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afictionaladventure16 · 6 months

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With build a home can we get like reader comes home from school upset and finds her mom isn’t home but then Pedro is home but she doesn’t wanna burden him but it ends in them having a movie night and falling asleep on the couch please

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To Build A Home Pt. III (Pedro Pascal x Teen!Reader)

Pedro Pascal Masterlist

A/N: Looooove this request!! Hope you enjoy it!! Requests for To Build a Home are open! send them in!!

Summary: Your past comes back to haunt you. You go home in hopes to find comfort in your mother but you are met with Pedro who tries his best to be there for you in dark times marking the beginning of a movement within you.

Word Count: 3,014

Warnings: Mentions of stalking

Waiting for time to go by was excruciating. The second hand on the clock moved slower the longer you stared at it, it was as if it knew you were anxious to leave this place; anxious to join the outside world and it liked the anxiety it got from you.

You let out a deep sigh as you shifted in your chair, you had zoned in and out of today's lecture about World War II. Your history teachers had a voice that could easily be drowned out by any noise. He had no enthusiasm for any subject he taught and it showed.

You directed your attention to your best friend who sat next to you, they had been doodling in their notepad for the past twenty minutes. You knew if your teacher had called on either one of you right now you’d be doomed.

The sound of the bell ringing startled you, and you jumped in your seat. Your best friend caught sight of it and giggled, “Jesus,” you muttered under your breath as you packed up your backpack.

“We still good for tomorrow?” They ask. You both walked out of the classroom and into the hallway.

“I don’t know, my mom is still pretty pissed at me from the other day,” you commented.

“Oh yeah, I forgot about that,” they muttered. “How is all that going anyway?”

You shrugged, since the day Pedro took you to the aquarium a week ago, you had only seen him twice. He came over once to take your mother out on a date and for drinks after and he came over another time to cook dinner for your mother. Even though, he said he was making dinner for both you and your mother, you had found a way out of it. Luckily, you already had plans that night to go study with a group from class. You could tell he was trying to keep his distance, trying to respect the boundaries you have silently made. You respected that. You just weren’t sure how you felt about him still.

Your mother, on the other hand, was angry with you. Angry that you were not being so easy on him and you were angry with her. Hoping she’d be more understanding with the situation. After everything the two of you had been through, you had hoped that she would be the most understanding out of everyone.

“He’s okay,” you finally commented.

“Just okay?”

“I mean, what am I supposed to compare him to?” You sighed, “I don’t know him well enough to say he’s better than my dad or that he’s the best boyfriend my mother has ever had. So, he’s okay.” Okay was going to have be enough. For now. You were scared to say that he was great when in fact he wasn’t. Or to say that he was the worst person ever when he was a sweetheart deep down inside. His being an actor wasn’t adding to the equation. Every site you looked at, trying to find some type of dirt on the man always had something amazing to say. There was no way he was just Pedro. There had to be something.

They gave you a nod, “I think any man would be better than your dad.”

You shrugged, “I doubt that.”

You had reached the front entrance of the school building, where parents picked up their kids and where some waited for the school bus. Your best friend scanned the cars, smiling as they spotted their dad waving at them, you couldn’t help but feel envious of her. They had an amazing dad that was always there for them, one that really cared for them and protected them. You looked around, hoping that you could spot a familiar face. Yes, you had a loving mother who was always there for you, but you were repeatedly missing something.

“Let me know about tomorrow, yeah?” They said as they began walking away. You gave them a nod before waving them off. Watching as they hugged their dad inside the car, what you’d give to have something like that.

You began your walk home. It was only a twenty-minute walk and you enjoyed being able to listen to music on your walk home. Just because you listened to music on your walk home didn’t mean you weren’t paying attention to your surroundings though. You were aware of the things that were happening around you, the cars that passed by, the people you saw, and where exactly you were walking.

Meaning, that you noticed one car pass by you three times already within your walk. Immediately, you took note of the color of the car and model, hoping that maybe it was just a coincidence that you saw the exact same car three times, but it was hard to miss the big dent on the rear bumper. You doubted that there were three cars that were the exact same color, same model, with the same dent on the rear bumper that passed you all within five minutes of your twenty-minute walk.

Feeling your heart beginning to race, you picked up the pace. You glanced behind you to see the car had pulled over, you could see that there was only one person in the car. The car inched closer, giving you a better look at who was driving.

Your eyes widened when you realized who it was. Your father. He knew that you realized who he was, he put the car in park and got out of the car.

“Y/N, sweetie,” he smiled.

Don’t stop, you thought to yourself. You could hear him grunt as you continued walking down the sidewalk. Hearing the sound of the car door slamming caused you to jump slightly, you could hear the engine roaring to catch up. He slowly drove next to you, rolling down the window.

“Sweetie, please,” he began, “how about we go for a drive and talk? Just like we used to.”

“I’m not supposed to talk to you,” you hissed as you kept your eyes forward, continuing with your walk.

“Look, sweetie, the restraining order is just a piece of paper, it’s not going to keep me away from seeing my daughter. Just get in the car.”

Your house was only a few blocks away, you could run it, but running it would risk him knowing where you lived. You needed a plan and you needed one fast. There were only a few options, run back to the school and seek help there; which was the most logical and sane option. Or you run and try to lose him.

Running back to the school did have its risks with it now being further away than your house.

“I miss you, sweetie,” He called out. “I need to see you and I can’t just let some piece of paper get in the way of that! Look, I’m sorry for everything that has happened but I’ve changed!”

It was always the same exact thing. The same exact words that lost meaning years ago, but they still brought you anger.

“Go away!” You yelled before sprinting down an alley. It probably wasn’t the best choice, but you knew this alley led to a small walkway towards your street and you knew this was probably your best bet in losing your father. Once you saw the street ahead of you, you stopped to make sure you couldn’t see his car before darting across the street to your house.

Swiftly, you pulled your backpack off your shoulders before fumbling inside the pockets looking for your house keys. From the distance, you could hear a low rumble of the engine making its way down the street. “Fuck,” you muttered to yourself. Heart racing as you swore to yourself that you left your keys in the small front pocket of your backpack that was full of pencils, erasers, and random pieces of paper. You could hear the small jingle of the keys being pushed around, letting out a sigh as you felt them against your fingers. Pulling them out of your backpack and unlocking the door as quickly as you could, you made it inside just before your father's car made it past your house.

Locking the door behind you, you ran into the living room, “Mom?!” you yelled in a panic. “Please be home,” you mumbled as tears began to fill your eyes, you ran up the stairs, “Mom!?”

Down the hall, in your mother's room, Pedro heard the door slam shut. For a second, he thought that maybe Yesenia's meeting had been canceled, which would’ve ruined his surprise for her. He let out a deep sigh, thinking that he could come up with some excuse as to what he was doing, maybe find something for her to do downstairs for the next hour. He got up from his position next to the pile of pieces of wood on the floor and made his way towards the door.

“Mom!?” He heard a voice yell throughout the house, his hand stopped just before he grabbed the doorknob. Thankful that it wasn’t Yesenia, but now he was filled with anxiety. Does he go out there and greet you or stay inside the room? Staying inside the room would probably be the worst thing to do, but he knew you didn’t like him all that much and he wanted to give you the space you needed. Pedro shook his head, he needed to at least let you know that he was in the house. He let out a deep sigh before turning the knob and opening the door.

“Mom?!” Pedro's heart began to race, something was wrong. He could hear the panic in your voice, and he quickly stepped out of the room. He could see you making your way up the stairs.

“Hey, Y/n!” He said in a soft tone, you jumped a little as you got to the top of the stairs. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“Is my mom here?” you asked anxiously as your eyes darted around the house.

Pedro took in how wide your eyes were and how pitched your voice sounded. “N-no, she had an emergency meeting at work, she won’t be back for a while.” You took in a deep breath as your hands shook, reaching for your phone in your back pocket. “If you’re trying to call her, it won’t help that she left her phone here.”

“Fuck,” you muttered. You lifted your hands up to your head, taking in deep breaths to control your breathing. Pedro noticed your knuckles go white from gripping your phone, the way you appeared to struggle to catch your breath. He knew what was happening all too well.

“Y/N?” He softly said as he took a step closer to you. You took a step back.

“I-I,” you took in another deep breath, and you began to fumble with your hands.

Pedro took a few more steps until you were directly in front of him, taking hold of your hands, “breathe with me,” he instructed. Taking in a deep breath and holding it, you followed. “And out,” he let out his deep breath, he led you in taking a few more deep breaths before helping you down the stairs and into the living room.

You took a seat on the couch, panic still trying to make its way in. Pedro took a seat next to you, he noticed your eyes darting around, “hey, hey,” he tried to catch your attention. “Deep breath,” he coached you through another deep breath.

Everything you had thought about Pedro went out the window. Yes, you thought there had to be something wrong with the man, something that no one knows about. A dark history of some kind, but when he knew exactly what to do without asking, at that very moment, you thought maybe there wasn’t.

Hesitantly, Pedro pulled you into an embrace, holding you just enough for you to stop trembling. He didn’t ask if you wanted to talk or if you were okay, and for you, it was what you needed. You allowed yourself to be okay in his presence, to feel safe. Slowly you wrapped your arms around his waist.

Pedro wanted to jump up and down with joy but he remained calm, gently rubbing circles on your back until you had fully calmed down. The two of you remained in silence for about fifteen minutes, you felt your heart slowly regain its normal pace and your breathing began to normalize.

“You ready to talk?” Pedro asked softly.

You let go of the embrace, tears brimming your eyes once again. “I saw him today.”

Pedro didn’t have to ask who you saw, he just knew by the way fear took over your eyes earlier. He knew it was a touchy subject, a subject that he didn’t know you would talk to him about.

“H-he was at my school waiting for me,” A tear made its way down your cheek.

“We don’t have to talk about it,” Pedro suggested.

“Please don’t let him get me,” you pleaded as you looked over at Pedro. “Please.”

Pedro’s heart broke into pieces, the terror that man had put in you, if it were up to Pedro that man would never see the light of day. Pedro placed a soft kiss on the top of your head, “I won’t.” He let out a sigh, “how close did he get?” Pedro asked. He knew the terms of the restraining order that was held against your father, knowing that if he got within 40 feet he could go to jail.

You shrugged, “it was close,” you sniffled.

