#yes i know it's holiday season and i am supposed to be watching christmas movies but im craving horror

[gojoest]

once again this girl is asking you to drop your horror movie recs

#— ai rambles #yes i know it's holiday season and i am supposed to be watching christmas movies but im craving horror #(rin r u proud of me) #the last time i did a post like this saint rec'ed me as above so below #and it became one of my favorite movies in general #i regretted renting and not buying it on apple tv t-t #i must rewatch it i think it's time but PLS give me more options #i need more horror in my life it calms me down

[writeforfandoms]

White Christmas

Find my masterlist

Okay we are all ignoring that this is two weeks late please and thank you

I am dedicating this fic to @insomniamamma who responded so enthusiastically to this idea that I simply had to write it. J was a great help in plotting and figuring out some ways to meld these two very unalike movies. J, darling, you're incredible and thank you so much for your help.

A couple quick notes: yes I use Bing Crosby's White Christmas here. You do not have to have seen the movie but there are a lot of Easter eggs if you have. And when Benny and Will get on stage, you will want to watch this for reference. Trust me.

Warnings: swearing, fluff, Christmas fluff, seriously you're gonna get cavities from this, the team are all menaces, mistletoe!

Frankie Morales x f!reader

This hotel was supposed to be a good thing. A fresh start. A way for him to keep busy but still live. 

It was not supposed to be… this. 

"I'm a damn fool," he growled to himself as he looked at the owners manual for the water heater. "Never should have bought this place." He paused to wipe his brow, glaring. 

This had to be an unmitigated disaster, truly. There was no snow. And the previous owner had assured him that the holiday season was usually the busiest of the year. 

But this year there was no snow on the ground, only a few reservations, and never ending problems. 

The phone started ringing and Frankie swore as he ran back inside to answer it. 

"'Lo?"

"Fish!" 

Frankie nearly sagged at the voice on the other end, his eyes closing briefly. "Pope! It's been a long time, man." 

"I know, I know. Hey, listen. You got an open room? I wanna head up your way for a week or two."

"Uh, sure." Frankie blinked, taken aback. "Yeah, I've got room. Might put you to work though."

Pope just laughed. "Sure thing, Fish. Whatever you say. I'll see you on the 20th."

Frankie hung up after Pope had, looking down at his phone. His shoulders slumped at the thought of his to-do list, which was growing ever larger. Especially when contrasted with his bank account, which was getting smaller by the day. 

He really needed something to change here. 

–

You stretched as you got off the train in Pine Tree, Vermont, taking a deep breath in. The air smelled fresh and clean, and there was none of the traffic noise you associated with the city. 

In short, it was beautiful. 

Another deep breath in and you smiled, gripping the handle of your suitcase. There was someone else on the platform too, which you thought was kind of nice and kind of unusual. It was just the two of you, after all. He was texting when you glanced at him. 

So you nodded to yourself and stepped out of the station proper so you could order an Uber. 

"I thought I was the only person that got off here."

You jumped at the voice and turned to look. The man you'd noticed earlier now stood next to you, a respectful few feet away. 

"Not this time." You gave him a polite smile, shifting your weight. "Are you local?"

"No, I'm out here to visit a friend of mine. You?" He didn't try to get any closer, fortunately. 

"Just visiting." You shrugged. "Thought I'd come up here and play in the snow." 

Except there wasn't any. No snow to be seen at all. 

"Yeah, that's weird. Feels like there should be lots of snow this time of year." He frowned a little. 

"Well, I'll ask one of the locals when I get to my hotel." 

"Where are you staying?" At your openly suspicious look, he hurried to clarify. "My buddy owns a place here, The General Inn."

"Well then, I guess you will be seeing more of me. I'm staying there." 

He grinned, oddly pleased. "Hey, he's actually coming to pick me up, if you wanted to ride with us. Faster than waiting for an Uber way out here." 

You hesitated. You didn't know if he was really being honest or not, after all. So you settled on a shrug, noncommittal. But not offensive. 

"You got any plans while you're here?" He asked instead, letting the subject lie. "Fish hasn't mentioned a whole lot to me, but I also hear he's been busy with the hotel."

"Fish?" Your lips twitched with your amusement. 

"My buddy. His name is Frankie, but Catfish is an old nickname. We've called him that for years." 

"I see." You smiled and shook your head. "No, I didn't really make plans. Figured I'd wing it, really." 

"Sounds fun. I figured I'll help Fish with whatever project he's working on now, make sure he's doing okay, stay a couple weeks. But I'm sure I can make time for you." He winked. 

You chuckled, more amused than anything with the flirting. "We'll see what happens," you said instead of giving him a straight answer. "Is that your friend?" You nodded to the blue pickup truck driving towards the two of you. It was an older model, but still drove well, even with the few dings and dents you could see. 

Your new friend nodded and jogged over to the car, waving. He heaved his duffel bag into the bed of the truck, leaning on the window to talk to the driver. You waited patiently, still trying to decide whether or not this was a good idea. 

And then the driver peeked around his friend to wave to you, and your brother caught in your chest for a moment. Tousled brown curls stuffed under a ball cap, big brown eyes, dark scruff… oh. Okay he was gorgeous. You walked over closer to the two, cautious still but willing to listen at least. 

"This is my friend," the man told you, motioning in the window to his friend. 

"Frankie Morales. I own the General Inn." He held out a hand to you. 

Feeling only slightly silly, you shook his hand through the window and gave him your own name. Recognition lit in his eyes, which made you feel better. 

"Pope says he offered you a ride," Frankie started, and you blinked. 

"Pope?"

"This idiot." Frankie reached over to slap his friend on the shoulder. "Santiago Garcia. But we call him Pope." 

"Oh. Yes, he did, but you certainly don't have to–"

"It's no trouble," Frankie told you, quiet but sincere. "Since we're all going to the same place. I'll even make Pope sit in the middle." 

You ducked your head and grinned, amused and a little charmed. And. Well. He wasn't wrong - you were all going to the same hotel. "Why not," you agreed, lifting your bag into the bed as Santiago had done. 

It was a bit of a tight fit with all three of you in the cab, but it worked. Soft Christmas music came from the speakers in the car, a little staticky in places as Frankie drove. 

The hotel was set out apart from town, and Frankie parked along the side. Honestly, it looked more like a big old house than a hotel, which… probably wasn't that far off. The site had advertised it as an old fashioned bed and breakfast place, with a big barn available for event space rentals. You could see smaller buildings off to the sides and back of the main building, offering plenty of rooms for visitors.

"Come on in," Frankie told you, grabbing your bag before you could. "I'd give you the grand tour but it's honestly not that much." 

"I'd like the tour anyway." You smiled at him. Okay so maybe you were flirting a little bit. He was gorgeous and he only got cuter when he ducked his head, the tops of his ears turning pink. 

"Check in is just inside," he told you, holding the door for you and Santiago both. "I'll show you to your room, if you'd like." 

"Thank you." You had to admit, you were rather charmed by his manners and mannerisms. 

The check in process went quickly, and Frankie insisted on carrying your bag upstairs and to your room. He handed over the key to you and told you to take as long as you wanted, and he'd be at the front desk for a while if you needed anything. 

The room was beautiful, on a corner of the house overlooking a big open lawn space, with the woods beyond that. A bay window was the perfect spot to sit and look outside, the bench seat nicely padded with a folded quilt tucked to the side in case you got cold. 

The rest of the room was equally comfortable - the bed was big and nice and had extra pillows and blankets. The attached bathroom was done simply but nicely. 

Overall, the room felt quite luxurious. You made sure to note that, taking a couple pictures and making sure your bag was out of sight. 

It certainly wouldn't be hard to write a favorable review of this place. 

Tucking your phone and the room key into your pockets, you headed back downstairs, but paused on the bottom step, just out of sight. You could hear Santiago and Frankie talking, and something stopped you from interrupting them. 

"...not what I thought," Frankie was saying, quiet and resigned. "Seems like every time I fix one thing, something else breaks."

"I'll help you get it all fixed up," Santiago offered, quiet to match the mood. "You know I'm not useless with a wrench." 

"That's not why you came out here," Frankie protested, though it was weak. "I can't ask you to, Pope."

"You're not asking, I'm offering. We'll figure out the rest of it, too." 

There was a pause, so you stepped down and walked over to the two with a smile. "My room is very nice and comfortable," you told Frankie before he could ask. "And I would like to take you up on that tour, if it's no trouble?"

Santiago and Frankie exchanged a look, the kind of look between old friends which spoke more than actual words. Then Frankie nodded, stepping away from the desk. 

"Of course," he agreed. "There's a dining area back this way." He started walking and you followed him. There were a couple doors on your way back to the dining area, and at one point you could peek through to a kitchen, but otherwise the place was quiet. The dining area was nice, at least, with a collection of small tables that could be arranged in various ways. 

"Very nice," you murmured, gaze lingering on the decorations. There wasn't a lot, but there were garlands and lights at least. "I read on the website that this place used to be owned by a general?" 

"Yeah, he bought the place after World War 2," Frankie said, leaning back against a wall and crossing his arms over his chest. "His granddaughter took over after he passed, changing the name to honor him. I bought it from her last year." 

You nodded. "Fascinating," you murmured. Now that you looked, you could see that some of the decorations were dated. Some of the furniture too, actually. "It is a very nice place."

His lips twisted in something that you suspected was supposed to be a smile, but he didn't say anything for several moments. "The barn was converted a long time ago to an event space," he said instead. "Haven't had much use for it recently, though." 

"I see." You nodded to yourself, looking around again. "It is nice. Do you have any recommendations for things to do outdoors?"

"There are some good hiking trails," he answered slowly. "Normally I'd also say there's skiing, but, well…" He waved a lazy hand towards the nearest window, which showed plenty of blue sky and not a single bit of snow. 

You smiled. "Hardly your fault the weather isn't cooperating," you assured him. "But the hiking does sound nice. I think I'll take a look outside." 

Frankie nodded, opening a back door for you. "Have fun," he murmured with a little smile. "And let me know if you need anything." 

You nodded to him and stepped outside. The air was crisp and cold, just burning your lungs when you drew in a deep breath. 

It really was gorgeous here. Kind of a shame it was so quiet, though. You hadn't seen another guest yet. 

You spent a while walking around the property, until the sun started to go down and you retreated back inside. Frankie was not at the front desk, so you went up to your room to warm up a bit. 

According to the website, there were restaurants in town that would deliver to the hotel. Special occasions also offered dinner at the hotel for an added fee. So, you could get food delivered, or get an Uber into town. 

Movement out back caught your attention, and you walked over to the window to look down. 

Santiago and Frankie were down there, both of them standing around a grill. Santiago was gesticulating with one hand, fingers tight around the neck of a bottle, while Frankie stood more placidly in front of the grill. 

You smiled a little, watching them. Personally, you thought they were a little crazy for deciding to grill outside in the cold, but hey. Whatever suited them. 

Santiago turned and looked unerringly up at your window. You swallowed. Well. Too late to back away now, he had definitely seen you. Whoops. 

But he merely grinned and waved to you, beckoning you to come downstairs. And when you didn't move fast enough, he waved you down yet again. 

Chuckling softly, you turned away from the window and grabbed a jacket before heading downstairs and out back to join the two. 

"Did you have fun exploring?" Santiago asked as you approached the pair. 

"I did indeed," you murmured, looking between the two of them. Frankie glanced at you with a little smile before focusing on the food again. 

"Sorry about him, he's demanding," Frankie told you, nudging Santiago with one elbow. 

"It's fine. I was just surprised to see you two out here. It's cold." 

"Just grilling these up, then we're heading inside to eat." Santiago eyed you for a moment before he smiled slowly. It was the kind of smile that you instantly associated with mischief. "Say, d'you wanna join us for dinner? We've got plenty." 

"Oh, I don't want to intrude," you started, glancing at Frankie. 

"You won't be." That quiet assurance came from the hotel owner, and he turned a little to smile at you, small and shy but genuine. "It would be our pleasure." 

"Well then." You couldn't resist smiling back. "I'll be happy to join you two. What can I do to help?"

It took a little arguing, but Frankie told you where to find utensils and plates, so you set the table for the three of you. 

Dinner really was quite pleasant. They were good friends, and they included you easily. Especially once they'd each had a beer and relaxed a little. 

You learned that they'd been friends for a long time, even before their days in the army. You learned about their other two friends, Will and Benny. You learned about Santiago's current job. 

And you learned that there were no other guests in the hotel. 

"Guess people don't want to come out here with no snow," Frankie muttered with a bitter twist to his lips. "So it's just us."

"Hm." You glanced at Santiago to see what he thought of that. Because it didn't sit right with you that there were no other guests. Santiago didn't give anything away. "Well, maybe it'll start snowing soon. It usually does." 

Frankie nodded, though he didn't look convinced. 

The rest of dinner was more pleasant, but you could see Santiago thinking. So could Frankie, based on the nudges and significant looks, but that was between them. 

You helped wash up after dinner before excusing yourself up to your room. You needed to shower and write down your notes so far. 

Fortunately there was wifi, and you let your laptop connect and load while you showered. Sitting on your bed, you started typing up notes, outlining everything you'd seen so far. 

Your shower was warm and had good water pressure, which was a blessing. You added that to your notes as you dried off. 

Faint talking caught your attention. Normally, you were not the kind of person to snoop around and eavesdrop. But when people kept doing it where you could hear? Well, you really couldn't help it. 

"...not great," the man said. Santiago, you decided after a moment when the voice got louder. "Yeah, he won't admit it, but it's bad. We gotta help." 

You took a deep breath. You really shouldn't be hearing this. So you got up and finished getting ready for bed, even though you planned to be up and reading for a little while longer. 

But Santiago's words didn't leave you. Sure, he could have been talking about anything… but you were pretty sure he had been talking about Frankie and the hotel. 

The wheels in your mind started turning, even as you finally settled down to sleep. 

The next morning was more of the same - quiet with an undercurrent of tension, especially between Frankie and Santiago. Frankie told you to help yourself to anything in the kitchen. 

You spent the day in town after getting an Uber. The town was quaint, pretty, very oldsey. Everything was decorated, with lights along the trees and wreaths on every light pole. It was all gorgeous, of course. 

But all suspiciously quiet. You would have expected a lot more tourists around in a pretty place like this. 

Honestly, you had no idea the snow was so necessary here. But your suspicions were confirmed after chatting with a couple people as you did a little shopping and exploring. 

There was no snow, so fewer tourists, especially with no other events to draw them in. 

One shopkeeper told you wistfully of days long past, when The General Inn used to have a big event every Christmas Eve. They used to have live performers, he told you. And food and hot drinks. 

The beginnings of a plan settled in your brain, and you thanked the shopkeeper before going on your way again. 

A closer look at the town and a map showed that it was in a good location. Quiet, not too close to a city, but in a good location near a major highway and the train, of course. In other words, it would be easy for people to travel here from nearby. 

You stood for a few moments, looking down the main street, watching a car turn down another street. No snow. Quiet roads. The town had sort of fallen off the map this year, it seemed. 

But maybe… 

You needed to talk to Santaigo, see if he had been talking about what you thought last night. It wasn't like you to get involved, but, well… there was something about this town and the inn and Frankie himself that made you want to help. 

You caught an Uber back to the inn before the sun went down. You had pizza that you could reheat for dinner, that would be good enough for tonight. 

Nobody was at the desk when you came in, and you put your pizza in the fridge. (Which did feel a little odd, but Frankie had told you to make yourself at home and feel free to use the kitchen, so…) 

Tapping on the kitchen window made you jump, and you pressed a hand over your heart as you whirled to look. Santiago grinned at you, waving and then beckoning you to come. You heaved a sigh, glaring weakly at him before you trudged out of the room. 

"You gave me a heart attack," you grumbled as soon as Santiago was in sight. 

"Sorry," he said, sounding not very sorry at all. "Haven't seen you all day, just wanted to make sure everything is good."

You raised one eyebrow at him. "Is that so?"

He didn't falter, just holding your gaze until you gave up. 

"I was in town, checking things out. It's all pretty quiet."

That made him grimace and nod slowly. "Yeah, Fish said the same." 

You hesitated before you decided to just go for it. You doubted you'd get a better opportunity than this. 

"I heard you last night, I think you were on the phone. Telling someone that you had to help." You paused for a moment, watching his eyes go wide. "I presume you mean Frankie. And if you do… I want to help." 

"You… do?" Santiago narrowed his eyes a little at you, clearly sizing you up. 

"I do." You licked your lips, a rush of anxiety flooding your belly. "I know this is unusual, but I feel bad for him. And for this place. It's got a great history, and I would hate to see it go empty. Frankie has been nothing but kind, and has gone above and beyond the duties of the proprietor. So, I'd like to help, however I can." 

Santiago regarded you narrowly for a few of the longest moments of your life before he smiled. "What do you have in mind?" 

You smiled, and the planning began. 

Honestly, it kind of surprised you how quickly everything came together. You'd expected to have to do a ton of work. But as it turned out, two more of Frankie and Santiago's friends were on their way up, and had started pulling some of their own strings. 

And when Santiago let you into the barn, you found a lot of the things you already needed for an event. Sure, some of the equipment was old, but it still worked fine when you tested it out. 

"We have three days," you murmured, tapping your fingers against one of the tables that you and Santiago had set up to test things out. "And we still need to spread the word." 

"My friends are arriving tomorrow morning," Santiago told you. "I can get word around town with the two of them." 

"That's a good start," you agreed with a nod. You had an idea for how to tell more people, but it would involve doing something you'd never done before. You were just hoping this would be worth it. "And… I can help with getting the word out further."

"Yeah? You got an idea?" Santiago raised one eyebrow at you. 

"I do." You swallowed, feeling a little nervous. "I have a travel blog. I could put up a notice on there." 

Santiago blinked. Twice. "Is that why you're here?" He asked, low and a little dangerous. 

"That's why I came here, yes." You lifted your chin. "But that's not why I'm trying to help. Frankie deserves the help - he's been a hell of a lot nicer to me than many other owners or managers have been. Like I told you before. I would hate to see this place fail."

Santiago huffed out a breath. "He won't like it if he finds out," he warned you. "But if you think it will help…"

"I think so. I know I've got readers in this area, within driving distance. Can't hurt to try." 

