#drabblecember2023

[kingofdorkville]

Ship: Mike x Dude

Words: 600

Description: Mike can't sleep.

Drabblecember day 22: trying to stay up late.

Mike couldn’t sleep a wink. They’d tried everything. Warm milk, tea, dimming the lights, moving around. Nothing helped. Usually on nights like this, they’d slip into Dude’s room across the hall and slip into his arms. Unfortunately, he wasn’t back from his night patrol with Chance. Something was holding him up. They sighed, and pulled the covers off. 

Another walk around the hotel. Another attempt at sleep. 

Footsteps. They sounded like Dude’s. 

A sigh. Now, Mike was sure it was Dude. 

He took off his hat and ruffled his curls on the way up. 

“What’re you doin’ up?” he asked when he saw them. 

Mike shrugged. “Can’t sleep.” 

Dude opened his door and gestured inside. “Come on, we’ll cuddle and you’ll be out like a light.” 

Mike doubted it, but they followed him inside anyway. He kept sighing, and rubbing his face. He almost yawned every few minutes, but always caught himself before he did. His eyes looked more closed than usual. 

“Long day?” Mike asked. 

Dude began to untie his tie. “We found somethin’ suspicious and followed it. It was only a fox.” 

“Not much happens in this little town.” 

Dude shook his head. “Not unless you make the wrong people mad.” He rubbed his face again, and worked on unbuttoning the rest of his shirt. 

“You might pass out where you stand.” 

“I won’t.” 

Mike chuckled. “I’ll catch you if you do.” 

Dude shrugged off his shirt and tossed it aside. Mike never could stop themselves from admiring his tanned skin. At some point in Mike’s spaced out state, Dude had finished undressing and made his way toward them. He waved his hand in front of their face. 

“Are you sleepin’ with your eyes open?” he asked, teasingly. 

“Might be, you look like a dream,” Mike quipped in an attempt at a flirty tone. 

He chuckled, and slid into bed beside them. He pulled them in and held them there, burying his face in their neck. 

“Hmm. I missed you.” 

“You saw me this morning.”

He kissed the back of their neck gently. “Mmm, well, it’s been a long day.” 

He was mumbling sleepily, and Mike knew he wouldn’t be awake much longer. 

“Dude?” 

He made a sleepy grumble in reply. 

“Stay up with me?” 

His eyes fluttered open, and he asked, “Why?” 

“I’m not tired.”

He nuzzled into their neck. “I‘m tired.” 

Mike turned in Dude’s grasp. They poked his nose, causing him to open his eyes again. 

“Talk to me? Please?” 

“What” — He yawned — “What about?” 

“Anything.”

“Mmm, it’s gonna be Christmas soon.” 

“That it is.”

“You’re gonna fatten me up with cookies, aren’t you?” 

Defensively, Mike said, “Hey, I’m only making the cookies. If you eat all of them, that’s on you.” 

“Don’t make ‘em too good.” 

“Sorry, Consuelo’s helping me. These will be the best damn cookies you ever had.” 

The room was silent for a moment. 

“Dude?” 

Mike poked his nose again. 

“Dude?” 

Nothing.  

Mike tried to kiss him awake, to no avail. They sighed. They tried to get out of bed, to take yet another walk. 

When they tried, Dude pulled them back in his sleep, and held them tightly. He breathed against their neck, tickling the skin. 

“Hey,” they said, poking him. “Let me go. Let me out.” 

His eyes fluttered open, then closed. He sleepily mumbled, “No. Mine.” 

They squirmed around, hoping to break loose. No such luck. 

They chuckled to themselves, and let him sleep, tucked into their chest. They wrestled an arm free to pet his head.

“Goodnight,” they whispered. 

It would be a while before sleep caught up with Mike. 

[lieutenantselnia]

Drabblecember Day 7 - Stuck Inside

pairing: Davy Jones x Selena Finley

word count: 1 764

summary: The Flying Dutchman's ability to sail underwater has helped the crew in many precarious situations, but it is always something frightening for new crew members when they experience it for the first time. Selena is no exception, but luckily she has someone to look out for her.

tags: a bit of everyday life aboard the Dutchman, just a little bit of worldbuilding too I guess (both in terms of self-shipping and general universe lore), early relationship stage, Davy and Selena are both awkward about expressing their feelings, Maccus doing his best to be a wingman

warnings: Mentions of drowning/almost drowning I guess? I kept it pretty light and didn't really go into detail, plus it isn't an actual threat in this story, but if you're extremely terrified of the sea, being stuck underwater, or drowning just a heads-up.

author's note: First of all I'm not entirely sure whether I'm happy with this or not ahhh, on one hand I think it's cute and I'm so happy I got to explore a little bit of the universe lore too, but on the other hand I'm not sure if I always knew where I was going with this😅 For example in this particular instance I wasn't sure whether I wanted it to be set before or when they're already a couple, decided to go with the latter one eventually, but they're in kind of an early relationship stage. They feel already comfortable with showing affection or touching each other when they're alone, the issue is just that they're both shy to initiate it^^" I decided to take my own spin on this prompt since I felt this idea would be perfect for Davy, however, I might have gone a bit off track and made the set-up very long before getting to the actual point. I'm so glad I was finally able to write for Davy though, I love him but he's probably also the f/o where I'm the most self-conscious about mischaracterising or misinterpreting him and writing him in a completely wrong way, and sometimes I almost feel intimidated about approaching a story with him ._. Lastly, trying to write an accent in a language that's not your native one certainly is ... an experience.

