#But full on ''They see each other as parent/children 🥺🥺'' no

[kaluawoo]

"They would not fucking say that" but it's "They would not fucking see each other as family"

[certifiedlovergirlsstuff]

need a part 2 for sleeping beauty already omg ur writing is too beautiful, need to read Spencer being shy n sweet

:((( ♡

thank you honey🥺 i want spencer to whisper in my ear😔 pt1

“are you okay with sharing a popcorn?” looking to your left at spencer while the two of you stood in the concessions line.

the old styled theater was heavily packed with different ages of people. from young children with parents, to couples holding onto each other, and elderly adults sitting down before heading into the show room. you could see why spencer would enjoy coming to this place, he could meet people of similar interest.

spencer held on tightly to the strap of his satchel, “i don’t really eat popcorn much. also did you know that popcorn has been around for about nine thousand years, evidence found by archaeologists in peru.” he looked away from you then squeezed his eyes shut, “uh, but i’ll be okay with- with sharing if i want a few pieces.”

your lips shaped into a smile, “we can ask for a water cup and pour some in for yourself before i start eating.” two steps forward in line, “what size drink? and beverage?” eyes squinting a bit to read over the options.

“your not paying, right?” a stern tone from spencer that it gives you whiplash for a moment. his brows are harshly pinched in the middle, a finger twitched at the urge to smooth out the wrinkle.

you shrugged, “you bought the tickets, thought i could buy the food. probably gonna be equal pricing in total.” used to splitting or paying in full for past dates.

spencer pushed his bag behind him, your wallet was tucked away in the brown leather. “no, this is a date,” insisting, “i’m paying for everything. i want to treat you.” softening his voice as he stared at you, his eyes rounding out into that doe shape.

you bit into your bottom lip, saving your cheeks from their future ache of how strong your smile widened. “okay,” embracing spencer’s gentlemanly deed. you looked back to the line, only three more people ahead.

you let your arms rest at your sides, fingers constantly moving, wanting to do something bold but unsure if it’s too soon. there was a ghost of knuckles that tingled your skin and then, one slender finger wrapped itself around your pointer finger. your heart skipped a beat at the contact, but you acted like this was an everyday occurrence, the intimacy felt normal.

“do you want any candy?” spencer resumed your food chat. you hummed for a moment, “if i get a kitkat and reeces pieces, will you share with me?” giving your joined digits a slight swing.

“the kitkat. not a big fan of the reeces texture.” once at the counter spencer recited your order easily, not bothering with a spare water cup. you carried your soda while spencer held the small popcorn, his water and the candy placed into his bag.

“are you okay with the back? don’t want to distract people with all my moving.” standing at the foot of the steps, only two third of the seats filled during the commercials.

you dragged spencer behind you as you guided the both of you to the last row, a pair of seats close to the middle. “are you okay with translating the whole thing? if it’s like the original then i’ll be fine.” hoping spencer still agrees, but the movie is an hour and a half long.

spencer was distracted with his bag when he replied, “i’ve already seen this movie. i don’t mind talking you through it.”

your face warmed instantly at the innuendo. “just- just take a break whenever. i can use context clues.” crossing a leg over a knee so you can lean closer into spencer’s side. “thank you, for this date,” whispered between the two of you.

spencer turned his head quickly that your noses brushed, his lip parting and you let your eyes drop to the plush pink calling to you. you let your head move in just an inch closer, waiting to see if spencer will lean away or go forward. just before there was a definite decision the lights dimmed and an usher walked in front of the screen.

you settled your back against the cushioned chair but stayed leaning, elbow resting on the arm rest. “enjoy the show,” the usher finished with before leaving and just a moment after the projector lights shined above your heads.

sleeping beauty appeared in swooping cursive titling then faded into the opening scene of a giant fairytale book. you barely moved your head when you felt spencer’s breath ghosting over your ear, needing to suppress a sudden shiver.

“once upon a time��”

[javierpena-inatacvest]

Chapter 14- Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas

Summary: You and Javi celebrate your first Christmas together in Laredo

Word Count: 11.3K (could be worse?)

Warnings: SMUT (18+), unprotected p in v sex (don't be a fool, wrap your tool), oral (f receiving), face sitting (awh hell yes), creampie, praise kink, breeding kink, mentions of food/eating, mentions of grief/death (but it's sweet), children being assholes (I'm a teacher, I'm allowed to say it), our favorite idiots Carter and Miller making a brief appearance (I missed them), Javi being so sweet with kids (this does deserve a warning, I'm sorry) Javi being so kind, patient, thoughtful, amazing UGH he is too good for this earth 🥹😩

A/N: Thank you for your patience as I finally get this chapter done! Life has been absolutely crazy these past two weeks, so I'm hoping now that things have settled down, I can get back to working on chapters at a more regular schedule 🥴 If you're a Christmas girlie (gender neutral) like me, this chapter is for you, because even though it's only October, I really can't help myself (and like these two idiots celebrating Christmas together for the first time?! C'mon 🥺)

Series Masterlist Next Chapter Previous Chapter

“So you’re leaving early today to do arts and crafts? That’s a new one.” Agent Miller snickered, leaning over his desk to slap his partner, Agent Carter, in amusement as they watched their boss begin to organize his desk and pack up his briefcase, already rolling his eyes in annoyance at the grief he was about to get from his co-workers for his early departure. 

“I’m not the one doing the arts and crafts. I’m just going into her class to help, you idiot.” Javi sighed, glaring at Miller as he finished sorting the rest of his paperwork piles. 

Last week, you had asked Javi if he would be able to come into your classroom one afternoon when he wasn't busy, to help with the project you were planning for your students to give to their parents as a Christmas gift before they left for winter break. You had quickly realized that for the sake of your sanity,  what you had planned was nowhere near a one man job, and because it was a surprise gift for their families, you didn’t want to ask any parents to come into help. Javi had happily accepted, even with your adamant warnings of the case of Christmas Crazies your class had with only days left before winter break. 

“…. To help do arts and crafts. Just callin’ a spade a spade here, Peña. Does that mean we’re gonna start having craft time here, too?” Miller and Carter chuckled to themselves, smirking at Javi, now slinging his briefcase over his shoulder, making his way out of his office. 

“Listen, Miller. Give Peña all the shit you want, but I would way rather be cutting and gluing shit and throwing fist fulls of glitter in the air than working on these fucking reports.” Carter huffed, waving the file folder Miller was supposed to be working on in his face before throwing it back down on his desk. 

“Fair enough.” 

“I wouldn’t trust you dumbasses with scissors and glue if my life depended on it.” Javi groaned, raising an eyebrow at the pair before picking up one of the finished reports off of Carter’s desk, using it to point at the two on his way out. “These better be done by the time I get back tomorrow.” 

“But I’m gonna need extra time to decorate them for you, Peña!” Miller grinned, he and Carter playfully swatting at each other in hysterics, Javi flipping them off as he headed out the door. 

After his mom passed, Javi would have never thought Alma Pierce Elementary School would be a place that would hold any more relevance to him, let alone be a place that he would frequent, now that his future wife worked there. He couldn’t help but smile as he pulled into the parking lot, thinking about the joy it would have brought Lucia to see that her years of having Javi help her with her own classroom were still going to good use with you. He also couldn’t help but smile to himself as he grabbed the coffee sitting in his cup holder he had picked up for you on the way over from the station, also knowing his mom would have had some choice words to say to him if he showed up empty handed to your classroom.  

After checking in with the office, he made the now familiar route down to your classroom, weaving through the tiny bodies patterning down the hallway, screeching and squealing with what had to be uncontrollable Christmas excitement. He gently tapped at your door before opening it, a grin growing across your face as you looked up from your desk as you saw your fiancé with an extra large cup of coffee in his hands at the doorway. 

“Oh my god, you brought me coffee? I owe you my life, you are the best. Thank you.” The sigh you let out felt like the weight of the world lifted off your shoulders as you shot up to run over to Javi, giving him a big hug before snatching the cup out of his hands and taking a long swig of the caffeine you knew you were going to need to get you through the afternoon. 

“I figured you could probably use it.” Javi chuckled, pressing a kiss into the top of your head before looking around, noticing that you were the only one in your room. “Where are the kids?” 

“They’re at lunch, I was just about to leave to go pick them up. They’ve been absolute psychopaths today. I know it’s wrong to say I wanna drop kick a child out a window, but I’m real close.” You grumbled, taking another long sip of your coffee. “I don’t think I would have made it out alive today if you didn’t come in to help, so I apologize in advance for their behavior. I may or may not have told them that because you work for the police you keep track of what kids are well behaved or not to try and scare them a little.” You grimaced, knowing that the comment you had made earlier to your kids when you told them Javi was coming into help wasn’t the most ethical, but you were desperate for anything that would even remotely help control the chaos in your classroom with only 2 days left before winter break. 

“Any kids in particular I need to be on the lookout for?” Javi asked, laughing to himself as you leaned over to set your coffee on your desk before heading towards the door to go pick up your class from the cafeteria. 

“Oh… you’ll know them when you see them.” 

You closed the door behind you, giving Javi a quick wink, leaving him alone in your classroom to wait for the arrival of the promised circus show that was your students. He wandered over to your desk, peeking through the piles of papers, sticky notes of to-do’s and drawings your students had given you. On the wall by your calendars, there was a photo of you and your family, 2 of you and Javi, and a note that he had written you one day and stuck in your lunch box, scribbled down in his rushed handwriting 

Te amo mucho, hermosa. Have a great day.  

-J 

He thumbed gently at the wrinkled note, smiling to himself, still in awe of how the pieces of him seemed to follow you in everywhere you went. The sweet moment was quickly interrupted by the sounds of little voices bursting through the doorway, chattering away as they rushed to go sit on the carpet at the front of the room. 

“Who’s that guy?!” A boy’s voice asked, pointing in Javi’s direction before balling up his body and doing a literal somersault across the carpet. 

“It’s Mr. Peña! Do you not remember when our teacher told us before lunch that he was coming, dummy?” A girl’s voice responded, rolling her eyes at the boy, now laying face down on the floor. As more and more kids came over to the carpet, the more and more voices began to chime in. 

“Don’t call him a dummy, Angela, that’s mean!”

“Well he is!” 

“Why does that guy have a mustache?” 

“My uncle has a mustache!” 

“When are we going home?” 

“Miguel tried to kick me in the nuts at recess!” 

“I did not!” 

You buried your hands in your face, letting out a deep sigh, shaking your head before looking back at Javi, quietly mouthing “I’m so sorry.” across the room before making your way to the front of the class. 

“If you can hear me, clap once.” 

3 or 4 half hearted claps followed over the chatter. 

“If you can hear me, clap twice.” 

More students began to join in, curious to see that Javi was now also following your directions. 

“If you can hear me, put your hands on your head and turn off your voice.” 

Finally, the volume of your room began to ease, all of your students, and Javi, quietly looking at you with their hands resting on top of their heads. 

“Okay, 3rd graders. Right now, we are going to work on our holiday presents for our grownups we’ve been talking about all week. Remember how I told you this morning that we have someone special coming in to help today?” The class nodded, eyes glued on Javi. “This is Mr. Peña. Can you guys say hi?” 

“Hi, Mr. Peña!” The class waved at him, Javi now smiling and waving back at them. 

“Mr. Peña is taking time out of his day to come help us with our project, so we need to show him what a respectful, responsible and safe class we are, okay? If we can follow directions and everyone gets their project done, then we will have time for extra recess at the end of the day.” Javi snickered at the silent grins and high-fives on the carpet in hopes of bonus time outside. “Once you glue your picture on your plate to make your snowglobe, you can come see me to put the snowflakes inside, and then take it over to Mr. Peña and he’s going to hot glue it for you.” 

A tiny hand quickly shot up, waving it back and forth. “No, Miguel. You cannot use the hot glue gun. It’s a grownup's only job.” You tried your best not to roll your eyes as Miguel frowned and put his hand back in his lap, knowing damn well he would be one to try and hot glue his hands together. “Do we have any questions before we start?” Almost all of your class’s hands shot up immediately, all beaming at Javi, frantically wiggling their arms in the air. You laughed to yourself, knowing that none of them had any questions about the project, and just wanted to talk to Javi. “Are these all just questions for Mr. Peña?” The class nodded, now squirming in their spots. “Okay, we can do 3 questions right now, and maybe if we have time at the end we can ask him some more questions. Is that okay, Mr. Peña?” 

“Uh, yeah. Yeah, sure.” Javi smiled, trying his best to keep from smirking at you and your teacher voice that seemed to be having a much stronger effect on him than he had intended.  

“Okay, Mr. Peña is going to pick 3 people who are sitting on their bottom and are waiting quietly and patiently for a turn.” You couldn’t help but smirk back at him as he stepped next to you on the front of the carpet, nervously running his thumb over his knuckles to prepare for his interrogation from 8 and 9 year olds. He pointed over to a girl at the back of the group, nodding to her to ask whatever was on her mind. 

“So you’re marrying our teacher? Do you love her? Have you ever kissed her before?” The entire class erupted with giggles as Javi’s face went red with embarrassment. 

“Uh,  yeah. I love her a lot and that’s why we’re getting married.” Javi leaned over to whisper in your ear as the kids continued to snicker. “Am I allowed to answer the last part?” 

“We’re not gonna talk about kissing at school, okay, Maya?” You laughed, giving Javi a little nudge as he pointed to the next student, picking a boy this time, in hopes that he wouldn’t have intense questions about his love life. 

“Our teacher said that you work at the police station. Have you ever arrested anyone? Do you catch bad guys?” One of the boys asked, the rest of the class leaning in with intrigue. Javi rubbed his hand over the back of his neck, trying to maneuver another hard hitting question. 

“Well I uh, I help train the guys who catch the bad guys, I don’t actually go out and catch them.” 

“SO YOU DON’T THROW PEOPLE IN JAIL?!” Miguel shouted out, barely letting Javi answer his question. 

“I’m gonna throw you in jail, Miguel…” you muttered under your breath, hiding your face behind Javi’s shoulder, the both of you trying to contain your laughter. 

“No, I don’t. Uh okay, last one.” He pointed to another girl who had been patiently waiting with her hand raised the entire time Javi had been sharing. 

“One time, my grandpa punched my dad in the face, and they kept punching and punching and so then my mom called the police, and then he had to go to jail and my Grandpa kept yelling you motherfu-.” 

“OKAY, on that note we’re gonna start with our projects, everything is already on your desks. Come see me for snowflakes and Mr. Peña for gluing both pieces together.” Your eyes widened in horror, jumping in to try and cut her off before she could finish the rest of her thought. It had thankfully seemed like the rest of the class had been oblivious, racing back to their desks to work on their projects. You pinched the bridge of your nose before rubbing your fingers against your temples, trying not to wither away from the embarrassment your class had decided to subject you to with their questions for Javi. 

“... I am so sorry.” You sighed, shaking your head as you looked over at Javi, trying his best to keep from laughing at the antics your class was already up to before they had even started working on their project. 

“Is this what it’s like every day?” Javi’s eyes widened as he looked out at the classroom, already overwhelmed by the noise and bodies moving everywhere. 

“It’s normally not this bad, I swear I’m a good teacher. With it being 2 days before break, as long as everyone makes it home alive, I’m calling it a win. Thank you again for coming to help, Jav. You okay to man the hot glue station?” 

“Of course, Osita.” He smiled, giving your hand a little squeeze. 

“Miguel will legitimately try to glue his hands together, so just be… extra careful when he comes around.”  

You couldn’t have been more thankful that Javi had agreed to help you with your project, because passing out confetti snowflakes alone was enough to make you lose your mind, let alone try and glue things together, too. Through the chaos, you and Javi found yourself exchanging quick glances, quietly laughing to yourself at the craziness. You couldn’t help but stare a little longer as you watched Javi your students, patiently helping each of them, listening to them share about who they were planning on giving their handmade gift to, complementing them on their work,  and carefully monitoring to make sure no one (especially Miguel) got too close to the hot glue gun. You’d be lying if  you said it ever got old watching how goddamn sweet he was with any kid he talked to, making your heartbeat a little faster at the thought of how much sweeter he’d be when it was one of your own. 

By some miracle, everyone had finished with their gift before it was time for gym, glady sending them on their way to go burn off some excessive energy to help you through the last few hours of the day. Javi’s mom had clearly trained him well, coming back to find him helping to clean up the leftover mess from your crafts after dropping your class off. 

“You don’t have to help clean up, Jav. You’ve already done more than enough.” You sighed, sitting yourself on top of the desk Javi was next to, reaching out to grab his hand. 

“Osita. If this is what you do every fucking day all day long, the least I can help you do is clean up. Jesus Christ, this was fucking exhausting.” 

“Well, I really threw you into the worst of it, so I apologize. Thank you again for helping. The kids really liked you. They kept asking the whole way to gym when you were going to come back. I told them when they stopped acting like a pack of wild monkeys, maybe you’ll consider.” You and Javi laughed, Javi gently resting his hand on your knee, thumb circling against your jeans. 

“I’ll come back any time, Hermosa. Getting to watch my hot, future wife kick ass at her job is way better than having to harp on Carter and Miller to run the reports I ask them to every goddamn day. I’m more than happy to stay if you need more help, but I figured since I took the rest of the afternoon off, and I have a genuine appreciation for a fraction of how fucking hard your job is, I would go home and make whatever you want for dinner and finish up shit around the apartment so we can spend tonight doing whatever you want.” You smiled up at Javi, reaching your hand under his chin, pulling it closer to you to plant a quick kiss on his lips. 

“Someone’s really trying to make sure they make their place on the Nice List before Christmas.” You smirked, raising an eyebrow at Javi, crossing your arms over your chest. 

“You deserve it all, Osita. It’s seriously the least I can do. Although, the things I wanna do to you later are definitely gonna end me up on the Naughty List.” He gripped his hand around the meat of your thigh, giving it a long squeeze as he placed a tender kiss on your lips, trying to use every ounce of self control to remember he was still at your work, let alone an elementary school where an 8 year old could come busting through the door at any moment. 

“You’re such a fucking dork. You’re lucky I love you so much.” You rolled your eyes, playfully swatting at him. “Thank you, Jav. You really are the best. Can we do breakfast for dinner?” 

“I had a feeling that was what you were gonna ask for.” 

