my christmas spirit
୨˚̣̣̣͙୧ ⋆ 엔하이픈 ( 리키 ) + gnreader!oc (*≧∀≦*) content fluff established relationship slight angst foreign student reader minor kissing warning skinship dragged swearing & 2.1k
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🗒 to say i hate this would be an understatement but i hope im just being harsh on myself. anyway hope everyone has a merry christmas :D tysm @nqvgue for helping me get the storyline straight ;-;
The softness of the late December snow was nothing but comfort to the procrastination filled Wednesday evening. Volunteering at the hospital as an apprentice was hectic in the winter. Whether it was because the wards you worked in were jam packed with festive injuries or maybe it was your crippling vitamin D deficiency that kept you from having the energy to work efficiently. All you could do was grasp the warm, hot chocolate mug as you melted into your uniformed legs that were hiked up on the break room sofa, gripping onto the last bits of consciousness you had, blinking profusely to try and stop yourself from passing out.
Lately you have been missing home. Missing that one thing that made you excited for the bitter days at the end of the year. Missing him. You hated getting soppy at work as you normally ended up crying in front of patients but there was something about the holidays that made you even more overwhelmed with appreciation. Riki had been working so hard, attending meeting after meeting, fan sign after video shoot and album signing after performances. You felt bad that YOU were so bothered by his work, by the state he visited you in. Falling into tidied sheets with an untidied attitude or drifting off to sleep whenever you were on call. You wanted to spend Christmas with him but it was like he wasn't there. The guilt of feeling jealous when he spent more time on weverse doing fan service than doing relationship service got too much to the point he snapped in front of you for constantly complaining about his exhausted state. You understood he was tired but you couldn’t help but to envy all the couples doing fun activities whilst you were stuck with dead legs by the weight of your passed out boyfriend's head.
You and Riki never argued. If you did it was always about the most mundane of things like who's turn it was to wash up or what position you were going to sleep in. Never anything serious. Never anything that kept you up at night crying over the look he gave you. You two had been pretty distant for about a week and a half at this point. You never stopped checking in on each other of course, its not like you stopped loving him but there was no effort for a conversation. You thought if you just let him get on with it, his schedule would die down and you'd have the same devilish boyfriend again but nothing came of it. Distracting yourself was the only thing that kept you from panicking as the big day came closer and there was still no sign of improvement. Your friends told you to have some 'christmas spirit' as your mood appeared drained but to be honest it was like Riki was the only Christmas spirit you could focus on. Like a ghost haunting you in the background. Living by yourself in a foreign country at such a young age was pretty difficult especially when all your friends had people to go home to. Riki was all you had and your mind soon filled with the possibility of spending the cold Christmas eve night alone and waking up alone and baking alone. He was never the confrontational type so maybe he was just scared you'd say something and start to pick a fight again?!
"Y/N…” your breath hitched as your senior caught you off-guard. "Hmm?" you squeezed out, trying to locate your voice whilst making eye contact. "You can go home early today" the corners of her mouth slowly turned upwards "I know you've been having a rough time lately, Merry Christmas". Suddenly the heaviness in your eyes released, offering a smile back “Merry Christmas.” You gripped on to the arms of the sofa, slowly lifting yourself to your feet, gathering your belongings.
And just like that, you were rummaging thorough your bag trying to find your schools dorm keys, happy to end the day. Often, days would end with you and Riki curled up in your bed watching horror films or playing animal crossing together but without him, days just merged together and became faint memories. You shakingly opened your door, stumbling as you took off your coat and shoes, discarding your bag and making a run for the kitchen. You don't remember when your fainting spells became so debilitating but you definitely weren't doing well. The shadowed look of your apartment didn't help, resulting in you bumping into cabinets and letting out little ouches along the way. You needed something sugary. Or at least water else you were going to become a pathetic pile on the floor. "Where the fuck-". You were usually pretty good at navigating in the dark but to be honest you weren't doing so well today. You finally let your ego be broken and turned to the light switch in order to fulfill your lightheaded desires. Sighing, you stomped your way over to your sweets cupboard. “Please i will take anything..” you whined, fidgeting around in a spotted tin.