Santiago nodded. "Alright then. Let me know if you need help with any of that. And in the meantime, I picked up dinner for us." 

You chuckled and nodded. “Sounds good to me.” 

It surprised you a little, how well you got along with the two men, and how easy dinner was between you three. Of course, that only reinforced your decision to help Frankie. He needed it, and he deserved it. 

After dinner, you retreated to your room to work on your new post. You stared at the screen of your laptop, tapping your fingers against the edge of the keyboard. This was one of the harder posts you’d written up in a while. Normal reviews were easy, even the tough ones. 

But this? A call for help, a personal message? Much harder. 

Eventually, though, you decided that was as good as it was going to get and posted it. You went with simple but heartfelt in the end, asking anyone in driving distance who didn’t have plans to come out and give this place a try. 

Hopefully you wouldn’t get too much backlash on this. Hopefully this would be worth it. 

Santiago and Frankie left together the next morning to pick up their friends, and you used the time to work on decorating the barn. 

Honestly, the barn space was a stroke of luck. It was already set up as an event space, after all, and just needed some cleaning and decorating to be back in working order. 

Whoever had owned the place previously had clearly kept all of the Christmas decorations through the years, as there were several bins set aside in a storage closet. Perfect for you to go absolutely nuts. 

Finally, satisfied with your work, you dusted off your hands and nodded. Perfect. 

Okay, the barn was decorated. You’d put up the post last night asking for people to attend. Santiago and Frankie would undoubtedly be back any minute with their two friends.

You still needed supplies for this party, of course. And perhaps it would be a good idea to call some of the local businesses, too… 

You were so busy that you didn’t even notice when the group of men got back, and you didn’t have a chance to be introduced to the two newcomers until everyone sat down to dinner. (Santiago had to find you and drag you out of the barn by the back of your shirt, ignoring your indignant squawking with the ease of long practice.) 

“Guys, this is our new friend,” Santiago introduced, pulling out a chair for you. “These are Will and Benny.”

“Hi.” You waved, a little shy, and took your seat. Next to Frankie, you noticed with some amusement. 

“Nice to meet you.” Will nodded to you, and Benny smiled. 

“So what brought you way out here?” 

You chuckled. “I travel a lot, and I like staying new places. Plus, the history on the website lured me in.” You shrugged, glancing at Frankie. “It’s definitely been one of my better decisions.” 

Next to you, Frankie looked pleased and a bit abashed. Benny looked between the two of you with ill-disguised glee. 

Sensing the imposing teasing, you struck first. “Santiago has been looking forward to you arriving. And I’m pretty sure I heard Frankie say something about putting you all to work. It is nice to see such good friends willing to help out.” 

Fortunately, Santiago seemed to be on your side and helped divert the rest of the conversation to repairs that needed to be done, as well as some veiled references to the Christmas Eve event. 

You were rather hopeful that things would actually go well. 

But hoping didn't make sleep any easier, and your mind refused to slow down enough to let you sleep. Which is how you found yourself with your phone in hand late at night, sitting in the dining room with the lights down low so you didn't bother anyone else. You just had so many thoughts for this event, and for the hotel in general. You liked Frankie, quite a bit. Enough to surprise yourself. And you wanted him to succeed. 

"You're up late."

The soft observation made you jump, your phone slipping from your fingers and clattering to the tabletop. You blinked at Frankie, catching his sheepish smile as he pulled out a chair next to yours. 

"Sorry," he murmured. 

"It's fine. Just startled me. I didn't think anyone else was up." You smiled at him. 

He shrugged. "Got a lot on my mind." 

Your smile turned a little teasing. "Couldn't lull yourself to sleep by counting sheep?" 

Frankie chuckled, leaning back in his seat. "Sheep don't cut it," he admitted. "Actually…" He trailed off, his ears going pink. 

"What?" You leaned in, undeniably curious. 

"My mom always said to count my blessings, instead of sheep." He looked embarrassed, looking down at the table. 

"Count your blessings instead of sheep," you repeated in a murmur, smiling. "I like that. I might try that." 

"Please do. Mamá would be happy to know she's helped someone." His smile was more relaxed this time. 

Silence settled comfortably between you two for a few long moments as you finally tucked your phone away in your pocket. 

"Why are you still up? Something troubling you?" Frankie looked at you with a concerned little frown. 

"Just a lot on my mind," you dismissed casually. "My mind won't slow down enough for sleep." 

"I know the feeling." He was quiet for a moment before he stood. "Sounds like a cocoa problem." 

You followed him into the kitchen, watching as he got out a pan, milk, vanilla, and chocolate. "Looks like you've done this a time or two before," you joked. 

He shot you a bashful smile over his shoulder. "Not as much now," he admitted. "But before… yeah. For myself and my friends." 

You nodded, leaning back against the opposite counter to watch him work. His shoulders shifted under his shirt, broad and drawing your gaze. He really was sweet. And good looking. And tempting. 

Not something you needed to be thinking about, not if you wanted to sleep ever. 

"Here." Sooner than you expected, he handed over a mug. "Hope it helps." 

"Thank you." You took a sip and made a pleased noise. This was good shit (and added another layer to the temptation). "Really, thanks. You didn't need to go to all this trouble for me." 

He shook his head, one big hand curling around his own mug. "I don't mind," he murmured. "I know what it's like, to still be awake even when you want to sleep." 

You smiled at him over the rim of your mug. "And that's when I should be counting my blessings, hm?"

He grinned back at you. "Well, if you're worried and you can't sleep," he agreed easily. 

You hummed your agreement, eyes closing in bliss at your next sip. Just. Damn. "I might beg for cocoa every night now." 

"Any time you want." His smile was small but genuine and so warm. 

"Thank you for this. And for the advice." You returned his smile, something in your chest easing. 

"Any time." His gaze dipped for a moment and he licked his lips before he abruptly turned away to put the pot in the sink and let it to soak. "I'm gonna try and get some shut eye now. I hope you'll do the same." 

"I will," you agreed. "Sleep well, Frankie." 

He nodded to you and stepped out of the kitchen, heading back to his room. You watched him go and then finished your cocoa. 

You did do the dishes before you went upstairs to bed, though. 

When you got pulled into an impromptu breakfast meeting the next morning, you were very pleased to hear that Frankie had had someone book a room for two nights, starting the 24th. Frankie seemed to be baffled but pleased by this, and his friends immediately jumped into doing some repairs and housekeeping. You followed them into one of the guest cabins, taking a look at these rooms while you had a chance. 

These rooms were also nice, but somehow you preferred your room in the main house. 

Santiago pulled you into a meeting with Will and Benny, leaving Frankie in the main house to do his own chores while you all gathered in the barn. 

“What else do we still need?” Santiago asked, looking at you. 

“Most of the actual stuff,” you drawled. “We need refreshments, snacks, things like that. Now we are in luck, there are heated carafes that still work, and a popcorn machine. But we have no other drinks or snacks, and no entertainment.” 

“We should set up karaoke,” Benny offered, grinning in a way that made you very slightly afraid. “Or have music from the speakers. You said there are speakers, right?”

“Yeah, typical set up,” you agreed, eyeing him. Oh you did not like that mischievous look, not one bit. 

"We can do our thing!" Benny turned his slightly manic and amused expression on his brother. 

"No," came the immediate rejection. "Not a chance." 

"What?" You glanced between the two of them, undeniably curious. 

"You'll find out," Benny promised, grinning. "Soon enough." 

"No," Will grumbled. "She won't, because we're not doing it." 

"Just wait." Benny grinned, rubbing his hands together. 

"Ignore them," Santiago told you. "Music is a good idea. What else can we do?"

"Seasonal activities? Have a cookie decorating station, candles, maybe a wreath decorating station…" You trailed off, thinking. 

"Sounds like you've got it in hand," Santiago agreed with a grin. "You just tell us what you need done." 

"Careful, I'll hold you to that." You pulled out your phone to jot down ideas as fast as you could. 

The day zoomed away from you as you gathered supplies and shamelessly ordered the guys around on errands. They took turns helping you and helping Frankie, who had not been kidding about having his friends help with maintenance. 

And you expected everything to continue in this way - industrious and busy but filled with good cheer and hope. 

Except the evening of the 23rd, Frankie cornered you before dinner, a thunderous frown on his face. 

"You run a travel blog?" He asked, hands in loose fists at his sides. 

You swallowed and then lifted your chin. "I do." 

"Is that why you're here?" He demanded, shoulders rising. "To use me, use this place, for your blog?"

"That's why I came," you answered evenly. "But that's not why I'm still here. That's not what I'm doing now." 

"And what are you doing now?" He put his hands on his hips, mistrust writ across his face. 

You swallowed. "I'm trying to help you. Because you need it and I can offer it and there's no reason why I shouldn't. Besides, I…" You paused for a moment, searching his expression, which had shifted slightly more neutral. Very slightly. But it was a start.

"You what?" Frankie demanded, eyes narrowing again. "You're planning to profit off of this regardless?"

You pulled back, stung at the accusation. "What? No! I do not profit from others misfortune." You shook your head and then drew in a deep breath, trying to find that calm you so needed. "I was going to say… I think you're pretty great." 

He blinked, brows lifting and his lips parting a little in surprise. "You… do?"

"I do." You shrugged, finally looking away as your courage failed you. "But it doesn't matter. It's fine. I have some things to do to get ready for tomorrow, excuse me." You slipped past him and walked quickly away, heart hammering in your chest. 

You had known this was a possibility. Santiago had warned you. 

And yet you hadn't thought Frankie would actually be that mad. And, true, there hadn't been any yelling. But that look… you were pretty sure if looks could kill you'd be six feet under right now. 

Sighing, you let yourself into your room. You needed to relax a bit before bed. That's what you needed. That, and a minor miracle to occur and bring a good turnout tomorrow night. 

The morning was jam-packed with last minute preparations. Santiago had sweet-talked a local baker into bringing a bunch of goodies to sell. Will had taken the cider and coffee under control, with Benny running around doing everything else that needed doing. Frankie had been kept busy in the main house waiting for his guests to arrive. (He was up to two check ins, something that thrilled you no small amount.) 

And you? You were double checking the audio and making sure the room stayed warm and festive. You were determined that this was going to work. 

Even if you ended up having to find another place to stay, if Frankie's temper didn't cool. 

"You ready?" Santiago asked, stopping next to you near the front of the barn. Everything looked ready, about as ready as you could make it. 

"I'm ready." You smiled a little at him, nerves too sharp to allow you a full smile. "Are you bringing in Frankie first?"

"Yeah, although Ben says there are already a few people out there waiting to be let in." 

You grinned at that. At least something was going according to plan. "Alright then, you go handle Frankie and I'll help with food." You hurried off before he could protest, taking refuge behind the pastry table. 

But you did have a good view of Frankie's face when Santiago let him in. He looked awed, nearly floored by the changes in the barn, and a slow smile stole across his lips. With the twinkling Christmas lights reflected in his eyes and the stress gone from his posture, he looked… beautiful. 

And then people started arriving behind him, and soon the barn was full of soft music, laughter, and chatting. A half dozen people had shown up so far, five of whom were staying at the inn, but you held out hope that more would come. 

And more did arrive. In groups of two or three, and one bunch of nearly a dozen. It looked like most of the town had arrived, plus some. You could only hope that some of these were your readers, that you'd helped even a little. 

It was a merry gathering, and you didn't even mind that you were more or less working through it. Just seeing Frankie laughing with Santiago and Will was enough for you. This was your good deed for the year. 

And then Benny hopped up onto the makeshift stage with a microphone (where in the world had he gotten that?) and a Cheshire cat grin. 

"Good evening everyone! Thanks for coming, we hope you enjoy, all that good stuff. There's food and drink, and for your entertainment, my brother and I will start us off with some music!" 

"No!" Will yelled, to much laughter and applause. 

"You gotta do it now," Santiago needled, grinning mercilessly. 

"Don't look at me," Frankie laughed when Will turned a reproachful look his way. "I didn't do shit." 

Will dropped his head with a sigh. Then he glared at Santiago. "You watch the drinks," he growled before he turned and stomped away. 

You blinked after him, undeniably curious. Benny had promised that you'd see whatever this was, after all, and you desperately wanted to know. It must be something interesting, for Will to protest so vehemently. 

"Just wait," Santiago said, and you jumped. "This will be good." 

You didn't have long to wait. Will and Benny walked out, each carrying a very large blue feathered fan. Benny had on a matching blue tutu over his pants and an absolutely devious grin. Music started, and you clapped a hand over your mouth as you recognized the song. 

"Sisters" was an unusual choice for the two brothers but their antics lip-syncing to the song left you (and the rest of the crowd) in stitches. Your favorite moment was when Will held the fan up in front of Benny's face, closely followed by Benny whapping Will in the stomach three times in a row with the fan. Even Will was laughing by the end of the song. 

And that seemed to open the floodgates, as soon people were requesting specific songs (mostly Christmas themes but not all) and singing along, although nobody did a performance quite like the brothers. 

Benny had shooed you out from behind the pastry cart, shoving some warm cider in your hands and telling you to go have fun. So you did. Or you started to, standing back from the established groups chatting and singing and laughing. 

"You know," Frankie said quietly from right next to you and very nearly giving you a heart attack, "I haven't thanked you yet." 

"What?" You turned to look at him properly, eyes wide. 

"For all of this. You didn't have to do any of this." He looked down at the floor, scuffing one shoe against the floor. "The guys told me what you did, all of it. I… I'm sorry, for how I acted last night." He glanced at you through his lashes. 

"It's fine," you murmured automatically. "All is forgiven." 

He finally lifted his gaze to yours and your breath caught in your throat. He was smiling, just a little, eyes warm as he looked at you. 

Oh.

"I found your blog," he muttered, shifting his weight but stubbornly holding your gaze. "It looks good. You're very eloquent."

It was your turn to warm and look at the floor. "Thanks," you murmured, clutching your cider. "I appreciate that." 

"Hey," Santiago stopped next to the two of you, grinning broadly. "You need to see this." 

You and Frankie exchanged curious looks before you followed Santiago to the back of the room, to the big barn doors. Santiago hauled one open a few inches, letting in a burst of cold air and an unmistakable flurry of snow. Frankie held out one hand, watching as a few flakes drifted onto his hand. 

"Open the doors," you told Santiago with an excited grin. "People will want to see this." 

Leaving them to open the doors, you ran back to the sound system, switching the song quickly to the most appropriate one you could think of. As Bing Crosby's crooning started, you waved to Benny and pointed excitedly to the back. 

It took only moments for word to go around, and then there was a surge as everyone ran to the back to look out at the snow slowly falling. A cheer went up and then there was more laughter and singing along. 

Somehow you ended up next to Frankie again, tucked close to his side by the press of bodies around you. 

"A little Christmas miracle," you murmured, grinning. 

"Another one." Frankie looked down at you, smiling a little. One of the kids ran past you to get outside, jostling you even closer to Frankie, who took the chance to wrap one arm around your waist. 

"Oh look!" Benny suddenly declared quite loudly from… above you? You and Frankie both looked up to find Benny clinging to the top of one door like a deranged lemur, grinning like a maniac and holding mistletoe above your heads. "Guess you gotta kiss now!" 

Frankie sighed, dropping his head to his chest. But you just laughed, raising one hand to cup his cheek. 

"It is traditional," you murmured, faux-serious, though you couldn't contain your grin. 

"Wouldn't want to deprive Will of killing Ben," Frankie agreed with a wry smile. But the warmth in his eyes held your doubts at bay as he leaned in and kissed you, soft and sweet. For those few moments in time, the rest of the world fell away. 

He pulled back, lights sparkling in his eyes, and you breathed out slowly. 

And then Ben whooped like the lunatic he clearly was, Will started scolding him, and Santiago said something about lovebirds. Frankie's shoulders shook with his laughter. 

"Welcome to the madhouse, you get used to them eventually," he told you, refusing to let go of you. 

"I bet I will." You smiled back at him, ignoring Benny as he half-fell off the door but landed on his feet. You ignored the people still around you and the cold air and everything else, instead choosing to lean in closer and sing quietly along with the last lines of the song. 

"May your days be merry and bright, and may all your Christmases be white." 

#frankie morales x you #frankie morales x reader #f!reader

[alwritey-aphrodite]

five

Chapter 5 of I’ll Be Back Again To Stay

Series Masterlist | Main Masterlist

Pairing: Santiago Garcia x single mom!reader

Warnings: none!

Word Count: 2.4k

Author’s Note: alternative title: it’s Christmas Eve and everyone refuses to acknowledge their feelings

The last few days leading up to Christmas Eve were a whirlwind of present wrapping, Inez-wrangling, baking, and trying not to think about Santi. It was proving to be an impossible task.

No matter what you did, you couldn’t stop thinking about your kiss. And it wasn’t just a simple kiss, it was a full on, bonafide make out session, with someone you’d only met a little over a week ago, that made your head go all fuzzy and your chest tighten whenever you saw him or spoke to him or thought of him.

But that was an issue for another time, because Inez was getting harder and harder to calm down the closer Christmas Eve came.

Kids were always extra excited during the holiday season, but this year Inez was practically bouncing off the walls. She was beyond excited to spend it with her new friends, with more people than just you and her and Sydney, who couldn’t always make the trip after she’d moved away.

You’d felt bad before that you couldn’t give her that picture perfect, large family get together, with everyone smiling and laughing and full of holiday cheer. In your mind, Inez and Sydney were the only family you had, but Will and his buddies were a welcome extension of that.

Now, though, with your invitation to the Morales house, you and Inez get to experience that large family atmosphere. She’s able to run around with Maria while waiting to open presents, and they can play with their new gifts together afterwards.

The day before Christmas Eve, Inez was practically uncontrollable. You, Syd, and Will had taken her to the movie theater to watch the older holiday movies they played, just to give her something to distract her for a few hours. And it worked, but as soon as you left the theater, she was talking a mile a minute about what toys she hopes she gets and how she’s too excited to sleep, even though it’s still the middle of the afternoon.

