#that pom has a teddy bear face!! i think that's the face my pom will have; his face rn looks more like bear than fox

[riaki]

santa claus and his treats | satoru gojo x f!reader pt.1 of christmas event! wc: 3.4k oops i went overboard | cw: petnames, literally j pure fluff ur both STUPID in love, he’s the cutest! happy birthday pretty boy 🧸

"'toru?" you called, voice filling the dimly lit room as you peeked your head in through the door. the curtains were drawn, the iridescent green tinsel dotted with soft yellow lights framing the doorway of your bedroom scratching your neck as you spotted the white-haired boy sitting on your shared bed, picking at something on his lower lip.

you took a moment to drink in the sight— his soft white hair that fell over dazzling sky-blue eyes, the color of the lake dotted with fragile crystalline snowflakes that melted into fresh spring streams that fed nature with new growth and fresh flower buds, a tangible warmth when his gaze fell on you and an easy smile stretched across his pink lips. a little too easy, you think. easy enough for you to miss the way he swipes a coffee brown crumb from his cheek; the smile has too much sugar and cream for you to buy it.

your eyes slowly drift from his charming grin to the rest of the room. there's a forest green tuft of leaves hanging from the ceiling on a thin golden string; you recognize the crimson red berries and waxed leaves with spots of pearl dotting as a bunch of mistletoe, hanging right over the mattress. clearly, he thought ahead.

you snuff the flush from your cheeks as he perks up at the sight of you, straightening his back. "hey, baby! you must be my present from santa this year," he laughs, holding his arms out, an invitation for you to crawl into his arms and curl up on his lap like two warm cats by the fireplace. you almost gave in— until you remembered why you were looking for him.

"you're getting coal this time, satoru." you said, huffing as you walked over to the mattress and put your hands on your hips, attempting to come off as intimidating in front of your boyfriend as you leaned over and stared down at him. he just giggled that sweet, boyish laughter of his, scooting closer and capturing you between two strong arms to tug you onto the bed with him. the sheets were soft, and they smelled like him as he pulled you onto his lap and cuddled you like a life-sized plushie, all warmth and soft comfort that he craved so much.

"aww, really? but it's my birthday today," he sighed loudly, shaking his head as he firmly planted his hands on either side of your head to prevent you from worming away and planting a loud smooch on the top of your hair, before laughing as you pulled away from his grasp and gave him a glare. “besides, you’re anything but a bad gift.” he smiles.

“don’t sweet talk me, ‘toru. you’ve been naughty this year.” he wiggles his eyebrows at that, and you shoot him a sharp glare which just earns you a light scoff, but there’s a smile mirrored on both of your lips.

(maybe they’ve met so many times in the past that they know how to copy the other flawlessly.)

"but you're already here, my love. lookin' all pretty like the angel on top of our tree." he hums, crossing his legs and holding his ankles as he rocks back and forth; the teddy bear he won you from the arcade on your first date is face planted into the pillows by his side, donning a festive red santa hat. the white fluffy pom pom looks like satoru's hair, and you stifle a laugh at the thought.

"how kind of you, satoru." and you mean it— he looks like his own christmas angel; snowy hair and pretty blue eyes clad in a loose black tee with cheap printed red and green christmas lights over his chest. he looks unfairly attractive with those gray sweatpants on, too. you wouldn't mind wrapping him up in yellow ribbon and presenting him to your parents this year as your holiday present from santa, and then having your own fun with him later. you suppose you must've been perfectly good to land him; so pretty and fun, bubbling laughter that speaks of his care in volumes. and he’s their soon-to-be son-in-law, after all. and he’s a golden catch.

but it’s time for this white betta to be put in his place; he’s gone snooping where he shouldn’t have— or rather, scavenging would be the more appropriate choice. and he’s about to be skinned for entering the lion(fish)'s den. your matching red-green plaid pajama pants won't save him this time.

"sorry, baby, but you can't talk yourself out of this one." you said firmly, scooting closer to him as you sat back on your knees and gave him a look as pointed and narrow as the icicles melting on the frosted awnings. to anyone else, you might look like a wet, angry cat— but to satoru, it was enough to strike fear straight into the center of his heart. his fight-or-flight response kicked in (it only ever did with you)— and it was as if you could see the change in his demeanor. his eyes voluntarily softened, lids drooping as a lazy smile drifted over his lips like fluffy white clouds over a pale sun on a winter's morning.

"aww, don't be like that. my princess looks so much prettier when she's happy," he coos, all milk and honey as he reaches out and catches your wrist, rubbing his thumb over your pulse beating beneath your soft skin as he brings it to his lips and kisses your knuckles. so he chooses to fight, and you almost fold— almost.

you twist your arm in his grasp, eliciting a whiny yelp of pain; getting him to let go of you as you quickly flick his forehead. even so, he lets you-- he never turns infinity on around you, even at the price of his own sanctity.

you sighed when he gave you a dramatic pout, sticking out his bottom lip as he hung his head low in defeat like a golden retriever being scolded by his owner, soft hair falling over his pretty blues. his hands come up to cradle his head, rubbing the spot where you'd knicked him. "don't play around, satoru. where are the cookies i baked last night?" you asked, reflecting his frown with a pointed glare. if looks could cut, he'd be a red christmas on the cloudlike sheets. you were tired of beating around the bush, especially when satoru had a knack for making it utterly exhausting. nevertheless, it went on.

"maybe santa came early," he quipped, giggling at his own joke. "you never know, huh? he's an unpredictable old geezer. likes his milk and cookies, or so i heard."

"didn't know santa claus had the six eyes." you deadpanned, crossing your arms over your chest and looking him square in the eyes. "and he shaved his beard off, apparently." he feigns hurt, holding a hand over his heart in mock anguish.

"i'm no thief! it hurts me to know you think of me so low, sweetheart." he sighs dramatically, shaking his head. outside, the snowy wind howls in agreement. "besides, it's my birthday. you're suffocating the spirit, honey." he drawls.

you just roll your eyes at that, crossing your arms and shifting to sit closer to him. you will your irritated expression to soften, and it's reflected in the way satoru immediately relaxes, shoulders sagging as the anxious look in his eyes vanishes like the wilting ghost of fall on a christmas eve, leaving behind the scent of bluebells and frost on the wind. he thinks you've forgiven him.

that's just what you need. for him to let his guard down so you can spring the trap on him. santa may be able to get away with his yearly trespassing, but satoru's entered the property of more than your heart this time, and it's time for his holiday retribution.

"give me your hand, satoru." you said softly, voice barely a breath above a whisper. he obliges almost immediately, scooting closer on the bed so that his knees graze against yours, and you hear him suck in a little breath at the contact as your hand finds his.

you take his palm in your own; his hands are considerably bigger than yours, but you still manage to run a thumb over the ridges of his knuckles, gently massaging the soft skin over weary bones. a sweet little noise leaves his breathless lips; it's almost like a purr, and when you glance up at him he's almost as red as the glittering velvet bulbs dangling from the primmed branches of your christmas tree. he looks away, a subtle pout weighing down on his lips as he coughs loudly, as if the amber sap of a pine tree has caught in his throat, scratchy like tree bark.

"what are you doing?" he whispers, voice rough and hoarse, like someone took a fireplace stoker and poked his throat. almost a protest.

but you can feel him melting into you, and soon enough, he’s sandwiched you between his warmth and the fluffy blankets, the scent of apples and cinnamon weaved between the strands of his soft white hair as they tickle your flushed skin. his lips are soft and pliant and warm against your own; he's all over you, hands finding your wrists to trace tender, wobbly circles over your thrumming pulse with his thumb. he's robbing your lungs of air, needy in the way he cages you between his lanky limbs, lock and key with his free hand threading through your hair. he can never get enough of you, and he throws his inhibitions to the frostbitten wind if they mean learning to resist you.

it's spread around you like ripples on the surface of a misty lake, and when he draws away to stare down at you, eyes blown wide with a certain shine in his eye that reminds you of glowing embers, jumping from the lively blossom of fire on the grated dark metal of a hearth, there's a cheeky lopsided grin on his glossy lips. his fingers are slender, pale and callused, a gentle flushed at the tips.

"there was a mistletoe," he says breathlessly, as if that'll excuse him. as if he needs an excuse to kiss you. you just laugh, reaching up to trace his jaw with a finger, and he shudders despite the heater inside your room. the bunch of green leaves and red berries hanging above you sways in agreement.

but you can't focus on the dreamy look on his face; that lazy smile that dances over his lips and illuminates his features like twinkling christmas lights catching on each edge of a carefully cut snowflake, the sky's jewels. every time he looks at you as if you've crafted each intricacy of his world; patched the colors together and taught the light to reflect, you feel as though there are bubbles in your throat, and you have to cough them away when they're accompanied by a familiar rush of heat to your face.

it's all overpowered. strongly, by the rich taste of cinnamon. rich, sweet, distinctly festive, mixed with brown sugar and cookie batter; flour on the matching aprons satoru bought for the two of you, except the 'he' on 'he cooks' has been messily crossed out and replaced with a scribble that says 'she', and vice versa. it's on his tongue, his lips, the little dips on the corner of his mouth that makes him look like a kitten every time he grins. it tastes like wearing matching christmas sweaters, sampling sweet treats fresh out of the oven and laughing cheerily in your little cozy kitchen of warmth when he burns his tongue, a sour look on his face that wrinkles his nosebridge.

but, most importantly, it tastes like condemnation.

you sit up, briefly (and painfully) knocking foreheads with him when he's too slow to mirror your actions, but the complaint that's ready to stain the air like chimney soot dies on his tongue when he sees the look on your face. you look the same as you did the first time you found out he'd forgotten to pick up megumi and tsumiki from school. in other words, pissed.

"hey, pretty girl. you should smile; you look less like an ogre when you do—" he hastily starts, laughing nervously as he runs his hands through his messy hair. you've noticed that whenever you neglect to toy with the silky soft strands when you're tangled with him, whether it be kissing, cuddling, or... something else, he'll do it afterward as if to emulate the feeling of your fingers in his hair, even if it 'screws it up'. apparently, his skyscraper ego is too fragile to ask for headscratches.

"just a minute, satoru." you cut him off through gritted teeth, lips that should be stretched in a wide smile pressed together in frustration. your eyes narrow as you straighten up, sitting back on your ankles. "you ate them, didn't you?" your fingers dig into his skin, pinching his cheek. if his skin wasn't already stained crimson with boyish excitement, it would be an angry red now. you give killer pinches; he knows firsthand.

which is why he should've thought ahead and listened to the angel on his shoulder when you were knocked out earlier, curled up in a fluffy blanket on the couch, snoozing away. what was he to do? the cookies you'd made were calling his name. and it was for his birthday, and they were made for him. so why couldn't he indulge?

this was why.

and you know you've pinned him with your accusation like a throwing dart on a cork board; the way his gaze bounces around the room and his smile turns a hint sheepish and a handful guilty speaks volumes enough before he can even protest. but he can feel your wrath like an entire mine's worth of coal in his stockings, so he quickly throws his hands up, shimmying away from your angry pinch. the sheets bunch beneath him.

"listen, sweets, i just thought that— well, i'm sorry, baby, they just looked so good. and i only ate a few! i swear." satoru says solemnly, getting on his knees and throwing himself before you. he knows you're unamused— sitting there, crosslegged, looking down at him as if he's some chewed up gum you found on the bottom of your shoe. he might as well be. blueberry flavored, maybe? or mint, he's fine with that too—

"so you did." you just sigh, flicking his hunched shoulders, before you go soft again, and he sees pink. you reach forward, fingers creeping beneath his chin to tilt his face up. his skin is soft and warm beneath your skin, thrumming with a life and heat the poor overworked radiator in your room could never measure up to. and when he does look up, his starstruck gaze meets your own; you look ethereal in the warm light, and he wonders why he hasn't put a ring on your finger or started a family with you yet. maybe that can be the last gift to top off the cake of your overflowing knitted stocking, hanging from the kitchen counter; a mahogany box with golden hinges who's shine pales in comparison to the diamond ring in the center of the velvet.

he tucks the idea into his mental notes and grins, a cheeky flash of teeth. "so you forgive me, right?"

wrong. he should know better than to push his luck. especially when it comes to you.

the hand beneath his chin creeps up his face to squeeze his cheeks together, forcing his lips to pucker like a fish out of water as he tries to escape to no avail. you glare down at him, all needles. not at all in the holiday spirit, if you ask him. his face is squishy as a pillow beneath your fingers, and a smile resurfaces on your lips after a long struggle to keep it submerged.

he opens his mouth, no doubt to wail like a newborn, and you quickly withdraw, knowing better than to continue your assault. "geez! okay, fine. sorry. i ate them, you grinch." he grumbles, rubbing his squished cheek as he pouts and looks away, shrinking in on himself. his shirt is bundled beneath his arms, slipping off one of his shoulders to expose a pleasant flush on his neck. "seriously! you're such a killjoy. there's no fun in waiting," he smiles mischievously, wiggling his toes and nudging you with his foot. the fabric of his fuzzy reindeer socks bumps against your thigh, and you make another face at the red pom poms on the crudely-knit rudolph face.

"apologize." you emphasize each syllable, letting them fall off your tongue. they jut into his side like blows to his ribs; he falls back onto the bed for extra dramatics, letting it squeak beneath his weight.

"oh, the horror! to think that i'd be reduced to such a state—"

"satoru."

"—that i, head of the gojo clan, the honored one—”

"satoru gojo."

"should be forced to bow to such pious customs at the foot of scrooge—"

"gojo!"

you reach over to threateningly pinch him again, and he rolls away, tossing a fuzzy pillow into the air and kicking it at you like he's playing some cursed form of tennis. you scowl, catching the cushion and tossing it back at him. it lands square on his face, and he whines, crying about how you've ruined his beautiful, youthfully full, gorgeous face; how is he ever going to pretend to be santa and let pretty girls sit on his lap now? —and that one earns him another pinch to his arm.

"okay, okay! i'm sorry, my love. you're not the grinch, or scrooge, and i shouldn'tve eaten the cookies." he sighs, excruciatingly slow as he inches towards you again, wary of but wanting your warmth all the same. it's too cold to be alone this morning, anyway.

"without me." you corrected, unable to wipe the light grin from your face, and you watch as his face lights up, like a kid seeing his dream christmas present in the window display of a bright shop, hidden behind frosted glass and cold air.

he sits up again, scooting close and opening his arms once more. this time, you oblige, throwing yourself onto him and wrapping your arms around his neck. now he’s the one with his back flush against the mattress, soft as a cloud of cotton candy. he laughs, and it rumbles through his chest when his hands find the back of your head and he tucks your head beneath his chin, cradling your neck.

"without—" punctuated with a kiss to the top of your head, "you." satoru finishes, and you can hear the grin in his voice, cheery as a christmas carole. his arms snake around your waist, squeezing lightly as one hand slips beneath the hem of your shirt to gently rub your back. his fingers against your skin feels like the touch of a butterfly, wings like stained glass.

"how about this, pretty? we can make more together." he suggests, resting his chin on top of your head. you're smushed into his chest, the printed material of his christmas light t-shirt scratching your face, and the only thing you can manage to breathe is the cheap cologne you bought him (you don't understand why he uses it when he could afford the best of his own), but suddenly you can't bring yourself to mind. so you nod, and he chuckles.

"d'ya still wanna do cinnamon?" he asks softly, slipping his free hand into your hair to play with the strands, holding you close and cozy in his embrace. the burning heat of friction between your numb hands or a roaring fireplace don't compare to the warmth he brings you, soft and sweet and painfully human. and you can't really make yourself feel upset at the pretty boy with snow-white hair holding you anymore.

"nah. let's do peanut butter chocolate chip." you hum, muffled, and he laughs, hearty and full, the kind that makes his entire body tremble a little. and you can feel it, so you tilt your head up to peer up at him. there's a stray pine needle in his hair; must've been from your hazardously decorated christmas tree. he looks down at you and smiles, brushing your hair from your eyes and leaning in to kiss your forehead. it’s like a crimson wax stamp sealing his love letter to you.

he cuddles you close, tufts of his soft hair tickling your face like a tacky christmas sweater. "sounds unhealthy. but whatever you want, baby. santa's gonna give you all you ask this year." and this time, he doesn't use the mistletoe as an excuse to brush his lips against yours when you move to pick the pine needle from his hair. he smells like vanilla, swirled like espresso with a hint of cinnamon.

he may have enjoyed his cookies and milk without you, but there's nowhere else he’d rather be— no one else he'd rather share the rest of his time with, be it baking, decorating, or lazy naps in each other’s arms. after all, half the jolliness of the holiday season comes from being with you.

fish analogies went crazy… happy bday gojo !!! my (riaki) stuff. don't repost and/or plagiarize !

#he is the wet angry cat not you #bluebells don’t bloom during this season but pretend they do for the sake of this fic #riko’s christmas event #SANTA TELL ME IF UR REALLY THERER #DON TMAKE ME FALL AGAIN IF YOU WOTB BE HERE NEXT YEAR #or something #satoru gojo x reader #gojo satoru x reader #gojo x reader #gojo satoru x you #gojo x you #satoru x reader #satoru gojo x you #gojo x y/n #gojo satoru #jujutsu kaisen x reader #jjk x reader #jjk x you #jjk fluff #if you ever see me refer to satoru as the white betta and suguru as the black betta #ifs bc of the s2 hidden inventory anime intro #satoru gojo #gojou satoru x reader #jjk satoru #jjk #jujutsu kaisen #gojo fluff #satoru gojo x y/n #gojo jjk #jjk gojo

[coffeeshib]

One of the tiktok anons here (I’m pretty sure there’s several of us in your inbox lol)

Here’s one that will hopefully lift your spirits! I can’t wait to gush about your work in the zine!!

https://vm (.) tiktok (.) com/ZMdxTE1By/

OH FLUFFY POTATO!!!!! the rush of serotonin i'm having right now

#AHHHHH THIS IS HOW TOFU RUNS TOWARDS ME & he trips on the tiniest objects 😭😭 #he can't even get on his bed properly cause he's just so... tiny 🥺 but he's getting there. motivated by yummy treats #that pom has a teddy bear face!! i think that's the face my pom will have; his face rn looks more like bear than fox #we'll see!!!! rn he's too young. a Baby #thank you for sharing!! hope you're having a lovely day & have fun consuming the zine!!!! 🥺💞 #it's time to get into the pupper side of tiktok. tiktok showed me this one where some girl's wearing a fake tail running around jumping #i was like... wait. wrong side #asks

[muffindaddystyles]

Please write more of Dove and Harry ? You’d earlier written in ne where she gets lost and Harry can’t find her…. Please some more like that. I really like reading protective Harry for his kids especially daughters!

HARRY HATES A CERATIN PINK BICYCLE BUT DOVE THINKS OTHERWISE :D

Harry has never been this stingy towards things. You don’t hold a beef with stuff round you, right? You hold beefs with actual hell of people who're mighty pests in the name of human being.

But, this. Oh damn this. Four wheeler little pink bicycle, that have sparkling pom-poms around it’s handles, a cute yellow basket corked to it's front and rainbow coloured cups hanging from the back of it’s seat that cackles whenever the wheels roll.

It’s the most obnoxious transporting vehicle, Harry had seen in his whole life. He's kind of grousing in the corner that why out of trillion of toys auntie Gemma had to prove herself the best aunt in the whole world alive and chose this hideous gaggingly pink bicycle.

It just doesn’t makes sense to gift it to a three years old! And when that three years old’s a headstrong little thing, with wilfulness of her daddy and the marbles of kitten in replacement of those eyes.

“Daddy we’ll ‘ve fun, promise!” Her ‘r' vanishes into a whistle since she’s still wary onto speaking huge words, babbling her daddy’s ears off with random shite doesn’t count.

Sometimes Harry thinks; that his 50 years old mum's prisoned and captured into a dainty body of three years old -- and his time has come to get bossed around and scolded for his own good sake.

His mommy in the guise of his little dove.

“How’s tha’ missy!?” Harry squints down at her with his hands fisted on his hips. His fake scowl breaks into a fluttery smile when dove with her grubby pudgy hands pushed the bicycle around, her boot clad feet stomping against the hardwood floor, “Like this daddy!” Her chest heaved from getting tired of pushing it around in circles.

“Y'gonna put y’old man to labour?” When she sees her dad’s strictness resolving into contemplating the idea she squeals out giggles making Harry flinch and cover his ears, He’s sure he’ll end up deaf in his fifties.

Harry feels his chest warm and gooey with fond when she jumps on her tippy toes and wraps herself around Harry’s calves.

“Kay, teddy bear enough of butterin’ dada up.” Harry grunted through his nose ducking down to scoop her up in his embrace and she instantly loops her arms around his neck, her button rosy nose twitching with happiness as she patted his cheek with a toothy grin.

Harry shook his head at her brains, his eyes closed and lips thinned while he tries to announce it to her in the most dramatic way.

“Why’re you the way you’re dovie? He sighs and her response doesn’t baffles him any, “’Cos you.” She whispers into his ear as if it’s the most secretive thing in the world getting his cheek and earlobe wet with her drool.

“Yeah, cos' ‘m your inventor. My bad.”

.

That’s how they ended up here in the living room since Harry’s still hesitant and scared to let her ride the bicycle outside.

She makes sweet and loud kissy noises dangling her feet in a rhythm messing the already bombed up curls of Harry while he puts protection pads around her knees, he leaned more onto his shins adjusting the strap of her helmet and pinched her chin to make her look at him.

“Hello baby –..,” He opened his mouth to give her instructions when she cut him off with a cute whiny huff and the fold of her arms round her small body, “Daddy ‘m no baby.” Harry rolls his eyes towards the ceiling and bats his lashes.

“F'me you’re.” He tuts with a coo and took her wrist gently to help her slide down the sofa before she could possibly terrorise him more, sometimes Harry has this aching urge to laugh at her statements but it’s not right to his lil bean so he does it when he’s alone to not to hurt her feelings.

She refused any kind of guidance from him with just a single gesture of her palm (he doesn't know how she manages to behave like a 30 at her 3) and he ended up helping her wiggle her bum up the seat anyhow, “Hmm. Y'already know the deal dovlin'.” He knocks on her pink helmet which has tiny cows on it.

She bobbed her head and puckered her lips, Harry being her best telepathic communicator gets the sign and forwards his cheek for her to kiss it.

“Love y'daddy.” Her affection for her dad muffling against his stubble and in droopy voice he mimics her with bright teasing eyes, “wuveee you daddy.”

“Back to work!” Harry commanded moving towards the end of cycle and squeezed her neck tenderly before pushing her around and giggles happily when she squealed out in utter thrill.

“Weeeeeeoiiii!!” Harry joins her putting aside the fact he was very against it moments ago, but the little fun does no harm, right? He did think so.

It has always happened to him in this particular order whenever the things gets into their happy track a downfall is always written for them, just like the time when dove got sick and wouldn’t get any better taking her to hospital got crucial only for them to come back to their family being there for them her grandma and auntie Gems were their to get her recover but she got sick again.

“Alone!” She grumbles trying to move Harry’s hands away but he grips it tighter, “’M big!” She complains feet reaching for the paddles that took a swing.

“Hands on handles!” Not in a mood for her to throw a tantrum after such exhilarating moment Harry dismissed her off with a bit of frown, “Hands on handles! Hands —--,” He shouts anxiously heartbeat racing painfully against his ribs and he feels time slowing down as he watches dove losing her balance – but – puffs out in relief when she thumps against the sofa.

“Shit!” He cries out when the cycle tumbles along dove and falls on her, the poor baby didn’t even got time to process what's happening before the metal basket hits her bottom lip and her elbow hard.

Harry’s fear reeling infront of him, deafening him for a moment.

Immediately, He throws it away from over her half assed about where it lands and bunched her in his arms protectively. Cradling his sweet baby’s face in his palm and his eyes watered up at the bleeding lip and more abrasions on her elbow.

He sucks in a whimper when she tries even not to sniffle being a brave girl for her dad and goes to wipe his tears with her trembling lil hands, “It’s otay daddy.” Harry hiccups into her wrist smacking kisses upon kisses into her palm.

“’M sorry me lil dovlin'.” He sulked wiping his nose with the sleeve of his hoodie and kissed her forehead.

It physically pains him to see his Dovie hurt, it makes him sad till long hours.

Call him sensitive but with Dove he’ll never able to hold his tears back, she pulls onto his heart strings the most agonisingly, she comes before anyone else and her safety too.

“No cry.” She pushed him away and pouted leaning to peck his lips and Harry giggles when she wipes the subtle blood stain she got on his mouth with a sheepish smile, “Lets fix your boo boos honey pot.” Harry gave her a weepy smile and pet her head taking them to his room.

He’s really surprised and well very proud that she was so brave for him, in times like these Harry realises if nobody got him his daughter’s gonna be there for him always.

“’M really reallyyyy proud of you sweet pea.” After putting Dove's favourite rapunzel bandages on her gashes Harry showers her in kisses that are loud and exaggerated but full of pride and love for her, making sure to do ‘mwah!’ at each one.

.

Harry made her chicken nuggies and let her drink orange juice (even though it gives her an achy throat) she’s such a good little briber.

She’s all snuggled in his bed, her face hidden in his chest out of shyness as Anne asks about her accident with a sad pouty smile.

“You gotta be careful next time okay sweetie?” Anne told her. Harry groans when her head perked up with gleam in her eyes, “There’s no next time!” He quips making his point clear.

“Gran’ma you wan’ see?” She blubbers excitedly crawling out from under the covers but carefully Harry catches her ankle and tugs her back towards him which causes the phone to fall from her hands onto the floor.

The clumsy cutie.

“Oh Grandma, you otay????” Her curly head pops from over the mattress and the room fills with laughter at her innocence and dumbness, she's just three, you prick.

“My silly little bear.” Harry’s laugh fades into giggles while he settles her bum on his chest and cuddles her tightly into his neck despite of her whiny protests and squiggles to let her free.

#DADDDYYYY HARRRRYYY #DAD HARRY #YAHOOOO FLUFFIIIESSSSSSS #WRITING #cute harry #harry styles #harry styles blurb #harry styles fanfiction #fluff #harry angst #hsh #harry styles fanfic #harry styles one shot

[there-must-be-a-lock]

Partying and Poker Faces

Criminal Minds x Supernatural

Word Count: ~3350

Warnings: Errbody gettin drunk. Terrible zamboni puns. 

A/N: No, seriously, it’s just random drunk conversations. They are ridiculous. It’s fun. Thanks to @stunudo​, @fookinghelljensensthighs​, @lastactiontricia​ and everybody else in the Slack chat who listened to me ramble and helped with Nutcracker jokes/Winchester band names. Hair clip scene inspired by this post. 

Part 6 of the Rockstar AU! 

-

-

The “Wayward Sons” World Tour: Pre-Tour Kickoff Party

. . .

“Okay, seriously though, my friend found all these pictures of them at Bonnaroo walking around with a girl with blue hair, right? So she did a side-by-side analysis and she swears it’s Harry Styles in a wig. Like, honest to god.” 

“Who’s Harry Styles?” Spencer asks, putting his book down and rubbing his eyes as he comes out of his reading trance.

“Only the love of my life,” Penelope tells him. 

“Penelope,” Emily interrupts. “You are not allowed to ask him if he’s really friends with Harry Styles.” 

Penelope deflates slightly. “But -”

JJ tells her, “You are definitely not allowed to ask if you can have Harry Styles’s phone number.” 

Penelope rolls her eyes. “Apparently there’s a whole group of crazies who think he and Sam are actually dating. There are conspiracy theories and everything.” 

“Let’s just outlaw the subject of Harry Styles altogether,” JJ says hurriedly. “Okay?” 

“Oh my God, I wouldn’t actually ask. Are you ready yet, Em?” 

“Ready as I’ll ever be,” Emily replies, glaring at her reflection. She’s been trying to even out her wings for like half an hour now. “I look like a raccoon.” 

“So… normal then?” Spencer asks, with his cheekiest smile. 

“Uh oh, we’ve got Sassy Spence tonight,” JJ says. She grabs Emily’s arm to tug her away from the mirror. “You’re gorgeous. Let’s go.” 

“Forward, march!” Penelope orders. “To Suite 202!” 

. . . 

“So then Sammy asks if she’s his daughter,” Dean finishes. 

Hotch and Spencer laugh; it makes Hotch look about ten years younger. 

“What did she say?” Spencer asks, tucking his hair behind his ears again. With his legs crossed in his ratty Chucks, he looks too young to be drinking. 

“Just said ‘I’m his wife,’ ice cold, and walked away.”

“You should’ve seen the look on Sam’s face,” Cas adds. He settles down next to Dean, handing him a fresh drink and sitting close. For a moment Dean forgets that they’re allowed to be close, that he’s not in public any more, and then he puts an arm around Cas, smiling to himself. 

“What about you?” Dean asks. 

“I haven’t gotten starstruck since Kurt Cobain,” Hotch answers. “But you should ask Spencer what happened when he met David Byrne.” 

“Spencer, what happened when you met David Byrne?” Cas asks with a smirk. 

“Well… you know how Freud talked about seeing the Acropolis for the first time? The feeling of derealization?” 

“No,” Dean says, raising his eyebrows. “Should I?” 

“What you have to understand is that my mom was playing me the Talking Heads while I was in the womb,” Spencer continues earnestly. “Remain In Light, mostly, because it came out that year, but — anyway. Research shows —“

“David Byrne is his Acropolis,” Hotch translates. “He didn’t speak for almost two hours after they were introduced.” 

“And I get the feeling there aren’t many things that render him speechless,” Cas says dryly. 

. . .

“Hey there, hot stuff,” Penelope says, and she sits in the empty spot next to Derek on the couch. She almost kicks Spencer as she does so; he’s sitting on the floor in front of the couch, hunched over one of the acoustic guitars that everybody’s been passing around. 

“You know there’s another chair, right?” asks Sam, who’s sprawled out in one of the armchairs opposite their couch.   

“Trust me, it’s pointless,” Derek tells him. “He hates chairs.” 

“That’s not true,” Spencer says absent-mindedly, tucking his hair behind his ears. “I like the ones with wheels.” 

“Wait, you play keys, right?” Sam asks, watching Spencer pluck out a quick, dexterous open-tuned thing that Penelope is pretty sure he’s improvising. 

“And synths,” Spencer says, pushing his hair out of his eyes again. “But also… a little bit of everything, I guess.” 

“Guitar, bass, drums, violin, cello, saxophone, clarinet,” Derek rattles off proudly. “What else? There are some weird ones.” 

“Didgeridoo!” Penelope adds. 

“She calls it my didgeri-don’t,” Spencer says, and it’s true; it’s her least favorite instrument, which is unfortunate because it’s one of her favorite words.“And there are a few things I built, I guess, but haven’t really named yet.”

“That’s awesome,” Sam says, looking suitably impressed. 

“You need a goddamn haircut, Pretty Boy,” Derek says, as Spencer tries to get his hair out of his eyes again. 

“Don’t listen to him,” Sam tells Spencer, running a hand through the shampoo-commercial situation he has on his own head. “And don’t let my brother start in on you, either.” 

Penelope rummages in her purse for a second and pulls out a neon green butterfly clip. She combs some hair back from Spencer’s forehead, twists it, and secures it so that the butterfly is right on the crown of Spencer’s head.

“Thanks, that’s much better,” Spencer says, giving her a quick smile over his shoulder. Sam stifles a laugh. 

“Hey,” Derek says, in an undertone. “Got any more of those?” 

“I love the way your brain works,” Penelope stage-whispers back. She digs around until she has a whole handful of aggressively colorful glittery barrettes (some are shaped like flowers, some have pom-poms) and passes half to Derek. She leans down and starts to braid a little section of hair near Spencer’s temple. He doesn’t seem to notice. 

. . . 

“You’re new, aren’t you?” Hotch asks, as he starts mixing himself a drink. “I don’t think we met at the surprise show.” 

“Jack,” the kid says, with a sweet smile. He’s all fresh-faced and earnest. Hotch has concerns. 

“I’m Aaron, but everybody calls me Hotch,” he says. “What‘s your part in this whole circus?” 

“I’m their guitar tech,” he chirps. “Cas is my uncle, also. He’s the one who got me the job.” 

“Uh-huh. First tour?” 

He nods. “I’m excited! This is going to be great.”

Hotch has a feeling this is going to be trouble. 

Jack has a hand on the whiskey bottle when Hotch notices and asks, “How old are you?” 

“He’s twenty,” Charlie interrupts, snatching the bottle from Jack’s hand. “Down, boy.” 

Jack shrugs, not seeming particularly bothered, and wanders away with his soda. 

“Good to know,” Hotch says wryly. 

Charlie gives Hotch an apologetic look and says, “I feel like a spoilsport. Like, let the kid have some fun, right?”

“So you followed all the rules when you were his age?” 

“Well, no, not so much, although I wasn’t into drinking so much as… um. Mild felonies.” She wrinkles her nose expressively. “But I have strict orders from Cas. He might look like a teddy bear, but Cas can be scary.” 

“Felonies,” Hotch says, trying to keep a straight face. Charlie nods. 

“Hacking, mostly?” she says tentatively. “There was some… environmentally focused cyber-terrorism, I guess you’d call it.” 

“You should talk to Penelope, she used to do that sort of thing as well.” 

Charlie looks over dubiously at Penelope, who is pulling up the hem of Derek’s shirt and showing off his abs, Vanna White style, for Sam’s benefit. Sam looks shockingly unaffected, so odds are he is straight, in which case, Rossi owes Hotch some money.

“Really. She was actually contacted by the FBI, they wanted to hire her, but.” Hotch smiles at the way Charlie’s mouth falls open. “She has a whole… sordid history. They used to call her the Black Queen.” 

“Are you… what?” Charlie asks incredulously. 

“I know, it’s a ridiculous name, but —”

“No, that’s — I can’t believe it,” Charlie stutters. “Really?” 

Hotch raises an eyebrow. “Really. Does that mean something to you?” 

Charlie shakes her head, eyes wide. “You don’t understand, she’s a legend. She’s like a frakking rockstar.” 

“Excuse me?” 

“No, like an actual rockstar,” Charlie insists. “Not that you’re not a rockstar, I didn’t mean — holy crap.” 

“Would you like me to introduce you?” Hotch offers. 

Charlie goes pale. “I don’t — um.” 

“I think you’re the first person who has ever been intimidated by Penelope Garcia,” Hotch muses. 

Charlie does a quick shot of whiskey before nodding. “Okay, I think I’m ready.” 

. . . 

“I am so fuckin’ glad I don’t have to deal with this every night,” Bobby says gruffly, with an expansive gesture at everyone in the room and their varied levels of inebriation. “We’re too old for this shit. Don’t know how you still want to go out on the road.” 

“Of all the groups I’ve managed, believe it or not, this one’s the easiest.”

Bobby looks across the room to where JJ is passing around shots and Emily is talking everybody into a game of Truth or Dare, as a “bonding exercise.” Spencer is clinging to Morgan’s back like a gangly white Yoda; Morgan, who’s serenading Sam with “Wonderwall” (Sam is covering his ears and looking pained) doesn’t seem to notice his weight. 

“I don’t believe it, actually,” Bobby tells Rossi, who shrugs. 

“They take care of each other, really. No ego involved, with any of them, which is rare enough in this business.” Rossi pauses as Penelope shrieks; Hotch, who is standing between her and Charlie, looks vaguely alarmed, but nobody seems to be in any real danger. Rossi adds, “They may act like a bunch of assclowns sometimes, but they’re much smarter than they look. I told you, didn’t I?” 

“Fair enough,” Bobby says. He’d called Rossi on a whim, looking for an opener for Dean’s surprise show and hinting about “discretion” and “liberal types,” trying not to give too much away. He’d expected Rossi to put him in touch with a friend of a friend, or something. He didn’t expect this to work out so well.

Bobby’s not used to things working out well. It’s a nice change. 

“Good to see you again, anyway” Rossi says. “You’re coming out to a few more shows, right?” 

“Course. I’ll be around here and there.” 

“Bet you’ll miss them soon enough. I was bored stiff when I was retired,” Rossi says. 

“Yeah, well, you didn’t have to get those two through their teenage years,” Bobby grouches. “Just about put me in an early grave.” 

“They seem like good kids,” Rossi says. “I don’t think I’ve seen you since they were… how old?” 

Bobby can’t help but smile at that. “Yeah, they’ve got good heads on their shoulders. They grew up. Just in time, too. I kept tellin’ them, success is going to change things, but I don’t think they believed me. Idjits.” 

Rossi nods knowingly. “Cheers to success, then. And old friends.” 

“I’ll drink to that.” 

. . . 

“Pastor’s son, in the church,” Emily says. 

“Twins,” Dean replies smugly. 

“Nice.” Emily gives him a fist-bump. “Backstage during a performance of The Nutcracker.” 

“I’ll be very disappointed if there were no nut jokes.” 

Emily smirks. “Well, there were no actual nuts involved, but the fairy did, in fact, taste like sugar plums.” 

“Yeah, okay, not bad,” Dean says. He clinks his beer bottle against hers and they drink. “On top of a zamboni.” 

“You mean zam-bone-y?” 

“Thank you! Sam rolled his eyes so hard I thought they were gonna fall out when I said that.” 

“The Roxy.”  

“Green room? C’mon,” Dean scoffs. “Amateur hour.” 

“Nope,” Emily says triumphantly. “In the crowd, during a Guns N Roses show.” 

“Okay, that’s fuckin’ awesome,” Dean laughs.

“It really was.” 

Dean’s eyes flick across the room, following Cas, who just deadpanned something that’s making Hotch double over with laughter. Dean’s eyes go crinkly at the corners as his smile gets even brighter — a full-on megawatt movie star smile — and his expression is so sweet and soft and utterly adoring that Emily melts a little bit. 

“Gross,” she says, elbowing Dean. He elbows her right back. 

“Shuddup,” he mutters. 

“No more twins for you,” Emily sing-songs. 

“Worth it,” Dean says firmly, and even she can’t think of anything snarky to say to that. 

. . . 

JJ can only understand about one in five of the words Penelope and Charlie are chattering to each other, so she gives up and leaves them to it. She’s slightly concerned they’re plotting to take over the world, or something. They don’t seem to notice her leaving. 

Dean and Emily are side by side on one of the couches, both slouching, with their feet up on the coffee table and beers resting on their stomachs, giggling about something as if they’ve been lifelong friends. The whole tableau is unexpected, but not in a bad way. 

There’s something about Dean that JJ just didn’t like, at first. It’s mostly that he’s too likable. In every interaction they’ve had, he’s been incredibly charismatic, warm, polite, funny… but it’s not him. 

JJ is an expert at getting people to trust her without ever showing her hand. She recognizes a bluff when she sees one. 

She’s been watching Dean, whenever he thinks she’s not paying attention. He lets his guard down, sometimes, when he’s with his brother or Cas, but there’s a well-disguised wall that goes up when he talks to anyone else. It’s defensive fortifications camouflaged as charm. 

Apparently Emily’s shoved through whatever wall Dean usually puts up when he’s around strangers. Emily can do that to a person, though. JJ knows that better than anybody. 

Emily’s clearly teasing him about something. He’s grinning, boyish and bashful and genuine, and JJ likes him a hell of a lot more, suddenly. 

She heads over to join them on their couch, sliding over the armrest to sprawl halfway over Emily’s lap and cuddle in close. 

“Are you two still playing Truth or Dare? This doesn’t look very daring.” 

“Debauchery pissing contest,” Emily informs her. 

Dean is watching her, and his walls are up again: pleasant smile slapped on his face, eyes calculating, playing it close to the chest until he figures her out. 

She raises an eyebrow and prompts him: “Well? Aren’t you going to ask me?” 

He looks suspicious, but he goes with it. “What’s the craziest place you’ve had sex?”

“A lady doesn’t kiss and tell,” JJ says primly, and for a second Dean’s actually thinking about taking her seriously. She rolls her eyes. “Kidding. Middle of a Guns N Roses show.” 

He looks confused for a second. Then Emily and JJ high-five, and Dean barks out a laugh. 

“I didn’t know you —” 

He hesitates. 

“Swing that way?” JJ supplies. 

“Yeah, that.”

“Most people don’t, and we’re gonna keep it that way. Understood?”

Dean seems surprised by the sudden sharp edge in her voice. “Gotcha.” 

“I used to think she was crazy for not coming out publicly,” Emily tells Dean, but she’s looking at JJ with a little half-smile on her face. “But now that people are starting to give a shit about us, sometimes I think she might’ve had the right idea.” 

“Don’t lie, you love being an ‘inspiration to the youth,’” JJ says, with mocking finger quotes. “And you’ve been disappointing your mom for years, she’s used to it. Mine would probably have a heart attack.” 

“Yeah, but the number of times I get that fucking ‘Does that mean you’re attracted to pans?’ bullshit, I swear to God…” 

Dean’s looking at JJ again, but this time it’s less calculating and more admiring. He nods slowly like something just started to make sense.  

“Helluva poker face,” he says approvingly.  

JJ grins. “Yours isn’t too bad either.” 

. . . 

“I gotta ask,” Spencer says, slurred and slow. “How’d you choose the band name? The Ceiling Fires?”

Sam shrugs. “It was a recurring dream that Dean and I both used to have.” 

“Weird image.” Spencer makes a face as he undoes one of the tiny braids Penelope left in his hair. “Not that — weird isn’t a bad thing. It’s memorable.”  

“Yeah, I guess so. Dean called it that as a joke, to start with, I think, but...” Sam rambles. He’s right at that point of drunk where words just keep rolling off his tongue. “Feels like a long time ago. I mean, I did not in a million years think we’d end up here.” 

“Linear time,” Spencer comments. 

Sam waits for him to finish the thought, but apparently that’s it. 

“Linear time,” he repeats agreeably. “It’s not just… time, though, you know? It’s the whole deal. Success, I guess. People listening.  Expecting you to look a certain way, or… I don’t fucking know.”

Spencer nods pensively, combing his fingers through his hair again. “We did a magazine photo shoot the other day and they wouldn’t let me wear any of my own clothes. I like my clothes. And people keep asking if I’m dating anybody.” 

“Yeah, I’ve been getting that question too.” Spencer doesn’t know the half of it. Sam laughs to himself, rubbing his forehead, and takes a big gulp of his drink. 

Spencer pulls out another barrette with a grimace. “I mean, why would anyone care if you’re dating… who was it? Harry Styles?” 

Sam chokes and spits whiskey everywhere. 

“Who —” he wheezes, and has to stop to cough. “Fucking — how did you know?” 

“Wait, really?” 

“What?” 

“Penelope said it was just a stupid rumor,” Spencer says. He’s squinting at Sam like he’s seeing double. 

“Shit.” The adrenaline rush is going a long way toward sobering Sam up. He shakes his head and tries to pull himself together. “Shit. I just… shit.” 

“Is that a big deal?” Spencer asks, with a mild sort of confusion. “Penelope made it sound like a joke. She called it a conspiracy theory.” 

Sam stares at him, open-mouthed, before dropping his head into his hands with a groan. “Yeah, let’s just keep calling it a conspiracy theory, okay? I already owe his publicist a fucking… fruit basket, or maybe just a lot of wine.” 

“If it makes you feel any better, I don’t actually know who that is,” Spencer offers. Sam laughs weakly. “No, really, I won’t tell anybody. Even Penelope. Especially Penelope.” 

Sam studies him for a second. He looks earnest enough, in a boozy, unfocused way, but Sam’s learned the hard way that most people can’t be trusted. 

Still, worth a try. 

“If you could — yeah. Please? Just… please don’t tell anybody.” 

“Believe me,” Spencer says. “I know how it goes. If you let people see the things that matter…” He trails off, his eyes sliding to a point somewhere over Sam’s shoulder, and his voice gets unexpectedly clear and fierce. “People can be vicious. I wouldn’t give them a weapon like that.” 

Sam’s pretty sure he shouldn’t feel so reassured — Spencer still has a glittery butterfly clip sticking out from behind one ear — but he is, somehow. 

“Thanks,” he says quietly. 

Spencer shrugs, like it’s nothing, and settles the guitar in his lap again. “Anyway, here’s Wonderwall.”

“Oh hell no,” Sam grumbles, and throws a couch cushion at him.  

. . .

“Okay,” Hotch says decisively. “Everybody have their room keys?” 

“Aww! He’s like the world’s cutest drill sergeant,” Charlie says. Hotch scowls at her, but he has a feeling it’s not very intimidating. She just giggles.

“Rossi?” Hotch asks, looking around and doing a quick head count. 

“Went to bed an hour ago to listen to the latest episode of his fucking true crime podcast,” Emily says. 

Hotch frowns. “Without me? Sneaky bastard.” 

“Of all the weird fucking hobbies…” JJ mutters. “Hey, Morgan, is it my turn to be the jetpack?” 

“Fuck no. I am way too buzzed to be carrying any of you home tonight. You can walk.”

“I’m not sure I can, actually,” Spencer says morosely. He looks like a rag doll, sitting on the floor, propped up by the side of the couch. 

“Somebody come get Schroeder,” Dean mumbles, from where he’s curled up on the couch with his head in Cas’s lap. 

“We got this,” Penelope says determinedly. She grabs Spencer by the wrists and hauls him to his feet, and they lean against each other heavily, somehow managing to stay upright. 

Sam opens the door for them, smiling bemusedly as they all start to trail past: Morgan first, uncharacteristically wobbly on his feet; Emily and JJ, with their hands tucked into each other’s back pockets; Spencer and Penelope, staggering dangerously; and finally, Hotch bringing up the rear.

“Thanks,” he tells Sam, and waves at the others. “See you tomorrow.” 

Before the door closes behind him, Hotch hears Dean say, “It’s gonna be a fun tour.” 

.

.

.

#criminal minds x supernatural #crossover #cm #spn #criminal minds fic #supernatural fic

[catsvrsdogscatswin]

Higurashi Month 2019, Day 30: Silly Sports

"Think fast, Kei-chan!"

Keiichi didn't think fast enough, and a well-packed snowball smacked him upside the face.

"Gah!" he screeched, clutching at it and raking the powdery, wet clinging stuff from his eyes. "Mion!" he roared at the smirking club leader behind her scarf, whose teal eyes glittered with a wicked innocence. "How dare you try to challenge me as unchallenged King of the Castle?"

"That lack of challenge is about to be challenged!" she called up the small ramp of snow, tossing another expertly-packed snowball up and down in her mittened hand as the club leader's eyes gleamed even brighter. "Prepare to be upstaged, King!"

"Never!" Keiichi howled down the parapet, brandishing his mighty icicle-sword. "Minions, attack!"

With a ferocious battlecry (kind of) Rika and Satoshi rose up from the battlements of snow beside him and hurled their missiles down, as lusty and furious battle was thus engaged.

"You…have beaten me." Keiichi coughed weakly from his place in the snow, a convenient icicle lodged between his armpit and chest. "And so I, the…the Snow King, die at your feet."

"Keiichi-kun! No!" Satoshi cried, falling to his knees and clutching at the snow-spattered "wound" adjacent to Keiichi's icicle. "You must not lose hope! Fight on! We still need you in the battle!"

"No, no…" Weakly the fallen king waved him aside, coughing a little. "My time…has come, brave Satoshi. Avenge me!" The brown-haired Magician of the Mouth suddenly spasmed, arching up as a dramatically outflung arm pointed away, to the huffing and puffing Mion a few meters away as she dodged Rika's calculated shots. "Do not let…koff…the sacred Kingdom of…um…of the Kingdom that is ours fall into the hands of the wicked invaders. Koff!"

Keiichi turned his head to the side and hacked into the snow, scarf dislodged by the blow that had felled him. He weakly opened his periwinkle eyes again, looking into the tormented gaze of his most loyal vassal as Satoshi gripped his gloved hand. "Satoshi-kun…you must lead them now. Lead our people to victory! For I…at least…shall not see it. Koff!"

With one final wheeze, as though making a point, Keiichi went limp, eyes hazing closed. The icicle tucked between arm and body wobbled a little as his muscles relaxed, before Keiichi quickly squeezed his arm closer to his side to prevent it from falling and ruining the illusion.

"Keiichi-kun! Keiichi-kun!" Satoshi cried desperately, shaking his liege lord. "Nooooooooo!"

"-ooooo!"

"Gya-ha-ha-ha!" Satoko cackled from atop her massive fort, fanged tooth gleaming even underneath her scarf as boulders of snow rolled towards her frantically dodging opponents. "Tremble before the might of Satoko the Snow Lord! Dance, pitiful fools, dance!"

"We need backup!" Shion cried from a hastily-enacted snow trench as one of the snow missiles thundered by, clutching a bucket down low over her head, icicle lying abandoned close by her side.

"I can't!" Rena gasped from another scoop in the snow dug a little farther along, laid almost flat with Hanyuu huddled trembling beside her. A plastic sled was hastily drawn over the two of them as some meager protection against the constant barrage, held in place by the stubborn auburn-haired soldier. "We're pinned down over here!"

"Hau, hauhau!" Hanyuu squealed, mittened hands clamped over her shapeless wool hat as she cowered underneath the thin shield. "We can't hold out for much longer!"

"Damnit, no!" Shion cried, jerking her head up a little under the bucket, but quickly cowering back down, crouching as a large snowball bounced over her head, eyes wide and glistening with determination –and tears. "You guys aren't allowed to die, you hear me!? Make it out of there if you have to crawl the way back!"

"We can't!" Rena yelped, as another heavy snowball pummeled the ground next to her and Hanyuu, sending up a brief spray of powdery white. "Shi-chan, just go! Leave us behind! Get back to safety, don't think about us!"

"Damnit!" Shion snarled, lunging out of her cover and sprinting across the battlefield, charging through the barrage of snowballs as she wove in and out of the dangerous hail like a ballet dancer, ice crystals sparkling and flashing in the air around her. Her icicle flashed in her right gloved hand, and her left held the bucket down tight over her head. "I won't leave you guys!"

"Fools!" Satoko thundered from on high, red eyes gleaming in a way that rather clashed with the childish pom-pom atop her knitted hat. "To come charging into my hellish playground is to invite your own demise! None of you shall escape here alive!"

"Yaaaaah!" Shion screamed in retaliation, throwing her icicle like a spear. It stuck point-first, quivering, in the snowy wall of Satoko's fort near where the snowballs emerged, and whatever Shion had hit, it gave both her and her comrades enough time to dive into better cover before the temporary pause in missiles ended and the snowy barrage came again, flying thicker than ever. Shion dived behind a large snowdrift, wallowing a deeper hole with frantic twists of her body, and Rena and Hanyuu scrambled for a place where the snow had blown high against a water barrel, huddling against it in the safe hollow scooped out by nature and the winds.

"We need to take out her cannons!" Rena cried, clutching Hanyuu to herself like a teddy bear.

"I know!" Shion screamed back, clutching her bucket-helmet as she pressed her body full-length down against the snow. "But I lost my weapon giving us time to run!"

"We're done for! We're done for!" Hanyuu wailed, tears pouring down her cherubic cheeks and soaking into her checkered scarf.

"No!" Rena cried, blue eyes sparkling with determination. "Keiichi-kun is out there! He's in an alliance with us –he won't let us down! I know it!"

Satoshi brandished the icicle that had slain his king. "Muu, y-you'll pay for that!" he shouted at Mion, wishing his voice didn't tremble so much as he threatened his club president. "Rika-chan, fall back!"

The young miko did so, keeping up a steady barrage of snowballs to pin Mion down, until she finally leaped behind the snowy ramparts and hunkered down with him. "Mew, what is it, Satoshi?" she asked, keeping her eyes fixed on the bush Mion had dived behind for cover, a snowball ready in her tiny hand.

Satoshi swallowed thickly. "I'm sorry, but…the King didn't recover from the wound he, erm, received battling the Ice Demon. He's fallen."

"Curse you, Snow Demon!" Rika cried, hurling her snowball at the bush for emphasis as it exploded into harmless powder on the tough evergreen branches. "What shall we do, Regent Satoshi?!"

Satoshi blinked twice. "Regent?" he asked behind his scarf, confused. Rika groaned quietly to herself as she fished for another snowball.

"Mew, Keiichi did name you as his successor, didn't he?"

"Muu…I guess he did." Satoshi sighed after a moment of consideration.

"Then you're the regent." Rika replied firmly, hurling a snowball at Mion's bush as it gave a stealthy rustle, as if their green-haired president was considering movement. "Don't you dare, Snow Demon!"

"Y-yeah!" Satoshi cried, waving his hand in what he hoped was a vengeful and authoritative gesture. "We're the regents in King's name, and we'll never let you capture our fort, you, erm, evil Ice Demon!"

"I thought I was a Snow Demon?" Mion asked with a snicker from her hiding place, and Rika frowned.

"It works either way. Whatever you are, we won't forgive you! You hear me?!" The young miko shook her tiny fist at Mion's hiding place. "We shall never forget your wicked deed, Snow Demon!"

Satoshi shook his icicle again for emphasis, then crouched down behind the ramparts to think desperately as Rika kept watch upon the battlements. What could he do? Keiichi was their best warrior, and he'd been cut down easily by the fierce and terrible Snow/Ice Demon. Satoshi was nowhere near as capable as he was, and furthermore, if he fell, then it would only be Rika standing between Mion and victory. Ideally, they could grab their flag and make a run for Shion, Rena, and Hanyuu's forces, but they were dealing with Satoko, and…

Wait…

Of course!

"Muu, Rika-chan!" Satoshi commanded, pulling his head up a little as he tugged down on his knitted cap. "Keep Mion busy! I have an idea!"

"Of course! Nipah~" Rika chirped, beaming. Then her expression darkened as she turned and launched a barrage of small, well-packed snowballs at the bush, hand-over-hand, arms swiveling like a pair of tiny windmills. "Yaaaaaaaah!"

Satoshi, meanwhile, jumped down to the bottom of their fort to build a trap.

"You can't keep me pinned down like this forever!" Mion cackled from her now decidedly snow-caked bush, likely braced against the branches in the back. "You'll run out of snow eventually!"

True enough, Rika was starting to have to search frantically for enough snow to pack into a ball within her arm's reach –moving away too far would create a gap in her defenses, and allow Mion to dart out from the other side of the bush. And that would mean they would lose.

"Mew, Satoshi, are you done with your plan yet?" she asked quietly but nervously, scrunching her shoulders inside her thick coat.

"Yup." she heard quietly from behind her. "Rika-chan, can you do me favor and make, like, as much noise as you can, and keep Mion in place for about twenty seconds, on my count?"

"Mew~! Of course!"

"Right."

Rika quickly scooped together as many small palmfuls of snow as she could gather in one space, planning for another large barrage to pin Mion down. "Ready, sir!"

"On the count of three…now!" Satoshi cried, and Rika immediately filled her small lungs and shouted as loudly as she could, pummeling the beleaguered shrub as it quivered and shook under her rain of snowballs. She thought she heard an odd twong and a scrape of snow behind her, and Rika's hair stood on end beneath her cap as something whooshed over her head, but she was too busy focusing on keeping Mion pinned down to look to see what it was.

Right until a gigantic snowball that was only a little bit smaller than Rika herself plummeted down out of empty air, slamming into the other side of the bush as Mion gave a brief, startled cry that was swiftly muffled, likely by a mouthful of packed snow.

Rika turned around, jaw a little loose, to see Satoshi kneeling beside a dip in the snow roughly the same size as the snow-boulder, as well as a contraption made from a discarded snow shovel, his scarf, a miraculously-uncovered inflated dodgeball, and several other things that she couldn't see clearly.

"Satoshi…how on earth did you do that?"

The blond teen smiled as Mion thrashed her way out of the small mountain of snow, visibly sulking at her defeat. "Well…one doesn't live in a house with Satoko without learning a thing or two." he said modestly.

"Now let's go help Shion and the others."

"We need a plan!" Rena shouted desperately. She, Hanyuu, and Shion had managed to worm their way closer to the fortress, but they were still a good ways off and nowhere near to capturing the flag. Hanyuu had dived under the leafless skeleton of a bush, which was at least catching most of the snow from the boulders being hurled at and around her, and Rena had picked up another sled en route and was cowering behind her makeshift bulwark like a knight with a shield.

"I know!" Shion cried back, likewise pinned down behind a slender tree. "If we just had a way to take out her cannons-!"

"Rejoice, friends! For we have come to honor our treaty!"

Shion, Rena, and Hanyuu's heads whipped around. Satoko gaped from atop her snowy battlements.

Satoshi and Rika were posed atop the slope that led to the battlegrounds, a shaft of light illuminating their snow-dusted clothing and the icicles they proudly held aloft.

They were also on a gleaming blue sled.

"Your time has come, Shion, Rena, and Hanyuu! You shall no longer fight this terrible foe alone! Yaaaaaah!"

With a shove from Rika, who sat in the back of the sled, the two began rocketing down the hill. With a shrill cry from Satoko and some incomprehensible manipulation of the traps in her snowy fortress, the hail of missiles was redirected towards the charging duo.

Who were entirely prepared for this action.

"Yaaaaaaaaah!" Satoshi continued to yell, grabbing a projection from the side of the sled and whipping it up and out in front of him, to reveal –another sled.

Which the hail of missiles crashed into, leaving him and Rika to continue, albeit slowed, streaking down the slope.

"Mew, Shi, catch!" Rika called, grabbing another sled and hurling it at the cowering Sonozaki. Shion caught the bright red plastic disk with a grin, and her teal eyes glinted as she looked at Rena, whose own eyes flashed in understanding.

"Yaaaaah!" they cried in addition, grabbing their shields and charging towards the fort in the wake of Satoshi and Rika's sled-cavalry. An additional sled hurled towards Hanyuu (perhaps with a bit more playful vehemence than Shion's) added another member to their headlong charge, and Satoko snorted with fury, twin streams of smoky air escaping from beneath her scarf.

"Block my boulders all you like, none of you will scale my castle!" she roared furiously, waving an icicle of her own above her head and then turning and leaping down with a flare of her padded winter coat, disappearing within the snowy depths to conjure up more diabolic trickery.

Satoshi and Rika crashed up against the base of the fort, and Shion's group arrived a few moments later.

"We need to scale the walls!" Satoshi cried, and Shion nodded, tightening her bucket-helmet on her head.

"Got it. Use our icicles!" She took Rika's and demonstratively stabbed the pointed end into the snowy wall at about knee-height for the older club members. "Go, go, go!"

"Use multiple strategies!" Rika cried from behind Satoshi as Hanyuu started clambering up the makeshift staircase, adding her own icicle to gain height as Rena tossed her another.

"Right!" the auburn-headed warrior cried, lifting up her shield and crouching under it. The tiny miko seized Shion's smaller, round shield and jumped onto the platform Rena had made, letting Rena surge upwards and launch Rika towards the sky, bearing her own shield in case of errant missiles. This concern was well-founded, for a smaller but still formidable snowball crashed into the blue-haired child –and more importantly, her shield– almost as soon as she had cleared the battlements, sending Rika falling backwards onto the shattered no-man's-land with a shrill cry as her patterned scarf waved in the wake of her fall. Hanyuu was halfway up the wall, crouching down beneath the battlements nervously, afraid to breach the top that had already almost claimed the life of her comrade –her shield lay below her in the snow, discarded.

"Rena!" Shion cried, plucking up said shield and dashing towards the still-crouching Rena as she grinned and nodded, lowering herself a little more.

"Go, Shi-chan!" she cried in encouragement, and Shion stepped onto the shield and was propelled upwards. Satoshi hastily dismounted from his own, grabbed it, and hunkered down beneath the plastic rectangle, ready for Rika, who came running back as she leapt onto his own platform. The shrine maiden sailed upwards a beat behind Shion, and Hanyuu watched as both crowned the battlements. Another well-placed snowball struck Rika backwards once again, but Shion was larger and less susceptible to a change in momentum, and merely was thrown backwards as she scrabbled frantically for the edge of the snowy battlements, dug into it with the gloved hand not desperately holding up her shield, and caught herself, half-draped over the edge.

With a grunt, despite the concentrated barrage of snowballs quickly aimed towards her position in a bid to prevent that very action, Shion hauled herself up over the verge, keeping her shield propped up before her as she did. Indeed, the heavy pelting of snowballs actually served to help that purpose, for as long as she made sure it wouldn't be pushed back, Shion didn't have to spend a mote of effort actually keeping the shield propped up.

Curled up behind the shield, Shion shuffled clumsily sideways, covering the ascent of Hanyuu, who quickly clambered up over the ramparts as well and huddled behind the Sonozaki.

"Hau, hauhau, what do we do now?!"

Rena began carefully climbing up the icicles, holding her shield parallel to her body to cover herself as she crested Satoko's line of vision. "Try to draw her fire! We can beat her, just as long as we hold the castle wall!"

"Keep a line of defense, and keep pushing forward!" Satoshi cried behind her, and before long the entire group was huddled in a line behind a series of plastic sled-shields atop Satoko's fort, feeling a barrage of heavy, wet-packed snowballs thud into their barrier.

"Spartan shields!" Shion shouted over the thud of artillery. "Overlap the edges, damnit! Overlap now!"

With a bit of shuffling, everyone got themselves sorted into that configuration, but they knew it couldn't last for long. Satoko was bound to eventually think of the same trick Satoshi and Rika had used to defeat Mion, and their shields were no good against a direct overhead assault and a constant frontal barrage.

"Hanyuu!" Rena grunted, teeth clenched together and blue eyes focused and intense as she held her portion of the shield-wall up firm. "Try to peek through the edges and see where she is! If we can just get her with a snowball…"

Doing as she was told, Hanyuu squirmed underneath Satoshi's arm and peeped through a slight gap in the interlocked sleds. "Hau, she's standing behind three catapults, everyone. Its right in the middle of the fort! I can't see her flag though…"

"Knowing Satoko, she's hidden it somewhere." Rika said with a frown as an especially heavy snowball impacted her shield, jolting her back a little. "Do you think if we all make a break at once and circle around the edges of the fort with our shields, where the catapults can't reach-"

"Satoko will have prepared for that." Shion said grimly, pulling her bucket-helmet a little tighter down on her head with one hand. "She had no way of knowing which direction we'd attack the fort from, after all. I bet there are a bunch of traps set up to trip us on the inside of the fort, too."

"Satoko would've laid out a series of paths for her to walk along." Satoshi pointed out, breath huffing in clouds from under his scarf. "We know the battlements are probably safe over here, because we're sitting here now and nothing's happened, and Satoko had to get down there somehow."

"Mew, follow her footprints in the snow?" Rika tried.

"Too obvious." Rena's eyes narrowed. "This is Satoko –she loves bluffs and double-bluffs. Sure, she would've left some kind of path, but which one is the safe one…"

That was, indeed, a conundrum. There were several trails meandering over the snow, some of single footprints, some of many, but the general area of the fort's interior was so mussed and packed down that it was impossible to pick out a safe path, or even a definite one.

"Perhaps if we picked one and shuffled along it single-file…" Satoshi mused aloud, his eyebrows furrowing above his scarf as he frowned in concentration.

"One of us is going to be picked off for sure if we do that." Shion argued as powdery snow sprayed over the top of their shield wall. "Definitely the person in front, at least. And where would we even look for the flag? It has to be in the fort, but we can't see it anywhere, and we can't just go wandering around searching for it."

"Let's just destroy her canons for now, everyone." Rika piped up, violet eyes wide and innocent from within her bundle of woolen wrappings. "Even Satoko only has so many traps here –if we get rid of the canons, she has to deploy her next line of defense, and with these shields, we can hold out against pretty much everything."

Rena brightened. "Yeah, I like that! If we pick off her traps one by one, eventually we'll get her to the point where she has to be throwing snowballs herself, and not only do we outnumber her for that, we'll still have our shields! We'll be practically invulnerable!"

Shion's eyes narrowed. "If we can pull it off…this is still the God-Sent Master of Traps, after all. And you can bet she'll have traps that are only set off when you step on them. We'll take her out, and all her projectile weaponry, but there's still the ground cover to deal with as we search for the flag. And it could be anywhere in here."

"That's a problem we can deal with when we get to it." Rena said determinedly. How do we take out her canons?"

"Muu…" Satoshi peeked through a gap in the shield wall, then looked around them. "Well, there's more than enough snow here to form a barrage of snowballs…"

The battle was long and arduous, but, eventually, the combined teams managed to break down each line of Satoko's defense, destroying and triggering trap after trap as they clawed their way forward. Hanyuu was taken out by a snare trap, hoisting her up high in the air and making her lose her shield, subsequently helpless to Satoko's snowballs, and Rena sacrificed herself to let Shion duck behind an attack, going down in an explosion of loose-packed snow.

Satoko herself, frothing and raging, was finally taken out by a well-placed snowball from her brother, who sat by the sulking younger blonde, consoling her, as the others spread out in cautious search for the flag.

"I found it!" Rika squeaked at length, scuffling in the snow and coming up with a bright red-and-black checkered dishcloth. "Mew, we win, Regent Satoshi!"

Satoshi looked up from where he was patting his sister. "Oh –er, yay!" he capitulated belatedly, throwing one hand up in the air. "Victory for the Snow Kingdom's forces!"

"Aw, man…" Shion pouted, leaning carefully against a safe scrap of the wall. "Since your team has the most people left, that's a double-win for you, isn't it!"

"I told you not to underestimate the mighty powers of the Snow Kingdom!" Keiichi cried in triumph from the top of the wall, startling the rest of the club, and beside him, Mion rolled her eyes.

"Yes, yes, whatever." she drawled, waving a gloved hand dismissively at him. "I do hereby declare as Club President that Keiichi, Satoshi, and Rika win this game, having not only found the opposing flag but also having the most people left over on their team. Second is Hanyuu, Shion, and Rena's team, as they did not have a fort or flag to defend but still managed to leave one survivor on their team. And last…" She audibly gritted her teeth under her scarf. "…is me and Satoko's team, with both of us KO-ed and our flag captured."

Mion then clapped her gloved hands together with false cheer, smiling brightly under her scarf. "So then! Back to my place for hot cocoa and so on, and we'll decide the punishment games there?"

"That sounds great." Rena yawned, shivering a little.

"Yesssss…" Keiichi cackled under his breath, rubbing his mittened hands together. "Revenge will soon be mine, Mion! You'll regret all the crossplay costumes you forced me into! You'll rue the day you put me in a mini-skirt!"

He cackled louder, but then grunted as Satoko punched his stomach, passing by. "Yes, yes, your vengeance is nigh." she huffed, then smirked. "Don't forget we all had a vote on whether or not to put you in those costumes, Keiichi-san…you have a long way to go before true vengeance. Oh-ho-ho~!"

She cackled in her turn, skipping lightly down the staircase of icicles as Keiichi sulked behind her.

Hot cocoa sounded real good right about now.

Maybe he could dump it on her head.

AN: Welp, that's it for this year. I'm finally done! And I'll be seeing y'all again next year for Higurashi Month 2020...all ten of you.

#Higurashi no Naku Koro ni #Higurashi When They Cry #Higurashi Month #Higurashi Month 2019

[shewantedtobeasecretgirl]

5. Judy is a runt a.k.a. an anonymous cow, basic instincts and semantic questions

„Judy, if you go on like this, you can publish a three-volume manual for beginner monitor engineers next week.” I peek over her shoulders to see the notes and illustrations she made listening to Karrie’s explanations on how to find the optimal frequencies for microphones. I have to acknowledge that she’s trying really hard, according to Scully she spends hours with memorizing the content of her notebook. Eddie and Stone are giving an interview so we have to wait for them with the soundcheck. Jeff and I decided to use the remaining time for showing her our instruments and pedal boards to give her some insight about what’s happening during the songs and between them.

“I’ve never played the bass but I’ve always wanted to try it.” Judy sighs cautiously touching Jeff’s twelve-string bass guitar he uses to play Jeremy.

“If you’ve ever played a guitar, it’s no rocket science. I’ll gladly give you a few lessons, if you want to.” Jeff offers his services but I’m convinced that he would show the same enthusiasm if he had to help her unclog a toilet without using any tools. Judy walks to Jeff’s amplifier to examine the little basketball player figures that serve as his stage props.

“You must be a fan …” she takes all of them in her hands, one after the other.

“Oh, yeah, I’ve always played, mostly in school teams. So it isn’t difficult to figure out that it was me who came up with the idea of our original band name.” he shrugs smiling.

“Which was…?”

“Mookie Blaylock.” we answer in unison, making Judy shake her head and giggle.

“You can imagine how happy he was when he learnt that Eddie could play too. Before that he had tortured Stone and me on the basketball court next to our rehearsal place all the time.”

“Tortured? Don’t you like playing?”

“I do but I’m not good at it. You can see my body structure; I’m not a big challenge for him. And Stone is… rather a cheerleader type, at least that’s how he likes to call himself.”

“With pom poms?” she raises an eyebrow. “Don’t answer, I don’t want to know about the bizarre role plays in the band.”

We all blurt out in laughter.

“No, no pom poms but he’s better at verbal basketball.” Judy is blinking with a confused expression asking me for a more detailed explanation. “When he isn’t playing, he always tries to irritate the others with his comments from the edge of the court. And when he’s playing… you know, he’s the type who tries to convince you using arguments that you don’t really want to score against him. Which is kinda annoying when you’re trying to get past him doing a dribble.”

“I can imagine…” she leans down to get a closer look to the microphone-head puppet sitting on Dave’s bass drum. “Jackson 5?” she’s thinking loudly but Dave suddenly appears behind the drum kit and answers the question.

“Sly and the Family Stone.”

“Oh, that explains the funky taste I feel in your playing.” Judy’s face lights up.

“Thanks for noticing it. Ninety percent of listeners can only hear that I make noise.”

“Well, I belong to that ten percent who is obsessed with rhythm sections.”

“So much for friendship.” I play resentful but she immediately corrects herself.

“But I also love Bach who was the Eddie van Halen of baroque era… imagine Eddie van Halen with four hands. Just listen to his organ pieces.” she gushes blushing. “He was the riffmeister, “the” composer, there’s no question about it.”

“Do you headbang at home when listening to them? Anyway, bummer, it’s not me who’s the riffmeister and main songwriter of this band.”

“But I feel the potential in you, trust me. And this?” she waves with the stuffed lamb she found on the amplifier at the other side of the stage.

“That belongs to Stone, it’s a kind of mascot; he received it from his girlfriend.” Jeff explains.

“Oh…” “I know, I know, it’s difficult to imagine that there are girls who can spend more than three seconds in his company. They probably say yes to him only to shut him up finally.” he jokes on.

“No, I didn’t mean to… I just thought that it must be hard to maintain a relationship under these circumstances… you’ve been touring for more than a half year, you focus on your career, that’s not an ideal background for love… Of course, if you have complete trust towards each other, let’s say in a long-term relationship, it can work but…”

“It’s a weird story, they had met a few weeks before we started touring, they began to date and… they seem to be still together, I guess. We don’t really know Amber, we saw her only a couple times.”

“Well, then they must like each other very much. But I don’t want to pry into your privacy.” she sits the lamb back onto the amplifier.

“I was in a similar situation that time but I broke up with the girl. Or, to be more exact, I didn’t even start dating her, I didn’t want to waste anybody’s time.” Jeff goes on ignoring Judy’s last sentence.

“Fair enough.” she nods. “And… a cow? A COW? I want this cow, this is cool, I mean… having a cow on your amp, that’s hilarious!” she laughs admiring the stuffed cow standing on Stone’s Marshall.

“Then you have to fight for it with Stone, it belongs to him. I’d bet on you, by the way.” I remark and I mean it, actually…

“But a cow… why???”

“I guess it has something to do with Dallas Cowboys… he had even used to wear a DC baseball cap until he lost it…”

“And what’s its name? I guess it’s a she…”

“I don’t know… a good question, by the way. You should ask Stone, it is him who’s in the most intimate relationship with her of us… I mean… I have nothing against it until they do it publicly.”

“So Judy, when do you want to take your first bass lesson?”

Surprisingly Jeff tries to direct our conversation back to the previous topic.

“First? I don’t think it’d take more than a half an hour in all. Including foreplay.” Stone arrives with the trademark smirk on his face, followed by Eddie.

“Screw you!” Jeff slaps back. Judy is standing right behind his back so I’m the only one who can see that her cheeks are literally flaming, I’m seriously concerned that her head explodes in seconds.

“I tried to hire a few local criminals on the way back here to kidnap him, I swear. But nobody offered, they said there were things that even they weren’t willing to do…” Eddie mumbles and his roasting comment makes everyone chuckle.

“What can I say? The armor of sarcasm and my irresistible humor protect me from every kind of danger.” Stone grins satisfied while preparing his guitar. Yes, sure. We’ll have that carved on your tombstone if someone happens to stab you to death.

“What’s her name?” Judy steps to him pointing at the cow but Stone ignores her question, as usual. Come on, you can’t be such an asshole! But Judy seems to be determined this time. She clears her throat and repeats the question perceptibly louder. “What’s her name?”

She’s still pointing accusingly at the cow. Stone lets out a deep, annoyed sigh and asks back rolling his eyes but still not glancing at her.

“Whose name?”

This time it is him who doesn’t get an answer to his question. He lifts his head and his eyes follow the direction Judy’s pointing at. Realizing it’s about his stage animal he walks slowly to his mic, takes it in his hands and strides back to his amplifier.

“I’m saying it into the mic to make it more understandable: this is a stuffed animal.” his voice echoes in the concert room. He knocks on the head of the cow a few times to confirm his statement. “It’s not alive, do you see? It has no na... Jesus!!!”

His words get interrupted by the loud, ear-splitting noise of microphone ringing. He puts the mic quickly back on the stand and turns to her with a sinister, cold smile.

“So, dear Judith… I’m very tolerant and I know it must have been very difficult to leave your toys at home but I wouldn’t think you should search for replacement until you can learn how to ring out a fuckin’ mic. Maybe it wasn’t part of your education at the vocational school of substitute music teachers but if you manage it, I’m going to buy you a teddy bear, I promise.” His words are followed by complete silence; Eddie stares him confused, furrowing his eyebrows while Jeff’s body radiates anger, his threatening, furious eyes make clear that he’s about to punch him. Judy listens to him with a poker face but concerning her burning cheeks I’m sure Stone’s arrogant style hit her hard. And she’s probably not going to defend herself; she’s not going to confront Stone with the fact that it was Karrie’s work he’s just criticized. And Karrie is outside, smoking with the others, she can’t speak up for her either. But that doesn’t mean I should assist to this scene.

“Man, can you hear yourself when you’re saying things like that? That happens all time, it’s inevitable. You act as if it was a felony!”

“Moreover, Karrie spent like forty minutes trying to ring out the mics but it’s impossible to manage it here, she gave it up. Judy didn’t even touch the gear; she was just listening to her and making notes about every single word, all along the preparations.” Jeff adds, although if I were him I would have let Karrie out of that before this idiot targets her too.

“Then it’s high time she began to do something apart from distracting Karrie.” Stone fires back. He can’t bear not having the last word in the discussion.

“You’re ridiculous. If you need me, I’ll be outside… I leave before my fist executes a plastic surgery on his face.” Jeff grinds his teeth and clomps out riled up of the room. Eddie peers for long seconds after him; his look wanders slowly to Judy, then from Judy to Stone. I can literally hear the cogwheels clicking in his head.

“I need some fresh air too. Judy, do you come with me?” he asks pointing with his thumb in the direction of the hallway.

“Sure, just a minute.”

I glance at Judy; I can’t see any hints of embarrassment on her face anymore, she looks rather almost challenging. She takes a deep breath, walks back proudly to the cow and pats it on the back a few times.

“You poor thing! I’m sure we’ll find you a name soon since you have such a baaad, eeevil keeper.” she murmurs in its ears and walks past Stone with an amused, contented smile.

***

I take a deep drag of my cigarette and exhale it slowly into the night sky. Okay, officially it’s not mine, I got it from Dave, I never buy cigarette since I’m a notorious grubber. The amount I need is basically nothing in comparison to Dave’s dose, even Mike smokes more. If I bought one or two packets, I would lose them about within two hours and I should grub anyway every time I needed one so the result would be the same.

I’m listening to the chirping of crickets, it always sounds twice as loud at night as anytime else... Jeff hasn’t talked me a word since the cow affair. He avoided me on the stage ignoring my presence when I was bouncing on his and Mike’s side and didn’t set foot to my side either. When we celebrated Mike he managed to get to the other side of the group hug. But who would have thought he takes the role of the bodyguard of that chick so seriously? His pathetic struggle for her attention is getting more and more embarrassing. She’s an adult woman, she can talk or for a lack of real, acceptable evidences I rather only assume she can, neither needs she a spokesperson nor an enforcer. And I’m not going to apologize to her, I’ve said what I’ve said, I don’t care whether she likes it or not. What I rather care about is my friendship with Jeff but as long as he’s blinded by his hormones – and he’s obviously literally blinded seeing his choice – I doubt he would realize that chasing a colleague isn’t the smartest thing he can do. There won’t be anywhere to hide if things don’t work… But after all, it’s mating season, I can’t blame him, it’s pure biology, it’s about instincts. Basic instincts... Like that new Sharon Stone movie. Damn, that woman is hot... Yeah, it’s definitely mating season…

I walk back to the busses where the others except Scully and Karrie’s padawan are stretching their numb legs, smoking and still talking about Eric’s hilarious pre-birthday surprise for Mike. At one point of the show he appeared on the stage dressed up – or rather stripped off – as Henry Rollins and lead the crowd yelling inarticulately in singing Happy Birthday.

“Man, I was in stitches, I could barely start playing after it, I was shaking of laughter.” Jeff is still snickering recalling the scene.

“It’s interesting, your smile didn’t seem honest to me.” I turn to Jeff and try to force him to talk about our quarrel. Our quarrel? It was him who stormed out like a rhino…

“Seriously Stone, do you really think it’s about me? Look, I know how insufferable you can be and I know how to handle it. But she doesn’t. At first you ignore her and then you humiliate her before the band, what’s next? You burn her during the gig in front of the whole crowd?”

Hm, not a bad idea…

“It’s about respect, Stone, you should show some respect towards her…” Eddie murmurs. Now we have two bodyguards. Excellent.

“Has anybody noticed that I treat her the same way as anyone else in the team? If she doesn’t know how to behave in a company where everybody teases everybody, it’s not my problem.” I grumble lowering my voice and taking a few steps backwards. I don’t want Karrie to hear this; I like her and rely on her help a lot and I probably offended her a bit with my outrage when she came up with her idea about her replacement.

“Actually, she does, maybe it’s new for you as you’re deaf to wittiness except yours… but she has a sense of humor…” Eddie goes on.

“If she says something really funny, I’m going to be the first to laugh at it, I swear…”

“Oh, really? You would rather cut your own tongue off than admit you were wrong…” Jeff retorts and joins the others closing the topic. Okay, crisis averted, we’re in middle-aged married couple mode again…

“Scully?” I inquire from Ed since he still hasn’t shown up yet.

“I don’t know, he must be in the crew bus.” he shrugs glancing back at me and follows Jeff.

As I get on the bus I hear someone moving in the backside so I pace between the bunk beds in the direction of the noise. I find him opening a beer at the fridge; as he notices me he takes one more can out and offers it to me.

“Thanks. Hey Scul, could you pass me a few guitar picks?” I ask him accepting the beer.

“I gave you a bunch of them in the afternoon, you can’t be serious you lost them within less than twenty-four hours.”

“I reject these malicious charges; I was just generous and gave them to Jeff and Mike.”

Of course I have no idea where they can be, I probably left them at the club after the gig.

“Okay, here they are but you pay me five bucks if you can’t keep them at least for one week…” he hands me the picks with a skeptical face.

“And, where’s your new pet? Or did you forget her at the last gas station? I would totally understand…”

Scully frowns hearing my question and starts nodding intensively in the direction of the hallway mouthing something that I can’t decode.

“What’s that? Your Tourette again? Dude, I’m not good at speech reading. So, is daddy’s little girl going number one alone in the wood? What a progress…”

“Sssh, you moron, she’s sleeping over there, in her bed…” he whisper-shouts still flourishing towards the beds.

“Bullshit, there’s no one there, I didn’t see anybody.” I snicker sipping my beer.

“She’s there, do you think I’m an idiot?” Bingo but that’s not the point right now…

“No, she’s not.” I step to the bed he’s pointing at and tug the blanket with a quick move from it to prove I’m right. And suddenly something or rather somebody jumps out of the bunk like a jack-in-the-box.

“What the fuck???” I recoil yelling surprised and end up banging my head against the edge of the bed behind me.

“Holy shit!” the content of the bed screams simultaneously. She’s embracing her pillow; her face is framed by her two tangled braids. She’s not wearing her glasses, which reveals her huge, suggestive brown eyes making me feel I’m eyeing with a terrified lemur.

“Haha… I told you… hahaha… Stoney… I know… I know you’re lonely…. but… but attacking this poor girl in her bed… hahaha… that’s too fast even from you…” Scully already sqeaks choking of laughter and slapping his thighs with her palms after every word.

‘You’re not funny, Scul.” I growl at him painfully rubbing the back of my head with the tip of my fingers, unfortunately I can already feel a hump developing at the place of the impact. “And you… how you dare…?”

“How… how I dare whaaaaaat?” she yawns rubbing her eyes with her fists like a sleepy small child, probably being ready to fell in coma again.

“How you dare…” I stop for a moment because I don’t really know either the reason of my outrage “be… so small?” I have no idea what kind of answer one can expect to a question like this but she scared me to death, it’s a miracle that I can speak at all…

“What? How I…? No, that can’t be real… I must be still in a bizarre dream… “ she mutters slipping into her bed again. She curls up like a little hedgehog, pulls the blanket over her head mumbling something about hippies against her pillow. How she dares be so…

“Stoney!” I hear Scully’s voice as dimly as if I were diving under the sea. “Good morning! Man, you should have your ears checked, I’m calling you for the third time… let that poor kitty sleep and drink your beer before it warms up. Or if you want to be her big spoon, I don’t mind but in that case I want your beer, so please decide fast…” he grins from ear to ear.

I lift the can to my lips and flip the bird with my other hand, trying to send my darkest look tohim. I’m going to buy a bucket of paint tomorrow and decorate the crew bus with the text “Psychiatric ward”, I swear. They’ve earned that.

***

“Thanks for lending your fridge, girls!” Eric says trying to make the huge cake box fit into the tiny fridge of our hotel room. “My fridge is full of… hehe… hydrating substances… but not for external use only…”

“Eric, alcohol actually dehydrates body.” I correct him.

“Aaand that’s why I became a road manager, not a doctor.” he shrugs.

“And not only your fridge is full with those mysterious substances… those of Scully and Brett, Dave and Mike and Jeff and Stone too…” Karrie adds winking.

“Security measures. The golden rule of road managers: always make sure if there’s enough beer.”

“Mmmh, but what’s that delicious aroma? I can’t figure out its taste…” Karrie sniffles licking around her lips.

“Rum-flavored chocolate. I hope Mike will like it.” Eric clicks with his tongue.

“Or rather a chocolate cake-flavored barrel of rum, concerning the smell…” I remark, closing quickly the fridge before I get drunk with the intense odor.

“Okay, I think we’re ready, I only have to get a knife for the cake slicing…” he snaps with his fingers. “I’ll ask the receptionist…” he makes his way towards the door.

“Wait! Since we three are here… could we talk for a second?” I call him making him stop in his tracks.

“Okay…?” he turns back and glances surprised at me.

“Could we sit down?” I scratch nervously my upper arm and keep repeating the speech I mapped out after yesterday’s events in my head. Right after the cow incident I felt confident; the protective attitude of the guys helped me quickly forget Stone’s theatrical scene. But observing their body language during the gig I realized it’s not only about me… I was chewing on that whole night trying to recall every single word I heard and facial expression or move I saw last week. I managed to sleep like one or two hours until I got woken up by a drunk or high or who the hell knows why crazy Stone. I tried to fall asleep again but I was struggling with nightmares. Hard day’s hard night.

“Karrie, do you know what she’s about to tell?” he takes place cautiously on the edge of my bed while Karrie and I do the same on that of Karrie.

“No idea but I assume, we learn that within a few minutes…”

“I’ve been thinking… I’ve been thinking a lot… since I got here…” I start but get immediately interrupted by Eric.

“That’s a refreshing twist; roads aren’t famous for speculating a lot.” Eric jokes and gets rewarded by Karrie who shows the most widespread hand signal in the world to him. I suppress a smile and go on.

“I’ve been thinking about quitting.” I gabble.

“What???” they exclaim in unison.

“You’ve just arrived, what’s wrong with you? What’s wrong with us? You can’t be serious!”

“Do you still think that you can’t manage it without me? If you do, then you’re wrong, I’ve seen a few beginner roads since I’m in the business and you’re outstanding, trust me.”

“We need you…”

“You can’t do that to me…”

“I arrange you a payrise!”

“I would never forgive you that!”

Eric and Karrie attack me immediately and every time I open my mouth to explain my motivations, they cut me off yelling by turn.

“Stop, stop, stoooop!” I scream hitting my fist against the nightstan. Surprised about my outburst they both hush suddenly and blink at each other like two guilty child who got caught doing something banned.

“I still don’t feel suitable but that’s not my main reason. I… can see that the guys are already sick of touring, sometimes even sick of each other. And seeing some signs… I think my arrival added only fuel on the fire. And that’s the last thing I want… If my presence… my personality causes only debates and fights, I shouldn’t be here; it only poisons the atmosphere of the team.” I exhale loudly, relieved by having finished my thoughts finally.

“It has nothing to do with you as a person…” Karrie remarks quietly, staring in front of herself.

“Then what? You called me, asked me to join, convinced me by telling stories about a team, the Jamily which consists of friends and buddies… And okay, that’s partly true but since I’ve been here someone has always always grumpy, Stone, Jeff, sometimes Eddie… okay, mostly Stone but…”

“We should tell her.” Eric cuts in addressing Karrie.

“What should you tell me?” I furrow my eyebrows, are they concealing something from me?

“I haven’t mentioned that yet as I didn’t want to influence you decision… but at the same time of course I wanted you to accept the request…” Karrie begins unwillingly crunching her fingers.

“For God’s sake, what?”

“When I told my idea about hiring you to the guys, everybody was very supportive of it except…”

“Stone.” I finish her sentence. “Yes, I’ve already noticed that he’s the center of the tension. It would have been hard not to notice that, he’s demonstrating all the time that he hates me.” I roll my eyes.

“He doesn’t hate you. He just hates the situation having been vetoed as a quasi band leader.” Karrie explains.

“But the band consists of five members, not to mention the staff, is he a fuckin’ despot, or what?

“No, of course not but he’s kind of pissed off when he can’t convince the others about his ideas… which usually doesn’t last as long as this time, I have to admit that. And I’m kind of helpless but I still believe you should stay…”

“And if I stayed, how should I behave? Should I always hide in my hotel room or in my bunk bed to avoid possible conflicts? He jumps at me for anything I say or do. He hates me, he does.”

“He doesn’t hate you! He just decided to find you insufferable before meeting you! ... Okay, that sounded better in my head.” Eric snickers awkwardly.

“So what you’re trying to say is that being convinced about his infallibility and paranoid about his role in the band, he labeled me as an unsuitable, unbearable, childish, prude and unviable piece of shit without really getting to know me?” I count the attributes on my fingers.

“Exactly!!! You see, it’s not as bad as you thought!” Eric cheers with a bright smile. “Okay, I’m just kidding, the guy is nuts but since you’re anything but what you’ve just mentioned, you could handle him if you weren’t so scared of him.”

“I’m not scared… I just didn’t want him to drive everyone crazy. And I thought he was basically my boss and employees usually aren’t allowed to talk back…”

“He’s not your boss. We… and they all are the employees of the management, and nobody in or around Pearl Jam can be treated like this. So here I ask you… I demand you to speak up for yourself and if he keeps messing with you, I’m going to have a talk with him. Are we okay?” He smiles encouraging, although I’m not lacking for courage. So here we are… The last hints of doubt about Stone’s possible feelings evaporate immediately from my thoughts and get replaced by anger. I can barely answer without shouting.

“We’re okay.” I respond with a cold smile.

“Great. Don’t be late for the party!” he ruffles my hair and leaves the room.

I slowly glance at Karrie who stares back speechless, probably knowing the impact of Eric’s words on me. I flash a devilish grin at her and walk in the bathroom. I turn on the cold water in the shower cabin and began to rub my skin with the sponge as roughly as I can. Let’s prepare for that party!

#pearljam #fanfiction #fanfic #pearl jam #eddie vedder #stone gossard #jeff ament #mike mccready #dave abbruzzese

[maloleysweekender22]

‘Clinging to the Past Siete’ A Divorce Series

Italics= flashbacks/memories

Parte Siete

It’s been a week since I decided to give Shawn another chance to make this right. The guest room is full of my clothes and a few baby clothes Aaliyah couldn’t help but buy during our trip to Baby Depot. A teddy bear onesie catches my eye while folding the clothes into piles. The front of the onesie reads ‘mommy’s and daddy’s teddy bear’ I gush at the sight and turn it over and see a little Pom Pom as the tail.

“Y/N?” Shawn appears at the other side of the door peaking his head inside. I stuff the onesie in a box closing the lid. I wipe away my cheeks in case I cried. I’ve been a bit more emotional and cried when I saw a half eaten chocolate bar on the counter this morning.

“Come in” I tell him which is no use as he’s already sitting in the bed. Shawn’s hand is under my oversized sweater caressing my small baby bump. He pulls me to stand in front of him placing both hands on my stomach.

“Hey little beans! Daddy can’t wait until you get here. Mommy’s coming back home little beans that’s exciting ain’t it. I’m going to show you how to play hockey, sing, strum a guitar-“

“Shawn sorry to cut your talk with little beans, but what if their girls” I tell him running my hands though his messy set of curls.

“I’ll play tea party, watch princess movies, and wear tutus” he says moving my shirt up to place a kiss on my bump. I stay silent as he stands up and tells me he’ll be at house finishing a few touches. I only nod an Okay as I resume packing stumbling upon our wedding photos. Sitting down on the bed I open the book and flip through the pages. We stand smiling amongst our family members enjoying the sun rays at the reception. A photo falls in my lap one of Shawn and I at the alter hands intertwined as he reads a speech. He insisted we do a small speech before the officiant starts the ceremony. I remember because I had tears falling and Shawn tried so hard not bring me into a kiss.

Walking down the aisle with my dad felt so surreal. As Shawn waits at the other end, my my heart just stops beating for a minute. The sun hits his face giving a angelic look. The tuxedo he wears outline his muscles just perfectly. His hair is moved to one side giving him a more professional look. I can see his hands shaking as we are making our way towards him. There’s a few gasps and “how beautiful” being said as I make my way down the aisle. My dad squeezes my hand as we are a few steps away from Shawn. Shawn’s eyes hold a few tears that he let flow when I stand directly in front of him.

“Mendes I know you’ll be a wonderful husband to my little girl. If anything yo do breaks her heart consider yourself gone” My Dad warns as he place any hand in Shawn’s. Shawn only nods and says ‘ he won’t dare break my heart because I’m the most precious thing that has ever walked into his life’ I tear up a bit at his words smiling gently as the priest commences.

“We are gathered here today to celebrate one of life’s greatest moments, and to cherish the words which shall unite Shawn Peter Raul Mendes and Y/N Y/L/N in marriage. Marriage is the promise between two people who love each other, and trust in that love, who honor each other as individuals, and who choose to spend the rest of their lives together. This ceremony will not create a relationship that does not already exist between you. It is a symbol of how far you have come these past few years. It is a symbol of the promises you will make to each other to continue growing stronger as individuals and as partners. No matter what challenges you face, you now face them together, and no matter how much you succeed, you now succeed together. The love between you joins you now as one. Now the Bride and Groom would like to present a few words of love to one another.” The officiant says turning to us both with a smile on his face. Shawn turns around and gets a piece of paper from Matt.

“I probably should have memorized my vows. I can memorize a 3 minute song, but not my own wedding vows” Shawn says earning laughs from the our family members and friends. I giggle at his words before his clears his throat to start.

“I didn’t fall in love with you, I walked into love you, with my eyes wide open, choosing to take every step along the way. I do believe that we were made for each other, but I also believe we choose the things we do. I’d choose you a million life times, in a million different worlds, and a million different versions of reality. I’d choose you. I will look and find you to keeping on choosing you to be the one I love forever and always.” Shawn says squeezing my hand tears in his eyes.

I let go one of his hands to wipe away my tears from his beautiful words. From my peripheral vision I see the a few women dabbing their eyes with a tissue and men giving Shawn a thumbs up.

“I don’t know how I’ll be able continue after such heart warming words like Shawn’s because as you can see he’s the singer between us both.” The audience laughs at my words giving me a newfound confidence. “I’ll try even though the amount of love I have for you can’t be explained in words” Shawn looks at with pure love and adoration as I speak.

“I love you. The love you’ve shown me the years we’ve been together is beyond anything my childhood self could dream up. It’s heart warming, genuine, and fierce all at once. I love you because nobody has ever given me the love that you have given me and you are the only one that could love me this way. At the same time your love has taught me what I spent so long searching for within my own self. I feel like everything in my life has led me to you. All my heartbreaks, choices, and regrets. I wouldn’t change anything from my past because I might never have met you. I love you because your simply you my love” I finish my voice cracking at the end. Shawn bottom lip quivers as I finish my speech bringing me into a hug. The officiant asks us if we’re ready to continue on with the ceremony in which we both nod pulling away.

Placing the wedding album in the suitcase and head down the stairs. Manny gives me the keys to his car to drive down to Shawn’s and I’s house. It takes over an hour to get as the snow starts to fall heavily. As I park in the drive way the house looks dull no trace of anyone living in their. Stepping out of the car I pull my winter coat tighter against my body and notice an unknown car parked by Shawn’s Jeep. The light on the outside turns on as well as the one in the living room. I’m outside of the door ready to knock when I see Shawn buttoning up his shirt and a woman behind him.

She kisses his cheek as she gathers her stuff and box from the table. She says something to Shawn causing his cheeks to blush. He pulls her into a hug as she goes to pull away before I have a chance to turn away get in the car the door opens. I freeze in my spot as they open the door not noting my presence.

“She’s coming back today…… I hope she likes it” Shawn tells her while slipping on a coat.

“Shawn she will! Trust me, okay. Just call whenever you need help with anything” She says giving him another hug as she turns she spots me. “Oh…” Shawn appears beside her looking at me.

“I knew you’d ruin your chance again” I tell him staring into his eyes.

“No! Y/N wait please let us explain!”

“Y/N let Shawn explain!”

“There’s nothing to explain to think I actually was willing to give our marriage another try. And you don’t ever say my name again! I hope you have fun with each other because Shawn we are finally over” the ring I slipped back on this morning falls into the snow covered ground as I make my way to my car.

“Shawn go get her!” The women shouts and I hear footsteps quickly approaching. My feet move quicker, I open the drivers door before it’s slammed shut. Shawn stands with his hand on the door preventing me from reopening it.

“Shawn get out of my way!”

“No! Not until you hear me out. That’s Lucy and I know you don’t want to hear her name at the moment, but you’ll thank her soon”

Shawn tell me a he points to Lucy.

“Yes I will thank her for showing me what kind of guy you really are. You didn’t even finalize the divorce before sleeping around. I’m such an idiot to believe you.!” I yell at him trying to open the car door.

“Dammit Y/N!! I’m not cheating on you! I wouldn’t do that after finally getting you back. Come with me” Shawn sees that I don’t move and grabs my hand pulling me back to the house.

“Let go Shawn Peter Raul Mendes!” Shawn stops once I used his full name. I’ve never used it unless we were having a terrible argument.

“Please, you can still hate me, but please see this before coming up with your own conclusions” I pull my hand from his and signal him to continue. We walk into the house where Lucy is waiting by the stairs. She smiles gently at me as she ascends the stair case. I follow her and Shawn hesitantly as they walk down the hallway. We stop at one of the guest rooms the door closed. He thanks Lucy as she leaves.

He opens the door pulls me inside the room. I stand in the dark watching Shawn’s silhouette turn on the light. Adjusting to to light I see white and black dressers lining the wall. I turn to my right and see a white cribs. My hand runs over the rim of the crib feeling a feather like blanket. The coverings adorning the cribs are a neutral colors yellow and gray. A small bears propped up on the side. My hearts warms at the sight seeing a rocking two rocking chairs in the corner of the room. He thought of everything……

Diapers disposable and cloth sit on the changing table along with a receiving blankets for the change in climate. The outlets in the room are covered except one that’s in between the cribs which is occupied by a teddy bear nightlight. A nine cube organizer that holds a bunch of toys and a few burp clothes. Something makes noise in the room startling me.

“Baby Monitor Sorry” Shawn says turning it down and placing it on the dresser.

“Y-you did all this?” I ask him as I grab one of the teddy bears hugging it to my chest. He stares back at me nodding grabbing the other bear.

“I had help from Lucy….. She works with new parents and showing them the necessities of a nursery. Also with explaining the do’s and don’t’s of things. I met her at the store while browsing through the maternity section. She’s married by the way with three little ones” Shawn explains to me as he sets the teddy bear back down. “I know what it must have looked like with me buttoning up my shirt and her being here. We didn’t do anything besides build the nursery. I cooked a welcome home meal for you and Lucy saw how nervous I was. I took a shower to ease my nerves as she ran to the store last minute to by flowers. I promise, I wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize my second ch—“ I cut him off my hugging him.

“I’m so sorry Sh— Don’t Be Sorry if I was you and you were me I would have thought the same thing Y/N” he kisses my lips before I have a chance to apologize. We stay in each other’s embrace for a while before walking to the stairs. Passing his built in home studio I see a picture frame on his desk. I walk in a notice the ultrasound picture.

“How?”

“Aaliyah made a copy for me to keep” He day wrapping his arms about by my waist. I lean back into his chest staring at the picture. “Well get through this Y/N” Shawn says.

“I just can’t help but Cling to the Past” I whisper back to to him. He spins me in his arms so we’re face to face.

“I won’t do the same mistake again. I love you and I will continue to love you. My insecurities shouldn’t be keeping me from loving you here by my side. I’d choose you over and over again” Shawn states kissing me with passion. My arms wrap around his neck pulling him closer to deepen the kiss.

We pull away a few minutes after completely breathless staring into each other’s eyes.

After a few months of heart breaking constant worries, I can safely say I got my husband back. The Shawn I fell in love with since we started dating.

#shawn mendes #shawn mendes imagines #shawn #shawn peter raul mendes imagines #shawn peter raul mendes #shawn mendes smut #shawn peter raul mendes smut #shawn mendes blurb #shawn mendes photos #a divorce series #celebrity #celebrity smut #celebrity imagines #niall horan imagines #niall horan smut #liam payne imagines #liam layne smut #louis tomlinson imagines #jack johnson imagines #jack gilinksy smut #jack gilinksy imagine #magcon imagines #magcon smut #illuminate tour #illuminate

[gabriellapatterson-blog]

[clownsgobeepbeep]

Piece of Cake(Pennywise x Reader Commission)

Commission made by @heavens-light-hells-fire :) If you’d like me to fix something, do not hesitate in telling me! Btw, this is a Labyrinth AU :D

Words:3032

"What do you want? Do you want a story?"

The words replayed themselves in your head as you walked through the lone forest, having remembered the anger you felt once you heard your baby brother Georgie's cries throughout the entire house. Or more like, your baby stepbrother.

"Once upon a time there was a young girl whose stepmother always made her stay home with the baby.

You walked over to the crib where he lay, then reaching in to grab him and cradle him in your arms as his wails only got louder and made you groan. "The baby was a spoiled child who wanted everything for himself, and the young girl was practically a slave."

The baby's cries were now ringing in your ears which caused a headache to come into your mind, so you held onto Georgie's small hand to try to at least bring some comfort to him.

"But what no one knew was that the Clown King had fallen in love with the girl and given her certain powers."

Rather than quieting down, you felt the baby tear his arm away almost as if in anger.

"So one night when the baby had been particularly cruel to her, she called on the toys for help."

You knew that the cries were not going to stop any time soon, so you rolled your eyes with a loud huff. You were not sure what else you could do in the situation, so you leaned down to place Georgie back into his crib before you turned and walked away. Right before you exited his room, you slightly turned your head to the side to barely glance at the crib with a glare.

"I wish the monsters would come and take you away...right now."

And when you had turned off the light of the room, you remembered the fear that crept up your back when the crying immediately stopped.

"Georgie?...Georgie are you alright? W-why are you not crying?"

You were interrupted when you heard a 'thump' on the ground, so you turned to the side and noticed that a toy from Georgie's shelf had fallen off. As you worriedly squinted your eyes to have a better look, you noticed that it was a miniature jack in the box which had begun to play itself, then allowing you to hear a soft tune come from it.

Slowly, you took small steps to near it before the music stopped and the lid of the box immediately opened to reveal a small clown doll that popped up with a tiny laugh.

With confusion and fear, you took a gulp and walked over to the box so that you could grab it but heard another laugh that was almost identical to the doll's. You stopped on your tracks and noticed that in the shadows behind the jack in the box were two bright yellow eyes that belonged to a figure that held out a gloved hand to the doll.

The toy was soon swept away before the dark figure took a step forwards, revealing a boot that was worn by a leg concealed by a gray costume. Eventually, the shape in the darkness displayed itself and your eyes soon met with the yellow ones that were on a clown's face.

"Gah!"you yelled out when you felt yourself nearly trip over a log that was lazily splayed on the ground, then holding onto your foot for a moment because of the pain you now felt.

You brought your hands up to your head and gripped at your hair, then tugging on it before finally letting it go and releasing a loud sigh.

"I hate this labyrinth!I hate everything about it!"you shouted out as your foot kicked yet another rock that skipped itself all the way to the nearest tree, and you did the same before you huffed and stomped at the ground with a grunt. "And I hate that clown too..."

You stood in place and crossed your arms, then biting the inside of your cheek before looking up at a tree in front of you instead of the dirt below. With a sigh and a shut of your eyes, you stepped over to the trunk after opening them and turned so that you could lay your back on it. You threw your head back to once again let out a breath, then looking up to see the leaves on the tree rather than the sky.And once again, your mind went to when you finally and regrettably met the Clown King who introduced himself as Pennywise.

"My, little (Y/N)...why don't you go back into your room and have some time to yourself?Forget about little Georgie."

"No...where is he?"

"I have brought you a gift my little one,"he offered before he reached behind himself and pulled his hand back out to reveal a simple yet bright yet balloon. "Here I present to you a mere balloon, and nothing more."

You squinted your eyes which made the clown laugh, because he sensed your confusion.

"Although my dear, turning and looking into it this way...will show you whatever happy thought you want." Pennywise extended his arm so that you could grab the balloon's string while it did just as he said, and when you reached out, he retrieved his hand with a dark chuckle. "But, this is no gift for a girl who takes care of a screaming baby."

"I...I can not just let you leave with my brother!He must be so scared...a-and-"

"Do not defy me,(Y/N)...If you want your little brother back,"and the clown lifted his hand to the room's window where you instantly had sight of a circus tent that was surrounded by much smaller versions of it in the distance. "He is there in that tent and you have to get him yourself."

"Well...that doesn't look too far!It's almost a piece of cake!"you commented after seeing it, then noticing that Pennywise's expression turned into an immediate frown.

"Hmm...it is further than you think, princess and unfortunately for you, time is short. " the clown stated. "You have thirteen hours to solve the labyrinth before your baby brother becomes another one of my precious little toys. Forever."

"I can't believe it...thirteen hours to find Georgie in this amazing labyrinth..."you muttered out before you instantly heard and felt your stomach grumble. "Great,just great...now I'm hungry!I can't stop now though."

You were cranky and tired and confused, not knowing whether this were merely a dream or actually reality which brought a headache to you the more you wondered what was even going on. You furrowed your eyebrows again and groaned, then bringing your head back up so that you could look at the front, and you soon felt your eyes widen when they landed on another nearby tree.

As your stomach let out another loud growl, you licked your lips with intense eyes when you noticed that the tree in front of the one you were on had an oh so glorious variety of fruits. Although, one of them stood out because of its color and perfect, round texture that clearly showed it as a peach.

Quickly, you uncrossed your arms and removed yourself from the tree as your eyes never left the little fruit that was waiting for you to get it. With a few strides, you eventually reached the humongous plant which was actually quite short compared to the rest, and that only made you feel fortunate for the fact that things were actually and finally going well for you.

A dark chuckle resonated throughout the dark room where the king of the bothersome creatures who taunted and tormented you throughout your journey sat on an ancient throne that was surrounded by several, hundreds of children's toys. The clown had his legs over one of the golden arm rests as his back was on the other, his head leaned against his closed fist as his other hand held onto a teddy bear.

A purely and naturally gray teddy bear with a bright red nose and two small red pom poms on its stomach that somehow resembled the clown's own costume. To make it even more believable, on its neck was a fluffy ivory neck ruffle whilst its face had a red dot on each cheek, almost like Pennywise's cheek to eye lines in a way.

"Oh little bear...what am I supposed to do with my dear,hmm?"Pennywise asked as if he were conversing with the plush that could only stare back at him with blue, beady eyes.

"No,no,no...the girl has no trust nor interest in me. At least not yet. How in this whole labyrinth am I to bring that out of her?"

Once again no response.

"Well, those fruits I left for the little darling are more than enough, do you not think?As soon as she gets my present, not only will she be thankful but she will forget about every single one of her problems!"

Silence.

"Of course that is going to be good to her! My lovely (Y/N) is going to have the time of her life, and as her future mate I deem it necessary to entice and entertain her in whatever way possible. I took her screaming brother away, and now I am going to take all her worries away."

Though Pennywise only received a stare from the bear, it almost appeared as if it were judging his actions.

"You know what?I don't care for any of your criticism Mr. Gray and I will continue as I am doing so."Pennywise then felt himself perk up when he sensed something in. He turned to the side where your baby brother lay fast asleep in a crib. Next to the small bed was a table that had balloons floating about it, and one of them happened to be glowing brightly. Pennywise stood up from his throne and gently set 'Mr. Gray' on the seat before walking towards the balloons and he had soon reached to grab the string of the brightest one. He pulled it down to then look into it, then feeling a smirk creep onto his face.

"Why, would you look at that? My little doll has finally reached the fruit tree and everything is falling into place."

As he looked into the crimson balloon, he was able to easily how you went from being irritated and annoyed to earning yourself a seed of hope when seeing that beautiful fruits hanging from the tree.And that seed slowly grew by the second as it was clearly shown in your eyes that intensely stared at the fruits that you were trying to reach out for.

Without taking his eyes away, Pennywise lifted one of his gloved hands towards the direction that the teddy bear was in, and soon enough it was raised from the throne before it floated towards the clown's hand.

The plushie was then gripped before Pennywise shifted his hand so that it now was slightly pressed against his face as he made sure to not stain the bear.

"Look at that Gray, look at the way that she stares at the damned fruit!"Pennywise exclaimed as your now optimistic eyes remained on the peach while you tried climbing the tree to take the fruit. "Why can't she gaze at me in that same manner,hmm? Have I lost my touch?"

The clown looked at the teddy bear before letting out a loud laugh.

"Oh ho ho! Why you're right Mr. Gray, I could never lose my touch! I am the best there is and sooner or later this girl is going to be all mine."

Pennywise noticed that you were having a difficult time getting the peach that caused you to huff and turn your back to the tree, then leaning against it with your original from which only made him roll his eyes in a slightly playful manner before they landed on the bear.

"Alright, alright. I do believe you're correct and win this round you ol' chap."he said to the bear before glancing back at the balloon as he placed the bear near his chest and held it with the arm that had the balloon. His now free hand pointed at the balloon and he flicked his wrist which had immediately cut the peach's stem. With that, it easily fell from the tree and hit you on the head before it continued to fall.

"God...dammit!"As your hand leaned itself on the tree to hold you up while the other was high in the air, barely even reaching the peach that was attached to the tree right above you.

You let out a groan before huffing in final defeat; you lowered your hand and not longer stretched your body and had instead pressed your forehead against the trunk. Once again, you felt your stomach let out an obvious growl that made you grumble to yourself.

Removing yourself from the tree, you turned your back to it and repeated the same action that you had done before on the other tree. You leaned back onto it and right after you threw your head back, you felt something land on your head a bit harshly.

"Ow!" you exclaimed and when you lifted your hands, you felt whatever hit you fall onto your open palms. You glanced down and widened your eyes when you miraculously saw the peach that you had been oh so desperately trying to grab before.

"Oh,wow."you whispered before a smile replaced your frown as you lifted your hands to have a better view of the small fuzzy peach. You licked your lips before slowly shutting your eyes and then bringing the fruit to your mouth to take a bite of it. After chewing on the piece and eventually swallowing it, you expected to let out a content hum but you instead felt that the peach taste as bit...strange.

You instantly dropped the peach that fell at your feet before rolling away right when you lifted one hand to hold your head whilst the other placed itself on the tree you had just been on. All of a sudden, everything in your eyes became a complete blur as you kept on trying to catch yourself but realized that a simple task like that became far more than difficult.

As you held yourself on the tree, you tried walking away while sliding your hand which only resulted in you to hold onto nothing right before you felt onto the floor. Your breathing became rigid as your blurred vision created a stinging pain in your head that made you look down.

Despite this, you tried shaking it away and looked up before your realized that even with the blur, you could see something in the distance. A shape moved almost so gracefully before another shape appeared, and soon enough there were several figures that moved around almost as if…

"All I see...dancing..."you whispered to yourself, then letting out a breath as you placed both of your hands on the ground to hold yourself up."Everything is...dancing..."

Pennywise smirked to himself even more when his red balloon showed him exactly what he wanted to see and had previously planned out. His hand slightly released the balloon, but he made sure to keep it in his hands while he grabbed the strings of a few other balloons.

With his powers he removed the bear plush from his arm and lifted it in the air to gaze at it for a moment, then making it hover all the way back to the throne where it was once again seated with much care.

When he had done that, he looked to the side where there was a an opening on the tent's side which he looked into with the handful of balloons. Pennywise let out a quiet breath that was more like a pleased hum as his free hand reached for one of the balloons and pulled it away, then leading it out through the gap in which it easily floated away.

The clown did the same with the rest of them and when he was done, he watched them go as he already knew where they were headed.

After a few struggles, you were finally able to move for a moment and had once again leaned your back against whatever tree was nearest to you, though you were now in a sitting position. No matter what, you continued to feel light headed but felt a bit of relief when your blurred vision began to fade away and you were now able to see clearly. Although, you grew confused when in front of you you saw a red dot in the sky before more and more appeared.

"What the…?"You had absolutely no idea what to even think at this point, so you merely gazed at the dots before they grew bigger and eventually you could see that they were balloons that almost appeared to be floating towards you as if on purpose.

Soon enough, a few of them had hovered right before your eyes before one of them glowed brightly and with squinted, tired eyes, you were somehow able to see the figure of a doll twirl like the miniature dancer it was whilst being dressed in a ballerina outfit inside the balloon.

Although, you were sure that it was actually not inside and was instead showing you a picture of the same doll you had inside of your music box and speaking of said box, you could somehow hear the music from it play near you. Almost immediately, the ballerina transformed into you and you were able to see yourself wearing a splendid ball gown as the rest of the balloons held moving images of couples dancing to what appeared to be a waltz.

And in that moment, you shut your eyes for a final time.

"See Mr. Gray, wasn't that just a piece of cake?"

#pennywise x reader #pennywise imagine #commission #pennywise x reader commission

[mariequitecontrarie]

"Awww look at my little elf!" (Rumbelle + Gideon)

Elf Esteem

Summary: Belle is delighted with Gideon’s special Christmas outfit, but Rumple is less than enthused.A/N: Winter/Holiday Prompt#7: “Awww look at my little elf!” (Rumbelle + Gideon) Hope you enjoy this bit of Gold Family fluff!Rated: G    Word Count: 1300+

ON AO3

Gideon yanked on thelittle brass bell at the tip of his shoe, then giggled at its merry tinkle forat least the twenty-fifth time. “Giddy do!” he cried, and rewarded his mamawith a huge, gummy smile that flashed four pearly, tiny white teeth, two on thetop and two on the bottom.

“Awww, look at mylittle elf!” she cooed. “So handsome in his Christmas outfit!”

He clapped his handsand squealed at her praise. At fifteen months, he was big enough now tounderstand almost everything they said—and he was particularly attentive wheneveraccolades were involved.

Climbing to his feeton unsteady legs, he toddled from the coffee table where he was playing withhis blocks over to the towering Christmas tree in the corner of the den.

“Giddy do?” he asked,blinking liquid chocolate eyes framed by ridiculously long, thick lashes thatmost eyelash-curling, mascara-wielding women would envy.

Belle could barely contain her chuckle at the hopeful expression on hislittle face as a chubby palm cupped one of the red glass ornaments on thebottom branches of the tree. “Ooooooh,” he gurgled, and Belle stifled anothergiggle; she knew laughing would only encourage his antics.

“No, sweetheart.” She gently pried his fingers loose from the shinybauble. “Don’t touch.”

As a compromise, Belleoffered him a stuffed Santa bear holding a festive felt replica of ’Twas the Night Before Christmas, andGideon grabbed onto the fluffy white pom-pom on the top of his cap and stuffedthe ball of fur in his mouth.

“Belle?” Rumplecalled. She tilted her head, listening for the light thump of his footfallscoming up the basement steps. “Sweetheart, where are you?”

“The den,” she shoutedback. “Playing with Gideon.”

“There you are,” hesaid with a smile, “and there’s my-” He pulled up short, skidding to a halt infront of the sofa when he spotted Gideon chewing on his bear.

Belle beamed at hisobvious surprise and gazed at their son as he gnawed on the fluffy Santa hat.Gideon’s green velvet jacket and shorts were trimmed in gold, as was his redand green hat. A little red bow tie, peppermint buttons, and petite elf shoeswith tiny brass bells at the tips completed the look. Perhaps the white and redstriped tights were a bit much, but it was the holidays, and extravagance wasthe name of the game. “Don’t you love it?”

Gideon flung the toy bearacross the room. “Fly!” he shouted, “like wain-deew.” He took off one of hiscurly elf shoes and shook it, giggling again at the little bell’s high-pitchedring, then took off toward the toy box in search of another treasure.

“It’s…well.” Rumplepinched the bridge of his nose.

“Yes?” Belleencouraged, her smile widening.  

“It’s a little whitetrash is all,” he said, picked up the discarded elf shoe and giving it a shake. “And is this what was producing that annoyingtinkling noise? I could hear it all the way down in the basement while I was atthe wheel. I could barely spin!”

Her good moodevaporated like snow on a warm winter day. “Oh. Well excuse me, Mr. Gold.”

He winced at her haughtytone. “Belle, no, you’re getting the wrong idea. What I mean to say is that Iwould prefer to see him in something a bit more dignified.”

She sent him a glaredesigned to melt the lights on the Christmas tree. Him and his dignified blue pinstripe suit and his patheticexcuse for backpedaling.

“Dignified, is it?” Shemarched toward the toy box and scooped Gideon up in a huff. “Don’t hold backfor my sake, Rumple.”

He winced again. “Sweetheart,you asked for my opinion. You said, ‘Don’t you love it?’”

“I was being polite!”

“So you don’t want to know what I think?”

Belle shrugged,feeling hurt and confused. “It wouldn’t hurt you to lie once in a while.” Shepatted Gideon’s bottom and tried to rock him, more to soothe herself than him, buthe squawked and squirmed in her arms, so she set the little bundle of energy onhis feet with a longsuffering sigh.

“Giddy do, Da-da!” he hollered, then chased down the stuffed teddy andhurled him across the room once more.    

Belle turned back toRumple, a ball of anxiety curdling in her gut.

“Lie? he repeated, hisbrow furrowed in confusion. “But I thought honesty was ‘the foundation of asolid marriage.’ That’s what Hopper always says when he’s droning on and on inthose interminable sessions.”

Tears stung her eyesand she sniffled. “You know I love Archie, and counseling has done wonders forour family, but fantastic as he is, he’s a single man who’s never had a baby.What the hell does he know about hormones?”

“Hormones?” Alarm flashedin his eyes, then it quickly dissolved into compassion. “This conversation isn’treally about the elf outfit, is it?”

“No,” she said,beginning to cry in earnest because he was so damn clueless and brilliant allat the same time and she couldn’t decide if she wanted to smack him or kiss thebewildered look off his stupid, handsome, wonderful face. So she settled formore tears. “It’s about the fact that we’re going to have another baby…” shehiccupped “…and you don’t think I make good choices!”

“What?!” His mouthdropped open in shock.

“See? And now you’re looking at me like I have twoheads. I’ll just be your fat, silly, undignified wife person who has two heads!”she wailed, giving into sobs and collapsing on the sofa.

“Oh, sweetheart,” sheheard him say, and through her blubbering, she felt the cushion beside her dipas he sat down beside her. “My darling, precious Belle.”

He gathered her intohis arms and she melted against him. For long moments he held her, stroking herhair, his warm breath against her temple and his brogue soft and melodic. Againand again he told her how special she was, how happy she’d made him, and howvery, very much he loved her.  

A while later, helifted her chin and she rubbed her wet eyes. She was sure they were red-rimmedand that her cheeks were smudged with mascara, but it didn’t matter. His owneyes were glistening and his mouth was stretched into an outrageous grin. “When?I mean, how long have you known?”

“I took the test thismorning.” She took his pocket square out of his suit jacket and wiped her nose.“It’s upstairs on our bathroom counter.”

“And you’re sure?”

She huffed an unamusedlaugh. “I swear my ankles are already swelling like marshmallows in a mug ofhot chocolate.”  She looked around,suddenly realizing she’d lost track of Gideon. “He fell asleep next to the toy box,” Rumple said, following her gaze. “Look.”

Their little cherub wascurled up in a ball, clutching the abused stuffed bear against his chest. Hereleased a deep, dreamy sigh, the kind only a slumbering child could make.

“Lucky thing he’s notreally one of Santa’s elves,” Rumple said. “Sleeping on the job the week beforeChristmas? It just isn’t done.”

She giggled. “Rightyou are. I’ll take the outfit off as soon as he wakes up. We’ll get himsomething proper and gentlemanly for Christmas.”

“Please don’t, Belle. Ithink I was wrong about the elf ensemble.” He grinned. “He looks ratheradorable, actually.”

She narrowed her eyes.“You’re not just saying that to make me feel better, are you?”

“I’m really not, love.And I do think you make good choices.”He drew her head back down to his shoulder. “Other than that rotten husband ofyours. You should throw him out on the next trash day.”

“Never!” she whisperedfiercely, grinning against his neck. “He’s the most amazing, supportive husbandin the world.”

“You’re not justsaying that to make me feel better, are you?” he echoed with a teasing smile.

She blinked innocently.“I always tell you the truth.”

“Indeed.” Rumplesplayed his hands over her still-flat tummy, and the look of wonder in his eyesmade her heart skip a beat. “I have a feeling this one’s going to be a girl,”he confided. “One with a spirit as beautiful as her mother’s.”

###

Give me a prompt and a pairing from this list: Winter Holiday Prompts

#rumbelle #rumbelle fic #belle x rumplestiltskin #gold family #gold family fic #belle x mr. gold #gideon gold #christmas #christmas fic #holiday fic #mqc writes #elf esteem #madasateacup