“Breakfast is the superior food at all hours of the day, and no one can convince me otherwise.” 

“Pancakes or waffles?” 

“Surprise me.” 

You pecked a quick kiss onto Javi’s cheek before sliding off the desk, wrapping your arms around him, giving him a hug, pressing your face into the fabric of his dress shirt, savoring the familiarity of his sweet and spicy cologne that had become the scent that smelled like home. “Alright, as much as I don’t want you to leave, I probably should be a good teacher and print the rest of the things I need and salvage a survival plan for the next two days before the gremlins get back.” 

“I’ll see you at home, Hermosa. Love you” 

“Love you too.” 

With one last squeeze, and a wave as he headed out the door, Javi left you in your empty classroom, looking out at the disaster left in your student’s wake. Christmas couldn’t come fast enough. 

Anything that you had planned for the afternoon had quickly gone out the window after your class had returned from gym, your plans for an extra long recess turning into an even longer recess, and part of a movie before sending the kids on their way home. Some way or another, you were able to drag yourself home, the promise of breakfast food keeping you afloat the entirety of your drive home. 

As you walked down the hallway of your apartment, you could hear the quick pops and sizzles of the bacon Javi was cooking over the muffled Christmas music in the background. Turning your key in the lock on the doorknob, you pushed the door open, immediately dropping your school bag and kicking off your shoes, practically falling to the floor from exhaustion. Before you could even turn around to greet Javi, you felt his arms reaching under your legs and around your shoulders, making you squeal as he scooped you up, carrying you across the entry way towards the living room. 

“Hi?” You laughed, looking up at Javi in confusion as to why you had barely made it 2 feet into your apartment before he was picking you up and carrying you away. 

“Hi.” He smiled down at you, giving you a little shake in his grip. 

“Can I ask why you’re carrying me? Am I not allowed to walk anymore?” You guestrued down at the ground, watching your legs dangle with each step Javi took. 

“Because you work harder than anyone I know, and after today, if I’m fucking tired, you must be fucking exhausted, and my amazing, beautiful future wife deserves to relax.”

 He paused, tilting his head down to give you a kiss before turning his body the opposite direction. You had been so focused on Javi as he carried you from the doorway, you hadn’t even realized what was set up in the living room until he had shifted his position, facing you towards it. You looked over to see a blanket fort built between the ends of the couch, TV paused and ready to watch “It’s A Wonderful Life”, and the Christmas tree the two of you had decorated together lit up and twinkling, casting warm shadows on the walls. “Pajamas are in there, so change, lay down and I’m bringing you breakfast while we watch the movie.” 

You could feel the tears welling in your eyes as you looked out at the living room and back up at Javi. “Javi, you didn’t have to-” 

“I know, I didn’t have to do anything. I wanted to. I know how much you love Christmas and how we haven’t done much to celebrate since you’ve been busy with work, so I wanted to do something for you.” A grin grew across Javi’s face, watching your jaw hang open in shock as he set you down, letting you go over to examine his blanket creation. You stood there, shaking your head in disbelief, wondering to yourself how the hell you had gotten so lucky that someone cared enough about you to make you dinner after a long day, let alone plan something special for you, even if it was just in your living room. Before you could even respond, Javi was heading back to the kitchen to turn off the beeping timer of the oven, gesturing over to the fort. “I’ll be in there in a second.” 

“Javi, you set this all up for me, at least let me help with dinner or-” 

“Osita. Go put on pajamas and lay down. I swear to God, you’re the only person I’ve ever met that needs more convincing to go sit and relax than get up and do things.” He laughed, pointing at the covered couch, demanding you to get in. You held your hands up in defense before kneeling down to peek under the blankets Javi had draped over the top to see your comforter, all the pillows and blankets you owned, and your favorite sweatshirt and sweatpants of Javi’s folded neatly on top of everything. You quickly stood back up, unzipping and shuffling out of your jeans, trading them out for the sweatpants before stripping yourself of your shirt and bra, peeking around the corner to see Javi biting down on his bottom lip, eyes glued to you as you slipped his sweatshirt over your head. 

“I should have known better than to think you would have put out clothes for me to change into for any other reason than your own selfish gain, Javier Peña.” You jabbed, Javi shrugging as he grabbed two plates of the breakfast that he had finished cooking, bringing them back over to you. 

“Me? Wanting to watch you change on purpose, knowing damn well you were gonna take your bra off before you put my sweatshirt on? I don’t know what you’re talking about, Osita.” He smirked, a devilish grin growing across his face as he ducked into the fort, giving you a quick wink. 

“You? Wanting to see my boobs? Yeah, you’re right, how silly of me.” You groaned, voice oozing with sarcasm as you followed him, snuggling yourself under a blanket as Javi handed a plate over to you. “In all seriousness, this is really sweet of you, Javi. Thank you. Didn’t picture you as a big blanket fort kind of guy.” You giggled, giving him a little nudge. 

“I would make them all the time when I was little. Especially with my mom. I’d play with Hot Wheels in there, or my mom would read with me- I don’t know, maybe it’s from being with you at school today, and thinking about her, but I got home and thought you’d like it. You seem like someone who made their fair share of blanket forts as a kid.” Javi’s face beamed with a soft smile, the dimples of his cheeks creasing as he grinned over at you. 

“That’s really sweet. She sounds like she was the best mom. That’s a lot sweeter than my memories of building forts. My brothers and I had a pretty much permanent one set up in the basement made from old hockey sticks, but it was referred to in our house as Pound Town. We would go in and beat the shit out of each other with pillows until it collapsed on us and we’d have to pause, try to build it again, and beat the shit out of each other with pillows as we argued about if we were building it right or not. My parents let it slide because we weren’t annoying them, until one day when Patrick and I got in a huge fight about which couch cushions to use and he took one of the hockey sticks and hit me in the face and gave me a black eye. Pound Town was no more after that.” You grimaced, taking a bite of one of the  chocolate chip pancakes Javi had put on your plate. 

“I’m pretty sure at this point, you could tell me that you and your brothers robbed a bank and I wouldn’t be surprised.” 

“We were always well behaved during December, though. My parents definitely played into the threat of being on the naughty list as soon as Thanksgiving was over. At least they got a few weeks of peace each year. I honestly think that my parents were just as excited for Christmas movies as we were, because it at least gave them an hour and a half of semi-silence.” You laughed, nodding your head towards the TV. 

“I’m gonna be honest, Osita. I don’t blame them.” You sighed, leaning your head against Javi’s chest, feeling it rise and fall with each small huff of laughter. “We don’t have to watch “It’s a Wonderful Life” either, I just know you said you liked it and we didn’t get to watch it yet.” 

“No, this is a perfect pick. It’s one of my favorites. You wanna start it?” Reaching over for the remote, you smiled at Javi as he nodded, pressing play as the title credits began rolling across the screen. Javi had quickly come to learn that if you liked a movie, not only were you willing to watch it a million times, you knew just about every line, like you were putting on a one man production of whatever it was you were watching. Although you always quoted everything to yourself under your breath, something about it made Javi’s heart melt, spending more time looking over at you, whispering the lines of the movie to yourself, rather than watching whatever was on the screen. In between bites of breakfast, Javi watched your cheeks turn rosy as you watched a little George and Mary on the screen, eating ice cream at the drugstore, Mary leaning down to whisper in George’s ear. Javi had only seen the movie a handful of times, knowing it nowhere near as well as you, but well enough to know the line you mouthed to yourself wasn’t quite right. 

“Javier Peña, I’ll love you ‘till the day I die.” 

The two of you munched away at the rest of your breakfast dinner, Javi taking both of your empty plates back to the kitchen before nestling back under the blankets, wrapping his arm around your shoulder as you laid your head against his chest. Now watching George and Mary throw stones through the windows of the old, abandoned house, making wishes of what they hoped their lives to be, you snuggled closer to Javi, draping your arm over his waist, twisting the ends of his t-shirt between your fingers. 

“I can’t believe they’re actually gonna start building the house in a few weeks.” You looked up at Javi, beaming with excitement. After Javi’s proposal, both to be his wife and to build the two of you your dream home, you both had been working to draft up and finalize plans for construction to physically start happening. All of the design process had been smooth sailing so far, you and Javi easily agreeing on things you wanted for the house- layouts, designs, sizing- the only thing that was stopping you from moving forward with progress was deciding how many bedrooms the house was going to have. 

“Not too late to tell Danny we need to add another bedroom.” Javi teased, gently squeezing your arm. 

“I think 5 bedrooms is plenty, Mr. Ambitious. If we have more than 4 kids, we might as well add enough rooms to house a baseball team.” 

“I’ll give you a football team’s worth of kids, if you want it.” 

“I know you would, but you’re not the one who has to push a football team’s worth of kids out of you.” You laughed, playfully swatting at Javi before he wrapped his arm around the small of your back, flipping you so that your chest was caged with his, bodies laying pressed against each other. 

“I’m happy with 1 kid or 10. Whatever you want, Osita, I’ll give it to you.” Javi smiled softly, brushing a stray piece of hair from your face before cupping your jaw in his palm, thumb delicately circling across your skin. 

“What if I want you?” You whispered, stretching your head up to nibble at his chin, planting kisses along his face and neck, each one more desperate and hungry than the last. 

“You have me, Hermosa. Forever.” He reached down, grabbing your left hand, carefully twisting the gold and diamond band around your finger in his. It wasn’t long before his hand had left yours, beginning to roam down your shoulders and back before slipping under the waistband of your sweatpants, grabbing handfuls of your ass as you pressed the weight of your hips further into his, feeling his bulge starting to grow underneath you. Working his hands back up around your hips, he pushed your sweatpants and underwear down your legs, slightly raising your lower half to help Javi strip them off your body, leaving your lower half exposed. Javi’s grip tightened around your thighs, suddenly locking his arms around them, scooting you closer to him, now sitting on his chest. 

“Javi, what are you-” You protested, taking a second to realize what Javi was prompting you to do. 

“Wanna take care of you, sweet girl.” He rasped, continuing to pull you closer towards him, now sitting on him near his collarbone, as he cut you off. 

“Are you sure, Jav?” You asked, biting down on your lip, looking down at Javi, lust pooling in the dark brown of his gaze, a devilish smirk stretching across his lips. “I’m always worried I’m gonna suffocate you when we do this.”

“I’m still alive, aren’t I? Baby, if I die between your thighs from you sitting on my face, I’ll die a fucking happy man. Please?” 

“Okay, okay.” You nodded, letting out a little, breathy laugh as Javi tugged you one last time, your already dripping heat hovering over his face. You began to slowly lower yourself down, Javi’s fingertips gripping the flesh of your hips, forcing you to shift your weight onto him, making you moan as you felt his strong nose brush against your clit. You could feel the width of his tongue dragging along your cunt, slowly and deliberately working himself along your sensitive bundle of nerves. His face nestled between your legs, he took his time with each lick, taking extra time to press harder on the spots he knew made you weak, loving how wrecked he could tell you already were as you rolled your hips over his face. You could practically feel his smirk buried in your pussy as the movements of his tongue became more precise, flicking at your clit making you whimper as you braced yourself on the edge of the couch, grasping at the cushions. 

“Javi… Fuck, oh my god.” You whined, feeling the tension begin to build in your belly as Javi wrapped his plush lips around your mound, sucking feverishly as you rocked your hips back and forth, grinding down harder, the hairs of his mustache brushing against your thighs. You could feel him hum in approval against your cunt as your back began to arch, a familiar tingle growing at the base of your spine as his mouth latched firmer around your clit, desperate to make you come undone. 

“Fuck, baby- oh shit- Javi, don’t stop, fuck, fuck, I’m so close. Fuck, I’m- mhhhmmmmmm.” Your orgasm crashed through you, pleasure overtaking your body as you came, whimpering and moaning Javi’s name as he dug his fingers deeper into your flesh, holding you against him as he continued to work you through your high.  Your body went slack, draping your upper half over the edge of the couch as you felt Javi scoot out from under you, looking down to see his face glistening in your slick, accompanied by a boyish grin as he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand as he gazed back up at you. 

“Goddamn, Hermosa. Fucking soaked me. That feel good, pretty girl? You want more?” You nodded frantically at him, still at a loss for words as your chest heaved with each shaky breath. Gently grabbing your waist, he shifted you down so your back laid buried in the comforters and head rested against a pile of pillows, planting soft kisses down your body as he quickly pushed his sweatpants and boxers down his legs, freeing his painfully hard cock, its tip already dripping with precum, staining the fabric of the pants and underwear it had been straining against. He reached down, stroking his dick as he lined himself up with your entrance, running his tip through your folds, already soaked with your slick from your last orgasm, before slowly pressing inside you, letting you savor every inch of his length buried deep inside you. His hips flushed against yours as he bottomed out, his fullness stretching you open with the sweet sting that had become one of your favorite feelings in the world. “Always so wet for me, Osita. Fuck, I can’t believe this perfect fucking pussy is mine forever. You’re mine forever.” He mewled, slowly pulling himself back before pressing deep inside you again, each stroke making you feel even fuller than the last. 

“Forever.” You whispered back, your voice trembling as his cock pushed further into your cunt, practically hearing the lewd noises of wetness between the both of you as he thrusted in and out. Sitting back on his heels, Javi hooked his arms under your legs, pressing them to your chest, gently rubbing circles against your already throbbing clit before sinking back into you, the stretch of the new angle and added sensation of his fingers making you whine as your arms wrapped around his shoulders, fingernails digging into your back. “Fuck, Javi. You feel so big, fuck, it feels so good.” 

“Fuck me.” Javi hissed, the rhythm of his hips hitting yours beginning to become more rapid and desperate as he watched you writhe under him. “You’re fucking perfect, Osita. Gonna be a perfect wife, a perfect mom, fuck- I can’t wait to marry you, live in our house- oh shit- Fill it with our kids. Fuck, te lo daré todo (I’ll give you everything).” 

Everything was making your mind go blank- his words, his fingers rubbing against your clit, his cock pounding into you, over and over in the spot that had you seeing stars. The coil in your belly began to build as Javi buried his face in the nape of your neck, nipping and sucking at your pulse point, his words hot and heavy on your skin. You could feel your cunt beginning to clench tighter around his length, your heart beating fast as your orgasm began to build with each push and pull out of your heat. “I know you’re close, baby. Give it to me, Hermosa. Cum all over my cock. Gonna fuck myself so deep inside you, shit, can’t wait until I can fuck a baby into you, wish I could make myself stick, fucking get you pregnant right now.” 

Just like that, something inside you snapped, your body tensing as you felt yourself squeeze around Javi’s dick, soaking him as your orgasm ripped through you. A string of expletives and his name fell from your mouth, your brain short circuiting from the overwhelming intensity, sobbing into his shoulder as you came. It wasn’t long until Javi was close behind you, rapidly chasing his own high as he pounded into your heat, dripping with your slick. “That’s it, baby. Such a good girl. Fuck, I’m not gonna last much longer. Meirda- so wet and tight for me. Oh fuck, fuck, I’m gonna cum too, holy- ahhhhhhh.” Javi gritted his teeth as he thrusted one last time, spilling deep in your walls, making sure to milk himself of every last drop as he slumped on top of you, your chests rising and falling in unison as you tried to catch your breath. 

“Jesus Christ…” You laughed to yourself under your breath, reaching up to run your hand through Javi’s curls, dark and damp as they stuck to his forehead. “Javi, if you keep saying shit like that when we fuck, I am gonna end up pregnant before we get married.” 

“And that would be a bad thing because…” Javi smirked, pressing a tender kiss against your lips, feeling his grin on your mouth. 

“Javi!” You giggled, rolling your eyes and playfully swatting at his bare chest as he hovered over you, gently twisting his fingers through the messy ends of your hair. “We have talked about this! Once we’re married and the house is all the way finished, then I’ll toss my birth control in the trash. But until then, you’re really making it work unpaid overtime, you menace. I hate to break it to you, but keeping your dick inside me isn’t gonna do anything for you right now.”

“Like you don’t like it.” He chuckled, the both of you letting out a little hiss at the loss of Javi being buried inside you, feeling the mixture of your spend drip down your thighs as he laid back down next to you, wrapping his arm around your back, pulling you closer as you rested your head on his chest, hiking your leg up over his hip. “I’m just saying, Osita, Christmas is only a few days away, you could just throw it away early and-” 

“JAVI!” You scolded him, giggling as he raised an eyebrow at you, giving a little shrug. “You will get plenty of other presents. That one’s gonna have to wait, as much as I don’t want to either. The house should be done right around the same time as the wedding anyways, so you won’t even have to wait that long.” 

The two of you had very easily decided that you didn’t want a big wedding by any means, bringing Chucho endless amounts of joy when you had asked him if you could have your celebration at the Peña ranch. The thought was the first thing that came to both you and Javi’s minds- something small and simple, really only wanting your close friends and family to join you on your big day in a place that held such importance to the both of you. While you and Javi had agreed that you would have married each other tomorrow, you had compromised with the middle of June, giving you a few weeks after the school year had finished to let you have some time to prep or plan anything else that needed to happen, without the end of the year school stressors on top of it.

 After working with Javi’s cousin, Danny, (who finally received your finalized floor plans a few days ago after finally compromising on your bedroom count), he was able to guess that given that the winter was normally less busy for him and his crew, he would also hopefully have the house done by mid to late June, planning to have the majority of the work completed after you came back from your Honeymoon,  you and Javi offering to finish up any last touches that he wouldn’t be able to get to after you returned. 

While the both of you had agreed that you would wait until you were married before your birth control prescription was canceled, never to be seen again, you managed to talk some sense into Javi, telling him the house needed to be finished before you started trying, God forbidding that something went wrong, leaving you who knows how pregnant in an unfinished house. Regardless, it hadn’t stopped Javi from the moment that ring went on your finger to play into just how badly he was ready to give you the family you deserved, making it very hard for the both of you to stick to your plan. 

“I know, I know.” He sighed contently, picking your arm up, draping it over his chest so he could play with the ring on your finger, delicately thumbing at the stone and gold band. “Knowing I get to spend the rest of my life with you is the only fucking Christmas present I’ll ever need for the rest of my life.” 

“You’re really trying to make your way back onto the Nice List, huh?” You giggled, biting down on your lip as you reached up to grab Javi’s face, giving it a little shake. “You’re all I’ll ever need, too, Javi.” A cheeky smirk spread across your face as you looked up at Javi, pressing a hot kiss against the skin of his neck before you spoke. “I gotta shower and clean this mess up, you wanna come with me and hang out on the Naughty List just a little bit longer?” 

