#good luck santa

[acourtofladydeath]

🎵❤️ you better watch out, you better not cry. you better not pout, I’m telling you why. Santa Claus is coming to your inbox 💚🎵

Hello acourtofladydeath darling,

It’s Rhys Santa 🥰

I’m happy to say that your present has an outline now!!!! In the future my questions will likely be more targeted to the fic itself (without giving too much away hopefully) but this week they are broader because I’m curious.

• If you had to choose (which you do because I’m asking) what is your favorite scene in the acotar series? If you’d like to tell me your other maasverse favs as well, feel free.

My favorite scene is probably in acofas when Feyre and Cassian drunk decorate the townhouse and Azriel comes in and fixes everything then gets caught guzzling Rhys’s wine. The rest of that night obviously doesn’t go too great, but I love that glimpse of their happiness and Azriel letting himself be fully present with his family for once.

• What do you love to do when you aren’t writing or reading?

I’m omitting a few things to ensure my anonymity, but I really enjoy spending time with my family and friends and taking my dog on long walks and cooking 😁

• What is your favorite food? What is your favorite beverage?

I struggle to answer these honestly because I love food, but one of my favorites that I’m currently craving is French onion soup. For beverages I think I have to say coffee ☕️

• Finally, one minor fic-related thing: what do you think Eris smells like?

Have a wonderful Friday and weekend ❤️

Santa, this has been an incredibly hard week and it's like someone told you to stop by. Thank the gods for that. Amazing, as always, to hear from you.

Soooo excited to hear you have an outline!! I'm here for whatever you've got stewin' up.

Okay, I am putting a cut here. Major ACOTAR, TOG, and CC spoilers below said cut. You've been warned, reader.

I think my favorite ACOTAR series scene might be Nesta wielding the sword for the first time and saying "never again". I needed that in my life and it's a moment that always makes me cry with joy and sorrow and righteousness not only for her, but for myself.

Honorable mentions that would also be top choices if you weren't making me pick just one: Chapter 54 (ACOMAF), Cass and Az saving Feyre and Lucien through her reunion with Rhys, Suriel and "leave this world better than you found it", Cassian's death dance at the battle at Summer, and basically the entirety of the battle of Hybern starting with Rhys's speech and getting increasingly better with every single twist until Cassian's speech (still the best Nessian moment). And almost any time Lucien or Eris speak is a high point for me. I just relistened to the scene where Lucien, Cassian, and Eris were meeting with Vassa and Jurian and when I tell you I was on the edge of my seat the entire time I truly mean it, I love getting the brothers interacting with each other and Lucien putting Cassian in his fucking place. ACOWAR is my favorite book, and then ACOSF.

My favorite TOG moments are when Aelin and Aedion reunite after she saves him from the King, and when Dorian and Chaol reunite after his collar is off and Chaol falls from the tower. Also losing the 13 to a white yielding with Asterin bear-breasted fucking that grandma up, and Aelin giving Gavriel the blood oath postmortem. Ruin me Sara Janet, just ruin me.

Crescent City favorite moments: Bryce with the vacuum and Hunt getting out of that crown of thorns and tearing the place to shreds. Danika helping her make the drop, and Bryce seeing the pack by the water's edge (I don't trust that shit anymore for a gods damned second after book 2 BUT IT WAS STILL NICE WHILE IT LASTED). Bryce helping Hunt in the shower as well. The interactions between Flynn, Declan, Tharion, and Ithan in book 2 while they're doing research made me giddy. "That lightning thing" Hunt does will always fucking get me.

OKAY SO NOW THAT I'VE ONLY JUST ANSWERED THE FIRST QUESTION.

When I'm not reading or writing, I really love cooking. I like experimenting with new things, and typically watch a show or listen to a book while I'm at it. It's about to be soup season and I'm very excited! I'm also learning sous vide and hope to use that more. I also really enjoy creating things, and will paint or craft most of my Christmas gifts if I have the time. I also enjoy taking long walks!! I go for "book walks" where I go full on Belle and literally walk like 3+ miles while reading my book. I've been told it's skill by those who have witnessed it. It's a great time!