The storm made its presence known long before it actually arrived. Dark clouds were gathering at the horizon, overshadowing the light of the day, and the air had an unsettling feeling about itself.

Selena stood at the railing, watching as the sunlight faded more and more. A slight nervousness was growing within her chest; it was the first storm she would witness while being aboard the Flying Dutchman. The first ever since that horrifying night, when the winds were furious and the waves were raging, and an unexpectedly strong surge of water just yanked her from the deck of the Diligence to pull her down into the dark, cold water. Selena was sure she would have drowned that night, hadn't the cursed ship found her and picked her up, soaking wet and freezing. The life aboard the Dutchman wasn't an easy one, but it was a life at least.

A rough push from behind snapped her back from her thoughts. She felt a clawed hand on her shoulder and turned around to find Maccus.

"C'mon. The captain wants ta keep an eye on ya when we're going down. Can't have ya get lost at sea another time, hah."

"Down?" Selena frowned as she followed him across the deck. She knew of the Dutchman's ability to dive underwater and resurface without any damage on neither ship nor crew, but in the weeks she had been here, she had never had to experience it herself. Until now.

"Would ye rather want to sail right through the storm?" Maccus turned his head to grin at her, showing multiple rows of razor-sharp teeth. "'Cause I doubt that, givin' yer seafaring skills. Trust me, it’ll be easier sailing below."

Selena scrunched her nose. She knew he was probably right, but that still didn't make her nervousness go away. "It might be better than a storm, but it doesn't sound like the most pleasant thing either. It's just something new to me, that's all."

"That's why the captain 'imself is gonna have a watch over ye", Maccus said in a smug voice. He gestured Selena to follow him, leading her to the captain's quarters. Other crew members were running across the deck, even though the Dutchman didn't need a lot of preparation before going below the surface, they wanted to be sure that nothing would go wrong.

Davy Jones opened the door to his quarters upon Maccus’ knocking, his gaze darting between the hammerhead shark and Selena.

"I brought ya the lassie. Figured she better not be on the open deck during her first dive."

The captain's gaze softened in a barely noticeable way, and he stepped aside to let Selena in, before turning his attention to Maccus again. "Order tah men ta start going down. They shall not veer off th' course, sail straight away undah tha storm."

"Aye, cap'n!" Maccus returned to the way he came from, and Selena could just hear him start to yell orders before Davy closed the cabin door.

"Is the first dive frightening?", she asked. Davy seemed to think for a moment before he responded. "Tha new sailors always dread it. It certainly be an … unsettling experience for those once mortals. Many of them say it feels unusual or unpleasant, but most of them adjust in a short time. I’ve been doin’ it fer so long, I … cannae remember what it was like in tha beginning."

His eyes became a little clouded as the memory seemed to pain him. Selena didn’t say a word, but reached out to gently take Davy’s right hand, squeezing it lightly. His tentacle-like index finger responded immediately to the action, wrapping around her hand as if it wanted to make sure she didn’t let go. Davy gave her a thankful look, before leading her to one of the windows. His beard tentacles were writhing calmly around his shoulders, and his whole demeanour had softened slightly, like every time they were alone.

"Yah might feel like ye're drowning when we’re going underwater, but it will pass, alright? Ye're bound ta the Dutchman now. She will not be leavin' ya behind."” His gaze became a little more tender, and he leaned a little closer. “I will not be leavin’ ya behind”, he muttered.

All of a sudden, Selena felt a slight jolt going through the hull of the ship, before the floor underneath her feet started to tilt. Instinctively she grabbed Davy’s sleeve with her free hand, while holding onto him a little tighter with the other one. He pulled her closer towards him, just enough so he could wrap his crab claw around her back, securing her where she was standing so she wouldn’t fall over on the uneven ground.

“Maccus must’ve given the signal.” Selena was a little annoyed about how nervous she sounded. But even though Davy assured her that she would be able to get through the dive like every other crew member, the thought of experiencing another time what it felt like to almost drown made her stomach turn, and she took a deep breath to calm the feeling. She felt how Davy started to rub her hand with his thumb in a soothing motion.

“We will stay inside here for this time. It be calmer and there are less things for ya ta worry about than on tha open deck. I think Maccus made a fine decision there.”

“Maccus?” Selena tilted her head. “So he didn’t bring me here on your command?”

Davy shook his head slightly, and a little snort, almost like a chuckle, escaped him. “Nay, he didn’t. But he seems ta keep an eye on ya. He be a proper first mate.”

In the meantime, water had started to seep in, coming through every opening in the ship’s hull and filling up the insides. It was already washing around their feet, and the level rose quickly. On top of everything, Selena also felt a biting cold creeping up her ankles now, and pressed herself closer to Davy.

