read this and think "that's not how that works", then i don't know what to tell you bestie but i tried. i watched a TON of graduation ceremonies on youtube and i pulled heavily from those, aside from borrowing things from my own not-american graduation. i hope you enjoy it anyways! (and let me know if you wanna be added to the taglist!) <3

masterlist - prev - next | playlist

All we have is here and now All our life, out there to find

Friday, June 13th - 1986

Wayne Munson had walked the halls of Hawkins High School several times throughout recent years courtesy of his nephew’s misbehaving, but never making it past Principal Higgins’ office was turning out to be a problem. Resigned, he stomped on his cigarette gently before following a family that looked like they knew where they were going, regretting not taking up Eddie’s offer to escort him inside before he disappeared in search of his friends and fellow graduates. Graduation. Ain’t that a funny thing to think about, Wayne mused. The auditorium, he noted as he finally found it, was decorated in bright orange and calming forest green, a Class of 1986 paper banner hanging from the dark curtain that was doing its job as an unassuming background at the very back of the room. On the stage, there was a regal-looking wooden lectern, and a small table with stacked up rolls of paper tied with orange and green ribbons; next to it, a bunch of black chairs where teachers would probably be sitting during the event had been carefully lined up into a single row.

Excitement filled the air. It was in the murmurs of the people taking their seats, skimming their programs to proudly find the names of their kids printed on the semi-matte paper. It was in the way the school’s faculty could not stand still, barely having time to say hello to everyone walking in before they were off to check yet another little detail so everything could go as smoothly as possible. Wayne walked down the central aisle trying to find a good spot to sit in while feeling a bead of sweat go down his back. The last time he’d worn a suit, any suit, had been to his mother’s funeral eight years before; in fact, he still only owned that one suit. The temperature in Hawkins was steadily rising as June turned into July, and Wayne felt incredibly stuffy in his clothes but he didn’t dare wear anything less for such a special day. Eddie had defied all odds and was now a High School Graduate, the first Munson to walk to stage in three generations. Truth be told, his Uncle was willing to bet that he was actually the first one to do so in their entire family history, and thus, Wayne wore the suit, and the shirt, and the tie, and searched for a seat near the front to witness his nephew doing the exact opposite of what the whole town had always expected him to do: succeed.

Bianca, Donny’s mom, was fussing over her youngest grandson, Francesco, when she saw Wayne looking a little lost in the crowd and waved at him to wordlessly invite him to sit with them. The eldest Munson approached them with a smile, settling himself on the row behind the Vitale family who was so very busy trying to keep little Francesco and his (barely) older cousin Marco from running down the aisles and bothering other families.

“Good to see y’all made it,” Wayne commented, shaking Donny’s dad Angelo’s hand before turning to Vittoria, Donny’s heavily pregnant older sister. “Though I coulda sworn I heard you were on bed rest, missy.”

“I am, but what my doctor doesn’t know won’t hurt him,” she laughed, hand resting over her swollen belly. “This little lady hasn’t stopped kicking me all day, I think she’s more excited than I am to finally be outside the house!”

“It’s a special day, I’m sure the doctor won’t mind too much as long as we take it slow,” her husband said, kissing the side of her head. “Say hi to Mr. Munson, Marco.”

“Hi!” the little boy said, standing between his parents’ seats. “Whose Grandpa are you?”

“Marco!” his dad exclaimed, but Wayne laughed loudly.

“That’s not a grandpa, you dummy! That’s Eddie’s dad,” said Francesco, before grabbing his cousin’s hand and leading him towards Nonna Giulia down the row in search of the candy she always kept in her purse.

“I’m sorry,” Vittoria said with an apologetic smile. “They read this picture book about families at pre-school and now he thinks all men with white hair are grandpas.”

“Ah, it’s fine. I know I’m not gettin’ any younger,” Wayne joked, his eyes straying to the side of the auditorium where the seniors were finally getting ushered into formation.

The Vitale family craned their necks to see their boy, and Wayne in turn searched for his: Eddie was standing near Jeff towards the middle of the line, the two of them engaged in conversation as they waited for everyone to get into their respective places. It wasn’t that Eddie wasn’t paying attention to what his friend was saying; he was clearly answering back and keeping the chat going, but it seemed to his Uncle that he was searching for someone in the crowd, eyes scanning rows of unknown family members for a face he hadn’t yet found. Wayne was about to lift his hand to let him know where he was sitting, but it soon became apparent that Eddie hadn’t been looking for him - he had been looking for the short haired girl who had just ran into the auditorium with a panicked look on her face and an askew cap on her head.

Dottie hurried over to where her classmates were standing, enveloping a curly haired girl Wayne wasn’t familiar with at the very back of the line in an enthusiastic hug before doing the same with Donny. Wayne saw with an amused smile how Eddie waited patiently for his turn while she hugged Jeff, and how all his anxiety looked like it was melting away as he embraced her, eyes closed and face buried in her hair. After saying their hellos, Dottie kept walking to the front of the line where she greeted a strawberry blonde girl with excited hops and shared an equally loving hug with both her and Gareth. Her dad watched her with a fond smile from his place near the doors, a program held tightly in his hands. Taking pity on the poor man who Wayne knew was attending the event alone much like he was, he motioned for James to join their mismatched group who gladly took the offer, walking briskly towards the still empty seat next to Eddie’s uncle. James greeted Donny’s family before getting comfortable on his wooden chair and let a long breath out. Finally.

“Long morning?” Wayne asked, knowingly.

“Be grateful you don’t have a teenage girl in your house, Wayne. It was near impossible to get here on time,” James scoffed.

“Can’t be worse than Ed’s allergy to his damn alarm clock. It went off for a whole 15 minutes before he got up today.”

“Did it wake you up?”

“Nah. Was already up reading the paper but I wasn’t about to turn it off for him. He just rolls over and keeps sleeping if I do,” he said, and James shook his head with an affectionate smile on his face.

“Teenagers, right?”

“Yup. Teenagers.”

Over the few short months Wayne and James had known each other, they had learned to appreciate the quiet but hard work the other did for their respective kid. It wasn’t easy to be a single father, and even though Wayne wasn’t Eddie’s biological dad, there was no doubt in James’ mind that he fulfilled that role wonderfully in the boy’s life and heart. The Munsons and the Burkes had gone through a lot over the years, that much was undeniable, but on that hot Friday morning both fathers could be proud that their kids had made it to the other side relatively unharmed, all the while somehow finding each other to rely on along the way. If Dottie and Eddie were going to be inseparable all summer as they had been since the day they met, it was only fair James and Wayne got to compare notes on parenting and commiserate over the little annoying things they’d miss once the kids had left the comforting safety of their family homes.

Before they could continue their talk however, teachers began herding the seniors into a neat single file and getting into their places on the stage, Principal Higgins taking his spot behind the lectern. Excitement amplified as the crowd hushed - only suppressed coughs and a few little children’s voices could be heard in the quiet room. Wayne saw Higgins approach the mic and took a deep breath letting the pride he’d been feeling all morning take over him. The heat of the almost-here summer was forgotten outside in the parking lot, along with his smushed cigarette butt and the heavy weight he’d been carrying since a CPS agent left a scared 8-year-old Eddie on his doorstep all those years ago.

“Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. I’m Hawkins High School Principal Thomas Higgins,” the man began, voice booming across the room with the aid of loudspeakers; Dorothy peered at him over the shoulder of the taller girl standing in front of her. “On behalf of the faculty, staff, and administration of Hawkins High, we’d like to welcome family and friends, and most importantly, to our seniors to the Commencement Exercises of the Graduating Class of 1986.”

Higgins paused for effect and the crowd followed his cue by breaking into happy applause - the aforementioned seniors gleefully waved to the few family members they could find within the sea of heads straining to look at them. The Class of ‘86 stood patiently to the side towards the back of the auditorium, waiting to be called into the main aisle where their names would be announced one by one and they’d go up the stage, accept their diploma, and go back downstairs to the rows of chairs at the front left that had been reserved for them. The full graduating class was small, no more than 40 students, and Dottie wondered how different things would have been for her if she were graduating with her New York classmates in a year that comprised around 400 kids instead of doing it in Hawkins, Indiana.

“Please, rise from your seats and join us in singing the National Anthem, followed by the Hawkins High School Spirit Song,” Higgins announced, and the sound of creaking wooden chairs filled the air as everyone followed his request.

Dottie sang along to the National Anthem without thinking too much about it, but when the first notes of the Hawkins High school song came through the speakers, she realized she had no idea what the lyrics were. No one had told her they’d be singing it during their only rehearsal, and certainly no one had spared a moment to teach it to her in the last six months. She wasn’t even sure she knew a spirit song even existed before that very moment. Eyes surveying over the crowd of family members, she saw that most if not all were singing along - the only ones not joining in were probably those who hadn’t attended Hawkins High and lived in a different town, perhaps even in a different state altogether. Heat rising up her chest under her dark green gown, she turned her head to the front, feeling very much like an outsider amongst her peers for the first time in months. Bryan Butler right behind her sang louder as the song was ending and she tried to not call attention to herself to let him take the spotlight. Once the music stopped, Principal Higgins neared the lectern to continue his speech.

“Thank you, you may be seated now,” Higgins said, and the wooden creaking resumed for a second as everyone sat back down to watch the rest of the ceremony. “The Hawkins High School Class of 1986 has experienced many memorable moments over the last four years, and Hawkins is proud of how these young graduates have worked and persevered through hard times to get to this day. We as faculty could not be prouder or more thrilled to celebrate with them, and we look forward to sending them off onto the next chapter in their lives. Parents, grandparents, siblings, aunts, uncles, and other family members, we are honored to have you here today as our guests to celebrate our graduates and we thank you for your support. Please clap along as the Class of 1986 proceeds to their places.”

The speakers began playing Pomp and Circumstance March No.1 in D and the crowd broke into fervent applause once more, Michael Allen leading the way for his fellow seniors to stand in the central aisle right below the middle set of stairs where they’d wait to be called to the stage. As they fell into their designated spots, Dottie finally recognized who had been assigned to stand right in front of her; it was Robin Buckley, the shy band nerd she had met at Family Video a few weeks earlier and briefly bonded with over their shared love of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. She was wearing white Converse sneakers with little drawings in blue and black ink, and the edges of her black rolled up jeans could be seen poking below her gown. She’s so cool, Dottie thought, not knowing that Robin was desperately trying not to scan the audience lest her nerves paralyzed her. Not even painting her nails bright orange had saved them from being chewed on this time around.