“Ehem.” A deep, raspy voice that didn’t belong to you pierced into your heart, making it drop. You whipped your head around to see your sly, concerned boyfriend staring at you as he leaned against the countertop. “Don’t look so scared” he scoffed, “you look like you’ve just seen a ghost. He approached smirking, but as he got further that smug face he wore dropped, “why do you look like you’ve just seen a ghost? You are so pale!” his hand slid around your waist as he towered over you with concern. “Probably because i was just on the verge of passing out only to be scared by my boyfriend who i haven’t seen in ages. I don’t know just a thought” you squeezed out, gripping onto his biceps as your tunneled vision turned into the outro of the century and your legs began to fold. “Oh my god.. have you been working-” and in that moment, you could no longer hold up the facade of JUST making it back to your dorm, as if the mere touch of him was more than homely to you, allowing you to finally pass out. Right there, in his arms. Obviously you hadn’t put any thought into that. How could you? But seeing you this vulnerable, this fragile broke Riki’s heart in ways he never experienced before.
A subtle mumbling of what seemed to be your television teased your consciousness and senses back into existence, as you soon felt the warmth of your boyfriend’s arms around your torso, hands intertwined in your limp fingers. “Hey, you alright?” he whispered after seeing your newly gained awakening. You couldn’t help but to chuckle a little, after days of not communicating with each other, pondering in the silence that surrounded your relationship, he still spoke to you and held you with the same softness.“I’m sorry”. That’s all you could say. After all the screaming and huffing you shared nights ago all you could do was apologise. He deserved it after all, he had been working hard because this was his dream and you couldn’t help but to be selfish about it. “Me too.” he pouted, leaning into your starstruck face as he did so. “I should’ve spent more time with you and i understand why you were so upset”. Your eyes must of twinkled with the way you were looking at him because before you could even come up with a response to protect his being, he pressed the most gently kiss you ever had on your newly swollen, rested lips. He took his time with it, not pulling back or moving but just enjoying being next to you again. As if it was instinct, your lips turned into a smile and your cheeks became cherry red, you needed to say something, anything, “I guess i just missed you, like a lot and i would have never wanted to make you feel bad about doing your job, especially after working so hard for it but i was just so jealous” you proclaimed after detaching your lips from his. Even the simplest look from his eyes made you feel weary again, as if you were going for round two of passing out. “I guess I missed you too which is why i broke into your apartment to surprise you” he scoffed “but you obviously had other ideas.” Surprise?! “What type of surprise?” you shuffled with excitement, now leaning mostly on him, eyes beaming with curiosity. “Well i was going to do loads of christmas activities with you-” you gasped making him smile, “BUT i thought i’d save that for christmas day and i’ve found something much more worth my time, plus i don’t want you overworking yourself considering the state you’ve gotten yourself into without me” he held your cheek, just staring at you as you repeatedly slapped his arm. Eyes widening you couldn’t help but to screech “TELL ME! TELL ME WHAT IT IS”. It had been a week without anything remotely good occurring and with your overwhelming amount of love for christmas that had been such a letdown, hearing him say that just threw you over the edge as if you were having a psychotic breakthrough. “Hmm i don’t know if i should show you now or laterrr.” he teased, comically scratching his chin whilst turning his attention to the top left corner of your bedroom ceiling. “PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE RIKI” it was so embarrassing how much you needed this right now but you couldn’t help the childish wonders that filled your head. Riki was such a creative gift giver so next thing you knew, you were thinking about him handing you a small teacup sized kitten or relaxing on a white sanded beach together or flipping through a photo album that help all your memories in. “OKAY fine!” he moaned sarcastically, sliding his hand down into his trouser pocket. “Close your eyes and don’t open them until i say you can, even when i start talking.” You nodded, just wanting to find out what it was already. Closing your eyes you heard him clear his throat.