“I’d take coal in my stocking any fucking day for you.” 

Someway or another, you managed to make it through the last two days of school, bribing your class with more play time, recess, and movies than you’d like to admit. You and Javi were planning to spend the second half of your break with your family in Chicago, giving you two a few days to celebrate your first Christmas in Laredo together, now that you were on break. You had agreed to spend Christmas Eve celebrating with Chucho, the 3 of you gathering at the Peña ranch in the afternoon, offering to help Javi’s dad with chores around the farm since he had graciously given everyone else the day off to spend with their families. It took no convincing on your end to go out and help Javi feed the animals, one of your favorite chores on the farm, especially when it came to the cows. 

“I can’t believe how big they are.” You cooed, scratching one of the not so baby cows you had met for the first time a few months ago along its nose, giggling as it gave you a little lick. 

“They don’t stay little and cute for very long.” Javi chuckled, throwing the last bale of hay over the fence into one of the troughs, wiping his hands along his plaid shirt before resting his arm around your waist, standing next to you as you continued scratching and petting the rest of the cows that had gathered looking for attention. 

“Excuse you? They are still incredibly cute! Apologize to these sweet babies!” You gasped dramatically, holding your hand over your chest as you swatted at Javi. 

“Hermosa, they’re cows. They’re loud and annoying once they’re full grown, and last time I checked, I don’t think they can understand what I’m saying.” He laughed as you looked back at him with fake disgust, taking a step back, crossing your arms over your chest. Before you could argue back, one of the cows let out a long, loud mooooo, pointed in Javi’s direction, turning to look back at the cow before looking back at Javi. 

“I think that’s cow for fuck you, I am cute.” You smirked, giving Javi a little shrug as you nodded back at the cow. 

“Whatever, you dork.” Javi sighed, rolling his eyes at you as the two of you grabbed the rest of the feed buckets, heading back to the truck. 

The two of you finished your rounds and  you and Javi made your way back to the house to find Chucho humming away in the kitchen, chopping and dicing up vegetables to throw into his simmering pot of broth for the Pozole he had promised Javi for their Christmas Eve meal. 

“Chucho, do you think that cows are cute?” You questioned, kicking off your shoes at the door, Javi following behind, shaking his head. Chucho chuckled to himself, wiping his hands along his worn apron before picking up his wooden spoon to stir his stew. 

“Why are you asking?” He asked, looking over at you as you made your way into the kitchen, popping a leftover piece of pepper into your mouth, talking between chews. 

“Because your son doesn’t think they are, and had the audacity to tell the cows to their face they were, in fact, not cute.” You glared over at Javi, trying to hold back your laughter as you pretend to be stern. 

“They’re cute when they’re little but once you have to deal with them every day, full grown, they’re a pain in the ass.” Javi sighed, following behind you, sneaking between you and his dad to take down some bowls out of the cabinet, setting them on the table. 

“That is because Javier never pays attention when he walks through the pasture, and always ends up with a boot full of cow shit. I think they are cute, Mija. Not as cute as some other animals, or as cute as human babies…” He paused, raising an eyebrow at the two of you, smirking. “But yes, still cute.” 

“Told you so. You can’t blame the cows for your shit shoes, that’s on you, Jav.” You giggled, hitting him in the chest before grabbing spoons and napkins to set down next to the bowls Javi had placed. “Do you need help with anything else, Chucho? It smells delicious, I’m glad your cow bashing son requested it tonight.” 

“Cabrón (asshole).” Javi groaned. “Mamá would always make pozole and tamales for everyone on Christmas eve. She would put all of the cousins to work kneading the dough and assembling the tamales. She would hold the piñata hostage until we helped her finish, which I can’t blame her for. Her tamales were delicious, but I always think about having her pozole and eating a shit load of candy before crashing on the couch trying to stay up, waiting for Santa when I think about Christmas.” 

“Before Lucia died, every year we would host our whole family here for Christmas eve. Dios Mio, there must have been 30 crammed in here each year, singing and dancing, making more tamales than anyone could count. No matter how hard he tried, Javier would always be the first to fall asleep on the couch, and we would have to carry him to bed. I think he would get so excited he would wear himself out.” Chucho smiled, turning off the stove, bringing the pot of the pozole to the kitchen table, the two of you pulling out a chair to take a seat. 

“She sounds like she was such a fun lady. I wish I could have met her. And eaten her tamales, because I bet that they were amazing.” You beamed, looking over at Chucho and Javi, Javi now settling into the seat next to you, draping his arm over the back of your chair as Chucho stayed standing, letting out a content sigh as he placed a hand on his hip. 

“Well Mija, I was planning on giving your Christmas gift to you later, but now that you bring it up, now seems as good a time as any.” Chucho smirked, waddling his way over to the living room, as you and Javi glanced at each other in confusion, waiting for his return. A few moments later, Chucho was back, carrying a small, red package with a white ribbon wrapped around it, outstretching it towards you. 

“Chucho, you didn’t have to get me anything, I-” You protested, not accepting the gift until Chucho was sliding it across the table, placing it right in front of you. 

“It is a gift for both of you. I know that Lucia would have been so thrilled to know how happy you have made our Javier. How happy you have made both of our lives. She would have loved you so dearly, hija, and would have wanted you to have these as you and Javier start your own family.” Tears welled behind Chucho’s eyes as you carefully took the package in your hands, resting it between you and Javi as the both of you gently ripping away the wrapping paper and bow to reveal what was inside Chucho’s gift. You held a small, leather bound book between you two, Chucho gesturing to have you open it to see what was inside. As you flipped back the cover, you revealed the first page, a picture of a young Lucia in the very same kitchen the 3 of you found yourself in, smiling at the camera as she stirred a pot of something on the stove, apron tied around her waist. Below the photo were bold, shaky cursive letters, reading “Lucia’s Recipes.” 

“Pops…” Javi whispered in shock, delicately touching the page, gazing up at his dad.  

“Your mamá would have wanted you to have all of them. She always told me that she couldn’t wait for the day she could have a daughter to share all of her cooking secrets with. She would have been even more excited to share them with you Mija, knowing the wonderful woman that you are.” 

Carefully turning the page, you could feel your lip quiver as you looked at Chucho, feeling how watery your eyes were now becoming. “Chucho, this is- I don’t- thank you, Chucho. This is so special. I’m honored you want them to share them, I- I know how important these are to your family.” 

“You are family, hija.” Handing the book off to Javi, you pushed up out of your chair, making your way over to Chucho to wrap him in a tight hug, Chucho quickly reciprocating, squeezing you back.   

“Thank you, Chucho.” You whispered into his shoulder, trying your best to keep from sobbing as Javi pushed out of his chair, joining the both of you in a group hug, holding the two people he loved most in the world in his broad grasp. 

“Thanks, Pops.” 

“Los amo a los dos (I love you both).” Chucho sniffed, pulling away to wipe away the tears streaming down his cheeks. “Now, let’s eat this pozole, I can hear Lucia yelling at me for letting it start to go cold.” 

The 3 of you spent the rest of your night full of pozole, Javi finishing off at least 3 bowls as you talked at the kitchen table, sharing stories of your favorite holiday traditions and memories. Chucho broke out at least 4 different photo albums to share photos of Christmases past, filled with lots of ones of an adorable Javi and his bright, toothy grin as he opened up presents. Chucho was thrilled with the present you and Javi had gotten for him- a new work jacket for out on the ranch, Javi noting that he probably was still wearing the same jacket he did when Javi was first born. 

You and Javi had insisted that you let Chucho help you clean up around the kitchen after making you dinner, practically having to force him to sit down in his chair to relax while the two of you got to work collecting and cleaning dishes in the sink. You got to work washing as Javi dried, taking time to turn on the radio in the kitchen, raising the volume as he tuned in to the local station that had been playing nothing but Christmas music for the past week. “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”  began playing from the speakers, immediately beginning to sing along, swaying your hips, scrubbing the last of the pots and pans. Javi snuck up behind you, snaking his hands around your waist, placing a soft kiss on your shoulder as his chest pressed against your back. 

“Dance with me.” He whispered, placing his hands on your hips to spin you around, making you giggle as your sponge splashed in the sink, playfully drying your wet hands against his flannel before interlacing one of your hands with his, the other one resting on his shoulder as he wrapped his free hand around the small of your back. The two of you gently swayed in the dim light of the kitchen, the soft sounds of Frank Sinatra’s voice humming in the background. 

Here we are as in olden days, happy golden days of yore. Faithful friends who are dear to us, gather near to us once more. 

As the sweet and syrupy melody of the song played on, Javi held up his hand, prompting you to spin under his outstretched arm before pulling you back in, resting his hand on your back, the other holding your face as he dipped you down, his lips curled in a tender grin against yours as he leaned in to kiss you. 

Through the years, we all will be together, if the fates allow. Hang a shining star upon the highest bough. And have yourself a merry little Christmas now.

“I love you, Osita.” 

“I love you more, you dork.” 

You rested your head on his chest, smiling into the worn fabric of his button up, soaking up the sweet simplicity of the moment- how right then and there, it felt like there was no one in the world but the two of you, slow dancing in Chucho’s kitchen, arms wrapped tight around the man you loved. It felt like holding everything you’d ever need. Everything you’d ever want.  It felt like holding your home. 

 If there was one thing you were not, it was patient, especially when it came to waiting. You never had been, and at this point in your life, you were very much convinced you never would be. Ever since you could remember, you were always the first one up in your house on Christmas, frantically waking up your parents and brothers to let them know presents were stacked under the tree at an ungodly hour, forcing your parents to implement the “If you don’t stay in your bed until 6 A.M. you won’t get any of your presents” rule to try and save some ounce of their sanity for the chaos that ensued after the 4 of you were really wide awake. Even as an adult, you couldn’t help but wake up giddy on Christmas, feeling as bright eyed and bushy tailed as you did all those years ago as a kid. While Javi was very aware of your love for Christmas, he wasn’t aware of the fact that it meant that you would be wide awake, waiting for him to wake up this early in the morning. 

“Merry Christmas!” You squealed, trying your best to contain your excitement as you watched Javi finally begin to stir, his sleepy curls peeking out from under the covers, eyes squinting and blinking heavily as he let out a big yawn, draping his arm over your waist, half awake. 

“Good morning.” He grumbled, rubbing his hand over his face, practically still asleep.  “What time is it?” 

“6:45…” You replied, grimacing sheepishly, wincing at the early hours plastered on your alarm clock. “You can go back to sleep if you want to, sorry if I woke you up.” 

“6:45? Jesus, how long have you already been up for, Osita?” He sighed, propping himself up on his elbows, running his hands through the messy ends of his hair. 

“Not that long…” You muttered, looking away from him, hoping it would deter him interrogating further. Javi said nothing- he only cocked his head to the side and stared with that look he gave you when he knew you were hiding something, knowing damn well his tired, puppy dog eyes would pull the truth out of you. “Fine…” You huffed, turning back to him. “I’ve been up since 6.” 

“6 in the morning? Jesus Christ, hermosa.” Javi laughed to himself, shaking his head as he wrapped his arm around you, pulling you to lay against his bare chest. “I guess I can’t say I’m surprised. What the hell have you been doing since you got up?” 

“I made coffee, took a giant shit after I drank the coffee, turned on the lights to the Christmas tree, put Christmas music on in the living room, and then I came back to bed and I’ve been trying to read while I was waiting for you to wake up.” 

Javi could do nothing but let out an amused sigh as he pressed a long kiss into the top of your head. “You’re insane, you know that?” 

“You’re the one who proposed.” You sassed back, holding your ring in Javi’s face, a playful smirk growing across your face before giving him a little poke on his chest. His response to your witty remark was grabbing you by the waist, flipping you on top of him as he tickled your sides, pecking quick kisses along your body, making you flail and squirm as you erupted with giggles. “Let go, pendejo! You’re gonna end up with a black eye for Christmas if you don’t stop!” 

“I’d like to see you try.” He grinned, releasing you from his grasp, giving you a little shove. “Alright, well I’m fucking awake now.” Reaching his arms over his head, Javi let out another loud yawn. 

“I made you coffee.” You shrugged, trying to provide at least a little peace offering to him for your early morning wake up. 

“I’d fucking hope so.” The two of you laughed as you shuffled out of bed, Javi lazily throwing on a t-shirt and pajama pants before you both wandered out of the bedroom, you at a much quicker pace than Javi. 

As much as Javi wanted to give you a hard time about your over exaggerated enthusiasm this early in the morning, he couldn’t help but feel his heart flutter as he walked into the living room, seeing you sit curled up on the couch, clutching a mug of coffee, beaming at Javi as Christmas music played softly in the background, the walls dimly lit by the twinkling lights of tree, being hit with the realization that every Christmas for the rest of his life, would be a Christmas spent with you. 

“For you.” You smiled, holding out Javi’s mug, steam dancing off the top of the bitter brown liquid. “My family always opened presents before we did anything else, but if you have something else that your family always did, or you don’t want to, we can-” 

“Osita, I know you wanna open presents first, it’s okay.” Javi snickered, kissing your forehead before you shot up off the couch, running over to the tree to grab one of the several neatly wrapped boxes stacked beneath it. 

“Okay, thank God, I think I would have spontaneously combusted if I had to wait any longer to give you your gifts.” Hurrying back over to the couch, you placed your boxes on Javi’s lap, snuggling back up next to him as he began to tear away at the wrapping paper of the smallest package. 

“You don’t have any photos on your desk, so I figured I’d get you one. That way you can stare at my ugly mug all day long.” You joked, nodding toward the picture frame Javi was holding with a picture from your cousin’s wedding a few months back. 

“Shut up. Thank you, I do need more pictures of us in my office, and you look so hot in this picture.” He smirked, giving you a little nudge before picking up the next gift in your pile. “Thank you, Osita.” 

“Says the one who’s in the fucking tuxedo in that photo.” You rolled your eyes, watching Javi shake the wrapping paper off the next box. 

“Fuck, I’ve been needing new boots. Thank you, Osita, these are so nice.” Javi grinned, holding up the dark leather shoes, letting the bottom of the box drop to the floor. 

“I know you have, and you refuse to buy yourself new ones, so I figured I’d upgrade them for you.” You crossed your arms over your chest at Javi, wondering how he’d ever convince himself that he wasn’t just as stubborn as you. 

“Jesus, this is heavy.” He laughed, working away at the wrapping to reveal a plain, cardboard box, giving you a confused look. 

“It didn’t come in a box and I couldn’t wrap it how it was. I promise you your first gift isn’t a heavy cardboard box.” The two of you laughed as Javi tore the tape holding the top together, digging through the tissue paper, eyes going wide at the contents of the box. 

“Osita…” He warned, pulling out the bottle of his favorite Texas branded whisky he would only order for himself on nice occasions, knowing 1- how hard it was to find, and 2- that it was not cheap. 

“Don’t even try to start with me. It’s Christmas and I love you and you deserve all the nicest things in the world. I know how much you love this stuff, even though it tastes like pure gasoline, and that you would never buy it for yourself.” You smirked, grabbing under his chin, squeezing his cheeks. 

“Thank you, Osita. Where the hell did you find this stuff?” Javi looked at the bottle in disbelief, examining it before setting it carefully back on the ground. 

“Steve knew a guy.” You shrugged, only pausing for a moment before pushing yourself off the cushions, only to be stopped by Javi’s grasp around your wrist, pulling you back down. 

“These are all perfect, baby. Thank you so much. You're too good tot me. My turn.” Javi grinned, grunting as he got up off the couch, looking through the boxes to find the one he wanted, snatching it up and handing it over to you, immediately beginning to shed the box of its paper. “If you don’t- if you don’t like it or don’t want it, that’s okay, but I figured-” 

“Javi, I’m sure whatever it is, I’ll love it.” Taking a pause from your unwrapping, you reached over to give Javi’s knee a squeeze, smiling at him before shuffling the lid off the top of the long box. “Oh no way! Are you serious?!” You squealed, holding up the emerald green and black Dallas Stars hockey jersey. “Javi, what the fuck, this is so cool! Thank you!” You dropped the jersey in your lap, leaning over to give him a tight hug. 

“Thank god, I was worried you were gonna be pissed it wasn’t a Blackhawks jersey, but I think you already have 2 here, and like 3 more at your parents house, so I figured, you might like one for the Stars, too.” Javi sighed, relieved that his gift wasn’t about to stir up any unwanted hockey tensions. 

“I will wear it every game, except for when we play the Blackhawks- Then I will bury it deep in the closet.” You giggled, picking it back up to stare at it, oblivious to the fact that Javi had already gotten up again to get you another gift.

“These two go together.” He smiled, handing you over the much smaller box as you tilted your head in confusion. You quickly unwrapped the second box, a smaller version of the box for your jersey you had just opened. Still unsure of how something so tiny could go with your new jersey, you suspiciously lifted up the lid, your jaw dropping as you saw what was inside. “Holy fuck, Javi, are you serious?!” You gasped, pulling two tickets to the Dallas Stars vs. Chicago Blackhawks game, clutching them like you couldn’t believe they were real. Taking a second to actually read the ticket, your mouth gaped even further. “Jav, holy shit, these seats are-” 

“Against the glass.” Javi smirked, watching your eyes dart back and forth between the tickets and his smug grin. 

“But what about- how are we, wait- wouldn’t we have to-“ you mumbled to yourself, trying to process the gift while figuring out the logistics of getting to and from a night game in Dallas from Laredo. 

“I’ve got it all taken care of. The game is on Friday in February, the other 3rd grade teachers said they would do whatever to help you take that Friday off, our flight leaves at 2, we land in Dallas at 3:30, and I have a hotel booked for Friday and Saturday. Figured we could make a weekend of it.” 

“Javi- You can’t- Javi this is too much- baby, are you serious?” You whispered, breath shaky as you looked up at his beaming face, leaning in to kiss you. 

“I can, and I will. You deserve it. Merry Christmas, Osita. There’s one more thing.” He smirked, raising an eyebrow at you, grabbing one last present from under the tree and setting it in your lap. 

“Javier Peña, you do not need to get me anything else, I swear to God-” You protested, giving Javi a stern look as you stared at the present in your lap. 