“It will be alright, Selena.” His gaze caught hers, bright blue eyes captivating her. “Remember, ya will survive this. Even when we’re underwater, breathe. Ye’re bound ta the Dutchman now, and bound ta the sea.”

The water had already risen to Selena’s knees now, and it couldn’t be stopped in its way. She flinched as the cold waves reached her stomach, then her chest, her chin. A few moments later, she and Davy were both completely underwater, the entire room was filled. The Flying Dutchman had completely submerged beneath the stormy sea.

Selena had instinctively closed her eyes and pressed her face into Davy’s beard when it happened. She stayed in this position until she felt something soft gently caressing her cheek. She slowly opened her eyes again, finding that it was one of Davy’s beard tentacles. He looked at her with a tender gaze, his arms wrapped around her a little tighter now.

The first thing that Selena noticed about their surroundings was how clear she could see everything. She remembered how she tried to “dive” in her bathtub as a child, and how blurry it had always been, but this now felt only marginally worse compared to her eyesight above the surface. Apparently, this was one of the positive effects of being bound to a cursed ship. She could see the details on the wooden planks that the ship was made of, and the small barnacles on Davy’s clothes. The captain himself offered an unexpectedly amusing sight in this situation. Unlike usually, his tentacles were not pulled down by gravity now, and were floating more freely, although he seemed to control them enough that they weren’t going all over the place but kept their beard-like shape. He even had used two of them to keep his hat in place.

She had initially held in her breath, as this was an instinct that was hard to suppress, but now Selena felt her chest getting tighter. Davy seemed to notice that she began to struggle, he let go of her with his right hand and brought it to her cheek instead, brushing over her lips with his thumb as if to encourage her to take a breath. Hesitantly, Selena let go of the last bits of air in her lungs, before she had no other choice than to suck in the water that was the only thing surrounding her.

The first breath was unpleasant, even painful, like something heavy pressing on her chest from both in- and outside, along with a burning sensation as her body took in the water where air should belong. Selena contorted her face, but after a few moments, the feeling started to fade again. She tried to take a few more deep breaths, adjusting to this new feeling, and to her relief it seemed that Davy and Maccus told her the truth and it was merely a matter of getting used to it.

When she looked up to Davy again, Selena received the honour of witnessing one of his rare genuine smiles. She couldn’t help to note how natural he looked in this environment, as if he belonged here. She opened her mouth, attempting to saying something, but only a string of barely understandable sounds came out. Davy’s smile turned into more of a grin, and he shook his head, as if to tell her, ‘No talking’. Instead, he leaned forwards to wrap his arms around her and pull her into him, resting his cheek against her forehead. She could feel that he was proud of her, as well as relieved that she took the whole experience so well.