“Hawkins High School’s Class of 1986 was given the opportunity to choose a member of our staff to read their names as they cross the stage today,” Principal Higgins explained as three people already on stage stood from their seats. “I am honored to announce that this year, our Assistant Principal Mrs. Elaine Chandler will present the diplomas to our newest graduates. Mrs. Suzanne O’Donnell, Mr. Leopold Hauser, and myself will present them with their diploma cover, graduation medallions, and honor cords if applicable. Elaine?” he motioned for her to switch places with him.

“Thank you, Principal Higgins,” said Assistant Principal Elaine Chandler, adjusting her glasses on her nose as she looked down the list of names in front of her. “Allen, Michael,” she called first from behind the lectern, and the crowd clapped as Michael went up to her and received a hug and a rolled up certificate before moving down the stage towards the other teachers to shake their hands.

Dottie’s palms began sweating as more names kept being called and her time as a Hawkins High student slowly came to an end. Even though she had felt very much like an intruder looking in through a window during her first few months in the town, she had to admit that was happy here now - certainly much more happier than she’d ever been back in New York. Here all the teachers knew her name without having to read it from a file. Here she had a group of friends she’d go to literal Hell and back for, and she had a boyfriend who loved her the way she’d always thought love should be: easy and gentle. Here she had attended the best prom of her life, and her face would be permanently attached to a club that had given her the safety she’d never gotten anywhere else to finally, truthfully, be herself. Here Dottie had been at home.

While Barnes, Kathleen was getting her extracurricular honor cords for being part of the cheerleading team, Mrs. Chandler called upon Buckley, Robin and Dottie suddenly found herself at the front of the line. Robin climbed the steps with as much grace as she could muster while being pretty much mortified, and Mrs. Chandler soothed her with friendly pats on her back before presenting her with her diploma. The tall girl accepted it with shaky hands, her rings glinting under the stage lights, when a loud cheer rang above the polite applause of the crowd. Robin laughed, half embarrassed and half grateful, and when Dottie turned to see where the sounds were coming from, she found not only Dustin and Erica hooting and hollering besides a couple who were clearly Robin’s parents, but also that Steve guy that worked at Family Video with her, the one that Robin had described as her strictly platonic best friend with a capital P. It looked like retail did bond you forever after all.

Mr. and Mrs. Buckley looked between confused and amused as Steve pinched his bottom lip and let out a loud whistle - a chortle escaped Robin’s mouth while a cheerful Mr. Hauser, who had been her favorite teacher all four years of high school, put her graduation medallion around her neck, nerves all but forgotten before she skipped her way down to Mrs. O’Donnell to receive her extracurricular honor cords for being in band. Huh, that’s curious, Dottie thought distractedly. Didn’t know Dustin and Erica were such good friends with her and Steve. I wonder how they met.

“Burke, Dorothy,” called Mrs. Chandler through the speakers, jostling Dottie out of her musings.

This was it. The moment of truth. Dottie climbed the stairs and accepted a hug from Mrs. Chandler, hearing her friends cheering for her loudly in the background when her damp fingers came into contact with her diploma. She glanced at the crowd and time seemed to stop when her eyes found her Dad, a proud smile on his face and his program tucked under his armpit so he could clap loudly for his daughter. She waved at him and Wayne, who had also stood up to cheer for her, and time resumed after a blinding flash went off and she was whisked along to where the rest of the teachers were standing. She shook hands with both Principal Higgins and Mr. Hauser even though she hardly knew both men, and accepted her diploma cover and her graduation medallion before turning towards Mrs. O’Donnell. She was about to hug her teacher when the old woman presented her with her own honor cords, entwined green and orange ending in delicate tassels dangling from her manicured hands.

“That’s not- I’m not-” Dottie began.

“You have one of the highest GPAs in your year, besides being involved in two extracurriculars. Congratulations, Miss Burke. You’ve earned this,” O’Donnell said, and it was perhaps the only time in the whole semester Dottie had seen her genuinely smile.

“T-thank you,” she managed to get out, letting the woman drape the cords on her shoulders and rushing to her seat before she began bawling on stage.

“Hey, congrats!” Robin whispered once they were both seated next to each other, shaking her own cords lightly. The ceremony continued with no regards to their little chat.

“You too! Didn’t know I had qualified for any of this, I think everyone saw me have an aneurism up there.”

“Nah, everyone’s too nervous about not tripping down the stairs on their way back, don’t worry about it.”

“Coleman, Gareth,” Mrs. Chandler announced, grabbing Dottie’s attention.

Carver, Jason hadn’t even reached the sidestage stairs to go down after accepting his diploma when Gareth, in his haste to get everything over with, tried to climb two steps at a time and got his feet tangled in his dark green gown. Cunningham, Chrissy, who was right behind him, quickly caught his arm before he could lose balance and hit the floor. He quietly thanked her with red cheeks and embarrassed eyes before he finally went up the stairs, one step at a time. Chrissy went back to the front of the line while other classmates around Dottie and Robin snickered at the little mishap; Gareth accepted his diploma and other paraphernalia, and got the hell off the stage as quickly as humanly possible.

“Thank God that wasn’t me,” Robin muttered, and Dottie grimaced in agreement.

Gareth ended up awkwardly sitting between Jason and Chrissy, but much to his relief, they had all been assigned to the row behind Dottie. Taking advantage of the proximity, he leaned forward to talk to his friend as the ceremony progressed and Chrissy quickly joined, stopping to give Dottie a kiss on her cheek from her seat behind her as a second greeting. Jason watched the scene unfold and asked himself when had his girlfriend started hanging out with people he didn’t know. He thought he knew everything about Chrissy - when had that changed and to what extent? Selfishly, he couldn’t help but think about what the future would look like for them when they left for college. Chrissy was headed to OSU and he would be at Indiana State, almost four hours and more than 250 miles between them. Would this be their last summer together? He didn’t like to entertain that thought.

Davis, Monica, Foster, Kyle, and Hanson, Randall were some of the names they didn’t pay much attention to until Humphrey, Andrew was called to the stage. Jason distracted himself from his anxiety over his relationship possibly having an expiration date by clapping loudly for his best friend. Dottie and Gareth shared a mischievous look: Andy wasn’t wearing any bandages on his nose anymore, but the dark purple shadow under his eye was still very visible with the bright stage lights illuminating his face. After him came Hurley, Marcie, one of Dot’s colleagues from the newspaper club, and Kemper, Lucy, the girl who had sold almost everyone their prom tickets. Morgan, Theresa was on stage when Dottie realized she knew almost all the people in her graduating class by name now, even if they had never spoken to one another before. In New York, she’d never known the names of all the people within a single class, not since elementary school at least. She wondered if they remembered her, but then decided she didn’t care that the answer was probably a resounding no.

When Munson, Edward was called to the stage, Dottie and Gareth stood up to make as much noise as possible, both infinitely proud of the long haired boy with the charming eyes who was accepting the one piece of paper that had seemed so elusive all this time. Dustin and Erica hollered at him, and the rest of the Hellfire Club, still in line waiting to accept their diplomas, joined them in their antics. When Principal Higgins went in for a handshake, Eddie pulled him into a hug; the older man laughed and let it happen, a sort of fondness for the metalhead’s unwavering resilience present in their interaction. He accepted his medallion and his own honor cords for being the Chapter Leader of a student organization, and just before he climbed off, he approached the edge of the stage with a dazzling grin.

“Here it comes,” Dottie muttered, anticipating her boyfriend to give the middle finger to the entire town and bolt as he had declared he’d do on multiple occasions.

What Eddie did instead was find his Uncle in the crowd and bow deeply in his direction as people clapped for him like it was the end of a play. Wayne pretended to not be choking back tears as his nephew got off the stage, lips pursed behind his fingers trying to hide the grin threatening to break out on his face.

“Coward,” Gareth said, and Chrissy hit him in the shoulder.

There was no time for Eddie to do anything more but find his seat, because immediately after him came Patton, Jeffrey, and exactly ten names later, came Vitale, Donatello. The teachers laughed and cooed at his excited nephews jumping up and down the aisle, cheering for his favorite Uncle. One day in the not so distant future, they’d probably be handing them their diplomas too. Just how many faces in the crowd had walked through these same halls, attended the same classes, and some of them even had the same teachers as the Class of ‘86? A much younger and recently married O’Donnell, a Higgins as a History teacher prior to his Principal days, a Kaminski after his eldest son had just been born. Never before had the kids in the Hellfire Club felt as much part of the Hawkins High community as they did now - it almost felt unfair that they had to permanently leave the place to finally feel that way.

“And last, but certainly not least,” said Mrs. Chandler when there was only one person left to climb up the stage. “-Wheeler, Nancy, the valedictorian for the Class of 1986 who will say a few words for us and her fellow graduates after receiving her diploma.”

The crowd broke once again in loud applause as a red cheeked Nancy in her dark green gown and bright orange valedictorian stole greeted all her teachers with a few flashcards containing her speech in her hand. Karen Wheeler looked at her daughter with shiny eyes, infinitely proud of her little girl that’d grown into a smart, capable woman right in front of her. In a few months she’d be far away, following her dreams, and taking a piece of her mother’s hopes with her as she did so, but none of her fears. Holly raised her arms, silently asking to be lifted up so she could see better, and Karen picked up her youngest daughter, pointing at her big sister in the distance so she could wave at her. Nancy took her place behind the lectern and looked at the audience, a carefully put together mask over bittersweet eyes that Dottie had almost become used to seeing on her friend. If she stared into a mirror too deeply, she could recognize the dents in her skin of her own mask, now laying shattered at her feet.

“Honorable guests, Principal Higgins, Hawkins High School faculty, academic and supporting staff, friends, families, and graduates - good morning,”  Nancy began, voice soft but pleasantly clear. “It is with great pride that I stand here before you on such a special occasion to deliver this speech, which I promise I’ll try to keep short and sweet,” she lightheartedly smiled at her audience before she grew solemn once more. “However, before I start, I would like to ask you to join me in a moment of silence to commemorate the students and family members who could not be here today with us, and to remember the victims of the Starcourt Mall Fire on July 4th, 1985.”

Not a sound could be heard for a few heartbeats, and Dottie watched the faces of the town she’d come to love morph from amused to weary. There was real mourning here, a deep gash left open in a community that couldn’t heal properly because some wounds were just too deep to scab over. Eddie had told her everything he knew about what had happened, the official story everyone that hadn’t been involved in the tragedy repeated when asked, and her heart constricted when she saw Dustin and Erica in their seats with their heads down. They looked downright haunted. Steve sat next to them, watching over them with such turmoil in his eyes that Dottie had to wonder if there was something they were all missing about what happened. Had Steve also been in the mall with them? Had Robin, who was quietly sitting next to her like she was reliving a horror movie behind her eyes, her fingers absentmindedly tangling and untangling themselves in her honor cords?