Pedro sighed, he knew that what you needed to do right now was calm down. He wanted to call the police right away and get the man arrested, but he knew that that was probably not the best way for Yesenia to come home. Once Yesenia came home, he’d speak to her and they’d call the police, but for now, he had other things that needed his attention.

“how about we watch a movie?” He grabbed the remote from the coffee table.

“Why are you so nice to me?” you finally said. You weren’t expecting Pedro to just stop everything and be there for you. If anything, you expected him to go back to whatever it was he was doing, leaving you alone to panic. If it were any other person, they probably would’ve done just that.

Pedro looked at you puzzled, “I-I–”

“I don’t get it,” you began, “You come in here and you act like you truly love my mother and I treat you so horribly. I do everything I can to get you to run for the hills but you’re still here. You even dealt with our mess and you’re still here.” You got up from the couch, “So why are you still here? Why do you put up with it?

He placed the remote back down, “If I’m being honest… I don’t know. I have this immense love for your mother and I… I just can’t explain it. I’d like to be there for you if you’ll allow me to. I know I can never replace your father nor will I ever be like a father to you because you may not allow it, but I would like to be a part of you and your mother's life in one way or another.”

You shook your head, “I don’t understand.”

“You don't have to,” he got up from his spot on the couch.

Tears welled up in your eyes, “this is new to me.”

“It’s new to me too.”

“It’s gonna be hard for me.” He nods, “I can’t promise anything.”

“I’m not asking you to,” he said softly.

“Alright.” You wanted to believe that you weren’t doing this for him, you were doing it for your mother. Seeing how much joy he brought her made you happy and that should be enough, right? Right. Yet, it was hard for it to just be enough. It was hard to let someone in after years of trauma, but if your mother could do it… then maybe so could you.

“Movie?” He asked again as he sat back down on the couch.

You gave him a nod, taking the spot next to him. “I hear Paddington 2 is a good movie,” you commented.

Pedro couldn’t help but chuckle, “But we have to start with the first Paddington.”

Hours later, Yesenia walked into the house. Exhausted from the long meeting and anxious to see how many missed calls she had on her phone. She made her way to the living room, spotting Pedro a smile formed on her lips, “surprised to see you her-” she stopped mid-sentence as Pedro immediately shushed her. She walked around the couch, her eyes beaming as she saw her daughter laying her head on Pedro’s lap.

“She fell asleep halfway through Paddington 2, that was like two hours ago. I haven’t had the heart to wake her,” Pedro whispered. He gently combed your hair with his hands.

Yesenia sat on the coffee table in front of them, “want me to wake her?”

Pedro shook his head, “She’s had a bad day, let her rest.” He then looked up at Yesenia, “Her father was waiting for her at her school, I was waiting for you to come home so we could handle it.”

Yesenia’s heart dropped, this was one of her worst fears. “I’m sorry you have to deal with our drama, Pedro. I understand if-”

“Don’t you dare finish that sentence,” he immediately responded. “I don’t want to break up, I don’t see that happening anytime in the future.” He sighed, “I can help.”

“I couldn’t ask you to do that.”

“I’m offering,” he looked down at you before looking back up at Yesenia, “let me help.”

As much as Yesenia wanted to decline his offer, she knew she couldn’t do this alone again. She didn’t have it in her anymore, she needed the help. “Alright.”

Pedro Pascal Taglist: @Sophieelizabeth01 @tracynooks @cilliansangel @change-the-world-someday @graciegoeskrazy @oggystine93 @t-stark35 @twkobii @picklehat3r @welcometomyworldwithoutrules @white-wolf-buckaroo @steadydragongalaxy @rooting4theantihero @soupinasock @tracysnook @ilovehotdadsandshit @dzaga890 @marantha @emmasauger @marysucks-blog @pcotato @scrappybear89 @dlwrish @what-ever-man213 @boiohboii @drowning-in-paragraphs @stoneredsword @xmurph7 @sleepylunarwolf @glossy01 @aot-task141-lover @uwiuwi

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shadowbriar · 2 years

Text

Sirius Black - Heart Stamp

Pairing : (F/M) || Sirius Black x Reader Word Count : 3.7k Warning : Tattoo. Soulmate AU. Notes : A good for nothing like him surely deserve no soulmate, Sirius believes, but when the heart is starved of something, someone, the universe throws him into another round of misery. An OC was mentioned as Remus’ soulmate. Reader is 2 years younger than Sirius. There might be a part II but I don’t want to make promises.

Sirius winces as the needles pierce through his skin, leaving black marks along the thin lines of stencil he’d agreed upon. He’s lost track of how many markings he’d made on his body. Everyone always admired the beauty, they so called so, of tattoos decorating his skin but for him it was nothing more than a veneer concealing his cowardly self. Everytime he looked at himself from the mirror, he could only let out a sigh, holding on to the last bits of time left before she knew the truth.

He cursed on whoever was responsible to pass down the tradition. What kind of sore tosser thought that it would be a great idea for a sixteen years old to know their soulmates? What if they don’t want to have a soulmate? What if they’re damaged beyond repair to ever deserve a soulmate? Wouldn’t that just be cruel to the other party, having to know that they’re bound for life with someone who’s as good for nothing? Someone like him?

He’s tried every spell, potions, whatever rituals there are that he’d read from the restricted section of the library to revoke the linkage, yet when his birthday came it was clear for him that the world hates him out of spite. Her initials were engraved to his forearm, just below the line of his inner elbow. Though he’s tried to cover the mark with some horseshit phrase he stole from one of Remus’ novels, you can still see the lines of her initials peeking through.

Another laugh the universe cruelly dumped on the poor boy.

As much as his little heart rejoiced in happiness, having to know that the girl he’s been so madly in love with for years was destined to be his soulmate, Sirius had to take the sour turn and hide the truth so as not to make people know who the unlucky girl is. Though he’s got no regret on being disowned by his family, he understands the weight he’s carrying isn’t something he should share with anyone. It would simply be unfair of him to throw the dirt and shame at her, so he chose to remain quiet. Even after her persistent questions of who his twin flame is.

And so Sirius gained a new routine, weekly going to the tattoo parlour to stamp his skin with some doodles and wearing a long sleeved shirt to cover her initials.

When the tattoo artist was done, Sirius stared at the new markings. It was a simple heart shape, one of the simplest tattoos he has on his body. He wanted to have a reminder of today, one day before she would find out about the lies and secrets he’s hidden from her for the past two years. He needed a reminder that later on tonight when all hell broke loose and she’s angry at him for not telling her that she was his twin flame, when all of the mean things she’s spat gradually turn into cries and begs for him to embrace her, Sirius has to keep the promise he’d made to himself— He will not accept her as his soulmate.

“You alright, Pads?” James asks, placing a hand on his best friend's shoulder.

Sirius nods, faking a smile, “Grand.”

Placing a few galleons to the table, Sirius heads to the door. His three friends sigh, watching the black haired boy acting so nonchalant when it’s apparent that he’s shattering inside.

“Let’s see what we have left on our to-do list,” Sirius said, looking at his palm as if he was holding a note “Get the stuff for her birthday party tonight, checked. Get her presents and her favourite snacks from Honeydukes, checked. Get a new tattoo and cover her initials once more, checked. Prepare a good argument when she finally finds out that I’m her soulmate, not checked but I’m working on it.”

“You’ve prepared an argument?” James asks with raised brows “How exactly would you argue with her? You’re keeping the fact that she’s your soulmate for two whole years, Pads. I don’t think you should be making arguments, you should be writing your will instead.”

Sirius pursed his lips, tapping his chin in a thinking manner, “Good idea, I’ll add that to the list.”

Remus rolled his eyes, “You’re making a fuss out of nothing. Should’ve just come clean with her in the first place.”

“Speaking from experience, aren’t you Moony?” Peter asks, nudging the wolf boy “How is it with Diane? You look like you don’t need much of our help anymore during full moons.”

“She’s brilliant, she understands my conditions and there’s still a lot to unpack but we’re working on it.” Remus says, slightly blushing at the mentioning of her soulmate “I suppose that’s what being a soulmate means. The universe doesn't just give you some random name to be bound for life with, they chose the one person who would understand you and help you through your nightmares. The same way you would help them through theirs.”

“That’s exactly what I’m feeling with Lily.” James chimes in, looking intoxicated with love as he speaks of her “She makes everything better and easier. We have our misunderstandings and fights, sure, but at the end of the day it would only bring us closer.”

“Alright now, enough of the sappy talk.” Sirius sneered “You lot are making it hard for Wormy who’s yet to meet his girl.”

“Oh, I’m content. I don’t mind waiting for a year or two to finally meet her.” Peter answers, trying to avert the spotlight back at him “I may not know what she looks like yet, but I know that I love her already and that’s enough.”

Sirius chews the inside of his cheek. He knows the trick his friends are pulling, to make him yield into this soulmate rubbish and accept it wholeheartedly. Making it seem as if being in love and having a soulmate is the best thing to have happened to their lives. Had the circumstances differ, Sirius would gladly swallow the idea with bliss but he’s not in such a position right now. The whole predicament with his family is taking enough space in his mind and he wouldn’t want to have her reside in such an uncomfortable place.

“Your antics aren’t working, boys.” Sirius says with a mocking face “Besides, it’s what? 8 hours till midnight? Coming clean to her now would only mean spoiling her surprise, I’d rather stall a few more hours before my execution finally comes.”

James shrugs, “If you say so. Your death, not mine.”

—-

Sirius stares at the Room of Requirement’s door. He could hear the music playing from the inside. People were coming in and out, slightly bumping into him who’s standing right in the middle of the corridor. He could feel his heart beating as if it was fighting its way out of his ribcage. His palms were sweaty, worried about the outcome of tonight. He’s given a lot of thought of the words his friends said earlier, about the concept of soulmate and how it’d change their lives drastically. Perhaps the struggle he’s facing right now isn’t as colossal as he thinks it is. Perhaps her love could help him come out of it alive.

And so Sirius whispered to himself, if by the time she knows and she forgives him from keeping it a secret from her, he would give this soulmate crap a chance and would try to work their way up. He would love her proudly and profoundly. He wouldn’t let his house difficulties affect them. He would give a chance for himself to feel the love he so longed to breathe in for years.

Folding the sleeves of his shirt, barely showing the tattoo that’s covering her initials, Sirius takes his steps into the party. People were already crowding the place, familiar faces talking and laughing with each other. On the sofa he could see his pack being comfortable with each other, inviting him to come and have a seat when his eyes met them.