Favorite food. If you can't tell I'm bad at picking just one thing. I'd say my favorite dish is frutti de mare. But every year for my birthday I make myself surf and turf. I also love sushi and the process of making sushi. I'm still trying to get the rice juuuuust right. My favorite drink is a good coffee in the morning and a Manhattan at night.

I think Eris smells like a hot flames on a brisk wind with a touch of nutmeg. Not very smokey though, it's that close to the roaring fire smell that you can feel burn your nose hairs. And he leaves behind the crisp sweetness of decaying leaves. The scent of death and a coming rebirth, like Eris will be for his father and his court.

#still can't remember what i tag this as. #good luck santa #you have my condolences for my abhorrent tag memory. #acotar gift exchange #acotar gift exchange 2023 #secret santa #secret santa 2023

[sora-of-uranus]

Light yagami is a hardcore santa believer. talk to the fucking hand if you disagree cuss you are WRONG.

That boy is running down the stairs in his little jammies and reindeer slippers waiting eagerly to be allowed to open his presents. He'll be in his 20's doing the same routine he did when he was 5. Has a stocking aswell! He's also super proud that he never got a clump of coal unlike some people (cough cough L cough cough)

#light yagami #death note #no but like...if death gods are real why not santa? #he literally has a magic note book #and your gonna try convince him santas not real??? an enforcer of good and evil??? #good luck with your sisyphean task

[merakiui]

cannot stop thinking about enemies to lovers with rollo, but you’re each other’s secret santa.

Your plan is to get Rollo something he’ll never need or use (a really petty revenge on your part, but you don’t like him and in the midst of your hatred it sounds reasonable), while Rollo genuinely wants to get you something meaningful. Putting differences aside, he realizes he doesn’t know much about your preferences, so he tries to ask around without seeming too suspicious. As troublesome of a disruption as you are, everyone deserves a lovely gift for the holidays. You’ve given Rollo nothing but headaches and irritation, but since it’s the festive season he can be softer and forgive past disagreements. Anything after the holiday break is fair game, though, so it’s best to cause mischief while the holidays are in full swing because he’s prone to be only slightly less overbearing (depending on his mood as the festivities become more apparent).

Somehow, with all of his asking around, rumor spreads throughout Noble Bell that President Rollo is planning to ask you out on the eve of the holidays at exactly midnight under the bell tower. How such an absurd rumor started is beyond him, and Rollo is fully ready to refute every gossiping comment that’s boldly thrown his way, both in passing conversations and from his fellow Vice President and student aide. He cannot believe the school assumes he would even think of asking you—Noble Bell’s most notorious troublemaker—out! And during the holidays, too! He’d much rather burn to death than do something like that. He can’t stand you. How anyone thinks he’d like you enough to want to pursue romance with you is absolutely ridiculous. 

But then the idea suddenly becomes less ridiculous and more advantageous when his Vice President suggests he go on an actual date (or friendly outing; Rollo’s expression is sharp enough to kill when he hears the word ‘date’) in order to learn about what it is you like. Word of mouth isn’t as reliable as hearing it from the source. Rollo, after much consideration, supposes it isn’t terrible, but (once again) he’d rather do anything else than punish himself with a date with you, of all students. He’s so stubborn when he claims he’ll find another way, and his Vice President can only utter a soft sigh. 

As the deadline for Secret Santa approaches and Rollo overhears how the others around him have all found perfect presents, he begins to fear that he won’t ever find a gift that’s good enough for you. But why is he even trying so hard? It’s not as if he looks forward to seeing your bright smile when you unwrap it. It’s not as if he’s doing this to make you happy. This is just common courtesy. An act of goodwill from student to student, if you will. Or, in less sweet terms, an obligation he must fulfill due to the misfortune of a lottery draw. 