Karen, sitting next to her unaware husband and emotionally closed off son, took a few deep breaths to keep her tears at bay and gently kissed Holly’s head before shifting her baby on her lap to hold her against her chest more tightly, like someone could snatch her off her arms at any given moment. Dottie twisted her mom’s engagement ring on her left middle finger and bit the inside of her cheek while blinking away the wetness gathering on her lash line. Not now, she scolded herself. Later.

“Thank you,” Nancy said, breaking the silence and moving onto her next flashcard. “Four years ago, we arrived at Hawkins High as children, and we are now leaving as young adults with our whole lives ahead of us. Some will go on to college, others will enter the workforce, but all of us will take the lessons learned here and let them guide us to become who we were always meant to be,” she turned to look to her side. “I'd like to thank our teachers for sharing their knowledge with us, for being patient and pushing us to achieve great things. With their help, our Hawkins High Mathletes reached their first ever state finals and brought home the silver medal earlier this year.”

There was a loud cheer coming from somewhere in the auditorium that sounded very much like Rick Stewart, exiting Captain of the Hawkins High Mathletes. Some people laughed goodnaturedly and joined in, the teachers clapping proudly at their labor being recognized. Nancy smiled and continued, knowing the applause would only get louder as she read the next part of her speech.

“I'd like to thank our coaches and counselors for making school more than just homework. You taught us about discipline, teamwork, and integrity, which led our basketball team to win the 1A North Central Conference Championship for the first time in 22 years,” the applause that followed was deafening, and it took several minutes for it to die down before Nancy could keep going. “I'd like to thank our families for supporting us in more ways that we could ever count, for chaperoning our dances and field trips, cheering for us at our sporting events, and attending all our plays with so much love and commitment, that our Drama Club was able to extend their winter run of West Side Story with a packed audience every night until their closure.”

The cheers this time were much more subdued, yet polite and sustained enough to not be embarrassing to the Drama Club members and their families in the audience. It was clear, however, where the town’s loyalties stood: Indiana’s love for basketball was known throughout the country, and Hawkins wasn’t the exception to the rule. Nancy looked at her graduating class and grabbed the last two flashcards in her pile.

“No one achieves success alone, and we are truly grateful for the help and guidance we’ve received during our years as Hawkins Tigers. However, if my classmates indulge me for a second, I’d like to ask each of you to think about a moment where you felt proud of yourself. Think about the things you’ve accomplished here, and the challenges you’ve overcome. A great woman by the name of Eleanor Roosevelt once wrote, you gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, ‘I have lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.’ You must do the thing you think you cannot do. Our time as Hawkins High School students has come to an end. We did it, Class of ‘86. We did the thing we thought we couldn’t do, and we’ve learned that we can take the next thing that comes along, so keep moving forward. I’m proud of you, and I hope you are too. Thank you, and congratulations to us all.”

Dottie followed Nancy with her eyes as she shook Principal Higgins’ hand once more and left the stage towards her seat. Her hands were shaking lightly, and her lips were pursed, but she almost looked lighter, like she’d left significant weight behind that had nothing to do with public speaking related nerves. Nancy’s speech had been beautiful, there were no doubts about that, but it was strange to think about someone like her looking at her high school years as something that had been horrific to live through. She was popular enough to not have been bullied, pretty enough to have been desired and looked up to, smart and well-off enough to never have to worry about not fitting in.

High school was certainly hard for almost everyone, but the way Nancy had spoken about it left a familiar bitter taste in Dottie’s mouth. If Eddie had been right when retelling her the town’s recent strange happenings, Nancy had probably been thinking about her friend Barb when writing her speech. She would have most likely graduated alongside her, maybe she’d be headed to a nearby college where the two girls could still see each other often, or to a completely different one across the country and they’d have to call every weekend with updates on their new lives. Holland, Barbara should have been called up to the stage between Hall, Suzanne and Humphrey, Andrew, but now she was just another name added to the always-growing list of people who ought to have been there, but ultimately couldn’t be.

“Thank you for that inspiring speech, Miss Wheeler,” said Principal Higgins, returning to his place behind the lectern to close out the ceremony. “Graduating is an amazing achievement for these students, and we here at Hawkins High are excited to see the things they’ll accomplish in the future. By the authority vested in me by the Governor of the State of Indiana, Mr. Robert D. Orr, I confer the appropriate diplomas for the Class of 1986. Graduates, please move your tassels to the left,” he smiled at his now former students. “Congratulations Tigers, you can now throw your hats!”

As they had been instructed during rehearsals, they threw their hats directly above them, not wanting to lose them on the way down before they could take pictures with them but in the excitement and elation of the graduates, some caps ended up on the floor, prompting kids to search for the lost items under their chairs while their classmates cheered above them and congratulated one another. Dottie hugged Robin again while Principal Higgins said his goodbyes through the loudspeaker without anyone really hearing him, families eager to leave the auditorium and get into their cars quickly to avoid the inevitable bottleneck at the entrance of the parking lot.

“Thank you all for coming and being part of this special moment,” Higgins said, voice ringing above the loud chatter and scraping of chairs. “Please drive safe and have a good weekend!”

“Dad!” Dottie called upon seeing James talking to Gareth’s family near their cars. He waved at her in acknowledgment and she turned to her friend to say her goodbyes. “I’ll call you as soon as I have my new schedule down, okay? We can go to the movies some day!”

“I’m gonna go see family up North next week, but I’ll call you when I get back,” Chrissy said, arm still tangled with hers. “We have to go see the new Karate Kid coming out soon, Ralph Macchio is so cute.”

“I’m not even gonna correct you on that because I do wanna see it with you, but just know I think you’re crazy,” the brunette said, laughing at her friend.

“Well, excuse me, bad boys aren’t everyone’s type,” the blonde retorted, a secretive grin gracing her fairy-like features before she pulled her into a goodbye hug. “I’m gonna miss you!”

“We’ll see each other soon! You go have a great trip, forget about this boring town for a while.”

After the girls said their goodbyes and went in separate directions, Dottie watched Chrissy greet her family with curious eyes. She didn’t know much about the Cunninghams and was surprised to see that her newest and most unlikely friend had a little brother she had never mentioned before. He must have not been the right age to be in high school yet or he’d probably be under Jason’s overprotective wing, especially if he was athletic like his big sister.

Chrissy might have looked small and dainty, but there was a certain fierceness cheerleaders had in their step - their aura had been painstakingly trained to command a room and demand attention. And yet, Dottie noticed that as Chrissy turned from her unassuming Dad to her elegant Mother, the brightness she radiated seemed to dim ever so slightly, even if her charming smile stayed in place.

“There you are! I was looking for you everywhere,” James exclaimed, her thoughts instantly lost to the wind. “Congratulations, honey. I’m so proud of you.”

“Thanks, Dad,” Dottie melted into his hug, knocking her cap even more askew with his shoulder. “They gave me honor cords, did you see? I didn’t know I had earned them!”

“I’m seeing them now! You worked so hard, good job.”

“Congratulations, sweetie!” Lydia, Gareth’s mom, said, pulling her into a hug. “Have you met Gretchen yet? Gare’s big sister?”

“Hey, congrats,” Gretchen said with a polite smile on her face.

“Thank you, hi! It’s nice to finally meet you, I’ve heard so much about you.”

“Likewise,” Gretchen said, eyes sparkling with mischief as she saw Gareth approach with two more kids toddling behind him. “I’m always really curious to meet any girl who would even talk to my brother in the first place, but you seem normal enough.”

“Oh my god, shut up,” Gareth said, and Erica snickered.

“Honestly, he’s lucky we’re nice to him,” the middle-grader joined in, making Gareth groan in annoyance.

“You’re my friend, you’re supposed to be on my side!”

“Congrats, Dot!” Dustin said, hugging the older girl from her right side, prompting Erica to cuddle up to her on the left. “We’re super proud of you.”

“Aw, Dus,” she pouted, leaning her head on his. He really was like the little brother she’d always wanted and never had. “Thank you, you’re so sweet. I’m happy you two could be here!”

“It was fun! We enjoyed it.”

“I saw you guys with that Steve guy earlier, did you come with him?”

“You know Steve?” Dustin said, curious.

“Yeah, he works at Family Video with Robin!” Dottie said.

“You know Robin?” it was Erica’s turn to ask.

“Uh, yeah, we’re classmates? She was sitting next to me throughout the ceremony- wait, how do you know them? What am I missing here?”

“Nothing! Steve’s, uh- Steve’s our babysitter!” Dustin hurried to say. “Did you know he used to date Nancy a while ago? That’s how we met, through Nancy. And we know Robin through Steve. Hawkins is a very small place.”

“W-what? Nancy and…”

“Yeah, she dumped him in front of everyone at a party and he’s been all mopey and sad since then,” Erica said, prompting Dustin to elbow her. “What? Just the facts!”

“Uh…,” Dottie looked at Gareth, dumbfounded.

“Anyway,” Dustin continued, aware that multiple eyes were on him. “He’s our babysitter.”

“Dustin, you’re fifteen,” Gareth laughed. “You’re a little old to still have a babysitter.”

“My Mom’s protective of me, okay? I’m an only child.”

“And he’s a good babysitter?” Dottie asked, amused.

“The best. Steve’s… yeah, Steve’s great. More like an older brother figure than a babysitter,” Dustin smiled, clearly fond of the older boy. “You should hang out with him, I think you’d like each other.”

“Stop. Just stop,” said Erica, knowing where Dustin was headed.

“What?” he shrugged, feigning innocence.

“Alright, let’s take some pictures!” said Lydia, not having paid any attention to the kids’ conversation.

While they were in the middle of taking photos, the remaining Hellfire Class of ‘86 joined the group with their respective families. Eddie snuck up behind Dottie while she was distracted taking a picture with Jeff and picked her up, arms encircling her middle and spinning her around while she giggled unabashedly, hands coming to rest on his forearms when he put her down but didn’t let go. Wayne had to hide a chuckle while he talked to the other parents; his nephew really wasn’t as smooth and mysterious as he thought he was, and Wayne had been around the sun too many times to not recognize what he was seeing between Eddie and his little lady friend. Gretchen, in turn, looked at Donny and lifted an eyebrow at him quizzically.

“What have I missed?” she quietly said, a smirk lifting the corner of her lips. She’d always liked Donny the best out of all his brother’s friends, and was aware that as much of a good confidant as he was, he never shied away from gossip.

