#I can’t believe I had to miss out on secret Santa especially

[petchypeach]

Happy New Year!!!

I really should have prepared beforehand with something dragon themed but too bad, now here’s monkey girl 🙊

[perseephoneee]

I would love to see secret santa with isaac lahey for ficmas!

secret santa (isaac lahey x f!reader) ficmas 2023

꒰ ࿁ ˙ ˖ ໑ happy day 4 of ficmas!

a/n: my special special boy isaac for the holiday season. dedicated to @mayfieldss for being my wifey.

↳ masterlist  ↳ ship exchange ↳ join my taglist ↳ ficmas 2023

“How did you convince Derek to let you host a Christmas party at his loft?” you questioned, laying on Stiles’ bed as you crocheted. Stiles spun around in his desk chair and occasionally put more red string on his “murder board.” 

“Because of my charm,” Stiles turned towards you, clicking a pen in one of his hands. You paused your crochet project to look at him with exasperation. “Okay, fine; I promised to leave him alone for a month and clean his car.”

“That sounds more accurate,” you chuckled, resuming your project. You let out a huff of annoyance as Stiles threw a paper ball at your head. “Why is this so important to you?”

“I thought you liked Christmas.”

“I love Christmas; I want to know what has got you in the overt Christmas spirit this year,” you asked pointedly. You started another row as Stiles let out a short breath. 

“We’re all graduating, and I’m worried that we’ll never spend another holiday together again,” Stiles admitted, scooting his chair back to slap a new magnet on his board. You dropped your project, scooting to the end of the bed so you could look at Stiles. He refused to make eye contact. 

“I’m not going anywhere,” you sighed, touching Stiles’ shoulder. “Even being friends with you couldn’t get me to leave this place behind.” Stiles smiled, covering his hand with your own. You knew Stiles was nervous that we would all go our separate ways and never speak again, especially with him attending the FBI academy in the fall. Even the people you knew Stiles would pretend not to miss (Liam, Isaac, etc.), as his friend, you were fully aware he would miss everyone. 

“Y/N…thanks for always being my friend,” Stiles sniffled. You jumped off the bed to hug him, Stiles laughing as you almost tackled him. 

“You’re my best friend, buddy boy– you can’t ditch me,” you collapsed on the ground at Stiles’ feet, a smile covering your face. “Now, what must we do to prepare for this party?”

“Well, Lydia has got most of it covered. I did manage to convince her to do one thing, though, as a gift for you,” Stiles held his hands in front of him like a movie villain, and you started to get very suspicious. You got back up on the bed, curling your legs into yourself as Stiles gave himself a drum roll. “I got Isaac to be your Secret Santa.”

“You what?” you screeched, eyes growing wide.

“Look, even though I think Isaac is the worst, I know you’ve had a crush on him for years. This is why he will be giving you a gift this year.”

“That’s not very secret.”

“I’m also setting up mistletoe all over the loft. There will be other casualties to my mistletoe plan, but I will happily sacrifice that for your happiness.”

“I…have no words,” you gulped. You liked Isaac since you first saw him, even before he became a wolf. And then he joined your pack, everyone started hanging out together, and your crush grew stronger. You jumped at the opportunity every time you got to do stakeouts or other missions with just Isaac. You didn’t believe that he liked you back, though. You were human, a lot quieter than the other pack members, and also prone to word vomit when feelings of awkwardness arose. 

“This way, you’ll have something he got specifically for you.”

“Unless he gives me a gag gift because he doesn’t care.”

“If he does that, then he’s not worth your time. I’m saying that as your friend with the knowledge that you are a great person,” Stiles grins. He turns back to his laptop, feet propped up on the corner of the table and fidget spinner in his other hand. You had a slight smile as you returned to your project, and that smile didn’t leave your face as you spent the rest of the night with Stiles. 

The party happened a week later. You, Kira, and Mason had spent time getting a bunch of decorations to make it look more festive and then left Lydia to boss Parrish around on where to put things up. Lydia had a vision; none of you dared ruin it. It gave you time to go home and get ready anyway. You dressed in a simple burgundy sweater with jeans and boots but bothered putting on more makeup than usual. You even clipped your hair back with some star clips you found in the back of your drawer. When you returned to the loft, your jaw almost dropped with how pretty it looked. Twinkly lights and tinsel covered the available surface area, and a tree was in the back with presents already stacked. There was a table with all the amuse bouches one could wish for, and the scent of cranberries and oranges filled the room. 

“Happy holidays, Y/N,” Peter said from right next to you, giving you a minor heart attack.

“Someone invited you?” you exclaimed, earning an eye roll from Peter. 

“I’ve been tasked with taking coats,” he sighed, already bored. You handed him your jacket and quickly left, not interested in being another meal. Malia was by the dining table eating all the different meats and cheeses. 

“Merry Christmas, Malia,” you said, grabbing an olive and popping it in your mouth. 

“Who knew food could be so fancy?” Malia mumbled, not taking a breather before eating more. She looked like a kid at a candy store, and it made you laugh. 

“Food is still food, just prepared differently,” you responded. You watched in slight admiration as she chugged a glass of champagne before eating half a block of cheese. You wished for her metabolism so you could eat so openly. 

“I like the pigs in a blanket the best,” a voice said behind you. You turned around and felt your heart catch as you saw Isaac, a slight grin on his face. He was dressed in a blue henley, and the lights reflected brilliantly off his eyes. “Although, I’m more a fan of the blanket.” He proceeded to suck off the bread part of the pig in a blanket, leaving you with a confused expression. 

“Did you seriously just suck the bread off?”

“I said I was more a fan of the blanket,” Isaac answered, finishing the rest of his snack with an expression that read duh. Before you could react to whatever that was, you were handed a holiday cracker by Lydia, who was running around and gifting them out. These were wrapped in a green and gold floral print and tied with red ribbon. You held your cracker to Isaac, looking at him with a raised eyebrow. He took the other end of the cracker, and you both pulled, the contents exploding from inside. You happily picked up your kazoo and paper crown before helping Isaac open his Christmas cracker. You traded your kazoo for his deck of cards before putting your crowns on. 

“Let me help,” Isaac said, positioning the paper crown on your head at the perfect angle. His fingers brushed down your hair as he stepped back, and you felt a blush coat your cheeks before you could stop it. “Look, now you’re a king.”

“Not a queen? Or a princess?” you asked cheekily. 

“Pretty sure you could be whomever you want,” Isaac replied, hands in his pockets as he looked down awkwardly. For a boy who wasn’t always the best with words and frequently struggled to pick up social cues, he somehow managed to find a way to flatter you. Before you could respond, Stiles clinked his glass to alert everyone to Secret Santa starting. You found a spot on one of the couches, curling up into the corner. Malia sat beside you, offering you a candy cane she stole from somewhere. 

“Thank you guys for bothering to show up today,” Stiles started, fingers anxiously tapping the side of his glass. “I’m happy to be included in this group of people, and…I don’t intend to lose you guys even when we graduate.”

It was one of the more severe things Stiles had ever said, and you could tell that it took a lot of willpower not to break into a joke. Everyone clapped and yelled kind things, though, and you knew it relieved some pressure from Stiles’ chest. 

“Alright, let's start this party as we trash Derek’s loft!” Stiles clapped as Derek glared from the back. “Chill out, big guy; I was kidding.”

You had to give your friends credit; they put together some perfect gifts this year. You were excited as you had Kira the crochet fingerless gloves you had made in pink and black yarn. 

“It has a mitten cover that you can button back,” you explained as Kira excitedly put them on and cooed over how soft the fabric was. Liam did try to steal them at one point before you promised to make him a pair. 

You were shoving a cookie in your mouth when Lydia announced that it was your turn to receive your gift. Avoiding Isaac’s gaze, you watched as Lydia brought over a small box wrapped in brown paper with a silky ribbon. You anxiously untied it, carefully peeling the paper away. You were greeted with an emerald green velvet case that you opened with a small gasp. Inside was a simple silver chain with three different charms on it. One of the charms was the Celtic ruin for protection, another a car with a Christmas tree on top, and finally a coffee pot. 

“I think I remembered that your family uses that sign for protection all over your home,” Isaac mumbled, a flush coating his cheeks as you finally looked up at him. “And the car is for when we were sent to get the Christmas tree, and you argued with the seller for trying to overcharge us. And the coffee pot is because of how you complain about needing coffee every time we hang out.”

You could feel your eyes tearing up as you looked at the thoughtful gift. Not only was it perfect, but Isaac gave it to you and put a lot of thought into it. You sat up, enveloping him in a hug that caught him off guard. Your face was buried in his shoulder as you inhaled the sweet vanilla scent that seemed to follow him. He tentatively hugged you back, bringing you in even closer. 

“Isaac,” you sniffled, pulling away. “It’s perfect, thank you.”

The smile that covered his face was infectious, and you knew that if you sat there any longer, you would combust into giggles and likely start screaming (something Stiles has witnessed you do whenever Isaac would do something personal and pleasant for you). You excused yourself, exiting to the kitchen to get some water. As you poured yourself a glass, you also went to the hot cocoa bar and stole a snowflake marshmallow to nibble on. 

“Are you okay?” you hear Isaac ask in the doorway. You turn to face him, softening at the look of concern coating his features. 

“I’m fine,” you reassure. “It was just a perfect gift; I didn’t want to get too emotional.”

“I’m glad you liked it,” Isaac whispered, looking down at an invisible spot on the floor. “I wanted to get you something that showed I cared.”

“I know you care,” you smiled, leaning against the counter. 

“I mean, like how I care about you,” Isaac breathed, slightly shaky. You furrowed your brows as your brain struggled to catch up. Isaac looked at you, waiting for realization to set in. When it finally did, your eyes widened to the size of saucers, and if the counter didn’t support you, you would’ve passed out. Instead of saying something, you glanced at the kitchen doorway's opening where Isaac was standing. 

“Mistletoe,” you whispered. 

“Huh?” Isaac looked confused, glancing around before finally glancing up. Conjuring courage you didn’t always have, you stepped right up to him and pulled him down for a kiss right under the mistletoe. He made a noise of surprise before finally placing his hands on your waist and kissing you back. 

“Happy holidays, Isaac,” you smiled, pulling away and looking up at him from under your lashes. His hand cradled your cheek before kissing you again, this time with the confidence of a boy who found his footing. You melted into his embrace, arms wrapping behind his neck and burying in his hair. One of his hands held the small of your back while he preserved your jaw, deepening the kiss. You let out a happy sigh as you let Isaac kiss the living daylights out of you as you thought to yourself:

This is the best Secret Santa ever.

[outsideratheart]

21 Secret Santa with athenea del Castillo

A/N: Day twenty six of the Christmas advent calendar.

Love is something you always feared. There is saying that stuck with you ‘loving someone is giving them the power to break your heart but trusting them not to’. It is because of this that you were single for so long, you never met the person that showed you this much trust, that was until you met Athena.

You are one of the most well known footballers players in the world so when you left Chelsea, your home club, for Real Madrid the world took notice and it brought a spot light on the Spanish team that they couldn’t fully get used to. It was especially hard on Athenea because she would go from one of spain’s rising stars to Y/N Y/L/N’s girlfriend. You know she was struggling and you begged her to ignore the fans and focus on you but she couldn’t do it.

“I can’t do this Y/N” Athenea stood in her living room, stiff as a board.

There is no need for her to be specific, you know exactly what she is talking about and whilst it breaks your heart to lose her you would rather be hurt then her be unhappy.

“I love you Athenea. More than anyone else in this world but I understand that isn’t enough” You slowly walk towards her all while keeping eye contact. When you are face to face with her you give a soft smile.

“You deserve the world and i’m sorry that I couldn’t give you that. I’m sorry that I couldn’t protect you from them” Your voice is quiet.

For the last time, you pull her in your arms and she breaks down. Her tears soak your shirt but you remain strong, getting emotional won’t make you feel better. When Athenea pulls away her eyes are blood shot red. You wipe the tears off her cheeks then place a kiss to her temple.

No more words are spoken as you walk away and you don’t turn back.

You know that a breakup of any kind is hard but a break up 2 weeks before Christmas, well that made it hurt twice as much. You had already bought her present and had plans for the two of you, new year in the Maldives. Athenea would now no nothing about any of them.

The last game of the season came against Chelsea in the champions league at Stamford bridge, your old stomping grounds. The team arrived back in Madrid with only one training session left on the calendar and it also happened to be the the day when Secret Santa would be exchanged.

“Has everyone got their presents?” Ivana says “yeah? Right let’s begin”

The team is scattered around the locker room. Some sat in their lockers, others on the floor and on the physio benches. One player does seem to be missing.

“You can’t start yet. Y/N hasn’t finished her media yet” Athenea stands up gaining the attention of her friends who all give her the same look.

“Media?” Misa asks clearly not knowing what her friend is talking about.

“She wasn’t at training. Did you even notice?” Your ex girlfriend says. Her tone making it obvious that the obliviousness of the goalkeeper has angered her.

The rest of the team share looks, neither of them knowing what to say.

“Athenea” Olga rests her hand of the forwards shoulder “Y/N isn’t doing media. She isn’t even in Madrid”

The young player is confused, that much is obvious.

“Y/N asked if she could stay in London after we played Chelsea and given that she scored twice and assisted Caroline’s goal, coach allowed it”

Athenea couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She knows that she has been avoiding you but failing to notice you hadn’t travelled back to Spain with the team, that was something else.

Instead of questioning it further, Athenea sinks into her locker as the presents are handed out.

“What about Y/N’s present?” Sofia asks the group.

“She told me about her plans before we left and I’m her secret Santa so I gave Y/N her present early” Olga hesistantly told the group.

Athenea looks at her friend wondering why she never told her but then again she no longer had a right to know what you did and where you went.

“Would you have cared?” Olga whispers knowing the reaction that her words might get.

“I” Athena could not giver an answer.

The gifts gets handed out and Athenea is last.

“Here” Claudia hands her a present.

“I thought you had Esther for secret Santa. You can’t have two” Misa says earning her a slap around the back of the head. As she rubs her head the goalkeeper realises why Claudia did what she did.

“Oh”

Athenea eyes her gift. It was perfectly wrapped giving her a indication of who it was from but it is when she opens it does she know for sure.

In her hand sits a velvet box and inside is a pendent on a keychain but is wasn’t just any pendant, it was a gold sun. Tucked in the side was a small note.

My sunshine, you showed me brightness on my darkest days. I hope you find someone who shares their light with you.

“She loves you Athenea. I know that things were hard for you but can you honestly say you are happier without her?” Olga asks hoping that Athenea would finally see the error of her ways.

“I think I made a mistake. I need to go” Athena rushes out of the changing rooms.

[aphelea]

burning on (bronte & oralie)

Hello @axels-corner! I was your Secret Santa this year :) Happy holidays (if you celebrate any) and may your new year be filled with plenty of angsty Councillors!

I offer you some Councillor Bronte and Councillor Oralie friendship (and hurt/comfort), set just after the burning of Oblivimyre. Bronte and Fintan are brothers in this one because I couldn't resist.

Thank you to @song-tam for organizing this event!

Warnings: Discussions of death. (Kenric's and Fintan's)

Bronte locks himself in his castle the next day. 

The rest of the Council are drafting the announcement, a scroll to send to their concerned citizens. Members of the elves Nobility are invited to mourn; the rest, left to wonder about the state of their world in the chaos. 

He wants no part of it, the impersonal funeral or the whispers that are bound to follow all of them, but especially him and Oralie. 

After all, everybody knows who killed Kenric. 

Bronte wishes he didn’t. 

He doesn’t sleep the night after the incident. He only returns home at three in the morning, after all of the Everblaze has been put out and his glittering holy city is half-ashes. But even then, he doesn’t retire to his rooms—he can’t, not when they are ripe with memories of a man whom he should not grieve, with photos on the wall of a family that could never be satisfied. 

So Bronte spends the night pacing, and pointedly not thinking about what he has lost. He pushes away every memory of his friend, every gala spent dealing with Kenric and Oralie’s antics. He suppresses every stray thought of his childhood, of being twelve years old and Fintan fifteen, both unable to control the raging power within themselves. 

He drinks tea. It’s not what he needs to drink, but he figures that he ought to maintain some sense of decorum. 

(That feeling falls apart, come dawn. He needs the strongest medicine that his crystal castle can offer.) 

The next morning, when he knows that he’s expected to show up to the Council meeting, he can’t bring himself to get off of his couch. 

How unprofessional, the weak, rational part of himself says. 

But what is professionalism worth anymore, anyway? Miss Foster had only days ago proven with her Inflicting session that he is far beyond unfit for his position.

(Maybe that’s why he can’t stop grieving a murderer. Maybe the dark matter that controls his brain is making him evil, immoral.)

(Maybe villainy runs in the family.)

So Bronte skips the Council meeting, that day, and waits for someone to scold him. 

Nobody comes. 

He takes a nap on the floor of his kitchen. It’s not comfortable, but he doesn’t deserve comfort. He needs pain, to force him out of his grief. 

It doesn’t work, unsurprisingly. But the slumberberry tea does drown him in darkness. It’s made poorly, but he still manages to sleep an hour, dreamless. 

Until the shrill ringing of his doorbell wakes him, and he lies on the hard crystal tile for a moment, wondering why he ever chose to make his doorbell human music, of all things.

After about five minutes of pointless lying on the ground, he forces himself up and to the foyer. He expects that his colleagues have sent someone to retrieve him, likely believing that he’s overslept or some other, equally forgivable reason for missing work. 

When he opens the door, he finds Oralie, in the same, rumpled, ash-covered gown as yesterday afternoon. 

“Oralie?” Bronte asks. He’s tempted to slam the door in her face, because he can’t deal with her, not now. Not when he still can’t shake the grief and empathy for the man who killed her lover. 

…Almost lover. In everything but name. 

Oralie stares at him from the doorway. Her eyes are wide and red and Bronte can’t help but remember when she’d first been elected to the Council, how Kenric had sworn that she was unfit for the role. How the two of them had spent the next five years arguing over every little thing, firmly believing the other to be an incompetent fool. 

Look at them now, he thinks. So lost in each other’s eyes that they forget their surroundings, all too often. They had been one of Bronte’s few sources of entertainment during tedious meetings. 

“Bronte,” Oralie replies, after a long moment. Her voice is rough and broken, accompanied by a sniffle that she seems determined to hide. 

Bronte stares at her, wondering why she, of all people, would pay him a visit during the working day. “Did they send you here?” he asks. When she frowns, he clarifies, “To attempt to convince me to come to the meeting. I won’t, before you try.”

She laughs, though without any real amusement behind it. “I didn’t go,” she tells him frankly. “I have no use for their pity. They all know what he was to me, I don’t need to hear their condolences.”

Bronte can say mostly the same. But he doesn’t, because he doubts that much of the Council knows of his… unfortunate family relations. 

Though, with the fire went the last of his family, it seems. 

Now Bronte is officially alone. 

Alone, except for his best friend standing in his foyer with bloodshot eyes. The last remaining disgraces. 

“I understand,” he tells her. “And I’m sorry, for what it’s worth.”

“It’s not worth shit,” she replies curtly. “You know that as well as I do.” 

Bronte stares at her, daring her to say more. “Do I, now?” he asks, as calmly as his voice can muster. 

She pauses. “Kenric was your friend as much as he was mine.” At his raised eyebrow, she amends, “Well, you were friends.” 

“Of a sort,” Bronte replies. “His death is tragic, of course, and I grieve his loss like all of us do.” Except you, he doesn’t say, because Oralie hardly needs a reminder of the love that she’s lost. 

Oralie glares at him. “I don’t need your press answer.”

“Then, pray tell, why are you here?” 

“You have the keys,” she tells him, and he’s not sure whether she’s being literal or metaphorical. 

“What?”

“The keys,” she repeats, “to Kenric’s castle. I need—” She stops, overcome with a heaving sigh. “I need to see it. One final time.” 

Bronte raises an eyebrow. “He didn’t leave any spare keys with you?” 

She snorts. “How do you think that would’ve looked, Kenric leaving me the keys to his private rooms? Especially with our feelings being so blatantly obvious.”

…She does have a point, Bronte has to concede that. They hardly need any more fuel for the wildfire of rumours that spread about them. 

He doubts that people will be kind enough to stop the rumours even now, when it is only Oralie left. They will scrutinise her appearance at the funeral, at the next crowning, at every occasion for years after today. 

Bronte’s sure of it. He’s seen this happen before. 

“Let me get them,” he says, and turns to retrieve the spare keys from his drawer. He and Kenric had exchanged spares, in case of emergency—although Bronte had never imagined that this would be the emergency. 

(To be honest, he’d always thought that he would die first, out of all of them. Murder, probably. Old family problems coming back to bite him.) 

He’s grateful, though, that Oralie isn’t pressing for an answer as to why he’s holed up in his castle, looking just as messy as she is. 

How can he face her and tell her the truth? That his brother, his blood, had committed such a dire act of treason that the entire elven world is teetering on the edge of chaos not seen since Atlantis?

When he finds the smooth crystal, he hands it to Oralie, who smiles gratefully. But her smile doesn’t reach her eyes, and Bronte understands. 

Nothing can be happy, in the wake of everything. 

She reaches over to grab the keys from Bronte’s hand. As she does so, her fingers brush Bronte’s exposed wrist, and she immediately jumps back as if she’s been burned.  

“Oralie?” Bronte asks, stepping forward. He freezes as she scrambles back, staring at her fingers as if she’s grown a third thumb. 

Oralie is mumbling curses under her breath, he realises, and he wonders whether he should call a healer. Maybe the grief has finally gotten to her. 

(It’s only a matter of time before it gets to him, too.) 

Oralie finally looks up at him, after a moment, a deep fear in her eyes. “Guilt,” she murmurs, and his heart stops. 

Guilt. 

Oralie’s an Empath. She’d touched his arm. 

How could I be so stupid?

Oralie steps forward, back into his foyer with a firm expression. “Are you guilty, Bronte?” she asks, and her voice begins to waver. 

“I—I’m not—”

She continues forward, and Bronte has no choice but to back away lest he be trampled. Oralie’s determination has given away to anguish, and what seems to be anger directed towards him. “I’ve felt a broken man’s emotions before,” she says, “all those who have succumbed to the weight of their guilt. And what I just felt, Bronte…you’re far beyond them.” Quietly, she adds, “I don’t know how you’re still sane.”

“I don’t know, either,” he admits, but truthfully he has his suspicions. He can feel Miss Foster’s lingering positivity, in the corners of his mind, keeping his memories together like glue. Someday soon, it will fade, and his guilt over who he is will finally take him. 

He won’t tell that to Oralie, though. 

“I can’t lose both of the people closest to me,” she says, and her grief shines through her eyes once again. “One to a sick, twisted pyromaniac and the other to the weight of his own, misplaced guilt.” 

Sick, twisted pyromaniac. Is that the man he knew? The man he grieves, the man whom he had loved through all of his childhood?

Maybe evil is all that runs through the blood in their veins. Maybe he and Fintan were always destined to be sad, sad men. 

Oralie notices that her words have the opposite effect of what she’d intended, and she freezes. “What?” she says. “What did I say?”

“Nothing,” he tries to tell her, but she’s too quick. 

“Fintan,” she murmurs, eyes wide. “What, do you think it’s your fault?”

No. He knows it. 

He and Fintan had their arguments, as young men. None so bad as the one that drove Fintan out of their childhood home for good. 

And then the Everblaze had rained down, and Bronte knew that his brother was unsalvageable. 

“That’s…not quite it,” he replies. “But I guarantee you it’s nothing important. My mind will not break, Oralie. I have kept myself together for so many years yet.” 

“No,” she replies, steely. “No! You’re obviously locking yourself up in this castle for a reason, and you’re obviously beating yourself up over something and it’s killing you!” 

“I miss him,” Bronte blurts out, and immediately wishes he hadn’t. 

Oralie pauses, obviously waiting for him to clarify. 

“I miss Fintan,” he says, and it’s like a weight lifts off his shoulders. 

The words seem to confuse Oralie. “You…what?” There’s something akin to anger in her voice, and Bronte’s guilt returns at full force. 

“I wish I didn’t,” he tells her, pleading for forgiveness. “I thought I had resigned myself to his death, before. But he was the last of my family, and apparently I have yet to resolve myself from that attachment.”

Oralie’s eyes widen. “Family?” she repeats. 

He almost can’t say the words. “My brother.”

Bronte turns away, just as Oralie says, “And you’re afraid that you’re just like him.”

“What?”

She breathes in sharply. “Kenric told me what happened in Sophie’s session. You think you’re irredeemable.”

That’s exactly right. “No.”

She curses under her breath and steps into his line of sight once again. “Your guilt is going to crush you,” she tells him frankly. 

“I’m not guilty!” he proclaims, and sure, it isn’t true, but now certainly isn’t the time to work through millenia of unresolved family trauma. 

Oralie grabs his arm, and he expects her to jump away as she had done before. Instead, though, she only drags him to his couch, silent. As they pass the kitchen, she raises an eyebrow at the blanket on the tiled floor, but still says nothing. 

Finally, once Bronte is sufficiently confused, Oralie asks, “Did you actually sleep last night?”

“Did you?” he retorts. 

“No,” she replies, honestly. “I doubt any of us did. Watching him go up in flames….” She shudders. “Part of me wants to make the whole thing a Forgotten Secret.”

Bronte can’t disagree.

He wasn’t in the room, he didn’t have direct view of the healing like Oralie did. But the scent of Everblaze—the familiar scent—had reached him before any of the rest of the Councillors standing outside.

Bronte had known that Fintan was unstable, before. But there was a part of him—a part of him that still lingers—that genuinely believed his brother to be good. Perhaps it’s leftover from their mother’s endless, unfounded optimism, her firm belief that her sons were good men who would grow up to change the elven world.

And change the world, they certainly did. Just not for the better. 

So forgetting the fire, forgetting his brother’s entire existence….the idea sounds enticing. But Bronte has a duty to his people, to himself, that he cannot forget. 

And the only Telepath he would have trusted to wash his mind is dead, now, anyway. 

“You know,” Oralie says, after a long moment, “we’re quite similar people, the two of us.”

Bronte raises an eyebrow. “Don’t put yourself down like that.”

“Oh, please. I’m no saint, either,” she replies. “But what you’ve done and what I’ve done are no matter, now.” She looks away, pensive. “What I meant, before, is that we’re in similar situations here. Your brother. My…Kenric. No-one else here understands, not like we do.”

“I suppose you’re right,” Bronte concedes. “But Fintan—”

“—was only broken because of us,” Oralie interrupts. “It’s the actions of the Council, both past and present, that led to what happened yesterday. We’ve spent these years believing him to be a great man, until the blaze…but maybe that was just our own willful ignorance.”

“Careful,” Bronte says, an almost teasing lilt to his voice. “You almost sound like the rebels.”

Oralie freezes, for a moment, an action so small he almost misses it. “Very funny,” she says, but her joking tone falls flat. 

Bronte frowns. That’s mildly concerning, but he’s not going to waste time worrying about Oralie’s rebel sympathies. He certainly hasn’t spent his time as a Councillor only following the law. 

(Neither did Fintan. Or Fallon. Or anyone, honestly, other than poor Terik who very clearly does not want to be here.)

(Come to think of it, that does speak to the corruption in their system. But that hardly matters right now.)

“Look,” Oralie continues, clearly eager to shift focus from her previous slip-up, “what matters is that you’re obviously brimming with guilt and I…I don’t know what I’m feeling. I won’t judge you for your family connections anymore than I expect you to judge me for my romantic ones.”

“Thank you,” Bronte says, and it’s the most honest he’s been all morning.

Her hand brushes his wrist once again, and she sighs with obvious relief. “Don’t shatter on me,” she tells him. “Please. Promise me.”

The last thing he wants is to go out like his brother. 

“I won’t,” he says. “I promise.”

[curiousobsession101]

Zombies, Fanworks! Secret Santa 2022.

This fic is for @bebtea​ I hope you like it!

Thank you @runnerzero​ @puptart​ and @notforconsumption​ for setting up this year’s Secret Santa exchange!

The Noah Base Bash

This fic takes place shortly before Season 5 Mission 23 and has spoilers for Zombies, Run! up to the end of that season. This is an AU where a certain major character death didn’t happen. Also I’m not totally sure what year season 5 takes place in but for the purposes of my fic Chanukkah overlaps Christmas. This is basically fluff without plot.

Also, I am neither christian, nor Muslim, nor from England. If I get any details wrong as a result, I’m sorry.

One last author’s note: This fic includes a character (Andrew) who canonically has no screentime at all. He is mentioned offhandedly twice in the entirety of Zombies, Run!

“And... there’s mine. This tree is officially decorated.” Peter said cheerfully as he stepped back from hanging his ornament.

“Perfect timing too; the Abel - that is, Noah Base holiday party is scheduled to start in just a few minutes.” Janine said, stepping up beside Peter. He smiled at her. Coming from Janine, that was a compliment.

“That tree looks really good, guys.” Sam enthused from where he stood next to Maxine, Paula, and their daughter. “Those improvised ornaments made from stuff the runners have found look even nicer than I would have expected. And there was enough for each of us to make an ornament with our own names!” He had been particularly thrilled to “help” baby Sara with her own ornament.

“Yeah, too bad we couldn’t get an actual tree.” Jody chimed in with a laugh.

“Oh I don’t know,” Peter replied, “I think this tree we made from the pieces of the furniture we found that wasn’t sturdy enough to use anymore is perfect for the Noah Base holiday party. It’s like a modern sculpture.” This earned him laughs from the others.

“Honestly,” Jody addressed Kytan, “I still can’t believe you were able to find real tinsel.”

Kytan grinned. “Oh yeah, I had to fight my way through so many zombies for it I had to use my nunchucks. It was like, ‘Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!’ and then ‘Kapow!’ right to their faces. I wasn’t even there for tinsel, but I saw a box labeled ‘tinsel’ and was like ‘Jackpot!’. But even after I got all the supplies there were still a bunch of zombies left so I had to backflip out the window like this.” He stood up from where he’d been sitting between Cameo and Andrew with Yang on Cameo’s other side and did a backflip.

“Kytan, you don’t have to demonstrate; we all believe you did a backflip.” Cameo said as if she wasn’t always delighted by Kytan’s exuberant displays.

“Oh no, as I’ve told you before,” Kytan replied in a faux-serious voice, “there is always a need for a backflip.” The other three laughed and Kytan sat back down.

“You know, Jody,” Tom said from where he stood next to her, “I’m just as impressed that you were able to get so much wool and knit it so quickly.” Jody was the only one whose holiday presents had been given out before the party. Everyone was wearing the sweaters she had knitted especially for them. Tom’s had the Jurassic Park logo on the front, except that the t-rex skeleton was wearing a santa hat.

Jody smiled at the praise. “Oh, it wasn’t that much work.”

”No, Tom’s right.” Yang said. “Take a moment with that achievement. You should be proud.”

Jody smiled a little wider. “Thanks.”

“Alright everyone.” Janine’s voice cut through the chatter. “Miss Al Hanaki will be transmitting shortly and then the party will officially begin.”

As if on cue, the broadcast system started transmitting Nadia’s voice. “Noah Base, can you hear me?”

“Yeah, we can hear you Nadia.” Sam responded.

“How are you, Miss Al Hanaki?” Janine asked. The question sounded almost businesslike, but it was clear she asked out of real concern.

“Oh I’m all right.” Nadia reassured Janine (and everyone else). “Owen and Veronica and me are still on the Minister’s good side so we’re treated pretty well. Owen’s even come up with a little Christmas celebration for the three of us. Speaking of which, happy Christmas and happy Hanukkah everyone!”

The not-quite-in-sync chorus of responses was mostly “Happy holidays!” but a few responded specifically with the holiday they themselves grew up celebrating and there were a few “You too!”s in the mix also.

After the tumult had died down, Sam said “I wanted to say Happy and then whatever you celebrate but um, what holiday do you celebrate this time of year?”

Nadia laughed. “I really don’t celebrate any particular holiday this time of year. But you can always say ‘happy Christmas’ to me too, since I’ll be celebrating it with Owen and Veronica.”

”Oh.” Sam thought about it for a second. “Well then happy Christmas. And I hope this Friday is a good one for you.”

“Thanks.” Nadia laughed again. “I don’t think I’ll be able to go to the mosque this week, but I’ll see. Alright, I should go. Owen’s ready to start. Have a great party!”

Noah Base chorused its goodbyes.

The party kicked off with Paula lighting the menorah on the dinner table. She carefully explained what she was doing and what all the prayers meant to a wide-eyed Sara who seemed totally enraptured by the bright candles. All the adults enjoyed the adorable scene - in addition to the Christmas tree patterned sweater Jody had knitted for her, she was also wearing knitted socks with dreidels on them (knitted by Sam after he got Jody to teach him how). But the truth was the explanations were just as helpful for some of the adults present as the baby.

“Hey Paula,” Sam said as an idea struck him, “do you think you could teach Maxine and me how to dance the horah? Then we could dance with Sara.”

“Oh, I’m not sure if-” Paula started.

“Oh, I’d love to learn too if that’s alright.” Peter said, smiling.

And then practically everyone in the base was begging Paula to teach them. She finally agreed, looking a little embarrassed but also happy. She taught them a version of the horah with a Yiddish name she told them translated to “crooked dance”. Everyone had a great time; even baby Sara seemed to be thoroughly enjoying herself from where she was held in Maxine’s arms.

Afterward everyone sat down to eat the best holiday dinner a bunch of fugitives could make out of their scavenged supplies. Without access to Abel’s farm there was more canned and shelf-stable food than usual, but by this point the residents of Noah base were experts at making delicious meals out of canned food.

“Is that Christmas cake?” Peter asked. “How did you manage to make a Christmas cake?! Where could you possibly have gotten the ingredients?”

“Well, we couldn’t get all the ingredients exactly.” Sam admitted. “I had to improvise. It should still be good though.”

“It’s great.” Yang enthused. “Especially for a cake made while in hiding during a zombie apocalypse.”

After eating, everyone gathered in front of the tree to exchange presents (other than the sweaters Jody had made). Before the gift exchange could start, however, a machine in the corner of the room clacked to life. It was the machine Cameo had made that printed out snippets from Radio Abel. Apparently they were doing a holiday broadcast. Everyone clustered around, but Cameo pushed through and read the snippet out to everyone else. “And happy holidays to everyone back at Abel and New Canton, and all our friends wherever you happen to be. We’re sending you our best wishes.” She looked up from the paper. “That’s all it printed.”

The group returned to the tree, and nothing else interrupted the gift exchange. Tom gave Jody an automatic crossbow. She looked so happy she was almost lost for words. Peter gave Janine a bottle of good whisky he’d managed to find during a supplies run and had kept hidden in anticipation of the holiday since. Janine gave him a new pair of running shoes she’d had scavenged especially for him. He seemed touched. Most of the good shoes to be scavenged already had been; these wouldn’t have been easy to find.