To keep that holiday cheer going, and to keep her occupied, you have Inez help you with the gift wrapping you’d put off until the last possible second. She wasn’t much help at the actual wrapping part, but she was an expert at sticking the bows on.

Eventually, she runs off to play with the army of stuffies she’d brought, and you plop down on the couch next to Sydney.

“How are you feeling about tomorrow?” She asks, putting an emphasis on the you.

“Terrified. Extremely anxious. Like I’m on the verge of throwing up.” You tell her, honestly.

As much as the group had included you, you couldn’t help the times you felt like an outsider, an intruder ruining the dynamics that they’ve created years ago. Spending a holiday with someone is important, and you just don’t want them to second guess or regret asking you.

Plus, tomorrow would be the first time you’re seeing Santi since you kissed him, and you already know that Sydney will be able to tell that something’s off. The last thing you need tomorrow is Syd’s teasing.

“You have absolutely nothing to worry about,” she reassures you, giving you a squeeze on the shoulder.

“Yes I do,” you counter, “what am I supposed to wear?”

“Whatever you want.”

“But I left my ball gown at home.”

“Ha. Ha. Ha.” She deadpans, before you both break out in giggles.

It takes you a minute to recover, but once you do, Syd is ready to offer you real advice: “It’s honestly just a casual thing, you’ll fit right in in a pair of jeans. And don’t make a big deal because it’s a holiday, just approach it like just another night hanging out at the Morales’.”

Her advice actually worked to calm you down, but you were still beyond anxious about seeing Santi again. He hadn’t texted you since he dropped you off that night, so now you’re worried that he regrets it. You aren’t even sure how you feel.

He’s an attractive man, no one can argue with that, but you’re still not quite sure if your feelings go any deeper than that. And really, do you want them to? What good would it do for you to fall completely in love with a man who lives on the other side of the country?

But still, there’s that part of you that craves him, that wants to spend time with him. Just being near him is enough, his presence sending your nerves haywire and your heart pounding.

You try to ignore your feelings towards Santiago, and your nerves, but they’re always there, humming below the surface.

You give Inez a hot chocolate before sending her to bed early, because you know she’s going to beg you to let her stay up as late as possible tomorrow, and you’re going to let her. She needs as much sleep as she can get, because even though she refuses to nap, she’s a beast when she’s tired.

Luckily, she falls asleep pretty fast, all of the excitement finally getting to her. You sit with her for a few minutes, just watching as she drifts off, before placing a soft kiss on her forehead and creeping from the room.

You call it an early night yourself, far too anxious to sit with Sydney and Will and enjoy the holiday movie they have playing on the TV or the festive drinks they’ve made. Instead, you try your hardest to fall asleep at a decent time, steering your mind away from Santi.

You don’t remember falling asleep, but suddenly Inez is leaning over your groggy form, trying her hardest to whisper in your ear, “You gotta get up!” over and over again. Not your ideal wake-up call, but you put a smile on your face just the same.

You haul Inez downstairs for breakfast, where Sydney is making some last minute additions to your lunch contributions. She’s the exact opposite of Will, finishing tasks at the last possible second and somehow never worried about them.

They both greet you warmly as you set Inez at the kitchen table, wandering over to pour yourself some coffee. You know you’re going to need it. Inez, on the other hand, is absolutely bursting with energy and excitement, so much so that she can barely sit still long enough to eat her breakfast.

Once she’s finished and you’re almost fully awake, you haul her back upstairs to get ready for the day. Inez must be in a great mood, because she barely complains when you wash her face and help her brush her teeth. She’s all smiles as you help her get dressed and send her off downstairs so you can get ready.

You agonize over your outfit choices before you force yourself to calm down and remember what Sydney had told you last night, settling on a pair of jeans and a sweater. You take another minute to remind yourself that today is going to be great and to not overthink everything.

Once you’ve completed your pep talk, you join Inez and Will downstairs as you wait for Syd to finish getting ready before you can all head out. Inez helps Will load all of the gifts and food into the car, finishing just in time for Sydney to pull on her shoes.

The Morales house is already bustling by the time you arrive, and Benny and Santiago have yet to show up. Maria zips to the door to greet you, and as soon as Inez has her boots off, they’re running away to play. Frankie is in the kitchen, still trying to finish up the main dishes for lunch.

Sofia helps you arrange the gifts you brought under the tree, next to the TV that’s softly playing Christmas movies nobody is paying attention to. Soon afterwards, Benny arrives, followed by Santiago. Maria doesn’t bother coming downstairs to greet them, too distracted by Inez and their discussion of what toys they hope they get.

All the adults gather around the kitchen table as Frankie puts the finishing touches on the main dish and Sofia sets out place settings for everyone. Benny helps her carry the other dishes everyone brought, an array of snacks and side dishes so the Moraleses didn’t need to stress about every part of the day.

It’s almost impossible to make Maria and Inez sit down and eat, and they keep craning their necks to glance at the tree in the corner of the living room, as if someone would sneak in and steal all their gifts. As much as the adults want to have a leisurely meal, the girls scarf down their food, impatiently waiting for you all to do the same.

Sofia sends them from the table, exhausted by their endless bouncing, and when the rest of you exit the dining room a few minutes later, they’ve set themself up in front of the tree, intently staring at the gifts, as if they’re attempting to see through the boxes and wrapping paper. You can’t hold in your giggles at the sight, and the look the girls give you sends you into a full on laughing fit.

After what you’re sure felt like hours to them, you and the other adults finish cleaning up the kitchen and dining room before piling into the living room. There’s not enough room on the couch, so you settle yourself onto the floor, and Santi lowers himself next to you.

Frankie gives him a look, glancing from his face to his knees and back to his face. Santiago dismisses it with a shrug, and Maria comes barreling onto her father’s lap, ending any further inquiry from Frankie.

As you’d suspected, Inez had more fun tearing up wrapping paper and digging through bags than anything else. Of course, she was very happy with all of the gifts she’d received, especially the toy dinosaur in a dog’s Halloween costume princess dress from Benny. She absolutely squealed when she opened it, and Benny’s grin in response was one of the cutest things you’ve ever seen.

But, her gifts would keep her entertained later. For now, all she wanted to do was rip things open. So much so that you let her open your gifts for you, just to keep that excited little smile on her face. You also loved the way she’d go “oooo, look mama!” and hold up whatever was in the package. It was practically impossible to keep a smile off your face.

Everyone was in a great mood. You’d sense some tension earlier between Frankie and Santiago, when everyone was filing into the living room, but that’s disappeared. Now, happiness is practically radiating off of everyone in the room.

It’s amazing to you how comfortable you felt, how much these people felt like family when you’d been so reluctant to meet them. It seems crazy that you’ve only known them for less than two weeks when you could swear you’ve known them your entire life. You’re already dreading the return home.

But, you try not to focus on that. Instead, you focus on the fire Frankie had built in the fireplace, the chatter of your friends around you, the warm press of Santiago’s thigh against your own, and the excited grin of your daughter. You couldn’t be happier.

Once all of the gifts had been opened and Frankie had gone into full dad mode and cleaned up all of the wrapping paper and gift bags, the girls scampered off to play with their new goodies while you and the rest of the adults stayed in the living room.

You truly couldn’t remember the last time a holiday had been like this, all fuzzy and warm and full of laughter and people you cared about. As much as you enjoyed it, you were more grateful that Inez was able to experience it, the big get-together with all the warm, happy feelings.

You spend the rest of the afternoon snacking and chatting, tuning in and out of the holiday movies playing quietly on the TV. Inez and Maria are completely enamored with all of their new things, even taking turns to admire each other’s prizes.

It’s past dinner time when the Morales’ finally kick you out so they can do their yearly FaceTime call with Sofia’s family, who’s schedules never align for an in-person holiday. Benny heads back to Will and Sydney’s with you, but Santiago returns to his own house, waving off Will’s invitations to join you.

“He likes being in bed by eight,” Benny jokes as you’re walking towards your cars, earning a middle finger from Santi. You laugh at the joke, but you can’t help the little ache in your chest at the thought of Santiago returning to nothing but his dog. And, deeper down, the thought that he’d rather do that than spend more time with you.

You know you’re being dramatic, so you shake that thought away as soon as it comes, not allowing it to fester and grow into some ugly beast. You turn your mind away from Santiago, something you find yourself doing more and more often, and instead focus on making the rest of the day as perfect as possible.

Once you’re back at the house, you usher Inez upstairs for an early bath before changing her into the most festive, coziest pajamas she owns. Returning back downstairs once you’ve changed into your own comfy clothes, you find that Sydney’s set up plenty of snacks and drinks for you to spend the rest of the night watching movies.

The excitement of the day finally catching up with her, Inez is asleep before the first movie is over, her head resting on your lap and her body nestled between you and Benny. Instead of bringing her upstairs and potentially waking her up, you keep her with you, rubbing a soothing hand up and down her back to keep her asleep.

Benny leaves around 11, so he helps you haul Inez off of your lap and into your arms before he heads home and you and Inez head up to bed after saying goodnight to Sydney and Will. Miraculously, she stays asleep the entire transfer from couch to bed, even as you maneuver her out of your arms and onto her side of the bed.

You fall asleep soon after your head hits the pillow, exhausted from the day behind you and the even longer day ahead. You know that Inez will wake you at the crack of dawn, too excited to see what Santa brought to even entertain the idea of more sleep.

Sleep finds you quickly, and the man in your dreams shares a shocking resemblance to Santiago, but it doesn’t mean anything. It can’t mean anything.

Tags: @disabledameron @andromeda-dear @loonymagizoologist @campingwiththecharmings @stevenngrant @itspdameronthings @welcometostayingawake @outmodead @pakhiya @wand-erer5

#santiago garcia #santiago garcia x reader #santiago garcia x you #santiago pope garcia #santiago pope garica x reader #triple frontier #triple fontier fanfic #i’ll be back again to stay

[fooltofancy]

People I'd like to get to know better

@pearl-kite tagged me a fair bit ago, but things go into my drafts to die lately so here we are, back from the proverbial grave. of my drafts.

Last song: more than words by hitsu jibungaku. on my jjk bullshit, don't mind me.

Favorite color: jewel tones, atm, dark teals and carnelian and jasper. always goldenrod and smokey greys.

Last movie/TV show: watched muppet christmas carol per holiday standard last week(ish) (imperative), and jjk is the closest thing to tv i've been watching lately.

Sweet/spicy/savory?: .... yes? combos of the three best, tbh.

Relationship status: dating some nerd (beloved) idk. long distance purgatory.

Last thing I Googled: sun haven gift guides

Current obsession: obsession implies an energy i simply Do Not have. but the closest it comes is sun haven atm, i suppose, since my brain's finally letting me focus on something new. RARE AND EXCITING, let me tell u.

open tagging season as i am Brainless atm. go for it, if you'd like!

#went into my drafts to write something for a different ask thing that somehow wasnt in there #SO. #ty kirehn <3

[crestfallercanyon]

🎄 Tag Game Wednesday 🎁

Thanks for the tag @mybrainismelted ! These are so cute! (I feel bad because I think there was definitely one last week that I’ve blanked on, maybe I’ll go back and do it if I can find it lol). And thanks @jrooc for making the qs!

🔠 Favourite nickname you’ve ever been given: I was called Sunshine throughout most of k-12. It’s nice to think people found me to be so chipper.

🗺️ Where are you located? I’ll give you the same as I have on my AO3 — on a US coastline.

🥶⛱️ What season is it where you are now? Winter

��� Favourite tradition this time of year: I adore going on long walks and seeing Christmas lights.

🥧 Favourite holiday food: I’m a big fan of all the different cookie traditions from families and friends. They’re just a sweet little personal treat you don’t get any other time.

☕️ Mulled wine, eggnog or hot apple cider? Eggnog.

🍗 Turkey, Ham or Nut Roast (Or Tofurkey?)? Probably ham?

🏔️🏖️ Would you rather spend the December holidays in:  A cabin in the woods surrounded by snow, or a house on the beach with sun and sand? A cabin in the woods surrounded by snow. I love the cliche classic of it, I love when it FEELS like winter around me during the holidays.

❄️ Are you pro-snow or anti-snow? I adore snow from about December through February. Then I’m good. Don’t need it anymore lol.

⛄️ Have you ever built a snowman? Yes. Not in a LONG time though.

⛷️ Skiing or Snowboarding? Skiing — you have more control. Though, to be honest, I prefer sledding or snow-tubing or even ice skating as I would rather not have my feet attached to long boards where if I fuck up I can swiftly break both my legs.

🎍 Do you decorate for the holidays? A little! Also changed all my coffee mugs to my collection of winter themed mugs.

🎬 Favourite holiday movie? I love the classics — It’s a Wonderful Life, The Preacher’s Wife, White Christmas; but I also am basic and enjoy Elf and watching the silly Hallmark movies too 😂

📖 Favourite holiday fanfic? Um, gosh, I don’t know if I go back and reread any holiday fanfics in particular, but my brain’s a bit slow today so maybe I’m missing something obvious. I, too, though, am enjoying the sam_writes_fics 12 days of Christmas. I’m also POSITIVE there are lots of coldflash (captain cold/the flash) Christmas fics I’ve enjoyed over the years. If someone else knows I’ve read something, I’m sure you’re right and I probably loved it!

🎥 If you were to star in a Hallmark movie, who would be your love interest? Well, going by hallmark stereotype, I am the woman with the overly stressful job who needs to be disconnected from my world, so I would imagine either a man who owns a Christmas tree farm or like a carpenter, some sort of woodworker who is in touch with nature. If I’m supposed to actually cast the person myself? … I don’t typically do that kind of thing, but you can refer to my “tumblr blorbos” for inspiration.

Where would it take place? A small town, surrounded by farms and forest, get back in touch with my hometown roots.

To tag 💕! @michellemisfit , @mmmichyyy , @callivich And anyone else who would like to join!

#weekly tag wednesday #tag games #holiday edition! #open tag #and no pressure to those tagged

[alpacaparkaseok]

Taehyung + winter ?

"It's never going to stop snowing, is it?"

Taehyung stands beside you in the bay window, a grin on his face. "Never."

You groan, glancing at the clock on the wall. "How am I supposed to fly out like this? I was supposed to leave for the airport two hours ago!"

Rocking back on his heels, Taehyung watches you stalk back to the kitchen. Rifling through the cupboard until you find a familiar container of hot chocolate. Opening it, you can't help but grin at the half-gone contents.

"We've drunk our weight in hot cocoa," Taehyung teases. "Marshmallows?"

"Please."

Pouring milk into the pan, you set the burner to low and set to stirring it. "I'm sorry about being so lame today...I'm just feeling a little helpless. If we hadn't stayed another night, I would've made my flight."

The decision had been last minute. The rest of your friends left yesterday, but something about the holiday season always made you cling to it as it slipped away. Going home would mean giving in to the fact that you wouldn't see Taehyung for another year.

Between jobs and family and other responsibilities, you hardly ever saw your old roommate anymore. A part of you longed to go back to those college days, when you realized that your roommate Tae wasn't a girl, but a boy. A freakishly attractive, lovable boy, that later became your best friend.

Taehyung nods, grabbing the marshmallows. "Understandable. Although...I can't help but feel a little lucky."

"Yeah?" You bump his hip with yours, passing the spatula. He immediately began stirring in your place.

"Yeah."

"Why's that?" Measuring out the cocoa, you drop it into the milk.

Taehyung continues stirring, chewing on his lip. "I just...miss you, when you're gone. And I always wish we stayed together longer for the holidays."

"Right, let's pretend like you're not at your wit's end after two weeks together for the holidays," you tease. "Do we have whipped cream?"

"In the fridge. And -" Taehyung pauses, turning to look at you. "I mean it. Really."

Fridge wide open, you freeze. Staring back at him, you're reminded of a similar scenario five years ago. Back in your teeny tiny apartment, staying for the holidays when your parents got divorced. Your mom went south to Cancun with her girlfriends and your dad went east, to London. Both had tried to convince you to accompany them, but in the end you decided to stay on Campus.

Taehyung stayed as well. And you made cocoa and watched Hallmark movies and gave each other stocking filled with candy and cheap presents. Thus began the tradition - Christmas together. Whether it was over Christmas day or in the weeks that followed, you always found your way back to each other over the holidays.

"You alright?"

You blink, careening back to the present at breakneck speed. Shutting the fridge, you cross your arms. "Why'd you stay back, that first Christmas together?"

Taehyung turns back to the stove. "What do you mean?"

"You stayed. We both know your family had plans, you could've flown home to spend it with them-"

Turning off the burner, Taehyung spins around. He looks a sight in his bright red sweater and gray sweats.

“No. My flight got cancelled. I had no choice but to stay.”

You take a step back. He’s told you a similar story before, but for some reason you never believed it. That first Christmas spent together was the most mild weather that you can remember in December.

Yet still, he’s lying. You tilt your head to the side. “Really?”

Taehyung’s jaw drops. “Re- yes. Really.”

“Ok. I believe you.” He watches you as you reopen the fridge for the whipped cream. “All finished?”

“Oh, uh, yeah. Finished.”

“Great. Pour it up!” Cheering and clapping, you watch as he pours two mugs full. You do the honors of sprinkling in some marshmallows before topping it all off with hot chocolate.

“A toast,” Taehyung drawls. “To you.” He’s staring into your soul. “And our many years of friendship.”

Friendship. “Right back at ya.”

Together, you drink. When you glance back up at him, Taehyung is watching you with hawk-like focus.

“What?” You ask, defensive.

He shrugs. “It’s just…I haven’t been totally honest with you.”

Your heart drops. “…ok.”

Scratching the back of his neck, Taehyung blows out a breath. “My flight was canceled that first year because - because I canceled it. Personally.”

You freeze, hot chocolate nearly falling from your hands. Slowly, you set it down on the counter. Taehyung follows suit. You turn to face him only to find him already there, mere inches away. He reaches around you to set his drink down beside yours, but doesn't move away.

“You what?” It's hardly above a whisper.

“Canceled my flight so I could be with you. I knew - I knew that you wouldn’t take me up on the offer to return home with me, so I came up with an alternative solution.”

"By...missing Christmas with your family. On purpose."

He shrugs once more. "Yeah. I mean, why not?"