So he thinks nothing of it when his Vice President and student aide invite him to a café off campus as a final outing before everyone goes home for the holidays. When he walks through the door, the bell welcoming him with a cheery jingle, and he sees you sitting there he promptly turns and is ready to walk out. But you call out to him, wave with that pretty hand of yours, and he can’t stop himself from sighing. His peers lied to him; this is not an outing to celebrate the end of the semester. It’s the date he was dreading. He only stays because it’s the polite thing to do—because you’re whining about how he lacks manners and has the gall to leave a dear friend all alone after he had invited them out. 

Rollo really can’t stand you, but he must for the time being. So he slides into the chair across from you, where you’ve already ordered his favorites (he’s certain his troublesome Vice President arranged this, too). If he has to stomach an entire afternoon with you, he might as well get something out of it, so he uses the time he spends with you to learn about your preferences in hopes of getting inspiration for a gift.

Things are awkward in the beginning. Both of you are so accustomed to bickering over rules and Noble Bell’s student code of conduct that civil conversation is actually much harder to fall into. You broach the subject of that rumor that’s been going around and that’s what gets him talking. Rollo scoffs around a bite of croissant, muttering about how it’s nonsensical rubbish and that people will believe anything nowadays so long as it’s interesting. When you laugh out of relief and tell him you’re glad he doesn’t like you because that would’ve made things awkward, he feels an odd sting. Your feelings have never mattered to him, so why does he hate those words?

And why, while he talks of holiday plans with you, does he find himself smiling? Thankfully he’s brought his handkerchief along to hide his pleased expression. He’s not sure what he’d say if you were to make note of his obvious enjoyment, for even he wouldn’t be able to explain it. 

By the end of it, Rollo feels as though he’s gleaned a better understanding of you. When you aren’t actively causing a ruckus, you’re actually quite pleasant to be around. Who would have thought? Despite this, he’s still ready to head back to campus with you after a draining afternoon. But you point to a sweets shop on the way and ask if he’s ever had their winter-themed treats before. He narrows his eyes at you, as if to say, “What are you playing at?” You’re seizing his wrist and dragging him in the direction of the confectionery before he can say anything.

It feels like he’s in a cheesy holiday film, what with how you energetically peer into the jars of candies and sweets, all arranged neatly on the shelves, and the soundtrack in the shop plays festive tunes on repeat. Rollo tries to hurry you along; if anyone from school sees him with you, they’ll think the rumors are true and it’ll cause even more trouble. You yank on his scarf to keep him close, and he’s so tempted to yank you in return. But he finds that you don’t have a scarf for him to tug, and so he has to fester in his displeasure with a scowl. 

The two of you walk out with snowflake-shaped marshmallows, bell-shaped cookies, and candy canes of all flavors and colors. Rollo supposes he’s earned a sweet after dealing with your spontaneity, but then you insist on getting hot chocolate to go along with the marshmallows and now he’s being dragged to a little shop nearby. On the way there, the two of you pass a craft store and something catches his eye. He tells you to go ahead while he steps inside. You raise your brow at him but continue along, and when the two of you meet up he’s holding a bag. You question it, and he tells you to stop being so nosy. Your curiosity is quickly snuffed when you spy another storefront with windows decorated so adorably. 

At some point, in the midst of popping in and out of stores—where he continues to remind you that the both of you ought to be getting back—it begins to snow. Tiny flakes flutter to the ground, and you stick your tongue out to catch a few. They melt immediately upon contact. Rollo doesn’t realize he’s not hiding his expression until you’re gaping at him.

“What?” he asks slowly, dubiously, his eyes narrowing once more. 

“You’re smiling,” you say in awe. “I’ve never seen you smile before...”

“This smile is not for you,” he assures you with a scoff. “Stop ogling. It’s rude.”