Selena felt how some of Davy’s tentacles started to play with her hair - it was something they seemed to attempt at every opportunity given, whether Davy wanted it or not -, and now she felt a smile forming on her own lips as well. She lifted a hand, caressing a few of them with her fingers, and shifted her body a little to make herself more comfortable in Davy’s embrace. She didn’t know how long the Dutchman intended to stay underwater, or how long it would take to leave the storm behind them, but for now, Selena felt calm and content, far more than she would have expected before all this. She looked out the window, into the vast sea that was far quieter than what she was used to from it, and something that Davy said came up in her mind again, putting a tender smile on her lips. ‘I will not be leavin’ ya behind.’

~~~

end note: I just want to quickly mention that the whole "the Dutchman crew can breathe underwater" thing was not something I came up with. I in fact I once even read a somewhat similar scene in an ancient Davy x oc fanfic here on livejournal (The Isa Chronicles by cazcatharsis in case the link doesn't work, I'm not sure anymore in which chapter though and this website kind of of hell to navigate). I was a bit worried about copying too much, however I dare to say the the general idea is not something that can be copyrighted by a single person, I'm pretty sure there were and are discussions and different headcanons about how the crew is dealing with going underwater. It seems reasonable that their bodies have to adjust in some way, so they would be able to either hold their breath for a much longer time than regular humans or just straight up breathe underwater. As most of them are inspired by fish rather than for example whales, I decided to go with the second option. I'm not sure if I will stick with anything just like I wrote it here, as this whole story is continuously developing and just in its starting phase. I tried to also generally adapt the situation to the context of my storyline, so I figure it shouldn't be an issue?

[bitty-bytes]

Drabblecember 2023 Day #1 - Cold Weather

Ship: Sho Minamimoto (The World Ends With You) + Haruka (OC)

Word Count: 238

Summary: Sho gets bribed by sweet stuff. What else is new.

Minamimoto sneezed as he retracted a bit into his clothes. “What’s wrong, Sho?” Haruka asked as she looked to her side. He side eyed her. “It’s zeta cold. How‘re you not freezing out here?”

“Well, I grew up pretty up north… I’m used to it honestly.” With this, she gave a cheeky grin. “Interesting how you hate the cold, Mr. Perfect.”

“...Shut up.” Minamimoto muttered grumpily. It’s not often he’s in a great mood, but the cold really did seem to be making him grouchier than usual. “...I know what’ll cheer you up. I heard that the cafe you like so much has a new option for their pancakes… A huge stack with cream, sugar, and butter on every layer.”

Minamimoto’s eyes lit up a bit, as he tried to avert his gaze to not make it obvious. With how he acts, most wouldn’t expect it. However, he did indeed have quite a sweet tooth, especially when baked goods are involved. It was hard for him to turn down anything of that nature. “Well, how ‘bout it? I’m sure it’s warm in there too.”

“...I suppose it’s not out of the equation.”

“I thought not. Let’s go check it out!” With this, Haruka took his hand and began to lead him along. 

Now that she wasn’t looking, Minamimoto chanced a smile and blushed as he looked at their held hands. She wasn’t bad. She wasn’t bad at all.

[justanordinaryficwriter]

Drabblecember day 1: Cold weather-the one about Ryuk's first snow

It had been snowing the entire day. Snow has wrapped majority of Tokyo in its white blanket. Maggie though, was busy as ever. From supermarket she worked in being very busy and full during upcoming holidays, to herself making her own holiday plans. Not to mention having to carefully spread her funds, as these days she was buying more apples than ever before. Not for herself, mind you, but for a Shinigami that followed her every step. Gods of death were fond of apples, who knew?

"Ryuk, I'm home~" They made a deal where he wouldn't follow her to her place of work, and she would buy him as many apples as he wanted.

Her little apartment was silent. Usually he'd already be at the door to greet her.

"Ryuk? You here?"

Maggie found him in her room, staring through the window.

"Ryuk?"

"Maggie, what is this?"

"The white thing? That's snow. You've never seen snow?"

"No, not really. Shinigami realm is the world of bone and dust. There's no sun, nor snow."

"Oh. Sounds miserable." No wonder he was so bored.

"It was, Maggie. It was."

They settled into comfortable silence, hand in hand, watching the snow fall. It's going to be falling for a while, but at least they have each other's company to keep away the coldness and boredom. And Maggie wouldn't have it any other way.

[lovingyoutohellandback]

@eternally-smitten and @bioexorcizm Drabblecember day 4: Learning traditions-the one where Sasha teaches Blitzø how to make rum balls

"-And then you just roll the dough around your palms a bit until you get a nice, little rum ball."

"Like this?"

"Yeah!"

These days Blitzø's apartment was way more tidier and colorful than it ever was before, in part due to Sasha's enthusiasm for the holidays, but also because these were their first holidays as a married couple, so Blitzø wanted to make them as special as possible.

So here they were, making rum balls. Sasha insisted on them, saying it was a tradition in her family. Blitzø didn't know much about holiday traditions. His own family didn't have them, though his late mother tried her hardest to make their holidays special every year. So when Sasha insisted on making them together, he couldn't say no.

"And now that you've done that, you roll them around in coconut powder, like this!" She showed him how, and he followed suit. It was easy enough, thought Blitzø, before accidentally pressing too hard and squashing the little ball flat.

"Shit! I'm so sorry, Sasha."

"It's okay! Theres more than enough dough. Try again." Encouraged him Sasha.

He tried to do as she showed him to: a clump of dough, roll it around your palms till you get a ball, then roll the ball around in coconut powder.