“It’s not anything big, I saw it when I got the jersey and couldn’t help myself. Just open it, please?” He sighed, picking it up and bringing it even closer to you. 

“Okay, okay.” You shook your head, quickly tearing away the wrapping paper to reveal the box underneath. Lifting the lid, you dramatically rolled your eyes at Javi as you lifted up the red, lacy, lingerie that was tucked away in the tissue paper it had been delicately folded under. “This looks a lot more like a gift for you than a gift for me, Mr. Peña.” You laughed, giving Javi a playful nudge. 

“Well, if you put it on and let me unwrap you like the pretty little present you are, I’m sure I can find a way to make it a gift for the both of us.” Javi rasped, leaning over to nip at the exposed skin of your neck, making you let out a breathy moan, before coming to your senses, immediately darting up off the couch towards your bedroom. 

“Where the hell are you going?” Javi asked, laughing at you as you sped off, lingerie in your hands. 

“Changing so you can unwrap your last present!” You winked, wiggling the lacy outfit in the air before ducking into the bedroom. “Hey!” You shouted, your voice slightly muffled from behind the bedroom door, creaking it open to pop your head back out. 

“What, hermosa?” Javi laughed, awestruck smile glowing across his face as he stared at you. 

“I love you, Javier Peña. Merry Christmas.” 

“Merry Christmas, Osita. I love you more.”

Taglist: @cool-iguana @rhoorl @whyjuliaaa @bbiophiliaa @pertinentpostmortem @angelofsmalldeath-codeine @pedrobaby @fatima-marisa @beboldbebravethings @poodlebae @kittenlittle24 @3sriracha @jungchloee @perennialdoll247 @prettyinpunk85 @partyofone3413 @harriedandharassed @pedrohoe04 @theorganasolo @endlessthxxghts @blackfemalenerd @deppydelta @beware-my-thorns

[fantastic-fantasy]

TanFang have so much potential. They really deserve much more screentime. Like Fang slowly opening up to Tan about his feelings, about his parents being not present. So he had to take care of Phum as his big brother. But also about him feeling lonely and not loved by the people who should. (Because their parent put their work over the needs of their children.) Of course he has Phum. But again he doesn't wanna show any weakness toward his little brother. So he pushed it all down. He doesn't show that he cares. I think it's his way of protecting himself of getting hurt and disappointed if he expects to much. And I really would have loved to see Fang working through it. Slowly realising that Tan is here to stay, that he won't leave him no matter what. And that he loves and protects him, so he can finally rest. It's exhausting to keep the "I don't care" mask on all day, cause deep down he want to care. He want to feel. And I'm so happy that Tan is breaking down that wall, that he build around his heart, bit by bit. Getting Fang to open up. He showers him with love and he always has his back. At the beginning of the Serie Tan invited his friends out to go eat together. And why? Cause he's lonely too. They're two lonely soul that found each other and they find comfort in that. And I love it. I would love to see a deep talk of them. Laying out they're worries and getting comfort by one another. I need a cute cuddle scene of them.🥺

And I really like how Fang slowly opens up to Tan, just like in today's ep (ep 11). After noticing that Tan waited for him for so long, his face got all soft🥺 Him being thankful and sorry toward Tan result in him calling him "Babe". And I swear Tan could have died in a heartattack right there. He's been calling Fang babe since they started dating, but fang never said the word back. And finally he did. And I couldn't be happier for Tan🥺Tan deserves do much love and affection as well. He always tried to make Fang laugh, that's just his nature. He's the mood maker. But he also needs place to rest and reload his energy. So again. I need them to cuddle it out. The recharge their energy.

My point is, they could have made a whole show of them alone. They story has so much potential,... Hopefully we will see more of them in the future 😭

And gmmtv move your Ass and give them their own full length BL series and MAIN COUPLE!!!!

[blacklegsanjiii]

First of all im so sorry for the long askbut!! New parent idea 💥💥 i present to you: King

Now hear me out, you might be thinking ‘really??? King from wano the bird guy?? Why tf’ but my good sir there are multiple reasons

1. Fire! King is from a race called lurarians (he’s infact the last of his people because theyre world wide known as beautiful because of their white hair, dark skin and beautiful black wings) lurarians are also known to be able to set themselves on fire! So that fits prettyyy well with sanji

So if we take pt 1 with us and expand it...

2. Test subject ✨ we all know Sanji is judge 3rd expiriment and also that vegapunk has made the seraphims of the warlords combined with kings lurarian DNA to make very strong clones. Judge and vegapunk were also in a science group together so they might have some shared notes and materials...

So that brings me to the parent King au...

What if vegapunk and judge kept in touch and decided to keep King in germas dungeon for the foreseeable future because its very well guarded etc etc so he is essentially both vegapunk and judges labrat

And when judge is busy with Sora and Reiju he notices that while reiju hasnt failed his expectations for power, he can always do better so with the quadruplets he also decides to mix kings lurarian DNA in for even stronger child soldiers (so 1234ji have 3 bio parents lmao)

Maybe this alters their appearance also a bit? (Mini baby wings 🥺 that they hide becausd its a weakness maybe 124ji got them amputated later in life while sanji ofcourse kept his hidden)

But anyway canon continues and sanji gets thrown into the dungeon with his mask... Here he meets a huge winged man. First days maybe weeks they dont really talk but sanji is a child and starts talking to king because he's lonely

They startbonding and in the next almost year that sanji is stuck there they really learn to love each other and sanji shows king his baby wings and king just decides 'yup thats my kid' teaches him to groom and how to fold/hide them without being in to much pain

But then vegapunk and judge fight and split up, king was originally vegapunks labrat so he is also taken from sanji.

Canon continues with them both respectively escaping,king tried to find sanji but couldnt bc germa is very stealthy and nobody knows where they are so he joins kaido etc etc

And then they meet again in wano.

Thoughts :0?

I had to double check King's age to make sure this is plausible and yeah, he's 47. He can fully adopt Sanji. I support this fully, fire boys unite! Also imagine Heterochromia!Sanji, one blue eye and one red.

King who is Vegapunks labrat being experimented on for a good while before Reiju and the quads come along, hell, even before Sora coming along. Captured as a teenager and being held captive and tortured for years. Eventually he's locked in the dungeon and left there to rot even after Vegapunk leaves to focus on other things but leaves him in Germa. No one really interacts with the Lunarian except to bring him food and water to keep him alive in case they do decide they want to do something with him again. What it could be he doesn't know what more they could do.

Judge however has gotten married and had a daughter already but notices her flaws and while she's not a full failure, he could do better. So he infuses the Lunarians DNA with those of his coming sons, despite his wife taking that poison she won't be able to do much to get rid of that at least. He can deal with the other failures she causes later but right now he's unworried. Even when the children come, the third one is wrong, he's blond instead of darkhaired, he's easily bruised. Unfortunate really. He had high hopes for that one particularly, for the stealth instead of brute force the others were for.

He sees the wings and knows he still at least has the Lunarian DNA, he might still have some use. Maybe.

He's not and it's clear by the time Sanji is six. Weak and crying and frail compared to his siblings. He has a full range of emotions which even Reiju doesn't have. Disgusted Judge throws him in the dungeon, a metal cover his head and unconcerned if he dies down there, Sanji screaming and crying for him to come back. Apologizing to his father over and over again as if it will change anything. It doesn't. He's trapped alone in the cell but there's someone down here with him. There's a man, tall with white hair and black wings like he has, only a few years older than his mother. He's telling Sanji to quiet down, no one will come get him. Sanji can't stop crying so he apologizes and sits in the back of his cell. King gives his real name to the kid, introduces himself as Alber to the boy, he is a boy after all, small and frail and so utterly broken and too young to be there. He knows what it's like to be a failure after all. It takes all of a day for King to see the small black wings the kid has. His wings are in awful condition: Bald spots, cuts, bruises, broken feathers. King remembers what that was like, the uncomfortable feeling and itching, those wings are from Lunarians though, so this kid has his DNA or there's another Lunarian here possibly. Both are bad options, no one should be forced to live as he has. No one.

They're together for a year and some change and in that time 124ji find out about Sanji and King almost burns the little princes for what they're doing. They have wings as well, atrophied and unworked like his are. He can only stretch his so far in this cramped cell. He hears the crunch of bones in the younger's cell. He throws fire at them once and is doused in water unforgivingly. They're incredibly close, King hasn't told the boy this where his wings come from and Sanji asks if he's where his red eye comes from and King says probably, albeit he's confused about that, he's only seen the blue one.

He teaches Sanji how to preen and hide his wings more comfortably and for protection. King tells him they will be his pride and joy and he will be able to fly with them. Sanji says he hopes so. They've been together for a year and some change when they take King away from Sanji. They tranquilize him and the last thing King hears is Sanji screaming and begging for them not to take him. He wakes up to Vegapunk telling him it's time to continue their work. King stays for a year, working on getting his wings back to functioning, preening and carrying for them. Then he escapes. It's a mess getting out but he needs to get out. Needs to find Sanji, his son. He will find his son.

So he breaks out and goes hunting for Germa but hears the kids saying Sanji better be dead since he's out of the dungeon, which means he escaped. As relieved as that makes him it means he has more searching to do. He looks and looks for years and years. He doesn't find him though and ends up in Wano under Kaido, working his way up to becoming an All Star. He hides who he is and decides he'll wait, maybe Sanji will pass by.

Sanji on the other hand is going through canon mostly normally, I think having King there would partially impact how he views woman but also for as much flirting as he does he doesn't actually sleep with anyone. Zeff found out he has wings while on the rock because he's crying about how fucked they are. Zeff is staring at the black wings attached to this kid and helps him hide them when they're saved, threatens the doctor to keep quiet.

Zeff helps Sanji rehab them before Baratie opens and after it does he lets the boy fly to his heart's content. Patty and Carne will save him if he falls in the water, he can still swim but his wings are not made for water. Is he still amazing at it? 100% but like, he's not a duck or a penguin. He's part Lunarian. He wears coats like the vice admirals and admirals do. Off his shoulders to hide his wings, to keep them safe as he goes about his day. He doesn't really over heat thanks to his Lunarian traits but when he gets cold, it's so fucking cold to him.

When he joins the crew everyone thinks he's kind of prissy with the full suit+extra jacket thing he has but...he's illegal. He's an illegal race and if he gets found out he's fucked. Drum island is when Luffy and Nami find out. Sanji is begging for Kureha and Chopper to not tell anyone which they assure they won't. Kureha does tell him he's lucky he only broke his back and not his wings. Chopper says they're in desperate need of preening and Sanji admits he hasn't done it since he left the Baratie because he didn't want to get caught. He mumbles it all of course but Nami and Luffy are looking at the black monstrous wings as they unfurl and Chopper is amazed at them. They're huge. He has to have a ten/fifteen foot wingspan(if not more but anime logic) and Luffy asks how you preen wings and Chopper shows him despite Sanji insisting he can do it himself. It's too late and Chopper and Luffy are preening a wing and it feels good. Zeff didn't even preen him, not unless Sanji asked and Sanji was too proud to ask normally. Even Nami touches them and is surprised how soft they are.

They leave with Chopper and make it off Drum island and to Alabasta and meet Ace. Sanji is fine in the heat, he's in so many layers though it concerns everyone but he waves them off. He's sworn Nami and Chopper to secrecy but not Luffy because he bought his silence with meat. Sanji is so lucky he didn't inherit more traits from Alber because that cigar marine is tailing them and here and if it wasn't for these covers over his wings h would put to death immediately. Even as they take Alabasta back he doesn't uncover his wings. Not until they leave again and Nami is getting upset with him saying they need preened and that she'll do it while he's on watch. Nico Robin has joined the crew and he doesn't trust her that much and he'd rather not trouble Nami at all but she basically throws him to his knees and starts preening. If Sanji moves to help she threatens to raise his debt which he doesn't understand.

Robin probably knows but no one has else finds out until post TS. He can sill sky walk, he still learned it and to keep his secret. But no one else knows, not until WCI/Wano. Sanji notices his brothers wings are gone and Sanji is the only one left with them. The black wings he cannot cover with his red cape so at least one is always showing as well as his red eye. It has wigged some of his crew out until he showed both eyes at the same time and Robin called him interesting in the way she does some poneglyphs or rituals she reads about.

It made his stomach turn. Just as it is now as he's being called interesting again and Pudding is saying their kids have wings like he does. Big Mom says she thought Lunarians are extinct and Judge says they are. The quadruplets are only infused with the DNA, not actually Lunarian. Sanji wants to vomit.

He'd claim to be an illegal race than to be a Vinsmoke. So during the escape he claims it. He flies and it's awkward so it's a combination of sky walking and flying. Carrying Luffy and Nami to safety. His bounty skyrockets as they head to Wano. It's higher than Zoro's as Nami preens his wings and Luffy coming to help after he's had a nap and some food that Sanji made. He's wanted dead or alive with Vinsmoke as his last name unfortunately and being Lunarian added to his list of crimes.

Everyone seeing his wings in Wano is new and he asks everyone not to touch them. Zoro is confused because the fuck cook? I'm your rival? And Sanji shrugs because he doesn't know what else to do. Then fights keep happening. He uses the raid suit a couple of times, the second time is the worst. He's fighting Alber, he's sure of it. He's so fucking sure but he's drilled through buildings and he's certain Alber is going to kill him for this.

Maybe after the raid Sanji finds a moment alone before Zoro and Luffy wake up. Maybe King the Wild Fire finds him and they talk and catch up. Maybe King preens his son's wings like he always wanted to. Maybe King joins the crew.

Maybe King went to the East Blue, found the Baratie, met Zeff. They would bond over the Eggplant. Sanji's second place in the bounties. When he gets to Egghead he has no sympathy for Vegapunk, he does for Kuma and Bonney but for what he's done to his family? Never. He will never forgive him.

[keoni-chan]

i have been reading anglers bay since it started. i was wondering what rules you follow and other information? i'd like to play my own 🥺👉👈 pls

Hi matressdemon!

Oh! Good luck on starting your own bacc!

I used Nepheris' bacc rules for setting up my bacc. They're fairly restrictive and that didn't suit my playing style, so I dropped most of the rules along the way. I did start out following them though.

Other than the usual "no money or other cheats" and "no quiting without saving" rules, these are most of my rules right now:

- each household is played for a full season. (5 days in my game)

- I roll a ROS challenge for the household on the first day of the new season. ROS is rerolled if the challenge is non-applicable to the household. Like "teen sim will act out" in a household without teens.

- new households need to roll for the location of their house. I implemented this one once the town started growing. 1 is hilltop area, 2 is downhill area, 3 is bay area, 4 is apartment building. (5 and 6 is reroll, but will be downtown and shopping district once they unlock).

- adding onto the previous one, children from current residents, who are moving out of their parents' house, will have to roll for either a house or an apartment, before rolling for a location.

- taxes are paid on the first day of the new season. I use FamilyFunds to edit the household funds and keep track of the incoming taxes on my bacc spreadsheet.

- new community lots must be either owned by a household, donated to the community by a household, or paid for by taxes

- university, downtown and shopping districts are locked untill their development is paid for by taxes, or they're funded by a household. I could see one of my wealthy families funding a university, for instance.

- I play mostly want-based and with free will on. I like to pretend my sims are in charge of their own actions. I rarely intervene, which is part of the reason why some of my sims are such walking trash fires.

I hope this gives you some sort of starting point :)

[tervaneula]

Immediately dropping into your ask box like a nuke!!

TERV!! I GOTTA FUCKING FIND YOU AND HUG YOU TIGHTLY WITH PLATONIC KISSES BECAUSE THIS FIC HAD IMMEDIATELY CAGED MY HEART!!!

What i thought it would be a smoll thing like "oh i just met you, and now i miss you~" had turned into a fucking drama real quick!

Coming into the fic and get slapped by the art of what Leo looks like - i know what he look like am just eating the new piece of art you just made, don't judge/lh/t - and GOD he's so handsome~ Am like that one meme where i bite your piece of art AND the fic like an unhinged dog and go

JUST FROM HOW EXCITED I AM!! I NEED TO STOP TO CALM MYSELF SO I CAN CONTINUE READING YOUR FIC AND AM JUST "UGGHHH JUST CALM DOWN ALREADY!! BUT I CAN'T AM JUST SO HAPPY!!!!" That's how i feel each time am reading your fic or seeing a new piece of art you're dropping!!

But not getting side track - lol - I dropped in and am ready to sucker-punch the vendors because BITCH don't be rude to my baby turtle! Poor one begin a very good boy and brother and bringing in the orange to his orange brother *ba-dum-dss* (get it? No? Okay i'll see myself out/jk)

Am surprise he haven't described the village as monkeys - no disrespect to the monkeys i just remembered when a punch of people snickering a lot they sound like one, kinda a fun fact lol - because they're making a lot of sounds. But for once, they've done a good thing as they pointed out where's Leo's spul mate is

Poor one must be really tired and exhausted because when he heard commotion, he did hoped he could solve it to earn the village's respect, he just wants him and hus family to feel welcomed and not be bothered by anybody. (Gosh can imagine my baby Raph begin emotionally upset and Mikey jump to be Dr. D.T on them 🥺)

And i love how you described him as it already peaked Leo's interest, imagine how the turtle would laugh so hard from knowing how the rabbit gotten his scars and Leo asking him through tears of laughter "for real??"

When you mentioned the part where the rumors are mentioned about him only one scare the children, i thought "what if they found a lost child and took care of them before returning them home and they saw how the other is just so great at begin a parent?" Like this's the type of boxes that would check a great parent

But when they were about to fight i hated how the villagers are begin so crule like "best case scenario-" like can i bitch slap this person?! This's just so rude! And it broke my heart watching usagi flinch from the cuss and threat, like he's a baby boy, idk why he's wondering outside but he doesn't deserve all this hate 🥺😢

And when he dmanded for a fight i felt like "wait, is he like giving up?" Because i could be wrong but there's 2 reasons why he asked for a right: 1- the vendors refused to sell him no matter what because he's a stranger with a bad reputation. 2- maybe because he doesn't want to steal, he asked for a fight with the oranges as a reward for the winner. Because if he won it won't be a crime of stealing, right?

And i can't help that he had been treated like this for a while from village to a village. 😭

Just when they're about to fight that dart got me confused, is it a 3rd party whose evil? Nope- well.. Kinda? It's the weird one, i laughed when i figured it was Donnie 😂 like he is weird!