“But you look so nice and approachable when you smile like that.”

He glares at you and the smile vanishes behind an irritated countenance and that trademark handkerchief of his. 

“I suppose,” he admits after a moment of awkward silence, “you aren’t so terrible to be around when you aren’t acting like a menace to the entirety of the student body.”

“Why, thank you, President Flamm! That’s high praise coming from you.” You lower into a dramatic bow. He rolls his eyes, but his heart skips a beat. “And you aren’t so bad either. To be honest, I thought I was done for when your VP told me you wanted to meet at the café. I thought you’d chew me out or hex me or...something.”

The mere notion that he’d do such things to you is irksome. He isn’t entirely bad or frightening. You just seem to bring those sides out when you run through the halls, pick fights, and cause disorder amongst the students. 

“Is that right?” He lowers the handkerchief, smirking. His fingers find your chin and he tilts your head to meet his stare. “Maybe you should try being less of a pain. I might show you some mercy the next time we cross paths.”

He pulls away, leaving you stunned, and turns on his heel. “Now then, we should return to campus. It’s getting late and cold, and I’d rather not get stuck in the snow.” 

Rollo doesn’t realize what he did until hours later, when he’s sitting at his desk knitting snowflake patterns into a scarf from the yarn he purchased at the craft shop. The memory has his face gradually heating up, so red and hot you could mistake it for a wavering flame. 

He can’t stand you, or so he once thought.

The gift bag sits innocently in front of your dorm door. There’s a card attached, but the sender’s true name isn’t written. Rather, a lovely message has been penned in curling script: Happy holidays. Do take care to bundle up. It gets rather cold around this time of year. I would hate to see you frostbitten and ill the next time we meet. Sincerely, your Secret Santa. Inside the bag are a scarf, a bag of assorted candies from a confectionery in the city, hot chocolate mix, and a mug with moon and star patterns. It’s a very comfortable gift, and you can’t help but admire the handmade scarf’s quality. 

You have your suspicions, but there’s no way such a kind gift could come from Rollo. He’s made it quite clear that he dislikes you, and you feel the same way. It’s probably from his VP, right? He did ask you a few questions about gift preferences, so it’s quite plausible that he’s your Secret Santa.

Rollo is in the middle of penning his thoughts in his diary when there’s a sharp knock at his door. And then frantic footsteps echo down the hall. He opens the door in hopes of catching the culprit, but he finds emptiness instead. His gaze travels down to the gift box that rests at his feet. It’s been wrapped in blue and white paper and has been taped rather sloppily. With raised brows, he gathers the gift in his arms and shuts the door, curiosity mounting. 

The card taped to it is the first thing he opens. It reads: I really don’t know you that well and I have no idea what you like or what you do in your free time, so if you ever learn my identity please don’t give me another detention for this gift. I tried my best! In any case, happy holidays, Rollo. You deserve a break. See you next year! From, your super cool and super secretive secret santa!!! When he unwraps the gift and peels the lid back, an amused smile pulls at his lips. Inside the box is a croissant plush with beady, little eyes and a cute smile. There’s also a sugar cookie-scented candle and an astronomy-themed stationery kit.  

Rollo sets the gifts on his desk, lowers into his chair, and flips to a new page in his diary. His heart feels oddly light as he scribbles a fresh entry.

I think I’m falling in love, are the first words that stain the page. And it isn’t a terrible feeling.

#meraki mumbles #rollo flamm x reader #many soft rollo thoughts orz #i like to think rollo confides in the gargoyles #and they always hype him up #he has to continuously remind them that he’s *not* in love with you (a lie) #he hates you with a passion #and the gargoyles tell him each time: ‘you are in love please stop denying the obvious’ #rollo's search history is: what is the best gift to get my mortal enemy???? #he catalogues his struggles in his diary like: #day 1 of finding a secret santa for the worst person in the world: no luck gargoyles give terrible advice i am not in love this is the worst #omg and imagine if you find his diary after some snooping AAAAAAA #you learn that not only is rollo your secret santa and that he's really trying his best to find a perfect gift for you #he's also started recording some of his blossoming feelings #now you realize your lousy gift is definitely not going to look good #when rollo's planning to go all out with his

[tobeblamed]

december soon ...