But Sirius only nods, gesturing that he’ll be over in a minute. He’s got something to cross off of his list right now. Something much more urgent than the game of beer pong.

“Sirius!” A lovely voice called, waving at him “You’re here.”

“Of course, I am. Wouldn’t miss it for the world.” Sirius says with a wide smile, relieved to have finally met her “Happy birthday, Bug.”

“Not yet.” She shakes her head, smiling “You have to wait till the clock strikes at midnight to say that.”

“Well, I like to do things earlier than most.” He argues, giving her a small box “Your first present.”

“First? There’s more?” She asks as she excitedly takes the gift, opening it and revealing a star pendant necklace “Sirius.. It’s beautiful, thank you.”

“Would you like me to put it on you?”

She nods eagerly, “Please do.”

Sirius smiles as he takes the jewelry from her hands. His breathing was caught when she put her hair away, revealing more of her skin. Merlin knows how much will power he’s got to gather to fight the urge to plant a kiss on it, claiming her his. The smell of her perfume is so inviting, becoming his personal force of attraction. The way his fingers brushes to her skin is making the butterflies in his stomach go crazy, combusting as if they were fireworks on New Years eve.

Once the clasp was closed, she turned to face him again. A happy smile was decorating her face, slight blush tainting her cheeks. Her eyes sparkled under the dim light of the room and Sirius swore he’d never seen anyone look more delicate and precious as she is right now.

“You’re staring at me weirdly.” She comments, noticing the lack of blink the older boy was having “Are you alright, Sirius?”

Awkwardly clearing his throat, Sirius nods, “Splendid, really.”

“I think you’re lying but I’ll let it slide this time.”

Sirius smiles. She was acting like a child who’s just gotten themselves a cotton candy at a theme park and it made his chest flutter in bliss. Perhaps this is what his friends were talking about. She makes everything better and easier, indeed.

“Bug?”

“Yeah, Sirius?”

“You know that I love you, right?”

The look on her face turns into a soft one, looking slightly downhearted as if she hoped he would mean those words differently, “Of course, Siri.”

“Then promise me this,” Sirius says, this time taking her hands in his and squeezing them gently “Whatever happens tonight, whoever your soulmate would be, promise me that you would still look at me the same way you’re looking at me right now. Look at me with those same eyes that always give me warmth and happiness. Look at me as if I put the Moon and Stars to your sky. Look at me as if I’m someone you love.”

“Sirius, you know I can’t promise you that. People say that once you know your soulmate, you can never look at other people the same way.” She says with an apologetic smile “But for what it’s worth, I hope that my soulmate would be you.”

Sirius nods.

“I mean, I know that’s impossible cause you already know who your soulmate is and it’s obviously not me, that’s why I’m brave enough to admit it.” She rambles, making Sirius to chuckle lightly “But if the Universe could grant me one birthday wish, you know what it’ll be.”

With a forced smile, Sirius brought her hands closer to his chest and kissed them gently. He wishes to live in this moment forever. He wishes to have her this close, close enough to feel his love but far enough to not be chafed from his actions. He wishes to keep her in oblivion and keep loving her in silence, living the rest of his life from fragments of stolen intimacy.

But time is running out. The bomb is about to be explode and all there’s left of him to do now is to sit and wait, crossing fingers that whatever the future would lead them to, his heart and soul wouldn’t crumble completely.

—-

Sirius didn’t realise the blood seeping through his fingernails as he bites them, waiting for her to come out of the room. She’s entered the chamber fifteen minutes before the clock strikes at midnight, wanting to have her own private moment before the initials of her soulmate appear on her skin. The placing of said tattoo is different for everyone, only matching to their soulmate, so she’s asked a couple of her trusted friends, Lily being one of them, to help scan her skin once she officially turns sixteen. Sirius could easily tell her that there’s no need for her girlfriends to help her see where the tattoo would be cause he knows exactly where, but once again he chose to remain silent about it.

Twenty minutes have passed since the day changed and she still hasn’t come out. Sirius was getting more worried of the storm happening on the other side of the door. Is she alright? Is she already having a fit of anger from the realisation? Could she be crying in happiness that her birthday wish is actually granted?

“Lily!” James calls as he notices her girlfriend coming out of the chamber in a hurry “What’s going on in there? Why is she not out yet?”

“Something’s wrong.” Lily says in a hurry as she walks to the drinking table, taking a few bottle of water.

“Wrong? What do you mean wrong?” Sirius asks with alert “Is she alright?”

“Her tattoo, it’s not showing.”

“What?” Remus asks this time “What do you mean it’s not showing? It’s almost 12.30, she should already have her tattoo by now.”

“I know, Remus, but it’s not showing.” Lily answers, sounding as if she couldn’t believe it herself “We’ve checked every inch of her body, there’s no tattoo.”

“Check her left arm, the tattoo should be there.” Sirius says, his tone raising in panic too as he shows the location of her initials “It should be here. My initials should be here.”

Lily raised her brows at his words, turning her eyes to James to ask for explanation but looking at the worry washing over Sirius’ face, she could piece the puzzle together easily.

“Lily, check her arm, please.” Sirius says once more, his tone begging for her to do the favour “My initials should be there.”

“We’ve checked, Sirius, there’s no tattoo.” Lily said once more, looking apologetic this time “But I’ll check her arm again, alright?”

With drinks in her hands, Lily reenters the chamber. The boys now have their eyes glued to the door, dark clouds hovering over their heads. The party is still going in a full blast behind them but the music wasn’t as deafening as the silence around them.

“It’s my fault.” Sirius says with volume barely above a whisper “It must’ve been one of the rituals or spells I did that made her tattoo not show.”

“Don’t blame yourself, Pads. It might just take a longer time for her tattoo to show.” Peter says, trying to enlighten the mood “Her tattoo will show, don’t worry about it.”

“No one has ever had a late appearing tattoo, Wormtail. It’s either there or not there at all.” Sirius says, rummaging his hand through his hair “I screwed up. I screwed up big time.”

Remus places a hand to his friend’s shoulder, “Calm down, mate. We’ll figure it out together, alright?”

“Yeah, Pads. Sit down and we’ll think about it together.” James says, offering a space next to him by the sofa.

Sirius didn’t say a word, his head hung low trying to hide the tears that were starting to fall. He lets Remus guide him to the sofa and sink himself on it once he’s seated. He buries his face on his palm, sobbing. Just how cruel can the world be to him?

—-

Sirius smiles weakly at her once he enters the chamber. She was sitting at the corner, leaning on the walls with head resting on the footing of a table. Tears were staining her cheeks, ruining her makeup. Sirius hates his mind but he couldn’t stop thinking of how pretty she looks as she cries. Her vulnerability made him love her more. It made him want to pull her into a tight hug, hoping his embrace could glue back the pieces of her broken heart.

Taking a seat next to her, Sirius sighs when he feels her head now resting on his shoulder. She was still shaking from the sobs, sniffling as she tried to control her breathing. He tried to peek on her left arm and through the stolen glances, his nightmare was proven to be true. The tattoo wasn’t there.

“I haven’t a soulmate.” She whispers, her voice cracks in between the words “Whatever did I do to not be deserving of one, Sirius?”

“Don’t say that, Bug.” He replied, fighting the cry that’s about to break through “You haven’t done anything wrong, believe me. You deserve all the love in the world and more.”

“I haven’t a soulmate, Sirius. Why?”

Sirius has to close his eyes and pull her for a hug. Her cries were becoming loud once more, breaking right inside his embrace. He could feel his shirt being wet from her tears. He was crying with her, questioning the fault and sin they’ve committed in their previous lives to have the universe curse them so. Why couldn’t they be as normal as other soulmates? Why do they have to have so much pain to go through? Why does the universe love to toy with them so much?

“I haven’t a soulmate, Sirius.” She says once more, repeating the words as if she’s trying to comprehend it “I don’t understand. Don’t we all have a soulmate?”

“We do, Bug.” Sirius says gently “You have a soulmate, believe me. It’s not that something is wrong with you, nothing is wrong with you, nothing could ever be wrong about you. We’ll figure it out together, I promise.”

“I just don’t understand.”

“I know, Bug, I know.” He says, this time pushing her to sit up and cupping her face “We’ll figure this out, alright? You have my word, I will not rest until you get your answers, okay?”

She nods, surprised to see him crying too.

“You’ll get your tattoo, I promise.” Sirius says once more before placing a kiss to her forehead “Don’t you worry your pretty mind, alright.”

Smiling faintly, she rests her head back to his shoulder. She intertwines her fingers with his, focusing on his body heat to be her sole source of energy and tranquillity. For some reason Sirius was the only person that could calm her. She’s heard the same words and promises from her friends yet it has to be Sirius to be the one to give her a fragment of peace. It has to be his voice to give her a sense of security. It has to be Sirius to rescue her.

“You’ve got a new tattoo.” She says, noticing the heart shaped tattoo on his right wrist “I’ve just noticed that.”

She silently traced the lines. Having countless tattoos on his body, Sirius knew that new tattoos aren’t supposed to be touched but he couldn’t careless. Her gentle caresses are his only grip to sanity. Without them he would lose his mind completely.

“I made that for you.” He says with a tired voice “For your birthday.”

She smiles, looking at his eyes with warmth, “Stop it, you’re making me wish harder that you’re my soulmate.”

The smile on his face dilutes for a moment. Should he tell her the truth now? Would right now be the right time to come clean? It would’ve been nice to place all of his cards on the table and let her be the judge of it. Let her be the one to decide their future, whether to build it brick by brick or turn the other cheek and walk away. But with everything that’s happened tonight, could they survive another fight? Would it not shear their last strands of sanity?

Taking a pen out of his back pocket, he reaches for her left arm. Right where his initials should be, Sirius wrote his name. He wrote his name boldly for everyone to see. Though it’s nothing close to how a real soulmate tattoo would look, the position and the smile plastered on her face was enough for him to know that she’s his.

“That looks like a ghastly soulmate tattoo.”

Sirius rolled his eyes, “You love it still.”

She chuckles at last, giving Sirius enough fuel to do the next bold thing.

He leans in, sealing their lips together gently. It took her a few moments to return the gesture but before Sirius could pull away in shame, she placed her hand on his cheek and pulled him closer. The kiss soon becomes desperate, trying to water the thirst they both have been dying of since forever.