But it got me surprised because i thought you meant the teenage Donnie not the big one, but when i read their names as full name i thought 'is this the adult ver? Will tell little them be involved?' Tho i don't think so.

But OHH I WANT TO PUNCH HIM SO BAD!! What do you mean OVERDOSE?! For a smart one, you don't have a brain to think, what if he have bad rumors like you guys?! But i guess this's the curse of knowing something the characters don't know, AAAAGGHHH am about to punch him!!/hj

Leo carrying the unconscious bunny, i felt it's a call back to your very first fic about nqk and usagi meeting first, remember how Leonardo was knocked out like a potato and usagi carried him like a princess? LEO'S DOING THE SAME!! 🥰😍😭 AHHHH I CAN JUST IMAGINE IT IN MY HEAD!!

AND DONNIE IS GETTING THAT SCOLDING FOR ALMOST KILLING A BUNNY!

Ahhh the end where Leo would admit it may be bad to take care of a stranger but won't admit he's in love it's like that one song "i won't say am in love" 😭😭

👆 you dropping into my askbox

IF YOU FIND ME YOU CAN HUG ME TIGHTLY WITH PLATONIC KISSES ANYTIME AHHAHJHAJH I'm so so so glad you enjoyed this (and thought that Leonardo is handsome in the art) >8D<3333

I'm very head empty rn and I'm so sorry this reply is so short but just know that EVERY SINGLE THOUGHT OF YOURS is so good and I was just nodding along as I read the ask 🙏🙏🙏 I made the villagers purposefully really mean because this is supposed to be an ~edgy~ AU but goddang they're AWFUL. 😂

That taking care of a lost child bit though! OUAUHHGGHGFh,,,, I imagined that scenario and fell over in tears /pos /aff

But yeah there are no teen turtles in this one, and Donatello is. Well. I mentioned in NQK that wartime Donatello had his "special brand of ethics" and this version of him is not much different XD

"Leo carrying the unconscious bunny, i felt it's a call back" IT WAS A CALLBACK HEHEHEHEHE I'M SO HAPPY YOU CAUGHT THAT

GOSH ANYWAYYYY thank you again for putting this AU into my little head and for reading the chapter and commenting and ahhghgd you're amazing!!!!!! Also the second chapter will get posted very soon heehee hoohoo <3

[sariastrategos]

I adore your Renaissance Faire AU! Tell us more about it? 🥺

Oh my stars yes!

RenFaire is one of my two softest AU’s, these two disaster’s just adore each other!

A few details that haven’t made it into the fics yet;

Hux is a high school drama and music teacher, he adores children and while he’s the biggest dick to adults you’ll never see him be cruel to kids. Their parents, however, should have known better.

Kylo has listened to Hux talk all winter about turning his backyard into a medieval garden and when the end of winter comes around and Hux is too busy with exams and field trips, Kylo recruits his sister and her boyfriends to put in all the framework for him. Now all he has to do is plant.

Hux ends up breathing new life into the agricultural guild of the kingdom with his gardening

(This is the next chapter to be installed) Hux is literally known for his projection and the volumes he can reach. Unfortunately this applies in bed as well. This hinders Kylo’s ability to fuck him after a tournament when he’s full of adrenaline from a fight. They make it work.

Hux used to be a bard. He’s mostly retired from it as he’s taken on more heraldry duties.

The school wants him to dress more professionally. Hux argues he’s a drama teacher and needs extra movement. When they tell him he needs to wear suits, he follows the rules to the letter. Cue Victorian suits, Edwardian suits and suits of armour until the board relents. But by now he’s gotten too comfortable wearing his period clothing to work and doesn’t want to stop.

Medieval is Hux’s main, but not only, era of reenactment.

Some members of the kingdom want him thrown out for his perfectionism. Little do they know hems been working on rebuilding the entire newcomers section to the website to make information and patterns more accessible as well has expanded the amount of loaner garb available to interested parties until they can make their own.

Hux can cook. He can turn leftovers into feasts.

I can go on and on about this AU, it’s legit one of my favourites and I have so many chapters planned! Let me know if you want more details on anything and thank you for asking!

[spookyscarydemonbabe]

Halloween

A/N- This is a fic i’ve been so excited about! I’m glad that i’m finally able to write a little bit more for Wayne, i loved his character and i thought he was such an amazing father figure for Eddie, it’s a shame we didn’t see more of him 🥺 This was originally from my halloween event that i had to unfortunately cancel, the premise was for each character to be correlated with a horror movie and the fic would be written in a way where it was either similar to the premise of the movie or just had something in general to do with it.

Summary- It’s Halloween night, and after taking you and the boys out trick or treating, Eddie’s Uncle Wayne has a very exciting surprise for all of you.

Genre- Fluff

Warnings- This is written as if the reader and the boys are children, around 8-9 years old.

Tag List- @thatsthewaythechrissycrumbles @munsonology @esme-viridian @ghosttownwherenoonegoes (i know you’re not on my tag list but i do know how much you adore uncle wayne and i thought you’d really love this 🥰)

(my tag list is always open, let me know if you’d like to be added 🖤)

Word Count- 3.1k

“Don’t stuff yourselves full of candy!” Wayne yelled out from the living room, walking his way down the hall into the doorway of Eddie’s bedroom where you and the boys were hurriedly stuffing the pockets of your jackets with fun sized candies from your pillowcases, “We’re getting snacks there tonight, i don’t want you too full when we get there.”

“Yes Mr. Wayne.” You and the boys said almost in unison.

He had been kind enough to take you all trick or treating that night, giving your parents a break and letting you all go together just like you did every year. You were hoping that sooner or later they’d let you go by yourselves but they always told you that you’d have to wait until middle school.

“Where are we going?” Eddie asked his uncle, his oversized jean jacket hung over his small frame as he helped you into your sweater. He was a year older but he had always been so much bigger than any other kids your age.

Wayne smiled and shrugged as he held the door open, watching as Grant helped Jeff into his jacket and Gareth stuffed a few more twizzlers into his pockets.

“Surprise.” He could see just how excited you all were. If there’s one thing he knew about kids, it’s that they loved surprises, “But you’ll have to wait until we get to the truck for me to tell you, so move your butts if you want to get there on time.”

In almost in instant you were pushing the boys out of Eddie’s room and into the living room, waiting for Wayne to give the ok for you all to head out to the truck.

“Where do you think he’s taking us?” Gareth asked as he fixed the knitted cap over his curls.

“I dunno,” Jeff shrugged, reaching into his pocket to pull out a reese’s cup to snack on, “what else is there to do on Halloween? We already got our candy.”

“Maybe he’s taking us home,” Grant yawned, already close to a sugar coma, “we were out for a while…”

“What about a cemetery?” You said, looking up to Eddie with a mischievous smile to match his.

“I don’t think he’s taking us to any of those places.” Eddie finished doing the buttons on his jacket, “He went over to the hall closet with all the blankets, we don’t need blankets in a cemetery.”

Wayne walked out from down the hall, a few folded blankets in his arms as he smiled seeing you all waiting patiently in a neat line,

“All ready?”

You all nodded, all smiles and giggles as Wayne opened the front door for you, each one carefully going down the concrete steps and wandering over to Wayne’s work truck. He locked the front door and walked over to the bed of the truck, undoing the hatch and laying a blanket out across it, setting the rest of the pile on the end,

“Alrighty kiddos, one at a time,” He reached down and helped Eddie into the bed of the truck, groaning as he lifted him, “each one take a blanket alright?”

Each of the boys nodded, wrapping their blankets around themselves as they set next to one another in the bed of the truck to keep warm. Wayne had saved the softest one for you, handing it to you and letting you get all comfortable, all of you still confused as to where he was taking you.

“Now,” Wayne started, “I know you kids have been real excited about tonight, and since it’s my year again to watch you i figured i might as well make it a little special.” He smiled bigger seeing the smiles on your little round faces, “I’ve asked your parents about it, and they agreed that you’re all old enough, so i’m taking you to the drive in tonight to go see Halloween.”

You couldn’t help your excited giggles, looking at one another and seeing just how much you were anticipating going to see that movie. Eddie had even suggested the five of you sneaking out to go see it.

Thank god Wayne found out about it before it was too late, he had no problem taking you all to see it.

“Is it really scary?” Grant asked, “I don’t know if my dad wants me watching scary stuff before bed…”

“It’s not too scary,” Eddie said as his head popped out of the blanket he had wrapped around himself, “don’t worry, i’ll tell you when all the scariest parts are.”

“Now, Eddie’s done this before, but i don’t know if you kids have. I’ll drive the truck up and you’re gonna hide under those blankets when i pay for the tickets.”

“We get to sneak in?” Jeff said with a smile, “Just like the big kids do?”

“You bet,” Wayne put the hatch back up, walking around to the drivers side as he told you exactly what to do, “and i’m gonna make sure to be real careful with you kids back there, what are the rules when you’re in the truck?”

You each went one by one listing off Wayne’s rules. You had to have heard them at least a million times before.

“No standing up while you’re driving, we have to be sitting down.” Eddie went first and Wayne nodded, looking to you second.

“No horseplay. Especially when we’re on the road.” You went next, looking to Grant who was sat next to you.

“If we have an emergency, we have to knock on the back window.” Grant glanced over to Gareth and Jeff, who were busy already trading the little candies they had in their pockets.

“Boys?” Wayne said, grabbing their attention.

They both looked up to Wayne, their little hands already fussing around with a shared bag of jelly beans, already completely lost.

“Last rule?” Wayne asked them, “No scaring me when i’m driving.” He said sternly.

“I know you kids like to joke around, and that’s all fine and well, but someone can get really hurt. Alright?”

“Yes, sir.” You all said in unison.

“Perfect! Now, who’s ready for that movie?”

The five of you jumped in your seats, nothing but smiles on your faces and a mess of giggles

The sun had started to go down, the sky a mix of darker blues and oranges, and Wayne lifted the hatch back onto the truck as you all had gotten comfortable in your spots. Each of the boys around you as you laid in the middle, your back against the cabin where Wayne sat and your fuzzy blanket wrapped around your body. The boys had their blankets wrapped around themselves as you did, ready to hide themselves from the employee sitting inside the ticket booth. Eddie knew this plan well.

You and the boys had a giggle as the truck started up, vibrating beneath you as you sat comfortably in the back. You watched the trailer get smaller and smaller, the gravel road beneath the truck making the bed rock back and forth.

Once Wayne pulled out onto the road, the drive was smooth, you and the boys keeping an eye out for the white screen out in the distance, not being able to help the excited laughter.

“Is it really scary?” Jeff asked, snuggling himself deeper into his blanket.

“Not really,” Eddie turned to him, “I mean, it’s scary, but not scary scary.”

“You said that about Alien!” Gareth shouted.

“Don’t you love that movie?” You asked.

“Well…. yeah…” Gareth shrugged and looked down at his lap, “But it was scary when we saw it the first time!”

“But it was a really cool movie.” Grant said, the rest of you agreeing, “No aliens pop out of anyone’s chest in this movie right?”

“No,” Eddie said with a laugh, “but there’s lots of blood, and Michael Myers has this huge knife that he uses, and i know there’s adult stuff in it but Wayne always tells me when to cover my eyes so i’ll know when it’s coming.”

“Why do we have to cover our eyes?” You asked him, pulling out a little fun sized Twizzler from your pocket and popping it into your mouth.

“Cause it’s grown up stuff! We’re not allowed to see it yet! That’s what Wayne always says.” Eddie looked over his shoulder and smiled big as soon as he saw the few cars lined up beside the ticket booth, “We’re almost there! Everyone get all covered up.”

The five of you quickly got settled into the bed of the truck, scrunching up your little bodies as tightly as you could, laying your blankets over yourselves to keep hidden. Though you couldn’t help but let a few giggles slip out as you felt the truck inch closer and closer.

It was hard to not figure out that there were five little bundled up kids under those blankets in the bed, but when Wayne pulled up to the ticket booth and asked for ‘just one ticket’ the man in the booth played along gladly, smiling as he heard your collection of giggles when the truck started up once more.

You all quickly sat up and tossed the blankets up, huddling together around them and laughing,

“He never even knew we were all back here!” Jeff laughed.

You all turned your heads and smiled in awe of the drive in.

Every time you went it was always a treat. It was different than a normal movie theater, kids playing catch in the grassy space in front of the screen, practicing their cartwheels and playing their games with smiles on their faces. There were chairs and coolers set up in the beds of trucks as parents watched over their children playing, blankets laid out next to cars with snacks and drinks laid out over them, moms putting bug spray on fussy kids. Everyone was always so much friendlier at the drive in.

“What snacks are you guys gonna get?” Gareth asked as he opened the little plastic wrapped around a tube of smarties.

“I want popcorn-“ Eddie started, quickly cut off by Grant,

“With extra butter!” He insisted.

“We definitely don’t need any more candy.” Jeff smiled as he started taking the little fun sized treats out of his pocket and setting them into the bed of the truck as Wayne pulled into a spot.

You hadn’t even gotten a chance to trade candies before rushing to leave the trailer, but that little window of time you’d have between the opening trailers and Wayne grabbing the snacks would be perfect. And it was just the right time for it too, the little bit of blood orange sun peeking out from the darkening clouds in the sky provided just enough light to still see around you.

The spot was perfect, right in the middle of the screen, not too close and yet not too far either. The vibrating beneath you ceased as Wayne shut the truck off, stretching as he stepped out from the drivers seat,

“Great job sticking to the rules kids,” He walked over to the bed and leaned into it, “that ticket guy had no idea you littles were back there, i think i brought along some professionals.”

You all smiled with one another, the thought of another trip to the drive in already on your minds, and the excitement of breaking the rules only made it all the more fun.

“You kids figure out what you wanted for snacks?”

“Yes, popcorn please?” You asked him with puppy dog eyes, hoping that would be enough to convince him to get you each your own large popcorns. You knew he never gave in but it was always worth a shot.

“Of course! Can’t go the the movies and not get popcorn! What about drinks? Eddie,” He pointed over to his nephew, doing his best to remember their usual drinks from whenever he took you all out to dinner for your sleepovers, “you’re getting your Pepsi?” Eddie noddies and smiled, and Wayne slowly went down the line, guessing one by one, “Grant wants a Sprite, and i know one of you likes Dr. Pepper…” He looked between Jeff and Gareth, Gareth speaking up as soon as he heard the mention of it.

“Me! It’s me, i want it!” He shouted excitedly.

“And i want a lemonade please.” Jeff said with a smile.

Wayne nodded and looked to you,

“Little miss? You like to get… that red cream soda, don’t you?”

You nodded with an excited smile on your lips.

“Alright, and everyone wants popcorn?”

“Yes please!” You all said in unison.

“Perfect. Eddie, you help them set up the back of the truck so you’re all bundled up while i get the snacks.”

“Yes sir.”

Eddie stood up in the bed of the truck, stretching his arms up over his head, the four of you following his lead and doing the same, giving Wayne a little wave as he took off to the snack bar.

You each made sure to help one another out, grabbing the two biggest blankets and doing your best to lay them out flat for one another in the bed so you had a comfortable spot to rest on. The rest of the blankets were used to keep yourselves warm, though you were sure you wouldn’t need them. You were bundled up enough with your jackets on, but for the end of October it was quite nice out.

The trees still had a little bit of green on them to contrast with the browns and yellows and oranges of fall. The breeze outside was just enough to still let you have fun outside with the boys whenever you wanted.

The drive in made it all the more fun.

Grant and Jeff each sat at your sides, Eddie and Gareth sitting next to them with just enough wiggle room around you all to take the candy from your pockets and move it into the middle. While Wayne was grabbing the snacks, you figured it was the perfect time to trade your candies before the movie started.

“Ok, Eddie gets all the Almond Joys to give to Wayne,” Jeff started as he took fistfuls of candy out of his pockets, “does anyone else want anything specific?”

“I want the peppermint patties!” Grant shouted as he tossed his candy into the center.

“Ugh, they’re yours.” Eddie groaned, “I don’t know why you like those so much, they taste like toothpaste.”

“They do not!” Grant argued back as you giggled, watching them have this argument again for what felt like the hundredth time.

“(y/n)?” Gareth asked, quickly getting your attention, “If i give you two of my Pop Rocks, can i have your Ring Pop?”

You looked down and peeked at the candy in his lap, smiling when you saw he had exactly what you wanted,

“Ok, but only if i can trade you my cherry Jolly Ranchers for your Airheads.”

“Deal!”

You sorted the candies amongst yourselves, each of you ending up with exactly what you wanted. A little bit of excitement erupted when you all realized there was much more to trade when you got back to the trailer.

Without even realizing it, the sky had turned from orange and purple to a deep navy blue, the moon and stars so clear when you tilted your heads up in awe.

“Alright kiddos, line up,” Wayne approached the truck bed, his arms full of popcorn bags and a tray of drinks in hand, it was shocking he could do it all so easily, “Eddie, here’s your Pepsi.” He handed Eddie one of the tall paper cups and a small bag of popcorn from the bundle, making his way down the line and giving you each your snacks, “Grant, you’re Sprite. Jeff gets his lemonade, and Gareth, you’re Dr. Pepper. And little miss gets her red cream soda.”

You took you drink and popcorn with a little giggle, your legs hanging off the back end of the truck as you wet your popcorn into your lap. The boys each got settled into their spaces, Eddie laying against the back while Grant sat on the other side of him, Jeff and Gareth laid next to each other on their stomachs over the blanket while Wayne grabbed his folding chair from the truck and set it up next to the bed to watch the movie with you.

You gave him a quick smile as he set the little cooler he packed next to the chair,

“Thank you Mr. Wayne for taking us to the movies.”

“Anytime little miss!” He smiled back to you and sat back in his chair, looking at the giant white screen and seeing the other families around you gather up their own kids to get ready for the movie.

The sky was black, the stars were brightly scattered, the moon was hanging perfectly right at the corner of the giant screen, and as soon as the lights were turned off you could hear the excited chatters of children and their parents, the groups of middle schoolers who crammed themselves into an older siblings car, and the annoyed teenagers who came there for a night alone. You even let a giggle or two slip when you heard how excited the boys were behind you.

“Hey Eddie?” You turned to him as he sat behind you, “Will you tell me if it gets too scary?”