#santa dean. #if you know you know #and if you don't good luck this year

[empty-dream]

NAHUI MICTLAN PADORU PADORU

#fate grand order #cosmos in the lostbelt #daybit sem void #type moon #myart #mypic #cant believe in Christmas instead of a santa we get him #i guess it is #JINGLE BELL JINGLE BELL ITS LOSTBELT SEVEN #v curious what kind of villain he is gonna be #do u think hes gonna like Eh its Christmas rest up we will fight tomorrow #good luck for those who will play

[badolmen]

Some of you will not enjoy your leftist utopia because you can’t let people believe in harmless things that you personally don’t believe in.

#ra speaks #personal #yes this is about people who talk about abolishing all religion in their leftist communes (lol. lmao even. good luck stopping weird little #kids from creating a cult around mud and frogs) #but also like. I recently been messaging w a writer on here that’s a bit younger than me #and they believe they can reality shift which. I don’t believe in. but I’m not going to be an ass and tell them that because they’re clearl #a) young and having fun with it and b) it literally hurts no one for them to ‘shift’ to the characters they write for inspiration #I’m autistic so maybe I’m just a little too sensitive to social intricacies but like #having tact when talking to someone who’s different than you is like. step 1 of fostering tolerance. #this isn’t like homeopathy or a mlm scheme if it’s not hurting anyone….it’s literally fine lol #you fuckers are the kind to grab some random kid off the street and be like LOL SANTA ISNT REAL HAHA WHY WOULD YOU BELIEVE THAT #and it’s like. it literally doesn’t hurt for them to believe it. hell even if they never grow out of it and you think it’s weird fuck you? #sorry you have no whimsy in your life and hate fun and are also probably an ableist

[feral-ass-raccoon]

y'all i forgot to take my meds last night, went to sleep at ~1-2 am~, and woke up at 6

lmao im fucking screwedd i am turninh in my essay today

fuck it its fineee

#raccoon's thoughts #sorry santa #good luck #hey!!! i cited my soucre this time!!!

[telesilla]

Less than a week affair raising the rent (for the second time since 2020) our property management delivered a set of a/c filters and told us all that we were supposed to be the ones to replace them instead of them sending their guy over. Like, seriously? You decided to cheap out on this? And what if one of the two short, older ladies in this apartment falls while doing this? Can I sue? Also? Opening the door and putting the filters inside the residence without entering on less than 24 hours notice is technically not entering the residence without the legally mandated notification but wow are you on the very edge of the law here.

#i wanna move so bad #but while Nancy did just get some good job news #it’s only a temporary year long stint #at her former library #so not something prospective landlords would be wild about #and it doesn’t put the search for a permanent position #on hold #so like why move #when we could be in…idk…eureka or santa cruz in a year #just our luck it’ll be merced #anyway what i’m trying to say here #is #fuck our landlord

[keykidpilipili]

I think that’s utter bs that my bond ten grailed to 100 wellfare only got me 80 servant coins aka not even allowing me to unlock ONE append skill.