Sirius lifts her and makes her sit on his lap without breaking the kiss. He needed to feel her as close as possible, extremely in need of her touch, but before they could proceed further, Sirius had to step on the brakes and pull away. He couldn’t go all the way with her tonight. Not when he hasn’t come clean to her.

She was smiling sweetly at him, playing with his hair now, “I’d take that you really meant what you said to me earlier.”

Sirius raises his brows, “What did I say earlier?”

“That you love me.” She says with a grin, yet it disappears as fast as it came “But what about your soulmate?”

“Don’t you worry about that for now.” Sirius says gently, smiling as he places a kiss to her nose “All you have to know is that I love you and I will always do.”

She nods eagerly before pulling him into a tight hug.

Sirius breaths in her scent as if it was his oxygen. He buries her face on the crook of her neck, kissing her exposed skin gently. He wanted to savour this moment as best as he could, stretching and stalling the time as long as he could. He wanted to freeze time, making them live in this very moment forever. Forget about his family problem and her not appearing tattoo.

Because when tomorrow comes, he’s to face his sins and does his walk of shame.

#the marauders #marauders #the marauders imagine #marauders imagine #the marauders scenario #marauders scenario #sirius black #sirius black angst #sirius black scenario #sirius black imagine #sirius black oneshot #sirius black fanfiction #sirius black fanfic #sirius black x you #sirius black x reader #sirius black y/n #sirius black x oc

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spontaneousglitterbees · 1 year

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Stick A Pin in This

Welcome friends, acquaintances, and curious strangers! Call me Bea/Glitter if you like, and this is my personal blog. I post art/writing/music on occasion, but most posts are probably multifandom reblogs.

Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Just want to say hi? Ask is open!

If you're just looking for my stuff, I'm still working on making sure everything is tagged (since I recently started Making More Stuff) but it's probably under #glittersart or #synthv.

I have an Ao3 account! Formerly calculatingMinutiae, now spontaneousglitterbees

Current sideblogs and projects include:

The Ghost of Glimwood Tangle, a Pokemon fic universe wherein Allister is a ghost. Sideblog @2sp00ky. Has a playlist, current chapters posted to Ao3.

The Pilotlight, a Homestuck fic surrounding the untimely demise and un-demise of one Mituna Captor. Sideblog @calculatingminutiae. Has been in my head for years and is slowly, slowly happening. Also on Ao3.

Currently I've been working on a Danganronpa post-game AU, where the ndrv3 kids go to Hope's Peak. Welcome to the Talent Acquisition Project Pilot. Tagged #TAPP AU or #TAPP AU adjacent. Parts to date are now listed under the cut.

Ten Steps Back

A Marked Man (also on Ao3) (In-game)

Cat-alyst (Intro. Bishop)

First (Color) Contact

Pre-contact (Earlier that day)

Boys Will Be Boys

It's a Jacket Day (Doodle Dump 1)

The Setup (Miu Pt. I)

Intervention (Miu Pt. II)

Catharsis (Miu Pt. III)

About Maki (ask)

Seeing the State of Things (AU Lore 1)

Cecil Sweep (non-canon of course but can you imagine)

Friendship? (ask sequel)

Not a comic just tired

Stop It. Get Some Help. (not comic but a fic) (also on Ao3)

Doodle Dump 2

Miu's Tattoo

Who Wore It Better (Outfits 2)

How are everyone's injuries? (Lore dump 1)

This Heart of Mine is Guilty (Not Remorseful) (also on Ao3)

Welcome to the New Age (Ao3)

And There Will Be Cake

And you always will be.

About Therapy Animals I

Enter: Chihiro

Enter: Alter Ego

Ace ring

A conversation (1)

Ref for TAPP!Maki

"You've got to be kidding me" (Ao3)

The K1B0 Rescue Squad

TAPP AU-adjacent (mostly answers and ask games)

Outfits 1 (Kokichi x3)

Outfits 3 (Kokichi and Shuichi)

Emojis 1

Emojis 2

Emojis 3

Glitter rambles about Kokichi for a while

Oops pokemon time

Did the barbie and ken thing

Active TAPP WIPs

Ch. 2 of Welcome to the New Age (fic)

Some Assembly Required (comic)

#pinned intro

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jewishcissiekj · 4 months

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Ok so obviously I think about Asajj a lot but I usually don't fully explain or visualize it. So no time like the present to start doing that

Here are things about Asajj, starting with my personal design and concept of her and why it's like that (most of these are sketches to put my thoughts somewhere so don't expect anything refined or clean):

First off, that girl is a cryptid. Weirdo. I love giving her all-black eyes/white pupils because it fits her, and eyebrows whatsoever (unless I'm in the mood for that). This is mainly sticking to the earlier Dermoty Power designs for Episode II and the way he draws her later on. The pointy ears are because she's a cat to me and she had those in Hyperspace Stories #5. Also!!!! I hate the Clone Wars retconning her to be Dathomorian and a NIghtsister and that whole backstory with my entire heart. Story-wise I prefer sticking to the Legends stories in the early 00s' comics (specifically Star Wars: Republic #60). So Rattatak (her Legends home planet) and her original origin story are very near and dear to my heart. This is important. (btw I'm mostly not OCfying her I'm just mixing up some of her versions. mostly.)

Next up: tattoos and marks! made up too much lore for that but here's a bit: I mixed and matched her Legends and canon designs, and changed their meanings because they have fuckass actual meanings. the two things that kinda look like her eyebrows are from TCW and I took them and made them into her family tattoos. In MY mind, those are passed through generations in Rattataki families (by the mother) and those two are the Ventress tatts from the Ventress family. Other than that we have (in the left pic) the 12 (did not draw 12 but there are 12, 6 on each side) tattoos from her Legends design. Their actual explanation is that she got one for each of Ky's killers she murdered. But that's weird so instead for my ver they're mourning tattoos that she got after Ky's death. The things under her eyes are a whole ass mess but they're called decay marks and they're loosely based on concept art and they're basically darker the older/darker sider she gets.

(she has another arm I'm just bad at drawing it) Wanted to draw my interpretation of this outfit with my face design for her but I was not working with the cover as a reference so there's a lot missing. For this one I think it's just the outfit she wears in her later Padawan years on Rattatak, or in my AUs as a padawan in general.

they are a mess but some of my layouts and doodles for her outfits: 1) her on-panel Padawan outfit which is basically just a tank top and cargo pants. wanted to draw it so here we are

2) her ugly ass outfit as a daughter of warlords! girl I know you're like a child but what are you wearing

3) Personal Jedi Robes design but it's just the previous Padawan design with sleeves and more little changes

(can you tell I enjoy drawing her face like that) these are more AU-oriented 4) Inquisitor Asajj design because I thought it'd be cool idk what she'd doing with the Empire tho 5)Temple guard design but I hate their outfits so it doesn't look good 6) just put her TCW Jedi General robes things. go off girl (I have 3 AUs in my head that fit that premise let's move on)

Put them together just because. The drawings have nothing to do with each other 7) This one's story is so complex. But it's basically just a design for Jedi Asajj post-Order 66. Might develop work on it more but I love the way it looks

And the other one: If you followed any of my disarrayed Asajj thoughts lately you might have seen my concept of Mon Mothma/Asajj as a ship. They won't leave my mind so I'm trying to figure out how to draw Mon and that one's something of a design for a younger Senator Mon, for their first meeting or smth idk

OK! just put together some thoughts now that I have visual aid for them. great thanks for coming to my TED talk I will continue talking about Asajj but now I can show you shit instead of just writing words woooohhhh

#daily asajj thought of the day #perhaps the most groundbreaking one for me yet #sw #star wars #asajj ventress #ventress #my art #star wars fanart #fanart #star wars legends #republic 60 #no common sense just vibes #if you've read this honestly well done #thanks for hearing me out on this #or not #mon mothma #idk what to tag this fuck it take it #rbs appreciated #idk maybe someone other than my sister wants to read this you never know

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xehanortsreport · 13 days

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i'm finally working on a larger piece again after a hell of a dry spell, and i had to make sure i remember how to draw my man

#now you weak hearted fools witness true power etc etc #thank god i still got it i was scared for a sec #doodles mark ii #kingdom hearts

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xx7raid7iator7xx · 1 month

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it looks like mlp ii art is winning on the poll i posted 2day so here is a few mlp ii doodles ^_^

his horn and wings are fake he is aactually just an earth pony but he is stupid and wishes he was an alicorn so he made a fake horn and wings out of paper

also his cutie mark is a heart because hes a fan of everything and uh loves everything or something iddk honestly a heart just made sense in my mind but idk how to explain it

test tubbbeee yayyy shes a unicorn because. it just makes sense to me and her cutie mark is a beaker because,, science and stuff

my friend said she looks like jade and now that im looking at it again, yeah i can see it

mics was probably the most fun to draw shes so cool

her cutie mark is a volume button and like she can make her voice super loud like in ii! she has wings cuz she would absolutely have wings. and the thing on her neck is a chocker necklace thing with the power button symbol thing attached to it as decor :3

#inanimate insanity #fan ii #ii fan #microphone ii #ii microphone #test tube ii #ii test tube #mlp

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signalterminated · 21 days

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i'm having fun thinking about each of the vessels making a personal altar/shrine to Sleep in their rooms and what they would have on them. memorabilia and trinkets gathered over the years, items with personal meaning and relevance. maybe even things they gave to each other

details and specifics for each vessel below the cut, otherwise this would get long

the first vessel's would be more nautical and cosmic. pieces of rope cut from buoys or docks, the lingering scent of sea salt, a scrap of whale bone with runes painstakingly carved into it. doodles from iii and iv, a fancy pen ii bought for him as a gift

ii's would have a journal/scrapbook full of pressed flowers and herbs in it. mushrooms. idk why i headcanon him as the group's botanist but i do lol, so plenty of naturey things on his. sticks and rocks tied together into effigies also painted with runes. old sheet music pieces

iii's is more eclectic and modern looking. one of iv's old shirts ripped up into a mat, polaroids he took of them all together having fun, his own sketches and portraits inscribed with their god's script. paint and string tying together a collage of broken CD's and cassettes

iv's has a fox skull with movie tickets perched in its mouth. smooth stones laid out in a deliberate pattern, crystals that glow eerily without a light source. rings and beaded bracelets he was given as gifts or collected from the others. a couple of guitar picks he scratched runes into they all paint the mark of Sleep onto the base of their altars, along with othala, the elder futhark rune for homestead. their altars are personal and meant to not be touched by the others, at least not without permission. it's a place of personal reflection and rest.