“Yeah! Come up here and sit between me and Grant,” He grabbed the drink next to him and moved it into his lap, Grant doing the same for his popcorn as you moved to sit between them, your back against the truck as you saw the screen illuminate from the projector, “i’ll tell you when the scary parts happen and we’ll make sure you’re ok.”

“We promise (y/n).” Grant said as he turned to you with a smile.

Jeff and Gareth saw the three of you sitting together against the truck and quietly moved themselves to sit with you, Jeff in front of Eddie and Gareth in front of Grant.

“I’m so excited!” Jeff whispered.

“Me too!” You whispered back as you heard the theme song quietly start to play.

Wayne looked over and smirked as he saw you all sitting together in the bed of the truck. Bundled up in your jackets, sharing your candy, enjoying your popcorn with your eyes wide with excitement as the opening credits started to roll.

He knew that Eddie had it rough the last few year with all the family issues, but he knew that this is exactly where he was meant to be.

With his friends, watching a scary movie on halloween night just like kids are supposed to, hopped up on sugar and basking in the excitement of being able to eat candy for days. Wayne smiled to himself knowing that Eddie and the rest of you would be remembering tonight for a while, and so would he.

Maybe he’d take the long way home this time.

[jjcocker]

ok Hai. hcs for the toss boys parents bc I basically nade them my ocs

starting w kii-yans parents bc i was mainly thinking of his mom in orddrr to eqnna make this

kii looks Exactly like his mom. like if u get a childhood photo of her abd comparw it to him someine who doesnt know her woukd think "ah. Girl Kii-yan."

his dad ummm I have 0 headcanons for him but hes there. Hes just. boring idk LMAO (/jkoe

his mom is the most "how do you do fellow kids 😎" type woman. She tries So Hard to be hip and all and she fails in such a way that its like. endearing

she definitely has 294857583984 bajilliom baby photos of kii. She Loves Her Son!!!! she also has a flashdrive full of More baby photos of him

shes childhood besties w both ao's mom and akas mom

and like . heres a Snall Detail i added on that; akas mom is trans. The little friendgroup they were was 2 girls 1 boy. and so. its like. oppisite toss boys. heehee hoohoo

ok i kinda went offtraxk but yeah rhats all

ok now to aos parents

his mom was Horrible at cooking . thats a. rabdom start but shhh

his dad is. How do i say this withiut sounding insensitive. full of Issues. from childhood to adulthood that man has Seen and Endured things that his son does not knwo of

his mom had short hair but she didnt really like having it. she wanted to grow it out

she was Really close friends with kii's mom. theyd constantly show/send each other baby pictures of their sons goinf "look at widdle aoi taking his first steps🥺🥺🥺" "look at my littl kii nearly eating a rock 🥺🥺🥺🥺" or. smth idk I dont have children

she was the youngest of the moms

ok goign back to his dad now. he does Not clean his glasses at all

hes also the typa guy to say "when I was Your Age-" to ao everytime he complained abt smth LMAO

ok I thikn thats all. now to akas

ok i actually hc her to have 2 moms,

^ so im calling one her mom and the other one her mama. yea

her mom is a bit (very) clumsy .. shes tripped on just about everything. Shes also tripped on nothing so

her mama is like. a fashion designer (hir ockiin:3) and all.

^ Durinf remix 5 (ibfeel like the toss boys were all in that "its not a PHASEEEEE" moment BRKTJTHHT) she nearly fainted seeing aka bc she was wearing the most godawful fit (to her) + tried to cut her own hair (it went horribly wrong). so

i feel like her mama is probably the only thibg preventing both aka AND her mom to blow somethinf up. Unintentionally or not

akas mom was exactly Just Like Her as a kid so. yeah

and um. i kinda ran out of creatiticy here girl help

[running-with-kn1ves]

you can ignore this if it makes u uncomfy but how do you think cirdan would feel seeing reader with a baby?? not theirs but like maybe a friends or something, do you think he’d be like 🥺 or be pretty neutral

I think at first Cirdan would just see an infant for what it is-- an infant. A creature, even. No particular preference or lightbulbs would go off-- perhaps he'd reminisce on times when he was a kid-- the few moments he got to be one.

But seeing older children running around, chasing each other and picking up things they're not supposed to, tugging on the shirts of their parents and seeing the love and warmth that comes from a full family-- that'd spark an immediate fire in him. Its fun to watch friends and their families flail around, but its not the same as having one of his own; he definitely wanted a family post-marriage w/ reader. but only then did he realize that he wanted it, rather than seeing it as the obvious next step. I think he wouldn't even realize how gratifying the entire process can be until he starts putting plans in motion.

[gogandmagog]

(^ lmao, 🥸 HOPING you’ve seen this meme format before, or else this is embarrassingly unfunny…) But really, okay okay, Walter and Gilbert are 100% my favourite Blythes, easily and by far, and this specific area of their relationship is something I never tire of thinking about or studying, and so I have some thoughts to offer up for your consideration, lol. First, though, let me just emphatically state (poorly memes aside) that I’m not so fan-blind to think Gilbert can do no wrong. He can, and he does (hello? he [and Anne tbh] fat shaming Christine Stuart at the end of Ingleside, for starters?), it’s just that imo shortcomings are nonnegotiable, a necessity, in terms of believable/realistic characters (*Phil Gordon voice*: “I don’t believe I’d like a perfect [man]—somebody I could never find fault with!”). 

Nooow, that much said, here’s the passage in question directly, just because it feels helpful to share:   “Walter, one time I heard father say that the trouble with you was a sensitive nature and a vivid imagination. You feel things before they really come—feel them all alone when there isn't anything to help you bear them—to take away from them.”  In a passing read-over, I totally get why this could rub people the wrong way, because it definitely sounds like the Doctor casually made a derogatory two-item list of Things That are Wrong with Walter, and shared it with someone (probably Anne), within ear shot of a younger sibling. But, truly, I don’t think that’s what’s meant to be being laid down. Instead, what I believe is being communicated, is that to Gilbert, the ‘trouble’ comes from with the potential collateral emotional damage and incompatibility of those two items as they work together (or, in this case, against each other), and for lack of a better example, it’d be just like saying, “you throw stones, and you live in a glass house.” How a sensitive nature could absolutely be an issue, for anyone, when buddied up with a vivid imagination – one that especially has a habit of going a weeee bit dark (see Walter’s long and sad walk from the Parkers back home to Ingleside). In a way, Walter’s imagination is quite intrusive -- there are so many occasions throughout this series do we see that Walter is capable of really, really scaring himself (unnecessarily, at that). At the very end of Rilla eve, we’ll hear a similar deduction from Jem, who says, “realities never scared him – only his imagination could do that.” And just in case this isn’t already wrenching enough, we also know how much Walter grapples with his own inner-self, and how routinely he has these like, quasi-existential crises, and how badly he was bullied as a child on account of it (and other matters of general old-soul-ism). I think these are the kinds of emotional toils that deeply hurt caring and attentive parents, especially someone like Gilbert, who is only otherwise citable as being proud of Walter (and Walter of he), and thinking all his children are “perfect, just because they are his.” 

And in a household full of dreamy folks – between Anne and Nan and Walter – I can also see why it seems like selecting Walter out of the lineup of ‘trouble’ here might seem like a gender-role issue… but this again feels very ‘struggle’ specific imo. The difference is quite huge… neither Anne nor Nan are grappling with their respective identities, they’re both very comfortable there, thriving even. If Walter were only equally as satisfied there, I guess his dad surely would be too. 🥺

Rilla of Ingleside Book Club: Chapter V, “The Sound of a Gong”

Rilla and the other women may be holding themselves back from crying, but I am more than willing to cry for them.

I feel like to a certain extent in this chapter I have to forget that I’m a pacifist, or it would hurt too much. Everyone believes that their boys are so strong and brave and right—no wonder they all lash out at poor Whiskers-on-the-Moon. They have to believe that their boys are right, or they wouldn’t be able to live with themselves.

And oh god, that line Rilla writes in her diary: “Mother’s eyes never laugh now.” To remember that that’s our Anne—to think of her eyes not laughing anymore!

But once again, thank God for Susan. “Shirley says she is one half angel and the other half good cook.” That is so funny—and gives the Shirley fandom some more to parse. I look forward to hearing y’all’s thoughts!

It’s so interesting, that Rilla is the character who doesn’t like babies, given what’s coming up for her. It definitely makes things interesting—but I wish there was a major character who didn’t like babies who wouldn’t end up being a foster mother.

When people talk of gender in war books, it is always so interesting to me. This is a big thing in “Little Women”, of course, but we also see it in this chapter. Faith says, “Oh, if I were only a man, to go too!” Rilla says that of course she would go if she were a boy, but she doesn’t seem to want it in the same way Faith does. On the other hand, Walter, who doesn’t want to go but thinks he should, says, “I should have been a girl.” I’m not making any assumptions about how these characters would identify today—although if anyone wants to, please go right ahead—but I do think it’s very interesting how they do, or don’t, feel comfortable in the gender roles they are expected to fulfill, and in what gender roles are during a war. (I suppose they are less so now, to a certain degree, but still.)

Talking of gender roles, let’s talk about how Gilbert once—long before the war—said that “the trouble with Walter is a sensitive nature and a vivid imagination.” Rilla says that there’s nothing wrong with either of those things, and go her for that, but Gilbert said “trouble”, which implies something wrong pretty strongly. And yet Gilbert fell in love with a woman with a sensitive nature and a vivid imagination! I know the general opinion of the fandom is that Gilbert can do no wrong, but I gotta say I don’t love this. It’s also interesting to me that Gilbert’s favorite child is Di, who looks like Anne but has his personality, while Walter is the reverse.

Oh, boy. Enter Norman Douglas. What a character. I don’t agree with him about pretty much anything, except for a dislike of missionaries, and I don’t expect I’d like him much if we met—but he’s so much fun to read.

And enter Whiskers-on-the-Moon’s politics. “England went into it just because she was jealous of Germany and that she did not really care in the least what happened to Belgium.” Local World War I historians, is that accurate?

John Meredith…what the fuck? Are you okay? “Without shedding of blood there is no anything”? Norman Douglas calling him out on it makes the second time I agree with him.

[ophelieverse]

MORE DAD AEMOND FANFIC 🥺🙏🏻 ITS SO CUTE !!! I LOVE HOW DEDICATED HE IS WITH DRAGONS BUT STILL UNDERSTAND WHAT HIS FAMILY NEED BEST ✨🥲

⋅•⋅⋅•⋅⊰The wild princess and the wild dragon.

Aemond Targaryen x fem!reader.

Another part of Daddy Aemond for all of my lovelies.Now is Visenya time to shine and to finally have a dragon,just like her father did.

Thank you for reading and let me know what you think💕(sorry for the errors).

•••••••••••••••••••

The fire was crackling in the fireplace,the sun was rising above the horizon,every living small creature was now awaking for living another day in the peaceful and sunny Dragon Stone.

Y/n was laying on the bed,the white sheets were messy,half dangling on the floor and half wrapped around her sweaty body.Her hair sprawled on the pillow,back arching and eyes closing in the blissful feeling that was flaming on her skin.

It was the first lights in the morning,when her husband made his way on top of her after admiring her beautiful features.The perfect and immaculate texture of her skin,the sweet little smile on her sleepy face,the way her chest rose up and down in every breath.

Y/n hands wrapped around his neck and went to his hair,beautiful strands of silver moonlight,long enough for her to run her fingers through and to pull at.

Aemond moaned,pulling her closer until his lips claimed hers in a kiss full of desperation and need.He kissed her as if he was a man starved,the only thought of her the most delicious meal,and showing her exactly how much he craved her.

Y/n groaned in his mouth,the euphoric feeling pumping in her veins,wrapping her legs around his waist.He pulled her waist against his hard body,the bulge in his pants rubbing against her pelvic bone as he choked out with a moan:«I want another one.»his voice was low and it made her shiver.

His wife know immediately to what he was referring,to what his heart wished since the moment they got married,having another child.It wasn’t a secret for her,it wasn’t a secret for anyone,to see the way Aemond eye always lingered for too long on his wife belly,how he caressed it and the disappointment on his face to find it empty,imagining the future life that could come out of it.

Aemond had always been a family man,devoted to the woman that he loved and swore his life to,and to the beautiful children they had together.He didn’t had the best experience of family growing up,his parents barely looked in his direction or at each other,leaving him to be raised in empty rooms by even more empty people that gave him only the necessary.He didn’t wanted that for his children,he wanted them to feel safe and loved around him,always ready to find a shelter,a friend,a listener whenever they wished.

But now his children were growing,too fast for his liking.Rhaegal,his first son,his heir,soft and thoughtful like his mother,was now eighteen and ready to be wed to Lord Baratheon youngest daughter,making him spending half of his time in the Stormlands to court her.Aedion,his second son,now thirteen,calculating and mischievous,taking it after his paternal great grandfather,preferred to spend his free time with his cousin and with his dragon flying across Westeros.

Even his youngest daughter,Saera,who was only five,a beautiful princess that looked exactly like him,seemed to grown faster each day.Making him cherish every moment he had with her,from her first word,her first steps,answering to all her curiosities about the world that he’d always protect her from.

Then there’s was Visenya,his first daughter,the one girl he prayed and wished so much for,was now ten years old and a walking earthquake.The young princess was nothing like the Ladies of her age,nothing like her mother was.His daughter was short tempered,quick to anger and slave to acting before thinking.She preferred her hair short,no jewelry or pompous pastel dresses,but leather dark green pants and a sword.Instead of a Septa to take care of her and teaching her the good manners,Criston Cole was sworn to her,to teach her how to duel and how to work with armors on.

Y/n reached down with her hand,rubbing against his prominent bulge«Another girl?»she teased him with a smirk on her face.

Aemond shuddered,a spark running dow his body«I don’t care»he panted in her ear«As long as it’s you who’s giving it to me.»now sucking on the tender skin of her neck.

A loud knock on the door was what made them pull away.Needy lips running after each other,short breaths,and warm skins as they both got up from bed,adjusting themselves.

Criston Cole stood in the doorway,his white cape and shining armor making him look even more dutiful«I’m sorry to interrupt your morning my prince,my princess.»he stated looking at the couple.

«Has something happened?»Y/n was smothering down her nightgown,the one that till a moment before her husband wanted to rip off her.

Aemond was beside her,his hair messy thank to her,eye widened when he saw two of his children making their way into the room.

Aedion had become taller in years,but still he was shorter than his brother and his father were at his age.His white hair were a mess of silver strands,like someone had pulled them roughly,the angular features of his pale face morphed in a annoyed expression.Under his left eye a purple bruise bloomed on his skin with a little cut,sand all over his cheeks.

Visenya stood beside him,soaked from head to toe,was trying her best to not shiver but the sound of her teeth trembling was audible in all the room.Her shoulder length hair were wet,sticking on her neck and cheeks.The dark fabric of her clothes,clinging on her like a second skin while little droplets of water landed on the stone floor.Her hands were on her side,clenched fits,and on her right hand her knuckles were peeled,crusty blood on them.

«I heard the screams and i found them fighting on the beach.»Ser Criston explained.

Y/n looked at her husband,exchanging a knowing look with him«Why when something happens is always the two of you?»she said in a exasperated tone.

«He started it-»Visenya bursted out immediately,adverting on her the gaze of her parents.

«She attacked me!»Aedion defended himself,pointing his accusatory finger on his sister.

«Quiet,both of you!»Aemond yelled,tiredness in his voice.

Then he pulled Visenya in his arms,wrapping a blanket around her shaking figure a guiding her toward the fireplace.The little girl sighed in relief,enjoying the warmth of the flames and her father caressing her back to help her warm up.

Y/n took a deep breath,placing a hand on her son shoulder«Thank you,Ser Criston.We will take care of it.»she thanked him with a genuine smile.

The knight bowed his head and closed the door behind him,leaving the scene.When his mother turned to look at him,her face stoic and a strict gaze on her eyes,Aedion shivered on his feet.

«Care to tell me why you and your sister were fighting like animals,again?»she asked,anger very clear in the sound of her voice.

Y/n took her son face on her hands,examining the bruised skin and cleaning him from the sand.Aedion hissed in pain,closing his eyes and trying to turn away from his mother grasp«She punched me!She is the animal,look at the way she dress!»he cried out.

Visenya head shot up,angry purple eyes setting on her brother«You deserved it!It’s you who gave me a donkey!»she barked back.

«Because you are one!»Aedion told her,his face now free from his mother care but still hiding behind her body.

«Aedion!»Y/n yelled immediately at her son insult.

There was a ruffle sound,the blanket that was covering Visenya cold body was now on the floor,the little girl ready with another punch for her brother face.Fortunately,Aemond was ready to catch her by her waist,holding her up against his chest,before she could flung herself on Aedion scared figure.

«Enough!»Aemond roared,his daughter kicking and squirming in his arms ceased at the authority in his voice«Me and your mother are gonna deal with this separately,since the two of you can’t be civil enough to have a proper conversation.»he stated,breathing deeply through his nose.

Y/n nodded at him,knowing more than well that this was the only solution.Growing up,she had missed the special bond that Aedion and Visenya had.Once they were inseparable,it was impossible to see one without the other,playing together,laughing and caring for each other.

Now it was impossible to see them going along,always picking on one another,the continue teasing and stupids pranks.It was tiring,especially since both Y/n and Aemond wanted nothing more than a lovely family who have each other backs.

When his wife closed the door behind her,taking with her their son,Aemond turned his gaze to his daughter now sitting again on the carpet next to the fire.

Her little figure was curled up against the stone wall,one of her hand towards the flames to gather some warmth.Aemond could her the sound of her sniffing and see her lucid eyes,it broke his heart to see her like that.

«Want to tell about this donkey?»Aemond voice was calm now,softer.

«They both laughed at me,like i’m some sort of jester.»Visenya started,her little face softened,tears to the corner of her eyes.

Aemond chest ached at the sound of her broken and shaky voice«Visenya»he started calling her attention«You need to tell me what happened,otherwise i can’t help you.»he got closer to her,sitting next to her and caressing her cheek to wipe away the tears.

His daughter cleared her throat and nodded«Aedion and Jaehaerys said that here in Dragon Stone lived three wild dragons»she talked lowly«so they took me to get one,so i could be just like the rest of you.But instead they gave me a donkey.»she told him,little sobs leaving her mouth.

Aemond froze on his spot,his mind racing just like his pulse did.Suddenly it all came back to him,it was like living that stupid nightmare again but instead of a donkey his false dragon was a pig.His chest burned with anger,if he closed his eye he swore he could still hear his brother and nephews making fun of him.But what anger him the most was that no matter,no matter the fact that he got he revenge on them by claiming the biggest dragon in Westeros,that didn’t felt like a win now that his daughter had to experience his same pain.

He felt powerless,he had promised Y/n that he would protect his daughter from the moment she was born till his last breath on this earth,but he was unable to shelter her from his own past.

«Then I got angry»Visenya sniffed again«and i punched Aedion in the face.Jaehaerys had to throw me in the sea to stop me.»she explained,looking up to her father with sad eyes.

But it was different this time,his daughter was different,he was different.When it happened to him,his mother did what little she could,promising him that one day he would had a dragon.His father never talked about it,not even a pitiful glance on his way,not a single word of comfort to forget.Even though his mother tried,that weren’t the words that his younger self needed her to say to him,the ones that only him said to himself.

What he needed that day was someone to tell him:«If there is a dragon out there,go and claim it.»just like he did right now.

He couldn’t repair on what his parents did for him,but he could be the best version of himself for his daughter so that she could never experience this kind of pain again.

Visenya eyes widened«Can i?»she asked,like for a permission,her eyes now sparkling.

Aemond smiled at her«It is your birth right,as a Targaryen,to have one.If you are brave and bold enough go and claim one for yourself.»he stated,turning serious.

His daughter shivered,but this time not from the cold but for the examination that she felt running through her veins at her father next words«You are not a donkey,you are a dragon.So be a dragon.»

Y/n was sitting on a chair in her son room,from the other side of the table Aedion was looking down at his hands.The Maester had left just a moment ago,after cleaning a stitching up the little cut that he had under his eye.

The smell of medical alcohol still lingered the room«It was just a harmless joke»Aedion tried to defend himself.

His mother crossed her arms,the disappointment on her face hurted more than the punch he received in the morning«Visenya is your sister and you,better than anyone,should know how much this topic hurts her.»she stated with a stern voice.

Aedion sighed«It’s just»he started«she has to be in everything that i do all the time.»he explained.

«Aedion-»his mother began.

But the young boy interrupted her«It’s the truth!Whenever i’m practicing with the sword she is there.When i want to take a fly with Hyperion she asks me to come and father says i have to take her.This vacation on Dragon Stone was suppose to be my free time with Jaehaerys but she’s been following us since we first landed here!»he sounded tired,ready to cry and combust on himself.

Y/n face softened,a little smile on her face,as she stood up and walked to her son.Turning around the table,she took his face in her hands,carefully caressing his cheek with her thumb«She wants to be involved because she want to be like you.»she said with a tender voice«Ask her who’s her favorite dragon rider is,but don’t tell your father the answer.»she then chuckled making her son do the same.

Aedion looked surprised,a sparkle behind his lavander eyes«Really?Me?»he sounded surprised.

But when his mother nodded his chest warmed and his heart ached«I’m sorry for what i did.»he murmured.

Y/n smiled,she understood him.Being a older brother have its up and its down,and a nagging little sister wasn’t always the best thing to have around.But with the sincerity of his words and the sight of regret in his eyes,she knew everything would be better.

«You have to tell this to your sister.»she said,hugging him closer to her.

Night time came faster than a blink of an eye.The sky was dark and starless,looking empty and intimidating,the cold breeze of the ocean and the impetuous wind hollowed knocking at the winds to come in.The pale moonbeams lulled every living creature to sleep,expect for one.

Visenya lifted the warm covers from her body,jumping out of her bed,dressing quickly with a dark green cloak on her shoulders and a torch in her hands she flew out of the castle and making her way to the hills around it.

She had heard tales from the small folks who lived there,about three wild dragons that roamed the island at night.One who was know to steal the sheep from the shepherds,one shy and silent,barely seen,and another one,the biggest out of them,that eats his own kind.

The young princess shivered,the cold wind hitting her pale face as her legs walked faster in the dark cave.It was pitch black,humid and smelled like something died in there.The little flame of her torch flicked as more deep she got,tracing her hand on the rough stone walls,under he feet she could hear the cracking of something breaking with each step she was taking until the darkness swallowed her up.

In her head the comforting words of her father repeated themselves.She was a dragon,she was brave and she was bold,named after the strongest woman warrior that ever existed in Westeros,it was her birth right to claim that dragon.

But not only a simple dragon,her need to prove herself,to be better,made her want the biggest out of the three dragons:the Cannibal.

Visenya jumped surprised,squeezing her purple eyes and crunching down when she heard a little screeching sound.Pointing her torch to the ground a little smile appeared on her face,a dragon,no bigger than a cat,scales greens as a emerald,was lurking towards her.

She remembered seeing her brothers,the rest of her family raising little dragons and taking care of them since they came out of the shell.How she missed it,now looking at the small creature that she could have had since her birth,the pain of a sensation that she will never be able to feel.

«Nyke’m daor going naejot ōdrikagon ao.»her voice was calm as she spoke slowly,spelling out every word.

Her father had taught her the dragons language,along her brothers,when she was a child,narrating to them all the tales of ancient Valyria at its full glory.

Visenya was calm,even though her heart raced,and politely telling to the small dragon that she wasn’t there to hurt it.The little creature had other plans,seeing a stranger entering the cave,a snarl came out of it opening his wide mouth.

The young princess didn’t had the time to react,to jump back and to retire her hand before it was to late.The green dragon pointy and sharp teeth closed around her left hand,the sound of broken bones and the high pitch screams leaving her mouth echoed on the stone walls.

The pain went directly to her heart,her pulse quicker,hot tears running down her cheeks,as she tried to hit the small dragon with the torch.Before she could even lift her right arm,a loud roar shook the very foundation of Dragon Stone,the sound of heavy steps and animalistic snarls.

The Cannibal emerged from the shadows,black as coal with menacing green eyes,he was the largest and the oldest of the three wild dragons.

Visenya stood still with her knees on the dirty floor,her left hand tucked to her chest trembling.Blood was everywhere,on her white camisole,her pants,her cloak,under her chin and especially on left arm.She couldn’t feel her fingers,nothing aside the sharp pain the was running up her hand and all over her small body.

The wild dragon in front of her opened his mouth and without wasting his time,with just one bite,he ate the smaller green one.The sound of chewing,the smell of blood and death,and the vision didn’t made her flinch.

Instead,hissing in pain,she tore a piece of her green cloak to wrap it on her hand to prevent more bleeding.Then she rose on her feet,not even this would had stopped her to have that dragon.

Visenya walked slowly,the Cannibal eyes were scrutinized her,looking at every move the young princess was making in her way towards him.

Lifting her right hand up,almost near him,Visenya felt a strange pull in her chest,something warm,like a hook in her ribs that was dragging her to the creature.

The dragon opened his mouth,a glowing color sparkled in the back of his throat with a ferocious rumble.

«Dohaeris.»she stated with authority in her voice,every trace of fear leaving her body«Dohaeris,Cannibal.»she repeated.

Listening to her,with a low sound,the creature closed his mouth,obeying her just like Visenya requested.Something,a primal devotion that was in him before his birth,finally awoke.

«Lykiri.»Visenya said again,an invisible string was tying itself up around them,keeping them close to each other,calm like she asked him,when her hand finally touched the warm scales on his head and he let her.

Because now,the Cannibal was not a wild dragon and Visenya wasn’t a donkey.They belonged to each other,a dragon and his rider.

It was the sound of something hard landing and breaking the ground outside their window,a low screeching sound that made the glass tremble,that woke them up.

Aemond and Y/n were sleeping peacefully in each other arms,right under the warm covers when a servant girl came rushing into their chambers stating that something had happened to the princess.

In the grand Hall,Y/n was crunched down,still in her nightgown,tears in the corner of her eyes and a worried expression on her face«She’s gonna be fine,right?»she asked with trembling voice for the tenth time.

The Grand Maester,an old man,was sitting at the table in the center of the room,Viseny was right in front of him.Her left hand was in a horrible state,covered in blood,the flesh torn apart and one of her fingers almost detached.

«Her hand gonna heal,princess.»the Maester reassured her«But i can’t save this one finger.»he said pointing at the ring finger.

Aemond felt his mouth become dry,his pulse was quick in his ear while watching the way his wife cried out at the horrible news holding her daughter desperately.

Again it felt like living again that moment of his childhood,remembering how his mother was crashed for what happened to his eye and now seeing his wife going through the same pain.

Visenya hissed in pain as the Maester was stitching the cuts on her hand,but a little smile was present on her face«Do not worry mother.I may have lost a finger,but i gained a dragon.»she stated proud of herself.

Aemond let out a choked chuckle«A fair exchange.»he whispered to his daughter,caressing her head.

Y/n head shot up to her husband,the anger in her eyes made him shiver«Our daughter could have died!And you say it was a fair exchange ?»she screamed at him.

Aemond breathed through his nose,as a father he almost had a heart attack when he saw his daughter bloody hand.But his younger self was screaming how proud he was of her,seeing coming down the sky with her dragon.

«I’m aware of what could have happened.»he remained her«But it didn’t,that dragon was destined to belong to her.From now on he will protect her.»he said.

Visenya passed her eyes from her father to her mother«I’m fine and i finally have all that i ever wanted.I’m sorry if i made you worry.»she excused herself.

Y/n sighed deeply,knowing that no matter what,her husband and daughter were more similar to each other than anything else.It would been impossible to make them change their mind on this topic.

«But you have to promise me that you will ride that thing only when you will have a saddle and in your father presence,deal?»she said,a small smile that mirrored his daughter one.

«Deal!»Visenya answered enthusiastically.

Aemond smiled,making his way towards his wife a wrapping his arms around her.A quick kiss on her forehead as he realized that even Visenya now had grown,from the little tremendous girl to a soon magnificent dragon rider.And he couldn’t wait to be there for her in every step,helping her and teaching to her like he did with his sons.

«After this,i definitely want another one.»

[xofanfics]

Lost in the Dream - Part II

Part I | Part II | Part III

*REQUESTED*

Genre: angst 🥺(get your tissues, people)

Pairing: Reader x Johnny

Word Count: 3.1k

Summary: Johnny isn’t the type to commit but he was willing to do it with you. When a surprise pops up, things take an unexpected turn.

FOUR YEARS LATER…

You rolled the small purple suitcase onto the floor, opening it. You sighed, not quite sure of where to start. You were going to be in Busan for a week with your daughter to visit your parents. You’d just finished doing a load of laundry and had folded most of Aya’s outfits already.

Your child came into the room with a yawn, as if she’d spent the afternoon slaving over a suitcase like you had. You smiled. “Aya, baby, why don’t you pick out your favorite pajamas?”

Your daughter had been sitting at her small table coloring, but quickly rose from her seat to go digging through her drawers. She picked out mismatched pajama sets but you shrugged and put them in the suitcase anyway. The least you could do is to give her a bit of creative autonomy.

“Are you coming too, mommy?” Aya asked with a pout. 

You reached your arms out to sit your daughter in your lap. “Of course. Who else will take you to see grandma and grandpa?” Aya shrugged. “They won’t let you go on the plane without mommy. Don’t worry. Besides, do you know how to get to the airport?” 

Aya shook her head and giggled. 

You kissed her on the forehead. “I didn’t think so.”

***

Johnny rolled over to meet the eyes of his girlfriend, Hyeri. Johnny smiled. “You’re awake?”

“I couldn’t sleep well.”

Johnny pulled her closer to his chest and held her, taking in her scent. He ran his fingers through her hair and kissed her forehead. “Do you feel okay? You must be a little uncomfortable since you’re on your period, right?” She nodded. Johnny smiled and said, “I’ll make you some tea.”

“Thank you.”

Johnny got up, planting one last kiss on her forehead before heading into the kitchen. She ended up following him into the kitchen, just to watch. Johnny was a good guy. They’d been seeing each other for just three months but she already felt so close to him. She’d been hurt by a lot of men, relationships full of broken promises and false hope. But she felt like Johnny was different. 

“Are you ready for our trip?” Johnny asked, turning on the electric kettle. 

Johnny had booked a weekend trip for he and his girlfriend to go to Busan. Part of him didn’t want to go because it reminded him of you. It was where your family was from and where you grew up. He almost didn’t book, but he decided that he wouldn’t let you make decisions for him all these years later. It never sat right with him how things ended with you. And it brought a lot of trust issues, especially in his current relationship. It was fairly new but things were okay but he wasn’t sure if he could see himself with her long term. Could he see himself being engaged? Married? Having a child? He thought that taking a trip together would bring them closer, so he booked one to see if she was really the right woman for him.

Sometimes he thought about what if and what could’ve been. He wondered if he hadn’t cheated on you, if you would’ve been with him still. He wondered if you would’ve decided to have the baby anyway. He was scared back then and he hadn’t been sure if he wanted to be or would’ve been a good father. The last thing he would’ve wanted was to be a disappointment. 

But he realized that maybe he’d been too quick to say that he didn’t want to get married and that he didn’t want children. He’d been young then and he didn’t know what it was like to be with someone he could even picture that with. But, looking back, he could see those things with you. You were honestly one of his biggest regrets. He regretted everything about how he treated you and about how he never got to have closure. You were just gone and sometimes it almost felt like you had never existed in the first place, but he supposed you did that on purpose. 

Hyeri’s smile brought him back to reality. He cleared his throat, almost feeling guilty to be thinking of his ex when he was standing in front of his girlfriend. “Yeah. Our flight isn’t until 2 and we’re up like our flight is in two hours.” She chuckled as Johnny grabbed two teabags, deciding he’d have some for himself, too. He put them in two cups he’d set out. 

“I’m so glad we’re going on a trip,” Johnny said. “I’m starting to feel some burnout with work.”

She wrapped her arms around his waist, bringing herself closer to him. “It’s okay. We’ll get away for a couple days and relax.”

***

You took a breath as you stepped off the plane with your daughter. You’d just landed at the airport and you could almost smell the ocean water from here. It had been a while since you’d come to your hometown. Your parents, of course, wanted you back in Korea. It would’ve been the easier option, so you wouldn’t have had to go through the pregnancy alone but you had enough money saved to start a new life in Japan. 

Sometimes you wondered what things would’ve looked like if you’d decided to stay with your parents instead of moving to Japan. You wouldn’t have had to do things by yourself. You would’ve had help, at the very least. And Aya would’ve grown up with them, building a long lasting relationship rather than through FaceTime and an occasional visit back and forth. 

Sometimes you wondered what things would’ve looked like if you’d been able to face Johnny. You’d debated having the abortion, you really did. But the fact that Johnny didn’t want a baby was so hurtful. He’d implied that he wouldn’t let you raise the baby by yourself, but you knew that wasn’t really what he wanted. That wasn’t really how he felt. Those words were just because of the obligation to take care for a kid that was yours. And you didn’t want to make him miserable. So, you decided to keep the baby and to disappear from Johnny’s life. 

Sometimes Aya asked about him. She asked things like “Does my daddy live in Japan too?”

You never told her the full truth but you simply told her that her father wasn’t around and that you didn’t know where he was or what he was doing. This was only partially true. You figured he was probably still living in Korea somewhere, maybe in Seoul, maybe in Daegu, maybe in Incheon. You didn’t know and you made it a point not to. You stayed away from social media all these years, opting to stay hidden. The last thing you’d wanted was for Johnny to find you first. 

There was no way you’d be able to face him now. So much time had passed. Had you waited too long? Was it too late to make amends?

A short bus ride later, you’d arrived at your parents’ home. They still lived in the same house you’d grown up in. Despite the fact that you left for Seoul  and that your brother left for culinary school, they didn’t change either of your rooms into an office or walk in closet. 

Your parents welcomed you and Aya with open arms. You hadn’t been able to visit Korea in a while, since work had gotten busy the past couple months. 

Aya jumped into her grandfather’s arms. “Wow, you got so big!”

Aya giggled playfully. “Grandpa!”

Your mother said, “How is our little Aya?”

“Good!”

You smiled at the wholesome moment. It had only been a few months, but you had missed your family. Sometimes you wanted to move back here but other times you were grateful for your life in Japan. Despite the situation that caused you to run away there, being somewhere new helped you step outside of your comfort zone and do things you never thought you’d get to do. You’d been able to provide a decent life for you and your daughter in Japan. 

But was Japan where you truly belonged?

*

“Wow, this space looks even better than in pictures,” you said, looking around the restaurant. “It’s not on the beach but there’s still a nice view of it on the patio. And there’s a nice breeze.”

The restaurant wasn’t too big, able to seat about thirty people or so comfortably. The decor your brother had chosen had a seaside theme, very fitting for the area. You’d only seen pictures on WhatsApp, but the space looked great.

You were proud of your younger brother. He’d worked very hard to get where he was today. For someone two years younger than you, he’d already accomplished so much. He’d gone to culinary school overseas and came back with the credentials he needed to open up his own restaurant. You hadn’t seen him much once he graduated from high school, but it was definitely worth the sacrifice since he was able to follow his dreams.

You were twenty-seven with a child and had a job but you couldn’t say that you felt particularly fulfilled with where your life was right now. You weren’t sure where the void in your life was exactly. Maybe you were lonely. Maybe it was a career change that you needed. Hell, maybe you just needed a break, a vacation—one where you didn’t have to worry about Aya. A solo trip or even a trip with your friends sounded great. You loved Aya with all of your heart but you had to admit there were a bunch of things that you couldn’t do because you had a child and because you were raising her on your own. 

This brought you back to Johnny. You realized by now that you’d made an impulsive decision and you weren’t sure how to fix it. It wasn’t a situation where you could just send him a message all these years later saying that you really did have the baby. What would his reaction be? You were afraid to know what he would do or say.

But you needed to find the strength to tell Johnny. No matter how much it hurt and no matter how hard it was, you needed to tell Johnny that he was a father. And it needed to happen on this trip, no matter what. 

“Hey,” said your brother. “Could you help me prep some stuff in the kitchen? I’m running a little behind and we’re opening in a little less than an hour.”