#pili plays fgo #also good freaking luck if you want to upgrade some append skills for santa Quetz cause she is never getting that rerun #and it's even more annoying considering there are two mecha eli with different coin counts #i wish there was a system to anonymize coins to be able to use them for any servant #fate grand order #fgo

[corpusdiem-seizethedead]

*When it’s the part of the scary movie where the ghost comes to get me but can’t because I’ve ruined the vibes by doing Christian Bale’s OG Santa Fe dance break in my kitchen*

#newsies #newsies 1992 #jack kelly #christian bale #santa fe #Santa fe dance break #dancing #he did his best! #why did they cut the lasso part #why did they cut so many parts #GIVE ME THE NEWSIES SNYDER CUT #no wait #GIVE US THE FOUR HOUR NEWSIES WE DESERVE #Why did Jack steal a horse #he really did that #he’s trying #piss off ghost #good luck dragging me to hell when I am cowboy dancing #scare me? bitch you thought #vibes ruined #have Jeremy Jordan learn the Santa Fe dance break #musicals #these tags are a mess #seize the day

[tngbabe]

Look what we found at our gaming store? AHHHHH ok I'm calm.....it's 90$ for the base game😭😭😭 I'm accepting donations now to buy this game for Christmas! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 hmmm I've got to see what of our man Riker they have in there!

#star trek ascendancy game #tos #tng #ds9 #voy #ent #i must have this is it too late to start being good so santa will bring me this? #oh santa I'll be good the rest of the year if i can get this! i promise no more impure thoughts of the Riker ma.....hold it s*hit #im outta luck can't not have sexy impure thoughts of the Riker man..I'm writing fanfics #it was worth it tngbabe #funny #klingon #romulan

[arcenic-catnip]

i will not be sleeping tonight.

#good luck to all the insomnia havers this Christmas #i will find you santa

[milkcheeseculture]

as an ofmd girlie, i am thriving

as a good omens girlie, i am suffering

#the duality of man #this post is is unhinged #then again i just asked for a pack of korean short ribs from my secret santa #good luck wrapping meat my guy

[rayghosts]

tim drake is a rare case where every wild, out-of-context thing you hear about him gets even wilder with context

made up a fake uncle to avoid getting adopted? first he had to steal his dead dad's will and change it to include the name of his fake uncle, then he forged an entire legal paper trail to fool even batman, and finally hired an out-of-luck actor to play the uncle and had brainstorm sessions with him about his character backstory. judging from his surprised reaction when bruce offered to adopt him, he probably did this to avoid being put into foster care and didnt even consider that bruce might want to adopt him (even though he already adopted three orphans before him) (and then bruce learned about this and gave him more freedom and crimefighting gear so tim could like him)

snuck into gotham during no man's land? he did this twice, first by himself to meet his girlfriend in the hospital while she was giving birth (he snuck into the ER as a nurse), then with his young justice friends who thought he was having daddy issues with batman and wanted to help (this was before he was adopted by bruce) (they also picked up an atlantean tourist on the way who wanted to sightsee gotham)

blew up several of the league of assassins' secret bases? before that he spent days working with them as a member to gain their trust (this was when he robbed that art museum) and all the while they were holding his dad's coworker's daughter who came to search for tim and learned about his secret life as an assassin before she learned he was robin (and then somehow fell in love with him)

becomes evil batman who kills in the future? not only that, he also convinces his friends to be evil with him and then takes control of half the country right after he kills every rogue in gotham and also his aunt. tim fought this version of himself at least three times, and each time swore that he would never become gun batman (he still becomes gun batman)

used his own legal last name as a hero name? he didnt even come up with the idea for that, he met an alternate earth version of himself (also evil) who was using that name and thought "oh that's a good name" and stole it for himself. he didnt bother to check if other drake's identity was public before he started using it. then he got pulled aside and told off personally by batman for using such a dumb name and that's why he's not called drake anymore

insulted jason to his face while he was trying to kill him? did this multiple times and even kicked jason in the nuts once (not while they were fighting, just as payback) (he's jason's favorite brother now)

and then anything that happened with young justice doesnt need any context because it's exactly as weird as it sounds. yes, he did save the fate of a planet by playing baseball with his friends. yes, they did invade an entire sovereign nation to rescue their one friend's parents who had turned into babies. yes, they did see santa claus die in a fiery explosion

#dc #batfam #robin #red robin #tim drake #young justice #young just us #batman #dc comics #mine #1k