“He said he wanted to wait until after graduation to ask her out so I don’t think anything has happened yet,” Donny muttered back, crossing his arms and leaning closer to her friend’s big sister. “They’re totally gone for each other, though.”

“You don’t say,” Gretchen said and turned to Erica who looked very interested in their conversation. “What do you think?”

“I think he’s too chicken to ask her out,” Erica laughed. “But they have been looking really cozy lately. That’s suspicious.”

“Eddie knows she’s into him,” Donny said, making Erica’s eyes widen. “Forgot to tell you about that.”

“You bastard, I thought we had a good thing going and you’re withholding information from me? Nuh-uh, this is betrayal. I want reparations.”

“Oh, she’s feisty,” Gretchen said.

“Come to the restaurant this weekend, I’ll give you ice cream and we can catch up and compare notes,” Donny offered, genuinely interested in keeping his friendship with the fiery younger girl intact. “But it has to be this weekend, Dot starts working with us on Monday.”

“How big is that ice cream?”

“Big as you want.”

“Deal,” she put out her hand for them to shake on it, but it was merely a formality - Donatello Vitale had no intentions of ever crossing the one and only Erica Sinclair again.

As families began saying their goodbyes and heading to their cars, it soon became clear that Eddie and Dottie did not want the festivities to end so fast. They’d already taken multiple photos with everyone and with each other, waved Dustin and Erica off as they climbed into Steve’s red BMW, and even said hello to the Wheelers, but they would just not leave each other’s side, always fluttering around one another no matter what was happening. If James thought anything strange about it, he didn’t mention it, but as Wayne looked at his nephew’s beaming smile, he realized he didn’t have the heart to cut his happiness short when there was such an easy solution to their problem.

“You two have any plans for lunch?” Wayne asked James, finishing up another smoke.

“Not really, no. I was thinking of picking up some burgers to celebrate. Why? You have any suggestions?”

“Well, me an’ Eddie like to go to the diner down on Randolph on special occasions. Thought you might want to join us,” he smiled at the kids who were now both staring at him expectantly.

“Can we go, Dad?” Dottie asked with hopeful eyes. “They have crinkle fries - you love crinkle fries!”

“That’s really kind of you, Wayne, but we don’t want to intrude,” James was saying, but Eddie hurried forward.

“You wouldn’t be intruding, sir. We both graduated today, we can celebrate together!”

“Come on, Dad, they wouldn’t ask if they didn’t want us there.”

Both older men looked at each other with knowing eyes and James sighed theatrically before conceding, his daughter cheering happily at the new impromptu plans. The teens quickly headed in the direction of their cars deep in their own happy little world; their parents amusedly looked as Eddie opened her door for her and helped her in while they talked about burger combinations and debated about their orders.

“Meet you there?” James asked Wayne, also getting into his car.

“You bet. Come on, boy, quit the yappin’. You’ll see her again in ten minutes, she’s not gonna run away from you!”

“Jesus Christ, Wayne!”

Eddie and Dottie had already been to the diner down on Randolph a few times; some of them before they’d begun dating and once after, but never with their parental figures as unofficial chaperones. The booth at the back they loved to sit at was occupied, so they chose a table near the front instead - the diner was bustling with energy as multiple families had had the same idea as them and got a headstart on their kids’ summer holidays. Eddie helped Dottie with her chair, thoroughly enjoying how shy she’d get whenever he did something remotely gentleman-like, and plonked himself next to her, quickly engaging in conversation about the menu she was holding. James had no option but to sit in front of his daughter as Wayne took the seat in front of Eddie, both of them also busying themselves with their own menus.

The teens tried to act normal in front of their elders, they really did, but it was such a lovely day, and they were celebrating one of the biggest achievements in their short lives that it was as if they’d forgotten that friends didn’t usually look so smitten with one another. Wayne took little peeks at them over the bright laminated piece of paper in his hands, catching how Eddie was stroking the side of her arm resting on the table with his pinky finger while she talked; he loudly coughed when James put his menu down and took his reading glasses off, the unexpected sound making them jump and separate instantly just in time for him not to see them. A young and friendly looking waitress approached their table, pad of paper and pen in her hand.

“Hi! Are you ready for me to take your order or are we waiting for the wives to arrive?” she said with a perfect customer-service smile. Dottie blinked up at her twice, her face morphing into a blank expression.

“No, thank you, it’s just gonna be us four today,” James said politely.

Today, he’d said. Like Margaret and Maureen were off doing other things, like working or shopping or attending a jazzercise class, and couldn’t join them for lunch but they’d probably be around later. Like they weren’t gone forever. Like they were still alive. Nancy’s speech rattled around in Dottie’s brain, her eyes glazing over and her ears filling with invisible cotton. James and Wayne ordered their food, and Eddie ordered for both himself and her, very much aware that something was bothering her. Her sight was stuck to her Dad’s hand resting on the cheap laminate tabletop. The gold band that had been there on his finger since Margaret and him had said I do all those years ago taunted her, glinting under the fluorescent lights of the diner. They’d promised each other forever, and what did they get? What did she get?

“Dot,” Eddie muttered, hand sneaking down the table to settle on the exposed skin of her knee. “Darling, can you hear me?”

“Huh?” she turned to look at him in a daze.

Behind him, there was a table where a family sat: a father, a mother and a daughter, barely older than she’d been when she’d lost the most important woman in her life. The baby gurgled in her Mom’s arms, and the woman cooed at her, noses nuzzling against each other’s. Dottie turned her head towards the other side of the diner where a mother was cleaning up a little boy’s face, chocolate staining his chubby cheeks.

She had just graduated from high school and her mother wasn’t there. She hadn’t been there when she got her first period, during her first heartbreak, or when she won a spelling bee at age seven. She wouldn’t be there when she graduated college, when she got her first job, when she got married to the boy who was holding onto her leg with worried eyes. She would never be there, not today, not tomorrow, not ever. It was always going to be just them.

“Honey, are you okay?” James asked, leaning forward.

“I-I’m sorry,” she managed to get out before she stood up and bolted outside and into the parking lot, her chair scraping against the floor in her haste to get out of the diner.

“I’ve got it, sir,” Eddie said before he sped after her, his chains rattling with every long step he took to catch up with her.

In silence, James and Wayne watched their kids through the huge windows next to their table. When Dottie saw Eddie running behind her, she turned her back on him, hugging herself as she tried to keep her emotions together. She lifted a hand to wave at him over her shoulder and said something - probably that she was okay, that she didn’t need help so he should go back in - but as he came closer, it was evident that the storm that had been brewing inside her all morning was on the brink of overtaking her. All it took was feeling his hand hovering on her shoulder for her knees to buckle as she folded onto herself, Eddie instantly rushing forward to catch her and pulling her into his chest, her back rising up and down violently as she sobbed into his graduation gown. He chewed on his lower lip as he held himself together, never one to cry in public where people could see him and judge him for it. He muttered something into her hair, his chin resting onto the crown of her head, gently rocking her side to side as her sobs subsided.

“She was really lonely until we came here, y’know,” James said, breaking the quiet that had fallen on their table. Wayne could only look at his nephew, the gentleness he’d always known he’d possessed perfectly on display. “All her new friends are great to her but Eddie… you’ve got a good boy there, Wayne.”

“They’re both good kids,” Wayne said, matter-of-factly. “It’s a damn shame they’re so young and been through so much already.”

“Yeah, it is.”

In the parking lot, unaware that they were being watched, Dottie lifted her head from Eddie’s chest, an embarrassed smile on her lips as she fanned her face with her hands in an attempt to dry her tears without ruining what was left of her mascara. Eddie, still holding onto her, blew on her cheeks; she laughed, heart feeling equally heavy and light at the same time. There was joy and levity to be found in shared grief, that was something new she had learned from him.

“Sometimes I feel like Eddie understands her better than I do,” James admitted, fingers toying with his wedding band.

“They understand each other in ways that you and I never will,” Wayne mused. “That ain’t a bad thing. Actually, I think it might be healthy.”

“Mhm,” James agreed, half lost in his own thoughts.

Dottie squeezed Eddie one last time like she was mentally preparing herself, gathering strength for whatever came next, and nodded once to let him know that it was okay to let her go. Eddie followed her inside quietly, holding the door open for her as they filed in and sat once again at their table. They both looked very tired, and perhaps even a little bit flustered at having to face their guardians after bolting out of the diner so unexpectedly. Dottie leaned forward to grab a napkin to blow her nose.

“M’sorry,” she said, eyes low. James grabbed her hand gently.

“You okay, honey?”

“Yeah. Yeah, I’m okay. S’just a lot, you know?”

“I know,” her Dad said, watching her glance at Eddie next to her.

“Can I… is it okay if Eddie and I go to the lake after lunch?” she asked, shy. “We want to burn some cards.”

“Yeah, of course,” James said, knot tightening at the base of his throat and fingers tangling with his daughter’s.

Eddie was silent through the entire interaction, hands hellbent on shredding the paper napkin in front of him to minuscule pieces. Wayne could feel their table shake as he bounced his leg frantically, something he had long understood as his nephew’s tell when holding back tears. The waitress, unaware of what had just transpired, came back at that moment with their drinks and two milkshakes for the teens. Dottie smiled at them with wet eyes, and Eddie had the indecency to look sheepish: she hadn’t mentioned to him she wanted one, but he knew she loved strawberry milkshakes from this specific diner because they made them with real strawberry ice cream and not the powder. He must have ordered them when she blanked out. The simple gesture felt like balm for her anguished soul.

“Well, I’d like to propose a toast,” Wayne said, dissipating the remaining uncomfortable tension at their table. “To the Class of ‘86.”

“To the Class of ‘86,” James joined him, clicking their bottles of Coke together in the air.

Food arrived shortly after, and as an easy conversation sanded whatever edges were still sharp for the moment, Wayne observed the tender behavior of the kids sitting in front of him. It wasn’t as playful as it had been before, no, this felt much more… intimate. Considerate. Muted, yet still softhearted. Not missing a beat in the story she was telling to her Dad, Dottie grabbed the cherry on top of her milkshake and left it on top of Eddie’s. He gave her a toothy grin before popping it into his mouth, and she shook her head at him fondly. Yeah, this ain’t a bad thing at all, thought Wayne, taking a bite out of his food and laughing along with James at the ridiculous gossip Dottie and Eddie were sharing about their now former classmates.

“Okay, hold on a second before you run off,” Wayne said, as his nephew ushered his friend towards his van.