"I did it!" And in his palm, was a small, misshapen thing covered in coconut.

"It's perfect! Good job, honey!" Sasha then kissed him on the cheek, as a reward for a job well done.

Blitzø didn't appreciate holidays enough before, but with Sasha at his side, he just might start to.

[dandyshucks-moving]

drabblecember day one: cold weather ❄️

he's not used to the cold weather, so we had to get him bundled up nice and warm!!

[wyndford-dekarios-majima]

Drabblecember 1 ; Cold Weather

pairing; Fleeced Wolf (Anthelme de Launfaul x Lambert)

wc; 100

context; Anthelme has recently returned from his break to Toussaint, a country where every season is as mild as an ideal day in May. He hasn't experienced any sort of winter for two years, now. Lambert's upset with him for coming back, but there's still a bit of kinship there...

Anthelme was still shivering. He’d put on his thickest coat. He chose a bad time to come back to the keep. Should’ve remembered winter was coming. Lambert scoffed, rolled his eyes.

“What, can’t handle a bit of cold?” “We didn’t get winter in Toussaint.” “Bullshit.”

Anthelme nudged closer to Lambert. He didn’t seem to notice. Anthelme scooted closer. Still no reaction. A bit closer. Lambert sighed, then begrudgingly tossed a log into the fireplace and lit it up.

“There, princess. That better?” “Very much so.” A satisfied smirk took his face, and Lambert rolled his eyes as Anthelme snuggled up.

[frankmillerturnonyourlocation]

Drabblecember 30: Morning Routine

Word Count: 100

Universe: Gravity Falls

"Augh, I'm late!"

Emerson bounded down the stairs, fumbling with their apron strings as they skidded around the corner. Early-riser tourists already crowded the gift shop. Melody waved to them from behind the counter, concern lightly dusting her features. They skittered to the kitchen.

"Whoa, hey dude," Soos said, missing Junior's face with the spoonful of yogurt by at least an inch. "You're not still here, usually! Did you get a day off?"

"Haha! Nope." Emerson ripped a bagel from the bag and shoved it into their mouth dry. "Slept in. Gotta go. Bye, Soos!"

Soos waved peaceably– Junior, too.

[courtoftheclueless]

Cold Weather

Take the first of hopefully 31 writing things this month. I cannot in good conscience call this a "Drabble" as it is about 950 words.

Also, take the taglist before the thing: @bioexorcizm@eternally-smitten If you want to be added, then let me know!

This verse (the 141 World of Darkness AU) will be tagged as "Side Sessions"

“Fuck.” It was a little shocking to hear Garrick to the be the one swearing. But, as always, it was done with a careful enunciation that made it almost seem socially acceptable. “How is it colder in here than outside?”

Dr Giovanni couldn't help but roll her eyes at his exaggeration. Outside was cold enough to have frozen the English streets. To turn the slush into ugly ice and leave a layer of snow coming down carefully. In her morgue-slash-laboratory wasn't even cold enough to make her uncomfortable.

“Would you rather have rotting corpses?” The autopsy was done, and she was running the samples through the machine to get a basic idea of what the composite illness was. She had neutralized it- and would later investigate it personally- but machines helped with the initial guesswork. “I have a kettle in my kitchenette, and coffee or tea in the cupboards.”

“Can’t you just… have them not rot?” Despite his incredulous tone, he did move towards the attached office and kitchenette to her workspace. At the very least, he was going to entertain her. “We watched you raise the dead.”

“No, you watched me use the ZV in the infected to hijack their muscular system and use them like meat puppets.”

“Morbid.” The kettle began to heat. It had an almost annoying noise to it, but it helped keep her aware of who was doing what in her space. “If you can do that, you can make it warmer, yeah? It’s freezing out there.”

She turned, brown eyes leveled with his and an unimpressed press of her lips.

The shrug he gave was genuine, though not enough to stand up completely from where he leaned against the counter. His baseball hat- though he hated it when she called it that- replaced with a toque- he really hated when she called a ‘beanie’ that- to keep him warmer.

If he wanted to be warmer, he could grow out a proper beard and moustache as opposed to the almost teenaged thing that sat on his upper lip and across his jaw. It was a shame. He was a handsome man, absolutely let down by such a thing.

“That is nowhere near the same thing, Garrick.” And he smiled a bit. The quirk of his eyebrow and cock of his smile a challenge. “It’s about knowledge. You have to know what you’re working with. I know the body- both alive and dead- and so my magic works well with it. I am not a meteorologist, so I’m not going to risk fucking up the environment because you’re too fashionable to bundle up properly.”

“Says the woman wearing a waistcoat.” He nodded at her attire. She had an air of professionalism about her, with her blazer on the back of a chair, her waist coat and well tailored pants, and button down shirt sleeves rolled up neatly to her elbows. “Aren’t you cold?”

“I’m used to it. Spent most of my life in a morgue like this one.” The hum he gave felt a little awkward to her, but she pushed past it. Her whole life was morbid. Sometimes things worked out like that. “I keep a sweater in my office in case it gets to be too much.”

“And I’m guessing quite a bit of this hot chocolate, huh?” He rattled the mostly empty can. It was a cheap brand- a remnant of her childhood. “Thought you bought this thing last week.”

“Can’t drink coffee, don’t like tea.”

The offended English gasp was enough to make her laugh as she moved to the computer hooked up to the microscope. A little bit enchanted coding, and it should be able to help identify the virus. Tricks that one of her half sister’s brothers taught her.

Good man, and one who despite his affinity for mixing magic and tech, had enough sense in his head to detest the Technocracy. A damn good man.

“You’ve probably never had a proper cup then.”