"Why not? Why - I feel like an idiot. I made you feel bad, didn't I? Is that why we still do this every year? Because you...pity me?"

"Wha - no! No, of course not. I don't pity you."

You raise your chin, watching the way Taehyung's eyes dip down to your lips with the action. "Then what? Why?"

He opens his mouth to speak but no words come out. "Uh..."

"Spit it out, Taehyung."

Eyes meeting yours with a flash of something sharp, Taehyung shakes his head. You go to challenge him once more but stop as you feel his hands on you. One hand tracing a line up your arm, the other pushing your hair back.

"Because, I..."

Words fail and he thinks better of it. Instead, he kisses you. Slowly at first, almost hesitant. You melt into him, arms snaking around his neck as he sighs into the kiss. He pulls you closer, smiling against your lips.

Taehyung pulls back just enough to rest his forehead against yours. "Because I wanted to."

Wanted you, are the words he doesn't say. You grin up at him. He smiles back, planting a peck on the tip of your nose.

"What are you thinking?" He whispers. You close your eyes, feeling what its like to be in his arms at last.

"I love winter."

#taehyung #bts v #bts fluff #taehyung oneshot #bts oneshot #taehyung holiday oneshot

[modernmanblues]

i think you really have that paul person vibe, lively and energetic :) john is my favourite beatle too though!

visiting the studio sounds amazing, even from the outside! did you happen to meet any of the musicians that work there? :0

so so cool that you got to visit all these countries! honestly goals :')

i sure am excited for christmas, it's so soon now! i wish i could spend it in disneyland too :') what are your favourite disney movies, and do you have any that you watch for the holiday season?

and i suppose that's the last message before the reveal!

- ☃️

i get that quite a bit actually lol i do see Paul as like a long lost twin brother, mostly because we share many things in common. for starters, we are both left handed (there are only very few of us in the world), play bass and were born in June (a week apart, different years of course) which makes both of us geminis! and geminis, so i’ve been told, are known for being spontaneous, fun, witty, charming and are always the life of the party it seems. but john really has always been my favourite. he was the most outspoken one and told it like it is! i like that he was always straight with everyone and didn’t care what anyone else thought (could be a strength and weakness but anyway-). he always had a very attractive personality and in my opinion, he was the most attractive one of the four. john was always quite the comedian as well, always quick to make silly jokes to make the room laugh. i don’t know, for me he hits the spot.

and i wish! i stood outside the studio for a bit to see if anyone would come out but sadly no :( BUT i did run into someone that knows the guys from 10cc personally at a pub down the street from the studio, and of course i HAD to ask him loads of questions about eric. in three words he summed him up perfectly: cute, charming and humble.

i can’t believe christmas is literally upon us, i mean where has the time gone?! crazy how we’ve flown through this month…this year, even! but i am grateful for all the wonderful things i’ve experienced this year and i am hoping for yet another beautiful year ahead :)

i haven’t got a favourite disney film to watch for the holidays, per se, however i do think any of the disney princess or pixar films are always great to watch over the holidays.

aaahh yes!! it has been an absolute pleasure chatting with you and i look forward to finally meeting you, santa!

lastly, i would like to wish you and your loved ones a very merry christmas! talk to you soon. cheers🎄

#srs23

[ak8shi]

FWB HQ Boys: In which you beat the player at his own game!

warnings: Time skip spoilers, mentions of sex(all characters are 18+), stupid people in love

a/n: I love one(1) libra man!! I love Atsumu’s character and the way he’s developed in hq and I think that this is a very probable way in which he finds love !! thank you all so much for loving the first installment so much <3 I-I went a little overboard with this one but ,, xoxo Chlo

━Miya Atsumu

Let’s start with a little background; I think we can all agree Atsumu is and always has been popular with the ladies

…But that doesn’t necessarily mean the ladies are popular with him LMAO

He’s truly the emotionally unavailable heartbreaker and he built himself quite a reputation without even knowing it

This dude doesn’t even really fuck around with girls, maybe a few meaningless flings his senior year but besides that, he only has eyes for one lady and her name begins with the letter V and ends with ball

LET’S GO

So you’ve known Atsumu for years unfortunately,,, and you surely know about how he treats the girls that approach him with confessions and boxes of chocolates

You don’t approve of it at all, but your family is practically family with the Miya’s and you’ve literally spent every major holiday with them since you can remember

You: Atsumu would it kill you to show some respect towards these women

Atsumu: If she breathes, she’s a thot

….smh… a fucking mess someone please put him in his place

However your mom was always happy that you could be around the twins since you were an only child, and she loved the idea of you having two brothers who would protect you from the evils of college men little did she know,,

You hate to admit it and we hate to see it, but you started to develop a crush on him your freshman year of high school.. you suppose it was because you spent so much time with him and you saw parts of him that a lot of people didn’t get to see I mean you also saw him with his jersey on and off pretty often how could you resist

For example, every Halloween you had a sleep-over tradition where you watched horror films after trick-or-treating and Atsumu was scared SHITLESS every year, I’m talking ripping your favorite blanket off you and burying his face in it to block out the movie, he would threaten you and Osamu about telling people at school about it

Him, a 17 year old teen standing in your doorway at 3:40 am: c-can I sleep on yer floor I LOVE HIM SKAKAKAJSW

You, filming him and sending it to Suna on snap: sure Atsumu <3

You found yourself entranced when he automatically gave you his school cardigan on the walks home from school when it was cold or raining, and completely enraptured by his cute little accent

Atsumu: did ya know yer a fuckin’ idiot bimbo stupid butt crack for not bringin’ yer jacket

Atsumu: yer lucky I’m a gentleman

You: ...

Osamu: god…..

It was naïve to think he would ever reciprocate feelings especially with his entire life being his volleyball career, and you convinced yourself it was a tiny high school crush and eventually you managed to repress it

Too much was on the line; you didn’t want to make both of your families awkward, and you needed to focus on your studies as one of the top students at Inarizaki yes ma’am

Besides you loved him like family right ???

RIGHT ???

The twins are a year older than you, and Atsumu had just signed to play professionally for MSBY!!

You at his official signing: wow, looks like you don’t have to resort to living on the streets after all

Him: yeah ❤️

You kind of forgot about how you felt about him since you weren’t seeing either of the twins consistently anymore with how busy both of you were; you stayed in contact, but nothing really serious

It was weird because you were still in high school while the boys were experiencing college and doing their own thing… you drifted apart honestly and you felt a bit awkward talking to them sometimes, you felt like you were bothering them Atsumu would probably tease you and say that you were

Another year passed and you were heading to college! You are living your best life, meeting new people, and then you got the text from your mom that you were doing Thanksgiving with the Miya’s,, you weren’t sure if that meant you would be seeing both twins but something about the possibility of seeing Atsumu again made something stir in your chest

Fall break hit and you found out both the twins and you were back at home since Atsumu also had a rare break from training and his regular professional season

You were helping Osamu out at his shop, since it was his first time dealing with the overflow of Thanksgiving season as a new business owner

You’re helping close the shop, when you hear the door jingle; you turn to say a polite “sorry we’re closed for the day,” but you’re met with what seems like a new and improved and muscular Atsumu OH NO

He looks amazing and so much older than you remember??? And he’s thinking the same thing about you!!! Like wow she’s changed a lot since she started college, I’ve missed a lot apparently ??

You immediately fall into his arms, inhaling his familiar scent, Osamu rolling his eyes at the two of you and telling you to get lost before he yaks

You leave the shop with Atsumu, inviting him to your house; as you enter, you catch your mom leaving to pick up some last-minute groceries for the Thanksgiving meal

She’s acts way happier to see Atsumu than she acted when you came home LMAO later she doesn’t shut up about how handsome and manly he’s become, but you just pull him away to your room and lock your door behind you

He goes to sit on your flower-patterned comforter from your childhood, newly washed thanks to your mother

Atsumu: so…. what’s up with you..?

You can’t control the churning of your stomach all of a sudden; you can’t remember him ever looking at you this way, like he’s looking at a woman

The feelings come rushing back, and literally all you can think about is kissing him

You lean back on your dresser in front of the bed, and a wave of need to express yourself washes over you,

“Atsumu, I missed you.”

You don’t even know what’s happening until you’re trapped in between Atsumu and the door, his mouth gently pressed against yours, his warm hands caressing your hips

He asks if this is okay, and all you can do is moan back a yes in response

Let’s just say your mom might need to clean your comforter again lmaoo

It’s complicated and you’re both kinda confused after… like no one admitted that they had feelings for the other and its not like either of you can just disappear from the other’s life like a random hook-up

BUT BOTH OF YOU ARE TOO STUPID AND STUBBORN TO REALIZE YOU LIKE EACH OTHER AND WANT A RELATIONSHIP I-

Like he’s literally cuddling you and kissing you and asking you about college in your childhood bedroom naked what

And it ISN’T uncomfortable at all

It feels so right to be in his arms, and you’re in disbelief about what happened??? What even like how have you gone all this time without doing anything honestly

You suddenly hear your dad pull into the garage, and you’re both up and putting your clothes on as fast as possible

It’s embarrassing when you look back on it, how long the hook-ups went on, but this was a common occurrence whenever the two of you were home

It was basically like you were dating and doing long-distance without the label

IT WENT ON FOR ALMOST A YEAR 🤡

Osamu during next year’s Thanksgiving meal: I think we should go around the table and say what we’re thankful for, I’ll go first. I’m thankful that two people at this table are getting laid despite the fact that I’m not 😊

Your parents:

Atsumu, in many ways, is oblivious to what his feelings mean after not really being in any real relationships and blocking out all the girls during high school,

He would find himself texting you after each of his matches, hoping you had watched him and his heart would flutter when you complimented him on his sets

Atsumu on the phone with you: yeah I’m just chillin’ with the boys rn 😏

Sakusa: get the fuck off my bed and get off the phone with your girlfriend so I can sleep

Atsumu: she’s not my girlfr-

Sakusa, talking loud enough for you to hear: I literally don’t care but don’t you have her picture saved as your lockscreen?

He tried to hook-up with someone when he was away playing a tournament in the summer, but it wasn’t the same and it was only good if he imagined it was you

He never did it again and before coming home for Christmas, he called Osamu to finally ask him what to do

Osamu: about time you meathead

Osamu literally spells it out to this man; he has been and is in love with you and he needs to do something about it asap before someone else snatched you away

Atsumu: why didn’t ya just say somethin’ ? Ya know I’m not good at these typa things !

I can’t he’s something else

So it’s Christmas, and he asks if you would want to go see the town square’s Christmas lights with him

Of course you say yes, you’re just really excited to finally see him after so long !!

Atsumu with rosy cheeks ugh spare me

He picks you up and greets you with a kiss to your temple, and he has a little gift baggie with him; he hands it to you to open and you pull out his old school cardigan

“I-I thought maybe you would want it since ya always stole it from me in high school, and since I’m half-way ‘round the world most of the time”

It smells just like him, you thank him with a kiss to his cheek and you tuck it away in your bedroom before leaving hand-in hand to see the colorful lights dazzling in the night sky

You talked to Osamu about your relationship with his brother and you want Atsumu to make a move honestly; you want to be sure he wants this since you’ve literally liked him since high school

You’re not sure what you are expecting, but when Atsumu has you in his arms, your back against his chest and his chin on your shoulder as you watch the Christmas carolers, you don’t expect him to whisper into your ear,

“hey, will ya be my girl?”

You turn around to give him a surprised look, his hand bringing yours to his mouth to plant a soft kiss on your knuckles this is his favorite place to kiss fight me

After getting over your dream-like shock, you say yes and pull him into a kiss

I’m crying he tells you afterwards that you were his girl since the first time he met you, we’ll let him have this one because did he really know until like a week ago? no

Whew, all of your friends and family let out a relieved sigh when they hear the news LMAO

Suna, hearing about Atsumu finally making it official: thank god I was about to start blackmailing him with those Halloween videos

#did writing this make me fall in love with him?maybe so #haikyuu!! #atsumu #miya atsumu x reader #miya atsumu #atsumu headcanons #atsumu scenarios #atsumu x reader #atsumu fluff #atsumu imagines #hq #hq fluff #hq scenarios #hq headcannon #hq drabble #hq x reader #haikyu x reader #haikyuu imagine #haikyuu headcannons

[theladyofdeath]

Just Friends {Elorcan}

31 Days of Halloween: Day 2.

All installments co-written with @snelbz​

Based on a prompt sent in by @sjm-things​: “I got invited to a costume party. Do you want to come with me?"

Happy Spooky Season, readers!

Elide hated Halloween. It wasn’t for one reason or another, but for a series of reasons that had built up over time. When she was young, she was scared of everything. She was the kid at the Halloween party that was hiding under a blanket every time they showed a scary movie. In Middle School, she stopped getting invited to Halloween parties, and in High School, she was made fun of because she couldn’t handle the haunted houses. Now, in college, she stared at the invitation that had been sent to her mailbox.

A costume party.

She sighed, knowing full well that Halloween was only a day away, and she probably only got a pity invite last minute. 

The trek across campus from the mailboxes was horrible. Everyone seemed to be excited, especially since the weekend had arrived and Halloween was near. 

Oh, how Elide just wanted to stay hidden at home, watching light-hearted movies, like Disney’s Halloween Town, drinking a mug of steaming hot cocoa. Her roommates would never let her, though, which made her think that she should probably go to the costume party, if only to shut them up.

If only to shut everyone up.

But, she didn’t even have a costume. 

As soon as she got to her room, she tossed her backpack on the floor by her desk and pulled her phone out. Dialing the familiar number, she flopped down on her bed, listening to the phone ring in her ear.

A familiar, deep voice answered. “Nice timing, I just got out of class.”

“What are you doing tomorrow night?”

“Thought I might go trick-or-treating with the neighborhood kids, why?” She could hear the humor in his voice.

Elide cleared her throat. “I got invited to a costume party. Do you want to come with me?”

There was silence on the other end.

“Lor,” she snapped.

His soft chuckle came through the line. “A costume party?”

“Yeah,” Elide sighed, suddenly lacking confidence. “I know it’s ridiculous, but I figured I should go.”

“You don’t do Halloween.”

“Yeah, but I’m doing it now.”

She knew Lorcan was grinning when he said, “Fine. I guess I’ll throw together a costume, but just for you.”

She knew she could always count on her best friend. “It’ll be fun.”

“I don’t know about that,” he muttered. “At least there will be booze… there will be booze, right?”

“All I know is that there will be costumes,” Elide laughed. “We’ll figure the rest out when we get there.”

Lorcan paused. “There better be booze.”

“Why do you always need booze?” Elide asked, pointedly.

Lorcan sighed. “If I’m going to show up at a party dressed as a zombie, I’m going to need alcohol.”

“A zombie? That’s what you came up with?” Elide asked.

Lorcan snorted. “What’s wrong with a zombie? It’s the first thing that came to mind.”

“There’s a Halloween store in the mall, meet me there in an hour,” Elide said, sighing and staring up at the ceiling.

He chuckled and said, “Fine. I’ll see you there.”

True to his word, when Elide walked into the store, she found Lorcan holding two separate bags and hurried over to him. “What did you find?”

Lorcan sighed, holding up a bag from the department store. “My mom’s birthday is Friday. I got her a watch.” He held up the other bag. “And myself a black hoodie.”

She blinked, and looked at the black hoodie he had on. “Another black hoodie? Lor, that’s all you own.”

He scoffed. “This one has a gray stripe across the chest.”

She suppressed her laughter as she nodded. “Fine. Alright, how about in this store, found anything you like?” 

Lorcan shrugged. “I just got here. Nothing stands out so far. I still think a zombie would be fine.” 

“A zombie what though?” Elide pressed, looping her arm through Lorcan’s and practically dragging him through the store. “You can’t just be a zombie. You have to be a zombie doctor, or a zombie farmer, or a zombie chef obsessed with brains.”

Lorcan snorted. “A zombie farmer?” 

Elide shrugged. “Just trying to get creative.” 

“I think I’ll pass.” He let her drag him, though. Partly because she was adamant, but mostly because she had quite the hold on him. As she was admiring a wall of wigs, he asked, “Why are we doing this?”

Elide looked over at him. “What do you mean?” 

“You hate Halloween,” he followed. “I hate Halloween.”

“You hate all holidays,” Elide grumbled. 

“Not true,” Lorcan protested, picking up a long, purple wig and handing it to Elide. “Christmas is okay.”

Elide grinned, taking the wig. “One, I would definitely pull this off. Two, I don’t know. I should at least go to one party I’m invited to while in college, right? May as well be one where no one can tell who I am.”

“And why am I going to this party?” He asked, crossing his arms and looking at the wall of fake weapons opposite the wigs. He picked up an extremely convincing hatchet. “I don’t do parties.”

“Because you want to spend time with your best friend, obviously,” she said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

“And this has nothing to do with the fact that you’ll start crying if you see someone in a scary mask?”

She could tell he was smiling and she hated him for it. 

“We’ll be graduating before we know it,”  Elide went on. “When will we ever go to a Halloween party again?” 

“Never,” Lorcan said, following her down the aisle. “Because we hate parties.”

“No, you hate parties. I hate fake blood,” Elide corrected. 

“Then what’s your excuse for all the other parties we don’t go to?” Lorcan chuckled, picking up a coconut bra. “Here. There’s a hula skirt to match..” 

Elide rolled her eyes. “Yeah, right. Pig.” 

“Well, you have to pick something and I can only stand this store for another two minutes, tops,” Lorcan said, shaking his head. 

“Halloween makes you crabby,” Elide mumbled.

Nonetheless, she made her way over to the racks and racks of costumes and started flipping through them. One by one, she named them off.

“Vampires… Hot dog suit… Sexy cop…”

“Well, I’m set, what about you?” Lorcan joked, looking over her shoulder as she pulled it out and looked at the hilariously short skirt the officer was supposed to be wearing.

“Shut up,” she said, laughing, but continuing to flip through them.

“Stop, what was that?” He said, reaching out and grabbing one. His eyes lit up and he smirked. “This is it.”

Elide snorted. “I never saw you as the cowboy type.”

“This isn’t a cowboy, this is an outlaw,” he corrected.