“I don’t know whether you have been feeling the same way i have lately but seeing you so desperate to spend time with me messed me up Y/n. It made me imagine a future where you were tired of waiting up all night for me to wake up or get to yours, a future where you decided enough was enough. I genuinely want you to know i’m here for the long run. Yes, i know we are SO young but i'm not sure i would have gotten so far without you. Which is why i want to promise that i’m gonna stay, that i'm going to try my hardest to show you all the things i think about and tell you how much you mean to me.” You had never heard Riki be so vocal and hearing the desperation and honesty in his words would have made you tear up if your eyes weren’t closed right now. He sniffed. Was he crying? “You can open your eyes now” he whispered. Your eyes automatically searched for his which were now damp and red but you also saw what he was holding. A rose quarts gem mounted on a woven silver band, nestled in the navy velvet box with the words ‘time is only well spent with the promise of you’ engraved into it. To be more than honest, this is not what you were expecting at all. You had never shown any type of materialistic mannerisms to Riki but this was more than that. More then a ring. And with that, you were bawling your eyes out, grasping the very hands that held it. “This is my promise to you. A promise that no matter how far or for how long we are apart from each other, i won’t give up on us.” Lips quivering, you made eye contact with him only to fall into his arms, heart pounding and mouth wailing. You had never felt so hopeful, so grateful. Sure, there was a lot of things you needed to talk about but in this moment of utter emotion, his arms wrapped around you, you felt the warmth of humanity and the passion that came with it. Christmas would soon be even more special as you got to spend it with the most heartful person you could have ever imagined, you were just glad it was him you would be experiencing it with.
taglist OPEN @nqvgue
© unikivrse
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“You’re up early.”
She was, and the only reason for that was because Joel was way too loud making his coffee and getting out the pans to cook breakfast for her before he left for patrol.
Joel was never loud, especially never loud enough to wake her.
“I heard you,” she mumbled, trudging over to the kitchen still wrapped in a blanket. She pulled a chair from their table out, facing him at the stove. “Everything okay?”
He nodded.
Everything wasn’t. He dreamed she died. It was a montage of every time it’s ever crossed his mind. Her in that bloody grass. Her skin ravished by an infected child in an abandoned van. Her face ripped apart while trapped underneath Sam. Her body, cold and pale on an operating table. Her, her, her.
Every single one played clear as day in his dreams, tormenting him with every possibility his my mind could conjure.
“Joel-“
“Nightmares. ‘S’all it was.”
“Okay…” she started, rising from the chair. “You always have me talk about mine, so…” Ellie approached the countertop opposite of him, jumping up and sitting atop it, her dangling feet hitting the lower cupboards
He hesitated before turning to her, eyes locking with hers as he sighed.
She was right. She didn’t always go into detail, he didn’t need her to, but he wanted her to release them somehow; and at night when she clings to him immediately afterward, that’s when it’s the easiest. And when she can’t talk to him, she writes or sketches them down when words can’t- don’t suffice. Anything that keeps her from compartmentalizing how they make her feel or what they make her think.
But Joel. He’s always the one to take care of her that he’s never had an out or a way to talk or feel them in a healthy manner, not like he tries to give her. Ellie tries to get him to verbalize something, but Joel is a damn brick wall when it comes to directly talking about his feelings, so it never goes anywhere.
But when it’s 5am and there’s the tiniest glint of sunlight that starts to rise and offers a faint, glowing light to their kitchen as they’re full of sleep and still in the midst of navigating these feelings, it’s easier to talk. They’re more malleable.
“It was you…” he started, doing some lazy hand motions to try and convey the word he desperately did not want to say alongside her name. “Repeatedly. Different scenarios just…over and over again.”
Her eyes went soft, understanding in a way that only they could understand.
She had the same ones. He knew.
“Figured I’d make you breakfast now and leave it in the fridge for you to heat up later so I could get a head start on patrol and… try to forget about it all.”
Joel cleared his throat, kicking up imaginary dust off the tile floor as she watched him.
Ellie reached her hand out and made grabby motions with her fingers. Joel noticed, a light, sleepy chuckle escaping his lips as he stepped towards her, both her hands holding onto his one. He stood beside her, their hands falling against her knees.
She rubbed her thumb over his hand. “Are you okay?”
He smiled. He knew that meant a plethora of other questions that they didn’t have time to cover. “I’ll be alright, Ellie.”
She nodded her head, still rubbing her thumbs across his hand. “I know. Just… wanted to check up on you.”
“And I…” he started, leaning over to kiss the hair above her ear, “am happy you do.”
She leaned her head on his shoulder as he brought his other hand in, covering all three of theirs and squeezing tightly.
“Since you’re up, how about helping me with breakfast? Wouldn’t turn down your old man, would you?”