She already knew where this was going. It was past eight in the night- he would tell her to grab a cup of tea with him. Then a meal- his treat. Then back to the barracks for them to sleep because this was hour thirty of being in the lab with the specific body they were trying to investigate.

“My mother would yell at you for saying that.” He was handsome and sweet, so she was going to fall for it. But that didn’t mean she had to make it easy for him. “Wrath of Saint Martha would be upon you if you made her feel that it wasn’t good.”

“Which one?”

It was a fair jab that he gave with a tilt of his head. The Catholic church had plenty of saints. But She was better known- or at least she thought She was.

“Saint of Housewives, Servants, Cooks.” The computer would take hours more to go through all the possible viruses that the amalgamation could be. But she didn’t take anymore steps to go and hang out with him. Not until he actually asked. “Ma and I had an icon of her in the kitchen when I was growing up. She and Nonna taught me to ask for guidance whenever trying to cook for others. I could give myself food poisoning if I wanted, but don’t I dare serve shit to others.”

“Well, how about we check out if the pub down the road does the same?”

There it was. But she had been living off of microwave meals and naps in an office chair for the past thirty hours.

“Fine, but I won’t hear any sort of complaints about the cold.”

[kingofdorkville]

Ship: Mike x Dude

Words: 760

Description: Drabblecember Day 21: A walk down memory lane.

Dude waited downstairs for Mike, who was running late for their date. He leaned against the railing, still confused why he was asked to wait down here in the first place. He’d seen all of his partner there was to see. He wasn’t sure where they were going either. They’d been vague with the details. He sighed and looked up the stairs. What was holding them up? 

When they did come down, Dude was rendered speechless. He had expected to see Mike as he’d come to know them, with their boyish clothes and bare face. He was faced with his partner in a skirt, a skirt he hadn’t seen in a long time. 

“I think,”  Mike said, “I think I was wearing this when we met, remember?” 

They swished their neutral toned skirt, and gave them a smile with their lips they’d painted red, like they used to. 

“I remember,” he said. “You worked at the bar.”

“I was new in town. I was lucky Carlos gave me a job.” 

“I was a casual drinker then,” Dude continued. “I came in to ask for a whiskey. I had a long day.” 

Mike playfully tugged at Dude’s collar, “You never did button your shirts all the way. And it wasn’t summer then either.” 

Dude grinned. “You like it. You probably liked it then, too.” 

“I never said I didn’t.” 

“Why are you dressed like that anyway?” he asked. 

Mike smiled and pulled their guns out of the pockets of their skirts. “We’re going shooting.” 

“I think we both had a lot of practice.” 

Mike smiled mischievously. “I think I’m better than you now.” 

He laughed. “Is that right?” 

“Uh huh. I bet I can shoot farther and faster.” 

“Sounds like a challenge. What are we shootin’?” 

“Bottles, of course,” they replied. “Like we used to.” 

“Aw, that’s too easy.” 

“Let’s spare the birds.” 

Dude readjusted his hat, and they walked outside of town, to the cactus they liked to practice by. Mike had set up the bottles at some point. 

“Alright. We see who’s faster first,” Dude suggested. “On the count of 3?” 

Mike nodded. 

Dude started, “One.” 

Mike chimed in, “Two.” 

“Three.” 

Dude pulled his guns from their holster and shot three bottles down before Mike had gotten a proper grip on their guns. He twirled them in his hands and put them back in his pockets. Mike got the last two, but only because their boyfriend let them. 

“Still too slow, honey,” he said, amused.

“I’m faster than Stumpy,” Mike said, “And I’m gaining on Colorado.” 

“Gainin’ on Colorado, huh?” 

“Yeah!” Mike said. They weren’t being completely honest. Their shoulders sagged, “Oh, I can’t help it if I’m a little slow!” 

Dude smiled. “You’re doing okay. I’ve got a lot more practice than you. That’s all.” 

Mike frowned.  “I thought I’d be better. I wanted to impress you.  I’ve been shooting a gun for 3 years and I’m still too slow.” 

“Hey, you are better. You couldn’t shoot anything when we met. You hit those bottles! Both of ‘em. Pretty quick, too.” 

Mike smiled. “Thanks. I bet you can still shoot farther, huh?” 

Dude shrugged. “We’ll see.”  

Mike set up a few bottles as far as they thought their short guns might reach. Dude went first. He focused on one of the bottles on the left, took a moment to aim, then shot. It hit. 

“Not bad,” Dude said. “Would’ve been harder if it had been moving.” 

Mike squinted, and tried to aim. “Hmm. I don’t think I can even see that far!”

Dude chuckled. “You might wanna get some glasses.” 

They hit the bottle, but it took longer for them to aim than it had taken Dude. 

“Hey! I got it!” Mike yelled happily.

He nodded, “You did.” 

When they slipped their guns back into their skirt, he pulled them close and kissed them on the side of the head. 

“I’m impressed,” he said into their ear. 

“You’re just saying that.”  

“No, I’m proud of you. But honestly, honey, I’m always proud of you.” 

Mike snuggled into his side. “We should come back next year, and compare again. But I’m wearing my regular clothes next time.”  

“Hm. You wanna know a secret? I like you better when you look like a…well, a boy, I guess.” 

Mike chuckled, “Yeah?”

He grinned at them and said lightheartedly, “Don’t go around tellin’ anybody that.”

“You’re with a crossdresser,” Mike said. “Everybody already knows there’s something queer about you.” 

“I don’t mind.” 

“You better not,” Mike said into his neck. 

He kissed the top of their head. “I don’t.” 

[lieutenantselnia]

Drabblecember Day 1 - Cold Weather

pairing: The Horned King x Selena Finley

word count: 883

summary: An old, desolate castle ruin during the winter months is mainly one thing - cold. Especially if you're just a regular mortal human, but the Horned King has his own way of offering Selena a little help with this particular struggle.

tags: pre-relationship, fluff, the Horned King has no clue how to flirt, and don't assume Selena does either