[carnival-core]

Ok realistically speaking it is better prob to explain to kids that Santa is kind of a state of being rather than an entity to explain why kids who don’t celebrate Christmas don’t get gifts , esp with like , the fact poorer kids who Do celebrate don’t rlly get gifts often either , and etc . But honestly if we wanted to keep the established lore of santa as a weird winter and generosity deity where he’s a generally really nice dude alive I’m surprised no one’s ever just said like “Oh Santa knows Christmas isn’t secular and doesn’t wanna force his whole deal on kids who don’t celebrate the holiday” or smth . A Santa who just stays in his lane or w/e

#christmas #Sorry if this is barely coherent #Good luck explaining why Santa skimps out on poor kids tho I got no bs nice explanation for that one

[saerins]

[ ೀ pucker up, buttercup | itoshi sae ]

ೀ content: female reader, fluff, sae and reader are adults, pet names (sae’s choice of words are stupid/idiot, calls reader ‘my girl’), alcohol, slightly suggestive at the end. | wc 1.5k | notes: okay did a very quick drabble for sae for christmas !! merry christmas to you guys <3

ೀ summary: being sae’s girlfriend is tough. there’s a lot of things he can’t make time for, and unfortunately this time, it’s you. but somehow, he always pulls through.

it’s christmas eve and you’re at your company function, looking at the fruits of your hard labour.

the event hall is decked with christmas decorations; stockings lining the walls and corresponding to different names for everyone’s secret santa to gift accordingly, christmas lights surrounding every table, everyone getting their fair share of the catering you’d arranged.

“this is amazing,” your boss gushes as she excitedly throws her arms around you. she’s only a few years older than you, so it’s not all too surprising that she’s always super friendly with you.

“relax on the alcohol, okay?” you joke with her, smelling the liquor already.

she pouts at you, batting her eyelashes. “oh c’mon, are you still upset that your boyfriend couldn’t make it for christmas?”

you sigh, though you keep a strong front, smiling through it. being the private girlfriend of an international soccer superstar is tough; he has to miss holidays and special occasions and more often than not you can’t even get your calls through because he’s just that busy. you’d been excited for this year’s christmas though, because he had said he’d be able to fly back home this time.

but as it turns out, his manager—who so happens to love overworking him—has other plans. so all of that excitement just went down the drain. still, what else can you say to him other than good luck with it? you knew being his girlfriend was going to be tough, but it’s starting to take a toll after feeling like you barely exist in his world.

still, you stare at the message he last sent you.

i love you.

and you go soft. soft, because you know he means it. soft, because despite everything, you believe in the man you fell in love with. the one who gave you your first kiss back in high school, the one who’s so awkward that even initiating to hold hands last time had his entire face beet red. the one who never fails to assure you that in spite of the distance, he’s always still thinking of you.

you fiddle with your necklace, the promise ring sae gave you when you were back in high school sitting around your neck like it always has.

in between all the long distance arguments and the time differences and the i miss you, wish you were here with me, you still find yourself hopelessly in love with itoshi sae. even when your friends say they can’t imagine being in your shoes, even when numerous tabloids love to put models or athletes as your competition, you know there’s still no one else you’d rather be with than him.

“i’m fine, really,” you assure your boss, prying her off of you and then adjusting her so her arm is around your shoulder as you lead her to her stocking. “here, why don’t you busy yourself and see what your secret santa got you?”

you really just want to distract your boss so she wouldn’t accidentally end up throwing you a pity party. all you want to do today is to make it through it, spend the first hour of christmas day rounding up the party and then get home and sleep your day away. it’ll distract you from the absence of your boyfriend anyway.

as you watch your boss happily open up whatever’s in her stocking, you wonder if your secret santa got you anything. (of course, some secret santas are dicks and end up not getting their person anything.) so count yourself lucky when you open up your stocking to find both a gift and a card.