After lunch was done, it was decided that Wayne would drive Eddie and Dottie back to their trailer so they could get Eddie’s van and head to the lake for what they were calling The Card Ritual. The eldest Munson didn’t really understand what it meant, but it seemed that James knew what they were talking about so he didn’t ask too many questions about it - all he knew was that the kids were going to buy some cards at Melvald’s and then burn them, and that Dottie was emotional over the whole thing. If burning some paper brought peace to her heart, then who was Wayne to judge? He’d indulged in far more destructive coping mechanisms throughout his youth, evidenced by his unshakeable smoking habit.

After they’d said goodbye to James, they climbed into Wayne’s truck and headed to Forest Hills, graduation caps, gowns, and his suit jacket now discarded into the backseat. The heat kept rising in the early afternoon and Wayne just wanted to get out of his clothes, drink a glass of icy cold water, and take a nap in his undergarments next to his trusty fan, but he felt like there was a pressing conversation to be had before he went in and could finally relax on his day off.

“What’s up?” Eddie asked, Dottie coming to a stop next to him.

“I just gotta know, kid,” Wayne turned to her. “Does your Dad know about you two or do I have to play dumb with him?”

“W-what? What do you mean?” she asked, nervously.

“I may not be young, but I ain’t blind, sweetheart,” he smiled. “You’re not in trouble, I just wanna know how to act around your old man, that’s all.”

“He doesn’t know,” Eddie muttered, grabbing Dottie’s hand and surprising her with how quickly he confessed. “No one knows, we haven’t told anyone yet.”

“Except Chrissy,” Dottie said.

“Except Chrissy,” he conceded. “She knows because I asked her for advice, but she’s the only one.”

“How long?”

“Huh?”

“How long has this been going on?” Wayne asked, pulling his lighter out of his pocket.

“Uh, like two weeks? We’re not, like- we’re not official yet,” Eddie scratched his neck uncomfortably.

“Not offi- Edward,” his Uncle hardened his stare. “I taught you better than that.”

“Shit, I swear I was gonna do it today! Wanted to wait until after graduation, I’m not trying to be a flake-”

“It’s okay! We talked about it,” Dottie said, hanging onto his arm. “I don’t mind waiting, we just thought it’d be best to keep it a secret for now,” Wayne turned to look at her, wary. “Mr. Wayne, please, I’d announce it at the next Town Hall meeting if he’d let me.”

“We share all the same friends,” Eddie explained. “They’ll wanna know all the details, and I just- she breaks up with me and I’m the biggest loser in Hawkins, you know how those assholes are.”

“Oh my god, stop calling yourself a loser!” she whined.

“Don’t break up with me, and I won’t be!” he argued back, but it was clear he was being silly about it.

“Okay, so what’s the situation here? You two dating or not?” Wayne asked, getting back on topic.

“Yeah,” Eddie said, smiling down at her with hearts in his eyes. “We’re dating. I was gonna ask her to be my girlfriend officially later today but I might as well do it now since you’re so nosy.”

“It’s not like anything’s changing anyways,” Dottie said. “We just didn’t put a label on it, but I’ve kinda been his girlfriend since that party we went to a couple of weeks ago.”

“Hell yeah you are. And I’m your boyfriend, right?”

“No, you’re my private driver,” she deadpanned. “Of course you are, Eddie, what kind of question is that?”

“Just making sure, darling,” Eddie said, and Wayne snorted at how smug his nephew looked.

“Well, then… you two can go now, I guess. I’ll keep the secret.”

“Thanks, Mr. Wayne,” Dottie said, coming to hug him. “We’ll tell people soon, we just want a little bit of privacy for now. The guys can be so nosy sometimes.”

“Don’t I know that, kid,” he chuckled. “I’m real happy for you two.”

“I’m really happy too,” she whispered to him, a bashful smile on her face.

Eddie finally let her into his van, her white sundress and summery sandals a stark contrast against his ripped jeans and chains. They were an odd couple if one only looked at their clothes, but it was so clear that they vibrated at the same frequency that Wayne couldn’t help but think that he should have expected this development sooner. He didn’t know why he’d chosen to believe them when they’d said nothing had happened between them the night of the party. His nephew went towards the driver’s seat when he called to him again.

“Ed, a word,” he was dead serious as Eddie jogged to where he was standing.

“Yeah?”

“You treat that girl right, okay?” Wayne said, voice low so she wouldn’t hear from the van. “I don’t wanna hear shit from her Dad about you bein’ stupid with her.”

“I know.”

“Yeah?”

“I’m not gonna fuck this up, Wayne. I love her,” Eddie told him, so sure of what he was saying that it knocked the wind out of his Uncle’s lungs for a bit.

“Love, huh?” Wayne laughed softly, and Eddie shrugged with red ears but looked so very happy. “Go, have fun. And take care of her.”

“I will,” he nodded.

“I’m proud of you, son,” Wayne said, ruffling his hair roughly like when he was just a boy barely taller than his own hip. “And your Momma would be too.”

“Yeah,” Eddie said, eyes full of unshed tears. “I’m proud of me too.”

taglist: @munsonology @kurdtbean @every1lovesanunderdog @eg-dr3amer3

#bunny writes #small town fic #eddie munson fanfic #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson x oc #eddie munson x ofc #eddie munson x female character #eddie munson fluff #eddie munson angst #eddie munson fic #stranger things 4 #stranger things #hellfire club #corroded coffin #eddie munson #gareth stranger things #jeff stranger things #chrissy cunningham #dustin henderson #erica sinclair #wayne munson #robin buckley #nancy wheeler #steve harrington #joseph quinn #baby's first fic

[charlesreeza]

The Madonna di Santa Maria Maggiore by Francesco Laurana, 1469, in the Cathedral of Palermo, Sicily.

In 1576 Pope Gregory XIII granted anyone who celebrated mass at this Madonna's altar a plenary indulgence for the souls in purgatory, meaning one person who was currently being punished in purgatory for their sins would have their sentence commuted and could enter Heaven immediately. You could only free someone else, not save it for yourself. (This would be a nice belated Mother's or Father's Day gift if one of your parents had died recently.)

So, since 1576, the statue is also known as Madonna Libera Inferni (free from hell).

Photo by Charles Reeza

#marble sculpture #Renaissance art #Virgin Mary #Madonna and Child #Roman Catholic Church #indulgences #Get Out of Purgatory Free card #Italy #Sicilia

[grandlovescheme]

A gift fic for @withered-rose-with-thorns

Merry belated Christmas and only the best in the new year, from your secret santa 🩷

Running into Love

When Rhaenyra arrived at the family winter estate two days before Christmas, her younger siblings were already there. Both her brother and her sister welcomed her, showing her how much they’d missed her, by throwing snowballs at her before she was even fully out of her car.

“No fair!” she yelled before ducking at the rear, gathering all the snow she could in her bare hands to take her revenge.

The twins teamed up against her, thoroughly kicking her ass, and when they finally made it into the house an hour later, she was soaked through and her body ached in multiple places where her siblings had managed to hit her. 

“Hope you welcomed everyone else the same way,” Rhaenyra huffed when she was getting out of the wet coat and boots in the hall. The silver haired teenagers grinned in unison. Little creeps.

Alyssa shrugged. “You're the first one here, not counting mom and the little oaf.”

“Don't worry. The rest will meet the same fate,” Baelon said dramatically, rubbing his hands together like a cartoon villain. 

Rhaenyra rolled her eyes. “Make sure to get Daemon. We need to tire him out. If he catches a cold before the run, even better.”

Her siblings both made matching, evilly gleeful faces, nodding along. For a few minutes they discussed their plans in hushed whispers before their paths parted, Rhaenyra heading up the stairs to greet her family while the twins stayed behind. 

She stepped into the opulent room upstairs alone, her lips immediately splitting into a smile.

“Oh hey there.”

Two silver-blond heads by the table turned, her mother and her smaller copy, both of them grinning at the sight of her.

“Honey, you’re here.”

“Nyra!”

“There's my favorite baby sister!”

Visenya slipped off Aemma’s lap to run at her. She was wearing a red Christmas dress, with snowflake and tree prints and a big bow tied at the waist, fully festive with gingerbread man clips in her hair. She jumped at Rhaenyra when she was close enough and she embraced her little sister, able to lift her off her feet easily to spin her around. 

“I missed you,” Visenya breathed, and when she set her back to her feet Rhaenye smoothed down her silky curls gently.

“Missed you too, peanut. Have you been here long?”

Her mother rose to get a hug too, before responding, “We only got here last night. Your father stayed in the city with Daemon to finish some last minute business. They should both get here later today.” 

“Mhh, mhhm, I see.” That was a tidbit of information she was glad to receive. 

“Where are the twins?”

“I don't know. Probably waiting at the door for any newcomers to ambush them with a snowball fight. Though if that's the case they'll be waiting a long time, Laena texted me they're not coming until tomorrow.”

Aemma sighed. “Just us for tonight then. I'll go find the two of them.” 

Her mother stalked out of the room, leaving Rhaenyra with her six year old sister. She booped her nose, making Visenya grin wider at her. “Did you get into a snowball fight with them too?” 

“No! I managed to run away in time.” The girl pulled Rhaenyra's hand to the table. “Come see what I made!”

Proudly she pointed to the numerous pieces of paper scattered on the table, all bearing text in different colors. One said Go my fave Targaryen! The one next to it screamed You can do it! in bright pink. And the one Visenya sheepishly lifted herself to show her read You got it Nyra! with drawn hearts and kissy faces around it. 

“I’m not allowed to run with you guys but I'll cheer you on.” She came closer for a little hug, barely reaching Rhaenyra's chest. “I hope you win. It's no fair that it's always uncle Daemon!”

She stroked her little sister’s hair gently. Visenya’s health got in the way of her running with her family, but Rhaenyra strongly suspected she wouldn’t want to get into it even if she could. Her sister was an adorable little lazyball, content to never move if not absolutely necessary. 

“I know right? Don't worry, I trained all year. Got into the school’s track team. I'm gonna kick his a - butt.”

Visenya giggled with her hands covering her mouth, glancing shyly over her shoulder to make sure her mother wasn't there.

“Will you buy us all ice cream when you win like uncle does?”

“Uh. No. I wasn't planning on it… ” Her sister's demeanor fell a bit, but she quickly raised a hand to stroke her cheek back into a smile. “Hey. You know what? I think uncle Daemon will buy us all ice cream anyway, in celebration of his first loss in, like, a decade.”

Visenya brightened up again. “I'll get lemon! I love lemon. What's your favorite, Nyra?”