You glanced at your daughter. “Um, well maybe I could have Aya sit by the kitchen…”

Your brother rolled his eyes. “She’s a good girl, Y/N. She knows not to talk to strangers or to go in the street. She can play with her ball outside on the patio. And you can watch her from the cameras.”

You sighed. “Fine.”

“Come, Aya,” said your brother. “How about you play with your ball outside for a little while?”

“Can you play, uncle?”

“I can’t play this time. But next time, I will. I promise.”

Aya pouted and proceeded to follow her uncle outside. You smiled at your child before heading into the kitchen. 

*

Johnny and Hyeri were starving after an afternoon of walking. It was still a little early. It was 4:15 but they hadn’t exactly had lunch. 

“There’s this restaurant my friend told me about,” Hyeri said, taking out her phone. “His friend from high school is opening his restaurant today. He said it’s opening at 4.”

“What kind of cuisine?”

“Seafood.”

“Perfect,” he said. “Busan is the best place to have fresh seafood, right?”

She nodded as she pulled up directions on her phone. “It’s in walking distance. I’m tired but fifteen minutes isn’t bad.”

Unfortunately Hyeri’s app didn’t tell her how many hills they would have to walk up. Halfway there, they stopped at a convenience store for water. Johnny wasn’t particularly out of shape but he hated leg day and walking up hills wasn’t fun by any means. By the time they arrived at the restaurant, Johnny’s legs were completely dead. 

Johnny walked up the patio. They were early and it was a new restaurant. It didn’t look like anyone had arrived. The only person in sight was a small child playing on the patio. She was rolling the ball back and forth, from one side of the patio to another. The child looked up with curious eyes and smiled. 

Since the front door was open, Hyeri went inside first. She was met with a man who was setting out table placements. “Hi,” she said, “are you not open yet?”

“We actually open at 5 but since you’re here already, I-”

“No, no,” she said, “it’s okay. We can come back in a bit.”

The man shook his head. “No, really. Sit and relax. I’ll bring some drinks, on the house. Do you like soju?”

“Of course,” Johnny said. “We wouldn’t be Korean if we didn’t.”

The man let out a chuckle. “Perfect. I’ll bring some soju cocktails!”

Hyeri said, “Sounds good. I can’t wait to try it!”

“Sit wherever you like. I’ll be back with the drinks and some menus for you.”

Hyeri nodded and turned to Johnny as the man disappeared. “Do you wanna sit outside?”

He shrugged. “Yeah, why not? The sun is setting, there’s some shade; It’s a nice day. And we can go for a walk by the beach to walk the food off.”

Hyeri shot him a look of disbelief. “Hey, I came on vacation to have fun. Not to do a full body workout.”

He sat down in the chair and kissed her on the cheek. “I can give you one of those later tonight, if you like.”

Johnny was enjoying the scenery and the couple spent a minute or two to take it in. Even from here, they could smell that the ocean wasn’t too far away. Even though this trip was only for the weekend, Johnny felt at peace and happy. He hadn’t realized how burnt out he’d been and how needed this getaway was.

***

You picked up your phone and put it down again. You found Johnny on Instagram, at least. You found it easily. His profile was public, plus he hadn’t changed his username for the past few years. The bad news was that it seemed like he was seeing someone. For some reason, learning that hurt you. It was to be expected, you supposed, especially since you were the one to cut him off. 

You weren’t going to follow him on the social media platform. You were going to send the message and that was it. Wording things was going to be the hard part. What did you say to him after all these years? You’d chosen this for yourself and for your daughter. You were the villain in this story and you knew that. 

You started typing a message, unsure of where you were going with it. But you figured that the least you could do was start it. 

Hi Johnny, it’s Y/N… I know it’s been a while and you might be wondering why I’m writing to you after all these years. First, I’m sorry for cutting you off back then. There were so many things going on and I was hurt by what happened. Second, I want to tell you that we have a daughter. I know that it’s a shock and I’m sorry for only telling you just now. I felt embarrassed and I was scared. I know there’s no excuse for what I’ve done and that we can’t go back in time, but I want to let you know how truly sorry I am. And, if you want, I can prove it with a DNA test…

I never wanted things to end up like this but I let things get out of control and—

You stared at the message for a few minutes, debating whether the words you’d written were good enough. Then you started panicking at the thought of even finishing your thoughts and pressing send. For now, you’d leave it there. And you copied and pasted it in your notes, just in case. Typing it all had already triggered some anxiety in you.

You took a deep breath, hoping to be able to find enough air. Your body had begun to shake, out of the fear of what could happen. Johnny, of course, had every right to hate you. He had every right to be angry. And he had every right not to forgive you for what you’d done not only to him, but to your daughter, too. Aya didn’t deserve any of this either. She deserved to know who her father was and she deserved to have him in her life. You just hoped that Johnny wouldn’t reject her and your efforts wouldn’t be wasted.

***

Johnny’s conversation got interrupted as a rogue ball bounced under the table. Johnny smiled as he looked up to see the little girl with her mouth wide open. 

The restaurant owner, who had been coming out with appetizers, said, “I told you to roll the ball, not bounce it.”

Johnny smiled as he handed it back to the little girl. “Here you go.”

She made eye contact with him for the first time, looking at him with big, curious eyes. A couple seconds later, she smiled. And in a low, shy-sounding voice, she said, “Thank you.” 

“Sorry about that,” the owner said.

“It’s no problem,” Johnny said, taking his seat again. As their prawn appetizer was placed on the table, he added, “Thanks so much.”

“Enjoy!”

“I’m so hungry,” said Hyeri, placing her napkin in her lap. “It looks so good.”

Johnny smiled and picked up his fork to taste the prawn. As he and Hyeri ate, he couldn’t help but steal glances at the little girl. He couldn’t put his finger on it, but something about her seemed eerily familiar. He watched for a moment as she drew in a book at a table on the other side of the patio. Was it strange for him to be watching her like this? He couldn’t describe the feeling, but something felt familiar about her. He shook it off, deciding that maybe something about her reminded him of someone from his own family or maybe she just looked like someone he’d seen before.

“I’m gonna go to the bathroom,” Johnny announced, once they’d finished their appetizer. Hyeri nodded as she took a sip of her drink and Johnny disappeared into the restaurant. As he turned the corner toward the bathrooms, Johnny’s heart nearly stopped once he came face to face with a woman he never thought he’d see again.

***

A/N: I know I took FOREVER to post. I’ve been going through a hell of a lot in my personal life and had absolutely noooo motivation to write. But I was determined and I know I had quite a few of yall waiting.

I know I said this was supposed to be a 2 shot but i’m thinking 4-5 parts cause i have new ideas.

General Tag List: @to-all-the-stories-i-love​ @sweetnspicy-noona

“Lost in the Dream” Taglist: @justineasian​ @midnightflare​ @koreansimss @joepomonerof​ @reagiie @peachyciroq​ @lolo101444-blog @happyhoonie @ellenthemelon0 @sassy-author

[talkfantasytome]

Hi,

Nesta finding out she's pregnant and then telling Cass or Nessian being parents

Aw, so sweet! 🥺 I have two separate fics that have Nesta telling Cassian: "Just Open It" and "My Candy: Part 1". They're on my masterlist (I can't link at the moment cause then tumblr will keep me from the tags 😒). So, I'll go the other route!

Also, fun fact, I have been working slowly on a Nessian kid fic, so maybe get excited for that? Though it will be a bit...different. 👀 But a kid will be heavily involved. lol We'll see when it comes, but it's going to be a while. Definitely not until @c-e-d-dreamer has finished hers. 😄

"And, with the curse broken, the land flourished, and the entire kingdom lived happily ever after."

"Yay," Eirena cooed, her body curled up against Nesta's.

Cassian couldn't help but smile as he watched his two girls from the open door to his daughter's room.

He stayed leaning against the doorway as his daughter requested, "Another?"

"No, baby, it's time for bed," Nesta sighed. "But I'll read you another tomorrow night, okay?"

Eirena pushed her bottom lip out in a pout. "Two tomorrow!"

"We'll see. If you get ready for bed earlier, you can have two. Okay?"

"Okay!"

Cassian chuckled at the thoughtless promise. Eirena hated getting ready for bed, always trying to delay it as long as possible. Then again, the main way they finally would get her into her pajamas and brushing her teeth was the threat of not getting a story. So maybe this promise would get her ready earlier than normal.

Guess they'd find out tomorrow just how much like her mother Eirena is.

"Daddy! You're gonna tuck me in, too, right?!"

His eyes snapped toward the wide, blue-grey ones watching him, and he flashed her a big smile. "Of course little bat."

He walked toward the bed as Nesta started to detangle herself from their daughter. She stood just as he reached them, putting the book away on the overflowing shelf. Cassian had no idea that many children's books even existed, but Nesta had ensured they'd never have to read the same story to their daughter unless she wanted them to.

Eirena snuggled lower in her bed. Cassian bent over and grabbed the covers, pulling them up so they were over her full torso.

"You'll read one of my stories tomorrow, daddy," she demanded softly.

"He can read both, if you'd prefer," Nesta laughed, brushing her fingers through Eirena's golden brown hair. It was the exact shade of Nesta's, just like her eyes, and Cassian loved it.

"No! One from each!"

Cassian and Nesta both huffed out a laugh, their eyes meeting. Her gaze was so bright the grey looked almost silver, and Cassian felt his breathing hitch.

"One from each it is," Nesta agreed. She leaned over and gave Eirena a soft kiss on the forehead. "Good night."

"Night mommy."

Cassian followed Nesta's movements, kissing Eirena's soft skin. "Good night, little bat."

"Good night daddy," she yawned, burying her head further into her pillow.

Standing, Cassian held out his hand for Nesta. She took it, entwining their fingers as they started out the room, turning together at the door and looking back at Eirena one last time as Cassian slowly flipped the light off. Her pegasus night light created a soft, blue glow on her face.

The both stood there for an extra minute, Cassian letting go of Nesta's hand to wrap his arm around her waist and hold her close. "We did pretty good, didn't we?"

"We did," Nesta agreed leaning in to him, resting her head against his torso and keeping her eyes on their daughter. "Think we could do it again?"

Cassian's lips curved upward, his smile spreading into a massive grin as he asked, "Do you want to try?"

She finally turned her face to look up at him. "Yeah, I do."

His joy couldn't be contained as he leaned in and kissed Nesta, his smile getting in the way. But Nesta didn't seem deterred. Not as she lifted her hands to the nape of his neck, pulling him close and kissing him back.

Pulling away, Cassian gave a low chuckle and suggested, "Wanna start now?"

"No time like the present," she said back with an enchanting smirk.

With a quick kiss, Cassian quickly looked back to Eirena, finding her already asleep, and then shut her door softly. Taking Nesta's hand again, he led her to their room for what was sure to be a wonderful end to another perfect night.

@live-the-fangirl-life @generalnesta @secretlovelybeauty @nestaisgod @julemmaes @boredserpent @autumnbabylon @lady-winter-sunrise @moodymelanist @sv0430 @nesquik-arccheron @gwynrielsupremacy @katekatpattywack @moonstoneriver77 @deedz-thrillerkilller16 @swankii-art-teacher @lemonade-coolattas @emily-gsh @my-fan-side @champanheandluxxury @sayosdreams @simpingfornestaarcheron @perseusannabeth @clemidansleschoux @meher-sumedha @labetenoir @vinylcryes @shinya-hiiragi @starryblueskies7 @the-key-to-me-myself-and-i @a-court-of-milkandhoney @pintas3107 @embersofwildfire @cannellefawn @superspiritfestival @aks18

[melis-writes]

Could you do a Michael/Victori blurb based on the song by Frank Sinatra - I’ll Never Smile Again ?

Maybe they take a break or divorce and Michael says “I’ll never smile again, until I smile at you.”

Omgggg this song! 🥺💔 Yes, more heartaching angst coming up!! 😭 I'm going to do my best by including that sentence for Michael and the overall feel of the song too! 👀

I'll Never Smile Again.

The years came and by like a sweet, summer breeze since August 1949 when Victoria married Michael Corleone. Feeling in tune with the world and knowing time was on her side, Victoria cherished and never took any moment she had for granted with Michael.

When she became pregnant a month into her marriage, the love and support the Corleone girls–Connie, Sandra and Theresa–gave her with Mama Corleone's insight made her feel so loved and taken care of.

Victoria fit in perfectly with the Corleone family, even though everyone expected as much. She got along with all of her in-laws so well, even if at first it was a bit of a struggle with Fredo. Even then to him, Victoria didn't give up on her brother-in-law; all she had was time to love and to forgive.

Time and memory are now nothing but a burden to Victoria. Only one year has passed since her divorce with Michael was finalized. She practically spat in Michael's face when she changed her last name back to Ferrari, but Victoria didn't care anymore.

Married name or maiden name, Victoria knew it wouldn't make a difference–especially to the press. A scandal would be told either way, and just how long could a divorced couple be seen next to each other like that?

In truth, Victoria did it for Michael. Not only did she not want to be associated with the Corleone family anymore, but she didn't want Michael's family name to be sullied on the media if it ever came to that. That may have been the worst case scenario, but it never happened either.

The media only believed Mr. and Mrs. Corleone made less public outings and called it that. In truth however, Victoria and Michael were divorced, and their absence from the public in the beginning was stretched out long enough for people to start asking questions.

After that, Michael and Victoria were seen with each other but never alone. Their marriage may have ended, but their co-parenting with the children did not. There was no hiding the truth from Niccolo and Verona–now nine years old but your youngest three-year-old Vincent and two-year-old James were naturally too young to understand the rift between their parents.

The year following Michael and Victoria's divorce felt like an eternity to both. Everything had changed so suddenly, and even with a year passing by, neither Victoria or Michael could adapt to the aftermath of their divorce.

Victoria continued practicing law full time, but the days refused to pass. Her mind was constantly on Michael, on her marriage, on the children. All she did was overthink about what she could have done to save her marriage, and while Michael's ego and pride didn't let him admit so to anybody, he was thinking the exact same.

The children spent three days in New York with you and your family and three days with Michael and the Corleone's. The seventh day of the week–today–meant you and Michael would be spending time with the children together in New York.

"Miss Ferrari?" Esther peeked her head out into the garden.

"Yes?" Victoria refused to turn her head back, sitting quietly by the array of bright flowers surrounding her.

"Don Corleone is here." Esther said back with a frown and immediately noticed Victoria's muscles tensing up at the sound of his name.

"Thank you for letting me know." Victoria pulled out a new cigarette from her pack, slipping it in the corner of her mouth.

"And um," Esther paused for a moment, hearing Michael's footsteps growing closer. "He's here to see you."

Victoria stared down at her cigarette pack as anxiety raced through her. Her heart began to thunder in her chest and she refused to speak back or react. She had always felt this way on Sundays when Michael was around her, but they were always with the children in the same place–never alone.

With that, Esther turned and headed back down the hallway. She gave Michael a small nod, letting him know that she notified Victoria accordingly. Only then did Michael step out into the garden to see his ex-wife shakily smoking a cigarette for the first time in his life.

Victoria memorized the sound and pressure of Michael's footsteps anywhere he walked. She knew he was approaching her from behind just as well as she could sense his presence. Victoria pretended not to care, but she did more than ever.

"I know you haven't ever spent much time in my family home," Victoria spoke out first, blowing smoke around her. "But you've obviously made a wrong turn. The children are playing in the front yard, not here."

"I'm aware of that." Michael answered back, much more frustrated with the fact Victoria was smoking more than anything else. "Just as you're very well aware I'm here to speak with you."

"I've nothing to say to you, Michael." Victoria turned her head to the opposite direction the moment Michael took a seat next to her.

"I don't like it when you lie to me, Victoria." Michael reached his hand over, snatching the cigarette out of her mouth and throwing it to the ground; the heel of his shoe crushing it instantly.

Victoria blinked in surprise, gazing back at the face of her ex-husband. She hated the way she was still so wildly attracted to him just as much as it pained her to even be Michael's presence.

"You're better than that. If I see you smoking again, we're going to have a problem." Michael told Victoria in a calm and collected voice.

Victoria's throat tightens as she narrows her eyes at Michael. "Don't you have anything better to do than bother me? I can't suffer in peace?"

"Suffer?" Michael raised a brow at her.

Victoria scoffed, feeling tears beginning to form in the corner of her eyes. "Don't act so surprised, please. You're not making this any easier for me."

"And it won't be any easier for me if I don't see you for myself." Michael replied, keeping his eyes on her. "You're the mother of my children, Victoria. Do you hate me that much?"

"Hate you?" Victoria sniffled as she took her hands into her face and rubbed her eyes, attempting to stop her tears. "I hate that I don't hate you. I hate seeing you, I hate talking to you, I–" Victoria stops herself, embarrassed she's already said too much. "I wish I could hate you. It would make things so much easier for me."

"I could have gone my whole life without knowing you." Michael gazed back at her, noticing Victoria's eyes glassy with tears.

'I'll never smile again unless I smile at you.'

"Yeah," Victoria swallowed hard, feeling Michael's words sting at her. "And so could I."

'I'll never laugh again, what good would it do?'

"But I would have wanted to either way." Michael continued.

'For tears would fill my eyes...'

"It would feel like a waste, Michael." Victoria sniffled. "Our marriage is ruined, I'm ruined, so you can go back to feeling like all your big, business decisions have meaning."

'My heart would realize that our romance is through...'

"Look at me, Victoria." Michael gently cupped Victoria's face in his hands, tilting he head to face him. "Look at me."

'I'll never love again.'

Tears streamed down Victoria's face at Michael's touch–one she had longed for and was desperate to feel for over a year. "Y-you don't even..." Victoria shakily raised her hand, hesitant to caress Michael's cheek with it. "You never smile anymore... Because of me?"

'I'm so in love with you.'

"You know I'll never smile again until I smile at you." Michael murmured back to her, leaving a kiss on the back of Victoria's hand.

'I'll never thrill again to somebody new...'

Victoria inhaled sharply at the kiss and squeezed her eyes shut, breaking down into sobs in Michael's arms. While she could hardly bare to be in his embrace again, all Michael could do was hold the woman who was once his wife, his best friend, and his lover.

'Within my heart I know I will never start...'

All Michael could think of was how deeply he regretted every decision he made to leave the two of you at this point. All Michael could see was your hand, your fingers bare where your wedding ring used to be.

'To smile again until I smile at you...'