amused, you rip the card out of its envelope, your heart skipping a beat when you see that inside of it, there’s a picture of you and sae as high school kids, beside each other, his face deadpan while you’re grinning from ear to ear, resting your head against his shoulder. the message reads: i love you so much it’s stupid.

you’re still in shock but you open up the little gift box, maroon with a green bow on it. when you see what’s inside, you can’t help but chuckle.

holding it above you, under the light, you can see the words hey, stupid engraved on the side of the fake mistletoe before feeling a warm pair of arms wrapping around your waist from behind, cold lips catching you off guard as they press themselves against yours.

it fills you up inside, takes all the weight off your shoulders. you’ll recognise him anywhere, without having to look or hear, the way his lips feel against yours, how he holds you gently against him, laughing softly against your lips as you pull him closer to you by the collar.

never in your wildest dreams did you expect to see your boyfriend in japan, let alone at your work party of all places, and now here you both are, kissing under the mistletoe.

“woah relax there,” he teases you, pulling away but still holding you close.

he’s here, he’s actually here. his hair’s in a mess, and there are circles under his eyes, but he’s smiling. he’s smiling at you and he’s here with you and you don’t even feel the tears forming in your eyes because you’re too busy relishing in the moment.

“itoshi sae,” you call out to him, your hands patting on his body, his black coat and his scarf are real and he’s here—he’s really here. “i thought you were too busy to come back…”

how long has it been now since you’d last seen him? a year? perhaps longer? he’s been so busy nowadays that you wondered at one point if he would even come back to you at all.

sae sighs, holding your cheeks in his hands as he presses his forehead against yours. “i’m sorry,” he says tensely, shaking his head slightly. “i was away for so long, and i just…” his teal eyes stare into yours, both your eyelashes dancing against one another. “i missed you, and i just wanted to see you.”

you’re laughing in disbelief, still holding him close because you’re just that afraid that this’ll all be an illusion that might soon slip away. “and they just let you off like that? that simple?”

he presses his lips into a firm line, averting his gaze. “let’s just say that they weren’t happy about it but i’m the important one, so…” he smiles, genuinely, putting an arm around. “they don’t have a choice but to let me come home to see my girl.”

turns out, he’d called in a favour to your boss, asked her about christmas plans because he knew from your texts that you were in charge of putting it all together. and then he asked her to put the gifts in your stocking. and you laugh hearing about it, because you’re thinking of how your life could’ve gone a totally different way. you could’ve gotten into a relationship with someone else who wouldn’t do this much for you, wouldn’t make time for you, wouldn’t travel across the world and put their own things down all in the name of meeting you.

“what’re you thinking about, stupid?”

you look into his eyes, shaking your head. “nothing, it’s nothing, i just- i love you, itoshi sae.” you smile, and sae smiles too because he loves how your smile reaches your eyes. and he loves being the reason you smile so he’s going to keep being that—and he makes a promise to himself to make you happy for life. but maybe that’s a gesture for next time. right now, he just wants to spend the rest of the holidays with you.

the clock strikes twelve, and he steals the mistletoe from you, holding it up between the two of you again, wincing from how cheesy it is after he does it, earning a chuckle from you.

“merry christmas, idiot.” and he kisses you again, long and slow and completely oblivious to everyone else that’s there who are staring and clapping—half of them still in awe that the itoshi sae is here and half of them in shock after putting two and two together that he’s your special guy.

“so, you’re gonna be here till new years’?” you ask in between kisses.

sae nods, “at least, why?”

you grin, pulling him by the belt as you lead him out of the event hall. “think it’s time we get home and just spend it between the two of us, yeah?”

sae laughs, letting you drag him along, wondering whether by this time next year, will he be lucky enough to call you his wife?

but when he sees that promise ring he gifted you still nestling snug around your neck, he has no doubt. you’re each other’s for life. and you’re worth every single risk he has to take.

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