She smiled, tapping her feet against the cupboards. She squeezed his hands and kissed his cheek briefly before jumping off the counter. “Can’t say I didn’t think about it… but,” she said, opening the fridge door. “Not for the world.”
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Hans x Ursula (s/i)
Day 1, 2, 3 for Self-indulgent September (first meeting, museum date (if you squint), Autumn weather/rainy day)
Like many of my 'better' works, this is vaguely inspired by a dream I had that I heavily adapted into this piece.
Pairing: Hans Gruber x Ursula (s/i)
Wordcount: 1660
Setting: a very rainy New Year's Eve.
Dividers by cafekitsune
The pouring rain strained our vision, as we ran over the slippery asphalt. My brother, Abel, followed close behind me. Even though we tried avoiding puddles, our shoes were wet and soggy already.
“In there, the museum looks like it’s still open,” I called over my shoulder. We reached the doors and didn’t hesitate for a single moment, before we barrelled in. The light in the lobby was still on, a clerk sat bored behind the monitors, glancing up from his crossword puzzle. The desk was right by the door, but just past the desk was a little area with seats. It reminded of a doctor’s waiting room with the magazines on the coffee table and the white walls.
Abel sighed and slumped against the door. We dripped all over the door mat, from coat to Abel’s jeans to my wool skirt – everything was soaked through. I wiped at my face, trying to avoid messing up my make-up.
“Good evening,” the clerk greeted and I walked a little closer.
“Hello. Do you mind if we stay here and try to dry up a bit? I know it’s late…” I said.
“Nah, go ahead,” he said with a wave of his hand. “The New Year’s party is going on upstairs so we aren’t closing anytime soon.”
“Thank you,” I said with a nod and squeezed the water from the hem of my wool skirt. Disgusting. Boisterous noises came from upstairs; yelling, laughter, people popping small fireworks. Abel and I exchanged a look.
“Sounds like quite the party,” Abel said.
The clerk shifted. “Sure is.”
“Let’s dry off in the bathroom,” I said to Abel.
“Down the hall to the right,” said the clerk and we went on our way.
“Can’t believe it’s still not stopped raining,” said Abel, nudging my knee with his foot. We sat on the couch in the museum lobby, staring restlessly outside. We worked our way through the art magazines that were strewn about the coffee table, but nothing could quell our unease. At some point, the party upstairs quieted down inexplicably, but no one came down to leave. We’d taken our shoes, gloves and coats off and left them on the radiator, hoping they would dry soon. My hair was still dry, thanks to my thick fake fur hat, that now laid sadly next to the gloves, looking something like a deflated wet rat.
“Can I write on this? It’s yesterday’s paper,” I held the paper up.
“Go right ahead,” the man said, hiding a strange tenseness by pretending not to be interested. Bored out of my mind, I circled the fun words, doing as I often do on the train; to see if there is a hidden poem in the front page article.
I turned to Abel. “It’s already half past eight. You were meeting some friends at ten, right?”
The clerk glanced up, something uncharacteristically calculating in his eyes, for a museum desk clerk. Something felt off. We’d better get going soon.
“Yeah. There’s still time. What are you doing?”
“Black out poem.” I nudged the paper to him. “Your turn. Just circle words or connect them.”
He blinked at me. “Mom and dad should’ve never let you study art.”
I laughed. “I assure you I would’ve been equally pretentious even without the education.”
A static buzz made us look to the desk, where the clerk answered a walkie-talkie.
A walkie-talkie is not something front-office workers usually have in a museum, is it? Something was definitely wrong. I pulled the newspaper towards me and penned a quick ‘er is iets mis’ on it. Abel nodded, mirroring my worried expression. We got up, trying to not let our alarmed expressions show.
"You're leaving?" asked the clerk.
"Yeah, if the rain isn't letting up anyway, we better get home and dry up there," I said, going for my shoes. Ew, still soaked. Cold, too, and I hoped my toes would recover quickly once at home. Not that it mattered now, since it was still coming down in buckets and we'd be soaked through even if our clothes were dry.
"Gross," said Abel, his lip curling with the feeling of it as he pulled the still wet shoe over his socks. Before we could get our coats on, a small group of men came down the stairs. They walked quickly, with purposeful strides, The one who came down first wore an impeccable suit, was he the museum director? Whether he was or wasn't, Abel and me backed away to the door. I grabbed my coat over my arm and held my hat, same as Abel.