author's note: I haven't fully planned out the circumstances/bigger picture in which the story between the Horned King and my s/i is set, but the first prompt gave me an idea that I just couldn't refuse to write. In this story, Selena lives in his castle and has kind of a servant/assistant role. I want to make a proper Black Cauldron s/i and introduce her with some more background information soon, but for now just imagine Selena's PotC variant with a medieval dress instead I guess. Also I don't know why it's always him who gets me to write, somehow he's just giving me such an easy time with it (not that I'm complaining in the slightest).

Selena shivered and wrapped her arms around herself in an attempt to hold off the cold as she walked down the empty hallway, a book pressed to her chest. It became more noticeable with every passing day that winter was approaching Prydain, and the region wasn’t known for being the gentlest towards its inhabitants to begin with.

Living in an old, crumbling castle, that was seemingly more suited for skeletons rather than for people made from living flesh and blood, didn’t particularly help either. The wind was getting in through numerous cracks in the walls everywhere, howling eerily through halls and corridors and – that was certainly the worse thing – bringing in the cold from the outside.

Selena rubbed her upper arms as she kept walking, careful though not to let the book slip from her hold as she pressed it close to her body. The soft echoes of her steps were the only sounds she could hear as she stepped over a small puddle filled with muddy water. The constant moisture especially in the lower levels of the castle was another issue that didn’t make living here exactly more comfortable.

Luckily it wasn’t everywhere as bad as in this particular corridor, in fact, this was one of the more decayed ones, and there were still many rooms left that provided a more tolerable atmosphere. When she finally reached the end, Selena followed the stairs upwards, and further upwards, until she reached a heavy wooden door. She lifted her hand and knocked softly, before opening it slowly after a few moments. Her eyes darted around the rather dimly lit room, before finally landing on a tall, dark figure.

“I have the book, your majesty. Just as you asked.”

The Horned King slowly turned around upon the sound of her voice. He began to approach her in steady, measured steps, and Selena tilted her head back lightly as he towered over her.

“Very good.” He held out his right hand, and she quickly handed the book over to him, her fingers brushing over the leather binding as she let go of it. The king walked over to his throne – or rather what seemed to be a smaller, slightly less intimidating version thereof, which he had here in his private chambers – but before he could take a seat, his gaze fell onto Selena again.

“You’re feeling cold.” It was more of a statement than a question. After a few seconds, Selena nodded.

“Yes, a little. It is getting colder these days, after all.” Her fingers had involuntarily started to fiddle around with the sleeve of her dress. Although it was made from wool and held off the cold enough so she wouldn’t freeze completely, it couldn’t keep up against the wind and constant exposure to low temperatures. It was sufficient to get by, but still far from a comfortable warmth.

“Come here.” The Horned King’s raspy, hollow voice brought Selena back from her thoughts. He beckoned her over to him with a gesture of his hand, and she tentatively made a few steps closer to his throne, until she was standing right in front of him. Even though he was sitting, she didn’t have to look down, he was still on eye level with her, at least.

Selena didn’t know what the king’s intention was, when his bony hand suddenly reached up to the brooch that held his fur stole in place. He stood up as he slipped it off his shoulders, and instead wrapped it around Selena’s back in one smooth motion. His hands carefully put the brooch back into place and closed it above her chest.

“This will keep you warm.”

It took Selena a moment to process what just happened before she could respond. She looked up to the Horned King – the fact that the distance between them was so small right now made their height difference even more obvious –, trying to get a glance at his face. His seemingly empty eye sockets showed no emotion, but there was a tinge of gentleness in his voice.

“I … thank you, your majesty. I appreciate that greatly.” She carefully let her hand run over the fur. The centuries of wearing had made it lose its former shine, and at first glance she couldn’t even determine from which animal it originated. But it still felt soft and, what was even more important, warm.

The Horned King nodded his head lightly. “Now go.” At last, he turned his attention to the book that she had brought him, which had been waiting on the armrest of his seat. For Selena it was the sign that her work here was done for now, and she bowed her head one last time before stepping back and leaving the king’s chambers, closing the door behind her. She didn’t know if it was merely her imagination or the fur stole was actually that effective, but she was starting to feel a pleasant warmth from within, and the memory of him wrapping it around her shoulders in such a careful way was still lingering in her mind. It was safe to assume that the Horned King would want to have his garment back eventually, but at least for today it seemed that Selena wouldn’t have to worry about the cold anymore.

[bitty-bytes]

Drabblecember 2023 Day #2 - Baking together

Ship: Dylas + Frey (Rune Factory 4, living vicariously through the main character)

Word Count: 239

Summary: Horse husband likes carrots. What a shocker.

Frey was hard at work, and for once it wasn’t in the fields tending crops. Her latest harvest had a lot of carrots, her husband’s favorite vegetable… as much as he hated to admit it. Maybe it was because he’s a horse monster and is self conscious about his tail and ears, but anything that made him feel like he could be compared to a horse would make him a bit defensive. Nevertheless, Frey always made sure to have plenty. However, the harvest was extremely bountiful, so she figured she’d make a carrot cake.