Cameo, Yang, Kytan, and Andrew gave gifts as a group. For those within the group the other three banded together to get their gifts. Kytan got weapons scavenged from a dojo where it seemed everyone who might have minded had been eaten. Cameo received broken phones to work with, in light of how skillfully she had used just such tech as part of the machine that printed snippets of Radio Abel. Yang got a handful of batteries he could keep all to himself. And Andrew got books scavenged from a bookstore.

Once the rest of the gifts had been given, Sara started to fuss. Maxine and Paula excused themselves to put their daughter to bed and then go to sleep themselves. Everyone else stayed, chatting and laughing quietly long into the night. And for that night in Noah base, everything was peace and camaraderie.

[looooooooomis]

FINAL GIRL | FIVE

You were his final girl.  And there was no chance in hell that anyone or anything was going to mess that up.

p a r t   five  |  t h e  c a b i n (part I)

masterlist here

pairing: Billy Loomis x f!reader word count:  5.6k (I’M SORRY I GOT CARRIED AWAY) warnings: s m u t (18 +!!!!!)

A/N: after 8 months of MIA, SHE’S BACK BABY!!! this is part 1 of 2 of our fav couple being at the cabin x next chapter will have soft moments I promise lmao 

You should have been paying more attention.

If you’d been paying more attention, you wouldn’t have had five sets of eyes currently watching your every move, waiting for an answer you didn’t have. Why had you thought it was a good idea to stay up as late as you had packing your overnight bag for the cabin? If you had gone to bed at a reasonable hour, you wouldn’t have been as braindead as you currently were and, if you hadn’t been braindead, you wouldn’t have wound up in whatever ring of hell you were currently stuck in as your friends stared at you as though you’d grown a second head.

You pleaded with your tongue to say anything, pleaded for your brain to register a decent enough lie to make this uncomfortable silence end but nothing came out of your mouth. Only a pathetic hum and a gusto of forced laughter.

You wanted to die.

It should have been an easy enough answer to what was an even easier question. One that you’d practiced answering for the last two days and yet, as the moment for the lie came and went, you were left scrambling like a fucking moron.

You didn’t dare look at Billy as Sid curled into his side knowing if you managed to catch his coffee-coloured stare, you’d only be met with something between terror and amusement as you royally shit the bed. So, instead, you did the next best thing. You replayed the question over and over again in your head until you were driven mad.

‘Are you up for a movie this weekend?’

It was a simple enough question, one you’d managed to decline easily enough but, as Tatum frowned and asked the one question you were expecting to hear, your mind went blank.

‘Why? What are you doing?’

The answer you were supposed to say: I have to babysit my cousin in Santa Rosa all weekend. The answer they got? Silence. Pure, awkward as fuck, silence.

“Earth to Y/N,” Tatum laughed, brows furrowing. “Are you alive?”

“Sorry,” you huffed out a quiet laugh and shook your head, “I barely slept last night, I’m braindead.”

While it wasn’t a lie, you were still on edge. You’d think after months of sneaking around with the asshole sitting in front of you that you would have chilled out a little more but not today. Maybe it was the nerves of a full weekend away with Billy Loomis as his girlfriend hosted a fucking movie night sans her boyfriend and best friend – but something was making you stumble over what should have been second nature to you.

“You feeling okay?” Sid, the angel she was, asked with a small frown. Your stomach twisted in the familiar way it always did when your sweet friend showed concern. Concern which you most definitely didn’t deserve. “You seem…off.”

It would have been so easy to confess your dark little twisted affair with Billy right then and there. To just open your mouth and let the truth of everything you’d been doing behind her back play out. But you knew it would break her heart and, more than that, you were a fucking coward.

“I’m fine, Sid,” you smacked on a small smile and leaned into your locker. You had one more class until you were home free. Free of your friends’ inquiring eyes, free of Biology, free of Woodsboro. If you managed to get through this incredibly uncomfortable moment. “And I would if I could, trust me. I have to babysit my little cousin in Santa Rosa.” You feigned disappointment with a small frown. You could see Stu’s lips tug up in mild amusement out of the corner of your eye. “She’s nine, so if I don’t come back on Monday, know that she annoyed me to death.”

Randy scoffed and casually threw his arm around your neck. “Every day I’m thankful I don’t have any snot-nosed kids in my family. Losing my weekend to babysit? I’d rather rot.”

Despite your guilt, you managed a small smile as you looked across at him. “I think the kid would rather you rot, too. You’d be a terrible babysitter.”

“She’s right,” Tatum smirked, “you’d show the kid one of your weirdo movies where a girl with big tits is running helplessly away from her killer. It’d scar the kid for life.”

“Or,” Randy mused, “prepare them for the real world. Put some hair on their chest and all that shit.”

“Furthering my point, Meeks, you’d be a shit babysitter.” You laughed. “But, yeah, I’ll be suffering at the hands of a nine-year-old, so you guys have fun without me.”

“How about you, lover boy?” Tatum asked, looking across at Billy. “Will you be joining us this weekend?”

You should have averted your eyes. Should have done anything besides wait, with bated breath, to see what Billy would say. Slowly, those brown eyes tapered over towards you just briefly before looking at Tatum. With a casual shrug of his shoulders, Billy shook his head and leaned into Sid. “Can’t,” he merely said, “I’m going up north with my dad. He wants to get some of his affairs in order or something, I don’t know.” He ran a hand through his hair. “All I know is I was promised free beer if I helped him. So, I’m helping him.”

If Sid caught onto his lie, her face didn’t betray her once. And, as she looked up at her boyfriend with doting eyes, you couldn’t help but feel that pang of shame slice into your gut once again. She believed him. She always believed him. Believed you. Regardless of how good it felt to have Billy, that shame of knowing just who it was unwittingly hurting in the process never dissipated.

“You sure you guys won’t need help?” Sid asked, further digging that knife of shame into your chest. “Besides this movie, I’ve got nothing else going on this weekend.”

“Real nice,” Randy teased. “She’d rather watch Billy’s dad punch away at a fucking calculator then sit down with her nearest and dearest.”

Billy ignored Randy entirely as he glanced down at the brunette. “I’m sure,” he affirmed, giving her a quick squeeze. “Enjoy the movie night. I’ll be there for the next one.”

He lied so effortlessly, so casually, that it should have unnerved you. But it didn’t. Because for as good of a liar Billy Loomis was, you were right here with him. This dangerous little game the two of you were playing was becoming second nature to you and for as much as it pained you to see Sidney get lied to, you couldn’t help yourself.

You loved Billy. Billy loved you. Right person, wrong time. Only rather than wait like you knew you should have, Billy’s glow was much too enthralling to miss. You were both moths to each other’s’ flames and no amount of guilt or shame was strong enough to outweigh the otherworldly affliction the two of you had for one another.

The bell signifying your final class rung out, snapping you out of your brief reverie as you blinked and focused on pushing Randy off of you. “Want to drive me to the bus station?” You asked him. “I don’t want to drive all the way to Santa Rosa, so I bought a bus ticket.”

“Tonight?” Randy considered it briefly before shrugging. “Sure, I guess. I’ve got a shift tonight at seven, though. When’s your bus leave?”

“Six thirty,” you lied, mainly doing this so that should anyone drive by your house this weekend and see your car still neatly parked in your driveway, they wouldn’t bat an eye. “I owe you.”

“Yeah, you do,” Randy agreed. “And, lucky for you, I accept a lot of different payment options.” He wriggled his brows, earning a playful smack from you and an annoyed glare from Billy. Thankfully, Randy didn’t catch onto the latter. “Pick you up at six?”

You nodded. “Perfect.”

With your eyes flickering to Billy’s once more, you managed to shoot everyone a quick smile before disappearing down the hall towards Biology. Just how you’d managed to dance your way out of what could have been an incredibly awkward moment, you didn’t know. But as you felt that weighty stare of Billy’s on your back as you walked away, there was an air of excitement that swallowed you whole.

No matter how much guilt you felt, no matter how sick it made you to see Sidney get hurt, even if she didn’t quite know about just yet, there was a much larger part of you that couldn’t wait to get Billy alone.

Because for the first time in the seven months since you’d started this torrid little affair, you were finally getting Billy all to yourself. No prying eyes, no secret kisses, no having to hide every part of your relationship with the man. None of that.

This weekend, it was you and it was Billy.

And you couldn’t fucking wait.

»»-------------¤-------------««

Randy, being the superstar he was, had dropped you off at the station a little after six-fifteen and by six-thirty-two, just around the time the actual bus was leaving for Santa Rosa, you were scrambling into Billy’s car with a wild grin on your face.

Just how the pair of you had managed to pull it off, especially given your brain lapse earlier in the day, was beyond you. But, as Billy tore off down the main street leading to the freeway, you couldn’t help but feel a sense of freedom engulf you the farther and farther you got from town.

It was exhilarating.

And, as you glanced at Billy, who couldn’t have looked more like a movie star with his dark locks blowing with the wind cascading in through his open window, you couldn’t help but reach across the divide to gently squeeze his jean-clad thigh.

“Thank you,” you found yourself muttering and as those brown eyes met yours, you couldn’t help but grin. “For your stupid key proposal. In hindsight, it was very sweet.”

The dimple in Billy’s cheek deepened as his own grin grew. “Glad you let me steal you away?”

You loosened your seatbelt momentarily and leaned across to give him a kiss on the cheek. “Very glad.” You made a move to pull away but stopped when he gently grabbed your chin with the hand not holding the wheel. “What—”

The kiss, while dangerously stupid, was short and sweet but the emotion behind it, the genuine happiness that exuded out of Billy in those few seconds was palpable. “I really do fucking love you, you know that?”

“You’ve mentioned it,” you hummed and slinked back into your seat. When his large hand found your thigh, he gave it a firm squeeze that sent shockwaves throughout your whole body.

“Not going to say it back?” He teased, giving you a sidelong glance as he drew nearer to the freeway.

“I’d rather show it.” Rather than put your seatbelt back on, you shimmed in your seat and leaned into him as your fingers scraped along his thighs towards the button of his jeans. “Eyes on the road, Loomis.”

Easier said than done, Billy thought, torn between watching the road and watching you unzip his jeans. Raising his ass out of the seat just long enough to allow you to tug his pants down his thighs, the second Billy saw yours eyes light up as his now somewhat erect cock sprung free of his jeans, keeping his eyes on the road seemed impossible. But, the second he saw that pretty mouth of yours perk up in anticipation, it was game over. “Are you trying to get us killed?”

A low chuckle escaped your lips as you began to pump his length with your hand. “Focus on the road, Billy.”

“You say that like it’s easy.” Not being able to keep his hands off of you, he reached for your nipple and gave it a pinch through your shirt. “Take your shirt off, baby.”

“Shut up and drive.” You chided him, shimming in your seat so that you were on your knees leaning over the console. His cock was rock hard now and, as you ran your tongue alongside his length, from the base of it all the way up to coax your tongue along the precum that had gathered along his head, you felt him shiver beneath you.

“Fuck,” he hissed, tangling his fingers through your hair. You were too fucking good with that mouth of yours.

Still pumping the base of his cock with one hand, you swirled your tongue along the tip of his dick again before taking that perfectly girthy cock in your mouth. His grip tightened on your hair and your eyes watered as he pushed your head down to fully take the length of him inside of your mouth. He heard you gag on him but even as his grip eased up, you continued your pursuit of deepthroating him.

His breathing was shallow as he felt your hot mouth all over him. Between the sounds of your wet mouth taking him in and the occasional gag as you choked on his length, Billy was in heaven.

But having you this close as you fucked him with your mouth whilst still fully clothed was killing him. He needed to feel you. He wanted to feel your juices on his fingers and running down those perfect fucking thighs as he fingerfucked you. He wanted to hear you moan, feel you moan on his cock as he made you feel as good as you were making him feel.

He wanted all of you, needed all of you.  

Trying his damnedest not to shut his eyes as your mouth brought him closer to the edge, he reached beneath you to work on your own zipper but when that proved to be impossible, a frustrated growl tore out of his lips. “Undo your pants.” He hissed through bared teeth.

You hummed against his dick which nearly sent him into the other land of traffic. “No,” you purred, “I want to make you feel good.”

With one hand on the wheel and the other now gliding up and down your back as you fucked him with your mouth, Billy couldn’t help but buck into your mouth as you began to massage his balls. He was going to bust and soon if he wasn’t careful.

You were too fucking good and he was too fucking in love with you not to get lost in the way you made him feel.

“Touch yourself, at least,” he breathed out, desperate to see that pretty cunt. “Please, baby.”

Not granting him the satisfaction, you simply dug your nails into his thighs and moaned onto his cock and the sensation of it alone was almost enough to make him come down your throat. It seemed to slither around his cock, making him twitch and buck into your mouth.

But it was the second you moaned out his name as you swirled your wet mouth along the head of his dick one final time, swallowing back his precum with a contented hum, that Billy blew his loud inside of your mouth.

For a good five seconds, he didn’t care if he crashed the goddamn car as he watched you swallow his seed. He was bucking into your mouth, his breathing was ragged, as you guzzled him back and, as you finally released his cock with a pop, Billy almost lost it.

With a devilish grin, you simply wiped a finger along the edge of your lips and leaned back into your seat with a satisfied glimmer in your eyes. You knew you’d be in for it once he got his hands on you at the cabin, but for now, as you watched him lamely try and pull his jeans up his body to cover his slowly softening cock, you couldn’t help but laugh.

“What’s the matter, Billy?” You teased, fastening your seatbelt back up. “You look a little rattled.”

“Yeah, yeah,” he simpered, not bothering with the zipper or button of his jeans. Instead, he reached across the divide and grabbed for your hand as he ghosted his lips across your knuckles. “Just wait until we get to the cabin.”

With your suspicions confirmed, you couldn’t help but beam across at him as you drove further and further away from Woodsboro. That was definitely a threat and good god were you excited for its execution.

»»-------------¤-------------««

By the time you’d pulled into the Loomis family cabin, it was pitch black outside.

The moon was too high in the sky and only a sliver of its light poked through the tall pine trees that surrounded the small house but, even with the low light surrounding you, the shadows that danced along the lake was enough to bring out a small smile as you quietly made your way out of the car. You didn’t need full sun to see the beauty surrounding you and the smell of the fresh air mixed with the spice of pine made any ounce of nerves filter out of you.

You were happy.

Unreservedly so.

Glancing across the roof towards Billy, he seemed almost distracted as he looked around at the familiar surroundings. You couldn’t quite tell if he was feeling as happy as you were in those brief moments, but you couldn’t quite blame him for that. The cabin held a lot of memories within it, many of which you knew included his mother. Where you felt freed and excited, you could tell the weight of his current whereabouts was heavy on his shoulders.

“Hey,” you muttered, slicing into the quietude around you. Walking around the front of the car, those brown eyes found yours as you circled your arms around his middle. “You okay?”

“Yeah,” he assured, but his voice was low and distant. All the same, however, his strong arms enveloped you as he kissed your hairline. “Lost in a memory, I guess.”

You nodded into the crook of his neck but said nothing. He needed time to decompress, to familiarize himself with a house he hadn’t been in since his mother left. So, you’d give him that time.

For what must have been minutes, the two of you simply stood at the helm of porch holding onto one another. It wasn’t until Billy placed another quick kiss to your forehead that you felt his arms slowly fall only to grasp your hand in his own. “Come on,” he hummed. His grip on your hand was firm as he walked up the steps leading to the wrap around porch and as he stuck the key inside of the lock and opened the front door, the smell of cedar surrounded you.

The cabin was gorgeous. Wooden slats covered every square inch of the small house and a small fireplace sat at the front of the house with a worn-in couch and chair facing it. It was obvious nobody had come to visit for quite some time judging by the dust lining most of the countertops and shelving units, but you didn’t care.

To you, it was perfect.

Your own little oasis with the boy you loved without any sort of outside interruption.

You released his hand to take a brief look around the small living space but you could feel his eyes on you with every step you took. You knew he was looking to get even with you after your little stunt in the car, but you also knew that he hadn’t quite been expecting the swell of emotions to hit him upon driving up to the cabin. So, you continued to wander around the cabin to both grant him the space he may or may not have needed and, simply, to snoop around.

There were family pictures lining the tables and one in particular made you smile as you caught sight of a young Billy swinging from a tire swing. With a quiet laugh, you picked the frame up and surveyed it with a fond smile on your lips. “Cute,” you remarked, looking across to catch his stare. “A little model, eh?”

Billy watched you carefully place the frame down on the table before continuing on with your self-guided tour. No matter how hard he tried, regardless of the bittersweet memories swirling around inside of his brain, he couldn’t take his eyes off of you. Not that he ever really could, but there was an ease rolling off of you tonight, coming off of you in waves, that drew him in.

“I’ve been thinking about this all week, you know that?” He remarked, leaning against the back of the couch as he watched you pick up another picture frame. “Just me and you. Out here alone in the woods for an entire weekend.”

“Sounds like a scary movie when you put it that way,” you goaded with a wink. “Or a really niche porno.”

“Why not a bit of both?” His molasses coloured eyes glimmered mischievously as you walked up to him and stepped between his legs. The second you were close, he pulled you flush against his chest and kissed the tip of your nose as he pushed your hair back and away from your face. “Both could be fun.”

You grinned. “I’m down for anything,” you shrugged. “So long as you promise to take me on an actual date tomorrow. We’re not just fucking like bunnies inside of the cabin all weekend.”

“Heaven forbid,” he leaned in and gave you a slow, torturous kiss.

“I’m serious, Billy,” you moaned.

Pulling away from your mouth, Billy nudged his nose against yours and nodded. “The entire population in Bumfuck, California will know you’re my girl by the end of the weekend,” he avowed, skimming his hands down to your ass to give it a firm squeeze. “I promise.”

“Oh, yeah?” You hummed, kissing him again.

His calloused hands slipped beneath your shirt and scraped up your side. “Yeah.” Digging his hips into yours, he gave you one last kiss before nodding towards the bedroom. “Take your clothes off.”

You giggled as he slapped your ass to steer you down the narrow hallway. “And if I don’t?”

“I’ll rip them off of you,” he simply said, “so either they remain in one piece or I ruin your outfit.”

You glanced down at your jeans and tank before frowning. You looked cute tonight and you’d be damned if the bastard ripped them. So, being the good girl you were, you held his stare and slowly slinked out of your clothes. His eyes seemed so much darker as he watched you strip and the small smirk he wore slowly fell into a hungry thin line as you then perched yourself on the edge of the bed, completely nude.

“You just going to stand there looking pretty or are you going to do something about this?” You slipped your fingers between your thighs and ran your fingers along your swollen clit. A low moan slipped out of your lips at the sensation. “I’m already so wet for you, Billy.”

Slowly, Billy stepped towards you and undid his belt. Leaning down, he kissed you, hard, and steered you backwards on the bed beneath you until your head reached the soft pillows. You could feel his cock straining against his jeans but rather than grant himself any sort of reprieve, you watched him gently grasp your hands and raise them above your head only to wrap his belt around your wrists.

In the blink of an eye, you were tied to the bedposts.

“Is this payback for the car blowie?” You laughed, looking up at your restrained wrists. “If it is, I can’t say I’m mad about it.”

“You wanted something between a horror movie and a niche porno, remember?” He hummed against your skin, placing sloppy kisses along the vein that ran along your neck as he pinched your nipple. “God, you’re fucking perfect. You know that?”

He bit down on your collarbone, kissing his way down your chest until his warm mouth wrapped around your nipple. You could feel his teeth slither along your breast as his tongue lapped expertly on the sensitive bud. You hissed, arching into his mouth as your wrists, on instinct, fought for freedom. “Hardly.”

His eyes met yours as he slowly released your nipple. You were in nothing, of course, but he was still fully clothed, and you hated him for it. You hungrily eyed the bulge in his jeans as he propped himself up on his arm, letting his other hand glide up your chest and neck until it cupped your cheek. His nose brushed against yours, nudging it up to allow his lips to hover just over yours. Close enough that you could almost taste them, but much too far away to satisfy the hunger you had for the man.

“I love you,” he whispered, thumb stroking the apple of your cheek as his warm, brown eyes swallowed you up. “You know that, right?”

“Yes,” you swallowed hard and tilted your head up just enough to finally catch his lips. But, just as quickly as it happened, the man pulled away and let his hand begin to roam down your body. His mouth was at your ear now, nibbling at your earlobe as his hot breath slithered against your neck. You shivered. “I love you, too.”

His voice was gruff in your ear. “I’d kill for you,” his hand continued its journey down your throat, brushing past your nipple, down the length of your stomach until reaching the small smattering of hair along your mound. He was careful to keep his hands from dipping any lower, tormenting you as best to his ability, which just about killed you, if you were being honest. “You know that?”

Bucking your hips up, you nearly growled at the lack of attention you were receiving. You were soaked and touch-starved for him. His fingers, his mouth, the erection currently poking into your thigh, anything. “I wouldn’t ask you to do that,” you managed a quiet laugh. “But I appreciate it.”

His teeth bit down on your neck again. “But, I would. I’d do anything for you, sweetheart.”

His hand slipped further down to your sopping cunt and as he slowly slipped his fingers through your wet folds, the moan he got in return nearly killed him. “Billy,” you whispered desperately. It felt as though you were going to die if you didn’t feel him inside of you. “Please.”

His lips hovered over yours and on instinct, you caught his bottom lip between your teeth and bucked your hips against his hand. He snarled as you bit down on his lip but as the metallic taste of blood met his tongue, it was as though Billy was transcending. His pace on your clit quickened but it was still too slow for you and he knew it. He was torturing you, killing you, and he was enjoying every second of it. Struggling against the belt, your struggle was all for naught as it didn’t so much as move an inch.

“You’d love me, no matter what, right?” He asked, slipping one of his fingers inside of you as he kissed his way down to your chest. Lapping at your nipple, Billy was gentle at first before biting down hard enough to draw blood. Tit for Tat.

“Yes,” you moaned. Your entire body was on fire as his fingers brought you closer to the edge. “But I’d love you even more if you fucked me. You’re killing me, Loomis.”

Licking up the small trail of blood off of your tits, Billy hummed against your nipple and added another finger inside of your pussy. He’d fuck you soon but right now, he needed to feel your entire body light up the way it always had when he drove you into that fit of madness. You were a woman unhinged in the bedroom, he knew as much, and he knew exactly how to get that animal inside of you out.

“You’re so fucking wet,” he admired, reaching his hand up to coat your tit in your own slick. When it was sufficiently wet, he licked your juices off of your breast and growled. God, you tasted so fucking good. “You’re my girl, Y/N, you’re always going to be my girl, right?”

You looked up at him as those words fell from his lips. His brown hair hung down his forehead, his neck red from the strain of having to watch you writhe beneath him without doing a damned thing about it. But what struck you was the look of vulnerability in those brown eyes. That longing, far-away look as his eyes searched yours.

He wanted nothing more than to hear you say that you wanted him. Needed him. Just as much as he needed you.

“Always,” the answer tumbled out of your lips before you so much as thought twice. “I’m your girl, Billy.”

His mouth caught yours in a bruising kiss. Finally, his pace quickened inside of you as met your throbbing core with his dept fingers. With his thumb circling your clit, he dipped two fingers inside of you and grinned against your mouth as you let out a low, desperate moan.

It happened so fast after that. One moment, you were the one tied up on the bed and the next, he’d released you, stripped himself naked, and managed to flip you over so that you were the one on top of him, straddling his waist. Pulling away from you mouth, Billy’s eyes darkened as he saw that familiar glimmer in your eyes. That animalistic side of you was out in full force now.

“Get up here.” He demanded.

You smirked and leaned across him so that your lips hovered over his. “Why would I want to do that?”

He leaned up, the veins in his neck swelled against his neck as he caught your bottom lip between his teeth. “Get. Up. Here.”

Releasing your lip, Billy watched you smirk and crawl up the remainder of his body until your pussy was less than an inch away from his mouth. Grabbing onto the metal of the headboard you’d just been tied up to, you gasped as Billy’s tongue slid into your folds. Finding your clit instantly, you moaned and allowed your eyes to fall shut as you reached down to play with your hardened nipples.

Fuck, what Billy could do with his mouth should have been illegal.

He sucked and lapped at your clit as you rocked back and forth against his mouth. His fingers dug into your hips, so much so that you knew there would be bruises in the morning but, blinded by the pleasure between your thighs, you couldn’t care less.  

The moans that were coming out of you were raw and guttural and, as you played with your own tits, envisioning his hands being the ones to squeeze and nip on the swollen buds of your nipples, you saw stars.

“Fuck,” you moaned out, “Billy, baby, fuck.”

He pulled your hips further down so that you were sitting on his face. Not just hovering but sitting on that perfect mouth of his as he held you in place. You knew it must have been hard for him to breathe but he was adamant and as his tongue continued its assault on your throbbing cunt, you came devastatingly hard and incredibly loud.

Stars danced behind your eyes as you continued to ride out your orgasm. When you couldn’t take another second of Billy’s skilled tongue, you climbed off of him only to feel his large hands take hold of your hips again.

Swinging you around so that you were on your back and he was the one hovering over you, Billy wasted no time in slipping his rock-hard erection into your soaking pussy.

He was thrusting hard and the sounds of your juices squelching with every thrust of his cock would have been off-putting if it hadn’t been for the raw, primal need coursing off of the pair of you in waves. He was kissing your lips and biting them and suckling your neck as he continued to rail into you with all of passion in the world. You weren’t sure you’d ever seen him this riled up and you had to admit it was inherently sexy seeing him so affected by you.

Not surprising in the least, it didn’t take him long to come. You’d riled him up to the point of no return in the car and, as you felt him come inside of you, you all but laughed when he dramatically crashed on the bed beside you.

Sweat glistened over every inch of body and the sheen of your juices was still on his lips as he kissed you. This kiss was slow, methodical. Sweet. And you felt yourself fall even harder for the man as he broke the kiss and gently brushed your hair away from your now damp forehead.

Wrapping one arm around your chest, Billy held you against him as he propped himself against the headboard. You were both naked and sweating and while a shower was something you both definitely needed, neither of you found yourselves all too willing to move out of the other’s embrace.

“Is it hard being back here?” You asked, listening to his heart beating in his chest.

“For a second, maybe,” he admitted, soothing your hair down. “Not now.”

“What’s changed?” You asked with a small smile. “The sex was that good, huh?”

A quiet chuckle shook his chest as he kissed the top of your head. “I think horror meets niche porn is my new favourite genre.”

Kissing his naked chest, you grinned into his body. “Same.”

[radiantmists]

ok i love all the increasing-hair-length headcanons for jon but imagine if he had somewhat long hair by the end of s3 and upon waking up from the coma finds that the hospital shaved it bc it was all burned in the explosion, and it didn’t grow back the whole time bc he was dead

in the first couple days basira sometimes catches him tilting his head with an odd look on his face and she thinks it’s some sort of beholding thing but when she finally asks he’s just like ‘my head feels so light without hair’

melanie regularly snaps at him for scratching at it while the stubble is growing out. she keeps scolding him after the bullet comes out, but it starts to gain a trace of fondness.

when daisy comes out of the coffin (a month after jon wakes up), her hair’s gotten ridiculously long and she can’t stand the weight of it or the feeling of it brushing against her skin, and she doesn’t want a pixie or something hard to maintain, so she gets a razor and buzzes it. jon sees it and stutters for a full minute trying to decide whether she’s more likely to kill him if he compliments it or if he doesn’t. then he’s completely derailed when she smiles and says ‘we match’

jon hasn’t been eating well, but daisy’s on a strict schedule to get her strength back and drags him into following it too, so his hair actually starts growing a bit better

on the trip up to ny-alesund, jon’s ears get cold way earlier than he’s used to, and they nearly miss the boat while he’s digging through his bag for his hat

the cap is hand-knit from soft maroon wool. jon had found it in a box with his cold-weather clothes and not remembered where he’d gotten it until he’d run a finger over the neat saxon braid and Known that Martin had tripled the cost limit of the office secret santa to buy the wool, justifying it by the fact that he wouldn’t use all the wool for the hat.

The rest of the wool, jon Knows, sits in Martin’s empty flat in the form of a woman’s sweater, never worn. 

jon keeps wearing the hat around the office afterward. when asked, he mutters something about drafts and basements. daisy finally makes him stop in july when a heat wave hits. 

after hilltop road, he thinks about asking daisy if they can match again. the tickle of hair on the back of his neck feels far too much like cobwebs and crawling legs. 

but: “i miss braiding,” daisy says one day, just before jon reads a statement. 

“my hair’s not long enough,” jon points out, which is not a no.

when he comes out of the statement-fugue, there are dozens of inch-long braids weighing against his skull. 

he leaves them in, and an old lady in the cafe across from the institute smiles at him when she sees them. to his eyes, there is fog curling around her ankles. he calls up the memory of callused fingers sliding through his hair while he reads, and tugs one short braid every time his feet want to get up and approach her.

his hair is the right length to easily hold shape by the time he finds out how to quit the institute. he runs his hand through it so much that when he bursts into martin’s office, it’s sticking up in about ten different directions. when he reacts to the comment on his appearance by talking about his eating habits, martin doesn’t correct him-- it’s not entirely wrong, after all.

jon pulls the cap back out as soon as september arrives, even though his hair mostly covers his ears now. he wears it into the lonely.

he keeps having to brush his bangs out of his eyes on the drive up to the safehouse. martin buys him a 50 pence pack of multicolored hairclips at a convenience store an hour outside of london, half expecting jon to turn up his nose. 

he’s not quite prepared for the fond smile Jon gives him, or for him to open the package and hand the brightest two clips back, tilting his head shyly in invitation

the first time martin sees a highland cow, he gasps so loudly and abruptly that jon pulls over to ask him if he’s alright. instead they get out to meet the cow, a wonderful shaggy thing with fur dripping into its eyes that tries to eat martin’s sleeve when he reaches out to pet it

‘maybe we should lend him a hairclip,’ jon jokes hesitantly. it’s not especially funny but martin gives him a chuckle, quiet but fond, and jon starts to believe that things might just be alright after all.

[plant-flwrs]

plant-flwrs masterlist!

updated immediately after a new fic is posted.

requests are temporarily closed

some guidelines: 

pronouns 

no incest/george x fred x reader

 no professor x student pairings

i write for just about any character in the hp universe, but if you’d like to make sure, just send an ask!

smut is marked with an asterisk (*)

HARRY POTTER - golden trio era

Fred Weasley:

House Unity: Dating a Ravenclaw would be a great stride in house unity, wouldn’t it?

Smiling Kisses: (requested) Your flirtatious friendship with Fred is taken to the next level after he tries to kiss you at breakfast.

Roller Skates: (requested)  The American transfer student draws attention to herself with her accent, but Fred is drawn to something else about her.

The Missing Piece: (requested) Fred with a bookworm, introverted reader

Rivalries As Old As Time: (requested)  Fred and George are usually united on everything, but Fred’s crush on Draco Malfoy’s sister is definitely something they disagree on.

Heart Of Glass:  (requested)  Fred broke up with you just before the war, and when he couldn’t find you after the battle cleared he thought you died. You’re alive and well, living as a celebrity among the muggle world. One night reunites you two, and neither of you can deny the feelings that spark.

Never Too Old For Fun: (requested)  Fred is caught in your snowball fight, and he can’t stop thinking about you afterwards.

Insecurities: (requested) You and Fred are hopelessly in love with each other, but you don’t believe him when he finally admits it.

The Bookshop: (requested) Fred discovers a quaint little bookshop with a gorgeous owner, who happens to be a Longbottom.

Bets Off: (requested) Fred makes a bet with George that entails fake dating you for at least a month. He never expected to fall in love with you.

Weasley Family Christmas Photos:  You’re included on the traditional Weasley family Christmas pictures.

The Map’s Findings: (requested) Harry and Ron think they’ve discovered a secret relationship between you and Fred. Little do they know, they’ve just been clueless to the obvious romance all around them.

Undetachable: (requested) Fred protects you during Bill and Fleur’s wedding

Lacquer: Fred asks you to paint his nails

Ruined Parties: Draco is a relentlessly overprotective brother who ruins all romantic opportunities for you.

Romeo and Juliet: Fred reads Romeo and Juliet and can’t help but fall in love.

George Weasley:

Sweet Treats: (requested) Stumbling into the kitchens late at night, thinking he wasn’t looking for anything in particular, he came across you. George realized you were exactly what he had been looking for.

Budding Romance: (requested)  George needs a tutor for Herbology, but has no plans on learning.

The Yule Ball: (requested)  “You didn’t want anything to do with this ball if George wasn’t with you, hell you didn’t want anything to do with life if George wasn’t with you.”

Drama: (requested)  You and Cho Chang never got along, and when push comes to shove, George gets to see just how angry you can get.

Studying: (requested)  Exams are stressing you out, but George always seems to be there to help you relax.

Mischief: (requested)  George falls for the mischievous pureblood Slytherin who couldn’t care less about blood status.

Family Is Complicated: (requested) The Weasley’s have never liked George’s girlfriend, and one snide remark makes George finally lose it.

Similar Shadows: (requested)  Living in the Malfoy shadow conditioned you to behave a certain way, avoid certain things. But, once your able to use the Quidditch pitch to finally prove you are something different than your last name, everything seems to fall into place. You even catch a certain Weasley’s eye.

Flushed: (requested)  George’s girlfriend never blushes, and it’s all he wants to see.

Essays Can Wait: (requested) George is just too cute to ignore, even if he’s trying to distract you from two huge essays.

Coward: (requested) George asks Alicia to the ball when he really wanted to ask you, but he makes it up to you.

Cat Person: (requested) You tell George you’re an animagus

*Late Night Rendezvous:  You and George sneak off to the library for some privacy *

A Secret Santa Proposal: George gets you the perfect secret Santa gift

Hedonism in High School: George Weasley joins your study group, even though he doesn’t need the studying.

Draco Malfoy:

Cologne: You smell Draco’s cologne in your Amortentia, and he notices your reaction.

Three’s a Crowd: sequel to Cologne! Cedric Diggory takes notice when Draco hasn’t officially asked you to the Yule Ball. Cedric only wants to make sure you don’t go alone ;)

Peachy:  Draco has always liked you, he just didn’t realize how much until you turned up to class with a hickey he didn’t give you.

Drunk: (requested) You and Draco are enemies until one drunken night leads to a confession of secret feelings.

Christmas Parties: You help Draco through his nerves about one of his parents’ Christmas parties.

Ruined Parties: Older brother Draco! (not romantic) Draco is a relentlessly overprotective brother who ruins all romantic opportunities for you.

Ginny Weasley:

Sun: Six years of being in love with Ginny Weasley. Watching her date boys and capture the attention of Harry Potter. Eventually, confessions are the only things left.

Luna Lovegood:  

Picnic:  Luna surprises you with a picnic.

Exploration: (requested) Luna helps you explore your feminine side.

Hermione Granger:

Library Confessions: (requested)  Hermione overhears you confessing your feelings about her.

Neville Longbottom:

Secret Admirer: (requested)  Your secret admirer also turns out to be your Herbology tutor.

Misc:

The Teenage Girl at 12 Grimmauld Place: Sirius has an overdramatic daughter who can’t help but interrupt The Order’s meeting.

Hermione Granger/Ginny Weasley:

Dreams Come True: Hermione felt like her feelings for Ginny wouldn't be a problem. She could manage. Until she had to spend the summer at the burrow.

HARRY POTTER - marauders era

Remus Lupin:

Under The Mistletoe: (requested)  Staying at Hogwarts for the holidays seemed like the best way to avoid distractions, but with the Marauders there, distractions are guaranteed. Especially when your crush on Remus proves to be incredibly distracting.

Wolfstar (Remus Lupin/Sirius Black):

Will The World Burn?:  Remus and Sirius and their blissful life surrounded by books, tea, rain, crumpled bedsheets, and each other.

Eternal Spring (Series Masterlist): Remus was fine being alone until a mysterious and loud man crashes his motorbike into Remus’ life.

Misc:

New Years Eve at The Order of the Phoenix Headquarters:   The Order of The Phoenix celebrates the new year.

Puppy Dog Eyes: James uses Padfoot in a failed attempt at flirting with you.

[3pirouette]

A Red, White, and Blue Christmas (12/?)

By: TriplePirouette/3Pirouette

Disclaimer: They’re not mine.

Distribution: AO3 Anyone else please ask first :)

Story Summary: White Christmas AU. Peggy is pulled from Project Rebirth, setting off a chain of events that leaves Steve and Bucky unharmed at the end of the War, but never having met. Until, that is, their paths cross as professional performers. Steggy Secret Santa gift for @roboticonography

Chapter 11: We Seem to be Getting a Little Mixed Up

Chapter Summary: And it gets more tangled.

Chapter A/N: I wrote this so fast after I figured out the last chapter, so I know I’m on the right track. This one gets fun. Though, I guess that depends on your definition of “fun.”

Updates will continue to be slow as I have limited time to work on this, but we are a lot closer to the end than the beginning.

~*~

The Colonel pulled his jeep to a stop at the station the next morning. “You’re sure about this, Carter?”

She’d spent the rest of the day avoiding everyone as she tried to sort out her feelings and emotions, and this was the only solution she could come up with as she dodged Angie and Bucky and especially Steve. She’d gone to bed early and slept in late to avoid having to talk to Angie again, and had her bag packed by the time rehearsal had started again. “As sure as I’ve ever been, I’m afraid.” She pulled a letter from her pocket after stepping from the jeep. “Give this to Angie, would you?”

He took the letter and stared at it. “I’m an asshole,” he started, not censoring his words in front of her, he knew she’d heard far worse come out of his own mouth plenty of times before. “I’m too gruff and I’m coarse and I’m not suited to owning an inn or being anywhere near showbusiness.” He looked up, eyes sincere. “But if this is about what I said to you and Rogers, well… I know you both pretty well and…” He shook his head. “I can’t believe I’m about to say this, but if there were ever two stubborn, pain in the ass, hard-headed idiots that were made for each other, it would probably be you two.” He groaned, looking down at his hands. “I think I just missed having someone to yell at.”

Peggy couldn’t help the laugh that fell from her lips. “I’ll take those descriptors as the compliments I know they are, sir.”

He smiled, just a little corner of a smile. “Get back in the car, would you?”

She felt her stomach roll at the thought of what lay before this sweet man. “Perhaps, you shouldn’t go to the show, sir.”

His smile turned hard, and he looked her over. “What do you know, Carter?”

She didn’t let her eyes waver from his gaze. “They’re showbusiness men, sir. They may have been soldiers before, but they’re showmen now. Don’t get caught in the crossfire.” The train whistle blew, pulling her attention for a second. “I have to go, but…” She leaned forward, impulsively, kissing his cheek. “Take care, Colonel.”

Chester Philips shook his head, putting his jeep back into gear as she hurried away, not even giving him the chance to rebut her assessment. “I’m gonna figure out what that skinny idiot did,” he muttered as he pulled away. “He always was the biggest pain in my ass.” He chuckled to himself as he pulled back on to the road. “She wasn’t far behind, though. Damn kids probably are some dumb kind of star-crossed soulmates.”

Phillips’s car turned on to the road just as Steve stepped out of the small station, conductor leading and making notes as they moved towards the tracks. “I really appreciate you helping us like this.”

“We’ll do our best to keep it quiet, Mister Rogers.” The conductor smiled up at him, finishing the last of his notes. “That’s three trains all together: one from New York, one from Philly, and one from Boston. I’ll get it all squared away with the traffic manager in the morning.”

The whistle blew again, and the “All Aboard” rang out loudly from the conductor as he moved to his post. Steve turned, ready to make his way back into the ticketing office to get his fare for the next day to New York squared away when he saw her. He watched, almost disbelieving, as Peggy handed her bag off and presented her ticket. It took longer than he was proud of to get his feet moving, and he must have called her name because she stopped and turned, hand gripping the rail as she stepped into the train car.

He couldn’t help his disappointment, watching as her face fell when she saw him, but he moved closer to her anyway, the noise of the train getting ready to depart almost too loud around them. “Peggy, where are you going?”

She looked past him. She wasn’t sure she could really look at him anymore. “New York. I’ve got a job.”

His brow knit tight. He was confused and concerned and a little lost. He’d spent most of the day before looking for her so they could hash it all out. “A job? You’ve got a job here.”

The clunk of the breaks disengaging sounded and Peggy finally looked right at him, eyes meeting his. She took his hand, shaking it. “Good bye, Steve. Good luck with the show.”

Later, on the train to New York, he’d think it was malice in her eyes. Later, he’d remember she’d said ‘good luck’ instead of ‘break a leg’ and wonder if she just forgotten the old superstitions or was really wishing him a bad time of it. Later, he’d wonder if there was sadness in her eyes, too. Now, he couldn’t think about any of that, he just wanted her to stay so they could figure out whatever all of this was, so they could just take a deep breath and talk about it. He’d never been good with women, not by a long shot, but he’d never been this confused about how he’d managed to put one off before, either.

“Peggy, if it was something I said,” he started, holding her hand tight in his and stepping forward as the train started to inch out of the station, “I’m sorry. Whatever it was, we can get to the bottom of it and fix it.”

“Goodbye.” Peggy pulled back, but he still gripped her hand.

“I didn’t mean it. I put my foot in my mouth all the time, just ask Buck, and—”

“Goodbye, Steve.” He let her pull her hand free, and she gripped the rail next to her tight as the train picked up speed.

He couldn’t hide the frown on his face as he jogged another few feet, “I was just so caught up in all of this, I…” He took a deep breath, slowing as the train picked up speed, Peggy moving farther and farther away from him. He knew she couldn’t hear him, but he asked the wind the question anyway, “What did I do?”

~*~

Bucky took Angie’s hand tight and spun her across the stage as the band practiced below them. “What do you mean she slept in?”

Angie switched hands, kicked high, and leaned away, waiting until he tugged her back in the choreography to answer as they rehearsed their number, only slightly breathless. “I mean she slept in. Went to bed early, slept in late, still under the covers when I left.”

He wrapped her in his arms and dipped her low. “I know I don’t know her that well,” he pulled her back up and slid away, “but, that doesn’t seem like her.”

Angie looked over her shoulder at him. “It ain’t.” She bounded back and jumped into his arms as the band brought the number to an exciting finish. “I’m worried.”

Bucky set her down, nodding towards Will and the band leader as he led Angie off stage so the next act could get their time with the band. “And she didn’t say anything?”

“Oh, she said plenty, and if she were some silly girl with a penchant for getting her heart broken, yeah, what she said would make sense.” Angie stopped at her small dressing table in the wings, setting her hip on it and crossing her arms as she talked to him. “But she ain’t. Peg’s the smartest, most rational woman I’ve ever met. It’s not like her to go to pieces like this.”

“Maybe it’s…” Buck stopped and shook his head.

“No, what? Any idea is better than no idea.”

“Do ya think, being around so many people from the service and her past…” He shrugged. “Lotsa guys can’t handle talking about the war. Maybe it’s no different for her.” He leaned his hands on the table, dropping his head. “Maybe all this talk about the ‘good old days’ and picking music from back then and this whole thing,” he swung his arm out, eyes darkening, “Hell, even just meeting me and Steve… Maybe it just brought up stuff she didn’t want to deal with.”

Angie leaned against him as she nibbled at her thumbnail. “Could be.” She took a deep breath, looking over at him from under her lashes, then let all come tumbling out. “I may have also, kinda, not on purpose… told her we were engaged.”

He swallowed slowly, eyes blinking furiously. “You… what?”

She pushed away from the desk, pacing, arms waving. “She was all over the place! Inconsolable! And she just kept saying she was worried about our future…”

“Contracts!” Bucky stopped her and turned her back to him, shaking her shoulders just a bit. “Why didn’t you just tell her about the contracts!”

“Well, I did, but she seemed… I don’t know, Bucky!” She pulled from his hands and resumed her pacing. “It wasn’t enough, and it sounded like she didn’t want to join the show and I needed something to get her to think she was okay to be out on her own and make decisions without me!”

He just watched her pace, still flabbergasted. “Engaged?”

“What?” she turned, offended. “Like it would really be that bad?”

His hands shot up as he took a step back, stuttering. “Now- n-now- don’t get any ideas, Angie. I’m not the marrying kind. I’m not even your type, ya said that when we first met!”

Angie nearly pounced, stepping up to him and pressing her hands to his chest. “It would just be an engagement!”

Bucky pried her hands off of him, eyes panicked. “I ain’t the engaging kind, either!”

Angie’s emotions turned, her smile drooping and eyes suddenly looking sad. “Would it be all that terrible, being fake engaged to me for a few days?”

“Well, no…” He turned her hands in his, holding them gently. “I do like you.”

“Of course, you do,” Angie started smiling again, looking out from under her lashes at him. “And you find me funny, and fun to be with…”

“Well, yeah, I mean…”

“And I’m not exactly repulsive.”

Bucky wasn’t proud of the way his voice cracked. “Of course not.”

Angie pulled away. “I panicked,” she admitted. “If you can stomach to play along…”

Bucky cleared his throat, looking out at the stage where Will was directing a set-change. “You don’t think this will make it worse? What if she is feeling bad about everything and now here you come, all happy and engaged and—”

“Well, it’s too late now.” She picked up her brush and played with the bristles, frowning. “We just gotta patch up what we can.”

“Come on,” Bucky tuned them towards the backstage stairs. “We’ll find Steve and we’ll get everything sorted out.”

They’d barely made it to the lobby before Jarvis managed to pop out, hand extended. “Miss Martinelli?” She looked up as he held out an envelope for her. “Mr. Phillips said to give this to you, Miss Carter gave it to him at the station.”

“The station?” she asked, taking it and opening it quickly.

He nodded, looking over at Bucky, eyes raking disapprovingly. “And Mister Phillips is looking for Mister Rogers, should you see him first.”

Bucky’s brow furrowed as the man stepped back to the desk, sharing a dark look with his wife behind it. “Steve was going to the station this morning, they should have run right into one another.”

“Oh, no.” Angie muttered, reading the letter.

He tried to read over her shoulder. “What is it?”

“Oh, shit. Shit on a shingle,” Angie cursed, turning to hand the letter to him. “You were right.”

“Angie,” Bucky read the letter out loud, “Seems you’re right, time has come to break up the act. I’m so happy for you. James--” He shook his head, “Why’s she gotta call me that?” he looked back down at the letter, “--is a great guy and you’re going to be very happy with him, performing on all of the big stages you’ve always wanted to play on. I’ve taken a job at the Stork Club in New York—”

Angie twisted her hands together, bouncing with anxiety. “Oh, I messed up so big.”

“Messed up what?” Steve’s voice floated through the room as he came in through the porch doors.

“Peggy’s gone,” Bucky supplied sharply, showing him the letter.

Steve shook his head. “Yeah, I know, I saw her getting on the train.”

“Did she say why, though?” Angie looked up at him, hopeful.

“No,” he shook his head, frustrated. “Just said she had a new job and—”

Mister Jarvis’ voice was soft, but cut through the room and caught them off guard. “Why, I can’t imagine her staying after…”

Steve moved cautiously, eyeing the man. “What?”

Jarvis turned back to the desk quickly, trying for all the world to look like he hadn’t been listening when they all knew he had. “No, nothing.”

“Whatever you know isn’t nothing.”

Ana flicked her intense eyes from Jarvis to Steve, her gaze sharp and intimidating. “He means to say after what you’re planning.”

“Darling, I don’t think--” Jarvis tried to stop her, leaning forward quietly, but Ana had other plans.

She rounded the desk swiftly, the sweet woman now a tornado as she moved into their space. “Oh no, Edwin, these boys are getting a piece of my mind. How dare you!” She pointed up into their faces as Angie looked on, “How dare you even think of something so rude and unfeeling! What do you mean to bring cameras here and embarrass the Colonel on live television?”

Steve’s double-take was almost comical as he and Bucky stuttered out half questions and talked over each other to try to get her to explain what she was talking about.

“You heard me!” Ana stopped their half coherent muttering, eyes full of fire. “What do you mean by that? My Edwin heard every word of you and that charlatan Tim Dugan planning on bring cameras here and televising the poor, forgotten colonel for free advertising!”

Steve’s face fell as soon as he realized what must have happened. “Oh… oh no.”

Ana was still going, though, her rant not nearly finished. “Oh yes, and while Miss Carter’s exit may be the polite way of saying that she’ll not play a part in this, well, I have no compunction, sir, of saying it straight to your face. And burning your ironing.”

Steve slowly held up his hands. “There aren’t going to be any cameras.”

Bucky leaned over, whispering in his ear, “What is she even talking about, Steve?”

Jarvis stepped up, aligning himself with his wife. “I heard it myself, sir, no need to deny it.”

“Dugan tossed it out as an idea, but I shut it down quickly. You must not have heard that part. Or the part where he apologized for even thinking it.” Steve tried to give them a smile, but they were both still stoic.

Bucky shrugged, still not entirely sure what was going on, but wanting to help anyway. “He did get the nickname Dum Dum for a reason.”

He let his smile fall, and appealed to their intelligence. “He was thinking like a broadcaster, not a military man. But we’re not doing anything like what you’re thinking. I promise. We’re using his show to get guys up here. Guests. Men from the 107th and their families. Nothing more.”

Ana gave just a little, though her eyes were still sharp. “So, you’re not televising the show?”

Steve shook his head, as tight strung as if he were dealing with a tiger. “Not at all.”

She side eyed him. “And you’re not going to make him a pitiful example?”

“Of course not.” Bucky chimed in. “We want to help him after everything he did for us- then and now.”

Jarvis began twiddling his thumbs, body language changing dramatically. “Well then, I fear that I have been the harbinger of quite the frightful miscommunication.”

“You’re not the only one,” Angie tossed out bashfully.

Steve held out his hand. “Wait a minute, so Peggy left because…”

Jarvis sighed. “Because I told her that you had conspired to make a fool out of the general.”

“But why didn’t she just ask if…”

“Because I confirmed it. Hell.” Bucky rubbed at the bridge of his nose. “I ran into her right after you made that call, which was right after the Colonel hollered at the two of you, and just started talking about how great the whole thing would be.”

“And then I… well, I didn’t make it any better.” Angie bit her lip. “I talked about it, too, because Bucky mentioned it and… I… I may have… told her Bucky and I were engaged.” Steve didn’t say a word, just looked back and forth between Angie and Bucky so she started to ramble. “I wanted her to know I was taken care of, and the contracts didn’t seem to do the trick and she was just going on and on about…” She shook her head, deflating. “She thinks I’m on some terrible plot to embarrass that poor man.”

Her words died as Steve shook his head and waved his hands. “Stop. Just… what made you think that would… No. You know what? I don’t want to know.” He paced the length of the room and back. “I’ll go talk to her at the Stork Club tomorrow on my way to Dugan’s show.” He shook his head, looking around the little circle of unwitting co-conspirators. “I’ll get it straightened out.”

“Sirs?” Will’s voice carried into the lobby, making them all turn. “Do you still want to do the run of the finale?”

“You know,” Steve muttered sarcastically as he pulled Bucky with him towards the barn, Angie following behind, “I don’t think this day could get any better.”

~*~

“I’ll make it just in time for the early show,” Steve said out loud to himself as he laid out his suit. “I can stop by the station to drop off my suit, then catch a cab over to the Stork Club then make it just in time.”

Bucky leaned against the wall, leg bouncing anxiously. “What are you going to say to her?”

“I don’t know,” he sighed, dropping his head. “Doesn’t really matter, I guess.”

“She was a spy,” Bucky started, trying to rationalize the situation. “Shouldn’t she know better than to take a rumor and—”

“We’re not in the middle of a war, Buck!” He looked up, pointing. “None of us should ever have to go back to what we were doing back then, to what we had to do to just stay alive.” Steve’s voice was louder than just conversation, and it made the silence after he spoke seem far too quiet.

Bucky looked away in the heavy moment. “So, all this going back to ‘then’ is starting to mess with you, too, huh?”

“Not that I need sleep,” he started, sitting heavily on the bed.

“Been years since I’ve had some of these nightmares,” Bucky admitted, looking at the floor. He laughed, sharply and humorlessly. “Guess we really should have gone to New York, huh?” He nearly whispered his next words. “We could always take the finale out.”

“No,” Steve shook his head. “It’s just about the only thing we advertised. People who come will be looking forward to it.” He got very quiet for a long moment, fingers rubbing up and down his thigh. “She was struggling, too,” Steve said softly. “Said she’d never really talked about it with Angie, or anyone. I thought it was good she had someone to talk to, you know?” After a long second he slapped his thighs and stood. “I should get going.”

“Jarvis said he’d take you to the station whenever you’re ready.” Bucky shrugged, smirking again. “I’d take you, but there’s still a lot to be done with the show if we’re going to open tomorrow.”

Steve nodded, smiling at the gentle ribbing he was getting. “Sure, sure. Now you’re bellyaching about the show.” He picked up his suit bag and turned. “Listen, you’ve got a job to do, make sure you do it, ok?”

Bucky nearly pushed him out of the cabin into the morning air. “Yeah, yeah. I know. Don’t get distracted, don’t forget.” He smiled, walking with Steve towards the front of the resort. “I’ve already recruited some friends to help.”

[mskatesharma]

Anthony is lounging on the sofa, stretched out and content after a long day. He and Kate have no plans that evening, and he is looking forward to vegging out with some Netflix. He’s also hoping that he can convince her to order in, knows that they’ve both had long days at work, and the last thing Anthony wants to do is inspect the contents of the fridge and have to come up with a meal.

He feels lips press to his forehead, and Anthony closes his eyes as he breathes in his favourite scent of soap and lillies. He will never admit it to anyone other than Kate, but he adores forehead kisses, and the way they make you feel loved and adored all at once. Her lips linger, and Anthony revels in the warmth that spreads through him.

Kate removes her lips and Anthony opens his eyes, the curve of his mouth immediate as his vision is filled with Kate’s face, upside down as she looks at something on the other end of the sofa. Not that Anthony minds of course as he leans his head back a little further; from this vantage point and Kate’s current position bending over him, he has a fantastic view down the front of her loose T-shirt.

He’s just about to make a comment that’s sure to earn him a blush when Kate speaks first. “Are you wearing my socks?”

Anthony’s eyes immediately swivel down to his feet which are currently adorned with a pair of socks. Socks which he may or may not have taken from Kate’s drawer. “I don’t believe so, no.”

“Anthony.”

“Katherine.”

“Ant.”

“Kat.”

“Tony.”

“Katie.”

“Anton.”

“Kathy.”

“Anthony!” Her face has steadily got closer to his; her nose is practically touching his forehead. “Those are my socks!”

“Hmm, I must ask for proof Ms Sharma.” Before he’s even finished speaking, Kate makes a move towards his feet. Just as she rounds the corner of the armrest, Anthony snags an arm around her waist and pulls her on top of him. Her squeals are music to his ears, and he leans his head up to bury his nose in her hair.

“Anthony!”

“This is much better.”

“Ugh, let me go!” She wriggles against him, but Anthony just holds tighter. “And take my socks off! Why are you even wearing them?”

“Stop wriggling. And I think you’ll find these are my socks. They were gifted to me.” Kate manages to wrestle an arm free, and slides it under her back and pinches Anthony’s stomach. “Ow.” He holds her tighter still, trapping her arm in an awkward position.

“UGGHH.” Anthony revels in the struggle. “And you let me have them because you didn’t like them!” Anthony supposes that Kate is correct; he had received the socks at Christmas in the Bridgerton family Secret Santa, no doubt by a sibling determined to piss him off.

It’s not that they’re novelty socks, in fact, Anthony appreciates a good novelty sock. It’s just that this particular pair is covered in corgis, and while Anthony used to have no particular thoughts regarding corgis, that changed when Kate had been introduced to his life; Kate and her dog Newton.

His siblings had taken to exclusively referring to Anthony as corgi dad, or Newton’s Papa. It had started before he and Kate had even began dating, when Newton had run off during a walk, and it had ended with Anthony somehow dumped in the Serpentine. Anthony had been positive that the dog had done it on purpose. He can still picture Kate trying her hardest not to laugh at the picture he’s sure he made, and failing miserably, while trying to tell him that Newton was just effusive about life. He hadn’t been convinced, especially when a soggy Newton had trotted over and shaken out his fur right in front of him.

“I think they happen to look rather fetching, wouldn’t you agree?” He wiggles his toes for effect.

“Hmm no, I wouldn’t. Take. Them. Off.”

“Don’t think I will.”

“Anthony, your fat feet are going to stretch them out!” He loosens his grip just enough to flip them over, Kate’s face smooshed against the pillow his head has just been resting on. He smooths her hair out of the way and lays a kiss on the back of her neck. Kate awkwardly swats at him in response. “Anthony!”

“Fat feet? I think you know that my feet are in proportion to the rest of my body, thank you.”

Her breaths are heavy from the slight exertion, and her voice muffled by the cushion. “Well they’re still going to stretch the socks. Your toe is going to poke a hole through them! Take them off.” She tries to arch her back in an effort to dislodge him, but Anthony simply drops his hips a little more. He leans down to her ear.

“Stop struggling Kate.”

“Get off me then.”

“Only when you admit these are my socks.”

“You don’t even like them!”

“I think seeing them on your cute feet has made me jealous, and I realised what I’ve been missing out on.” He hears her scoff. “Maybe I should have been leaning into this whole corgi dad thing the whole time?”

“So should I get you a cap, to go along with the shirt?”

“Absolutely! I would like to have a matching set.” Kate stops struggling at his words. “I think it’s beyond time I accept Newton’s place in my life.”

“What are you up to?”

“I’m not up to anything.”

“I don’t believe you.”

“So untrusting Ms Sharma. Has anyone ever told you that?”

“Where you’re concerned, one can’t be too suspicious.” He leans down to kiss her neck again, and is momentarily distracted by lillies. Kate must sense this.

With a move that Anthony will put down to the regular pilates, Kate somehow manages to turn herself over while also ensuring Anthony falls off the sofa. She peers down at him, an undignified heap on the floor, victoriously.

There’s a low growl in his throat at the look on her face. How is he supposed to resist the provocation that is her expression; as though she has utterly bested him and is reveling in her triumph.

“The absolute most I am willing to say is that I may have taken these socks from your designated drawer.”

“So you do admit you pilfered them then?!”

“I didn’t say that.”

“You just said you took them from my drawer.”

“I didn’t say they were your socks though.”

“Anthony!”

“I would be willing to give them back, but I want something in exchange.”

“You are in no position to be asking for things. You stole my socks.”

“You know they’re mine-”

“And you let me have them.”

“HOWEVER, I would be willing to cede possession to you for one thing.”

Her eyes narrow. “Ugh, what would that be?”

“Move in with me.”

“Anthony-” He knows what’s coming, it’s been a sore in their relationship for a few weeks now. He understands her concerns; how she doesn’t want to move too fast because they haven’t even been dating for a year yet, how she’s worried that people at work will talk and say she only gets the cases she does because she’s sleeping with the boss’s best friend.

He also knows that deep down, she’s worried that at some point, Anthony will turn around and tell her it’s all been a mistake. And while Anthony would love to show her the contents of the small jewellery box he has hidden in a hollowed out tax manual, he figures getting her to move in with him would be the best place to start. He takes her hand in his.

“Look I know what you’re going to say, but, would it be really that bad?” Her expression softens, and Anthony loves how his heart clenches. “I just...I just really miss you when you’re not here. I know we spend most nights together anyway, I just wish, it was more than that. I want all your stuff mixed in with mine. I want it to be every night, and I hate it when I go to sleep or wake up those times you’re back at your flat, instead of in my bed with me. I’m even willing to get Newton that ridiculous dog bed that Colin found. I want to share my life with you, I mean everything, and I just, I want to be near you all the time.”

He can see the tears welling in her eyes, and feels his own prick in response. “What I was going to say before you so wonderfully interrupted, was my tenancy is up in two months, and I don’t think I want to renew it. Because you see, my boyfriend has been bugging me to just move in with him, and my excuses have been half-hearted at best. I’ve been silly, because really, if I think about it properly for more than a second, then I want all those things too.”

He notices her eyes overflow, and then he’s off the floor and laying Kate back on the sofa, covering her body with his as he kisses away the tears.

“I love you so much.”

“I love you too, so much.” He’s about to lean down and kiss her like he’s been wanting to since he stole a look down her top, but she stops him with a finger to his lips.

“We will resume our conversation regarding the stolen property currently residing on your feet after our interlude here. I hope you didn’t think sweet words and the relationship milestone would cause me to forget?” Her eyebrow is raised and a thrill shoots up Anthony’s spine.

His smirk is automatic, and from the way she mirrors his expression, he knows she’s enjoying this too. “Of course not. I look forward to your desired retribution."

[lexosaurus]

Pink Astronaut

This is my secret santa gift for Anectoplasm on discord! Happy holidays, and I hope you enjoy!

Characters: Danny/Paulina Genre: Fluff Word Count: 4549 Summary: To Paulina's dismay, she and Danny Fenton must work together on their English final project.

Read on [ao3] [ffn]

---

It was Lancer’s fault, really. 

He assigned the class a partner-project for their final presentation, but being the annoying teacher he was, he had decided it was imperative that the students  were assigned to pairs of his choosing. Aka, no working with friends.

Paulina tried her best. Truly, she did. She batted her eyelashes and put on her most polite tone when she said, “Pretty please with extra whipped cream and a cherry on top, can I work with Star instead of Loser Fenton?” 

But, to her utter dismay, Mr. Lancer was a brick wall. No amount of wit nor charm could change his rubric, and so Paulina relented in a very much not dramatic final sigh as she resigned herself to be Danny Fenton’s English partner for the coming weeks.

Fenton was...well, he was weird. His parents hunted ghosts, he always slept through class, he was clumsy, and Paulina knew that in middle school Fenton was just like all the other boys who saw her as nothing more than a pretty face.

And that annoyed her to her core. She was a human, damn it! She had her own wishes and dreams and goals in life. Although she wasn’t vocal about it, she wanted to be a journalist when she was older. The kind that made it to shows like 60 Minutes, reporting on amazing stories from all around the world. She wanted to travel, she wanted to meet people, and she wanted to be the best at it. 

She was still a long way off from that now though. First, she needed to survive through this stupid English project with that weird nerd who had gone through a not-so-secret crush on her before.

Though, when she looked his way now, Fenton didn’t look all too thrilled to be partnered with her either.

She would have called it odd, but that had been their dynamic for a little over a year now. She guessed that Fenton finally got the hint and dropped his love struck puppy act. Maybe he and Sam had finally confessed their undying love to each other. 

It was probably for the best.

Fenton made no move towards her, instead choosing to stare dully into his notebook.

Paulina rolled her eyes and slid from her chair. She strode over to his desk, throwing a hand on her waist and looking down at him with an expression she knew would yield no arguments. “Alright, my house or yours?” 

“Huh?” Fenton said, recognizing a little too late that she was there.

“For the project? The one we were just assigned? Hello, Earth to Commander Fenton! My house or yours today?”

“Today?” Fenton blinked. “You wanna start today?”

Paulina narrowed her eyes. “Why, got something better to do?”

“Well—it’s just—”

“I’ll come over at four. I’ll be at cheer practice till then. If you want anything from Starbucks, just text me before then. I know Manson has my number, you can get it from her.”

She left him sitting dumbly in his chair. No one was getting in the way of her and that A, especially not some nerd who couldn’t even bother to care about school.

But, to Paulina’s surprise, Fenton actually opened the door for her when she showed up to his house that afternoon. Half of her expected him to blow her off, just ghost her and leave her to do all the work. And yet, he brought her into his kitchen, got out his notebook, and got right to work.

It was unnerving to see him so studious. She remembered Fenton as a nerd in middle school, but everyone knew about the absolute nose-dive his grades took once he got to high school. It wasn’t exactly a secret, what with him skipping class every other day.

The duo parted ways with a promise to meet up again over the weekend. Again, to Paulina’s pleasant surprise, he actually texted her to confirm their plans. And when Paulina stepped into the Starbucks that Saturday afternoon, Danny was already sitting at a table waiting for her, his notebook out and the project rubric between his fingers.

This much good luck was sure to run out, but Paulina just hoped that Fenton could last another few weeks before he inevitably dropped the ball.

Except, that never happened. Each time they set up plans to work on their presentation, Fenton would show up, he would focus on the work, and they’d part ways with plans to reconvene later. It was uncanny. It was so unlike everything Paulina had come to know of Fenton through these months.

And Paulina wondered if maybe, just maybe, this was who Fenton really was. 

Under all those disciplinary actions, the dropped beakers, the tardies, the unfinished assignments and failed grades, if this was hidden underneath.

So then that begged the question: why didn’t he show this side of himself more? Why was he failing if he was clearly capable of doing the work?

And so Paulina sat there, just a week before they were set to give their presentation, scrutinizing Fenton’s features as he recited a passage from the book they were analyzing. She noted the bags under his eyes, the bruise on his cheek, the way his face seemed to tighten every time he coughed.

He had arrived a few minutes late that day, and she remembered how he entered the classroom, his gate just a little too stiff to be natural.

Someone had hurt Fenton, Paulina realized. Someone had beat him up.

For reasons she didn’t know, hot anger flashed over her. Someone beat up Danny, a kid who was clumsy and could be a bit slow on the uptake, but someone who Paulina had come to understand was a rather kind and gentle classmate.

Yet someone didn’t care.

So the next day, maybe she stormed up to Dash a little too aggressively to demand, “What the hell did you do to Fenton?”

There was Dash, right on queue with his cocky laugh and a, “That nerd had it coming to him!”

“Are you kidding me?” Paulina yelled. “A week before our English final presentation and you punch Fenton across the face? Are you stupid?”

Dash’s smile dropped instantly, “Whoa, whoa, whoa! Paulina, I didn’t—”

“You know how much this class matters to me, Dash! You know I wanna move up to honors next year! I can’t do that if you’re giving my English partner a goddamn concussion while we’re preparing to present!”

“Paulina!” Dash grabbed her arm.

“No!” Paulina ripped her arm away. “Don’t touch me, and don’t fucking sabotage—”

“I didn’t beat Fenton up!” Dash shouted. 

Paulina’s eyes narrowed. 

Dash held his hands up in a surrender. “I swear I didn’t beat him up. Ask Kwan if you don’t believe me. Honestly, I haven’t touched him in months. The—the coach told me that if I did well in school this year, I’d probably get recruited to college. I didn’t want to risk Fenton messing that up. I swear!”

Paulina stared at him for a moment, waiting for him to crack. But Dash’s panicked face held.

“Whatever.” She whipped around. “Tell your stupid friends to keep their hands off my project partner.”

“Consider it done!”

Paulina stormed off, ignoring the wide stares from her peers and the whispers of, “Did she just defend Fenton?”

She tried to block them out. They weren’t important. Her grades were important, her future was important, but those idiots? No, they meant nothing to her.

That afternoon, Danny was early. He was sitting there in the empty classroom when Paulina walked in, his head down to his paper, and didn’t even look up when Paulina gave her cheerful, “Hello!”

Well...that was weird. Sure, a few weeks ago, Danny mostly ignored her cheerful greetings in favor of getting ahead on the project, but Paulina liked to think that a mutual respect, or—god forbid—a friendship had been forming between the duo.

“Oof, cold shoulder? So not your speed, Danny,” Paulina said, plopping down to her seat.

Danny tensed, “I...uh, sorry. I’m tired.”

“Sheesh, alright.” Paulina slid her notebook out. “So we were working on the symbolism slide of the powerpoint, right?”

“Yeah,” Danny passed his notebook over to her. “I started parsing through the book at lunch today and found some good passages. Take a look.”

Paulina went to study the paper, but something else caught her eye.

Something on his arm.

Something that looked like a burn.

“Danny?” Paulina stared wide-eyed at the space of molten skin between his sleeve and hand. “What the hell happened to your arm?”

“Oh, I—” Danny slipped his arm under the desk. “I, uh, sorry. You see—”

“Whoa!” Paulina only caught a glance of his face before he ducked down again, but that split-second was enough. “What the hell? What happened to you?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Paulina saw red. “Oh, that idiot! I’m gonna kill him!”

Danny looked up, the multicolored patchwork of skin on his face finally fully visible to Paulina. “Kill who?”

“Oh, look at you! That asshole!”

Fenton winced. “Am I...am I missing something here?”

“I’m gonna kill Dash!”

“...Dash?” 

“I told him this morning to keep his hands off you! I made that asshole promise to me, and I told him to pass the message along to his stupid friends too!”

Something in Danny’s expression softened. “You told off Dash?”

“Well of course I did!” Paulina said hotily. “You’re my project partner! What kind of person would I be if I let you get hurt?”

“Oh well…” A smile quirked on Danny’s lips. “Thanks for that, but it wasn’t Dash.”

“Well then who was it? I’ll kill them.”

“I don’t think that’ll be necessary.”

“You’re right, death would be too generous. I’ll just destroy their reputation instead!”

A bemused look overtook Danny’s face. “Yeah, I have no doubt you would.”

“Tell me right now, Fenton. Tell me who did this and I’ll make them pay. You won’t have to worry about them ever again once I’m finished with them.”

“Oh, I…” The smile fell from Danny’s lips. “It wasn’t anyone. I just...fell.”

“You what?” Paulina’s voice rose in disbelief.

“Yeah, you know how clumsy I am.” Danny rubbed the back of his neck with his hand. He laughed awkwardly, but the smile didn’t reach his eyes. “I just—you know. I was walking in the hall, fell down some stairs, hit the stair rail at the bottom. Just typical weirdo Fenton stuff! Nothing you need to destroy anyone over.”

“Don’t play with me. You didn’t fall.”

“I did fall though! It was...yeah, you know how it is. I was walking and talking at the same time and just slipped and fell! Ah, stupid Fenton, am I right? Just always...falling.”

Paulina’s glare was hollow. “How dumb do you think I am, Danny?”

Danny froze, his rambling stuttering off into a tense silence. “What?”

“I said—” Paulina rose from her chair. “—just how dumb do you think I am?”

“Uh, sorry. I’m sorry. Look, I think we may have gotten on the wrong topic here.”

“No!” Paulina slammed her hand down on Fenton’s notebook. “This little tirade? This sham you’ve been pulling for the past two years? It’s bullshit, Danny, and you know it.”

“I don’t—I don’t know—”

“Yes, you do know! You know exactly what I’m talking about,” Paulina hissed. “We’ve been working together for weeks now, and you think you can just sit here and say you fell? To me?” 

“Well, sue me, Paulina!” Danny snapped. “Why do you even care, anyways? We’re not exactly friends.”

“Because you’re my project partner! Your grade is my grade, idiot!”

“Gee, I’m glad you only care about people when it affects your grade.” Danny shoved his notebook into his bag. “What an amazing quality to have.”

Paulina stepped back as if she’d been slapped. “That’s not true!”

Danny ignored her reaction, instead choosing to angrily zip up his backpack. “In case you haven’t noticed, your boyfriend’s been beating me up since we were five. I’m not sure why you’ve decided to care now, but if you want something to be mad at, maybe try being mad at the years of shit I’ve taken from you and your friends.” 

Paulina stood there seething as Danny pushed past her and stocked off into the hallway, slamming the classroom door shut behind him.

There was the Fenton she’d come to know in high school, this was the Fenton she remembered. The one who avoided questions, who put himself down to avoid suspicion, who left in the middle of class without saying anything, who no one could rely on.

But, perhaps more now than ever, Paulina could see just how much of a sham this whole act was.

Just how much he was using this face to protect himself.

But from what? From who?

Paulina tried not to dwell too much on the bruises, especially since they were gone the next day and didn’t reappear for the rest of the week. Of course, Dash swore up and down that he had nothing to do with Fenton’s appearance, and Paulina believed him. Dash could be a bit bullheaded, but he was still one of her closest friends.

For the remaining week they had to put their presentation together, Danny kept to himself, and so did Paulina. Whatever semblance of a friendship they’d built had disintegrated, and both parties seemed content to let it fall.

It made sense, logically speaking. Paulina was popular, Fenton wasn’t. Paulina was an extrovert, Fenton was an introvert. Paulina thrived in attention, Fenton shied away from it. They were like oil and water, a friendship just wasn’t possible.

The presentation day came, and the two spoke with confidence that could only have come from weeks of preparation. Paulina couldn’t help but glow under Mr. Lancer’s impressed nod. Their high marks from the project were enough to fulfill Paulina’s recommendation to the honors English course for the next fall.

And then the school year came to a close and finally, after months of hard work, they could finally relax.

But not before they celebrated first.

One of Dash’s good friends, Dale, had taken it upon himself to host the massive end of the school year party for the rising junior class at Casper High that year. His parents, being the weird sort of chill parents they were, offered up their lake house with the promise that there would be no drinking and driving.

The teens were ecstatic. 

Everyone—everyone—went to the party. Jocks, nerds, band geeks, theatre kids, every clique was represented at the lake house. And why wouldn’t they come? It was the end of the school year celebration! A time to rejoice in having survived another round of homework, tests, quizzes, and essays.

It was also a time where Paulina was once again reminded that yes, the theatre kids could in fact go shot-to-shot with the football team.

Fenton was there with his little group, but Paulina paid them no mind. This wasn’t the time to be worried about him, nor was it the time to feel any sort of guilt at the way their budding friendship just collapsed. She had her friends, why add another?

And it was just preposterous to imply that she missed Fenton.

Because she didn’t.

And yet, when the night was drawing to a close, Paulina somehow managed to find herself down by the lake where a skinny, black haired teen was sitting alone.

She stood behind him, unsure if she wanted to initiate contact. He’d made it clear from their last argument that he still held years of resentment towards her and her friends, and Paulina knew from experience that all that resentment couldn’t go away in one alcohol-filled night.

She turned to walk away, but something stopped her. Before she could question what she was doing or why, she found herself sitting down on the damp grass next to him.

“What are you doing out here?” Paulina asked.

“Oh, uh, hey Paulina! Fancy seeing you here.” Danny gave her a small wave.

“You too.” Paulina stretched her legs out in front of her, leaning back on her hands. “Some party, right?”

“Yeah, Dale was really nice to host this.”

“He’s a great guy. His parents too.”

“I bet.” Danny said. “How are your friends holding up?”

“Well, let’s see. Star just spent a half hour trying to convince me that aliens exist, and Dale’s currently comforting Kwan who saw a video of a puppy rescue on the side of the road and started crying, so I’d say they’re holding up pretty well.”

Danny guffawed. “No way!”

“I swear!” Paulina laughed. “This isn’t even the first time something like this has happened either. I swear, every other time we drink, Kwan always ends up in a corner somewhere watching animal videos on his phone and crying at how precious the animals are and ‘please, Paulina, can’t we just adopt one?’ He’s gonna be the death of me one of these days.”

Danny giggled, his laugh light and airy. Paulina watched him, amazed that they were able to just start talking again as if their fight had never happened.

“So what about you?” she asked. “What happened to your clan?”

“Sam had to drive Tucker home. He got too overconfident in pong.”

She snorted. “Dash is the same. He’s always like, ‘one more round, I’m gonna crush it this time’ and then twenty minutes later I find him asleep in a bathtub or something.”

“Dash drunk sleeping in a bathtub? Oh, that’s a sight I’d like to see.”

“I can assure you that photos exist.”

“The perfect blackmail.” Fenton shot her a grin. “Remind me to get one of Tucker next time he does something stupid.”

“And what makes you think you won’t be right there on the floor with him?” Paulina sassed.

“Hah! You’re probably right!” His smile fell, and he looked at her questioningly. “Hey, will your boyfriend be okay with you out here with me?”

“Oh, Dash? He’s...actually not my boyfriend.”

“Wait, what?” Danny jolted upright. He spun around to face her. “But I thought—”

“Yeah, everyone does. But we’re not dating.”

“Then why don’t you say something? Squash all the rumors?”

Paulina averted her gaze back onto the lake. It was a gorgeous night. Stars speckled the sky in a spectacular display, illuminating the Milky Way behind them. Amity Park was too industrious to see the galaxy, and Paulina couldn’t help but marvel at its sight. 

It was gorgeous. Vast. It seemed to never end. She remembered reading somewhere that the Milky Way could only be seen if there was no moon out.

Luck must have been on her side that night.

“Unless...you don’t want to.” Danny’s voice dawned a tone of realization. “But why?”

“I got tired of it all,” she admitted, her honesty surprising herself. “Guys only wanted to talk to me because they thought if they were nice enough, I would get in their pants or something. I got accused of friendzoning more people than not. Honestly, it was so annoying. I felt everyone saw me as some stupid object. So when the rumors started going around this year that Dash and I were dating, and a lot of guys in our grade started backing off, I just...didn’t fight it. I thought maybe finally everyone would see me as a person. Maybe people would take me seriously.” Her gaze dropped. “I don’t know if it worked, but at least now people don’t see me as some sort of prize so much anymore.”

Danny was silent for a moment, and Paulina immediately regretted her admission. Maybe it was the alcohol loosening her lips, but she doubted Fenton of all people cared. They weren’t even friends.

One side of her wanted to get up and leave, go back to her friends inside the house, but the other side of her was too embarrassed to move.

“That makes sense, honestly,” Danny finally responded.

A wave of relief washed over her.

“And I’m sorry that there was a time where I couldn’t see past your looks too. I was young, but that’s still not an excuse.” He shifted. “I’ve had some...things happen the past year, and they’ve really taught me a lot about judging a book by its cover.”

“What kinds of things?” Paulina said, hoping her voice didn’t betray too much curiosity.

There went that hand behind his neck again. He was nervous, Paulina noted.

“Oh! Uh...it’s a long story, but I just wanted to say that I understand. I get what it feels like to be judged based on surface-level stuff. I mean, Paulina, you’re really smart. I don’t know if I told you this, but I’m really glad we ended up partners on that English project. I would have been so screwed with anyone else.”

“Thanks, Danny,” she said, trying to fight the blush that she knew was tinting her cheeks. “I’m sorry for being nosy at the end there. I didn’t mean to corner you like that. It was really stupid of me to pry when you obviously didn’t feel like talking.”

“No!” he exclaimed “No, don’t apologize! I was just being sensitive. Honestly, I knew I looked like shit.” He sighed, running his fingers through his hair. “Look, I didn’t fall obviously. I wasn’t trying to play you, I just panicked. But...I’m okay now, really.”

He looked at her, and Paulina noted how his blue eyes seemed to dance under the light of the stars. How he sat up straighter, his shoulders rolled back and head held high. How yes he was thin, but not scrawny like he was back in freshman year of high school. He seemed toned, lithe, almost like a gymnast. 

Danny had definitely grown up in the past two years, but then again, so had she.

“I’m glad you’re okay, and I’m also glad I got to be your English partner too,” she said.

They sat by the lake watching the stars until the chill of the crisp spring air began to set in Paulina’s bones. She left Danny in favor of the warm house, but not without saying, “I’ll text you sometime.”

The summer came, and the ever so slightly intoxicated promise to hang out slipped Paulina’s mind. After all, she had months of sleep to catch up on. 

Fortunately for her, Danny remembered. 

It was a silly text, a meme about Shakespear. Paulina responded with the appropriate emojis, and tried to convince herself that the smile she wore was due to the funny image, and had nothing to do with the boy who sent it.

And a week later, he sent another one. This time, Paulina asked to grab a coffee with him. Catch up.

To her surprise, Danny agreed. They met up at the Starbucks and what Paulina thought would only be a quick catch-up session turned into a three hour long hangout. 

Despite his awkward demeanor, Danny was rather talkative. Especially when the topic revolved around space. Apparently, he wanted to work for NASA someday. He said it came from a childhood dream of becoming an astronaut, but overtime his interests shifted into rocket design and engineering. It helped that—according to Danny—his dad had built the equivalent of an ecto-rocket in his basement.

Paulina confessed that she wanted to work for 60 Minutes someday as a journalist. She dreamed of traveling around the world, collecting stories and meeting people. She explained that as a kid, she used to have to travel around the world for her dad’s work before he finally settled in Amity Park. And although she’d been living in Amity for years now, a part of her still missed those days where she was constantly exposed to new countries, languages, and cultures.

Danny listened attentively, reacting at the appropriate times and pressing for questions whenever she would trail off. Even though he had a reputation of never paying attention to teachers, he seemed to genuinely enjoy listening to her.

Eventually they parted ways, but they promised to hang out again. 

And again they did.

And again.

Again.

There were some topics that Danny seemed to skirt around, such as why he sometimes would show up bruised, or why he seemed to struggle to stay in class despite his dreams of working for a prestigious agency like NASA.

But Paulina was willing to ignore those demons because she liked Danny, and she didn’t want to say anything that would push him away. And, despite their differences, he seemed to like her back.

Summer drifted to fall, the leaves started to turn, and soon it was too cold to hangout outside. 

Which was how they found themselves here, in Danny’s room, laying on Danny’s floor watching Youtube videos, their math homework long since abandoned beside them.

It was a nerdy video, one about bizarre planets that existed in space. One that Paulina would never have watched on her own, but Danny seemed positively riveted at. 

His eyes were bright and attentive, and every so often he’d point to the screen and go, “Look!” as if Paulina wasn’t watching the same video.

It was...adorable.

His excitement rivaled a child on Christmas. And as interesting as the video was to watch, Danny was even more so.

The video ended, but Paulina hardly noticed. All she could see was the grin on Danny’s lips, the freckles dotting his cheeks, the way his hair sat on his head like a soft cloud.

“So? What did you think?” Danny asked.

“Cute,” Paulina responded. “You’re cute.”

Danny blinked, his mouth turning to a little “o” shape as red tinged his cheeks. He started to stutter, to try to brush Paulina off, but she held onto his shoulder and said, “Danny, I think you’re cute.”

“Oh,” he said, his eyes wide. “I think you’re cute too.”

Paulina closed the gap between them, closing her eyes. His lips felt soft against hers, and her heart fluttered in her chest. Her hands trailed up to his hair, and she curled her fingers through his soft hair.

He was gentle, as if he were afraid to hurt her, and his skin felt cool against her own. Secretly, Paulina had always loved that about Danny, the fact that his body temperature seemed to run lower than normal. And now she could cherish this all to herself.

Danny’s hand wrapped around her back, gently pressing her closer. His touch was electric, and Paulina could have melted right there. She pressed further against him, deepening the kiss.

They stayed in each other’s arms, enjoying the moment for just a few moments longer before Danny pulled back. He looked at her, his eyes sparkling, and said, “You’re beautiful.”

There were some things Paulina didn’t understand about Danny. There were some things he was still closed off about, things he didn’t want to speak about. And eventually, Paulina would bring those things up, she would get answers. Eventually, she would uncover all the secrets, all the layers to the enigma that made up Danny Fenton.

But right now?

Right now she was just going to enjoy the moment.

[coffeecaffineandeverythinginbtwn]

Here is my @maribat-secret-santa-2020 gift for @liquid-luck-00

I’m really sorry It’s not finished (i had trouble finishing it due to school and some rough mental health problems) but I will be posting the outline so you can know the rest of what I had planned!

again i’m so so so sorry it’s not done. happy new year! please enjoy!

:readmore:

Marinette and the Runaway Assassin

~

Marinette Grason and the Runaway Assassin

The first thing they could remember was always flying.

Their parents always told them that the first thing a Grayson ever did was fly.

Whether it be him tossing his sister in the air as she did flips, or flying on the low swing trapeze with his mother and father. they were born soaring.

Their family was the best of the best. Humans with the agility and grace of birds. Their family never stayed on the ground for long. Nothing could keep a Grayson on the ground.

Until they fell.

Their wonderful parents never flew again.

~

Dick was trying his best to keep it together, for his sister, but the pain was almost too much. He was just 16. What was he supposed to do now? He wasn’t of age to care for Marinette and he certainly didn't have much money at all.

It was two days after the fall that killed their parents. Dick had cried himself to sleep, so full of grief, stress and uncertainty the night before. He wanted, no, needed to keep his sister safe, but what were they supposed to do? Live on the street? Marinette deserved better than that. Not to mention her schooling. There was just so many things he needed to think about he had no idea if they’d ever even survive -

A knock sounded at the door, startling Dick from his thoughts.

“Excuse me,” a deep voice came from behind the door, “I would like to speak to a mister Dick Grayson.” With those words the pit inside his stomach grew. It was probably some social worker coming to separate him from the only family he had left.

Dick opened the door and saw a large man with dark hair and blue eyes in a suit, “If you’re here to take me and my sister to some orphanage, leave now. It’s not going to happen. Get lost.” Dick, the normally polite boy, ended his statement by quickly closing the door.

“Wait!” The man jumped in, using his foot to jam the door. “I’m not a social worker. Mister Grayson I presume?” Dick just narrowed his eyes and nodded his head, “My name is Bruce Wayne. I was hoping to come to an arrangement that would greatly help you and your sister.

Dick had the urge to scoff, but he let the man, Bruce, continue.

“You see, I lost my parents at a young age as well. I want to make you and Miss Marinette my wards. You two would both get to live in my manor with your own room and have all the things you two would need to live a happy life. And you would not be separated. This can all happen effective immediately, as soon as you say the word. So, What do you say?”

This was insane. It was everything he and Mari could need. They could lead a normal, safe, and good life. There were so many goods that could come of this and yet…

Graysons are never tied to the ground my little robin. We must never be afraid to spread our own wings and soar. We are free spirits and we fly our own way.

With only that thought in his head, his ressove hardened.

“While I appreciate the offer Mister Wayne, I’m afraid I have to decline.” He began, “My parents used to say that we should never let ourselves be tied down. They were free-spirited and loved to travel. I want my sister and I to continue their legacy.”

Bruce looked a little shocked at this, and also a bit put out., but he quickly covered it with a determined look of his own.

“I see. If I cannot assist with housing, please let me help in any other way possible. Money is no issue, I can promise you that.” Bruce looked so ready to help them. And hell, if they couldn't use the help.

Dick was at a loss for words, “I- Mister Wayne- I can’t thank you enough!” Marinette would get to have the life their parents would have wanted for her. He didn’t have to worry about money any more. They could be free and go where the wind would take them. This flood of relief he felt did ease his grief a little for only a moment. It was one weight lifted off his shoulders.

“It’s the least I could do Mister Grayson.” He nodded, looking a bit relieved himself.

“Please, call me Dick Mister Wayne.” At that Bruce’s mouth quirked upwards the tiniest bit.

“Only if you call me Bruce.”

~

Over the next few years, Dick and Marinette went everywhere imaginable, traveling with the circus.

Eventually they decided to travel at their own pace. Marinette instided they spend more time in their favorite countries. They spent a few months in each, both gathering a love for each culture and language. Marinette especially took a bit of every country with her, absorbing each like a sponge.

Without the circus to keep them active in their travels and with barely any means to keep themselves protected, Dick and Marinette accumulated a mesh of different fighting styles. Neither ever truly mastered one, but both fought in a way very specific to them.