"There was only one thing I asked of you, Johan. It was to keep people out," said the one in the suit. With the way he strode towards the clerk, it looked like he wanted to hurt the man. We should've listened to our gut sooner.
I pushed against the door, and instead of it giving way, it made a beeping noise and stayed shut. The eyes of the men from upstairs fell on us. Suddenly it was like I was a kid caught with my hand in the cookie jar, and I stared back at them with unease. The one in the suit, the scariest one, turned around, and our eyes locked. His expression changed.
"See, the alarm was on, I swear-"
"Johan," he drawled, "you didn't say we had such a lovely guest."
He made a jovial gesture, and came closer. "How rude of me not to introduce myself."
His sudden pleasantness threw me off. He extended his hand, and the way he did it made me take it, despite the strangeness of the situation. "Hans Gruber. And you? Hiding from the rain?"
"Ursula," I said, trying to apply equal pressure to the handshake. "Yes, we're very sorry for intruding. We just came by here from work, and..."
His touch lingered, warm. His smile was the most charming one I've ever seen. "And this is your..?" He gestured to Abel.
"Abel," he said, reaching out to shake his hand. "We're siblings."
Hans nodded, still smiling, as something calculating crept in his gaze. "Good, good. Pleasure to make your acquaintance. Actually, why don't you stay a little while longer? We are just wrapping up here. How about, after that, I'll take you home?"
It didn't feel much like a question. His eyes lingered like his touch did. When Hans turned around, his demeanour changed again. A business man.
"Johan, I'll deal with you later. Karl; get the car. Fritz, Tony; get the bags from upstairs."
They did as he said, dispersing quick and without fuss. One thing is certain; Hans is not the museum director.
Abel and I exchanged a confused glance. I tried the door again, muttering a mild curse when it didn't still didn't open. Before I could ask if this was a good idea, Hans turned back, coming closer now.
"It's really no trouble for us to walk, we wouldn't want to inconvenience you."
"You're not from here, are you?" Hans ignored my statements to weasel our way out the door. His hand rested on my shoulder, as he directed us away from the exit and towards the elevators. "When I first came here, it was those times when strangers showed great kindness that made me feel welcome. Let me extend that same kindness to you, today."
"Sir, it's New Year's Eve, surely you have something better to do."
"Oh, Liebling, just call me Hans." His hand slipped to my back now, pressing on insistently enough to make it awkward to linger. "Isn't that even better? A festive mood during a festive time. How are you celebrating?"
Even though Abel followed by my side, it felt like Hans addressed only me. We reached the elevators and Hans stepped forward, pressed buttons, no matter that we didn't agree to come with at all. Abel glanced back at the door. I shrugged at him.
"Abel is going to see some friends later," I said, shifting the focus to him. "They're going into the city, find a good spot to watch the fireworks."
"How nice," he said. The elevator dinged and the doors opened. Hans went in first. He expected us to follow, but more so than that, it felt like he didn't even consider it a possibility that we wouldn't. We stepped in and the doors closed. "And you, Liebling?"
Me, Liebling... "Hmm, watch fireworks from my window and go to bed on time. I'm not such a fan of the loud and the-" I gestured with my arms, "the boisterous."
Hans looked at me for a long moment, no judgement in his eyes, only curiosity and an unexpected fondness. "Then join me in doing the same. My hotel room has an incredible view." Where someone else saying the same thing, would have been a gaud-ish boast, it wasn't with him. His voice was soft, the quietness in which he said it made my heart stir. Would he not be celebrating with those men from before? Or with friends of his own? Not even a wife? If he’s staying at a hotel room, he could be far from home… Just like me.
I kept silence, not breaking eye contact. The moment lasted like that, us staring at each other, Hans' request hanging in the air between us. If we kept it up like this, I wouldn’t need to say anything at all. He could see it all, written on my face, just for him to read – that’s what it felt like. The elevator dinged. Despite having, once again, heard no ‘yes’, Hans led us to the car.
"Bring Abel home first," I said. "Then we can talk."
Hans’ smile was brighter than even the most colourful fireworks.
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