As she was preparing the carrots, however, Dylas came in. “Hey Frey, I’m home. …What’re you doing?” Frey looked behind her, beaming. “Welcome home, Dylas! I was just getting ready to make a cake!”

“...With carrots?”

“Well yeah, it’s a carrot cake.”

Dylas rolled up his sleeves. “I’m helping.”

“What?”

“I’m helping. I’ve made these a few times at the restaurant, and the carrots need to be chopped smaller than that.” Leave it to Dylas to know those kinds of things. He was an excellent cook, after all. “Thanks, honey.” Frey said with a smile.

“It’s not a big deal…” He muttered as his cheeks became dusted with pink. “Here, let me chop the carrots. That way you can focus on getting everything else together.” Frey giggled at this. “Are you sure it’s not so you can sneak a few pieces to munch on?”

“Shaddap.”

[justanordinaryficwriter]

@eternally-smitten and @bioexorcizm

Drabblecember day 20: Listening to holiday music-the one where Jadeite experiences Christmas songs for the first time

"Ugh. What is that horrible noise?" Jadeite didn't understand human traditions. From decorating a dead plant, to worshipping an old man in red suit who, if what Mari told him is true, breaks into people's houses to leave presents. Humans were odd creatures.

"Oh! You mean Christmas music? Yeah it can be annoying." They were taking a walk through the snowy streets when Jadeite suddenly stopped.

"It is awful. How do you live with it?"

"Hm. I guess I'm just used to it. And some of them are fun."

"Fun?"

"Yes! Like 'Shake up Christmas.' Not my style of music, but it is fun. I appreciate the effort."

Jadeite sighed.

"Mari you know I love you, but sometimes you really make me question my loyalty to you."

"C'mon Jadeite, don't be such a Grinch."

"What's a Grinch?"

[wyndford-dekarios-majima]

Drabblecember 27: Making Dinner Together

pairing: Aces & Kings (Pearson Wyndford x Jack 'Ace' Kings)

wc: 100

context: pearson can barely cook passably and ace never cooks bc they dont eat. the only reason salem eats what they cook is because its usually somehow better than what he has, which is. royally bad.

“The egg isn’t even cooked fully!” “Like you’re doing any better! You can’t even eat!” “I could cook you under a table!” “Sure you could, sugar.”

Pearson furrowed his brow as he gave Ace an empty grin. Ace leaned over Pearson’s side of the stove, feigning inspection of the pan.

“You’re burning it, the heat is too high.” “YOU’RE too high! Wait-”

The pan spontaneously burst into flames, making them both pause for a beat, then scream.

—

“...So, remind me why we’re eating out on Ace’s pence again?” Atom furrowed their brow. “I thought you two were cooking.”

“...Got lazy.”

[frankmillerturnonyourlocation]

Drabblecember 19: Hot Coffee/Tea/Cocoa

Word Count: 100

Universe: The Umbrella Academy

Warnings: casual drinking, mention of STDs

“Eurgh!" Em's face twisted.

"Did you just drink out of Five's mug?" Allison's face, halfway between disgust and amusement, mellowed into something like pity.

"Ewww, cooties," Klaus crowed with a noisy sip of his hot cocoa.

"I hope you're up to date on your vaccinations."

"The coffee's probably acidic enough to have killed any weird alien STDs he's got."

"That was like..." Em ignored them, instead fixing their gaze on the way the dark liquid sloshed in the cup. "Half the most bitter coffee I've ever had... half cherries?"

Klaus shot up. "Five!" he called, dismayed. "That was gift wine!"

[iwishihadfangs]

Drabblecember 2023 Day 12: Snowball Fight Headcanons

This is for @eternally-smitten and @bioexorcizm's Drabblecember Event! They said that Drabblecember could be anything that was low effort basically, so I've decided to do some headcanons! Just in time for the last day!

Ship: Optimus Prime (TFP)/Honey Moon (S/I)

🖤 So, I think the concept of a snowball fight would come up while Honey (me) is on a low risk patrol with Optimus. I would be riding with Op and near the end of the patrol it comes up that, like Raf, I grew up in an environment that didn't snow. And that I was curious about it too.

🖤 And he takes note of this and plans to take me to a place to see snow. He convinces me to come under the guise of getting Raf a snowball like he promised in the scraplet episode. He surprises me by telling me that the main purpose of the trip was for me to experience the snow.

🖤 "But we'll still get Raf his snowball right?" I would question, wanting to make sure Raf was happy.

🖤 Op would appreciate my thoughtfulness. "Yes, we shall." He would say with a small smile.

🖤 We get to talking about games humans play in the snow, a conversation started after I attempt to make a snow angel. I would tell him about snowball fights and things like that.

🖤 Then I would make a snowball and throw it at his windshield on his chest. He would just slowly raise a metal eyebrow at me while the snowball sloooowlllly slides down his windshield.

🖤 I remember Arcee mentioning that "Primes don't party" and I realize I might have accidentally offended the serious leader. So, I sheepishly apologize and he accepts it. I can't really discern his thoughts as usual. Since, he keeps them very well hidden. I would worry I just ruined any progress on friendship with the stoic bot.

🖤 We take a walk and I end up checking out a tree with snow on its branches. When I go under it I notice Optimus didn't come over with me.

🖤 Before I can ask what's wrong, he raises his foot up and then stomps real hard on the ground. It causes the snow to fall off the branches and fall on me. Some even going down the back of my shirt!

🖤 (I make a lot of embarrassing noises when that happens.)

🖤 Then Optimus chuckles, which is basically the equivalent of keeling over with laughter for him. He comes over and helps gently dust the snow off of me and asks if he wins the snowball fight.

🖤 And I think in my head that I want to keep hearing him laugh.

🖤 (Op: is gentle and kind and then shows a hidden sense of humor, but is still kind-hearted about it.)

🖤 (Honey: 😳😳😳😳😳😳😳🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰💛💛💛💛💛💛🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤✨✨✨✨✨✨✨🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖💖)