#i don't need lace for home decorating... my family doesn't need lace for home decorating...

[nocturne-of-illusions]

the struggle of "bobbin lace looks like fun and a good way to keep your hands busy" vs "i have no idea what i would possibly ever use lace for". :(

[doe-eyeddreamgirl]

Thinking about Robb Stark asking you to marry him.

It's just the beginning of Robb's war, but it's been going well. The plans the pair of you and the war counsel had devised had been successful, even capturing the Queen's brother, although he had almost escaped not long ago. He wore thrice the amount of chains since then.

You had known Robb your entire life; you were an orphan at Winterfell and had been taken in by the Starks as Sansa's handmaiden, but you had been raised as their daughter. While you loved all the Starks as family, something about Robb was... different. Although you'd never admit aloud, you were particularly fond of the Young Wolf.

The night had grown dark in the war camp. As you wandered through the camp, you listened to the crickets and the pops and crackles of fires, witnessed as the soldiers sat around them, singing and laughing, while others stood tall, posted at their duties, and others returned to bed.

You nodded to the soldier outside this specific tent, well acquainted. You pressed your cheek to the flap, feeling it flutter through your fingers as a gust of wind past. It made you shiver, but it wasn't nearly as cold as the breezes in Winterfell. The reminder made you long for home. "Your grace?"

"Enter," came Robb's gruff voice, laced with authority, sounding much older than what you were used to.

You brushed underneath the flap, eyes crinkling at the wave of light from inside the tent, lit by an assortment of flaming torches. Robb stood over his make-shift desk, adorned with books, maps, and candles alike. His palms were braced against the wood, body turned to show the entrance his side profile.

Robb took a glance over his shoulder-- a glance at you --and sighed. His posture unraveled as he dragged a hand down his face, trying to rid it of sleep. "Y/N," he breathed, voice full of relief.

"Had you thought I was someone else?" you chuckled, wandering deeper into the tent.

He was still dressed in his clothes from the day. Suddenly, a part of you felt self-conscious to be dressed as if you were ready to pass out at given moment: hair undone, nightgown lazily falling from your shoulders.

You tugged it up quickly as you moved to stand beside him, peering down at a map of the seven kingdoms, decorated with chess pieces.

"I hadn't known who," he sighed. "I'm glad it's you though. I need your help with something."

You smiled, watching Robb divulge into hypothetical scenarios, plans of war, oblivious to the mess of auburn curls on his head. It made it hard to focus, but not impossible. When he concluded, you nodded slowly. "That could work," you said slowly. Then reaffirmed it, nodding, "Well. That could work well, definetely."

Robb sighed, a tired smile coming over his face. "Thank the gods."

You hummed. "Finally deeming yourself fit for bed now?"

"Well," he tilted his head, eyes scanning over the table, debating. "I still have quite of bit to get done..."

"Robb," you stated sternly, a hand coming to rest gently on his bicep, dragging his attention from his work to you. You nudged your head toward his bed. "Greywind is falling asleep before you. Rest."

Robb turned his attention to his bed, where Greywind, his direwolf, a supposed 'mighty beast' laid across the end, head on the edge, dark eyes blinking hazedely. He snorted, running a hand through his hair and turning back to you. "'Suppose your right then. That doesn't happen too often."

You slapped his arm. Robb faked a cry. "Ouch, my lady! That's a king you're striking, you know."

"A humble king, as well."

"Aye," he grinned, "That I am."

You rolled your eyes, smiling so widely dimples formed in your cheeks. "To bed, Robb," you said, huffing. "I mean it. I'll clean up."

"I can't ask you to do that--"

"You don't have to," you interrupted, watching the tension in between his brows unknit itself. You turned away from him, giving him your back. You closed a book, already shuffling a pack of papers together. "You can repay me after the war: make sure I marry some rich handsome Lord who leaves me alone and has a plot near your castle, yes?"

There's silence. Your brows furrowed and you looked behind you. "Robb?"

He'd gone quiet, staring at you. His brows furrowed again. He seemed confused. "You wish... to marry some... Lord?" he asked, the tease he had moments ago lost.

You didn't understand what's shifted. "It's duty," you shrugged. "I'll marry a Lord, if I'm lucky. It's not guaranteed. I'm no lady, Robb. Not like your wife will be."

You turned around again and continued cleaning, thinking the matter is settled. You didn't see the crestfallen look on Robb's face, the battle in his eyes, the sputtering frog in his throat which he swallows. You didn't notice him inch closer, not until you feel the warmth radiating off his, pressing to your side, his arm gently finding your wrist.

"Marry me."

You blinked, lips parting. A guffaw burst from your lips. "What?" you laughed, shaking your head. In fact, it sent you into a fit of giggles, much to Robb's obvious dismay, who stood staring at you, dead-serious. His eyes had a peculiar shine to them.

Your laughter died down. "Robb, you..." your lips twitched, still in disbelief. "You cannot be serious."

He took a step closer, blue eyes gleaming down at you, reflecting the fire within him. "I am, " he whispered, the grip on his wrist sliding down to your fingers, lacing them together. "Marry me and we won't have to worry about stupid Lords or ladies, just you and I."

You blinked, heart hammering on his chest, smile dropping swiftly. For as long as you could remember you had loved Robb, but as long as you had known him you had known you could never be wed. He was going to be the Lord of Winterfell-- now the King of the Seven Kingdoms-- and you were merely Sansa's maiden, an orphan the Starks took pity on. He had duty and honor, you had nothing. "You..." you shook your head slowly, "Robb, we cannot."

"What?" he asked, confused. "Why not?"

Your head shook, lip beginning to wobble despite your attempts to prevent it. "You have a duty, and I will not get in the way of that."

"What?" Robb took a step closer, deeply, utterly confused. He could feel the rush of blood in his veins and his heart pounding in his chest. He was fully awake now. "What are you talking about?"

"You are meant to marry a noble lady from a noble house--" you began.

Robb cut you off quickly, grabbing your other hand as if it would make you see reason.

"I do not wish to--"

You tugged your hands from his grip, stepping away from him, trying to get air. You couldn't breathe with him looking at you like that, eyes full of hope and desperation. You could hardly think. "You cannot just marry me because you do not wish to marry a stranger!" you shrilled.

Greywind stirred from his sleep, shifting from his bed, watching the two of you.

Robb shook his head wildly, lips twisting like he had been insulted. He looked at you crazed, taking a step forward. "You think that is it? I want to marry you because- because what? I'm afraid? I'm desperate? Because I do not wish to marry some powerful Lord's daughter." He took another step closer. "Do you think that is why I dance with you at feasts as well? To avoid mingling with other ladies?" he spit. "Why have I spent these years trailing after you like a lost pup?"

"I don't know why you choose to do what you do."

Robb threw his hands in the air. "It's because I love you! Ever since I was a boy. Ever since I have known what love was, I knew that I loved you."

The memories flashed in his mind: Snowball fights and horse rides. Sword fights and bandages. Sneaking to the kitchens and watching you do his sisters' hair. His teases, your scolding. His calloused hand holding your soft palm.

He swallowed, voice low. "Say you do not love me."

You shook your head. He wasn't understanding. "I cannot," you said, frustratedly, quickly adding, "But I cannot marry you."

"Why?" he growled, exasperated.

"I will not let I this," you waved between the two of you, "bring death to your duty. I will not ruin your chances at bringing your sister's home; at avenging your father; at winning this war. I will not kill you."

He couldn't give a damn about being alive if it meant not being with you.

Robb's jaw clenched. "I love you."

Clamping your eyes shut, you ignored the gnawing of your heart that begged you to stay, and you turned around, "Good night, Robb."

"No, you cannot just go!"

He hadn't meant to shout. It had just happened, erupted from him like dragon fire. At the commotion, the large wolf on his bed shot up to stand, barking. The barks became background as he watched you turn around, eyes wide, looking frozen.

Fuck.

He opened his mouth to speak, then closed it, dragging a hand down his face. "I-"

You beat him to it, looking down at your hands, picking at your nails. "Your grace," you said plainly. Robb flinched. "If I can please be dismissed."

"You don't..." You didn't need to call him that. He tugged on his curls, a pout on his lips. "It wasn't a command. I would never command you to do anything. Of course, you can..." he couldn't bring himself to say the word 'go'.

If he said it, he'd be giving up. On this conversation. On your marriage. On you. He would never give up on you, not even when you whipped around, rushing to escape his tent like a freed hostage.

Without meaning to, he rushed after you, watching as your head disappeared underneath the flap of the tent. "Y/N," he pleaded.

You reappeared just as quickly as you left, head peeking through the flap. Eyes glossy, but stern. Beautiful. "Do not seek me."

And you left Robb alone again, and he listened. He stayed in his tent, trying to tune into the sounds of crickets; laughter, singing, and snoring; Greywind's disappointed huffs; and his ragged breathing, but nothing could overpower his thoughts and the crack of his heart breaking.

But yk just a thought.

Robb please let me have ur babies, thank yur

(My reoccuring scenario uhg)

oh uh not proof read and written in an hour before i should go to bed

[twstfanblog]

*~12 Days of Confusion~*

HAPPY HOLIDAYS! Im so happy I managed to get this done in time for Christmas. Hope you guys enjoy this as much as I did writing it! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays~!

Word Count: 9.3K (Hot damn)

Crewel looked across the table, staring at his newly legal daughter (A part of him preening in happiness at being able to proudly claim such a fact). They and Grim had spent the first week of the winter break in his home picking out Yuu’s room in his home and making plans to decorate it to their liking. Something that would make the space all the more welcoming when they came home with him officially for their second try at a summer break. 

What had been framed as a lovely new family moment was stopped when Yuu remarked the room would be a lovely early Christmas gift. Crewel simply asked what Christmas was. Yuu stopped short, staring at him with a blank expression before dropping his book of fabric samples. They stated they needed to do something, their phone being pulled out and typed on at a frightening speed.

Now his child had spent the last few days pouring over various party rental services and odd emails with animal supply chains.

He sighs, sipping his coffee and looking from the corner of his eye to Grim, the dire beast having joined Yuu in whatever elaborate prank they were scheming up with an almost laser focus. He was even practicing a summoning spell of all things. 

Crewel places his mug down, “Puppy. I know you're focused on surprising your friends by visiting them. But you still…haven’t told me what Christmas is.”

Yuu doesn't look up from writing in their mini planner, “It's a holiday.”

“...” Crewel sipped loudly at his rum-laced coffee, hoping Yuu would understand he was waiting for them to continue. When they don't,  he rolls his eyes, reaching across the table and closing the planner to gain their attention, “I need more context than that, puppy.”

Crewel pulls the planner away as Yuu reached to reopen it. He tilts his head, raising an eyebrow at the growling teen in front of him. Once they stopped he tapped the planner on top of their head, “Speak.”

Yuu rolled their eyes, leaning against their open palm and waved their other hand around as they explained, “In my world it's a Pagan winter holiday that was commercialized by Western society in the 1950s or something for reasons I didn’t care to learn out. Just know, I’m doing a funny, Kalim agreed to pay for the stuff-”

“About that. Stop taking money from the Asim boy. At this point, I can only call it bullying how much you’ve managed to get from him.” Crewel mentally marked down ‘Pagan’ as something for Trein to ask Yuu about later, the two history buffs can spend a few hours chatting about it so he can get nice and New Year's drunk.

“I’m not taking money from Kalim…I’m asking for it and he’s simply giving me what I ask for.”

Crewel huffs, rolling his eyes so hard his head moved in the motion before he trained his eyes back onto Yuu, “Same thing, puppy…”

“Anyway.” Yuu reaches over, snatching the planner from Crewel’s hands and opening the book. They slap it to the table, smiling as they gestured for Crewel to read it over, “I’m going to be in and out of the house delivering Christmas cheer to my lovely friends over the next few weeks, whether they like it or not.”

He looked over the blocked-out days, twelve was a strange build-up time. He assumed he didn't know how to celebrate Christmas and the dates were important for reasons he didn't understand. But, looking closer at what was written, he sighed and stood. Walking to his kitchen liquor cabinet he mused in his head. He loved his child, he truly did. But, he would never understand why they couldn't spend one holiday without causing a chaotic scramble.

☆~12th Day~☆

Malleus was not rushing. He'd deal with his grandmother scolding him for running through the halls at a later time, a later time when his lovely child of man wasn't waiting for his presence. Later, he would wonder why he didn't just teleport to the heavily guarded mirror chamber in his family's castle, but for now he could only smile seeing his lover waiting patiently for him.

He barely slows his strides, only coming to a stop as he scoops Yuu into his arms, holding them close and spinning them both in his embrace. He pulls away from their neck to press a kiss to their lips. Only when Lilia coughs does he realize how long he's been kissing them.

As they pull away, Yuu takes a deep breath, face red from lack of air and the intensity, “Hey, Peligroso…missed you too, babes.” They laugh, pressing one last kiss to the purring dragon's face before they pulled away, waving to the three retainers standing just off to the side, “Hi guys!”

The rest of the Diasomnia crew waved with pleasant smiles, each in various tiers of noble-looking winter wear to protect from the large open archways of the mirror chamber. Well, everyone was waving except Sebek. But Yuu would give the crocodile half-fae a pass. The poor guy was clearly shaking so hard he almost seemed to be vibrating in the cold, arms locked tight to his body to keep some form of warmth.

Yuu snickered, looking away as Sebek's face soured, knowing they were laughing at his shivering, “Ok, let me do this fast so Sebek doesn't freeze and die.”

“HUMAN, YOU'RE TRULY SLOW IF YOU THINK THIS WOULD BE ENOUGH TO-”

Yuu had already started to push away from Malleus's hold before Sebek even opened his mouth, alerting the dragon fae they were trying to leave his embrace. While he pouted, he still put them down as they wished. Yuu pulled a pitch pipe from their jacket pocket, blowing on it sharply enough that the note made everyone in the area jump.

Smiling, Yuu snapped their fingers to the mirror, a dozen of green and black suit-dressed men marching from behind it in perfect lines of six. They didn't let their friends have a moment to question, breaking into a song accompanied by the drummers playing in an unfamiliar pattern, “On the 12th day from Christmas, my true love gave to me~...” They spread their arms wide, gesturing to the lines of drummers beside them, “Twelve drummers drumming~...”

…

Yuu smiled, dropping their arms as the drummers continued in their beat, “So anyway, I'm gonna go greet Granny Draconia. Enjoy your gift Malleus, you get them for the rest of the day!” They shouted over their shoulder, walking deeper into the castle without them.

Malleus looked after them in confusion. While the song and the gift were delightful in their own right he was…confused. What is Christmas? Why drummers? Why twelve of them?

Lilia speaks from beside him, his whisper somehow heard over Sebek's yelling for the musicians to stop, “Malleus, were you supposed to gift Yuu something in return?”

…

By the Seven, was he!?

Panic flickered over his expression as his thoughts raced. Oh Lords, was he meant to also give a gift of 12 drummers? Did he need to gift more drummers? Other musicians? What was Christmas!?

Malleus rushed after the now sprinting figure of his beloved, “Yuu! Yuu! Come back, we must speak about this gift!” He knew he'd easily catch them, the real battle was getting them to talk.

☆~11th Day~☆

Azul was happy to be home, he truly was. What he wasn’t happy about was acting as an extra eight hands for one of his mother’s smaller, more family-focused restaurant locations as a waiter. Why he couldn’t be in the back and cooking was beyond him. His mother had stated she wanted everyone to see just how handsome her son had become. Something that continued to mortify him as she pulled him front and center to her friends and their children.

The newly crafted Bubble Swimways were nice, finally allowing abroad students safety from the harsh winter currents and the ability to return home for break. Jade and Floyd were more than ecstatic to be able to spend the winter holiday with their family again. Azul was as well, of course…But hearing the two eels cackling behind their hands at his misery from their booth, Azul wished he had the school given power to teach them a lesson…

His stormy mood only grows worse at hearing the sea glass chime of the door opening, knowing it was potentially either an old schoolmate or one of his mother’s friends. He turns only to freeze, a genuine smile growing on his face once he fully recognizes the person in front of him, “Yuu-”

“SHRIMPY~!” Floyd had swam so fast he was only a blur, quickly wrapping around the small technicolor body of a Shrimpmer Yuu. The eel giggled, nuzzling into Yuu’s face before pushing away to look at them clearly, “Ah~, You really are a shrimpy!”

Jade swam over, smiling as he reached out to tug playfully on one of the teal antennae sprouting from their head, “A rather dangerous shrimp at that.”

Azul had to admit, Yuu was a very dangerous shrimp as a mer; A Mantis Shrimp. He cleared his throat and moved his body closer to the mini-reunion, “I believe I saw them first you two…”

Floyd rolled his eyes, a scoff turning into a hiccuping laugh as he swam away, Jade not far after him as he placed a hand to his chest, “Our apologies, Azul. Please, enjoy your shrimp.”

Yuu swims forward, spinning to show off their form and posing, “So~? Am I good looking or would I need to come with a side of fries for you to order me off the menu?”

“Hm…” one of Azul’s tentacles reaches out, wrapping around their tail and flipping them upside down before placing them back, “I would ask what grading system they're using; you're rather small. Not to mention how much you cost. Good shrimp aside, if the price is high I would expect decent fries as a side dish at least.”

“WOW.”

“But! If it were you, I'd order every time.” Azul couldn't bring himself to care that they were in public, pulling them close to press a kiss to their shoulder. His lips trailing up their neck as they giggle before he kisses them properly for a few moments. Pulling away, he keeps his arms and a few tentacles wrapped around them, “What brings you here, my pearl? I'm not upset about the visit, but you didn't even call.”

Yuu holds up a finger, gesturing behind them to a group outside of the restaurant. Azul made note of eleven mer swimming in, each with a flute or recorder in hand. He watches in confusion as Yuu pulls a pitch pipe from their cleavage, flinching a bit as they blow into it so close to his face.

“On the 11th day from Christmas, my true love gave to me~...” Yuu leaned back from Azul’s arms, gesturing to the musicians playing in time with the strange melody Yuu was singing in, “Eleven pipers piping~...”

…

Azul looked at Yuu's smiling face, confusion clear in his expression, “What?”

Yuu kissed Azul's face, waving over the twins to pull them away, “Just think of them as free entertainment for the day. A gift from me to you~.”

“Yuu, what is Christmas and why did you rent me the most unbalanced ensemble?”

He tried to hold onto them, he really did. But the Tweels were faster than him, tugging Yuu clean from his suckers and all laughing as they swam around the area away from him and his questions.

“I-GET BACK HERE!?”

☆~10th Day~☆

The Isle of Woe wasn't an actual place to vacation, but thanks to his sisters wearing their parents down, Cater was free to spend winter break with his boyfriend. Cater worked equally as hard to convince Idia to help him make his idea a reality. Their moms would get along amazingly! Their dads could work in silence away from everyone else and claim they were bonding when asked later. His sisters would be all over Ortho, he was adorable and so high-energy!

And, as he expected, once the Diamond family crew was welcomed to a secured STYX-sponsored rental home, their families molded together perfectly.

Idia sighed, typing at his desk with lightning speed, “I admit…this team match is killer. I honestly couldn't have thought of it even with a guide.” He looks over his shoulder, smiling as he watches Cater on his bed taking selfies.

The redhead smiles, winking at his phone before looking over to Idia, “Told ya babes. Cay-Cay knows how to match people up! Plus…” He pulls his phone closer, doing minor editing on his photos before opening his Magicam, “We get left alone from our families for a few hours per day.”

“That is nice…I do miss hanging out with Ortho…But your sisters are��really loud though…”

“Tell me about it…” Cater taps at his phone with a focused expression before he raises an eyebrow to his boyfriend, “Ok, seriously. I know you joked about having the fastest Wi-Fi in Twisted Wonderland, but is it so fast it's putting my tags in before I even type them?”

Idia snickered, turning back to type, “Nah. That was a joke…the AI text bot though…”

“The what now?”

Idia’s computer makes a ping, a simplified animated version of Ortho jumps around excitedly. The large icon of a video icon shaking in a speech bubble attached to the chibi.  Accepting the video call, Ortho waved gleefully on the screen.

“ Nii-San! Come outside and bring Cater-San, we have a guest!” Just as fast as Idia had answered, Ortho ended the call.

Cater rolled off the bed, stretching his limbs with a groan, “Well, let's go see them. They came all this way to visit after all.”

“Cater, I don't have friends who actually know my name and your family signed NDAs to not tell anyone about this place. I have no idea who came to visit.”

“Aw…You know who came to visit…” Cater smiles, shaking his head as the horror slowly overcomes his boyfriend's face. He grabbed onto Idia’s hand, tugging the mumbling taller boy out of his chair and toward the door, “Come on.”

Walking into the ‘Commons Area’, Idia and Cater watched in amazement as a group of men were jumping around and performing parkour on the surrounding ledges and stray floating platforms. Each were in what appeared to be STYX-issued jumpsuits and wearing high-tech-looking boots. Idia racked his brain, finding the boots' design familiar as Cater took his phone out to record.

“O.M.S! This is so cool! I have to get this for my Cam~!” 

The single blow of a pitch pipe brought the room to order. Yuu, who was just to the side of them now with Ortho in tow, smiling at their confused faces. Sharing a glance with their robotic friend, they started to sing together.

“On the 10th day from Christmas, my true love gave to me~...” Yuu and Ortho gesture to the performers, the men jumping in a practiced manner, “Ten lords a leaping~!”

Cater ooed and awed, holding his phone in one hand to snap his other in place of clapping, “So cool! Did you get these guys as an early New Year's present?”

Idia looked at the leaping men, watching them double jump using the boots, “What is Christmas…? And why are you here?”

Ortho floated closer, smiling and clasping his hands together, “Yuu called me saying she wanted to give us a gift! They explained their idea and I used one of your scrapped invention ideas, Nii-san! I just fixed a few things and here we are. Isn't it cool?”

Cater laughed, moving his phone to catch as many of the ‘leaping lords’ on video, “Totes cool! Do you think I can get a pair of those boots, Ortho?”

“Sure!”

Idia looked at Yuu, feeling unease at their smile, “...How did you get here?”

Yuu smiles back, whispering under her breath so that Cater and Ortho couldn't hear her over their gushing, “I'll never tell…”

☆~9th Day~☆

Harveston was always beautiful in the winter. Busy. But beautiful. Epel sighed out, reaching to a tree and twisting an apple from the branch. Taking a bite from the treat, reaching up with his free hand to pick another apple for his basket.

He had been sent out by his mother to gather a number of apples for a batch of emergency jam. A gift idea for the gift-giving party Yuu had invited them to. Kinda short notice if Epel was concerned, he only had a week to find a bunch of presents for their massive group of friends/acquaintances and their younger siblings. Who even has a party on the 24th of all days?

The peace was broken, hearing his mother calling for him all the way back at the house. He wasn't taking that long to pick apples was he? In brief panic, he managed to grab a few more before dismounting his ladder and rushing back. But to his surprise, he found his whole family outside, a familiar black-furred dot among them being hugged and fussed over.

Epel smiled, picking up speed, “Yuu!” He shoved the basket into his cousin's arms just in time to slam into a hug with the magicless mage. Both of them laughing as they tried to overpower and swing the other off their feet. 

He only pulled away as his father jokingly stated they were going to hurt themselves if they didn't stop. Epel kept his hands gripped to Yuu's shoulders, “What're ya doin’ hur? Ah thought Ah'd see ya on the 24th, not at mah house!”

Yuu giggled, always loving Epel's accent in its natural state, “I come with a gift, my country friend.” They gesture behind them, Epel finally taking notice of the nine elegantly, but still warmly, dressed women.

“...” Epel leans forward, whispering to Yuu, “Ya know ah like boys, right?”

The prefect didn't answer, pulling out a pitch pipe from seemingly nowhere and blowing into it, calling the woman to attention. Yuu takes the position to construct them, keeping them in tempo as they sang.

“On the 9th day from Christmas, my true love gave to me~. Nine ladies dancing~.” 

…

Yuu and the ladies do a bow, prompting Epel's family to clap and cheer for the mini-performance. Epel's aunt had walked up to one of the dancers, commenting on the quality of their skirt covers.

Epel walks to Yuu, raising an eyebrow and whispering under his breath, “Why did ya bring a buncha ladies as a gift? What am ah suppose’ ta do with a buncha ladies?”

“I don't know, Epel.” Yuu spoke in their normal tone, not trying to hide their conversation and calling attention from the others, “Maybe one of them will teach you how to fucking respect women.”

One of the older dancers raises her hand, smiling as Epel's cousin plays with the pom-poms attached to her hair, “I can do that!” She nods at Marja, beaming at the older woman, “I have three boys at home.”

“OH! That's a handful!” Marja laughs, gesturing to the town hall, “Let's get you ladies inta the hall. We can get the neighbors all together and teach ya gals some Harveston dances!”

Epel watched in confusion as his family, Yuu, and the dancers all made their way to the town hall. Leaving him in confusion as questions started to arise in his head.

“...Wait a minute…Yuu! What's this Christmas thing!?” Seeing how no one had even turned around at his yell, he started to run after them with a scowl on his face, “...Yuu!?”

☆~8th Day~☆

The Sunset Savana never got snow. Except that one year, but that was later exposed as a political attack. So, sometimes Ruggie forgot about the holiday season. The weather was the same as always, food was his main concern as always. If it wasn't for the yearly banquet his village took part in at one of the bigger settlements, he'd really treat the new year as another day.

But, since going to Night Raven, he's made it his personal mission to bring in a big haul of treats for all of the village kids at every break. Though he's lost the magic of the ‘winter season’, doesn't mean the little rugrats he took care of needed to lose it.

So he was a whole new shade of surprised when he walked out of his humble home to a large crowd. Pushing through his neighbors, he blinked in confusion at the eight finely dressed women milking eight massive cows. Looking over, he stared as a number of kids took turns gently petting at a herd of baby cows in a makeshift petting zoo.

“...” He looked to one of the people beside him, “What-”

“Ruginald!”

The name made it easy to tell who was there. He smiled, opening his arms and accepting the hug from Yuu, “What are you doing here? Don't tell me I'm late for your party. You said the 24th.”

Yuu pulled away from the hug, “Oh, it is. This is just a fun thing I'm doing leading up to it.”

“The last time you did a ‘fun thing’ like a third of the school got food poisoning.”

The violent shushing Yuu did was plenty to make Ruggie shut his mouth. He raised an eyebrow, folding his arms in amusement as he watched Yuu pull out a pitch pipe. His ears pressed against his head just lightly at the tune.

“On the 8th day from Christmas, my true love gave to me~...”

Yuu gestured to the eight women in a line. The group of them managing to squeeze milk into their buckets in time with Yuu's song.

“Eight maids a milking~!” They looped their arm around his shoulders, whispering as they both watched the women pass around the buckets of milk to people asking for them, “This isn't a hand out. I just thought you'd appreciate the free milk for everybody more than anyone else would…”

Ruggie watched the kids petting the calves and hounding their parents for a sip of the fresh milk, smiling as they got scolded but promised a glass once they had safely pasteurized it, “Yeah…Yeah, I do. Thanks.”

The wholesome vibe hadn't ended once Yuu had gone home later that night, a fresh donut bitten between their teeth. His grandmother had made batch after batch of donuts for everyone to enjoy along with their fresh glasses of milk. A kid had sleepily tugged on Ruggie’s shirt, a mug of warm milk in his hands as he quietly asked him what Christmas was. Only when he tried to reply did Ruggie realize Yuu never fucking told him what a Christmas was…

☆~7th Day~☆

Vil wasn't happy with Yuu's surprise party invitation. He already had a strict schedule to keep during his break and it was hell trying to plan a free day. But, curse him if he ever missed an event his Onion was excited to host, even if it was just to critique it. However, when they called and stated they also had a surprise gift to bring him, he had simply dropped the location of the condo his and Rook's family had chosen to vacation in. Mild weather, warm yet not hot and lushed rolling hills surrounding them.

Rook's siblings were odd to him, though just as endearing as his boyfriend. Somehow refined, yet Vil could see that same feral energy Rook had in all of their eyes. His eldest brother, Bishop, somehow being an even more flirty version of his brother. The early 20's man had kept a constantly filled glass of wine since breakfast that morning, taking turns waxing poetic about the most asinine things with Rook.

Vil would take sitting with the two poets over the younger siblings and their pocket knives or his father, Rook's parents, and Rook's eldest sister bemoaning their youth good-naturedly.

He only noticed a lull in Rook and Bishop's conversation as they both turned to the open balcony doors. Vil followed them as they both stood to look over the railing.

The view made Vil almost choke, nearly falling off the railing as he leaned over to yell, “What are you doing!?”

Yuu stood at the edge of the small pond in the front yard of the property, smiling and waving as seven swans were seen swimming, “Hi~!”

Rook waves back, beaming down to the freshman, “Bonjour, mon vieille amor!”

Bishop sipped from his glass, “Ah~. Such a cute little sister you have, Vil.”

“They're not- Yuu! Get away from those swans, I've warned you that they're dangerous heathens!”

Yuu simply held up a finger, pulling out a pitch pipe to blow a single note before they started to sing, “On the 7th day from Christmas, my true love gave to me-Ah!” They quickly sidestepped a swan moving to bite at their leg. Grumbling as they gently nudged the large bird back into the water to swim with the others. Once the aggressive fowl was back to swimming peacefully, they turned back to the balcony, smiling and gesturing to the pond, “Seven swans a swimming~!”

…

Both Rook and Bishop start to clap, the two bold gold blondes cheering for the small performance as Yuu playfully bowed. 

Vil groaned, clicking his tongue and tapping his nails on the railing harshly, “That was poor grammar. Now get up here!”

Yuu rolled her eyes, moving quickly as another swan swam out of the pond to try to bite them again, “Just because you had a traumatic experience with a swan doesn't make them evil!”

“I told you that in confidence! And, while it doesn't make them evil, it makes you a dimwit for not heeding my warnings!”

With a comical gasp, Yuu raised their voice louder as they entered the condo, “Mr. Shoenheit! Vil's being mean to me!”

From deeper in the house, his father's voice came from around the corner, “Vil, be nice to Yuu!”

“...” Vil turned to Rook and Bishop, expression in a state of stunned, “I'm an only child. I'm an only child.”

Bishop giggled, sharing a look with Rook as he raised his glass to his smiling lips, “Are you sure?”

☆~6th Day~☆

Riddle sipped at his tea, smiling as a new plate of cookies was placed on the table. “Thank you for allowing me in your home Ms. Trappola. It's very lovely.”

Helen Trappola smiled, waving off Riddle's comments, “Oh, it's no trouble! I'm just glad this one actually has friends.”

“Mom.” Ace huffed, pouting as his mother roughly messed up his hair.

Trey grabbed one of the cookies, smiling at Ace’s frown, “I'm more glad that you actually managed to get Ms. Rosehearts to agree Riddle could come…”

She just waved again, though her smile turned into a copy of Ace’s own mischievous grin, “Don't worry about it. Mama Trappola isn't the top cosmetic saleswoman of Fairest Wares without having exceptional persuasion skills.”

Ace mutters under his breath for her to not call herself ‘Mama Trappola’. 

Riddle gave him a disapproving glance from the corner of his eyes. Sipping at the tea while grabbing a few cookies for his own plate, “Yes. Not only did you convince my mother to let me out of the house for a few hours, you also talked her into buying $400 lipstick…”

Helen smiles, winking as she snaps her fingers to shoot the small redhead finger guns, “And she's gonna look amazing in it.”

“Mom, can you leave?”

She responded with a swift slap to the back of Ace’s head, “Ok! You kids have a fun time! Just yell if you need more snacks!” She walked out from the living room, walking back up the stairs to give them privacy. 

Huffing, Ace sipped his tea, “So annoying.”

Deuce clicked his tongue, stopping abruptly from drinking his tea and glaring at Ace, “Your mom is really nice, show some respect.”

Riddle and Trey spoke up in unison, “Indeed.”

Ace rolled his eyes, grabbing a cookie to gnaw on it in annoyance, “When is Yuu showing up? I'm sick of you guys ganging up on me.”

At the mention of Yuu, Riddle raised his head, “Oh! Ace, do you have cocoa? Yuu isn't fond of tea so they might appreciate a second beverage option.”

He nudged his head to the hall leading deeper into the house, “Yeah. The container should be on the counter already.”

Riddle stood to prepare the drink, raising an eyebrow as Trey followed him to the kitchen, “I think I can manage to make a pot of hot chocolate alone, Trey…”

“I'm just…supporting.” Trey smiled at the scolding glare Riddle shot at him, only to laugh when the short redhead didn't stop him from following.

While Trey and Riddle were busy in the kitchen, Ace and Deuce perked up at the knock on the door. Ace stands, smiling as he opened the door only to have it drop at what he saw.

Yuu stood smiling, six unknown adults behind them each with a small goose in their arms. The people walked in, brushing past Ace’s confused rambling and placing the geese in various locations before leaving. Yuu closed the door behind them, pulling out a pitch pipe and blowing.

Ace glared, gesturing to his living room now populated by a family of geese, “Don't you sing a little fucking song! Explain yourself!”

“On the 6th day from Christmas, my true love gave to me~!”

Deuce cautiously reached a hand toward a goose beside him, pulling his hand away as it tried to nip at his fingers, “Christmas?”

“Six geese a laying~.”

…

Ace looked at the geese, eyes wide seeing a number of them resting on his mom's favorite couch, “Laying?”

Deuce called out to the kitchen hoping Riddle and Trey could hear him, “Rosehearts-Senpai!? Is there a Queen's Rule about geese!?”

There was a beat of silence before Riddle's voice called back, “Well, rule 365 does state that a rogue floating goose may stay in the home for the night but only during the winter and only if the teapot has been stirred counterclockwise. If that answers your question.”

“...” Deuce took the time to grab the teapot, spinning it a few times counterclockwise before speaking again, “I guess…but what do we do with them now!?”

“...Do with whom?

“The geese!?”

“...” There was a heavy clatter, as though something was dropped and barely caught in time, “There are actual geese inside!?”

Yuu grabbed a cookie from the plate at the table, smiling as Ace yelled from the couch.

“OW! One of these fuckers just bit me!”

☆~5th Day~☆

The past week had been concerning for Jamil. Azul and Malleus had sent him numerous messages and calls asking if he knew what Yuu was doing. The magicless mage visiting them and bringing strange gifts with no explanation. Malleus was particularly worried, unknowing if he was supposed to give them a certain gift in return. He had spoken to Yuu about it, only for them to instantly try to gaslight him into thinking they did no such thing. Like there weren't numerous eyewitnesses to back up such claims… So he just assumed they were finding ways to entertain themselves over the break (since they weren't being held captive this winter…).

So when Yuu came to visit him, luckily with no ensemble of musicians, he chose to not bring up the odd events. After bringing a tray to his room, sharing the drinks and snacks with his date-mate, they moved to the bed.

Though Yuu joked about it, Jamil was not going to do any kind of sexual act with them in his home while his entire family plus a ⅓ of Kalim's younger siblings were on the grounds. So instead they cuddled, holding each other in the warm sun from his window and almost drifting into sleep. Jamil breathed out, fully relaxed as he gently rubbed his thumb against Yuu's bicep.

“Oh…I almost forgot I have something for you…” Yuu reaches behind them, a hand digging into their back pocket and pulling something out. They grab his hand, placing a collection of something small and cool into his palm. 

Jamil opens his eyes to look at what Yuu gifted him, eyes widening as he fully registers what it was. In his hands were five stunningly gold rings, each with artful designs carved in the metal, gemstones embedded on a few of them. They seemed to almost glow in his hands just from how shiny they were.

“I…Yuu-”

In his confusion, Yuu had also pulled out a pitch pipe, blowing into it but not lifting their head from Jamil’s chest as they sang, “On the 5th day from Christmas, my true love gave to me~...”

Jamil sat up so fast that he would have nearly launched Yuu clean off his bed if he didn't have an arm still locked around them. In the pause of Yuu's song, his sister and a number of the Asim children she was babysitting all sprang out of hiding spaces in his room. All of them yelling as loudly as they could, Jamil just barely made out Yuu's sleepy singing.

“Five. Golden. Rings~...!”

Once the song ended there was silence, everyone going back into their hiding spots. Jamil sat in his bed stunned with the rings still in his palms, “I…Where'd you-hold on. Get out of my room!?”

Jamil glares, watching as Najma exits his closet with a few of Kalim's siblings, more of the preteens giggling as they crawl out of other hiding spots.

Yuu called out, raising a hand to wave after Najma, “Thanks for the assist girlie~.”

Najma waved back, making sure she had all of her charges before closing the door slowly, “My brother doesn’t deserve you, bestie~.”

Jamil growled out, pointing at his sister in a threatening manner, “Get out.” He scoffed as Najma flipped him off before closing the door finally. He raised an eyebrow, looking at Yuu still resting contently on his chest, “Yuu, what the fuck was that? Where did you get these rings?”

“What rings?”

“The rings in my hand, Yuu.”

“Wow, Jamil, those are beautiful. Where did you get them?”

“If I didn’t love you, I would throw you into traffic…”

☆~4th Day~☆

Home was a sensitive subject to Leona. He had spent so much time at Night Raven over the past few years that it had become his own lesser version of home. Not really in the reality of the situation, but it was good enough at the time. But, after his overblot, and a few months of mandated therapy during the last summer, he actually felt happy returning home for winter break.

At the very least, the Sunset Savana only had one pest who wouldn't leave him alone that he couldn’t escape. Or so he thought.

Sleeping in his room, Leona groaned at feeling a weight sitting close to him on the mattress. When they didn't leave after a few aggressive hits with his tail he opened his eyes in annoyance. That feeling only grew seeing Yuu sitting on the mattress with a smile.

“Hi~.”

“What the fuck are you doing here?”

Cheka popped up from the bedside, eyes wide and brows furrowed in scolding as he pointed to his uncle, “Oji-Tan! That's a bad word!”

Leona scoffs, rubbing the back of his head as he slowly sat up, “What bad word? I said fudge…” He looked away from Cheka's pout, yawning loudly, “What do you two annoyances want?”

“Oji-Tan! We have a present for you! Yuu-Tan said I can help give it! Can we do it now? Please!? Please!?”

“For the love of the Seven, fine. Just stop screaming, you're two feet away from me Cheka.”

“Okay!” Cheka beamed up to Yuu, hands gripping onto the sleeve of Yuu's shirt dress as he jumped in excitement, “Yuu-Tan! I'm ready!”

Yuu giggled, grabbing Cheka and pulling him into their lap as a means to keep his energy contained, “Alright…” Pulling the pitch pipe from their pocket, they blew it carefully, keeping note of Cheka's still-developing ears.

Once the note was set, both Cheka and Yuu started to sing. Cheka louder than Yuu, only tripping up slightly at the unfamiliar word, “On the 4th day from Christmas, my true love gave to me~...”

Just then the door burst open, four discontented-looking attendants entered the room with four large bird cages. Inside each was a loudly cawing blackbird, the sound making Leona's eye twitch. 

“Four calling birds-”

“Why the fuck did you bring four Ibis birds into my room?”

“Oji-Tan!”

Leona clicks his tongue, ears pressed to his head as the birds kept up their noise, “I said Fudge. Answer me, Feral.”

“It's a gift. Now you won't have to worry about oversleeping.”

“I won't have to worry about sleeping, period.”

The sound of rushing footsteps managed to echo over the cawing birds. Falena slid into the open doorway, a beaming smile on his face and a few boxes of board games in his arms, “Oh good! You're awake, Leona!”

Leona puts his head in his hands, a growl easing into a frustrated yell. He wanted to go back to Night Raven…

☆~3rd Day~☆

Kalim bounced in his seat, smiling at the large box in Yuu's hands. He was so upset when he learned they had visited earlier that week, even more so to hear he had missed a fun prank they pulled on Jamil. But now, Yuu was back in the Scalding Sands with a gift in hand for him!

Yuu bit her lip, trying to keep her laughter down, “Are you excited Kalim?”

“Yes! Please, I wanna see what the prank is!”

Yuu can't help but laugh, placing the box down and slapping Kalim's overzealous fingers away from opening it, “You're the only Night Raven boy I know who's excited to be pranked. But, ok, I'll do this fast so you don't explode.” Out comes the pitch pipe, a note blown crisp and clear before Yuu sings for the nearly vibrating Kalim.

“On the 3rd day from Christmas, my true love gave to me~...” They pull the lid from the box, showing three small-sized black and white spotted chickens. Each of them with a golden and burgundy colored beret affixed to their heads, “Three French hens~!”

“Ah~! Yuu. They're so cute!” Kalim stood, instantly reaching into the box and pulling out a chicken to hold. He giggled letting the young bird peck at his finger before it calmed down, “But what makes them…what did you say? French? What makes them French?”

Yuu scoffed, folding their arms and frowning, “Kalim, do you not see their delightful little hats? Do my efforts mean nothing to you?”

“...” Kalim looked closer at the chickens trying to see what his friend meant. It took him a bit, but he yelled as he realized, “Oh right! You call Florian ‘French’. Ok, I get it. Hahaha, thank you so much, Yuu! Can I keep these little guys? I think they'd love my aviary!”

Yuu shrugs, picking up the box of chickens as Kalim was already walking to said aviary with the last bird in hand, “I mean, go for it. I'll send you the bill for the purchase.”

“Are these really Florian hens? I didn't think there was a Florian chicken…”

“They're actually some kinda Shaftland breed.”

“Oh! How fun!” Kalim didn't get the prank. He also had no idea what ‘Christmas’ was. But Yuu was his friend and wanted to spend time with him, so he didn't mind the moments of confusion that normally came with the magicless mage. Plus, they were always fun to be around!

☆~2nd Day~☆

“Silver…Silver.” Yuu gently slaps at the ivory-haired man sleeping peacefully. Groaning, Yuu tries to shake Silver awake. Their plan wasn't going to work if the second year didn't wake up.

At another slap, Silver finally opened his eyes, blinking slowly as his brain refused to fully wake up. In his half-conscious state, his eyes managed to at least focus on the blurry black form beside his bed, “...Yuu?”

Yuu pulls out their pitch pipe, blowing softly so as to not startle Silver  fully awake. They opened their mouth, poised to sing only to struggle holding in their laughter as Silver whistled in response to the note in perfect pitch.

“...” Once calmed, Yuu started to sing, “On the 2nd day from Christmas, my true love gave to me~...”

Silver blinked, almost like it was a frame-by-frame animation on the slowest setting, “...I don’t feel about you…that way…I'm sorry…”

Yuu snorted, a hand moving to cover their mouth in an effort to not laugh in Silver's face. As they got themselves under control again, they pulled out two small white birds from their coat. Placing them gently in front of the sleepily bewildered-looking Silver as they finished, “Two turtle doves~...”

The blink this time was so long Yuu had actually worried Silver had fallen back asleep. But, once again, Silver opened his eyes, earning a chirp from one of the birds as it nuzzled into Silver.

“Oh…thank you…they're lovely…”

Yuu petted Silver's hair, standing from their crouched position with a small smile, “Go back to sleep, Silver.”

“...Okay…” and just like that. Silver closed his eyes, breathing out a long sigh that set him back to lightly snoring as he drifted into slumber.

Only hours later, when Lilia returned from an outing with Baul did Silver realize that Yuu had actually broken into his father's home. With two birds at that…

☆~Last Day~☆

Yuu's surprise winter seasonal party had been wonderful so far. The rented cabin was massive, with plenty of space for all twenty-two of them and the secondary group of younger children running around. Though confused, the big brothers of the group couldn't deny that Yuu was correct in insisting the kids all join in their party. A Christmas Party, whatever that was. But for the past few hours, they had all come together to bake and decorate cookies. Decorating a large evergreen tree with sparkling blubs and tinsel ropes. Not to mention they were instructed to place their gifts under said tree. Now the kids were on the floor beside the fireplace, glue and other craft objects scattered as they made their own custom ‘stockings’ to hang along the mantel.

No one wanted to question it anymore. Not since giving up on learning why Yuu had felt the need to visit them for the past two weeks to deliver their bizarre gifts. Something that Jack was surprised to hear about, seeing how he hadn't been visited by Yuu at all. Only to regret such a statement as Yuu stood in front of him with a smile.

“Jack? Can you follow me outside, into the dark woods, alone?”

“...” Jack sighed. Whatever Yuu had planned, he wasn't strong enough to really fight it. Not after being force-fed cookies that were more frosting than cookie from his overzealous siblings. He turned to Trey, whispering under his breath, “If Yuu kills me, please make sure my siblings brush their teeth before bed.”

Trey smiled good-naturedly, guiding the wolf children to his own younger siblings with practiced ease, “I'll even make sure they floss.”

“I'm not asking for a miracle, Senpai…” Jack stood up, grabbing his coat to follow Yuu into the dark snow.

Jack followed Yuu through the cold fluff, huffing and tensing up more and more the farther they walked away from the cabin's light. He quickly pulled his phone from his pocket, sending a message to the group chat of the other first years, ‘If I don't come back, I love you guys.’

Sebek replies first, ‘Do you honestly think that human could kill you?’

Epel sent a single heart emoji before typing out a reply, ‘Sebek. Didn't yuu bust ur kidneys in a one on one?’

‘That event doesn't pertain to this conversation.’

Jack stops short, putting his phone back into his coat jacket as Yuu stops in front of a gathering of evergreen branches. He sighed, wanting to step away as Yuu pulled out a pitch pipe with what he could only call a sinister smile, “Oh Seven, please don't sing-”

The note plays clean and quick, making Jack's ears fold down at the noise.

“On the last day from Christmas, my true love gave to me~...”

Jack mutters under his breath. “What the hell is Christmas…?”

Yuu pulls a branch away. Showing a small clearing with a singular medium-sized Pear tree, decorated just as fanciful as the evergreen in the cabin. Jack looks into the tree with a critical eye seeing something moving around. While he would love to watch Yuu get spooked by a lone squirrel, he didn't want to deal with Yuu's scream potentially causing an avalanche.

“Uh…Yuu-”

“A partridge in a pear tree~!”

Once Jack clearly sees the bird in the tree he glares at Yuu, “How did you get this tree here?”

Yuu's smile quickly falls off their face, expression showing how annoyed they were, “Jack, you are being so fucking ungrateful.”

“No, tell me how you got this tree up here. Who helped you with this prank? It wasn't funny.”

“Ungrateful. I did this specifically for you. You like pears!”

“That bird looks terrified. What did you do to it?”

☆○~○☆

The walk back to the cabin was full of bickering, Jack holding the shivering Quail in his arms as he scolded Yuu for having the bird out in the cold. Once they both entered the cabin, Yuu slammed the door shut behind them and they shouted out.

“Leona! Get ya boy, he's being ungrateful!”

Leona didn't move from drinking a bottle of amber liquid. Seemingly trying to get drunk to block out the sound of the children squealing in delight. Ruggie however looked over, the snicker stopping as he looked at what was in Jack's arms.

“...Is that a quail?”

The bottle left his mouth before he could fully tip it upright, Leona looked to Jack as liquor dribbled down his chin, “They gave away another fucking bird?”

“OJI-TAN.”

“Fudging bird.”

Ruggie snickered, the yelling finally bringing the attention of everyone else to the new addition. But Ruggie was laughing at the indication that Leona had also been gifted a bird, “Another bird? You got some fowl gifts there, your Highness?”

Jack huffs, letting an excited Kalim run up and gather the bird out of his arms. The merchant heir quickly showing it to his younger siblings and Lilia as Jack grumbled, “I also own a pear tree in the middle of the mountains now. Don't know how they even got it up here…”

Vil groans from his seat, fingers rubbing at his temples and seamlessly taking the glass of water Rook hands him, “Yuu, enough of your games. What is this Christmas nonsense you've been going on about?”

Yuu pours a glass of sparkling grape juice for themselves, deciding to finally spill the holiday beans, “It's a really popular winter holiday in my world. Once I realized you guys didn't have Christmas here I just wanted to recreate one of my favorite songs. The Twelve Days of Christmas.”

Jamil mutters under his breath, mildly horrified at the idea of a 12-day long holiday as festive as the party was, “Oh Seven, please no…” Please don’t give Kalim any ideas.

Malleus speaks up, concern on his face as he wonders if he was supposed to be celebrating the past eleven days, “Was I supposed to gift you back an ensemble by the 12th day? You stated in your melody that a ‘True Love’ is the one gifting such things, this won't affect our agreement will it?”

Azul perks up, almost panicking at the idea that if he failed to give Yuu a proper ‘True Love’ Christmas present they'd break up with him.

Yuu giggles, waving a hand as a show for their lovers to calm themselves, “It's just a song, no wordplay magicks involved. And even if there were, I wouldn't let you guys go that easily.”

Ace clicked his tongue, rolling his eyes at the brief romantic declaration, “Whatever. The gift kinda sucks though, prefect. Who wants geese of all things?”

Leona freezes mid-drink, raising an eyebrow at Ace, “Geese?”

“Mon Roi and I received a delightful flock of swans!”

“Oh! Yuu got me three hens with cute little hats!”

Epel frowns, turning to face Yuu with a glare, “Why'd you gift me a bunch of LADIES!?”

Yuu held their hands out, calling to calm everyone slowly descending into a shouting match over what the actual ‘Gift’ was, “Ok…we're gonna do the last verse of the song and you all get to hear the wonderful gifts this dude gave to this poor woman over the course of twelve days.” They pulled out their trusty pitch pipe, smiling as they raised their finger to conduct, “When I point, sing what I sung when you got your gift.”

~ 🎶

“On the 12th day of Christmas, my true love gave to me~...”

“...Twelve drummers drumming?” Malleus sang in mild confusion, Sebek almost yelling the phrase as support for Malleus's soft tone. Lilia giggled out the tune, eager to hear the full gift list.

Azul frowned but easily mimicked the melody from before with the twins joining him in glee, “Eleven pipers piping.”

Cater and Ortho joyfully sung their part, Idia between them mumbling out the tune, “Ten lords a leaping!”

Epel flinched, not expecting to be pointed to already, “Nine ladies dancin’?”

“Eight maids a milking?” Ruggie let out a nervous laugh, was the tempo getting faster?

“Seven swans a swimming.” Vil crossed his arms, glaring and saying ‘a swimming’ with a bite as Rook sung it with a grin.

“Six geese a layin’!” The remaining Heartslabyul four all sang out in unison. Riddle taking what little time he had to get the phrasing and melody from Deuce and Ace and give a neat performance.

Jamil sat with his arms crossed, refusing to participate, but was instead dogpiled by a number of Kalim's siblings. Most being the ones who helped Yuu with their prank on him almost a week ago.

“FIVE! GOLDEN! RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIINGS!”

“By the seven- Four calling birds- oh my fuc-” Leona and nearly everyone else too close to the pile-up of children had either covered their ears or leaned away from just how loudly they had ‘sung’.

Kalim laughed, clapping in time with the beat of the foreign song, “Three French hens!” 

Silver sat in mild confusion, eyes widening as he remembered, “Two turtle doves…”

Yuu points to Jack, smiling as they teasingly sang out, “And~...”

“...” Jack sighed, ears flicking in annoyance before clicking this tongue and singing through his teeth, “A partridge in a pear tree…”

Yuu cheers, “Yes! I never thought I'd miss hearing Christmas music…” They clap, smiling at their friends' confused faces, “That was perfect! Grim, show the nice people the treats they've won.”

Grim perked up, leaping out of the arms of one of the children, dancing on his toes briefly in a happy jig. “Finally! Watch and be amazed by the Great Grim!” He sucks in a large breath, cheeks puffing up before he lets out a massive ball of fire into the air. The blue flames twist and turn, swirling into a sphere before falling to the ground.

A brief shout of panic passes over the group, everyone moving to shield the children from the potential fire spread. Only to watch as the fireball disappears on contact with the floor, a massive red sack left to bounce once into the air. On the second impact, the top burst open as the weight of it shook the cabin, revealing treats and a plethora of toys. Grim slumps over exhausted. He had been practicing that summoning spell for weeks and it still took a lot of him.

Yuu points to the bag of treats, smiling at the awestruck children, “Those are for you guys, happy holiday.” They all leave their respective siblings' protective embraces, descending upon the bag and nearly climbing inside it to see just how many toys and treats were free for the taking.

Idia blinked, uncurling himself from around Cater as Ortho took his shield down, “Man…talk about a mega item drop…those kids hit the jackpot on holiday loot…”

As everyone calmed down, Deuce looked up from counting on his fingers, mentally figuring out just…how many people and birds in total were ‘gifted’ in the song, “Wait, you said one guy is gifting all of this…to one woman? On the same day?”

“He actually gifts them multiple times for each day. The first eleven are repeated multiple times until you get to the 12th day and then you get the whole song one last time as a gift.”

Riddle realizes why Deuce was distressed. Eyes widening at the number that appeared in his head at the final amount of ‘gifts’, “That's-that's too many birds! Too many birds and too many people, where in Twist is he getting them!?”

Idia groans, sinking into his seat in despair at the very thought of so many people, “Better question is what are you even gonna do with all those birds? Most of them just sound like weak deco items…”

Rook hums, “Well…40 pheasants sounds lovely. Especially for the winter months!”

…

Vil turned to Rook, gently taking the wine glass from his hands, ignoring the Florian laughing at his action, “Rook…there wasn't a single pheasant mentioned in that ghastly song. I think you've had enough for tonight.”

“Oh mon roi! How you care for me so! But, I fear I must correct you. A pheasant is a bird with a golden ring around its neck. I would assume the five golden rings are five pheasants.”

A moment of silence passes over the room. Yuu huffs into their glass, raising an eyebrow at Rook, “I think they're just golden rings, Rook. The song is already weirdly bird heavy as is…”

“But, they are all birds, mon vieille amor?”

…

Epel speaks up, “So…ladies dancing?”

“Cranes.”

“The drummers?” Lilia tilts his head, genuinely curious about the new information on the song.

“Woodpeckers most likely!”

Ortho perks up, eyes almost glowly in his excitement, “Oh! I just did a search. Heron is also known as a ‘leaping lord’ in some parts of the world!”

Floyd pouts, “Eh? What kinda bird is a piper then? Don't they all whistle?”

“Possibly a sandpiper…if we're going by name alone…” Azul pushed his glasses into place. The song…somehow got worse. These were far too many birds…

Leona scratches the back of his head, “Calling bird could be any bird then…”

Vil taps his chin, looking into his cup as he thought, “The song is full of poor grammar. Who's to say it was calling originally? Maybe…coying? Colly? Four coally birds makes the most sense, word-wise at least…”

Yuu frowns, putting their glass on the counter in an aggressive fashion before pointing at Rook's smiling face, “Ok, wise ass. What kinda bird is a ‘maid a milking’ then?”

Rook shrugged, “I would guess a magpie or other dairy-cultured bird.”

…

Everyone watched as Yuu grabbed the whole bottle of sparkling juice, scowling as they stomped to a lone armchair and folded their arms, “This is why we got fucking divorced…”

Cheka instantly turned his attention away from the bag of gifts he was digging around in, instead scolding his pseudo aunt, “ YUU-TAN! THAT'S A BAD WORD!”

Yuu pouted but still called to Cheka, “I'm sorry, Cheka. I'll do better, just enjoy your treats ok?”

Lilia chuckles, floating over and sitting on the back of Yuu's chair, “You said this was your favorite song. I'm guessing there are others then, would you like to share them with us?”

That was the magic switch. Yuu quickly pulled their original phone from their pocket, eyes glittering as they connected to the music system, “Yes! I can tell you guys all about the Christmas Time Curse and Mariah Carey!”

“I'm sorry, Christmas Time Curse!?”

“Is this Mariah woman the one doing the curse or somehow worse than the curse?”

[ramcharantitties]

Diwali

Summary: First Diwali of you and ram.

"Why are you still in your clothes?" A voice boomed from the door, and by the tone, it was a very angry wife of mine. Although I wanted to cross question her, "why don't you take them off?", I knew better and did not utter a word. Maybe we'll do that later tonight anyways. I jumped off the chair in a second and scurried to the bathroom, towel in hand. It's Diwali today. From four in the morning, we have set the fairy lights, spotting dragon flies, then packed the sweets y/n made in the past two days, deep cleaned our house, went to market for last moment shopping, and decorated our house with diya and rangoli. The amount of tea cups lining the sink said enough about our hardwork today. It was around 4 in the evening now, and y/n needed me to get bathed soon so I can go to the temple for an early Pooja, as she sets up the Pooja at our home.

The bath was shivering and cold- November not letting us breath with warmth. Stepping out of the bath, a red kurta and white dhoti with a red lining on it caught my eye. Someone did Diwali shopping for me. And it's shy to say, but the warmth she gives deter a hundred Novembers.

Quickly getting ready, I combed my hair. The red on my cheeks matched one of my clothes, and it was visible in the mirror, hope my wife doesn't catch it. It was almost 4:30, and I knew that if I don't leave now, it's going to be a screaming match. Finding y/n, I saw her in her homely saree with wet hair tied in a towel lock, carrying everything needed to the Pooja in our home. "Get ready first, I'll help you with this when I come back".

She turned around to my voice, the golden skin from sandalwood shining with the golden mangalsutra in orange sunlight. A tint of pink on her cheeks too when she checked me out, up and down. I had to turn around and leave, so she didn't catch me blushing.

It was almost the muhrat of Pooja when I stepped in our home. The sun has started to set and the area was lit up by blinking fairy lights. Blasts of firecrackers were easily heard throughout. I saw our home with white and yellow alternate lights too. Upon entering, Y/n was nowhere to be found near the Pooja, but it was all set and decorated.

Looking for y/n, I realised that I haven't given her Diwali gift- a blue chiffon saree I picked out for her, and that it's our first Diwali together. I called out for her, as she made her way out from our room in a pink saree. Her hair was open and air drying. It was given to her by her family, and she has already worn this twice now.

"Why aren't you wearing anything new?" I led her into the room again opening the side of the cupboard which was reserved for my official clothes. "This is new" she muttered, putting Kohl lines in her eyes. I pulled out the transparent bag which held a beautiful blue saree, laced with white embroidery and deep red design. Her brown eyes caught the sight of it, a breath caught in her throat. She looked expectantly at me. A smile from me was enough for her to pull it from me and rush inside.

About 15 minutes later, y/n came out looking like an apsara. The baby blue insinuated her already pink face. She twirled around giggling. "Do I look good?" I nodded, leaning on the bed frame. It felt good, to see her happy. The childish joy in her eyes and soft smile on her lips. Gazing at her lovingly, it took me a while to realize she wasn't smiling anymore. "We are getting late for Pooja!"

The Pooja went well. We sat down after it, tired from running around the house all day. Busy eating home made sweets, I almost lost the soft touches of her on the saree, her fingertips barely touching the design. She looked content. And that was enough for me to remember how our first Diwali went.

......,...........................

tagging- @budugu @thewinchestergirl1208 @rambheemlove @ramayantika @bishh-kanya @chaanv @nyotamalfoy @obsessedtoafault @phoenix666stuff @iam-siriuslysher-lokid @cursedcursives @hopelessdemonic @nerdreader @bitchy-bi-trash @vijayasena

[subiysu-chan]

For her redesign, I want her to have something inspired by the Rogis family photo.

For this redesign, I want a more toned down high fantasy meets Dark Academia, meets Y2K, various trends of the 2000s, 2010s vampire fiction, a little retro futurism, gothic lit inspired, some history bounding and a touch of pastel goth/gore, with also some "home made", "warm" very artsy flavor.

Her power is ice...So here are some references:

Ice magic

Now, for fantasy backgrounds :

Now...Now that we are done with background and environment inspo, let's tackle her face and expression.

In the original, Icy tends to have very haughty facial expressions, which I think land itself well to my Rogis family photo inspo, especially the expression of the adult women. It's increasingly difficult to find on the internet.

I think from this chart :

Expressions A10, J8 and J3 seem the most appropriate.

Now, here are some real faces for that arrogant look:

Now, there is another artist I forgot to mention but would like to maybe take inspo from is Consuelo-Parra. Her art has this dark, esotheric, gothic, edgy, poetic and somewhat 2010 vibes that I adore.

She works more with photography and realism. While I want a more stylized style...I don't know, there are notes to be taken from her composition.

For clothing, for this kind of re-wright, re-design idea, I want the climate to be cool and rainy with somewhat cold winters. It doesn't get that much below zero if at all, but the humidity seeps into your very bones kind of cold.

Now, in her civilian form, she wears some pastel blue crop top with a blue collar, a mini-skirt decorated with a jeweled belt, a bejeweled chocker and some knee high laced boots. She has pretty long nails. Most notably, she has this very long silver hair, that I want to tone down for the art direction I choose but still, you know, make it flashy. Her clothing style is either very heavily goth or very preppy, with little in-between. She also has some vaguely K-pop vibes.

Pastel goth and Academia doesn't really have a lot of jewel stuff. But...Icy needs some shine. So how about I keep it on the lips as a white lipgloss.

I think I want to give her eyebags and darkened eyelids to give her a more worn, tired look and a more intense gaze, even with pale lashes. Quite intense, almost corpse-like ones. Kind of like Dark Alyssa but maybe lighter. Auded face did a fantastic look for it.

I really like this eyemakeup look, but I'd make it look more natural and drop the mascara:

I think giving her ice blond hair with pale lashes could be interesting.

I will have to explore several wrapped ponytail styles to decide on one.

Now, for clothing...In her witch forms, she wears a cape, while a chocker is a pretty consistant part of her look.

I think I could try to combine these into a whole to make her cardigan. If I give it a very dramatic back, it will give a silhouette similar to the cape. The chocker will be quite simple to add though.

She can still have the mini-skirt.

Now, for her boots.

Not the most practical, but hey...It's Icy.

Icy redesign

I want to create a masterpiece for Winx redesigns, let's get the easier one in terms of color palette done.

Artstyle and artists :

Ariimaww:

coraltenvy :

Mad carrot :

Satoi, in Diabolik Lovers:

Shinichi Sakamoto, in Innocent manga :

Miscancellous :

[lady-lunaaa]

Birthday Boy

Pairing: Armin Arlert x fem!reader

Rating: EXPLICIT! minors do not interact

Warnings: established relationship, sneaking around with family and friends downstairs, female reader, use of pet names 'baby' and 'angel', blowjob, hair pulling, lots of lip gloss, choking on dick, fluffflufffluff (and no h/c in sight, can you believe it).

WC: 3.7K

Lullaby

a/n: idk this just happened...legit sat in bed and wrote this in one go, so if you see any mistakes, no you don't. but birthday boi deserves it 💙 will be thinking about this and him forever, thanks, have a nice day. AND THE BIGGEST THANK YOU TO MY WIFE @dabilove27 WHO BETA'D THE FUCK OUTTA THIS, practically co-wrote jesus, BECAUSE I HAD SQUARE EYES BY THE TIME I WAS DONE. I love you forever <3

Armin is doing the rounds, greeting friends and family and thanking them for coming. It's been a long day. You insisted on making tonight a big affair, pulling out all the stops and decorating his childhood home in birthday streamers, banners and bunches of balloons. You and his mother are a dangerous combination, you can't be stopped once you get going. 

But tonight is special for another reason than just his birthday. You both have an announcement to make, and he's unusually nervous about it. Armin is happy not having the spotlight on himself. It's been that way ever since he was a child, having a best friend like Eren Jaeger meant he wasn't usually seen. Until he met you, of course. You saw him from the very first moment you met him.

He was oblivious at first, he wasn't used to attention, to people flirting with him. Mikasa told him he was an idiot. Actually, so did you. He smiles at the memory, taking a sip from the champagne flute you practically forced into his hands earlier. His phone buzzes in his pocket and he hopes that it's you. You've been gone a while. You went upstairs to prepare for the announcement, you said you'd only be a minute, but it's been at least ten. 

Armin steps out into the hallway, where it's quieter, and fishes his phone out of his trouser pocket. He isn't prepared for what meets him as he presses his fingertip to the scanner. His phone screen is lit up with an image of you, scantily-clad, in a delicate lingerie set. It's new. The same shade of blue as his eyes (he's sure that was an intentional choice on your part). You're perched on the bathroom counter upstairs, back to the mirror, and your head peeking coyly over your shoulder. 

His eyes roam the screen, the curves of your ass, the way your cheeks squidge against the marble counter beneath you, back arched alluringly. 

The front of his slacks tighten, and he hastily lowers his screen's brightness, despite the fact there is no one currently out here. Habit, he guesses. I mean both your families are wandering around and this is his mother's house. He doesn't think you'd be too pleased if his grandma, or one of your brothers, caught an eye full of your bare ass perched on his parent's bathroom counter. He readjusts the front of his trousers surreptitiously before tapping out a response with his thumb. 

A- I thought when you said you were preparing, you meant for our guests. That's taking hospitality a little too far, don't you think?

You immediately send a photo back of your pretty face, eyes rolling dramatically, and he laughs quietly to himself. 

A- Seriously, the boys will never recover if you come down dressed in that…

He watches, heart racing, as the little text at the bottom of the screen displays, 'typing…' 

You - Get up here rn, Arlert. Before I change my mind.

He doesn't need to be told twice. Armin slips his phone back into his pocket and scans the hallway, making sure no one sees him making his way to the stairs. He downs the last of his champagne, in a hasty decision, and sets the flute down on the decorative table by the front door. 

His heart hammers with every careful step he takes, ascending into the darkness of the upper floors, thoughts on your gorgeous body clad in lace all for him. His dick twitches in his pants in anticipation.

~

When he finally knocks on the bathroom door, you open it a crack, smiling softly when you see it's him. Christ, you didn't even lock the door. This is a dangerous game you're playing. You let him in, opening the door just enough that he can slip through, his chest brushing against the frame as he does so. You shut the door quietly and he slides the lock into place. Just in case.

"Took you long enough." You tease. 

"I was barely a minute." He counters, taking a step closer to you and drinking you in. 

"A minute too long." You quip back at him cheekily, mirroring his action and moving closer to him. 

He chuckles, you keep him on his toes that's for sure. You're practically chest to chest now, almost touching, but not quite. The tension is palpable, electricity crackling between your bodies, as you each wait for the other to make the first move. Armin uses the moment to appraise your choice of underwear, once again admiring that soft blue, so beautiful against your skin. 

He lifts a slender finger to trace the edge of the lace that cups your full breast. You shiver at the contact, pushing out your chest in response, unable to help yourself. He continues his journey, letting his finger slip between your cleavage and pulling at the panel of lace that sits between them. The lace pattern is fairly large, and there's no fabric underneath, meaning he can see your pert nipples through the design.

Your tits are pushed together in a way that makes his mouth water. He can't get enough of your squishy curves and soft skin, you make him crazy. 

He slides his other hand over the curve of your shoulder, slow and soft, delighting in the way you shiver. You trail your fingers up his arm delicately, unable to hold back any longer and let him have all the fun, as you run your eyes greedily over his frame. He looks fucking delicious. Smart casual, as is the dress code, but somehow he manages to make simple look so darn good.

It really is unfair of him, wearing a turtleneck, he knows it's a weakness of yours. The slim fit hugs his torso perfectly and accentuates his slender neck, the deep blue material bringing out the different hues in his eyes. He's so pretty it takes your breath away, and you're so glad you finally have a moment alone with him. 

"Missed you." You murmur, voice a breathy whisper. It's silly to miss him when you've been in the same room for hours…but you did anyway. You missed his full attention on you, being able to touch him, be intimate. His heart squeezes in his chest at your confession. 

"Yeah?" 