#sleep token #can't take all the credit for this idea as i was musing it with a friend #thank you [redacted]

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samaya11 · 1 year

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Tips from a Future RN

It’s not selfish to think of yourself; it’s called self-care.

Self care is the poetical ramblings and angry doodles that keep you sane through Microbiology

And the insane amount of extra hand washing and Lysol you now use because E.coli seems to beat to it’s own drummer. The invisible mask you wear anyway is finally acceptable to be manifested as the N95 when Viruses & Prions are your new nightmare but also your muse

Self care is jump-roping in your garage or kitchen even though you have 13 assignments due this week in Canvas and toddlers that claim they need right away you every 15 minutes

It is taking that long run right after 1 class before you get to your next class for those weight bearing exercises you learned you will need in AP I.

AP II is Learning how to arm yourself with the knowledge that your body might just betray you, that you can’t stop some genes from expressing but you can learn to respect the systems within you, cooperate and make peace. That your gut is in more control than your brain ever thought.

PSYC 2314 is Knowing your own trigger warnings and releasing yourself from the categories the world has seen fit to put you into. It is appreciation of being defined as a Dandelion

Self care is firmly sticking up for your own self without making your blood pressure rise or theirs.

It is is finally blocking the number of that person who thrives on making snide remarks

So they don’t invade your REM sleep & subconsciously stifle your dreams

Self care is taking ownership of all your faults and imperfections whether born of nature or nurture. Accountability without the self flagellation of shame and dwelling on the past mistakes stored in the hippocampus we take for granted

Self care is taking back your name

And carrying it with pride on your tongue

With all its taste receptors that has in turn

Learned with excitement to adapt to a vegan MIND diet of raw dark leafy greens, antioxidants and omegas without sacrificing flavour, culture and ethics

Self care is forgiveness in degrees

From superficial to deep levels

Lateral to medial

Looking in the mirror in anatomical position

Palms facing the viewer

Fingers free of weapons

knowing that forgiveness does not equal

reconciliation or erase the past

Self care is apologizing not only to the person in the mirror with the new gray hairs and the stretch marks that remained long after the línea nigra disappeared

but to every avatar you have manifested in this lifetime

Including the most insecure prepubescent versions of you at your inner mental core before your developing prefrontal cortex had better cognition

That what you were experiencing was not love but abuse

That fear and anxiety are normal responses to the tribulations they put you through

Self care sounds exhausting

But it allows you the escape

the room to breathe

deep and exhale

Using your intercostals and obliques

Pushing images of past failures

Using your body and your wits

to progress to a better you

Namah

Shivay

Priya Ramesh Desai, 2023 @samaya11

#desipoets #desipoetry #growing up gujarati #samaya11 #nursing student #microbiology #a&p #nurseinthemaking #nursing school #nurse in progress #anatomy #physiology #psychology #self healing #self love #self care

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misterradio · 5 months

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house of leaves has my mind blown at such random stuff. page 97 has a check mark in the corner.

[i'll add random other musings below]

notation 127 references a real book which is even on archive dot org..!!! and it says to check out a diagram But you need to log in to view the book. AAGHH!!

page 119 it is now time to be confused on how to read this 👍

nevermind the box is just all one long footnote. and the backwards box is like a reversal of the previous box.

"this is what happens when you hurry in a maze. the faster you go, the worse you are entangled"..... UH OH !

the footnotes along the sides are just BUILDING NAMES?? and then ARCHITECTS ??????? i do really like the cyclical nature of these notes, one makes u flip thru several pages and then you have to turn the book upside down and flip back thru the same pages. the last note in this series is right at the 2nd page in this sequence but along the side. makes me think of. a spiral ::-) makes me smile.

im just now realizing some of these notation marks are letters instead of numbers....X appears several times (that footnote is on page 107) but theres also like, LL (but if the first L was reversed)? and this one is F (page 122). not sure if there is a meaning here

page 127 guys this is scary

(page 151) "I was sorry to hear he disappeared. Do you know what happened to him?" HE WHAT?????

(page 620) okay i decided to read some more letters from (checks her name) Pelafina and. this is one is. ::-(

okay i finished her letters and wah........... sad. i wonder what was the one jewelry johnny kept from her.

(page 154) i already forgot what these different names were for ermmm lol. great hall and antechamber. i forgor

(page 159) the fact that the stairwell was around 13 miles long for Roberts' crew and then for Navdison its 100 feet.... LOLLLL F--K the explorers in particular

(page 192) YAY JED and wax !!! i never thought id be so so happy to see them again. yayyy. but now getting out is the next obstacle.. F--K OFF I CANT BELIEVE HOW SOONI SPOKE f--k this book

SICKENIINNNNGGGG!!!!!!!

(page 263) I LOVE THAT there are occasional emails from people after the 1st printing and someone says "what was all that crazy stuff in the introduction about guns and blood?" THATS WHAT IM SAYIINNGGGGG

(page 272) this makes me think that the stairwell is analogous to a throat..

(page 305) once again. witnessing the staircase lengthen and groan. makes me think it is literally swallowing navy.

(page 318) im so so glad wax survived YAY

(page 320) this made me get up and start pacing and smiling. like. this house wants navy so bad. SO BAD

(page 326) JOHNNY BECOMES SELF AWARE THAT HE A FICTIONAL CHARACTEr (scary)

btw i did find ouf the letters used in notations are actually symbols bc there is a photo of a graph of them on the inner cover. i dont actualy know how to look up what they are called at all tbh. theyre like. aircraft related.

(page 342) bruh this is new and scary. fhe house's shifting horror now extending beyond the imposible hallways but into the main house ...... what the......

(page 397) everyone in this book is so FREUDIAN !!!! like all the psychology is so fruedian i think.

(page 402) im so fascinated by these dream scenes i didnt expdct this book to really have a dream scene but there u go ^^__^^ im sad the promised third dream is missing......

OH YEAH BABY WE ACTUALLY HAVE A MINOTAUR PRESENT also in a dream scene. EVERYONE GIVE IT UP FOR A MINOTAUR PRESENCE

(page 406) this is some like. reverse tma thing. you know how in tma everyone who gives a statement to jon has nightmare of him. this is like what if jon did something to absolve everyone of their nightmares. huh. (also i havent gotten past this part i dont even know what navidson Does back in the house yet.........)

OH I JUST REALIZED THE SKETCHES IN APPENDIX II ARE JOHNNY'S. he mentioned doodling on any scraps of paper he had like mail and i was like heh. just like in the appendix. OH WAIT

i love that tgis chapter does NOT end in a period and ends with an open-ended sentence that segues into the next chapter. thats so neat ::-) idek if navy is still alive like wtf i dont know yet SHHH shhhh

(page 425) the dread this is imbuing in me. the floors tilting slightly wherever navy goes to guide him along. youre at the mercy of this house now..

(page 465) WHAT THE ? THIS BOOK IS WITHIN THISBBOOK? (navidson has a book titled house of leaves) WHAT?

(page 468) this desolation almost made me cry somehow . maybe logcially its not the worst thing thats happened in this book but the nothingness is crushing

this part makes u turn the book around a lot and i really did get a sense of dizziness while reading bc i realized i didnt know whether the text i was reading was really along the bottom of the page or what... also im still so tripped up that they mention this book by name, even say how many pages it has, and that 'maybe some of the pages are hard to read'. bro.

the song on page 479 is apparently "when johnny comes marching home" which i had to look up but thats where the tune of that song the ants go marching one by one comes from???? u learn something new every day.

i like that the footnote on page 488 is another of those aeronautic symbols (theres a chart of some of them on a collage in the back) and this one means "heavily injured, need a doctor"...............

(page 527) "and whenever she laughs the notes sing a call to Victory" STARTS BAWLING

okay i done YAYYYYYYYYY AAAUUUUUHHHHHHHHHGGGGHHHHHHHHHH i have yet to finish the appendices....

#original nonsense #personal #just a simple check mark... our little code so effortless and yet so rich in communication...........................#<- other than this im not sure why tgere is a check mark there.

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steve-rogers-new-york · 2 years

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“Kilroy Was Here”

Want a cultural reference that Steve and Bucky would, 100% be familiar with? Kilroy is it — A long-nosed, bald figure, peeking over a wall accompanied by the words “Kilroy was here.”

This little doodle and quote is associated with World War II GIs, and over the course of the war could be found everywhere US soldiers passed through. Building walls, weaponry, bombed out ruins, barracks, canvases, vehicles and aircraft...any flat surface was fair game. To millions of military personal throughout the war, it was a legendary sight.

Why?

In the simplest terms, it was cheap and easy entertainment in the face of war. It was a morale booster, an emblem of pride, a challenge, an Allied rally cry, and a mark of progress. “When you saw that ‘Kilroy was here’, then you knew the operation was bound to be a success.”

Precursors

This strange little calling card did not spring up fully formed from nothing, it in-fact had two key forerunners.

“Foo was here” During World War I, the First Australian Imperial Force (1st AIF) left “Foo was here” along with a familiar long-nosed figure peering over a wall, chalked on the side of railway carriages. “Foo” is assumed to have been an acronym for Forward Observation Officer (officer responsible for directing artillery and mortar ).

Mr Chad A similar doodle could be found through Britain from 1938, as a commentary on wartime rationing and shortages. Mr Chad would be accompanied by messages following the template of “Wot? No [blank]?” — “Wot? No Tea?” “Wot? No Bread?”. The figure itself was potentially based on the Greek Omega symbol, or a simplified impression of a circuit diagram.

I have no doubt that the boys, along with the Howling Commandos would have been familiar with the imagery. I personally love the headcanon of defrosted Steve or Post-WS Bucky absently doodling Kilroy on paperwork, napkins, or scrap-paper, the same way kids in the 90′s drew than dang “Cool S” on everything.

If you want more in the topic, my full research notes on all topics are available for all $3+ Patreon patrons!