Elide slowly lifted a brow. “And the difference is….?”

Lorcan just shook his head. “I can’t believe you’re my best friend.” 

He kept the costume, and Elide, starting to feel defeated, continued her search. 

“Stop,” Lorcan said, again, only to find that he wasn’t standing beside her anymore, but at the rack behind her. “I found your costume, El.”

Elide turned around and immediately rolled her eyes. “That’s a demon.”

He was holding a little red dress that came with a tail and a headband with little red horns on it. 

“A sexy demon,” Lorcan corrected. 

“They’re all sexy,” Elide snorted. “It’s going to show my panties.”

“You’re short,” Lorcan argued. “It’ll at least reach mid-thigh.” She rolled her eyes and he added, “It’s this one or I won’t go with you.”

Elide’s mouth fell open. “That’s not fair.”

“That’s my price,” he said, holding it out to her.

She narrowed her eyes at him, snatched it and headed for the register.

“I’ll be over at eight,” he hollered after her, and once again, she could practically hear his smile.

She threw a vulgar gesture over her shoulder.

The next night, at seven-forty-five, she was turning around in her mirror. Oh, this was not good. The little red dress certainly did not reach mid-thigh, however all of the essentials were covered.

Barely.

She had to admit, she looked pretty damn sexy. If it was anyone but Lorcan she was going with, she’d have a shoe in for a hell of a night. 

But, no. It was only her best friend. 

Said best friend knocked on the door five minutes later, looking absolutely ridiculous in his not-cowboy outfit.

With one look at her, the second she opened the door, Lorcan was staring, which earned him a chastised comment, one after the other.

“I’m not staring.”

“Yes, you are, knock it off.”

They walked to the party together in a comfortable silence, Lorcan looking over at her from time to time to chuckle.

“What?” She snapped, after the third time.

“Nothing,” he said, a small smile on his face as she looked up at him. “You just look cute.”

She scoffed.

Cute.

Cute was the last thing she wanted him to say when she was dressed like this. She’d even dug out the ridiculous three-inch black heels Aelin had convinced her to get for their trip to Vegas last year. She thought she was looking decidedly un-cute tonight.

They walked the rest of the way in silence and when they walked in the front door, conversation nearly stopped.

Whether it was from the sight of Elide and Lorcan together or the fact that they both showed up at a party for once, or maybe it was Elide’s legs, Lorcan thought, but they were both pulled into separate directions by their friends.

Elide frowned as Manon’s hand wrapped around her wrist, and Lorcan shot her an apologetic look as Rowan hauled him by the back of the collar to the table where the drinks sat.

“What the fuck?” He asked.

“You and Elide?” Rowan asked, shoving a beer into his friend’s hand.

“What do you mean you and Elide?” Lorcan asked, although he definitely caught the underlying meaning.

“You show up together, her looking like that?” Rowan asked, and judging by the cloudiness in his eyes, it was clear he had been drinking already.

A lot.

“We came as friends,” Lorcan corrected.

Rowan snorted. “She got you to come to a party, man. ‘Friends’ my ass.”

His eyes glanced across the room as he took a drink of his beer and they found hers, Manon and Aelin looking at her with very different expressions, one of approval and one of displeasure. She was sipping from a straw and Lorcan could tell from her face that whatever was in it was strong.

He smirked as he admitted to himself that maybe Rowan wasn’t completely wrong.

He hadn’t been completely truthful with Elide earlier when she’d caught him chuckling to himself. He was laughing at how ironic her costume was. She didn’t look cute.

She looked hot as hell.

And she knew it, too.

“Lor.”

Lorcan’s eyes snapped to Rowan’s, who was watching him with an amused expression.

“Hmm?”

“I was telling you to go for it,” Rowan said, taking a gulp from his bottle. “You love her, she loves you, and you’re both being ridiculous.”

Lorcan scoffed. “Fuck off.”

“No,” Rowan protested, with a drunken grin. “Because I’m right.”

He was right.

Lorcan knew it.

Elide knew it.

Everyone knew it, but it wasn’t that easy. They’d been best friends since grade school. Shit just didn’t change over night.

“Just let me know when it’s an acceptable time to go home,” Lorcan said, sipping from the bottle in his hand.

“When she asks you to take her home,” Rowan said, clapping him on the shoulder. He tossed his empty bottle in the trash and made his way over to Aelin. After pulling her away from the conversation she was having with Lysandra and Nehemia, he whispered something in her ear.

From the way her eyes widened and zeroed in on him, on top of how drunk Rowan seemed to be, Lorcan was sure it had be something along the lines of, Lorcan wants to fuck Elide, but his balls aren’t big enough to do it sober.

What difference did it make if he was right or not?

Lorcan grimaced, focusing on the drink in his hand. Beer was good, beer was always there, beer didn’t pressure him to make a move on his best friend.

Maybe it did.

Either way, Lorcan downed the beverage and grabbed another. After a while, he wandered around, trying to find Elide - not to prove Rowan right, but just to make sure she was doing okay.

When he found her, he froze, and Aelin shot him a daring smile from their circle. “Care to play, Salvaterre?”

Lorcan sighed. “You know I’m not one for games.”

“Come on,” Elide crooned, and Lorcan noted the slight slur to her words. “You won’t dance, at least play.”

Unable to stop himself from eyeing her costume, Lorcan said, “Fine, but only for a minute.” Elide grinned as Lorcan joined the circle around the little table they were hovered around. “What are we playing?”

“Kings cup,” Aelin grinned, holding up a deck of cards.

“Trying to get us all plastered?” Lorcan muttered.

“Some of us, yes,” she said, cocking her head to the side and smiling, a little too innocently.

And so it began.

Lorcan didn’t know if she’d pre-shuffled and the cards to fuck him directly, but before he knew it, his empty stack of cups was four deep and Elide’s thigh pressing against his and how warm her skin felt was all he could think about.

“Dicks,” Aelin crooned, pointing to where Elide held the six of diamonds in her hand. “Drink up, boys.”

“Is it just me or is that the seventh six we’ve pulled out of this deck of cards?” Dorian asked, cracking open a new bottle of bourbon and refilling his and Chaol’s glasses.

Chaol chimed in with something incomprehensible. 

Lorcan’s head was falling on Elide’s shoulder after his gulp of whiskey. At this point, all his taste buds had died and it was like drinking water. 

“Doing okay, Lor?” Elide asked, giggling, patting his thigh.

“I’m sleeeeeepy,” he sang. “Night-night, El.” 

“Better get him home while he can still stand,” Rowan grinned. “Don’t wanna have to carry him home.”

“Same could be said for you,” Aelin winked, although Lorcan was far more drunk. 

He had been targeted, and his friends had won. 

“Alright, alright,” Elide laughed and stood, hauling Lorcan up with her. Yes, he was able to stand up, but he was definitely holding onto her for stabilization. “Come on, Lor.”

“You smell nice,” he mumbled, pressing his nose to the top of her hair. 

“Have fun!” Aelin sang from behind them as Elide dragged Lorcan out the door. 

Elide grunted the moment they were outside. “Lor, you gotta try a little bit, you’re heavy.”

Lorcan blinked, as if he was just now noticing where he was. “Elide?”

She laughed as she helped him walk across campus. “Yeah?”

“You look s-sexy as hell,” Lorcan slurred. “I mean, th-that dress? Fuck.” 

Elide didn’t even pretend not to notice the flood of butterflies that filled her stomach. “Oh yeah?”

“Yeah,” he said, sighing dramatically. “N-not just t-tonight, either. Always. Sexy. Fuck.” 

Elide looked up at him, at his drooped eyelids and dark, clouded eyes. “Always?”

“Always,” he confirmed, then lowered his voice. “I shouldn’t be telling you this, though. So, sh-shhhhhhh.” 

“My lips are sealed,” Elide promised, unable to stop her bright smile. “Let’s get you to bed, okay?”

“But I-I have to tell you something,” he went on, nearly stumbling over his own feet. Elide kept him steady.

“Tell me,” Elide said. 

“I like you,” he said, his mouth close to her face. Elide was hit with an overwhelming scent of whiskey. “I like you, a-a lot. I l-l-love you.”

The words she had wanted to hear from her for so long, but not at all the way she wanted it to be shared. 

“You’re drunk, Lor.”

“I know,” he said, sighing, once again. “I-I mean it, th-though. I l-love you, El.”

Elide looked up at him, then, and saw the desperation in his eyes. She chuckled, and shook her head, slowly. “How about we talk about this tomorrow, okay?” If you remember this conversation when you wake up.

He groaned, loudly, but said, “F-Fine. You’ll stay, though, right? With me? Tonight? I-I promise t-to keep my hands to my-myself.”

Elide wanted to ask him not to, but she nodded. If Lorcan ever touched her, she didn’t want him drunk while he was doing it. 

When she looked up at him, again, just in front of his apartment, she smiled and brushed the long, messy hair out of his face. “Of course, I will.” 

He was sound asleep, still in his costume, and she was tucking him in less than five minutes after they walked through the door. 

#31 days of halloween #day 2 #elorcan #elide #lorcan #tog #throne of glass #fanfic #fanfiction #oneshot #modern au #shacmc collab

[tzuyuscloud]

hiyooo! can i req for a gf jennie x reader in a hogwarts au please 🥺? where they both spend christmas in hogwarts since their families are busy (whatever reason they cant get back 😭😭) and it's just.. reallllly fluffy hehe ~ hope u have a nice day and stay safe!

I'm sorry it took so long, I hope you like it ❤️

Everyone's favorite time of the season approached slowly. Hogwarts students filled the halls of the school, their bags beside them as they got ready to take off and catch the train back home.

But in a certain Ravenclaw dorm Jennie Kim stayed back for the holidays because her family was in New Zealand this year, and the plane tickets were unavailable. She was the only one left in her dorm leaving the huge room to herself for 2 weeks. Little did she know, the room wasn't completely empty. You popped up from under the blankets and saw Jennie dancing around the dorm, "J-jennie?" You called in confusion.

Jennie turned and made eye contact with you and you saw a blush rise upon her mandu cheeks. Internally you gay panicked for your girlfriend as she's been your crush since the both of you transferred to the school two years ago.

"o-oh...I didn't think anyone was here considering the room looked empty" she nervously looked down while twiddling her thumbs. Jennie then walked and sat on the edge of your bed as you made room for her, "why aren't you visiting your family?" You asked curiously.

"The plan tickets to New Zealand were unavailable." She replied sadly. You held your girlfriend in your arms, embracing her with your warmth. "Well lucky you my plane was cancelled due to a snowstorm so we can spend Christmas together, princess." Jennie's heart skipped a beat at the pet name you called her. The two of you stayed in that position for a few hours, before you heard Jennie's stomach growl.

"Sounds like someone is hungry, let's go to the dining hall and see what they have to eat" the girls ran around the halls and played with the floating stairs until they found their way to the dining hall where there was probably 5 students eating. "Let's go bake some cookies" you whispered to the small girl catching her attention. "B-but y/n what if Professor Snape catches us and locks us in the basement or something?" Jennie freaked out. You playfully rolled your eyes laughing at her worries, "we will be fine and if anything I'll take the blame" you reassured the small dumpling before taking her hand in yours and sneaking to the kitchen.

You whipped out your wand to poof up a batch of cookies while Jennie walked over to you with cookie dough and a pan full of decorations and ingredients. "What are you doing with that?" She laughed pointing at the wand in your hand.

"I-im gonna make cookies for my beloved" Jennie couldn't help but die of laughter. She wrapped her arms around your neck, standing on her tippy toes to reach your height, but still failing to make it. "Your supposed to bake with love, darling" she whispered into your ear. The sound of your heart pounding against your ribs, and your heavy breathing filled the quiet kitchen.

"I am baking with love" you argued playfully. "Silly, you can't bake with love....WITH A WAND" Jennie's contagious giggles filled the atmosphere. You didn't bother arguing with her because you knew she was right, so the two of you started to bake the cookies making a mess everywhere. Knowing the teachers wouldn't be happy with the mess, you two successfully made a batch of Christmas cookies.

"We did amazing" Jennie gushed as you fed her a piece of the snack. "Yes we did" you agreed.

"What now?" Jennie hugged you from behind, laying her head on your back. "Wanna go make a snowman?" Her head flung from your back as she grabbed your hand and pulled you to the nearest door that led to outside. Despite your protest to wear coats and gloves, you found yourself ankle deep in snow and watched your adorable girlfriend play in the snow.

She waddled to you and cheesed giving you a gummy smile. Her little nose was red and so was her cheeks. "Baby we're gonna catch a cold out here like this" you sighed.

"But I'm having fun!" Jennie threw snow in the air she then jumped on you causing the two of you to fall in the snow.

"Hey! You two! Get inside!" Y'all heard a voice shout. Your eyes widened and your laughed filled the air as both of you attempted to run in the snow to get inside quickly.

_

You and Jennie laid in front of the warm fireplace that was in the living room of the Ravenclaw dorm. She was cuddled into you, both of you wrapped in your warm pajamas. A Christmas movie played above the fireplace, you watched the way Jennie's eyes lit up as she watched the wholesome movie.

"I love you Jennie Kim" you whispered and left light kisses on her nose and cheeks. She closed her eyes smiling as you kissed her, "I love you too y/n."

#jennierubyjane #jennie kim #jennie #jennie scenarios #jennie fluff #blackpink fluff #blackpink scenarios #kpop fluff #kpop

[danineverwenttoazkaban]

SE Appreciation Week - Fic 1 (Karol route)

@sweeteliteweek Very late but I just barely ended this not so short fic.

This is Karol’s route imagining some moments like the airport goodbye and days later while they’re at home so Papa Scholar is also featuring. I couldn’t help but add a bit of Tegan too and I tried to put several ideas I had together on the same story. Hopefully the back and forth between present and past is not too confusing. I didn’t know how to name it so I just took a song I was listening to by Wilco that is really sweet if anyone wants to listen to it.

Jesus, Etc.

The familiar vibrant and noisy city was something Scholar hadn’t think she would miss during those months at Arlington’s. Especially not the noises from the neighbor from the floor above as she rowed with her husband for the third time tonight, the people pacing up and down the stairs, the kids playing, the pizza delivery guys and Misses Jones with her 5 dogs. She smirked thinking what Karolina would say if she heard all this noise and reminisced to when they met, smiling at the thought. She would be rich by now if she was given a dollar for each time she thought of Karolina since she got on the plane home.

 --------------------------------------------------------------

“That’s my plane, people! Enjoy the journey home!”, announced Tyler as he picked up his heavy luggage. He hadn’t explained what the heck he was carrying on his bags but Scholar assumed it was something artistic.

“Hey Tyler, don’t forget about tomorrow’s match! There will be a 30% buff bonus”, said Tegan.

“Oh man, I told you I have that thing with my parents. I’ll make it up to you later, promise”, replied Tyler.

“… ok”, said Tegan as he gave him a weak smile, clearly disappointed.

“Cheers!”, shouted Tyler as he ran towards gate A27.

Only Scholar, Tegan and Karolina remained in the departure lounge. Neither Tegan or Karolina seemed particularly happy of going home, in fact Tegan was staring at the floor as if he had just been told Christmas had been cancelled this year.

“Hey, maybe I could join? I am not very good at videogames to be honest but you can teach me”, said Scholar putting a hand on Tegan’s shoulder.

Tegan looked up and smiled blushing.

“S-sure, I think you’d make a great cleric”, Scholar had no idea what that meant but she hated the sad aspect Tegan had.

She noticed Karolina was staring at her direction, a curious look on her face. In that moment, she heard her flight being called.

“Well, I guess I have to go now”, she said to both of them.

Tegan nodded.

“I’ll call you tomorrow to set your PC ready for the match”.

“Sounds like a plan!”, she answered before giving him a quick hug.

As she let go of Tegan, she looked at Karolina, unsure on how to approach her. Scholar took a step in her direction, asking for permission, they had barely talked since the night of the basement

“… I-I… goodbye, Karolina. Enjoy the holidays”, she said with slight nervousness, waiting for an answer.

Karolina was biting her lip and seemed uneasy, as if she was making up her mind about something. She leaped forward and put her arms around Scholar. The girl let go of the breath she had unknowingly kept as she felt Karolina’s warm embrace.

“Let me know when you arrive home”, Scholar heard Karolina whisper close to her ear, her breath sending shivers down her spine. She then felt something touching her cheek, she froze when she realized it was Karolina’s lips. The touch was so soft, so slight that it could had just been Scholar’s imagination. They let go of the embrace and Scholar felt her heart sink at the idea of being apart from her so many days.

“I will, you too, please”, she answered. Both Karolina and Tegan nodded and Scholar took her luggage before parting…

 The following day, Scholar had to excuse to her father early because Tegan had opened an account for her in the game they were supposed to play, in fact he had even customized her character based on a number of questions he had asked, many of which Scholar wasn’t sure how to answer. As she started her PC and positioned on her seat, she could not help but feel excited, seeing Tegan through the webcam meant also, perhaps, seeing her as well. Tegan’s face as he logged in had a mixture of sadness, exhaustion and defeat, he didn’t have Karolina’s ability of putting on a straight face, Scholar didn’t want to push an answer out so she didn’t ask. They spent a couple of hours playing, Scholar died way too many times in pure noob style but Tegan didn’t mind, in fact he laughed each time as she panicked when the other players surrounded her with attacks.

“Thank you, Scholar. You made my day”, Tegan told her after the match was over.

“I’m glad, I had a great time even though I clearly suck for this…”, she answered giggling. Tegan laughed as well, he covered his mouth whenever he laughed and Scholar thought it was cute but sad at the same time how insecure he could be at times, even among his friends.

“… She’s busy talking to mom and dad, by the way”, Tegan added after a while, “in case you were wondering.”

“Oh… it’s ok. Is everything alright?”, Scholar asked concerned, to be honest their parents didn’t exactly sound like the kind that understood and supported their children.

“They didn’t take well all that happened in FAXION, I almost didn’t login for the game but she wanted me to let her handle it on her own”, answered Tegan, “she didn’t want me blowing up and them… “, he paused, “… doesn’t matter, I will take care of her now.”

“She’s a tough girl, she worries about you too”, said Scholar, “let me know if you need anything”

“Of course, thanks again. I will tell her you say ‘hi’ ”, said Tegan before closing the session.

 ------------------------------------------------------------------------

Scholar sighed as she wondered how things had gone back at the twins’ house, hoping they were ok. The days that had followed to gaming night not much had happened. Tyler spammed them with funny selfies from the Red Carpet of God knows which movie his parents had taken him to, Tadashi and Alistair sent photos with the Drews, especially the dogs at Axel’s request, and Claire and Neha exchanged recipes for Christmas season. But barely anything from Karolina, still the fact Tegan kept sending memes mocking how bad she was at gaming was oddly comforting.

“Honey, I’m home, can you give me a hand with the bags?”, called Papa Scholar’s voice.

“Sure, dad, coming!”, answered Scholar and she walked towards the kitchen.

The bags were full of materials for her father’s famous pasta recipe but this time with a twist: he had agreed on incorporating one of Claire's many recipes. Both of them prepared everything for their movie night. Afterwards, they settled in the living room as they picked a title. They decided on one of the old movies that Scholar’s father loved “Pride and Prejudice”. Scholar had tried to get his father to watch the newer adaptation of the story but it had been pointless, the 1995 version was the one her mother loved and in a way for him watching the movie again meant reliving the joyful moments they passed together. Scholar had seen it too a handful of times yet this time it felt different, she felt connected not only because it had been her mom’s favorite movie but because the situation was now all too familiar. The pride and prejudice dance.

“You keep looking at your cell phone, expecting someone’s message?”, Papa Scholar asked as he arched an eyebrow.

“N-no, just checking the hour”, Scholar tried to reply, unconvincingly.

“Hmm, don’t forget I was your age once and fell in love at your age too”, the kind man answered giving her a warm smile.

But before Scholar could reply, they heard the alert of a new message coming in. Scholar jumped at the sound and widened her eyes at the name that appeared on the screen: “Karolina”. She quickly unlocked the cell phone, almost dropping it due to the urgency. Not paying attention to her father’s laugh at her clumsy movements, she opened the message:

Karolina: Are you awake?

Scholar: Yes, hi…

Karolina: Can I call you?

Scholar’s heart drop at her message. Almost three days without a message from her and now here she was asking for a call. She really did take that “best way to win someone is to surprise them” to the bone.

“Sorry, dad. Could we drop it here? A friend from Arlington wants to talk to me”

“Don’t worry, girl. Go call your friend”, she really did have the best dad.

 Scholar practically ran towards her room and texted her back.

Scholar: Sure.

Immediately her phone was vibrating and ringing. She answered almost as a reflex.

“Karolina?”, started Scholar, trying not to sound too excited.

“… Did I interrupt you?”, asked Karolina. Her voice on the phone was something Scholar couldn’t had foreseen would make her feel weak on the knees.

“No, uhm, I was just finishing watching a movie with my dad”

“Was it one of those cheesy old movies your dad likes?”, Karolina asked on a mocking tone. Wow, she had really paid attention…

“Ha, yeah. Pride and Prejudice… because you know how much I’m into the hate to love trope”, she blurted out surprising herself. Was it too bold to hint at ‘them’ like that? What was it about Karolina that it made her go rogue often.

Silence.

“… yes, I know”, Karolina answered. Scholar wondered, hoped, if Karolina was blushing.

“And what are you doing?”

“Our parents threw a party”

“Wow, sounds like fun.”

“It’s just the usual winter party they throw every year ”

“I’ve never been into a party like that”

“Of course not”, Karolina blurted out, “… I didn’t mean it to sound like that, I-I don’t think you’re missing anything”

“Karolina, not that I mind but why are you talking to me instead of enjoying yourself out there?”

 -------------------------------------------------------------------------

Karolina was standing in front of the wall mirror of her bedroom. Her new pine green dress matched perfectly the emerald earrings her father had bought her last year as well as the red lipstick. Everything fit together

“Miss, they are waiting for you downstairs”, the maid called after softly knocking the door.

Karolina took her purse and proceeded towards the lobby, across the dining room and into the garden. The surrounding people dressed in etiquette, the tables and the exquisite centerpieces seemed all surreal. She felt disconnected to this usual display of frivolity and superfluous social interactions, greeting people with a fake smile and pretending to care about the chit-chat. These people who if given the chance would rather see them in ruins.

At dinner, she sat with a couple of acquaintances, girls she had known since her childhood, the type her parents considered ‘appropriate’ but could never truly be friends. Her mind drifted elsewhere, back to the chalet, the sensation of safety, of being seen for the first time through the façade of her strong petty attitude, the possibility of being just ‘Karol’. She excused herself as the girls looked at her questioningly, stood up and walked behind a couple of bushes seeking some privacy.

“I heard she is going down her mother’s route”, she heard a voice say from behind the bushes.

“Her scandal at FAXION was disastrous, everyone has been talking about it”, followed another voice.

“Honestly, does it surprise anyone? It was a wonder she got this far”, said a third voice.

Karolina felt the anger and hurt built inside her, she was about to turn around and face whoever felt they had the right to talk behind her back in her own house when her cellphone vibrated. She took out her cellphone and noticed Scholar had sent a message to the group thanking Claire for the last recipe attaching also a photo of Scholar and her father cooking. She smiled at how happy they seemed and got lost in the sparkle of her eyes. She bit her lip debating on whether or not to message her… Screw it.

------------------------------------------------------------------

 “… Hmm, Karolina, is everything ok? Can you still hear me”, Scholar asked.

“Yes, I-I just … “, Karolina answered.

“You know you can tell me anything”, Scholar said, “how is everything with your parents?”

She heard Karolina sighed.

“Not good but I’d rather not talk about it”

“I’m sorry about that but it’s fine, what do you want to talk about then?”

“Nothing really, I was just bored, this party is obnoxious”, Scholar’s heart skipped a beat at her words, does she just miss me?

“I see…”, Scholar said. With her heart palpitating like crazy and the excitement of talking to Karolina she couldn’t hold back her emotions and she added, “… I miss you too.”

“I never said… you’re right, I do”, Scholar smirked. Karolina admitting her feelings was so refreshing; Scholar would need one of Neha’s teas to calm down the butterflies in her stomach.

“So dull party, huh? Should I be thankful I didn’t get invited?”, followed Scholar.

“I don’t find this type of parties endearing anymore”

“What? Hanging out with me is harming your social standards”

“Haha, you wished. I’ve never liked these parties but it was a good opportunity to meet important people”

“Oh, did you meet anyone interesting this time?”

“No, I found out that people are still talking about my FAXION fiasco”, Scholar felt her blood boil at that.

“They did? I wished I could beat some sense into that people”,

Karolina chuckled.

“Hey, I don’t mind. It’s better if they talk about me, free publicity. Besides we technically won.”

“That you did, you two were amazing, seriously no one could rival Neha’s designs. Also, you looked so beautiful and classy… even though you weren’t feeling well, you pulled that off despite everything. I can only imagine the big things you’ll do in the near future”

“You’re sweet. But remember I could steal your third place in the Gold Tier if you’re not careful”

“Oh Miss Novakova, we’ll see about that, we could bet to me beating you up in the finals”, were they flirting for real this time?, Scholar thought.

“You’re not taking me to the cafeteria again, are you?”, oh they definitely were.

“Hmm how about taking you to the gardens? Like a picnic?”, oh god, was she asking her on a date?!

“Hmmm… ok, deal”, Scholar heard Karolina answer. She did just ask Karolina on a date and she said yes!

“Deal”, wow. But this time she wouldn’t let Karolina say it wasn’t a date.

She heard Karolina laugh on the other end and it made her grin like an idiot, she wondered if Karolina was blushing furiously like she was.

“Thank you, by the way”, Karolina said after a brief silence.

“For what?”

“Helping my brother stay calm. You didn’t have to do that”

“I’m glad to help, he’s a dear friend and it killed me to see him so sad”

“He has been happier considering…”, Scholar assumed she meant with whatever was going on in their house. She wished she could do more.

“And you? Feeling better?”, Scholar asked.

“Much better”,

“I’m glad. I’m here for you, always”

“I know, I’m here for you too”, her voice sounded soft, to think about how much had happened for them to get to this point.

“I have to hang up now, we’ll talk soon”, Karolina added.

“Oh ok, of course, go back to the party”, she didn’t know what to say, she could had kept talking to her all holidays if she could.

“Good night… Oh, and watch out your door tomorrow”, Karolina said with a curious tone in her voice, almost nervous.

“Tomorrow? What happens tomorrow?”, Scholar asked confused.

“J-just pay attention, ugh. I have to go now.”

“Ok, ok, I will do. Good night, Karolina”, and with that she was left with the usual cellphone tone.

 The following day was Christmas’ Eve. To say she had spent the morning ecstatic was an understatement. She kept circling around the call she had with Karolina, the fact she had asked her out on a date and whatever she meant by watching out for her door. Her dad was surprised that out of all the friends she had made at Arlington it was actually Karolina whom she had a crush on (she had to tell him since she couldn’t hide her joy).

“My first guess was that girl Claire who kindly gave us the recipes for Christmas dinner”, Papa Scholar said as he found out about the source of her daughter’s disturbance.

“Funny you guessed Claire, dad”, sighed Scholar remembering the fatal mistletoe incident.

“Why funny?”

“Oh dad, it’s just… a long story”, Scholar said.

“Well, I have to say that Karolina girl is drop dead gorgeous and if you say she is nicer to you, I believe you. When can you invite her here?”

“Dad! We’re not even… I mean, we almost … kissed b-but …”

They were interrupted by a knock on the door.

“I’ll get it”, said Papa Scholar.

“Actually dad, can you let me check who it is?”, jumped Scholar as she headed to the door.

She peaked from the door peephole. On the other side there was a guy looking like a delivery man.

“H-hello? Who is it?”, Scholar asked.

“Good afternoon, I have a delivery for a person named Scholar”, the guy answered from the other side.

Scholar opened the door, the man was carrying a golden plastic bag with a red bow on the outside.

“Hi, I’m Scholar”

“Oh great, I’m supposed to deliver this”, he handed her the bag, “please sign here… and here”

Scholar did as he requested and looked at the bag, it looked very elegant for a plastic bag.

“Thank you, merry Christmas, ma’am”

“Thank you too, merry Christmas!”

Scholar walked towards the living room holding the odd bag on her right hand. She took a seat on the couch and placed the bag on top of the table, slowly opening it. There was a card and a small black box on the inside. She took out the small box and opened it being startled by its content. It was an astonishing silver necklace with a sapphire pendant on the center, tiny diamonds seemed to surround the almost heart-shaped figure of the pendant. Papa Scholar couldn’t believe his eyes either, he got the card out and gasped.

“Honey, you need to read the card, look”, Papa Scholar said as he handed it out for her.

Scholar took the card in her shaky hands and opened it carefully:

“Hopefully this starts your way into the better fashion sense you desperately need… Merry Christmas, Karolina”

Scholar lost no time and rushed to get her cellphone. Please answer, please answer, she thought as she heard the dialing tone.

“Hi”, she heard Karolina’s voice answer.

“I-I-… Oh god, I-I can’t even… It’s so beautiful!”, Scholar tried to say forgetting how to speak.

“I am glad you like it.”

“I just… wow… thank you! How did you know where I live?”

“Uh-oh, guess who, Scholar”, she heard Tegan’s voice say.

“Y-you! From the time we played together… should had figured. “, Scholar said laughing.

“You got me, hehe. I’ll give Karol back her cell phone. Merry Christmas!”

“Merry Christmas, Tegan!”

“I am sorry I had to ask him”

“Don’t be sorry, I love it”, Scholar said, almost as much as I love you, she thought, “I didn’t get you anything for Christmas, I feel awful, you went through all this and I-“

“I don’t need you to get me anything, just everything you’ve done for me and … how much I … I can’t tell you on the phone, ok?”, Karolina said.

“… s-sure. Thank you so much, Karol”, was it the first time she called her Karol out loud?

“Besides I already feel like I have my Christmas gift… Anyway, our father is calling us. Merry Christmas, Scholar”

“Merry Christmas, Karol”, Scholar replied and added, “I… you know I do too, for a while now if I’m honest.”

“I kind of knew but didn’t want to see it… Enjoy your night”

“Y-you too. Bye”.

 This was definitely the best Christmas she could had ever imagined, she only wished she could had thanked her in person but soon, very soon they will be able to figure it out.

END

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hope you guys like it! The ending was rushed because it’s super late here so sorry for that.

#sweet elite #karolina novakova #sweet elite week 2021 #tegan novak #scholar #sweet elite fanfiction #karolina x scholar

[blood-rad]

24, And Feeling Lost

This is not about to be a depressing post. In fact I am writing from a good place.

A couple of weeks ago, I left an unfulfilling job to pursue another job that I felt would be exactly what I needed. It was supposed to be a brand new beginning - my big break. For some reason though, they decided to let me go on my second day.

Now clearly anyone in my position would have felt betrayed, disappointed, and victimised. But this is where all my hard work paid off. I did not feel upset for long. I just knew that this means there is something better out there for me.

So here I am, with a lot of free time on my hand, writing this blog post that nobody is ever going to read.

Back to the drawing board, I have been thinking a lot about what I want my life to amount to.

A few months ago, I thought I knew what I needed to be happy. I thought I just needed a fulfilling job in marketing that pays well enough for me to buy the perfumes I wanted, and go on annual holidays with friends and family.

I learnt a couple of days ago that a person's wants do not actually stem from their needs. Instead, it is the other way around. People say they need a stable job to put food on the table, but if you don't want to live, you won't need a job. He said it better than this, but that's the gist of it.

Basically, I was encouraged to think about what I want before considering what I need. And what I want is actually really simple.

I just want to be happy. And what makes me happy is spending time with my friends and family, to see them happy, and being able to help people around me be happy.

I am already so grateful for the roof over my head, for having my own bed and a warm blanket. I am already so grateful to have my brother and my dog healthy and safe with me. With this, I am already so wealthy.

Clearly, this mindset isn't helping me find a job. But I think I am doing fine without the stress and worry. I am still putting in effort to apply and get a job, but I am prioritising jobs that would actually make me a better person.

I don't really care about the salary, or the hours. I just want something that fuels the creativity and hopefulness within me.

I have an interview tomorrow. Usually I would be so anxious that I cannot sleep because I would pin the entire value of my existence on the success of the interview. But not this time!

I have been watching a lot of christmas movies lately, and they mostly make me feel good. But it is cuffing season isn't it, and I am as single as single can get. I want that special someone to share my time with, but I can't seem to be interested in anybody.

Covid's really fucking up my love life - I can't even meet people outside of dating apps. And you know how dating apps are, they're just so depressing. You meet someone you think could have the potential to form a meaningful relationship with, but somehow you'll find out that they aren't who you thought they were. And the thing with dating apps, people don't have the accountability as they would if you met them through a friend of a friend. There is no social obligation to treat the other person respectfully, and there's no consequence if you just ghost them after three dates. You're strangers again, no bother.

So, I don't really use them anymore. It's just not worth the time and effort anymore. Also, every time I watch these dumb christmas movies and it comes to the lovey dovey scene where the two main leads kiss and fall in love - my mind keeps going to this ONE person and it is driving me insane.

I am already having a hard enough time trying to get back out there in the dating world, yet he so casually waltz into my brain looking all cute and shit. It's so unfair.

Yes, this is an unrequited love kinda story. We have been friends for years now, and all these years, he's still tagged special in my heart. After all these dates, and I've been on a lot of dates, like a lot. What's so special about him anyways. I really don't get me sometimes.

I need that christmas miracle that happens in all of these darn christmas movies. I need that knight in shining- no i WANT that knight in shining armour, that Mr. Right, the perfect man to just come and change my entire world.

Maybe I just need to write a letter to Santa, for the first time in my life.

Maybe if I just believe hard enough, I'll get my christmas love story this year.

[shhh-no-ones-home]

december 22 - chris motionless

title: holiday hangouts

++++

sorry again this is late, this is the first day this week ive been able to sit down, write, edit, and even post so i hope you all will forgive my uncertain circumstances lol. i hope you all have had a good holiday season so far though and i wish you all a merry christmas eve!

prompt: "If i wanted a date to the christmas party i wouldve asked." "so it that a yes?" "...yes"

request from: n/a

tag list: @musicsexandpizza69 @svintsandghosts @alilpunkrock @theoneandonlykymberlee @cynic-spirit @lifeisabitchandsoareyou @xyours-eternallyx @thisplace-ishaunted @joeynihil

++++

i walked quickly around my room in my towel, trying to figure out what to wear. i had done my makeup and hair already, fairly natural so it could match anything, but i still didnt know what i wanted. the company Christmas party was tonight and i wasnt exactly sure if i should go more casual or not. i pulled a few dresses out and tossed them on my bed before flipping through my shirts. when i heard a knock at the door i drew my brows, jogging into the Living Room and looking through the peep hole. to my dismay chris was standing there and i immediately smacked myself mentally. i opened the door slowly.

"hey chris."

i said bashfully and his eyes went wide.

"well thats an interesting surprise."

he said through a laugh and i stepped to the side to let him in.

"if im being honest i forgot you were coming over today."

i said nervously, trying to keep my towel tucked under my arm.

"oh, well uh, do you want me to go? we can hang out another time."

he said pointing to the door and i shook my head.

"no, no, its fine. i could actually really use your help."

i said, grabbing his hand and dragging him down the hall to my room.

"okay?"

he said a little skeptical. when we got into my room he stopped and drew his brows.

"the company Christmas party is tonight and i am at a loss. you always like my looks but i have no idea what to wear."

i said in defeat. i looked to him and watched him stroke his chin, staring down at the bed. he picked up the one knee-length royal purple dress and held it against his chest.

"ya know, if you wore this one, we would match."

he said and i raised a brow.

"Chris, If i wanted a date to the Christmas party i would've asked."

i said and he gave me a suggestive look.

"hey, you asked for my help, we were supposed to hang out today. im just saying, i could go with."

he said, holding out the dress for me with a knowing smile on his face. i sent him a look before sighing and snatching the dress from him.

"so it that a yes?"

he asked as i walked into the bathroom. i stood there and thought for a second.

"...yes"

i said in defeat, watching him fist pump the air as i closed the door.

"i cant believe you even wore a black button down for us to sit on the couch and watch movies."

i said through the door as i pulled the dress on. i heard him laugh a little.

"well i guess i just know you. you always pull something out and i thought i should be prepared. you still have that tie laying around?"

he asked and i opened the door.

"yeah, its hanging in the back of my closet but could you zip this first?"

i asked, turning my back to him.

"who wouldve thought your ex leaving one thing behind would actually help us."

he said and i laughed, watching him disappear into the closet.

"does this count as a friend date?"

i asked, pushing earrings into my ears as he came back out into the room, fixing the tie into place.

"yes, yes it does."

---

"y/n! glad to see you could make it, a few of us have been waiting for your expertise on something."

my boss said, rushing to the door of the large house as one of my coworkers greeted me.

"oh, uh, okay."

i said lightly, surrendering my coat to the hostess and following carol into the living area. there, a few members of the accounting team were sat around the coffee table, a board game in front of them.

"and whos this?"

Des asked, nodding to chris as he came into view behind me.

"chris."

he said, stepping forward and offering his hand to shake.

"So, is this a boyfriend?"

my boss asked as she sat back on the couch, picking her glass of wine up off the side table. i laughed lightly, looking to him in confusion as he slipped his hand into mine.

"only just."

he said with a smile and i sent him a look.

"oh, well you two watch out for the mistletoe then, wouldnt wanna get too caught up."

jerry said, raising his glass to us. i laughed nervously.

"right."

i agreed, taking my hand back from chris.

"hey, you wanna go find us something to drink?"

i said suggestively at him and he nodded.

"ill be right back i guess."

he said to all of them before taking off down the short hall to the kitchen. i turned and looked back at all of them.

"so, what was it that you needed me for?"

---

as i walked with chris back out to the car he held my hand tightly. i could feel him shivering as snow started to fall around us. if anything the temperature dropped significantly since wed arrived and you could definitely tell.

"m'lady."

he said, letting go of my hand and opening the door for me.

"thanks."

i said as he shut it, me watching him jog around the car to the driver side.

"it is way too cold out there."

he mentioned, starting the car and rubbing his hands together. i turned the heat up and did the same, trying to warm up.

"agreed."

i said as he pulled slowly out of the driveway.

"hey,"

he said after a while and i turned to look at him.

"thanks again for letting me tag along."

he said and i smiled.

"no, im glad you did. im sure things wouldve been much more awkward. i am sorry for all the questions though."

i mentioned and he shrugged.

"its no big deal, i shouldve figured it would happen when i told them we were dating."

he said with a smile and i laughed.

"yeah, now im gonna get questioned around the office about my non-existent boyfriend."

i said and he shook his head.

"eh, it seemed like the most logical reason for me to be there."

he said and i nodded slowly.

"yeah i guess youre right."

i said with a side nod.

"besides,"

he said, drawing my attention.

"ive been wanting to ask you to be my girlfriend for a while but it just never seemed like the right time."

my eyes went wide as i stared at him, him looking to me quickly before turning his gaze back to the road.

"you want me to be your girlfriend?"

i asked and he let out a nervous laugh.

"i mean, if you want to."

i nodded quickly, taking his free hand into mine and interlocking our fingers.

"id love that chris."

he sent me a quick smile.

"great cause this wouldve been one awkward drive home if not."

i laughed, nudging his arm with my elbow.

"good thing you dont have to worry about it anymore then."

i said and he nodded.

"you are absolutely right. and now you dont have to worry about lying to your coworkers."

he said and i shook my head.

"no i dont."

i said leaning over the console and kissing his cheek quickly.

"what was that for?"

he asked and i shrugged.

"just a thanks."

he looked to me with a brow raised.

"thanks?"

he asked and i nodded.

"for making this Christmas a special one."

i said as he pulled up to the stop light slowly, finally looking at me fully.

"its the least i could do."

he said and i laughed.

"merry christmas chris."

i said, leaning in and giving him a quick but proper kiss. he smiled at me before turning back to the road and taking off as the light turned green.

"a merry christmas indeed."

#25 days of christmas requests #x reader #chris motionless #imagines #one shots #miw

[antzonian]

Tendi’s first Christmas.

I tried my best at getting their personalities right, hope you enjoy, it’s my first Lower Decks fic!

Stardate... erm... well it’s December 24th on Earth. On board the USS Cerritos, Tendi, Boimler, Mariner and Rutherford get their assignments, Boimler looks at his PADD and sees that he has decorating duty in the Conference room. Boimler: Huh, I get to decorate the Conference room today. Mariner: And I get to store cargo... ugh so boring! Rutherford: I’m repairing stuff in the Repair-Bay. Tendi: And I’m going to help Dr. T’ana with cleaning the Medical Utensils! Good luck with your assignments! Tendi runs off to the Sick-Bay. Rutherford: Okie Dokie! Boimler: will do! Mariner: see ya lates!

Later on, When her assignment was done, Tendi notices colored Tinsel decorating the corridor, her eyes lit up at the sight. Tendi: Woah, what is this stuff!? I’ve got to ask my friends about this! Tendi runs into the Repair-Bay waving her arms excitedly.

Tendi: Guys Guys! I just saw the most amazing thing! It was all shiny and colorful and its the most wondrous thing I’ve ever saw! Rutherford slides out from under one of the machines he’s repairing with Boimler handing him the tools, Mariner, with her feet on the desk holding a Hyperspanner turns her head smiling.

Mariner: Was it hanging in the corridors? Tendi: YES! Mariner: That’s Tinsel, baby girl! Tendi: ooh, what’s it for? I like how it shines! Rutherford: It’s decoration for the Earth Holiday, Christmas. Tendi: And what’s Christmas about? Boimler: well originally it was about a demigod and still is to some people, but the main thing is that family and friends come together. Mariner: And we get to have huge parties with Presents and drinking and there’s games, it’s awesome! Tendi: wow! I’m liking this Holiday already! Its way better than the Holidays back on Orion. Mariner: Boring shit, right? Tendi: Yeah, The main one has us silently stand around a painted Rock for an hour. Boimler: That is pretty boring, I’ll admit. Mariner: says Mr. Boring himself. Boimler: I am not!

Tendi turns to Rutherford wondering why he hasn’t said anything as Mariner messes around with Boimler giving him a noogie. Tendi: Are you okay Rutherford? You’re quiet today. Rutherford: I’m fine Just a little focussed on repairing this Replicator. Mariner checks her PADD Mariner: Hey, the Conference room is empty, let’s sneak in and have a little fun! Rutherford: Oh Tendi, you haven’t seen the Tree yet. Tendi: There’s a Tree in the Conference Room? Rutherford: Yeah, we have it up every Christmas. Boimler: We aren’t sneaking into the Conference Room, we’ll get into trouble! Mariner: aww c’mon Boimler, Race ya! Mariner starts running, everyone chases after her except for Boimler who follows after them while grumbling to himself.

Mariner races her friends into the Conference Room, luckily no-one else were there, Boimler catches up to them. Boimler: We shouldn’t be here, we’re gonna get in trouble for this! Tendi gazes at the decorated Tree standing at the end of the room. Tendi: wow, it’s so pretty! Rutherford: I knew you’d like it. Boimler: you guys do know there’s one being put up in the Mess Hall right?

Mariner points at the Mistletoe hanging from the ceiling while looking at both Rutherford and Tendi who’re under it. Mariner: Hey guys look! Mistletoe! you two should kiss. Boimler: They don’t have to if they don’t want to, let’s leave now before we get... Mariner: Kiss, KISS!! Boimler: Don’t force them Mariner! Mariner: shut up Boimler. Tendi looks up at Rutherford nervously, he looks at her back blushing. Tendi: should we? I thought it was just for decoration. Rutherford: well.... it is Tradition to kiss under the Mistletoe so... Mariner: Do it! Boimler rolls his eyes at Mariner, Rutherford bends down to reach her lips and both of them kiss, they blush afterwards, then Mariner pushes Rutherford out the way. Mariner: okay, my turn! Mariner bends Tendi over, gives her a big kiss which almost made her lose balance, Marner finishes and Tendi starts giggling. Tendi: Oh Mariner! Boimler: Mariner, That was Rude! First you force them to kiss, then you push Rutherford out the way to snog Tendi! Mariner turns to Rutherford. Mariner: Yeah... sorry Bro. Rutherford: It’s fine.

Just then, Captain Freeman comes into the room. Cpt. Freeman: What are you four doing in here?! Why aren’t you at your posts? Boimler: AGH SORRY CAP’N! I’LL BE THERE RIGHT AWAY! Boimler runs to where he supposed to be in panic. Mariner: ah, typical Boimler.. Tendi and Rutherford follow him while apologizing too. Cpt. Freeman: Mariner? Mariner: what? I was just showing them the decorations, you don’t have to be a bossy jerk mom. Cpt. Freeman: If you don’t straighten up young lady, you won’t be joining in this year’s Christmas party! Now get back to your post Ensign! Mariner: alright, alright! seesh! Mariner walks out of the room sticking her togue out blowing a silent raspberry for her mother who only saw the back of her head.

The Day arrives and Tendi is the first one up, excited for her first Christmas on the Cerritos. Tendi: It’s Christmas! Happy Christmas Rutherford! Rutherford: Merry Christmas Tendi! Tendi: Merry Christmas Boimler and Mariner! Boimler: Seasons greetings Tendi. Mariner: aww yeah! We’re gonna have a great time! Tendi bounces up and down like a kid waiting to open presents. Tendi: what do we do first? aaah I can’t wait to spend my first Christmas with you guys!

Boimler looks out the window, outside the Cerritos is Docked at a Starbase. Boimler: Well first, we need to get dressed, don’t want to walk around in our Underwear, Then go have Breakfast, since it is the most important meal of the day. Mariner: And since we have no assignments, we’ll go have fun in the Holodeck! Rutherford: We could have a snowball fight in the Andoria Snowfield program. Tendi: Snowball fight? We fight on Christmas? Mariner: Don’t worry T. it’s harmless fun! You’ll enjoy it. Boimler: Well I’m out, maybe I’ll help the Commanders wrap gifts in the cargo bay while you’re in the Holodeck. Mariner talks under her breath. Mariner: What a Wuss. Boimler: I heard that.

After Breakfast, Rutherford, Tendi and Mariner, all dressed up in warm gear are ready to have fun enter the Holodeck, Rutherford starts the Program. Rutherford: Computer, Load Andoria Snowfield. Computer: Loading. A Snowfield on Andoria appears around the trio, complete with ringed gas-giant that it orbits. Mariner starts rolling up a Snowball in front of Tendi who watches. Mariner: This is how we Snowball fight Tendi, Hey Rutherford, THINK FAST! Mariner throws the Snowball at Rutherford who ducks out of the way. Rutherford: Ha ha! Tendi gets the idea of how a Snowball fight works. Tendi: ooh, I get it now, can I try? Mariner gestures to Tendi to build a Snowball, Rutherford Smiles, She picks up the Snowball and turns to Mariner. Tendi: Here Mariner, watch out! Mariner lets herself get hit, laughing as the snow hits her arm. Mariner: aaah shit, ya got me! hahaha! Tendi: Heheh, this is fun! The trio continue having their snowball fight until they’re all covered in snow. Mariner: ah that was great! C’mon, drinks are on me! Tendi giggles as they leave the Holodeck, the Snow disappears as they enter the corridor.

later at the Bar, Tendi, Mariner and Rutherford sit together drinking their festive themed Synthehol drinks, Boimler walks in. Mariner: oh hey Boims, how was your boring stint on the Bridge? Boimler: a disaster, While trying to wrap the gifts the Tape dispenser malfunctioned and the Tape got everywhere, Dr. T’ana wouldn’t stop swearing at us. Tendi: oh, is everyone alright? Boimler: Yeah, Shax got the Dispenser working after hitting it really hard. Rutherford: And what of the dispensed Tape? Boimler: I had to take it all to the recycler. Tendi sees a bit of tape stuck on Boimler’s back, she takes it off. Tendi: Sooo what’s next for today? Boimler: I think we watch some classic Christmas films from the 20th to early 21st century. Mariner: oh show her Home Alone! That one’s hilarious! Boimler: Naw, I think maybe one of the thousands of Christmas Carol adaptations. Both Mariner and Boimler argue over which movie Tendi should watch, Tendi looks at them in thought, Rutherford turns to ask her. Rutherford: Which one would you chose Tendi? Tendi: I think  I’ll go with the Christmas Carol one, it does have Christmas in the title. Both Boimler and Mariner stop arguing upon hearing Tendi’s decission. Boimler: Booyah! She chose my suggestion! in you’re face Mariner! Mariner frowns as Boimler points at her while doing a little dance. Mariner: Okay, You don’t have to rub it in...

a few hours later after watching an adaptation of A Christmas Carol, (you choose which) Tendi walks out of the Viewing room with a smile on her face. Rutherford: So Tendi, did you like it? Tendi: No I didn’t.... I LOVED IT! Tendi waves her arms above her head, telling Rutherford her favourite parts. Boimler: And you said that she wouldn’t like it, I guess you owe me a drink! Mariner grumbles to herself. Mariner: FINE. Tendi: I feel sorry for Tiny Tim and his family, I’m glad that Scrooge had a change of heart and gave them the best Christmas they can ask for! Rutherford: Okie Dokie! Glad you’ve enjoyed it!

Mariner: oh hey, who’s up for some Karaoke? Mariner gets onto the stage followed by the others, Jingle Bells appears on the screen, she starts singing but ignores the lyrics. Mariner: Jingle bells BOIMBLER SMELLS! Boimler: HEY! Mariner: The Tribbles had multiplied! Boimler: Sing it properly! Rutherford: I had fun in a Snowball fight! Boimler: you too Rutherford!? Tendi: In a one Hor-say open sle-ay! Boimler: come on! Tendi almost sang the right lyrics! Mariner: Oh lighten up Boims! it’s Christmas! Boimler: oh.... alright. Boimler gets on stage and joins in the Karaoke.

#star trek lower decks #lower decks #ensign tendi #ensign rutherford #ensign boimler #ensign mariner #Captain Carol Freeman #D'vana Tendi #samanthan rutherford #brad boimler #beckett mariner

[the-awkward-outlaw]

A New Adventure - Pt. 15

Merry Christmas cowpokes! (for those of you who celebrate it.) For the first time, someone sent in a request for a scenario in this piece. I’m happy to say it fit in perfectly for this. Their request was: some cookie making with playful fighting that ends with both covered in sugar, dough, and of course frosting! With a sweet kiss ;) 

Anyways, hope y’all enjoy it. And yes, if you’re wondering, I am open to ideas for future scenarios. 

Masterlist 

Read on AO3

An Eve to Remember 

Christmas is rapidly approaching 

You’re getting nervous about it, even though you’re prepared for the most part

You’ve bought a couple of gifts for Arthur, nothing too big or expensive. Not because you don’t have the money, but you have a feeling he wouldn’t really appreciate it. Arthur is not a material man

You’re pretty sure Arthur has gotten a couple of things for you as well. Mostly because you taught him how to do some online shopping some time ago and you’ve seen the empty shipping boxes in your recycling bin

Once in a store, Arthur saw stockings. You didn’t have any of course, having not celebrated Christmas in a long time. He insisted that you should both get some as he wanted to celebrate it properly. 

You’ve both got stockings as well as things to fill them with. 

For Arthur, you’ve gotten him some of his favorite candies that he’s explored so far (he really likes chocolate covered almonds). 

But he’s also a pretty big fan of jerky. 

All your presents for him are wrapped and under the tree. There’s a few under there for you. 

For the first time since your father died, you’re feeling excited for the day. Not as much as when you were a kid of course, but there’s still some anticipation there. 

You can tell Arthur is excited too. He tries to hide it, but it’s obvious. 

The two of you are still having lots of sex. 

He’s the best partner you’ve ever had in the bedroom. Sure, he doesn’t know a lot of the modern day tricks or toys, but he’s a fast learner. 

The best part about him is he never leaves you half baked during a session. He always makes sure you get your satisfaction.

Your relationship with him has grown stronger the more you’ve made love. Arthur seems to be more crazy about you as well. 

It’s a few days before Christmas and you’ve just come home from work. Arthur greets you with a kiss as he’s more prone to doing. 

As you take off your shoes, Arthur asks if you know how to make cookies. 

“Depends. What kind?” you ask. 

Arthur is a bit surprised to find out there’s multiple kinds of cookies. He shrugs his shoulders. “Just the ones with that frosting.”

He admits he saw a photo on your computer of some sugar cookies and he wanted to try them. 

Of course, you can’t resist his eagerness. So after dinner, you pull up a fairly simple recipe. Luckily you have all the ingredients at hand. 

Arthur does his best to help you, but he’s still pretty new to baking. Sometimes he can be a bit more of a nuisance than a help, but you don’t mind. You know he doesn’t do it on purpose. 

When the first batch of cookies go in the oven and you begin preparing the frosting, Arthur dips his finger in it to taste it. 

“Hey! No tasting before it’s done!” you playfully scold. 

Arthur winks at you and moves to dip his finger back in. You slap his hand. 

Things quickly escalate and you’re both flicking flour and sugar at one another. Normally you’d never let your kitchen get this dirty, but you’re having too much fun to really care. 

Arthur’s much better at smacking you with the powders than you are. Probably thanks to his good aim. 

The oven timer dings, signalling that the first batch of cookies are done. Shit, you never got around to cutting out your second batch because you were fighting with Arthur. 

He pulls them out, appreciatively sniffing as the smell hits him in the face. 

“Mm, shame we gotta wait.” 

“Come on, big guy. Let’s finish this frosting so we can eat them sooner.” 

When he puts the cookies down, he comes over to you. 

“You got some sugar on your cheek,” he says. Instead of brushing it away with his hand, he bends down and kisses your cheek. 

He’s got you trapped between him and the counter, which you don’t mind. 

His lips move from your cheek to your lips. With his hands on your hips, you drape your arms across his firm shoulders. You rub the scruff of his chin and he sighs. 

Already it’s easy to see where things will lead. You almost want to grab the frosting and use it on your bodies, but you end up not. 

When you’re both done in the bedroom, Arthur comes out with you to help clean up the kitchen. 

The cookies turn out pretty good. 

Christmas Eve comes. You have to work, but you’ll be done by mid afternoon. Luckily you’re also working from home, so it’ll make your evening a little easier. 

Despite how boring it will be for him, Arthur insists on staying with you while you work. He just wants to keep you company. 

Over the last couple of weeks, you’ve been introducing Arthur to some simpler video games you’ve been able to get for free on your console (you have not introduced him to Red Dead yet and you probably won’t for a long time). 

He’s pretty shabby at them, mostly because he still hasn’t quite figured out how to use the controller without looking at it. 

He never plays without you being home, but seeing as you’re working, you encourage him to play in order to keep him busy. 

He tries not to ask a lot of questions as to not interrupt your work, but he ends up asking frequently, which you don’t mind. 

Finally your shift ends and you can quit for the rest of the holiday. Arthur’s ecstatic about it. 

For dinner, you do what your family used to do, in that you make a cheese fondue, some marinated steak, french bread and some vegetables. 

Arthur’s never had a cheese dip before, but he ends up rather liking it. 

After dinner, the two of you end up opening your stocking gifts. 

You gave Arthur a new swiss knife which he ends up finding quite impressive. 

He managed to get you a few small gifts that you never would have thought of. None of them are the typical necklaces or jewelry most guys get. 

One of them is a rather unique tree decoration of your favorite animal. It’s your favorite gift by far. 

After stockings, you decide to introduce Arthur to Mr. Bean. You only watch the Christmas episode for now, but you’ll introduce the other ones to him later. 

At first, Arthur thinks it’s overly silly, but once you get to the scene with the nativity, he’s roaring with laughter (although he doesn’t fully understand some of the props like the dalek). 

After that, Arthur’s sold on Mr. Bean, especially after you explain that he’s supposed to be stupid and odd. 

His favorite scene ends up being the one where Bean gets his head stuck in the turkey, mostly because it reminds him of the year Pearson was stuffing a huge turkey Arthur had brought into camp and managed to somehow get it stuck around his arm. 

When Mr. Bean is done, you don’t have any other Christmas movies to watch (except for the best one which you’ll watch tomorrow). 

Instead you and Arthur decide to trade stories of some of your best Christmas memories. 

You don’t have a whole lot as they make you sad, seeing as most of them revolve around your father. 

Arthur has some good ones though. Especially involving Sean and Lenny. 

He does tell one about John when he was a teenager that has you in stitches. 

John had been trying to level up to Arthur’s hunting skill and so he’d tried to go and hunt an elk on his own. Of course, things had not gone well for him as the elk, being unafraid and just coming out of the rut season, had chased John. 

He’d gotten stuck in a tree and been trapped there by the elk for hours until Arthur, sent out by Dutch, found him. 

John had lied about getting trapped and said he was coming up with a strategy to jump onto the elk’s back and ride it like a bronco. 

“Well then, show me your plan,” Arthur had said, leaning on the horn of his saddle. 

John tried jumping off the tree and onto the still furious elk’s back, but fell out of the tree. 

Arthur ended up having to shoot the elk so it didn’t gore John. He was unhurt, aside from a couple of scrapes and a bruised pride. 

“John still insists to this day that he could have ridden that elk,” Arthur finishes with a chuckle. “He’s tried telling it from his perspective every year.” 

He grows somber after this, clearly still stung by losing so much of his family. You can’t blame him. After all, he could go back, but it would mean his death. Plus the gang’s being torn apart by Dutch and Micah. 

Of course, Arthur doesn’t know about Micah, seeing as the last time he was there he was only in the beginning of chapter 6 and just been diagnosed with TB. You don’t have the heart yet to tell him the end results of Dutch’s actions, driven by Micah. 

When the two of you decide to turn in for the night, Arthur surprises you by telling you he doesn’t want to have sex. Instead he just wants to cuddle with you. 

He turns out to be just as good at cuddling as he is at sex. He just holds your head to his chest, his thumb tracing along your shoulder and back. 

You’re just starting to drift off when he kisses your head. “I love you, sweetheart,” he says quietly. 

You smile into his chest, but you fall asleep before you manage to say anything to him. 

In the morning, you wake up to Arthur spooning you. 

Unlike last night, he pulls some moves that lets you know he wants to make love. 

Seeing as it’s Christmas morning, you give in. Arthur really pulls out some of his best moves, making it the best session you’ve had so far. It’s so good you almost don’t want to get out of bed. 

Too soon though, it’s Arthur who insists on getting out in order to unwrap presents. 

Before unwrapping presents though, you decide to cook a big breakfast first. 

When your father was still alive, he’d always cook a big breakfast, with all your favorite foods. 

Arthur is ecstatic to do the same, saying he’d love nothing more than to give you something to add to those memories. 

After stuffing yourself, you and Arthur head into the living room and open presents. 

You got him a beautiful pair of white deer antlers you found in a funny little store a few weeks ago. You like this gift because the antlers were dropped and the animal is likely still alive. 

Arthur hands you a rather heavy gift and when you open it, you gasp. It’s a block of wood that’s carved into a beautiful eagle. Then Arthur says something that brings tears to your eyes. 

“You said your pa loved eagles. So I bought a wood carvin’ set on that Amazon sight and watched some of them Youtube videos.” 

“You… you made this, Arthur?” 

He blushes and looks down, but his smile says it all. 

You wrap your arms around his neck and kiss him. “Arthur, I couldn’t ask for anything so incredible. Thank you.” 

Arthur hugs you right back, but he squeezes so tight it’s almost like he doesn’t want to let you go.

After gifts, you tell Arthur to sit down and you turn on the best Christmas movie (in your opinion): Christmas Vacation. 

Arthur’s laughing by just the cartoon in the beginning. 

He absolutely loves Eddie, even though he’s a complete dumbass. He has to admire him for his drive to try and give his kids a good Christmas (even if he isn’t very good at it). 

When the movie ends, Arthur says he really likes it and he can see why you save it for last. 

As you smile at him, you suddenly recall what he’d said last night in bed. 

“By the way, I love you too,” you say. 

“Huh?” he says, but he’s blushing. 

“You said you loved me last night. I just… wanted to tell you I feel the same.” 

Arthur smiles. The kiss he gives you in return is one you will never forget.

#arthur morgan #arthur morgan x female reader #a new adventure #red dead fanfic #i'm awkward

[thepermanentrainpress]

THE PERMANENT RAIN PRESS INTERVIEW WITH AZRIEL DALMAN

He may only be 7 years old, but don’t let numbers fool you. Azriel (Azi) Dalman already has nearly thirty credits to his name! The accomplished young artist from Vancouver has had a big 2020, but there’s no slowing down for Azi, who has a number of exciting upcoming projects to share with the world. 

Your older brother, Aias, is also an actor. While you are only 7 years old, tell us about your interest in following his footsteps, and what made you want to start auditioning for film/TV?

I loved seeing the completed films my brother was in but I didn’t really understand how he got into them. One day, I was 3 maybe, we went to a commercial audition for my brother and the Casting Director came into the waiting room and asked the kids to practice singing “Old MacDonald.” I knew the song and sang it also. They took the kids in to audition as a group and I asked why this was happening. My mom said it was because they were going to see who should be in the commercial where they sing it. I realized what an audition was then, it meant they were trying out to see who got to be on the video. I asked if I could go do it too and my mom said no because it was not my audition, so I asked if I could get auditions too. After that I got an agent. I never got to audition by singing “Old MacDonald” though so I guess that ship has sailed.

What are your favourite movies or characters?

I love Wall-E and Soul for cartoons. For TV Characters I like Jim and Dwight from The Office a lot. I used to want to be Jake Peralta from Brooklyn Nine-Nine and I think I definitely look like him! And of course I love the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe)!

What is your favourite snack from catering? Is there a food item that you’re most excited to see on the daily menu on-set?

My favourite is a drink, it’s the iced tea. I also like M&Ms but I’m only supposed to have the yellow or orange ones or my mouth will change colours which annoys the people who do makeup... I don’t want to stress them out. I like beef jerky and ramen bowls too but they usually hide those on the truck so you have to ask for them special. For lunch I like trying the new things but my favourite most recent new food was crunchy pork! The 3rd ADs are so nice and deliver the food to my trailer but I like to go for a walk after we eat in the trailer and say hi to the catering people and look at the dessert. On this last project, they learned I liked watermelon on the first day and kept keeping special watermelon for me.

You recently wrapped Coyote Creek Christmas, your first Hallmark Christmas Movie! Congratulations! You worked opposite Ryan Paevey (as your father) and Janel Parrish, tell us about your experience working with Ryan and Janel.

Ryan and Janel are the best humans. They are both down to earth, kind, patient, friendly, funny, loving, talented, and FUN. It was so much fun to work with them because they treated me like a real friend and with a lot of respect. They included me in all of their talks and fun, and never made me feel like I was annoying them because I am a kid. I was very excited to see them every day and now I ask to see their Instagram posts because I love looking at their pictures! I am not surprised they work a lot, they are so good at acting and being around them is so easy. Ryan knows everything about bugs and Pokémon. Both of them are obsessed with dogs and when they saw someone walk by with a dog, they would hug and kiss the dogs... random dogs! It was really funny. They taught me a lot of acting tips also, both on purpose and by accident.

We saw on Instagram that Ryan took you to see Free Guy at the movie theater! Was it easy for you to bond as father-son?

It was easy and instant and it feels like I’ve always known Ryan as a real uncle or something. Sometimes when I am someone’s kid in a movie, I have to do real acting to pretend I am their kid, not because they aren’t nice but because I don’t know them well and I don’t really get to know them too well on the project. With Ryan I didn’t really have to do any acting to pretend I knew him, because I got to know him fast.

What can you share about your character, Noah Bailey?

I don’t think I can say too many spoilers, but I will say that Noah gets to be sarcastic and funny, and I love that. I don’t get to be funny on a MOW (movie of the week) usually, I just get to be cute or scared or sad. Noah was supposed to be a 10-year-old so I got to do some smart lines! And we have some funny scenes too. Ryan said one of the scenes we have together is his favourite scene he has ever done because it’s so funny and cute, and I thought that was really cool.

You can now cross this career goal off your list! Why was a Hallmark Christmas Movie on your bucket list; what do you (and your family) enjoy about them each holiday season?

Christmas movies are the kind of movies you watch every year like a tradition and I love things that are a tradition. My family lives in Vancouver, Canada but MOST of my family lives in America so we don’t get to see them at Christmas. I wanted to be in a Christmas movie so my family far away could see me on the TV at Christmas when they are missing me and so I can watch the movie with my kids when I’m a grown up and say “haha that is me!” For Christmas my family puts up a tree and we eat really good food. We also watch Christmas movies like Rankin/Bass movies, Home Alone, and Die Hard which is definitely a Christmas movie. I basically love everything about Christmas, especially the decorating. My birthday is 2 days after Christmas so I think I’m a Christmas Boy for sure.

Is it funny to see Christmas decorations and fake snow in the summer?

It was a little bit funny but it was also confusing! My brain kept forgetting what season it was. My mom warned me over and over again with every Christmas movie audition that it would be hot, but the joke was on her because we actually had some days that were cold! There were only one or two reallllly hot outside days. We got very lucky. I think the times it was hot on set it was mostly because of the gear and no air conditioning being on. Air conditioning is too loud for movies, I think. It wrecks the sound or something.

You are set to star in the short film Dragon Fruit. What can you share about this project?

Dragon Fruit is going to be so good. The Director, Jeremy Brown, is really nice and smart and made the whole experience really special for all the actors. His props and special effects are amazing... he makes them almost all himself... and the film is going to be... guess what... a sci-fi! It’s post-apocalyptic. A funny thing about it is that I am very dirty in the film so I would go to set clean and they would basically put fake dirt all over me and make my hair messy, then when I left they would clean me up! On one of the shoot dates I had to do a live interview in the middle of the day for another project, so they had to make me dirty, clean me up, and then make me dirty again, and then clean me up again!

Yvonne Chapman will play your mother. She is remarkable in the CW’s Kung Fu as Zhilan. Did it surprise you to see her as the villain in the show?

I was shocked she was a villain because in real life she is definitely NOT a villain type, she is so nice. She is obviously very good at acting! But I am not surprised she is so tough in that show because she does some really tough things in Dragon Fruit too! Yvonne is really nice to work with also, she sits and talks to me and makes jokes with me. I am wrapped on Dragon Fruit now which is sort of sad, because we did it for like 6 months or something, but at least it means the film will be out soon.

You have a part in the action sci-fi Moonfall out next year, and you even made it into the teaser trailer! How exciting! While you likely cannot say much about Sonny Child, what can you share about your initial reaction to booking this movie?

Everything about Moonfall was very exciting. The audition was one of the first ones I got after the forced break by COVID and when we saw it was in Montreal and they were auditioning kids all over Canada we thought it was a long shot, but auditions are opportunities that can be very rare, so you should always do an audition if you are comfortable with it, and always do your best. Anyway yeah, this one was far from Vancouver so when I booked it, we were extra shocked and grateful. Honestly even after the booking, we were not sure it would really happen because of the virus and how things changed every day, so we did not even believe it would happen until we were on the plane! Montreal was the best, I loved it there so much, and I hope I get to work at Grande Studios again!

Did you get to meet and interact with your director, Roland Emmerich? What did you learn from him, and had you (or maybe your parents!) watched any of his previous films?

Yes of course, Roland was the Director so he directed me! Before we left, I watched Independence Day and I was very impressed and thought “This guy really knows what he is doing! I better know my role well!” Roland was very nice and so was Harald (Kloser). They both gave me lots of compliments and I loved that! It was very full-on too, I worked every minute of my time on set there with the exception of my legal breaks and lunch. I loved it so much and I hope I will get to work with Roland on another project someday. I don’t know how to specifically describe what I learned without spoilers, but yeah it was a huge learning opportunity.

What is your favourite object you have gotten to take home from any set?

It’s impossible to choose just one! These are in no order, ok? The first thing is actually TECHNICALLY a lot of things because I often get to take home wardrobe from my character’s “closet” when we wrap. I am obsessed with clothes and was given really cool clothing from the costumers on many sets. Most recently I got a mint hoody I love. I audition in those clothes a lot for good luck. The second thing is a special prop that Jeremy Brown MADE me on Dragon Fruit as a wrap gift. There is a super cool secret weapon in the movie that I will not spoil, and Jeremy MADE me a safer toy version of it. Before my mom saw it was a toy version, she looked very scared when he handed it to me! Third, there are two special items Noah Bailey ALWAYS has with him in Coyote Creek Christmas (no spoilers!) and Ryan, David Strasser (the Director), and Antonio Cupo (the Executive Producer) presented them to me TO KEEP AS GIFTS at wrap in front of the whole crew. It was very special. I am saving these things forever, even some of the clothes! AND one more ok? Fourth, I get to keep the signs that say my name on my set chair and/or trailer door during projects. I hang those up on my wall in my room.

Is there a dream role or character you would like to play in the future? If not character, are there any specific film/TV genres or franchises you would like to be in?

Ok so here’s the thing. I had a few wishes that I wanted to come true in acting... one was the Christmas movie... and one was to play a very specific other actor’s sibling in something. GUESS WHAT? Both those things came true in 2021. Do you know the odds of that sibling thing coming true... my mom said it seemed impossible! But it did come true SOMEHOW. So now I am setting my goals super high and not worrying about how impossible they seem or how many there are. My biggest next goal is to be in Marvel ANYTHING. And you know what, I think Ryan should be in Marvel too, so I think my next goal is to be in Marvel with Ryan! I also want to be a voice of a video game character pretty badly! I also want to do some comedy!

What are your favourite places to visit or eat at in Vancouver?

I am obsessed with sushi and Korean food and lately my favourite place is Shabusen Yakiniku House because you can get both. There’s also a place on Granville Street called The Colony that has a bunch of old arcade games and I love that place too but we haven’t been since before COVID. I hope it’s still there.

You also enjoy other forms of arts like ballet, reading, and writing comics. How do you find the time for all your activities, school, and your growing career in film?

Oh I have a lot of free time. It’s weird. It sounds like I do a lot of stuff but lots of other kids tell me they do like 10 activities really well! I don’t want to do 10 activities because I really like relaxing, so instead of doing like 10, I want to do a few and just do them really well. Ballet is great because I feel like a ninja in the clothes, I don’t have to audition to do it, and it’s definitely a sport. Reading and writing comics I can do while relaxing, and even when I’m on set!

Tell us about the role your parents play in your life and career, not only for you but your brother as well! You keep them busy, but they must be so supportive of you.

My mom does mostly all the acting stuff like keeping track of the auditions and taping and going to set. My dad is a little nervous about going to set for some reason, but I think he would be fine! We are very busy but no one seems to ever complain. The only time it’s a little sad is when we are apart for long during filming but we always do video calls then.

For other young actors like yourself, do you have any advice for how to be confident in front of the camera? What (or who) has helped you prepare for roles and memorize lines?

I think to feel confident you have to know what you are doing. I was confident when I was 3 for some random reason, and then I took some acting classes at LeBlanc School of Acting and those helped me know what I was doing for sure. I have had lots of coaches teach me stuff like Julian, Athena, Kirsten, Natalie, Brian, and Beatrice are a few of their names. Sorry if I forgot anyone! For most specific auditions, I use the things ALL those people taught me and then I work with my brother on the specific scripts. Oh and on the set of my last movie, my new actor friend Naomi King told me that you should learn the scene not the lines... but you will definitely learn the lines once you learn the scene!

We have our signature question for you – if you could be any ice cream flavour, which would you be and why?

Well... I would not want to be ice cream! But if I had to be, I’d definitely be Green Tea or Mango.

Thanks for the insight into your projects and thoughts, Azi! We cannot wait to see you return to action on our screens, and follow as your career grows. To stay up to date on Azi’s upcoming projects and get a behind the scenes look into his busy and exciting life, follow him on Instagram. 

Photo credit (top) to: Candace Woods Special thanks to: NoodleHead Productions

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