"Mhm," you hum, pressing your body flush against his (oh how he wishes he wasn't wearing clothes right now), "you look so good tonight, couldn't keep my eyes off you."

It's funny you should say that, because now he's the one who can't keep his eyes off you. There's just too much flesh on display, and the scent of your perfume, mixed with the unique scent of you, has him intoxicated. 

"I missed you too, angel." He whispers, brushing the back of his hand against your cheek. He's faintly aware that he feels dizzy, perhaps a side effect of the champagne. Or then again, maybe it's just you. 

"Do you like?" You look down at yourself, gesturing to the lingerie. He nods, lips parting to let out a contented sigh. It stirs the hair brushing against your neck, and he has the sudden impulse to wrap his hand around your delicate throat, to push his thumb into your pulse point and steal the breath from your lungs. 

"I like, very much. This all for me?" He teases, running a finger under the strap of your bra and playing with the lil blue blow that meets the cup. 

"All yours baby." You whisper coyly, fluttering your mascara-clad lashes at him.

He groans and pulls your bra strap towards him before letting it slip from his finger. The snap of the material against your skin makes you yelp and buck into him. 

He loves all the little noises he can elicit from you, the way you play along, and give as much as you get. He likes to play with you, but right now, he's impatient (and very aware of the room full of people waiting for you downstairs). He uses the same finger to trace over the thin lace again, but this time he flicks over your nipple, quick and light, making you gasp.

He moves to give attention to the other one, but you catch his wrist in your hand, manicured nails digging into his skin just slightly. A warning. 

"Uh uh baby, you're the birthday boy, this is all about your pleasure." The words send a thrill shooting down his spine and straight into his cock. God, you're so perfect. And so good to him. 

You let go of his wrist in favour of placing a hand against his chest and walk him backwards across the room. His mother has a weird penchant for putting a decorative chair in every room, including the main bathroom (kind of like fancy hotels), but he finds himself thanking the weird decorative habit as you push him down into the chair with a firm hand. 

You straddle him once he's seated, draping your thighs over his and using the points of your toes against the floor to keep yourself upright. You arch your back so that he can see your ass over your shoulder and walk your fingertips down his chest lightly. 

Fuck, he's so handsome. All blue-eyed and blonde-haired, with that little upturn to his nose, in complete contrast to his strong jawline. He drives you crazy. You wish you could undress him slowly, take your time with him, but your guests won't wait forever. You sigh, feeling the stiffness in his pants poke into your thigh. You roll your hips into his lap and place your arms around his shoulders, leaning in dangerously close. 

"Fuck, you're gorgeous." He whispers, pushing his hips up into yours, seeking friction.

"Patience, baby." You whisper against his mouth, glossed lips brushing his, your breaths intermingling. 

Armin can't deal with your lips so close to his, all plumped and shiny from your hot pink gloss, that he assumes you applied just before he got here. They look irresistible, and he should be worried about that gloss staining his own lips, but he isn't. He doesn't care. He surges forward, ready to capture your mouth with his own, but you're quicker. 

You tangle your fingers in the shorter hair at the back of his neck and pull his head back, firm but not harsh, exposing the curve of his throat to you. You watch carefully as his adam's apple bobs in his throat, his turtleneck so tight that you can see the movement through its material. It's mesmerising, watching him do something as simple as swallow.

His plump lips part, breath coming fast, as he regards you from under his lashes. He looks drunk, cheeks flushed and eyes at half mast. His blonde lashes are so long that they skim the apples of his cheeks as he blinks, slow and deliberate. He must know what he does to you, you tell him plenty, how he makes you want to lose control. You want to sink your teeth into him, leave marks. But that will have to wait until later. 

Your heart rate picks up at the thought but time seems to slow. It's so strange the effect Armin has on you (has had on you from day one), as if time stands still when you're with him, so caught up in each other that the rest of the world passes you by - it's inconsequential. 

He looks at you curiously, unsure why you won't kiss him, but trusting you implicitly. You smile, slow and sweet. 

"Not yet, baby, I have other plans for this." You roll your lips together, your cherry pink gloss sticking your lips together for a second, before you let them pop apart. You put on extra for a very good reason, it probably looks ridiculous, but there's a method to your madness. 

Armin tracks your every move, chest rising and falling rapidly. Every time he inhales your breasts squish up against him invitingly. He's getting impatient. Usually, he lasts the longest in your little games…but he's always so needy when you take control. You love it. 

You hold his head back, fingers fisted in his hair, for just a moment longer…to display the control you have over him. He watches you watch him, your gaze heated and affectionate. When you think you've tortured him enough, you pull away and slowly slide from his lap onto the floor, kneeling against the cold tile between his legs. 

Armin slowly tilts his head forward (now that you've relinquished control of it) and watches you descend, his pupils blown wide, engulfing the pretty blue of his irises that you love so much. It's exactly the reason you chose this lingerie set, besides the lace and bows and pretty design, it's the perfect shade of sky blue that immediately made you think of his eyes. 

You slowly undo his belt and pop open the first button of his slacks, humming in appreciation at the hardness you feel brush against your hand as you do so. 

"So hard already, baby," you murmur, petting his erection through his underwear lazily. He sucks in a breath and grips the arms of the chair tightly.

You laugh breathily as you tug his trousers down just enough to let his dick spring free from his boxers. Armin has the prettiest cock you've ever seen, long and curved with a pretty pink head. A pretty cock for a pretty man. 

You wrap your hand around his length and give it an appreciative pump. He throws his head back and lets out a long moan, so sensitive now he's finally being touched. 

Fuck, you love the noises he makes for you. Love it when he pants and whines and groans. You could listen to his symphony all night long, but you're suddenly reminded of the time once again, and decide to give him what he wants. 

You pump his shaft a few more times, satisfied with the precum that beads at his tip. A few more breathy groans escape him, and as much as you adore them, you decide to quiet him down the only way you know how. You peel his shirt away from his stomach, revealing his defined abs, and stuff the end into his mouth. 

"Be a good birthday boy and be quiet, will you?" His eyes flash, liquid heat pooling in their depths, but he nods quickly. 

You watch him as you lean over and press a kiss to his swollen cock head. It leaves a messy red print against his skin in the shape of your lips. You admire your handiwork. Armin's eyes widen, realising the point of the lip gloss.

You waste no more time, licking a long stripe from his balls all the way up his length to his head, where you lap at the pre with little kitten licks, smearing your sticky gloss mark over his tip. Armin pushes his hips into your face, his moan muffled around his shirt. 

"Fuck." He curses, biting down into his makeshift gag. You smile against his cock before you open wide and let him push himself inside your mouth. He's long, too long to fit inside you all at once, and you gag when his mushroom head nudges the back of your throat. He groans louder as your throat constricts around him. So tight. So warm and tight, he can't even think straight. 

You plant your hands on his thighs for leverage, digging your nails into his slacks, if he wasn't wearing them you know you'd leave crescent-shaped welts in his pale skin. You swirl your tongue around his tip as you come back up, delighting in the salty sweet taste of him. 

You breathe in deeply and relax your throat, letting him in further this time. He rolls his hips up, trying to encourage you to increase your pace. Naughty, naughty. You slooowly pull back and focus your attention on his tip, working it between your lips with fervour until he's shaking beneath you, and then dipping down and taking his length into the back of your throat again. You repeat the action a few times, teasing his tip and then swallowing him down. 

At some point his hand finds the back of your head, guiding you up and down his cock. You get lazy, eager for him to take back a little control. You open your mouth wider, expanding your throat, and let him fuck gently into your mouth. His grip on you is firm but not rough, he doesn't want to muss up your hair too badly. He pushes his cock to the very back of your throat, slow enough not to cause any pain, but until you're gagging around him uncontrollably. 

He loves that sound, wet and muffled, loves the vibrations against his dick as you moan and hum around him. He's tensing, his movements a little sloppier, more erratic as he chases his high. He can't help but fall apart whenever you look at him like this; eyes hazy and tearful, and your lips stretched around his girth as you make a mess, drool dripping down your chin. Your gloss is smeared across your lips and all over his cock, leaving a ring of sparkling magenta around his base. You think it looks beautiful. This will have to do until you can mark him properly later. 

You can sense he's near climax from the way he's writhing and shaking beneath you, muscles tight, as curses and praise fall from his lips in tandem. At some point his shirt fell from his mouth, you can't find it in you to care, blindly hoping no one can hear you from downstairs. 

"Fuuuck baby, feels so good. My pretty lil' angel always knows how to make me- ahhh, feel good."

You keen at the praise, humming low in the back of your throat, knowing he loves when you're vocal. He shudders, mouth open, and brows pulled up in that perfect display of ecstasy. He looks so pretty and so fucking hot. You're wet, so wet, and painfully turned on. You wish you could fuck him right here, ride his cock until you were squirting all over his thighs, but there isn't time. And your guests might have some objections to that. 

Luckily you're patient, you like the wait, like to be worked up for so long that Armin can practically make you come untouched. 

You slide your right hand up his thigh until you're cupping his rounded balls in your palm, fondling them lightly, as you shove his full length so far down your throat you think you might pass out. Stars dance across your vision, and you feel a rush of arousal pooling in your panties. He comes with a cry, humping your face as he rides out his high, hands holding your head still. 

Your clit throbs at his uncontrolled moans and whines as his warm release paints the back of your throat. You feel tears slide down your cheeks, thank the Lord for waterproof mascara. 

Armin lets his hands slip from the back of your head to the sides of your face. He holds your face in his palms as he comes down from his high, breath returning to normal and his cheeks losing some of their colour. He rubs your sticky bottom lip with his thumb absentmindedly, clearing your face of lip gloss. You could get drunk off the way he looks at you, with sheer adoration, like you're the most precious thing to him in the whole world. And you know that you are, just like he is to you. 

"I wanna eat you out," he breathes, pushing his thumb past your swollen lips. 

You smile around his digit, taking it into your mouth and sucking obediently. The way his eyes darken has slick wetting your panties once more, the lace garment is soaked through now. Nothing much you can do about that. As much as you'd love to take him up on his offer, there isn't time. You part from his thumb with a pop of your lips and let it rest against your bottom lip once more. 

"No time, baby, I'll have to take a rain check." You lean into his palm for a moment, taking comfort in his touch, before you squeeze his thighs with both hands. He takes the hint and lets you rise from the floor, zipping up his pants and straightening out his clothes. 

You cross to the corner and slip on your heels, before stepping into your dress and pulling it up over the curves of your body. Armin stands and makes his way over to you, as you offer your back to him, holding your dress around your front so he can zip it up. He finds the zip and you suck in a breath as his fingertips skim your lower back. He slowly zips you all the way up, standing so close that his breath fans across your neck. You allow yourself to lean into his warmth one more time, and he nuzzles his face into your hair, speaking directly into your ear in a low voice. 

"'M gonna ruin you later." 

You moan quietly, pushing your ass into his crotch as you arch your back slightly. He clamps a hand on your hip to stop you from grinding against him, his dick is half-hard again already, and kisses the spot where your shoulder meets your neck. The action causes your skin to tingle. 

"I very much look forward to it," you smile, tone sultry, as you spin around to face him.

You finally press your lips to his, short and sweet, and full of promise.

"Happy birthday, baby." You whisper against his lips, brushing your nose against his affectionately. He repeats the action, giving you nose kisses until you giggle.

"Come on," he says, lacing his fingers with yours delicately, "let's go introduce everyone to my new fiancee." 

His lips dance across yours as he speaks, and then he's pulling away all too soon. 

He slips the diamond ring from his pocket, where he had it hidden, and you place it on your finger, watching it sparkle in the white lighting. 

Armin raises your joined hands to his lips, gazing at you softly, as he kisses the gemstone. He never fails to make you melt inside, feel all warm and fuzzy, and happier than you even thought you could be. 

You smile back at him lovingly, bottom lip caught between your teeth, trying to contain the elation threatening to burst forth in girlish squeals. 

You take a deep, calming breath. 

"Let's, future hubby."

Page divider by: @/firefly-graphics

Thanks for reading! 💙

[apinchofm]

Marcus and Phoebe elope.

Marcus didn't like to ask for permission. But he wanted to marry to Phoebe and Matthew wasn't giving his support.

At first, he respected it as they had a lot going on - the Book of Life, Diana's pregnancy, then Jack and Benjamin. But Matthew had barely acknowledged what Phoebe was to him.

"Elope? Is that allowed?" Phoebe whisper-shouted as they strolled through the grounds of Sept-Tours.

"Of course, it is," Marcus said, but Phoebe raised an eyebrow, "Okay, it is, but it is frowned upon."

"Uncle Hugh and Fernando did it when grandfather refused to give his permission and support, and they were happier for it." Marcus said.

"I want us to spend the rest of our lives together," Marcus said, cupping her face in his hands, "I don't see why we should wait for Matthew to approve."

Phoebe smiled, "I would very much marry tomorrow, anywhere. I don't want to cause any trouble between you and your father."

"You won't be. I'm the de Clermont trouble-maker." Marcus corrected, and got down on one knee, making Phoebe giggle, "Miss, Phoebe Taylor, will you run away with me?"

"Why, yes." She replied. A sudden applause startled them both and they turned to see Fernando, leaning on a tree, clapping.

"Beautiful. Just beautiful." He smiled.

"Thank you uncle," Marcus replied, standing.

Fernando stopped his applause, "I'm glad you and Hugh never met. I don't think this family could handle two of you."

"You won't say anything?" Marcus checked. Fernando shook his head and pulled his nephew in for a hug.

"I'll be the first to give my congratulations."

.....

But Marcus couldn't leave without telling Ysabeau. She had raised him after all, and she knew he wanted to get Phoebe.

"Marthe said that you were packing," Ysabeau observed when she walked into their suite. They were both in their coats and dressed to leave.

"We're getting married, grand-mere," Marcus announced.

Ysabeau, however, smiled. Her grandson, the rebel and the revolutionary. Of course, he wouldn't wait any longer to marry the woman he loved. So much like Philippe in that aspect.

"Well, you will need a ring." Marthe came in, with a jewellery box, giving it to Marcus with a smile.

"Come here." Ysabeau opened her arms to Phoebe and kissed her on both cheeks before pulling her into a warm embrace, "You are my granddaughter now."

"Thank you." Phoebe smiled at the vampire.

"I want pictures at least." Was Marthe's only demand, which they readily agreed to.

....

New Orleans. Sure, Matthew may be the head of the Scion, but these were Marcus' children. They loved him and he loved them and more than anything, they loved a good celebration.

"Defying Matthew all over again." Ransome smirked when Marcus and Phoebe arrived at Marcus' home, "There's a part of me that wants to call him to rub it in his face."

"Thought you were getting along?" Marcus smiled.

"Doesn't mean I don't like seeing him run around like a headless chicken because he can't control his eldest," Ransome replied and the two embraced.

"It's good to see you again, Ransome." Phoebe smiled and they kissed each other on the cheeks.

The ceremony was held in the garden of Ransome's club. It had been decorated with white lilies and lilacs, fairy lights hung everywhere.

"Welcome to our family."

......

Phoebe wore a short antique tiered dress, made of lace with matching white heels. Marcus was in a black suite. A local daemon priest conducted the marriage, speaking in French and English. Marcus' family as well as various members of the creature community were in attendance and watched on happily.

"I, Marcus, give myself to you in faithful matrimony." Marcus promised, holding Phoebe's hands.

"And, I receive you," Phoebe smiled.

"I, Phoebe, give myself to you in faithful matrimony."

"And I receive you."

As they kissed, everyone cheered and the band played a cheerful jazz song.

....

"We will have to tell them at some point."

Three days. That's how long they had been in the bedroom for consummating their marriage, with a nervous butler leaving food and wine outside.

Phoebe was lying on the messy bed, eating from a bowl of mixed fruit, catching her breath. Marcus was looking out of the window, listening to the pitter-patter of the rain, sounds of the city as he sipped a glass of red wine.

"I like our peace," Marcus said, as he came back to bed. He smiled at Phoebe - dishevelled, in a white slip nightgown. Beautiful.

Marcus picked a melon between his fingers and put it to Phoebe's lips, she took it into her mouth.

"Well, when someone tells Matthew, we won't be at peace." Phoebe pointed out.

"I love you." He whispered and she pressed her forehead against his, sitting up and climbing into his lap. His hands steadied her, coming to rest on her waist.

"I love you too." He kissed the visible bite mark at the curve of her breast as her fingers combed through his hair, "I would hate to become a widow so soon."

"You won't." Marcus promised.

.....

"Where is he?"

Matthew had tried calling Marcus for two weeks now. Both he and Phoebe were gone. Ysabeau had denied knowing where they were. He and Diana had gone over to Fernando's as he knew the two usual suspects who assisted Marcus in his hijinks were there - Gallowglass and Miyako.

"Miyako?" Matthew asked his niece who had come to visit her cousins, playing with Philip on the carpet of Fernando's living room, whilst Gallowglass walked around with Rebecca.

"I haven't heard from him." She said defensively, "He and Phoebe probably needed a break from your temper tantrums." Diana couldn't help but laugh at that, looking at her husband apologetically.

"You don't trust your son?" Fernando asked.

"Of course I trust him," Matthew replied but Fernando raised an eyebrow.

"Then why are you panicking? Benjamin is dead, he's fine." He pointed out.

"You know where he is." Matthew realised. Fernando simply took a seat.

"No, but I know what he's doing," Fernando replied, "And I promised to keep his secret."

"As his uncle?" Gallowglass asked with interest.

"He is our grandmaster," Fernando replied, spreading his hands, "He is entitled to his secrets."

....

Marcus and Phoebe left New Orleans for Paris. The first person they needed to see was Baldwin. Baldwin, of course, already knew. His spies had told him.

"Congratulations." Were his first words when the couple walked into his office in the city. He looked at the emerald ring on Phoebe's left hand and the gold band on Marcus'. He could smell the mating bond between them. At least he had done that properly.

"Thank you uncle." Marcus replied, a little on edge. Baldwin was too calm for his liking.

"You didn't ask my permission," Baldwin observed.

"Do you really care?" Marcus replied.

"No, not particularly." Baldwin looked at Phoebe and smirked, "Welcome, niece." He got up and kissed her both cheeks politely.

"Well, this calls for a family dinner." Baldwin smiled, but Marcus knew that like his grandfather, that smile held so much more beneath it.

.....

The entire family was gathered at Sept-Tours. Phoebe and Marcus came into the hall last, holding hands and smiling. Everyone knew straight away.

"What? When?" Matthew demanded.

Ysabeau didn't look the slightest bit surprised, nor did Baldwin or Fernando.

"You knew?" Matthew looked to his mother, who shrugged. Fernando held up his hands.

"Look at them, how do I say no to that?" Fernando defended, indicating to the couple.

"I validated it brother, so don't worry, it's been recorded in the pedigree." Baldwin smirked at his brother.

"And you didn't think to tell me?" Matthew glared at his brother, slighted that Marcus told Baldwin of all people.

"Not nice, is it?"

"I think we should focus on the really happy news that Marcus and Phoebe are married." Diana smiled as she and Miyako were hugging Phoebe in congratulations.

"Thank you, Diana." Marcus smiled. Gallowglass laughed and hugged them both in congratulations as Miriam did the same.

.....

"We don't elope in this family." Matthew said, once he and Marcus were in his office. Gallowglass came along, in case he needed to split up a fight and Miyako came hoping for a fight.

Gallowglass raised his hand, "Product of an elopement."

"I wanted your support." Marcus said, "At least. I stopped caring for your permission a while back. You couldn't even offer that. I supported you when you mated with Diana. Grandfather supported you!"

"You're young. You are both young." Matthew said, "I understand you wanted to prove to me your commitment-"

"I love Phoebe, and she loves me. This isn't some last-minute, Romeo and Juliet thing we did to piss you off. For once in a long time, I did something not thinking about whether you would approve or not." Marcus retorted.

"I think it's romantic." Miyako said, "And come on, Marcus found someone willing to put up with him. That's a miracle within itself."

"I will." Miriam said, stepping into the office, "It's something Phoebe and I discussed a while back. I thought it would be a little longer, but I agreed to turn her when her and Marcus announced their engagement."

"See? A lot more thought was put into this than you assumed, Matthew." Marcus said, "I'll try not be insulted that you think I would treat something like marriage so lightly."

.....

Diana was with Phoebe who was happy to see the twins again, bouncing Rebecca in her lap.

"They're so big!" Phoebe gushed, cooing at a laughing Rebecca.

"You look so beautiful," Diana smiled, flicking through the photographs on Phoebe's phone. That had sent Marthe the printouts.

"I'm so sorry you two felt like you had to elope," Diana said

"I quite liked it. It was intimate, everything we wanted." Phoebe assured, smiling fondly at the memories.

"Marcus was more hurt. Matthew didn't offer his support," Phoebe explained,.

Diana frowned at that. She had no idea, though she had been dealing with a lot, "Well, I offer my full support, always. You two are perfect for one another."

"Thanks, Diana." Diana pulled her in for a side hug. The babies squealed.

"That's right, you have a big sister." Diana cooed in a soft voice reserved for her babies and Phoebe laughed, "I know what I sound like, shut up."

....

At dinner that evening, everyone was in high spirits.

"May I dance with my daughter?" Matthew asked after Phoebe and Marcus had danced. They both looked at him, surprised, but this was his olive branch.

And they accepted it.

"You may." Phoebe smiled taking his hand.

[raslolin]

۞𖣔 𝗍𝗐𝗈 𖣔۞

Silva walked through the hallway silently with his footsteps while holding the lightweight box in his hand.

No matter what's happening in the manor right now he doesn't care.

Even when his partner was calling for help.

The more he walked the louder Kikyo's scream is.

'Listening to her screeching is like satan propose her a marriage by torture.'

Thinking back about what Kikyo said and how she behaved.

Kikyo screams to his face to his back for a week after his son's runaway.

"Killua just ran away! At least do something instead of watching he ran off!"

"The hell were kind of thoughts are in your mind that time do something! Tell me at least!!"

"THIS IS DISAPPOINTING!"

"Hunter exam!? What is he doing there."

"WHAT?! There's for fun!?! What kind of-"

He shuts his mind off about his wife it seems to make him less stressful for now.

'About Killua.. Illumi will deal with him.'

'This will get more and more annoying..'

Narrowing his eyes slightly as he reached the outside in seconds.

'Time to visit.'

He feels the book was the main problem of it all when in reality it's the opposite.

'This must be solve.'

Zeno fastly reach for the knob of the library door slammed it open as the butlers followed him inside.

To the butlers horrified expressions, he know it's time for him to step out and never mind about this business again or maybe just get out of this household full of nothing but his daughter in-law screams.

Ready to walk out of the library he stops.

'In the end I can't avoid it.'

Signing to himself he turned to the staffs and ordered them out.

"All of you get out."

His raspy voice were filled with nothing but dissatisfaction, disappointment and the irritation he's feeling began bubbling inside his body faintly.

After all of them out of room he waited and waited.

'Where's Milluki? I heard him I'm sure..'

"Mama!"

Milluki arrived with sweats and breaths hitching every seconds his eyes still on the ground.

It took a minute to bring himself back together again. His eyes widened in surprise.

"She's dead."

His grandfather said his face still the same as ever.

"What do you mean grandpa? Mama's still breathing."

Milluki's voice sounds relieved after he saw his mother's body twitching for help.

Silva's now arrive in front of the destination he supposed to be visit two time years ago.

Ready to knock on the door only for the door itself opened by a mere maid.

"Master is expecting you mister Zoldyck."

Without anymore words the maid leads him to the beautifully decorated detail wooden door.

Hands up to knock on the door.

*Knock*

*Knock*

*Knock*

No answer.

He knocked again three times louder.

Still no answer.

Without hesitation he opened the door only to find a grey haired man sitting in the chair facing his way to the door.

"Why didn't you open the door?"

Silva asked clearly still confused and not used to his friend's weird behavior.

"Why? Well if you came here before marry that hysterical unstable bitch everything would go fine!"

"That golden child of yours won't runaway from home if you were here six years ago but.. something important must be an exchange for an unfit able heir."

The man slowly whisper the last part quietly that Silva can't make out other than his stupid endless rumbling insults for the pale blonde hair's man.

'He needs to stop saying this.'

Sighed to himself disappointingly seeing his old friend look interest or with suspicions to the object in his hand.

"That's what you want me to talk about?"

The grey hair man stood up from his chair walked past him only to lock the door behind Silva.

In the blink of his eyes only to see his friend sat on the same chair again with another chair on the opposite side of the table.

Walked up to the another side of the table by his large two steps pulled the chair out and sit.

"Have you had any breakfast yet?"

"No.."

"Great you god damn son of a bitch!"

"..."

"And tell your wife to learn her manners about getting into people business and being persistent."

"Of course."

"Let's have some breakfast first before we get to the point."

His friend whose seemed happy after leashed out his raged to him for not teaching his wife step out of the line.

Silva could only nod in agreement hoping his friend wouldn't talk about much he himself made wrong choices in his life.

A needle man face who's running at steady speed in the boring looking group of people.

The sounds of the man's phone ringing loud enough only for his ears, as the crown he's in spilt up suddenly.

What a luck he has today! The perfect time to report as he feels the vibration of his phone ringing once more.

He slows down his running as examiners in front of him all vanished to the air.

Leaving him and the other boring looking examine who looks ready to give up on everything.

Pulled out a needle from his ear suddenly appears in front of the young girl who barely feels her surroundings.

'Perfect around my height.'

Pierced a needle on her head as he speed up taking out all of his needles around her neck to her whole face.

"Follow the examiner-"

"Oh! And use the radio when you're near the destination act your best behavior."

Throw the radio at the zombie like pose person as she catch it.

The disguise girl who walked like a zombie slowly developed to humanly robotic running.

He walked to the other side of the forest find a perfectly spot for a private talking in the trees.

Pulled his phone from pants pocket he push the round button accepting his family's member call.

"Hello?"

"Oh finally you answered!"

"You do know where I am right now. What is it?"

"Uhh we need you to be here as soon as possible after the exam."

"That's doesn't matter after the exam I have business to go."

"Well forgot about your business with that annoying clown or with the brat, mama's not in good shape however it's like god's favor her a miracle she's survived."

"Of course Killua went too far with her than you."

"That's not what I meant, her neck literally twisted to the other side and still breathing."

"What do you mean mother's neck was distorted but she's still alive?"

The monotone voice were hinted with confusion.

"That's what I mean. I don't know how she's alive either-"

His younger brother voice filled with fascination.

'Mother's not in good shape, Milluki shouldn't be thinking about that cartoon show he always watch and compare the situation with it.'

Frowning to himself dissatisfaction clearly showed what kind of emotions he felt.

Before he open his mouth tell his brother to get straight to the point.

"And don't worry she's in good hands."

The sounds of the younger one voice now filled with relief.

"Really? Thank god, tell me more."

"Well yes while mama's screeching were covering someone's chanting."

"Chant?"

"Yeah, grandpapa said it was like echoing the hallway if it's possible the whole mountain could hear it."

"Then?"

"Then- uhh I can't tell you because I don't know. I meant we don't know and after the exam we need you to be here."

"What's the hurry?"

"I don't know okay! At least act like the brat is now your second priority that's dad's order!"

"Of course if what that's father says so, anything more?"

"Grandpa said it himself and he said he heard me shouting before I'm at the library. He said my voice were either inside the library or outside but not too far from the room and I can't shout too loud or my throat gonna be sore."

The younger sibling spoke fast but enough at least for him to catch on.

"After Gotoh investigated the others it seems only everyone's heard my shout not what grandpapa heard."

"You know father said to not believe in what grandfather says."

"I do. What about Killua?"

"He's fine."

"Okay."

The call between two eldest siblings ended.

'Oh I forgot to asked about father. But from Milluki's voice I think it's enough.'

'If it more possible instead of what something unbelievable like a woman who dressed in laced as they say. It's just illusion but what if it's not? There's proofs especially the ones that had been confirmed by Nen-users and science.'

'The time Killua ran from home I wasn't there.. From what I heard the wounds are deep enough but he only managed to hurt her face. Killu's height are not enough to reach her face probably her neck and chest.'

He then took a deep breath long enough to relax his body after the news he had been informed too.

'I wasn't informed correctly am I? I'm sure I am. The butlers aren't stupid enough to break any rules. If her neck twist to the other side but instead like almost cutting down a tree and Milluki always use words that's not fitting the meaning when he's angry.'

'As much as I remembered grandfather conversion between chairman's Netero...'

'Looks like it's something more important than Killua. Impossible. Unbelievable.'

'If he knows Nen before mother could've die.. and possibly Milluki too. A double edged sword situation.'

Lean on the tree he's been standing for almost 10 minutes letting out a hot breath from his mouth.

"This is troublesome than I thought."

"Hm~"

His attentions is now on the bright pink haired man who just carried the other man on his shoulder steadily.

'Killua's friends? Not good.'

"Looks like your house is full of problems now ❤︎ "

The clown magician whose now full of joy seeing his motionless friend struggles.

"Do you need any help, Illumi?"

The bright pink hair man chuckles loudly.

"Can you not interfere my business?"

"Well I can't help it when you talked about that."

Sounds of multiple footsteps past them quickly, Illumi took it as a sign to give himself privacy somewhere else.

"Hisoka, we will talk about that later private matters."

With that the jet black hair man gone only to find him running in the crowd of examiners blending perfectly.

"Okay~"

'Time to pick new toys ❤︎ '

Hisoka looks up the sky only to find the weird cloud shapes display to his own golden eyes.

He pulls out a card from his pocket pants flip the card pattern side to his eyes.

The beautiful pink pattern make him feel at ease like it always was in the past.

Slowly life his hand up to sky challenging himself by keeping the card's pattern blind his sights.

As his arm reached it's limit stretch he flipped the card symbol side to his view.

'Hearts?'

Slowly slide the card to the other side of his view comparison seeing the shape hearted cloud in white to black colored that's above him everywhere he stands.

'Will it be other shape next time I wonder..'

A card were sent to his way fastly but not fast enough to hurt him.

'Someone's watching!'

'First time every been attacked by a card..'

'But who would use it as a weapon against me?'

He pull the card that's stuck in the tree he’s leaning on.

"Oopsie~! almost hurt you ❤︎"

He glanced at the unconscious glasses man whose on his shoulder.

"But-! You're not important that much right now ♠︎ "

Pull out the card by his hand that support his arm holding the small glasses young adult.

Throw the beautiful pattern card to his other hand's up to the sky.

Much to his expectations eyes widened in shock.

A person wearing a lacy card symbols dress swaying on the swing happily.

The ropes that's on both of person hands are torn suddenly by pulling down the forced to the ground.

Gender of the person fastly revealed as the cloth from her head can't keep up sensitivity falling from the sky.

There's no scream of panicking. No laughing. No crying. Nothing just nothing.

As the woman falling now nearing Hisoka she's use her two hands cover his eyes before her head smashed to the soft grass ground.

*TNGH!!!*

𝙶𝚘 𝚋𝚊𝚌𝚔? 𝚈𝚎𝚜 𝙾𝚛 𝙽𝚎𝚡𝚝? 𝚈𝚎𝚜

[spencers-dria]

Slaying Dragons

Someone To Stay Ch. 18

Spencer x fem reader

I start to gather my things as I finish up the last bit of paperwork piled on the corner of my desk. With a wave and a quick round of goodbyes, I make my way to the elevator.

Thirty minutes later I am standing outside of Y/N's door. I know we are dating now, but she still makes me nervous. I figured I would surprise her by stopping by after work.

After three swift knocks I hear a muffled reply. "It's open."

I step in to see Y/N curled up on the couch in a blanket, her eyes are bloodshot and her face is red and tear-stained. I quickly drop my bag and rush to kneel in front of her.

I reach up to move her hair out of her face as she looks up, her eyes finally meeting mine. "What's wrong?  What happened? Are you okay?"

I feel a slight panic as my mind runs through every possible scenario. She just manages to motion towards the television screen in front of her. I turn glance over my shoulder to see one of her favorite medical dramas is playing.

"Y/N, it's okay. It's just a show remember? It will be alright."

I rub my hand across her knee in an attempt to sooth her. I am settled by the fact that nothing is seriously wrong, but I know she still needs comfort.

She shakes her head and looks at me again. I have seen her cry during some of our movie nights. This is different. I can see it in her eyes. She's truly hurting. I move up onto the couch, sitting next to her and completely enveloping her in my embrace, leaving a kiss on top of her head.

I whisper softly "What's wrong sweet girl?"

"It's not just a show. Their patient who was dying, they couldn't do anything to stop it. Sometimes neither can we...Sometimes I feel so helpless. I watch family members breakdown. I see patients who don't even understand what's happening to them. There is so much hurt and pain and death."

I feel my heart sink in my chest. I am all too familiar with the feeling. She knows all too well the feeling of what I go through at work. I'm not sure if I ever stopped to consider that before. We both see death and loss. Neither of us have complete control, both of us do out best to save lives, to make a difference. Sometimes there's nothing we can do. Knowing all this to be true, I know there is nothing I can say to convince her she is wrong, because she isn't. So instead I continue to comfort her the best I can.

I rub her back as I rock her back and forth, in attempt to slow her breathing and calm her down. After awhile of being held, she takes a deep breath before leaning back to wipe her eyes.

"Thank you, so much Spencer. I don't deserve you. I'm sorry you had to see me like this. It's just been a rough week at work."

I reach out to hold her face, bringing her gaze back to me.

"Don't ever apologize for your feelings. You've already helped me through several breakdowns. And with my job I can guarantee there will plenty more. We may never be able to completely take away the pain of others, but we have to appreciate the people that we can help and the things we can do to make a difference. I know how much you care about your patients. They are so lucky to have you caring for them."

As I try to comfort her with my words I wipe away the last few tears. I'm rewarded with her warm smile shining back at me.

"What do you say tonight we watch a movie, your choice, and then tomorrow we can go shop for those Halloween costumes you talked about?"

Her eyes lit up as she quickly nodded. We spend the rest of the evening cuddled up on the couch watching our way through several cheesy Halloween movies.

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

I return the next morning, sending a quick text to let her know I am on my way. Before I can get out of the car to head to her apartment, she's bolting down the stairs, ready to go. She plops down in the passenger seat, a huge grin spread across her face.

"Someone's excited for today?" I chuckle at her enthusiasm.

I look over to the passenger seat to see her in an oversized Halloween sweatshirt and denim shorts. She has mismatched socks on under her converse. One is purple with dogs in costumes, the other grey with black cats and pumpkins. Her hair is hung in loose messy waves, my favorite.

She leans over to kiss my cheek before answering. "Considering you and Halloween are my two favorite things, can you really be surprised?"

I feel my face warming at the compliment. I'm not used to such open comments about her affection towards me, and I don't think I will ever grow tired of it.

I reach her phone and plug it in as she gives me a questioning look. It only takes 2 second of the song before she recognizes it. She gives me shoulder a playful shove.

"You actually went and listened to them?"

"Yeah of course! I like learning more about what you like. This song was my favorite of their's, by the way."

She brings her hand over her heart and wipes away an imaginary tear with the other. "I'm so proud."

I shake my head letting out a small laugh before shifting the car into drive. For a few moments I almost forget how completely tone deaf I am, singing along with the lyrics.

When you were younnnggg

I quickly remember how awful I sound when I try to sing, glancing over to Y/N to see if she happened to hear me over the music. She's staring at me, but she's not laughing. She is looking at me as though I'm her favorite person in the entire world. Filled with a confidence I have rarely ever felt, I continue singing as she joins in and we belt it at the top of our lungs.

We pull up to the thrift store make our way to the formal section to look for what we need. During our movie selections we had finally settled on which of her ideas would be best. I finally found some pinstriped suit pants and a suit jacket a bit older fashioned than anything I already owned.

I glance up to see Y/N coming out of the dressing room in a beautiful wedding gown. From her waves falling onto her bare shoulders, to the way the corset top fit her, and the lace that trailed down the dress, she was beautiful. She does a quick twirl, allowing the skirt to flow around her like waves.

"You like it?"

All I can manage was a nervous nod. Can she see the effect it has on me? How nervous she makes me? I sure hope not.

"Look at us, wedding dress shopping and you haven't even gotten down on one knee." She jabs me in the side as she laughs.

Surprisingly this makes me relax a bit, although I'm not sure if it's the joke or the musical sound of her laughter.

After we stop at a couple more stores to pick up more items for our costumes along with makeup and temporary hair color, we make our way to her apartment. She was used to doing crafty things, so she has plenty of supplies ready to go. We took out the dress and I help her to effectively ruin it in just the way we needed. I have to admit, it was a bit fun to mess something up for once. Keeping things so put together all the time can be...exhausting.

The evening couldn't last long enough as eventually we say our goodbyes and I headed home. As I lie in bed and try to fall asleep, snap shots of the day play through my mind. Every day with her feels like a fairy tale romance. I usually fall asleep after hours of insomnia just from exhaustion alone, but tonight I drift off into a deep sleep, full of happy, warm feelings.

We had agreed to spend all of Halloween together. We planned to get ready at her apartment, which has the perfect spooky atmosphere. I love that she decorates so much. It makes me feel so at home in her apartment. After lunch, we start on our costumes, hers requiring several hours to come together. I wait, reading on her couch, until she's done with her shower. Eventually she comes out and asks for help. We cover as much of her face, neck, and arms as we can in a dusty blue color. She begins spraying blue throughout her hair, requiring my assistance in reaching some parts in the back. I try to tell her I don't know what I'm doing, but she insists it doesn't matter as long as it's all blue.

I decide to sit on the side of the tub and watch her finish her makeup. It's fascinating to me. I don't know how she transforms her face so easily. She helps me with mine as well as I sit on a stool in front of the mirror, adding some makeup to make my eyes look sunken and my cheekbones even more prominent. She finishes off with some gel in my hair, using a come to slick it back in the right directions.

"You know I used to gel my hair back for work?"

She looks up to make eye contact in the mirror, still fixing my hair. "Oh really? I always wonder what you used to look like. You don't have any photos with you in them, just your friends and family."

I clear my throat before answering. I'm not quite ready to speak on this topic.

"Yeah I don't...I mean I never really...you know people just always said I look..."

Before I can bring myself to finish, she walks around to face me, lifting my face to look at her.

"I wish you could see yourself the way I see you."

"You are..." she bends down, kissing my right cheek,

"the most handsome..." again on my left cheek,

"man I know" and finally on my lips. The last one lingering for a moment more before she pulls back. I can see in her eyes that she means every word. I don't doubt it for a moment.

"What did I ever do to deserve you?" I whisper, feeling as though all the air has left my lungs.

She returns to her spot behind me, wrapper her arms around me before placing one last kiss on my cheek. "I might ask you the same question." This time she leaves me blushing.

Once we have made our way into our costumes, we grab a skeleton costume Y/N found for her dog Juneau. It just so happens to work perfectly with out couple's costume. We make our way to her car and she drives us to JJ's house. We had made plan's to take Henry trick-or-treating so that Will and JJ could attend Will's work party.

After a few knocks, the door opens and JJ greets us in a costume I don't recognize.

"Victor and the Corpse Bride! I love it! You guys look amazing. You even have Scraps!" She leans down to pet Juneau.

Y/N does a quick twirl, showing off all of her costume. The lace has been ripped and distressed in all the right places. I have to hand it to her, it looks exactly like the one one in the movie.

"JJ, why are you holding a frying pan?" I ask.

Y/N and JJ share knowing looks before busting into a fit of giggles.

"I'm Rapunzel, and Will is going as Flynn."

"If you're referring to the fairy tale by the Grimm Brothers, I don't recall there being any mention of cookware. And who is Flynn?"

"From the Disney movie Mr. smarty pants." JJ quips.

We all take a moment to laugh before interrupted by Will chasing Henry, trying to get him in the rest of his costume. He eventually makes his way to the door with Henry donned in a orange and green dinosaur costume.

"Woooaahhh, what a scary dinosaur!"

He lets out a loud giggle, my favorite sound in the world.

"It's me Uncle Spence! It's Henry!"

"Oh my gosh! Henry, you look amazing!" I sweep him up off the ground to bring him in for a hug.

I don't keep his attention for long as he squeals "Puppy!" wriggling to get down and pet Juneau.

He pulls the two of us inside to show us each of his toys while his parents finish getting ready. After everything is set, the four of us set off to make our way around the neighborhood. After we finish, we fix his car seat in Y/N's vehicle before taking Henry to a surprise we had planned.

We pull up to Rossi's house, which he immediately recognizes. After quick greetings with Rossi, we start to make our way around the new neighborhood. Henry's eyes wide with amazement at the large candy bars given to him at every door.

It doesn't take long before Henry wears out, but he is insistent that we all continue.

"Come here little dinosaur" Y/N coos before sweeping him up in her arms. She talks to him about his school, his friends, and whatever else pops into his fast paced toddler mind.

I can't help but admire how great she is with him. I have heard her mention how much she wants to work with children before, but this was my first time witnessing it. It really does to come natural to her, and she seems so happy. She catches me staring a few times and shoots me a sweet smile before returning her attention to Henry, who has not stopped to take a breath for at least five minutes.

Once we get the message that Will and JJ have returned home, we bring Henry back and work to get him from the car seat to his parent's arms without waking him. He passed out about halfway home. We share quick hugs and goodbyes before driving back to Y/N's apartment. I walk back up with her, waiting for her to get Juneau settled.

"If it's not too late, I have a surprise planned."

She bounces on her feet, already eager with anticipation. "Oooo what is it? What is it?"

I pull out a couple tickets for a haunted house and she squeals before embracing me in a hug.

"Yes! Thank you! I love haunted houses! I can't wait!"

I can't help but smile and laugh a bit at her excitement. She has  a child-like wonder at times, in the best of ways.

She does some quick touch ups to her costume and we make our way downstairs, where I offer to drive us. We eventually find ourselves driving down a long dirt road, surrounded by woods and darkness. It certainly sets the tone.

Once we have parked and made our way through the line, I feel her wrap her arm around mine,  pulling me close.

"I thought you loved haunted houses?" I tease.

"I do! That doesn't make them any less scary!"

I chuckle before removing her arm from mine so that I can wrap my arm around her shoulders, pulling her as close to me as possible.

"Don't worry sweet girl, I'll protect you." I lean down to give her a reassuring squeeze and a kiss on top of her head.

This seems to calm her a bit as she smiles, snuggling in to my side as we creep down a long dark hallway.

With the things I have seen and done as an FBI agent and member of the BAU, I don't scare too easily. One thing that does scare me, however, is the dark. And right now we are completely enveloped by it, with no flashlights, no guns, and a certainty that things will be jumping out at us. I get by on reminding myself that nothing here will actually hurt us. Unlike so many of the cases I have been on, I know I will walk out of here in one piece.

I find myself less scared and more focused on making sure Y/N feels safe, rubbing her arm and talking to her after I feel her wince with each jump scare. After awhile, she surprises me by choosing to take the lead. She leaves me side but reaches back to hold my hand. Before I know it, she's making witty remarks back to the characters who try to scare her or follow us for awhile. She doesn't even jump when a girl springs out from the darkness, letting out a blood-curdling scream. Y/N decides to combat this by walking straight up to her and letting out a scream of equal proportions. She turns back to face me and we both end up in a fit of giggles at how ridiculous it was. She never ceases to amaze me.

We eventually make it out the end, and I can feel her heart racing. Now illuminated by the moonlight, I can see the huge grin on her face.

"So you're okay huh?"

Still grinning she answers, "That was perfect! I loved it! Thank you, Spencer. You're my real life knight in shining armor."

I feel silly blushing at such a cheesy comment, but I can't help myself. I know in that moment that I would slay dragons for her.

A/N: sorry this took so long to get out! I hope you still enjoyed it. Comments and questions welcome as always. Thanks for reading!

🖤💀🎃 FairyTales1896

[cassandras-blogg]

"Swallowing Courage" (Danny Wagner x Sam Kiszka ) CHAPTER TWO - I PROMISE THIS CHAPTER GOT DELETED SO I'M JUST REPOSTING IT (: CHAPTER 3 coming soon. - A loud knock at the door was the first thing Danny heard when he woke up the next morning. He slowly shifted around in the bed and felt the weight of another body close to his back. "So it was just a dream??" Danny thought to himself. He looked over at Sam and his back was completely turned away from him. Sam's arms were close to his chest and his knees were closer to his stomach. Danny took this as, "Oh he didn't want his legs or arms to touch me the whole night, so it must have been just a dream." Danny sighed in relief. There was no way it could have actually happened, why would Sam ever offer to help Danny explore his sexuality? There is no way Sam would ever take a risk that could potentially ruin their lifelong friendship. There was another knock at Sam's door, when there was no answer again the door swung open. Josh was standing there in the doorway holding a tall cup of coffee. "Can I have some of that? Please?" Danny asked sitting up in Sam's bed. "Uh-hmm. What are you doing today? Just church or what?" Josh hummed, he passed his cup of coffee to Danny and climbed into the bed to sit down next to him. "Wait, it's Sunday?! How did I forget! What time is it?" Danny raised his voice and this finally woke Sam up. "It's 8:35 right now." Josh said reaching his hand out and taking back his cup of coffee. "Ugh, I have to go. Like right now." Danny had to quickly crawl over Sam's legs and Josh's body to get himself out of the bed. "Dude stop it!" Josh said slowly moving his arms up. "What??" Danny asked, once he looked back at him he could see a few drops of coffee running down Josh's arm. His quick movements almost made Josh spill the coffee on himself, but he caught it quickly before it could make a real mess. "Yeah, seriously. Calm down. Church doesn't start until like 10:00? Right?" Sam asked running his hands through his messy hair. "Yeah, but I have to be there at 9:00 every time to help set up!" Danny said grabbing his jean jacket and his boots he was wearing yesterday. Danny often played the drums in the worship band at his church on Wednesdays and Sundays, sometimes he would also sing when he needed to. He always went to church twice a week and was never late to any form of service. At Danny's church he is one of the top volunteers and is a highly respected student leader in his youth group. He has been very involved in church since his childhood, it has always been a huge part of his life. "My mom and dad are gonna kill me. I don't know if I'm gonna make it on time." Danny heavily sighed quickly lacing up his boots.

"OH SHIT! That's right. Speaking of mom and dad, we got to clean up this house before they get here." Josh set his cup of coffee down and jumped up to run downstairs to the living room. The Kiszka parents and Ronnie had gone to a relative's house last night because they wanted the boys to have the house to themselves for Danny's birthday. "You do realize how fast I can drive right? I can get you there in twenty minutes tops." Sam said standing and throwing on a hoodie. "Really you will??? Thank you Sam." Danny sighed in relief this time, he knew if he drove himself then he would just end up following all the rules and would never speed past the posted limit. Sam followed most of the rules of the road, but he would still speed around left and right if he saw there were no cops around. Danny and Sam jogged down the stairs and saw Jake taking down some of the decorations. Josh grabbed the empty bottles and handed them to Sam. "Here you, smash these bottles outside on the concrete. Then sweep it up and throw all the glass at the bottom of the trash. Jake will cover it up by throwing the decorations and other trash on top of it. The glass won't rip the trash bag, we double bagged it." Josh always was the one who came up with ideas on how to cover up the evidence so their parents wouldn't find out what they were up too. "Ah, I got to take Danny to church like right now." Sam said grabbing the keys to the car that the twins shared. "Hurry up then! Come back right after you are done.” Jake shot him a glare while continuing to pick up trash. "I promise!!" Sam shouted as he ran out of the door with Danny.

` About fifteen minutes later they had arrived. Sam dramatically swerved into the church parking lot and parked right up front where everyone could see them through the untinted car windows. "You didn't have to pull in all crazy like that." Danny said slowly taking off his seatbelt. "You wanted to be on time. Right?" Sam scoffed. "That is true." Danny smiled despite feeling slightly embarrassed because of the few old people frowning in their direction. The older people always showed up earlier and the younger people with families show up right on time. "Thank you for driving me over here, I really appreciate it. Do you want to ditch the twins and come to church with me?” Danny asked. "No problem, and you know what I say every time you invite me to church Daniel. No. Oh, and by the way, take it easy in there when you drum today. Last night I noticed you need to take better care of your hands' dude. You're going to ruin them before you have a shot at becoming a successful drummer." Sam said looking down at Danny's blistered hands that were sitting in his lap. He never ”took it easy” because he had no other coping mechanisms except drumming. "Oh." Danny said. He thought it was weird that Sam randomly started talking about his hands, especially since he had a dream last about them holding hands. Then suddenly Danny felt a tidal wave of anxiety fire through his brain, travel down his spine, and then into his lower body. Why would he start talking about his hands? Unless it really happened. "So, what do you want to try later?" Sam asked curiously. "What do you mean?" Danny asked calmly. "You know, like what do you want to do next? With me?” Sam asked, directly looking into Danny’s eyes. ”Oh wow.” Danny took a deep breath. INHALE. IGNORE EXHALE CONTINUE. His thoughts were shouting at him to calm down, but he still could not stop his body from panicking. Danny’s hand began to tremble. He could not believe this was happening to him. Danny was filled with instant regret, guilt, and shame. He wanted to run away and never look at Sam again. He wished he could take back holding Sam’s hand. At the same time, he couldn’t deny how good it felt to hold hands with a guy, with Sam for the first time. ”Can we talk about this after church?” Danny looked over at Sam, hoping that he would agree. He didn’t even want to go to church anymore, he merely wanted to be alone. ”What's wrong with you?” Sam asked. ”You’re shaking right now.” ”I’m just cold. And I don't feel good. At. All.” Danny said trying his best to stop shaking. He was thankful that it was December so he could use the weather as an excuse. ”Oh, It’s because you need a hoodie underneath that jean jacket. I got another one in the back, no worries.” Sam said unbuckling his seatbelt and getting out of the car. Sam remembered that he held Danny’s hand that night. He was not that drunk by that hour. Danny was absolutely panicking over it, but Sam appeared to be unfazed by what happened the night before. ”Want me to go to church with you?” Sam asked once he came back from the trunk with an extra hoodie. Danny could not believe his ears. He considered the thought maybe last night when he blew out the candles it had transported him into some parallel universe. Sam was not freaked out at all. Sam wanted to be there for Danny while he could see that he was clearly panicking and wasn't actually cold. He already had Danny figured out, Sam has been there for many panic attacks before this one, and he never left him alone during one. Sam was willing to sacrifice his morning and afternoon to make sure Danny was okay.

”You don’t have too. Jake and Josh will get mad at you later if you don’t go back home now.” Danny replied as he took off his jean jacket to put on Sam’s hoodie, then layered it by putting his own jacket back on as Sam told him to do. ”I want to.” Sam said.” Besides they will get over it if they get mad oh well.” ”Really, thank you.” Danny said looking at Sam with this newfound admiration. ”Of course, like I said yesterday, I would do anything for you.” Sam shrugged. ”Oh and if you want to after church we can hang out and talk about whatever you want.” Danny looked up stared at Sam for a long time. There was so much he wanted to say to him, but he did not know where to start. There were no words to describe how grateful he was to have Sam as his best friend. Danny wanted to give him Sam a really long hug, but he couldn't bring himself to actually do it.

”Okay that sounds good.” Danny smiled. He didn't hug him, but they finally got out of the car and walked into the church together.

-

After the service, they decided to walk down a trail behind Danny’s house. This was the usual spot where they went to rant or talk about people at school, their families, or whatever was going on in their life.

”So. When did you start liking guys?” Sam asked kicking a rock in front of him. There was a brief moment of silence. Danny was unsure how to answer the question. His mind had deeply suppressed the idea of liking guys a long time ago. In the past, whenever he began to feel a certain way about a guy, Danny would always tell himself that it was wrong to think that way.

”I don’t think I like guys. I just know I have these thoughts that I can't control. So I'm thinking maybe if I act on them, they might go away once I see how weird it is to actually ”get with” a guy in real life.” Danny answered. ”Oh. I don't think that’s how it works.” Sam said. He stopped kicking he rock and looked up at Danny. ”But if that’s you think then, okay. I'll still help you out, but what are you gonna do if you actually realize you like guys?” Danny did not want to consider the possibility that he was really gay or anything else besides straight. It was too much for him to handle. If he thought about it long enough, his brain might explode from the mind-blowing possibility that it could be true. ”I’m not gay.” Danny sighed. ”I just need a wake-up call, and you are gonna be it for me. I just need to do this, so I feel more sure of myself, so I can move on with my life. You can back out now if you want too. I know you already do a lot for me, so you don't have to help me do this too. I can find some other guy to make out with and then I can get it over with." Danny silently hoped that Sam was going to back out of it because maybe that would make things easier. If he kissed a guy that was a stranger it might be easier, because then he would not have to think about ruining a friendship.

At first, Sam just stared at Danny, then he looked over at a large rock off to the side of the trail. He walked off the trail and sat down on the rock. Sam leaned back a little and made himself comfortable. "Come here, Danny." "Why?" Danny gulped starting to feel the nerves coming back. "Just come here. I have something to tell you." Sam said. He hesitated, but he still slowly walked over to the rock to sit by Sam. "What is it?" Danny asked scooting closer to his friend. "Yesterday I wanted to tell you this, but I was pretty sure Josh and Jake were going to make fun of me and I didn't want to hear it. I also thought you might make fun of me for even giving you the ring, so I just didn't say anything extra to add on to it. Anyways, last night when I gave you that ring it was not just a symbol of our friendship, it was also a promise from me. It was a promise to be your best friend no matter what happens. I can say a whole list of things, but I promise to always be there. I promise to always hear you out. I promise to never judge you. I swear, I do."

Danny was truly speechless now. “Can I hug you?” He asked. Sam and Danny did not hug very often. They felt like there was no need to hug unless they took a break from seeing each other for a while. Sometimes when Danny had panic attacks then they would hug during or after it happened. ”Yeah.” Sam said, he moved as close as he could to Danny and put his arms around his neck. Danny slid his arms around Sam’s waist and pulled him closer to his chest, practically pulling him into his lap. He began to tighten his grip, digging his fingers into Sam’s rib cage. Danny took a deep breath and let out a sigh. Sam tried to pull away from him, but Danny held him there and didn’t let him move.

”Can we hug longer?” Danny asked when Sam tried to move away again. ”Yeah. If you stop crushing me.” Sam winced. Danny looked down and realized how much pressure he was using in this hug ”Oh I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to hurt you!” Danny gasped starting to move away from Sam. ”It's okay. Come back.” Sam said grabbing Danny’s shirt and pulling him in closer to his face. Now they were nose to nose, making direct eye contact. Sam took a deep breath and he placed one hand on Danny’s face. Danny thought that maybe he should back up and move away, but that never happened. There was no way could blink or look away either, Sam had never been this close to his face before. Sam leaned in and Danny had no time to mentally prepare for what happened next. Sam gave him the most gentle kiss on one side of his cheek. He was positive that it was going to end there, but it didn’t. Sam leaned in more and put both his hands on Danny’s face, then he kissed the other side of his cheek. His lips moved up to the middle of Danny’s forehead then he kissed down the bridge of his nose. Sam paused once he reached Danny’s mouth. Tilting his head, he hovered over Danny’s lips, once he moved a little closer it made their lips lightly touch for a moment. Danny was tingling all over. ”Wait.” Danny said putting his hand on Sam’s chest. ”What?” Sam asked impatiently. ”Promise we will still be friends after this?” ”I promise.” Sam said quickly moving one hand to the back of Danny’s head. Once he moved his head forward, Sam finally got the chance to put his lips on Danny’s mouth. Sam let their closed lips stay pressed together for a moment, but not for too long. Then he grabbed Danny’s hair and tugged it just enough to make him gasp. Sam’s plan to deepen the kiss had worked, he pulled on his hair more, and now Danny’s jaw was slightly opened. That gave Sam the chance to lean forward and to slowly work his tongue into Danny’s mouth. Sam could tell that Danny was hesitant about this next move. Every time Danny would try to back up, Sam would pull him in closer. Eventually, Danny stopped trying to fight it, he put his hands on Sam’s back and started to move them up and down Sam’s spine. After he did this he could feel a shift and then more pressure on his lips. ”Mmm.” Sam lightly moaned into his mouth and started using more tongue. Danny’s hands were sending chills down his spine. Once Sam made that sound and Danny felt himself getting more heated by the second. Sam kept both of his hands underneath Danny’s hair so he could protect his head from hitting the rock when he rolled them over. Now they were laying on top of this uncomfortable rock kissing back and forth. Sam was on top of him with one knee on both sides of his waist, he tried his best to not to let their lips disconnect for more than a few seconds. Danny’s desire to keep kissing Sam only grew stronger, even though he could feel all of the uneven ridges of the rock digging into his back. Then suddenly Sam stopped kissing him. He abruptly pulled away and looked at Danny with a wide smile. “So. How was that kiss?” ”I uh, did not think it would feel like that. Better than I thought I guess? Also, that was way more than one kiss.” Danny said breathing heavily. ”Yeah and all those kisses are not for free.” Sam said sitting up and moving off of Danny’s body. Then he climbed off the rock and looked back up at Danny a smile. ”Oh okay, what do you want?” Danny asked. ”Let see. I. Want.” Sam began to cross his arms and look to the side. Danny waited in anticipation as Sam took his sweet time thinking about what he wanted.

”Weed, alcohol, my favorite snacks, and a few new records.” Sam requested. ”Oh okay.” Danny blushed. He thought that Sam was gonna say something sexual, but he wrong. ”Do you think you like guys now or what?” ”I don’t know, maybe you should come over later?” ”Danny!! Dude. You just can't get enough of me huh!?” Sam teased. ”Shut up Sam.” Danny said feeling the sudden urge to cover his face with his hands. ”But will you? Come over later?”

”You know I will.”

- END OF CHAPTER 2. There is gonna be a lot more writing coming up later, so be prepared.

[twdxjess]

Knight in a Leather Jacket: A Negan Story (Chapter 10)

Summary: You are terrified about the threat headed toward your new community. But when things start to go awry will you still have Negan by your side in the end? Or will you be forced to start a new life alone, all over again?

Pairing: Negan X Reader

Word Count: 2,102

Need to Catch Up? Master list

Negan had been waiting for this exact moment for weeks but when he saw that ring on the last supply run, he knew it was time to make it official, for you to become his wife. So today, he had left you a note saying he was out on a run, when in reality, he was setting the stage for a perfect night in the place where the two of you magically fell for one another.

"Hey Simon have you and these ass-hats finished setting up the RV yet?” Negan asked Simon as he drove up to the place you two first met.

Simon was finishing up his lunch when he turned to Negan and yelled, “Shit, I knew there was a thing called a bridezilla but I think it is safe to say you have officially turned into a GROOM-zilla!” Simon murmured and the men near by laughed.

"Well she has to fuckin' say yes first Si!" Negan snapped. Everyone froze at the man's tone. After a moment of awkward silence Negan apologized, "Sorry it just needs to be perfect because this is the first time since..."

Just before Negan could show the men any more weakness  Simon quickly interrupted Negan and chuckled, "Well shit no need to get all emotional  and just to let you know BOSS, of course it is ready what do you think we’ve been doing all goddamn morning! Here I’ll give you the grand tour myself.” The others went on about their business as Negan and Simon entered the heavily decorated RV.

Negan’s was shocked what these men were able to do. There was a table set for two with twinkling lights displayed along the walls. They even manage to find some roses and placed the petals down the mini hallway and arranged a heart on the bed. Negan was so excited he gave Simon a giant hug.

“I was gonna ask you what’cha think old man? But I think it’s safe to say,you think it’s fuckin great!” Simon said to Negan while slapping his back.

“This looks fan-fuckin’- tastic Si! Shit,if we hadn’t work together at the high school. I would have thought you were a fuckin’ wedding planner or some shit!”

“Home economics was my best class.” Simon proclaimed then asked,”Where is that girl of yours anyways? Isn’t she done teaching?”

Negan smirked at his question, “Well I told her I was going on a supply run. But I should get back to the room soon or she’ll start to get suspicious.” Negan ran to his truck and headed for the hotel, headed toward you!

It felt like eternity but you had finally arrived back at the hotel. With your mind still continuously playing your recent conversation with Brody , you noticed your reflection in the glass and before entering the lobby you wiped away the last of your tears. “Breathe (y/n)...no need to freak anyone else out...” You thought to yourself. As you scanned the lobby you finally came across Tiffany, coming down the hall. Even though you didn’t care much for her (due to her obsession with Negan) you put on your fakest smile and asked her, “Hey, do you happen to know if Negan is back?”

She looked at you as if you were a servant in her castle when she finally repiled, “Well to be honest sweetie, if I were him and I lived with you I would never come back...but unfortunately nope... haven’t seen that fine ass in awhile.” She grinned at the thought of Negan.

Now, in your past life you would have just slapped the living shit out of Tiffany for her comment but there were more important things to take care of right now. So you nodded your head sarcastically and replied, “Well shit Tif, I'll make sure to take a picture of Negan's sexy NAKED ass when it is in my bed later tonight. That's what friends are for right?” Then as you slowly turned around to walk away, you heard Tiffany whisper “cunt!”

You turned around and looked at her and sarcastically gasped, "Oh, sorry I didn't get that, what did you say?" 

 Tiffany stumbled on her words,as if she was never challenged  by another female in her life then stated, “Oh nothing... Have a nice day!”

"You too Tiffany, you too!" you grinned.

As you were walking out the door you ran into Mandy and her dad walking in. Almost instantly when Mandy realized it was you she embraced you in a hug and asked, “Did you happen to find Dash?”

“Why don’t you see for yourself.” You swung off your backpack and inside Mandy saw the sleeping pup. “You fff-oundd him! I knew I...I..I could count on you! Thank you miss (y/n).” Mandy reached for Dash and the puppy welcomed her with sloppy kisses all over her face. Mandy’s dad thanked you and you continued on in your hopes of finding Negan before it was too late.

As you entered the room you smiled with relief because you saw Negan half dressed looking for a clean shirt. You snuck up behind him and whispered in his ear, "Hey there handsome." while hugging him and gently kissed the back of his neck.

"Hot damn why, hello to you to princess, if you would have arrived a little earlier we could have saved some water and showered together." Negan proclaimed while grabbing your ass.

"What's the rush, you got a hot date later?" you playfully grinned at the older man.

"Hell yeah and if I'm late..." Negan bent down to give you a real kiss,  "She might leave because she "supposedly" doesn't need a tall, handsome, sexy-ass looking man on her ass all the time like me." Negan grinned and wrapped you up in a manly bear hug then continued to say, "but there is still time for her to take a shower." You nudge Negan and quickly ran to the bathroom to freshen up for your date with not only your Knight in shining armor,  but also your best friend.

After a few minutes you were done and looking for something to wear, so you stared at Negan trying to guess where this date might be and what you should wear. He was wearing his "nice jeans" and a collared shirt, which you've never seen, "is that a new shirt?" you asked Negan.

"Why yes it is and I found something for you too." Negan grabbed something from the closet and reviled to you a nice lilac colored laced dress. Your mouth dropped in disbelief. "So does this mean you like it?" Negan asked.

"I absolutely love it Negan! Where did you find it?"

"I found it a couple weeks ago on a supply run in what looked like a small boutique and its also where I found my shirt." He boyishly grinned at you. You took the dress and put it on in the bathroom, once you had it on you opened the door waiting for Negan's reaction. "So, how does it look?" You asked the shocked man while spinning around.

"You..you.. look fuckin' incredible darlin'!" Negan gave you a squeezed and a sweet kiss on the head then asked, "Are you ready to go on this hot date of ours?"

"Yeah, I just need to get something from my bag. I'll meet you by the car. " You told Negan and he started heading out the door. As you rush over to your bag to search for your chap stick all the events from earlier today came rushing back into your mind. You were so caught up in this fantasyland with only you and Negan that you completely forgot that the community was endanger.  But, Negan and the saviors were prepared for something like this so you grabbed your chap stick and ran out to Negan's truck praying while you two were gone everyone else will stay safe.

You and Negan finally arrived to your destination which looked like your RV but something was different it was all decorated and fancy looking. So you asked, "Negan what's going on here because this looks like my family's RV but it is heavily decorated with roses and candles."

"Trust me darlin' it's about time I took you on a real ass date." Negan grabbed your hand leading you into the RV. When he opened the door it was as if you were watching one of those prom-posal videos on the internet. There were twinkling lights with rose petals covering the floors the whole  bit. You smiled and jokingly asked, "Are you asking me to prom mister because someone forgot to..." before you could finish your smart ass remark Negan was down on one knee with a small velvet box in his hand.

Before you knew it tears started to fill your eyes when Negan started to say, "(y/n) when this world went to shit I felt like nothing good would ever come from this but to my fuckin' surprise it did it was the day I meet you. You are not only my hot ass lover but you are also my best friend... someone I truly admire and want to do life with, well whatever kind of life this is... but even if the world hadn't gone to shit, I honestly believe we would have meet in the old world because what we have here between us is fate and we were simply meant to be. So (y/n) will you marry me?"

You couldn't speak so you nodded yes and Negan slipped the diamond on your finger and kissed you for what felt like forever. "Let me guess you found the ring at the boutique as well?" you chuckled.

"Yep, did I forget to mention this boutique was a wedding boutique?" Negan smirked and continued to say, "Now let's eat so we can make sweet love later!"

As you both sat down and started eating you were happy but your community's safety was still on your mind and Negan must have noticed because he asked you, “Hey (y/n) is everything okay? I promise the spaghetti is fuckin' great I made it myself!"

You smiled at the handsome man's comment debating if this was the right time to tell your soon-to-be husband what happened today,  "I know it's just...I have something to tell you and it might ruin our whole night..and I...". Negan grabbed your hand, " What's on your mind darlin' did something happen today? You know you can tell me anything...Did someone do something to you? because I can have them.." 

You abruptly kissed Negan to make him shut up you then revealed to him what had happened in woods earlier today. Negan was stunned and started to get angry and said, "How soon (y/n)?"

"I don't know Brody just said soon..." Negan got up from the table and slammed his fist on the wall. "I'm going to kill all those fuckers...ughh!"

You cautiously went to Negan and asked, "Negan, you and the saviors have a plan right? Whatever it is I can help." Negan just shook his head and said, "Yes... but," then suddenly you both heard what sounded like a blast coming from the direction of the hotel. You both ran outside and noticed flames coming from the same direction. You started to panic when Negan demanded you to stay at the RV and wait for him to come back for you. You responded. "Hell no that is my community too Negan I am coming!"

Negan went back to his truck grabbed a radio and then scooped you off your feet going back into the RV. Once Negan placed you on the bed he said, "NO you are safer here... and I can't loose you... you mean everything to me (y/n)!" It was one of the few times you saw Negan get emotional. And you knew he was serious, so you hugged him and said, "Fine... but you need to come back to me too, Negan... even if the community doesn't survive promise me you will come back because I may mean the world to you but you also mean the world to me!" you both kissed one another like it might be your last. Then Negan gave you the radio and instructed you if they start to head this way leave and he would be able to contact you by the radio.

He then hurriedly rushed to his truck gave you one last kiss not realizing that it would be your last, then you watched as your knight in shining armor rode off into the night sky.  

Epilogue is on the masterlist

 PSA: We have finally reach the end of this series but I will be continuing this story in a sequel called "Hey There Princess" where the Reader and Negan meet up once again, but there is a twist. Thanks for all the love and support for this series. I loved writing it and I hope y'all enjoyed it. :)

Tags: @babygirlmeepi @pseudonymfox @curlyhairedblueeyedangel​