❄

The annual Targaryen three-mile race had been taking place at Dragonstone for decades. It had started with her grandparents’ parents, when they wanted to distract their many children on Christmas Eve, to have some peace and time to finish preparing everything for the next day. With such a big family, they needed all the help they could get. 

And so they'd promised a big prize for the winner, remaining the same to this day, but as her grandfather Baelon had told her one time when she was still a child, sitting by his chair in the Dragonstone parlor, the prize had not truly been needed. In reality, the siblings had loved having something to compete in, to possibly be better at something than the rest of the children. For them, the bragging rights had been all the prize they needed.

Yet, it stuck. All the Targaryen children ever since had been exposed to this unusual Christmas tradition, and while a few fought hard to avoid it, claiming sickness and achy limbs to get out of it, some relished in it. Most of Rhaenyra's family was highly competitive, and this was the perfect opportunity to beat everyone. 

This year was different, though. This year it was personal. 

Rhaenyra's uncle Daemon was currently holding the record, his winning streak seemingly impossible to break. He'd won last year, as well as the year before that… and before that. Well, the truth was, the only years he hadn't ended up being the winner, years she could barely remember, were the ones he couldn't get back from business trips in time to participate… and annihilate them all. 

It was safe to say he was the Targaryen three-mile Christmas race champion. But no more. 

Rhaenyra had been training mercilessly, almost cruelly to her body, to make sure his trail of winnings would be broken this year. She hadn't cared as much the previous years… but this time, she needed the win badly, after the year she'd had. University was kicking her ass, draining her mentally and socially, she lost her part-time job after the cafe hired the owner’s granddaughter instead. Then her stupid boyfriend she’d only been dating out of boredom dumped her on her birthday. In the weeks since then she only had too much time on her hands to fully grasp the magnitude of her issues. Troubling… issues that became glaringly obvious each time she thought about her uncle.

Ugh, no, she would not go there.

She needed this. A win in what her family considered the most important event of the year would turn it all around. 

She was certain of it.

… It was better not to dwell on why it mattered so much to her. 

When Daemon and her father arrived hours later, she watched the snowball fight from the upstairs living room window. 

They got ambushed the same way she had, but the twins - and little Visenya - clearly favored their father, leaving him to get out unscathed while focusing most of their energy and snowballs on Daemon. She grinned as he scrambled to fight back, his clothes and hair getting wet immediately, yet a smile undeniably blooming on his face. 

Her heart lurched seeing it, and she quickly dropped the curtain and turned away from the window to dash down the stairs, joining her mother in the kitchen instead. 

She feigned nonchalance as the group loudly barged inside of the house, shouting and scream-laughing in the hall, getting out of the wet clothes. 

Aemma was smiling into the mugs she was filling with steaming hot chocolate. Her mother had no competitive spirit, something only Visenya of her children had inherited but having the house full every holiday season always brought a smile to her face. There was nothing her mother  loved more than her family. This was her most favorite time of the year. 

Rhaenyra sprinkled mini marshmallows into the mugs and together they brought them to the living room. Everyone quieted down as if by magic; or, more likely, by the delicious smell following their steps, rising from the mugs. 

Her mother welcomed Viserys with a wide smile and a kiss, and Rhaenyra couldn't help but glance at Daemon's face as she placed his mug in front of him. 

“Uncle Daemon.” 

“Hey sweetheart.”

And here she was, blushing like a teenage fool.

“Hope you’re ready for tomorrow.” 

“You bet. I hear I have an unrelenting opponent this year.” He took the mug from her, and their fingers brushed slightly, just for a second, yet still making her blood sing in her veins. 

“Mhm. Say goodbye to the trophy. It’s going to a new owner this year.”

“We’ll see.” His eyes sparkled as he tipped the mug and took a sip. She watched with her pulse spiking as he licked his lips, gathering the dark droplets of chocolate with his tongue, before it disappeared in his mouth again. His brows furrowed, and he looked down into his mug wordlessly. 

“What?” she asked innocently. 

“Hmm. Nothing. New recipe?” 

“I don’t know. Mom made it, like every year.”

“Mhm.” He placed his mug back on the table in front of him, and she could hear the hum of other voices and her siblings’ excited giggles, but it all faded away. She couldn't make out a single word as she stared at her uncle's rings, adorning his long, thick fingers and glistening in the low Christmas lights hanging behind him.

Um. What were they talking about again?

“Is Harwin joining us tomorrow?”

Aand the spell was broken with a bucket of cold water. 

Rhaenyra sighed, shaking her head. “You don't know? I thought mom would have spilled by now. Um, we broke up.”

Something shadowed his eyes, but it was too dark in the room to be able to see… what. “Oh. No, I didn’t know. I’m sorry.” His hand reached out, warm from the mug of hot chocolate, and she fought against a shiver. 

“Don’t be. I’m not sorry. It’s for the best.” Despite her words, she accepted his comfort, squeezing his hand back.

“Well then. Good. I never liked him anyway.” 

She squinted her eyes as she glared at him playfully. “You’re saying that now. Because we broke up.” 

“No, Rhaenyra. I’ve been saying it ever since you first brought him along. But you just thought I was being an overprotective uncle.” 

Now she scrunched her nose up. “Well, weren’t you?” 

Daemon leaned back into his chair, the connection of their hands severing. “Yes. I was also right on the money, though.” 

Rhaenyra only shook her head. As much as she’d love to blame the break up on her ex, it had hardly been his fault. All of this… was on her. 

He could have broken up with her any other day during the year, though, except for right before the holidays, on her fucking birthday. That had been a dick move. 

She picked up her own drink in her nervousness, to have something to do, tracing the raised lines of the sleigh and Santa’s bearded face on the mug with her thumb. She didn’t speak, letting the gentle cracking of the fire and the messy conversations next to them fill the silence, until he spoke again,

“What do you need? A shoulder to cry on or someone to break his nose?” His hand appeared again to tap her nose. “Or both? I’m more than capable of both, sweetheart.” 

With a smile teasing the corners of her mouth, she looked up again to find him leaning towards her, his serious eyes dark, set right on her, gauging her reaction. “I’m fine. No need for any of that.” 

“Are you sure? I know you weren’t together long but… You seemed really… into him.” He spoke slowly, carefully choosing his words, and she searched the guarded expression on his face for a few seconds before shrugging again. 

“I’m sure. It was… ah, complicated, between us.”

To avoid his intense stare she lifted her mug and took a long sip of her hot… at this point tepid, chocolate.

“What do you mean? Were you not… exclusive?” 

“No, no. We were. I just…” Swallowing down, she wondered how one could ever bring something like this up… Especially sober, and surrounded by her whole family. As if. “I… God, I can’t tell you this.” 

He frowned, and did the worst thing he possibly could. He got up and… sat closer to her, on the couch right by her side instead of across from her. Her heart jumped into her throat, she looked around the room in panic; no one paid them any mind, though. Her siblings were playing a board game on the floor, and her parents sat snuggled side by side, matching smiles on their faces, watching their kids argue over the game. It was as if… it was just her, and her uncle, in their own little bubble. 

Some things might have changed with her growing up, but in the root of them, they stayed the same. 

Rhaenyra looked down into her mug, her heart hammering. 

“Why not? You can talk to me about anything.” 

A humorless chuckle escaped her. “Not this. You’re on my side now but if I tell you… this, you’ll - you’ll think I’m a major bitch.” 

“Oh please.” She saw Daemon’s hand from the corner of her eye, nearing her again… and finally touching her cheek, pushing away some stray locks of her hair. “I’ll always be on your side, even when you are a major bitch. That's what uncles are for.” 

“Even if I kill someone in cold blood?” “Hmm… especially then.”

She poked his side with a chuckle, then sighed. “Fine, look. The thing is, I was never fully… in, emotionally. I was clinging to him because he was there, he was convenient, and… I needed… a distraction. But that’s all it was, and he finally got sick of it, of me, calling me out on my bullshit. Like I told you, it was all my fault.” 

Harwin had told her much more than that, though… He’d brought up how weird her family was, how normal people didn’t marry their cousins… and how creepily close she was to her uncle. Apparently it was strange that she still sat in his lap sometimes, that she called him first whenever something went right or wrong for her, and that she canceled plans with anyone, her friends or boyfriend, to hang out with him instead, whenever he mentioned he was in town. 

He could never quite grasp how close-knit her entire family was, and it ended up being the last drop for him. Really, they had been all ridiculous reasons to dump her… but not entirely out of hand, either. Not when one knew the real secret she held in her heart. 

“See.” Daemon embraced her with one arm, bringing her closer, and her eyes closed automatically as her nose filled with his clean, fresh scent. “Still on your side,” he assured her in a soft whisper, and Rhaenyra smiled, her body relaxing into his comforting hug. She felt his lips move, tickling her ear, as he continued, “I’m not letting you win tomorrow, though.” 

With a snorted laugh she pulled back, and punched his shoulder. “I don’t need it! I’m beating you, old man!”

❆

She woke first, but she wasn’t alone for long. Soon, the twins tiptoed down the stairs, gleefully joining her in continuing with their plan to win her this year's Targaryen race. 

By the time everyone else was awake, including Daemon, they were ready, everything set to go. 

Her uncle sauntered into the kitchen with a scowl and dark circles under his eyes, but the second he noticed her sitting there with coffee, some of the tension in his face drained away. 

Ah. What the sight of coffee could do.

“Morning. You're not looking too good.” It was a lie. He did look a little worse for wear but still so unfairly good. She wanted to stroke that pale skin… take a bite out of those arm muscles - 

“Couldn't sleep.” As he said it he reached for his mug, and Rhaenyra could swear she heard the twins’ evil laugh from somewhere behind her. She resisted the urge to turn around and shush them. Daemon drained the mug, his throat moving with every swallow, and her fingers twitched with the need to touch his throat as he swallowed…

He placed his empty coffee on the kitchen table, and she blinked a few times, hoping she didn't look as flustered as she felt. “Hm. That was pretty sweet. I don't usually sweeten my coffee but damn, I really needed that.”

“Mhh, hmm.” 

“Hopefully it'll wake me up. You slept okay?” he asked, his gaze traveling over her face, as if looking for any signs of a sleepless night. 

“Like a baby.” Rhaenyra grinned, and his eyes gentled, staring at her. 

“Good. You need to be in your best form if you're hoping to beat me.”

“I am going to beat you.”

“We'll see.” 

“Have some breakfast, uncle!” Visenya appeared, hair in two little braids, another adorable Christmas dress on. She extended both hands full with a tray of all kinds of sweet pastries, still hot from the oven. Daemon smiled at his youngest niece, stroking her cheek as he shook his head. 

“I'm good, darling. I'll just have some eggs.”

Visenya's blue eyes filled with tears in a matter of a second. “But - but I made these.” She sniffed, the tray starting to tremble in her hands. “Won't - won't you try?”

Rhaenyra hid her smile as Daemon immediately softened, cooing and apologizing.

“Of course! If you made these, I have to try. What would the pastry chef recommend to me?”

She made him eat four pieces of pastry, her pleading eyes impossible to say no to. When he finally gently pushed the girl aside, claiming he was too full to eat another bite, Rhaenyra got up with a grin. 

“Anyway. I’m off to welcome the Velaryons. Get ready to have your butt kicked, uncle.”

“Only in your dreams, niece.” 

They both narrowed their eyes at each other, and she walked off without another word. Before she rounded the corner she glanced over her shoulder one more time, and caught him staring as she walked away, his gaze burning somewhere below her waist. 

❄

Her cousins were both participating, but had no idea of the bigger conspiracy at play. It was a secret amongst only the Targaryen children, and Rhaenyra felt strangely protective over the scheming of her siblings. Their plan was silly but brought them a little closer together, something they desperately needed ever since Rhaenyra had  moved out to university two states away, leaving them behind in King’s Landing. 

This was just for them. 

“Isn’t he a little too old for this?” Laenor asked as she  stretched with her cousins in the garden, every inch covered in snow. Rhaenyra snorted, and peeked over her shoulder, finding Daemon glaring from a few feet away, clearly hearing every single word. 

And sure enough, he bit out grumpily, “You can’t kick the ruling champion out of the race until he loses, children.” 

“That’s a made up rule,” Laena called back from beside her, and he squinted at her.

“This whole thing is a made up tradition. Take it or leave it.” 

Her cousin huffed and puffed, though the corners of her mouth were twitching, and they continued their warm up until Viserys called them over. 

It was time. 

Rhaenyra’s palms were sweating. As they took their positions in a well ordered line, her eyes remained glued to her uncle. He still seemed out of his element, barely paying any attention, but she knew he could kill this route even with his eyes closed. No matter what her siblings had done to knock him off his game, she still needed to give this her all. And she would. The Targaryen prize would be changing hands soon enough.

Even if it was just an old compass that had once belonged to her great grandfather, accompanying him on his many travels over the world. The compass itself… was not the point, and they all knew it. 

Rhaenyra’s ponytail whipped her in the face as the cold winter wind picked up. The waves surrounding the island crashed loudly around them, almost swallowing Viserys’ introduction. As if anyone needed any. Every traditional participant knew them by heart. 

“Two loops around the island, three miles in total. Do not stray from the shoveled trail, do not take any shortcuts. Whoever reaches us first in the second lap… is the winner.” Her father smiled, and Aemma next to him huddled farther into her thick coat. Little Visenya in front of them gingerly lifted her You got it Nyra! sign, and Rhaenyra smiled, sending an air kiss and a wave. 

“Good luck, darling.” 

She eyed her uncle up and down, not missing how good he looked in his tight t-shirt and running shorts, all of his muscles on display, taunting her, distracting her. That cruel cruel man. 

Targaryens always ran hot, it was true. That was one of the main things even making this race possible in late December without them putting their health at risk. But still she shivered as she took her own shirt off, throwing it to the cheering section, and straightening up in her sports bra. 

“Don’t need luck,” she threw back, keeping her gaze at him only long enough to see his eyes drop and snag on her chest. “But I think you might.” 

With the megaphone signaling the start of the race, she took off, and left him behind in the dust. She fought hard to keep her smug smile at bay; celebrating too early would only bring her bad luck. 

Rhaenyra ran like the devil was chasing her. And in a way, he was. She felt Daemon behind her already, way too soon for comfort, but she knew without looking that it was him. She would always know, without needing a single glance to confirm; the feeling of a familiar, warm blanket at her back was impossible to confuse with anyone else. 

This familiar blanket was not happy, though. “Cheater!” he fumed, and she could swear he was so close his breath caressed the back of her neck. Fucking hell, somehow even filled to the brim with heavy pastries and decaf, he caught up to her within a few minutes. She needed to do better!

“What!” she huffed back without looking at him, forcing her legs to go faster. “Never - seen a woman running with a top - before? I’ve had this old thing for - years!”

“Yeah, I can tell.” 

What the hell did that even - 

She saw him then, from the corner of her eye, gaining on her, and panic overwhelmed her. With a gasp she let out a loud, garbling cough, and somewhere behind her a person shouted, and a body thudded to the ground. 

“Ow, ow! Crap! I tripped!” her sister Alyssa howled. “It hurts, it hurts! My ankle!” Rhaenyra was racing forward, the sobbing voice becoming fainter and fainter, but Daemon visibly wavered behind her. When she looked back, breathing hard, she saw him hesitating, his pace slowing as his niece whimpered, “Won’t you help me, uncle? It hurts. Ow, I can’t… I can’t get up.” 

“Goddamnit. Come on, Alyssa. I got you.”

What a good uncle.

The cheering of her family soon faded, and then it was just her and the island hidden underneath a blanket of snow. She worked on regulating her breathing but when she glanced over her shoulder again, hearing the thudding of approaching steps, there her uncle was, back and already hot on her heels. What the fuck!

“Any - other - planned - distractions?” Daemon gasped out from behind her. 

She was only able to exhale an irritated gush of air. The turn of the island was close now, and the cheering gained volume again. Visenya's bright dress and slogans came to view first, and seeing them worked like magic, propelling Rhaenyra forward faster.

“Yes, Nyra, go! You got it! You got it!”

She saw Alyssa resting against a bare tree out of the trail’s path, nestled in a coat and face rid of any pain, but her eyes were sharp and intense as she watched the race. She didn't say a word to encourage her sister, but Rhaenyra still felt it from her. 

“Oh no, your shoelaces are untied, uncle!” Alyssa shouted instead. 

Daemon ignored his younger niece, focusing fully on beating the eldest one. 

The second lap was brutal. Daemon overtook her as soon as their audience disappeared from view, and one quick check of the other participants showed both of her cousins were nowhere near them. They were only small dots in the distance along with her brother. 

It was now just them. 

Rhaenyra glared ahead at her uncle's ass. Distractingly well formed, tight ass. She had no business salivating over it, but it had no business looking this goddamn good. 

He was getting old, shouldn't he be getting less attractive too?!

No. It was just her fucking luck that her uncle was one of those men who only got hotter with age. Great.

Rhaenyra wavered, her foot catching on an uneven blob of snow, and with a growl she shook herself out of the trance.  

He totally did that on purpose.

As the end of the second - and last - loop appeared, Rhaenyra caught up to Daemon. His straining muscles were right next to her, their bodies moved forward in sync, twin puffs of smoke leaving their mouths. She felt his stare but decided to ignore it, her eyes, burning and watering, pinned to the finish line. So close. Yet just as close as Daemon.

Come on, come on! She could do it! 

With only a few meters remaining, she finally allowed her head to turn, and found her uncle still looking at her, unbothered by the track that he should be paying attention to.

His eyes were blown wide with surprise, staring at her like he'd never seen her before. Perhaps he hadn't expected her to do this well. He must have counted on losing her after a few minutes into the race, yet here she was, by his side til the very end. 

His gaze stayed on her even as they crossed the finish line, and somehow they crashed together, their bodies tumbling to the ground in one clumsy heap.

“Fuck!” she yelped, the sudden feel of him against her mostly bare flesh making her skin erupt in gooseflesh. Daemon's arms wrapped around her to protect her from the fall, but they both still ended up on their sides, falling painfully in the snow. The crowd cheered in an awkward, muted mumble, clearly unsure who the winner was. 

For a few blissful seconds, Rhaenyra didn't care. She felt her uncle's hands on her naked waist, his fingers spread wide, pressing into her with gentle pressure. He was sweaty, just like she was, but the dampness of his skin and the unmistakable smell of him only made her shudder in desire. 

He was breathing hard, his jaw clenching under her stare, and when she hesitantly dragged it up to his eyes they seemed to be smoldering. And in those quiet moments she could almost believe he didn't care either. About the prize or bragging rights. About the principle of winning every year. 

Then his hand moved to cup her hip, as if contemplating bringing her closer to him, and Rhaenyra jerked away from this strange limbo. She untangled herself from him and hopped to trembling feet. 

Her family was staring, some with confusion, some with suspicion or glee. 

And it was her father who finally spoke, 

“So. I think it was a tie?”

❆

As Rhaenyra licked a stray drop of lemon sorbet off her ring finger, her eyes automatically flew across the room. Daemon sat at the makeshift throne of Dragonstone, his seat for the upcoming year, with a mint ice cream cone in one hand almost entirely gone. Laena must have said something funny to him because he barked out a laugh, nodding along with her, making Rhaenyra's blood boil in her veins. 

Fucking hell.

What a disaster.

“You okay, honey?” 

“Yep.”

“Hmm. That glare says otherwise.” Her mother squeezed her petite body next to Rhaenyra, where she was taking up most of the space of the couch. Lifting a hand, Aemma smoothed back some strands of Rhaenyra's hair, still wet from the shower she'd taken after the race.

“Just… pissed at myself.” She looked away from Daemon's grinning face. “I couldn't beat him even with cheating. There's really no hope for me.”

She didn't mind sharing the victory with Daemon… not per se. But it still burned, the disappointment in herself sinking into her bones; she couldn't do anything right this year. 

“Of course there's hope,” Aemma admonished her. “You're getting better and he's only getting older.”

Rhaenyra had to laugh, some of the icy self resentment chipping away. For a second she thought she saw Daemon looking at her from the corner of her eye, her breathing hitching immediately, but turning her head his way offered the sight of him still fully entranced by her cousin.

Well.

“You know…” Her mother's voice turned quiet, and suspiciously innocent. “It isn't anything strange. I hope you're not beating yourself up over it.”

“Ah, you know, considering I busted my ass for a year and planned this elaborate sabotage - “

“Not about that.” Aemma sighed, and bumped Rhaenyra's side with her own to make her glance back at her. “About you… and him.” Her meaningful glance over Rhaenyra's head told her everything she needed to know without even following her gaze. 

She went bright red. “Mom. There's not - nothing - “

“No, I know. Shh, it's okay, don't freak out. I know nothing's happening. But I hope you're not beating yourself up over wanting… something to happen.” 

Gods, was she so obvious? 

She stared at her quickly melting ice cream cone. “Mom, please… let's not. It's already mortifying enough as it is.”

“Why?” Her mother leaned closer and whispered into her ear, “It is the Targaryen way. Your father is my first cousin, you know what, don't you?”

Sheepishly, she nodded. The entangled Targaryen relationships were well known in the family, but this was… different. This was her… and her uncle. She was much younger than him. She could imagine how weird and disgusting he'd find the thought of them… together, after having watched her grow up…

He'd want nothing to do with her like that, she was sure of it.

“Honey, I know for a fact - “

“Co-winner.” 

They both looked up at Daemon who stopped by the couch, his smile still on but dimmed now that Laena had gone to the bathroom. Hmpf. 

“Doesn't really roll off the tongue,” Rhaenyra complained bitterly. Aemma got up and walked off silently, leaving them alone, and her daughter glared at her mother’s back.

“Come on. It is your seat as well.” He pointed his thumb behind his shoulder, but she shook her head. 

“I don't think there's enough room for the both of us.” There never had been two winners. She supposed there was a first time for everything. 

Daemon’s lips curled into a sly smile. “You can always sit on my lap.”

Her heart did an embarrassing jump in her chest. “Hmm, I don't know. I was told it is weird.”

“What is?”

“To… sometimes still sit on my uncle's lap.”

His smile melted away, replaced by a frown. “Who told you that?”

“Doesn't matter.”

“No, it does. Who?” When the only response she gave was a break of their eye contact, he sighed, and asked in a not well hidden disgust, “Was it Harwin?” Rhaenyra shrugged. “Well, then I'm even more glad that you broke up. I'd hate for you to date someone who thinks it's weird you sit on your uncle's lap.”

She felt her lips starting to twitch. “Right. We don't want that.”

“That we don't.”

“No such negativity in our lives, hm?”

“Exactly. Now come.” He extended a hand. “Your well deserved seat is waiting.” 

She knew he was talking about the throne… the throne she half deserved. She knew it. And yet when he sat down and brought her to his lap, she couldn't help her silly thoughts wander. 

They wandered. And she yearned.

❄

“Fucking hell.”

“Shh. You'll wake the whole house up.”

Daemon cursed again, but this time under his breath. “You scared me. What are you doing here, sitting in the dark like a movie villain?”

Rhaenyra tapped her fingers against the kitchen table, unable to keep the nervous tick at bay. “Couldn't sleep.”

“Oh, really. How strange. The same happened to me last night.”

Her lips thinned out. “Weird.”

“Indeed.” He took a seat across from her, and she couldn't see much in the darkness but she did see he was shirtless.

Wonderful.

“Is - is your insomnia prevailing?” she made herself ask, her voice embarrassingly high and squeaky. 

A chuckle. “No. I'm tired but my mind is too awake to sleep.”

“Hm. Same.” Her eyes were drawn to him. Always drawn to him, like a moth to the flame, uncaring of the danger lurking. She already felt like she caught fire - this desire had been burning inside of her for years, slowly but surely ridding her of sanity. She'd had crushes before but none of them had felt like this. 

Targaryens really were strange.

“You know,” she said to distract herself, “it was me. I… I wanted to weaken you, to have a better chance, because… no matter how much I trained I still didn't believe in myself. And look at that, you beat me anyway. You - you deserve the win all by yourself.” 

She'd really thought it'd make her feel better. Even if slightly cheating, she knew how much work she'd put into it. It'd still feel good, deserved. But now… she was starting to doubt it. Perhaps there was nothing to make her feel better. Perhaps she just needed to suck it all up.

“I know,” Daemon hummed easily. Rhaenyra blinked to bring herself back to the present. 

“W - what?”

“Did you think you were being slick? Please, sweetheart, I know you like the back of my hand.”

She felt her face go up in flames. “Oh. Um.”

Her fingers were tapping against the table furiously now, but she couldn't stop it, even as the noise grew louder and more annoying. Then her uncle's hand covered hers, and the weight of his palm pressed her fingers flat against the wooden surface. 

“It's alright. I thought it was cute.”

She let out an undignified snort. “Cute.”

“Yeah. The way your eyes glittered. Giggling like a schoolgirl. Unable to hide your glee as you and your siblings sabotaged me. Cutest thing I've ever seen.”

“Pft. Right.” His thumb ran back and forth over her hand, soothing. She relaxed into the chair. “Well. Good thing I'm cute then, if nothing else.”

She sounded like a bitter old lady, and a fresh wave of resentment washed over her. Daemon tutted though.

“Rhaenyra. No. I think you're looking at this all wrong. Listen… I gave it my all. My soul almost left my body, and I barely cleared the finish line. The tumble at the end? My legs gave out.”

She was smiling now, biting into her cheek from the inside to stop the giggles. “You're just saying that to make me feel better.”

“I wish. It's the truth, though. I'm willing to bet you'll leave me in the dust next year. You'll probably be inside, lounging on your throne by the time I even make it to the end.”

“You're so full of shit.”

Now she was laughing at the image of him barely crawling the last few meters to where their family gathered, cheering for them.

“My misery makes you so cheerful?” Though Daemon sounded pretty happy himself, a smile clear in his voice. She thought she saw it, too, in the dark, even the hint of it almost stopping her heart. 

At some point their hands on the table changed positions and were now locked, intertwined, her smaller palm fitting perfectly into his larger one. 

And she felt it again. The longing. To have Daemon… in all ways. To joke and tease and reminisce and then kiss and cuddle and tumble into bed together to have intense sex every night… Was that too much to ask for?

“Rhaenyra? What's the matter?”

“N - nothing.”

His chair creaked as he leaned forward. Oh, Gods.

His smell washed over her, the familiarity of it so comforting. She remembered burrowing into his arms as a small child, her nose pressed against his neck as he embraced her, and she'd inhaled the very same scent into her lungs. Cedar and rain. He always smelled… like Dragonstone. Like home.

“You can tell me anything, sweetheart,” he purred into the gap between them, smaller now, but it might as well be a thousand feet wide, she was scared and trembling all the same. 

‘It is the Targaryen way.’

Right. 

But what if he - 

“Anything,” he repeated, like he could read her mind, like he wanted to coax her into finally spilling her secret. 

Rhaenyra licked her lips, suddenly parched. “Um, I… I was thinking… You know, we - we are… close, and I wondered…”

What was she saying? 

Instead of babbling, she shut her mouth, and wasn't speaking at all. For a second she closed her eyes and cursed herself internally. 

They both stayed silent for a few heartbeats until he spoke again, clearly coming to the conclusion she wasn't about to continue on her own. “You almost got me, you know that?” 

Her mind whirled, trying to understand what he was talking about. “Um. What?”

Rhaenyra felt his feather light touch then, pulling her hair away from her neck, tugging it behind her ear. She went hot all over.

“I knew I wouldn't fumble the race. Not even exhausted and so full I could barely move. I was confident I'd make you work for it…” The tip of his thumb pressed to her hammering pulse, and she almost moaned out loud like some touch starved virgin.

Well. Not that far from reality.

“But then,” he breathed, “you took your shirt off. And ran off in that tiny bra of yours. I almost had a heart attack right there.”

Rhaenyra closed her eyes. Her numb body was awakening, every nerve ending sparking to life with his whispered words. 

“It's - it's not - tiny,” was the only thing she could muster. 

Was this actually happening?

Or had her exhausted mind conjured this fantasy?

“Rhaenyra, your tits were spilling out. I'm convinced you wore it to torture me.” Daemon moved, his hot breath hitting her neck, and she was ready to faint. “Or do you have no idea what you do to me? Are you blind to my every reaction to you?” He tsked, and his lips pressed to her neck, covering her pulse in a soft kiss. 

Oh Gods. Holy fucking hell.

“I - I…”

She needed to get a grip. She was an adult woman, for crying out loud, and she'd had people do much more to her than kiss her neck. Why was she such a mess now?

Of course, she knew why. None of the people touching her had been her uncle.

Daemon turned his head, the wet slide of his mouth climbing up her cheek. “Do you want to feel what you do to me, Rhaenyra?”

His hand dragged hers off the table, their joint touch settling lightly on his lap. On his erection, pronounced through the sweatpants he was wearing. Oh fuck.

Swallowing thickly she fought the overwhelming urge to squeeze, to fondle, to rub. “I had no idea…” 

Had her desire to be normal and ignore all her true feelings completely blinded her to his own lust? 

“I would have told you years ago… But you were always in a relationship, and always with someone who… looked nothing like me.” A soft, humorless chuckle warmed the side of her face. 

Her chest pinched with regret. Of course… Her string of partners was very telling when she looked back at them. Alicent in high school. Criston after graduation. Harwin in university. They were all very obviously… nothing like him. 

Rhaenyra closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. She understood what he was telling her. She finally heard it, she felt it against her hand. 

And so she turned her head just an inch, and parted her lips, pressing them gingerly against her uncle's. He exhaled heavily, like a huge weight dropped from his shoulders, and surged forward, both of his hands raising to cup her cheeks. To hold her close, to keep her in place. As if she'd try to run away.

Daemon's tongue caressed her lips, gently asking for permission to do more, and when she allowed him in, all the gentleness evaporated. His kisses were hard, deep, angry ,or perhaps desperate. He supped the breath from her mouth and didn't let her stray from him to take more air into her lungs. 

Offering no complaint, Rhaenyra grasped his hair in one hand and lifted the other from his lap, wrapping it around his forearm; her anchor, preventing her from slipping and falling. 

She knew nothing would save her from this falling, though.

Rhaenyra gasped for air greedily when he pulled back. Her lips felt swollen from the ferocity of his kisses, but as soon as she could, she leaned back in. 

There was no telling how long they sat there, kissing again and again in the dark. Perhaps twenty minutes, perhaps three hours. She knew it didn't truly matter, though. It would not be enough either way.

In the silence surrounding them, he rested his forehead against hers. Their breathing was returning to normal, but her chest still felt like it was growing three sizes. 

Rhaenyra traced his smile with her fingertips. “You better not let me win next time,” she whispered.

The smile under her touch widened. “So you're not canoodling with me just to get me to go easy on you?”

“I don't need it. I'll kick your ass fair and square.”

He hummed, and tipped his head to kiss her again. “We'll start running together. Who better to train you than the seven year champion?”

“Pft. I made it into a tie even without your help, thank you very much.”

“Hmm, but with cheating.”

“It wasn't actually cheating. I only helped myself a little - “

He cut her excuses off with his mouth, and she happily let him. 

Being a co-winner wasn't so bad...

#daemyraholidayexchange #secret santa fic #christmas fic #daemyra fic #daemon x rhaenyra #daemyra fanfic #hotd fic #my fic stuff #modern daemyra #modern au