Image Sources

Still from film “Kilroy Was Here”, 1947 | Source Kilroy Was Here Marker, Neilsville, Wisconsin, 1993 | Source Kilroy engraving on the National WWII Memorial, Washington, D.C. | Source Kilroy on aircraft, c.1944-45 | Source — Photographer: Dick Bastasch Brooklyn Daily Eagle Article, 3 Nov 1946, page 3 | Source

This post has been sponsored by my much loved and long-time Patreon supporter Joanna Daniels. She and I would like to dedicate the post to the loving memory of her mother Joan Daniels. She will be sorely missed.

[ Support SRNY through Patreon and Ko-Fi ] And join us on Discord for fun conversation! I also have an Etsy with up-cycled nerdy crafts

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misshoneyimhome · 6 months

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Chapter 10 -

Prologue I 01 I 02 I 03 I 04 I 05 I 06 I 07 I 08 I 09 I 10 I 11 I 12 I 13 I 14.I I 14.II

Summary: In December, the pace quickens with a flurry of hockey games, work commitments, a bit of Christmas shopping, more work, and lively snowball fights;

Tags; William NylanderxOfc; “We never go out of style”

Author's Note: So, these chapters are growing a tad, but I can't help it; my imagination is on a run, I think (Sorry, not sorry); and I had a dream about a snowball fight with Willy, so, naturally, I had to include it; I hope you’ll enjoy this chapter! 😉

Words: 6.1K

"It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas"

As the Sunday morning light slowly crept in, Julia stirred from her slumber, disturbed by the gentle nudging of Pablo at her feet. It took her a few moments to orient herself, but as she blinked away the remnants of sleep, a warm smile spread across her face. Nestled in the comfort of William's guest room, she had slept like a baby, and it seemed the two furry companions, Pablo and Banksy, had kept her company through the night.

Before tending to her morning routine and slipping into her clothes from yesterday, Julia couldn't resist capturing a snapshot of the dogs snuggled up in the bed and sending it to William. And as she made her way to the bathroom, she mentally thanked herself for always being prepared having a small bag with basic essentials and an extra pair of knickers in her bag. Then with the dogs fed and exercised during their morning stroll, she returned to the condo and indulged in a well-deserved morning coffee while responding to William's message.

Wonka: God morgon, hjärtat 😉 how did you sleep? JJ: God morgon 😊 I swear it's been ages since I last had such a peaceful night's rest - how about you? Wonka: I slept alright but we had to get up early to hit the road… 🥱 JJ: Early mornings have never been your forte 😂 Wonka: Nope, and they never will be! 😂 JJ: Perhaps that's why you're always fashionably late to most things? 😂 Wonka: That might just be the trick, babe! 😂 JJ: Anyway, the fur babies are fed and have had their morning walk, so I'll be heading out soon enough 😊 Wonka: Awesome! You're a lifesaver JJ ☺️ JJ: I know 😊 but it's my pleasure

After finishing her coffee, Julia said goodbye to the doodles and made her way home. She had just enough time to shower and get dressed before she’d meet up with Charlie and Clara for a lunch date. Making sure she’d remembered everything, she closed the door behind her, though she knew she’d come back soon enough later in the evening.

Monday came around, and Julia just paid a brief visit to the dogs, ensuring they were well and in good spirits. However, the following Tuesday marked another away game, and she found herself back on the familiar sofa at William's place, accompanied by the cheerful company of the dogs. With a rather delicious meal cooked (if she had to say so herself), her work laptop, and a warm blanket she was all set for face off. And the match turned out to be a massive victory for the Leafs against the Dallas Stars, securing an impressive 4-0 result. It was a game to remember, with the team firing on all cylinders and delivering a dominating performance.

Julia couldn't contain her joy and leaped in exhilaration, the dogs following suit with their boundless energy, and following the match, she had a quick post-game chat with William.

And before they knew it, the boys were back in Toronto, riding high on the wave of their success. The win had undoubtedly boosted their confidence and left fans eagerly anticipating the next game. The atmosphere in the locker room must have been electric after such a convincing victory, and the Leafs were proving once again why they were a force to be reckoned with in the league.

Thursday 8th - LAK 0 @ TOR 5

On this cold Thursday evening in December, Julia found herself at the home game in the company of Andrew and Tyler. Andrew had been swamped with work, and initially, he wasn't too keen on leaving the office for a hockey game. However, Julia recognised his need to take a break and unwind, and she convinced him to join her, which turned out to be just what he needed, and he appreciated Julia's care and thoughtfulness. As for Tyler, he was simply thrilled to be attending a hockey game.

Tyler had become a massive fan of William ever since their Halloween night adventure, and his enthusiasm had only grown after William had taken him for the special private training session. And as they settled into their seats at the game, the young boy's excitement was palpable. Even though he was just shy of eight years old, Tyler's passion for hockey knew no bounds. He eagerly rattled off hockey stats, player information, and game tactics as if he were a seasoned pro.

And as the game began, Tyler’s attention, as well as Julia’s and Andrew’s, was fully captured. The match was fast paced, the arena buzzing with excitement, and the Maple Leafs took control right from the start. The atmosphere was electric as the Leafs scored an impressive 5 goals, while the Kings remained at a frustrating zero.

And following the match, the usual group of partners and friends gathered outside the locker room, excitement filling the air.

While waiting for the players to finish their post-game showers and media obligations, Tyler's excitement was evident as he chattered away about the match.

"I swear this boy has to become a sports commentator," Julia joked, leaning slightly into Andrew, who responded with an agreeing laughter.

The hallway of the Scotiabank Arena was filled with high spirits after the convincing victory, with laughter and lively conversations permeating the air.

And as the rest of the players emerged from the locker room, exchanging smiles and energetic greetings with friends and families, William's laughter was unmistakable as he made his way toward Julia and her companions for the evening.

"Hey Willy!" Tyler exclaimed with unbridled excitement.

"Hey buddy," William warmly embraced the young boy in a hug, his handsome face sporting a wide grin as he fully embraced the role of Tyler's role model and favourite Leafs player. "How have you been? Have you been practicing real good?"

"Yes! I've also scored in almost every game," Tyler proudly shared, his eyes filled with pride and glory as he described the tricks that William had taught him.

As the young boy's storytelling came to an almost breathless conclusion, Julia couldn't help but chuckle and smile. She found it incredibly endearing how good William was with his young fans and how much he loved and cared for them.

"Well, that sounds great, buddy," William applauded Tyler, before turning his attention to the blonde woman in front of him. "And how have you been?" His smirk added a playful touch to his question.

"Busy but good, thank you for asking," Julia replied with a warm smile.

"You've enjoyed my condo?" William's question was laced with a smug satisfaction, as he was well aware of the answer.

Julia, however, didn't want to give him the complete satisfaction. "Maybe..." she teasingly replied, earning a light chuckle from the Swede.

“I get it - it’s a nice place.”

They both shared a heartfelt moment of joy, basking in their connection, before William was called over to greet the numerous young fans who were eager to meet their idols, snap photos, and secure autographs. True to form, he welcomed them with his characteristic wide smile and boundless energy.

As the night progressed and the fans gradually left the area, the players, along with their partners and friends, gathered to chat about their Christmas plans. Everyone was super excited about the upcoming holiday however it seemed that the players’ schedule was rather packed. Nonetheless, it didn’t stop those around them to plan events and gatherings in between games and training sessions.

All the women had already made plans to go Christmas shopping while the guys were occupied, giving them the freedom to enjoy their time together.

As the night drew to a close, Tyler said his goodbyes to his hockey heroes, and Andrew took him home, knowing the young boy would drift off to sleep with dreams of an incredible evening. William, the true gentleman that he was, kindly offered Julia a ride home, an offer she gladly accepted. During the tranquil drive, soft Christmas tunes played through the car's speakers, creating a warm and festive atmosphere.

The two friends shared laughter about the evening's game and their heart-warming interactions with the young fans.

"You know, you're pretty amazing with the fans, Willy," Julia complimented as they neared her building, earning a playful smirk from William.

"Well, I'm just trying to impress you, JJ."

Julia chuckled, "I must say, you're doing a pretty good job."

***

Saturday, 10th - CGL 4 @ TOR 5 (OT)

The following Saturday evening, Julia found herself in the upscale ambiance of a high-end restaurant, her leg trembling subtly beneath the table as the attentive waitress served the delectable main course. Seated with Andrew, his boss, and one of the firm's most distinguished investors, Marcus Kirkland, the renowned Canadian investor known for both his financial acumen and bachelor status, the evening was meant to be all about business and fine dining. However, despite the mouth-watering dishes and the sophisticated atmosphere, Julia's mind was far from the elegant dinner in front of her.

The Toronto Maple Leafs were facing off against the Calgary Flames in a highly anticipated home game, and her heart raced with excitement at the thought of it. As the conversation drifted away from business and towards a more casual tone, Julia couldn't resist the temptation to eavesdrop on the animated discussion taking place at the neighbouring table. Two middle-aged men were immersed in a lively conversation about the game, sharing their expectations and predictions.

And her distraction did not go unnoticed by Andrew, who seemed to read her like an open book. Casually leaning in, a mischievous glint in his eye, he whispered, "Maybe if we speed through dessert, I can distract them, and you can hurry to the game," earning a light chuckle from Julia. She appreciated the jest, though secretly hoped he wasn't entirely kidding, considering the puck had just dropped.

As the seconds ticked away and Julia took occasional sips of the expressive and utterly delicious Bourgogne wine, her nerves threatened to become unbearable. The two men at the neighbouring table discussed the seesaw nature of the match: the Leafs had managed to score the first goal, only for the Flames to tie it up. Then came another goal for the Flames, taking the lead. But the Leafs were resilient, with William stepping up to score, bringing it back to a tie. The Flames once again pulled ahead, but just before the end of the second period, William came through to secure another tie. To put it mildly, it was nerve-wracking to listen to, with the game hanging in the balance.

Julia couldn’t help but chuckle under her breath as she found herself acknowledging her inner turmoil. Who would have thought she'd be sitting in a fancy restaurant, her leg trembling with anticipation, eager to attend a hockey game and mentally calculating the score instead of fully indulging in the sumptuous cuisine and fine wine?

So, when Marcus finally broke the casual conversation and expressed his gratitude to the trio of co-workers, Julia's heart quickened with the hope that she might actually catch the third period of the hockey match.

With a final round of handshakes and gracious expressions of thanks, Julia wasted no time. She hurried as best she could in her formal attire, braving the city's snow to hail a taxi. Fortunately, the restaurant wasn’t too far from the arena, and with a quick text to Charlie, she was on the move. As she reached the arena's doors, she quickly purchased whatever ticket was left to enter, and let out a relieved breath as she saw she was just in time to witness the final 13 minutes of the match. The score was once again a 4-4 tie, and as the final seconds ticked away, the arena was filled with anxiousness. However, all that distress was quickly dispelled when Mitch Marner scored in overtime after just 43 seconds, making the arena burst into cheers and shouts for the Leafs.

After the heart-pounding evening, Julia finally had a moment to calm down and let her heart return to its natural rhythm. She made her way to meet with Charlie and the rest of the girls, entering the hallway by the locker room, and she found herself amidst an electrifying atmosphere. Smiles stretched wide on everyone's faces, and the air was filled with laughter and the players' boisterous banter.

Navigating through the crowd, Julia made her way to William, who quickly noticed her, and he playfully jogged over to her and swept her up into a tight hug.

"I didn't think you'd make it," William cheerfully admitted with a wide grin. "Didn't you have a work thing?" He asked as he put her back down.

Julia's face mirrored his broad smile as she offered a light chuckle. "Well, yes, I did, but for some peculiar reason, hockey seems to have become more important to me," she laughed.

"Well, I get that," William replied, his voice softening a tad, their eyes locking in a moment.

"Just wouldn't miss it for the world," she chuckled. "And first star? Sounds like you actually made an effort tonight," she teased William, earning a light chuckle from the Swede.

They stood close, sharing a silent moment, their connection palpable among the other couples celebrating the victory. But their moment was soon interrupted by a boisterous voice.

"Damn, JJ!" Rasmus chimed in as he joined the two friends. "Aren't you a bit overdressed for a hockey game?" He playfully pointed out Julia's fitted pantsuit, heels, elegant hairdo, and striking makeup.

"What do you mean?" she retorted sarcastically. "I simply thought it was 'dressed to impress' night."

"Well, I'm sure you're impressing most people here, I know at least one," he cheekily winked, subtly referring to William. Though the comment passed with a chuckle, and William simply smiled before his friend moved along.

The chatting went on among the large groups of friends, and the girls quickly stroke up the conversation about their Christmas shopping spree they’d done during the day.

"I'm really sorry, sweetie, that you couldn't make it today," Charlie spoke in a gentle tone, offering Julia a friendly smile. She had been spending a lot of time with the other wives and girlfriends lately, and had been feeling a tad guilty about it. However, Julia quickly reassured her that she didn't mind at all and expressed her happiness at seeing Charlie bond so well with the team's partners.

So, she simply chuckled. “Oh, that’s ok - you know what they say; when your boss asks you to work on a weekend, you say yes because he pays you well and you kind of need the money,” she joked, earning a laugh from the girls.

"Maybe some other time, then?" Charlie responded with a smile.

"Absolutely," Julia agreed, and they shared a warm hug before resuming their conversation.

However, William couldn't help but express a little sympathy for his dear friend, hearing she had missed out on the girls' shopping trip.

"You didn't get to go Christmas shopping?" he asked.

Julia gently shook her head, "No, I had to work all day yesterday… and today… and the same goes for tomorrow." She wore a small, resigned smile. "But I managed to take Monday off, so I'm hoping to make some time to visit a market."

William felt a touch of disappointment on her behalf. He knew how much Julia loved this time of year, and he wanted her to have as much fun as the others. Although he might not be the biggest enthusiast about Christmas, he appreciated the festive atmosphere and the joy it brought to his friends.

"How about we go together?" he then suggested, offering her a warm smile.

"Really? You’d do that?" Julia's eyes sparkled with excitement, and a broad grin lit up her face.

William couldn't help but laugh at her enthusiasm. "Sure, why not? I'm not the best at Christmas shopping, but maybe you can give me a hand. I’ll come and pick you up."

"Deal!" Julia exclaimed with delight.

****

And on Monday, as arranged, William showed up to pick up Julia for their trip to the town market. However, when she opened the front door, he couldn't help but notice the redness in her eyes, as if she had been crying a bit.

"Hey, what's going on?" he inquired, stepping into her home.

"Oh, it's nothing," she responded with a slight smile as she put on her shoes and coat. "Just give me a moment to finish up – I'll be ready in a second."

"It doesn't seem like nothing, JJ," William persisted, his concern evident. "Come on, you can talk to me."

But Julia just chuckled softly. "It's really not a big deal, Willy. I've just been up all night, Face Timing with my dad while we watched England play football at the World Cup." She paused to examine her friend, who still appeared worried. "I miss him a lot, Willy... that's all – and it's just a bit tougher this year because I'm all by myself – single, and far from my family," Julia explained with a gentle smile and a soft tone.

William wasn't entirely convinced but decided to let the matter drop with a nod and a sigh as Julia was almost ready to leave. He understood how challenging it must be for her, with the breakup with her fiancé this year and a whole new city with new friends and no family around for the holiday season. However, not wanting to delve deeper and stir up emotions, he chose to make a playful remark instead.

"I like your jersey, by the way," he said with a grin as he noticed her Harry Kane t-shirt hanging on one of the chairs. "But I prefer it when you wear my name on your back."

Julia couldn't help but chuckle as she grabbed her bag and keys and opened the front door. "Well, if you ever become a professional football player – I promise I'll get a shirt with your name on it."

And as they made their way to the market, Julia couldn't resist adding some festive cheer to the car ride by playing some classic Christmas bangers.

"So, you’ve got any favourite Christmas songs?" she inquired, to which William simply shook his head. "Come on, there must be one you like?" She grinned, infusing the car with her holiday spirit.

But William remained nonchalant. "Honestly, I've never been a big fan of Christmas music."

"Oh, my goodness," Julia playfully exaggerated her surprise. "You're a Grinch, aren't you?"

William chuckled, offering a defence. "I'm not a Grinch. I've just never been big on Christmas, you know."

Julia brushed it off with a laugh. "Well, fortunate for you, I've got enough Christmas spirit for both of us." Then she began singing along to the songs, and William, catching the mood, joined in when he knew the words.

Upon arriving at the market, they wandered through the snow-covered scene, savouring the delightful scents of candies and hot chocolate. Fortunately, there weren’t many people there due to it being a weekday, so it was nice and quiet, beside the carols all around. While enjoying their leisurely stroll, they chatted about their childhoods in Scandinavia, sharing Christmas memories and much more.

Their conversations covered a wide range of topics, occasionally pausing to peruse the various items, as Julia was on a mission to find some Christmas decorations for her new place since her recent move.

"You know," William began in a soft voice, "a lot of the players were actually really touched by your offer to join your Christmas evening," he said, flashing a warm smile.

"Well, I'm glad to hear that," Julia replied. "I just want everyone to have a wonderful Christmas – it's a holiday that means a lot to me, and I guess I just really want to spread some joy and happiness… especially with all the challenges going on in the world."

William couldn't help but admire Julia's spirit. Her heart was brimming with love and care, and he found himself unable to contain his smiles as they strolled through the market.

"Oh, this is adorable," she suddenly exclaimed with excitement, spotting a collection of small figurines.

Meanwhile, William maintained a constant smile as he observed Julia dart from booth to booth, selecting Christmas decorations in all sorts of shapes and colours. And he had to admit, she had quite a good eye for decorations.

"Alright, I don't think I need much more for today," Julia chuckled. "How about you? Do you need anything?"

She glanced at William, who simply shook his head.

"I've told you, I'm not the biggest Christmas fan."

Julia studied her friend for a moment before sighing. "I'm guessing you don't have any decorations at home at all, do you?"

Once again, he shook his head and chuckled.

"Well, come on, Grinch, we've got a few more booths to check out then before I let you off the hook," she teased, before they continued on their merry way.

A few steps away, Julia's attention was captured by another booth selling Christmas ornaments, particularly one that she found beautiful. "Oh, this is gorgeous,” she commented as she held the ornament in her hand, turning it to examine it closely. It depicted a serene white and blue harbour scene with delicate gold text that spelled 'Merry Christmas.' The tiny details in the ornament, from the miniature ships in the harbour to the glittering snow on the rooftops, made it look like a miniature winter wonderland. For some reason, it evoked memories of Copenhagen, her place of birth, where she had spent many memorable Christmases.

However, upon closer inspection, her enthusiasm faded. "Oh, it's not as charming as I thought.”

William couldn't help but chuckle, intrigued by her sudden change of heart. "Why's that?" he inquired, picking up the ornament and letting out an amused "oh" as he glanced at the price tag, realising she might find it a bit pricey for a piece of Christmas decoration.

However, in his playful and helpful way, he simply chuckled and handed it to the vendor across the table. "We'll take it," he said with a wide grin.

"Willy!" Julia exclaimed, her eyes widening in surprise.

"What?" he shrugged, grinning. “I’ve got it. Let's consider it my Christmas decoration splurge for the year." He offered her a friendly smile as he made the payment and handed the small bag to Julia to carry. "Although, it'd probably look a lot better at your place, alongside the rest of the decorations."

With a mischievous wink, he managed to elicit another laugh from Julia. "You're an idiot.”

"Yeah, but a lovable idiot,” he quipped.

Julia thanked the man at the booth just before he chimed in. "You've got a great boyfriend there," he said with a friendly smile.

"Oh no," Julia objected with a light chuckle, feeling a hint of awkwardness due to the man's remark. "He's not my boyfriend..." William joined in on the surprised chuckle, and Julia continued, "We're just friends."

The man simply smiled and then corrected himself. "Well, in that case, you've got a great friend."

"I know," she returned a friendly smile before the two friends continued to explore the final part of the market, filled with laughter and joy. And before they knew it, they had completed their delightful stroll, Julia’s hands full of small shopping bags.

"So, what's the plan now?" Julia pondered as she continued walking, unaware of the fact that William had paused just a few steps behind. "Fancy grabbing a hot drink or something?" she called out to the quiet surroundings.

But before she received a response, a swift, chilly surprise made contact with her back, and she let out a startled shriek. A snowball, expertly aimed by William, had found its mark. "Oh, no you didn’t!” she exclaimed, her voice a delightful blend of playfulness and mock outrage. She spun around, her cheeks flushed with the cold, her eyes a mixture of bewilderment and mock sternness. However, all she was met with was William's hearty laughter as he prepared to craft another snowball.

Amidst laughter and the sounds of their friendly snowball battle, Julia swiftly dropped her shopping bags. She scooped up a handful of pristine snow and was just about to launch her own snowball at William when his second shot smacked her shoulder.

In response, she retaliated with a well-aimed shot that hit him squarely in the face, leaving him momentarily stunned. Her eyes danced with triumph as she celebrated her successful assault, her laughter mingling with the pure, wintry ambiance.

But as William snapped out of his momentary surprise, he leaped forward with a laugh. The chase was on, and they were like carefree children in this winter wonderland. Julia made a dash for a large patch of untouched snow, leaving her bags behind as she giggled, her boots crunching the snow beneath them.

Naturally, William outpaced her, and soon caught up, pelting her with snow as she did her best to fight back. Their laughter was a harmonious symphony, and in the midst of their spirited battle, Julia ended up with her hands on her own face, wiping away the snow that had inadvertently ended up there. William seized this moment of distraction and playfully grabbed her by the waist and tossed her into the soft snow. As a defence, she pulled him down alongside her, and as they both landed in the fluffy snow, he ended up on top of her. Then the world seemed to pause for a moment as they lay there, the cold seeping through their clothes but their hearts warmed by the sheer joy of the moment. Their shared laughter faded into contented smiles as they caught their breath.

But as the seconds passed, a man behind William cleared his throat, breaking the spell of their playful entanglement.

"Are you alright, miss?" the man asked, and William quickly got to his feet, facing a stern security guard who had been alerted by the commotion and wanted to ensure it was all in good fun.

"Oh, yes, sir, I'm fine," Julia reassured, her rosy cheeks evidence of the fun she'd been having. William extended a helping hand to get her back on her feet beside him. "We were just messing about."

The guard, a hint of a smile playing on his lips, nodded and left the still-laughing friends.

“Shit,” William chuckled, brushing snow off his clothes.

Julia joined in his chuckle but then exclaimed, "Oh fuck… I'm absolutely drenched..."

"Yeah, me too..." William couldn't stop laughing, and as Julia gathered her bags, they leisurely strolled back towards his car. "So, how about dinner at my place?" William suggested, and Julia playfully turned to look up at him.

"You're always thinking about food, aren't you?” she casually teased. “But I think I really need to go home and take a shower after this," she added with a soft chuckle.

"You can just shower at my place?" William casually suggested, a soft smirk on his face, which for some reason made Julia smile. How could he always act so nonchalant, she wondered.

"Uhm, sure, if you don't mind," she timidly replied.

"Why would I suggest it if I minded?" he chuckled as they reached the car, and Julia stashed the bags in the boot before settling into her usual spot in the passenger seat, quickly checking her makeup in the mirror.

"Oh, shit..." she exclaimed. "I look like a fucking raccoon, Willy!"

William took the driver's seat, adopting a playful tone. "Why are you blaming me for that?" he quipped as he turned to his friend, with a hearty laugh.

"Because you started the bloody snow fight!"

William chuckled again. "Well, at least you're a pretty raccoon. Besides, you have to admit, it was a fun snowball fight."

Julia joined in his laughter. "It certainly was!"

And with the car once again filled with more Christmas songs, they drove to William's place, both eager for a warm shower and the chance to snuggle up on the sofa.

Upon arriving at William's place, Pablo and Banksy welcomed them by the front door, and while they both wanted nothing more than to pet the sweet little ones, Julia was desperate to change out of her soaked clothes.

"How about I take them out for a quick walk while you hop in the shower?” William suggested with a soft smile, and Julia simply nodded with an ‘okay’, mirroring his smile. "You know where everything is?" he added with a chuckle.

"Yes, Willy, I know where everything is.”

And as William closed the front door behind him and took the dogs outside, Julia fetched a towel and made her way to the guest bathroom.

Allowing the warm water to cascade over her body, Julia closed her eyes and surrendered to the soothing embrace of the steam. Her body slowly thawed from the icy chill of the snow that William had playfully introduced her to. And as her mind began to wander, she reflected on the wonderful day they'd shared, the sweetness of him gifting her that ornament she adored, the laughter that had accompanied their leisurely stroll, and the fun of their snowball fight. She couldn't help but replay the memory of how he playfully wrapped his arms around her and sent them tumbling into the soft, fluffy snow, ending up incredibly close.

Lost in her thoughts, she smiled under the warm water, blissfully unaware of William's return to the condo. Hearing the sound of the running water he casually made his way into the steam-filled bathroom, where he couldn't help but chuckle as he observed Julia standing there with her eyes closed.

"Enjoying yourself?" he asked, playfully peeking his head inside the shower, his mischievous grin causing Julia to jump and hastily open her eyes.

"Willy! You've got to stop startling me," she exclaimed, but her reprimand was met with continued laughter from William. "Get out, you twat," she added, though she couldn't keep a straight face as they both shared a hearty laugh, and William made his exit from the bathroom.

As Julia stepped out of the shower, she couldn't help but notice that William, during her quick rinse, had thoughtfully placed a Maple Leafs t-shirt and a pair of joggers on the bathroom counter. A smile naturally crept across her face as she got dressed and then headed to the living room, where she found William shirtless, energetically exploring the contents of the fridge. His impressively fit physique was not lost on her, although she kept her thoughts to herself.

"I didn't know we wore the same size joggers?" she playfully inquired, joining him in the kitchen.

William chuckled at her comment. "To be fair, they belong to my sister," he confessed, his smile shining. "She left them here, and I've just had them in the closet."

"Well, then please remind me to thank your sister for leaving them here for me to borrow," Julia said with a warm smile.

"Will do," William replied, a soft grin on his face. "Anyways, I'll take a quick shower as well, while you choose a movie and get some snacks ready?"

"Sure, but I thought we were having dinner?" she smiled.

"We'll grab some takeout later. Go ahead and find us a movie," William brushed off her practical suggestion with a casual wave.

"Oh no, don't give me that kind of power," Julia chuckled. "I'll just pick something like Harry Potter, even though I've watched it like a million times," she added. But when she saw the slightly perplexed expression on William's face, her laughter subsided. "What? You've never watched Harry Potter?" she asked in disbelief.

"It's not really my kind of genre..." William attempted to defend himself.

"Oh, dear... I really think I need to reconsider this whole friendship of ours, darling," Julia playfully feigned a disappointed look, causing William to burst into laughter.

"Well, I guess there's a first time for everything – why don’t you just go and put it on."

Julia paused for a moment, offering him a sweet smile.

"Willy, we don't have to watch it if you don't want to."

"JJ, why would I say yes to watching it if I didn't want to," he rhetorically asked.

"Alright," she simply replied, and William then made his way to the bathroom.

While he took his shower, Julia busied herself with gathering snacks and preparing the sofa. She draped a couple of blankets over it and found the movie on one of his numerous streaming services. And of course, following suit, the dogs came to join her.

A wide smile spread across William's face as he re-entered the living room and found all three of them cosily snuggled on the sofa. Taking his place right next to Julia, he wrapped himself in the blankets, drawing a slightly questioning look from her.

"What? We have to sit close so we can share the snacks," he chuckled. "By the way, how many snacks do we even have here?" he asked, noticing the assortment of popcorn, Gifflar, and gummy bears.

"Well..." Julia admitted with a touch of nervousness, "I've sort of eaten most of your snacks while you were on the road, so I had to restock – and perhaps I went a little overboard."

“A little?” William chuckled, but then simply shook his head before he pulled her closer and pressed play on the film. "I'm just glad you're comfortable here," he almost whispered, his gaze soft as he looked at his friend beside him.

Julia met his gentle expression and returned the smile. "Me too."

As the movie played, William found himself surprisingly engrossed in it, though he couldn't quite pinpoint whether it was the enchanting film that filled him with warmth and comfort, the exhaustion from their adventurous day, the holiday spirit in the air, or simply the pleasant company of Julia.

However, about halfway through the movie, the growling in William's stomach became increasingly persistent, prompting them to order some proper takeout. So, they relished their meal for the remainder of the film, and by the end, they were both on the brink of falling asleep, their tummies content and warmed by the blankets.

"Mm..." Julia softly mumbled. "I really need to get going." She glanced at the clock. It wasn't particularly late, but the darkness had enveloped them, and the unmistakable sound of rain was tapping against the windows.

"Just stay here," William casually suggested, punctuating his words with a yawn.

"I can't, I've got work in the morning," she replied with a smile, her expression slightly pouting.

"Alright, then..." William reluctantly heaved himself up from the sofa. "I guess I'll have to drive you home," he sighed.

"Or you can just lend me your car," Julia playfully suggested, only to be met with an arched eyebrow from William.

"How about you take Pablo and Banksy with us and then go for a walk when you return, two birds, one stone," Julia cheekily proposed, secretly longing to snuggle up with Pablo in the passenger's seat.

"Oh, that's quite a clever idea, isn't it?" William chuckled. "But that actually doesn't sound like a bad plan."

Julia laughed lightly before heading to the bathroom to check on her clothes, which unfortunately weren't entirely dry yet.

"You can just wear what you're wearing right now," William suggested as he followed her into the bathroom. "Just give it back whenever," he shrugged.

Julia offered him a sweet, grateful smile before getting dressed to leave. Despite looking a bit comical in her cosy outfit and high boots, she was grateful for the gesture.

During the ride to her place, the speakers once again played soft Christmas songs, and the atmosphere between the two friends was comfortable and relaxed. And as they arrived at their destination, they both turned to face each other.

“Thank you for today, Willy,” Julia spoke softly. “It truly meant a lot to me.”

“Well, I had a lot of fun as well,” he replied with a soft smile. “I just want you to have a good Christmas here, JJ – I know it’s not easy being away from your family, so I guess I’m just trying to help.”

Julia couldn’t help but being moved by his words. William had a habit of acting all cool and tough when he was out on camera, but when he was with close friends, he’d always be extremely caring and sweet.

“You’re doing an amazing job, Willy… I really do love spending time with you, and it means more to me than you realise.”

The two of them shared another moment of soft intimacy before Julia made her move to hug him goodnight, bid her farewell to the doodles, and exited the car to grab her bags and rush to the apartment building.

#we never go out of style #william nylander imagine #william nylander fic #willy styles #toronto maple leafs fic #nhl fanfiction #nhl hockey fic

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