~

Currently somewhere in Italy, the two were waiting for one of their mentors to arrive for a meeting.

“Duckie!!” Marinette, now nine, ran to her brother with that particular spark in her eye, “Duckie! Guess what!”

Dick, smiled a little at the familiar nickname, “What’s up Nettie?”

Marinette jumped up and down excitedly. “Look what I can do!”

The small girl smiled and ran a little ways into the field nearby and did three handsprings to the shock, and pride of her brother.

“Good job Marinette,“ A voice that was not Dick‘s called from behind them, “I’m glad to see that you are improving well.”

An overall average looking man in his late 30’s wearing a firm, yet warm expression walked towards them.

Their mentor, Malachi Dobraski.

“Uncle Chi!” The Marinettw siblings voiced, running to him.

Malachi’s mouth turned upwards at the sibling’s outburst. “Yes, yes I have finally arrived. You two are, of course, ever so humbled to be in my presence.” There was a stretch of silence before the three burst out in laughter.

“Wonderful to see you two as always.” He said as he bent down to give Marinette a hug.

“So what did you need Malachi? You never call meetings so early in the month.” Dick said as he turned to face him.

Malachi hummed in an impressed manner, “Very astute Richard. I asked you here today because I wanted you to meet a friend of mine I had mentioned earlier. Gina, If you remember.”

At the mention of the woman Marinette perked up, The one who travels all around the world like us? We really get to meet her?” She topped off her questions with a wiggle of excitement.

“We’ll have to see about that Nettie.” Dick spoke fondly as he smiled at his sister’s antics. He then turned his attention to Malachi, “Will she be in town soon? You’re rarely one to throw out praise for no reason and you’ve spoken highly of her in the past.”

“She is a lady well deserving of my praise, Richard. To answer your question, yes. Ms. Gina will be in town Thursday evening.” their mentor said with another small grin.

Dick hummed while tapping his chin, “That’s about two days from now. Unfortunately me and Mari probably won’t be able to meet with her right away. We’re tied up until Saturday I believe. Will she be in town for long?”

“Gina is a free spirit, so it’s hard to say. However she has been interested in you two since I mentioned I was taking students again. I expect she’ll stay long enough to meet you.”

“That’s great!” Dick said, as cheerful as ever, “That settles it then.”

“Yay! We get to meet aunt Gina!” Marinette exclaimed, jumping up and down.

Instead of correcting his sister, Dick just shook his head with a laugh. Why does everyone we hear of instantly become family?

~

Marinette sat at a tall table in a quiet cafe. Her tiny legs swung eagerly underneath her as she hummed to herself. Her brother was up at the counter ordering their drinks. She was sketching, or trying to. It was really hard to focus when she was so full of jitters.

Today was the day they were supposed to meet Ms. Gina and while Marinette was excited, she was just as, if not more, nervous. She has always been this way with new people.

————————

That is the end of what i have written BUT NOW the outline:

Section One

Dick is older in this 16/17

Mari is 5 or 6

They grow up with their parents, until they die, again.

Dick is old enough to be emancipated/take custody of Mari

(Bruce didn’t adopt them but he helped Dick get emancipated and gave them loads of money)

Their parents were free spirits and loved to travel

Dick decides they should keep that alive.

The two stay with the circus traveling for around a year

And they continue to travel for 1 or 2 years

They meet Gina

Dick kinda wants to settle down Gina recommends Paris

They go to Paris

They get an apartment (thank you plot convenient Bruce money)

(she’s around 10 or 11 now. He’s 19 or 20 now)

Dick wants Mari to make friends or get a feel for regular school so she goes to FD

Section Two

Separately, Damian and the league are in turmoil (the coup happens)

Thalia might die Idk

Damian, not knowing what else to do, flees to Paris?

Tom and Sabine have always wanted children but were never successful

They find this aggressive child on the streets of course they take him in

Damian would grumble about their ‘lower status’ but would of course be secretly grateful and surprised at the unconditional love and care he receives from T and S

Section THree

Back to Mari

Being raised by Dick, she learned to be true to herself and also headstrong

She takes no crap from Chloé

(She eventually learns of her situation with her mother and they become less aggressive towards each other)

(she also learns a lot of different skills and fashion things)

Section Four

Damian arrives at FD

(He’s like 10 or 11 Mari is like 11)

Damian and Mari are both ahead of the curriculum (Both home schooled) same class

She is her kind self, doesn't know anyone else well and Dami is another new kid.

They stick together out of a sort of necessity

He’s cold at first but (go figure) he softens for her eventually

They slowly grow closer as friends

Dick becomes another behaviour mentor and Brother esq figure to Dami

Dick also sees Daminette’s in love right away

He teases Mari about it

Bada Boom they're 13 now

Section Five

Miraculos canon GO

Mari gets ladybug Dami gets cat

Mari doesn't get a crush on Adrien (the gum incident doesn’t happen because Chlo and Mari are on better terms)

Mari and Dami both immediately recognize each other in costume

Mari’s outfit is black with red detailing sans her cape/glider that’s full red with the five black spots. Has deep red boots that go up to the knee. Her ribbons are longer and can detach to use as a makeshift ribbon dance things (she also goes by Ladybird instead of Ladybug)

Damian’s outfit is his assassin outfit but black and tan undertones with cat ears (his pupils don’t change to slits) Damian goes by Leopard

Dick notices a change immediately He confronts Mari, She caves and tells him too

(She consequently reveals Damian’s Identity as well. No one could have that kind of chemistry with Mari that quickly)

He signs her up for many martial arts classes (She already had training in a few, picking up a lot from her travels)

Damian also helps train Mari in some ~Assassin Skills~

Basically, they’re bad asses.

The only thing stopping them from defeating Hawkey boy quickly is the fact that they can’t find where he is

Section Six

Moving on, Salt

Lila happens

Lila still sets her sights on Adrian (he’s got money at this point Damian is just a baker's boy to Lila.

Lila isolates the two from the rest of the class, even more so than they already were

Damian thinks the class are even bigger idiots

Lila is still an awful person and wants to make both Dami and Mari’s live miserable

Lila tries to go to Dick about Mari “bullying” her

He laughs in her face (he choses laughter instead of seething anger. thanks Hawky)

Lila then tries to get through to Tom and Sabine about Damian

This time it works, they have less reason to trust Damian (and he was also a major prick when they first took him in

(this happens over a year or so. Lila slowly gaining the trust of the class and Tom and Sabine)

The environment gets very toxic Dami and Mari decide to leave the school and go to online schooling (like at college level)

Section Seven

Time skip. They are 16 now

The two have had feelings for a while, they now realize them

Dami is less emotionally stunted, having both Dick and Mari around (Tom and Sabine too but they kinda suck now) so he doesn’t panic much

Mari is full panic mode

Dick is just in the corner all smug-like. (“you didn’t know you loved him? I’ve known this for years”)

Que pining

Lots of pining

There’s some angst, Tom and Sabine are negligent towards Damian (not mean but still neglectful)

He ends up staying with Dick and Mari more often than not

Eventually they both confess after a particularly rough akuma battle (the one where mari becomes the guardian?)

Both of them almost watched the other die. That was too heartbreaking for either of them to not confess

So they are together now.

It was an easy transition, they were already married pretty much

They’ve already figured out who Hawky boy is. They just need evidence

They get evidence. They also discover Lila was working with him

They take care of the Hawkmoth situation

Section Eight

Everything is good now right? Wrong

Batman Finally goes to Paris once Hawky is defeated,

(he kept in touch with Dick all these years and knew what was going on, {He practically became their “uncle Bruce”} He only stayed away cuz Hawkmoth)

When Damian sees Bruce visiting Mari’s House he freezes,

Mari: “what's wrong Dami?”

Dami: *whispers in her ear*

M: “He’s your WHAT???”

D; *whispers more*

M: “I- You- Um- WHAT”

D: *walks up to Bruce* “Hello, I know this is an odd way to meet but I am sure you know of Thalia Al’ Ghoul.” *B nods wairily* “Yes, well, I am your son. And unfortunately hers as well.”

“Yes, I’d be perfectly happy to do a blood test.”

Dick and Mari are shook

“Damian, You must come to live with me in Gotham”

Dun

Dun

Dunnnnnn!!!!!

End Part One

Again I am sincerely sorry I was not able to complete this story in time. Like I said before, I will (maybe/probably) be finishing this and planning a part two! I hope you enjoyed! (even though it’s the first fanfic i’ve written)

[ttttaehyungie]

secret santa | kth x reader

secret santa | kim taehyung x reader

genre | bff2l, fluff

summary | What you thought was an ingenious plan to figure out the perfect gift for your secret santee turns out to take a whole bunch of wrong turns, but with the best outcomes.

rating | NC-17

word count | 6.2k words

warnings | some profanities (it’s like... once LOL), mentioned breakups, it’s Christmas in the context of a pandemic

a/n | Merry Christmas everybuddy 🎄✨ here is a lighthearted (or at least it was until i hit the 6am point of the night while writing slkdjflkjd) lil christmas gift to everyone, but mostly to myself LOL bcos I’m finally posting a fic about the one who owns my heart in its entirety 😌

Christmas without you would just not be Christmas at all

Bright mistletoes up above us, it’s just you and me

-- V, Snow Flower

“C’mon, ____,” Taehyung whines. He plops down on the couch next to you and puts his big, round eyes to good use, giving you the puppy dog eyes treatment.

Well too bad for Taehyung, having known him for the last decade has granted you immunity against his pouty antics. There’s a couple of things that Taehyung employs in a bid to get what he wants. First, he’ll whine. Next, he’ll attempt to reason it out with you… or as much as he can convincingly reason with the pout still laced thick in his tone. If that fails, he’ll try bargaining. And finally, if none of the aforementioned has managed to sway you, he’ll just pout in silence.

“That’s the thing about Secret Santas, Tae, they’re supposed to be, y’know, secret.”

“Well, I can’t help you if you don’t tell me who your santee is!” he exclaims, throwing his hands in the air.

There it is. Stage two.

You ignore him and return to scrolling through Amazon in what you hope is a nonchalant manner.

“What if I guess who it is?” he tries.

When you don’t reply, he continues, “Is it Hoseok?” He runs a hand through his golden locks in thought. “No, buying for Yoongi is easy because all he ever wants is practical things like planners. You wouldn’t need help with that. Hm… Is it Seokjin?”

He rambles on about different kitchenware that could make a good present for Jin, a ramble that would have been really helpful if only Jin were actually your secret santee.

Taehyung gasps and falls silent, shocking you into finally looking up from your phone. His already round eyes are even rounder, wide as they are in shock. A hand hovers over his mouth as he goes still.

Then, as suddenly as he had gasped, he relaxes into a laugh.

“For a moment, I thought your secret santee was me,” he says, chuckling. A jolt runs through you, and your breath hitches in a way that you pray is unnoticeable. “But you’re too shitty a liar to do that.”

“Hey!” You jab his side playfully and he yelps. “What do you mean? I’m a great liar.”

“That’s a blatant and unconvincing lie right there.”

You fold your arms and turn away.

“I know you’re not actually mad, ____,” comes his sing-song voice, crossing his arms behind his head and reclining into the couch.

Letting out another huff, you turn further away. So when he grabs your hands and pulls you to face him, it startles you a little.

His eyes search yours, and you can’t help yourself from stumbling into their depths. The seriousness in his gaze holds yours intently.

But just as you think he’s about to apologize, his eyes melt into little crescent moons as he grins. “So. Who’s your secret santee?”

His cry comes out muffled under the cushion you hit him with.

An exasperated groan leaves you the moment you close the front door. Tipping your head back to rest against the solid wood, you shut your eyes. You hear footsteps pad closer.

“I take it your plan didn’t succeed?” Irene says, leaning against the wall as she takes in your defeated stance.

“Nope,” you say, picking yourself back up and hanging up your scarf and coat. Your roommate’s still in the same fuzzy pyjamas she was in when you’d left for Tae’s earlier in the day, and honestly, she’s got the right idea. You’re ready to get back into jammies too.

A Lifetime movie plays in the background, and you’d be willing to bet your life’s savings -- not that there’s much when you’re but a struggling student -- that she’s got a mug of hot chocolate to accompany her.

“Another Christmas movie?” you scoff in mock disgust. “How are you not sick of them yet?”

“What else are we supposed to do during a quarantined Christmas?”

“Don’t kid yourself. You’d be doing this even without the quarantine.”

“Hey. If you detest it so much, I heard that Taehyung’s place has many vacant rooms right now.”

You roll your eyes. She got that information from you. Both his roommates were gone from the apartment for the time being, one went back home for the holidays and another had chosen to attend the entire semester from home since everything was online anyway, leaving Taehyung with the luxury of the entire apartment to himself.

Meanwhile, Irene was making full use of the ongoing situation to evade going back home for the holidays. Too much family drama to allow her to binge-watch her holiday flicks in peace, she’d said.

And you? It’s kinda awful, but you’ve chosen to remain in your apartment just slightly off-campus so that you could get a head start on your research for your thesis, the campus library’s offerings much more vast than the local neighborhood library of your small town hometown.

Upon hearing this, Taehyung had offered to stay to keep you company over the holidays. “We’ve spent every Christmas together ever since we were kids, Christmas would just feel too weird without you,” he’d said. “And then we can join the gang’s Zoom Christmas celebration together too! I heard that’s what Namjoon and Jin will be doing since they’re both in the city over Christmas.”

How you’d managed to keep yourself from melting into a puddle of goo at his casual selflessness was a real feat. Taehyung had always been close to his family, and often missed them intensely while you guys were miles apart from home each college semester. So for him to give up a trip back home so you could still have a piece of home with you over Christmas was not a small sacrifice.

“Hellooo?” Irene waves a hand in your face. You jump, jolted out of your thoughts. “Are you actually daydreaming about it? Ooh, staying over at your crush’s place with no one else around… saucy things could happen, ____.”

Although that wasn’t what you were thinking about, you still feel the heat rise to your cheeks at being caught daydreaming about Taehyung. Instead, you give a feeble excuse to get Irene off your back, “I’m just thinking about secret santa gifts again. Ugh, why’d I have to draw him of all people?!”

“Are you sure you aren’t overthinking this because of your feelings? How difficult is it to think of a gift for a guy you’ve been friends with since you were kids? What about his interests?”

“That’s real tough. His hobbies are so whimsical and oftentimes just impulsive. Remember the phase with the film camera? And then the short-lived violin phase? And the piano phase? The only outcome of that phase is him playing the Chopstick Waltz every single time we pass by a piano.”

“Well, what about something that’s been a constant in his life then through all the phases?”

You purse your lips in thought, weighing the thought. It’s not a bad suggestion, but what has been a constant for him all this time?

Coming up with naught, you sigh and turn to head to your room. “I’ll think about it while I get changed back into my jammies.”

When you described Taehyung’s ideas and interests as being whimsical and oftentimes impulsive, this is exactly what you meant.

“Tae, I don’t think it’s gonna fit. Why’d you get such a big one?”

“You just have to believe, ____. We just need faith, trust, and- well actually, maybe just faith and a really good, hard thrust.”

“I feel like there’s so many that’s what she said jokes to be made here.”

“Wasting your energy on that line of thinking is the reason why we haven’t gotten this christmas tree through the door yet.”

With one more solid push, the widest part of the tree finally makes it through the narrow doorway of Taehyung’s apartment, and the two of you go stumbling forward with the extra momentum.

“We did it!” he exclaims, wrapping you up in a hug. “You believed!”

Internally cursing yourself for the way your heart has the audacity to stutter at his touch. The hug is nothing- the warmth that seeps from his body to yours is familiar because hugs are nothing special in your friendship. Even in your grade school memories, Taehyung had always been a tactile person, giving out hugs generously and demanding them in return by simply throwing himself at people to be received in an embrace, coerced or not. As you and your peers grew older, Taehyung became more aware and withheld himself from his sudden hug attacks, especially towards the other girls. But not you. He felt no need to skirt around things with you, and you found a quiet hum of satisfaction in knowing that Taehyung could be his tactile self with you. Hugs were just an expression of your friendship. Nothing more.

That is, until you wanted them to be more.

You shake the thought away. You’ve dealt with this successfully for more than a year now and you can continue on.

Taehyung loosens his hold but keeps his arms around you, leaning back to look at you. The soft puffs in his cheeks and the light creases around his eyes as they bunch up in happiness are just some of the little things you adore about him. The contentment practically radiates off of him. It’s just like him to get this excited over a christmas tree.

“Shall we get to setting it up?” you ask and he nods, releasing you completely then to get to work.

After the two of you find the perfect spot, situating the tree in the corner of the living room by the windows and in reach of a power socket, you grab the bag of decorations.

The oddly small and light bag of decorations.

“Tae?” you ask, pulling out the single box of baubles. “Is this all you got?”

Grinning sheepishly, he nods. “I didn’t have much left for decorations after I chose the tree.”

“Why’d you choose such a big tree then?”

“What’s the point of getting a tiny tree? It’s only nice and festive if it’s large!” he exclaims.

“Well, what’s the point of getting a big tree that will be bare except for six baubles, Tae?!”

“I was thinking we could improvise the decorations.”

You quirk an eyebrow. “Improvise?”

“Yeah, like- wait,” he says, running to his bedroom. His voice floats over from the narrow corridor, “just hang on!”

After a little rustling and rummaging, Taehyung emerges with two shoeboxes and a few scarves thrown over his shoulders. Grabbing one of the shoeboxes from him, you open it to reveal a bunch of keychains. Souvenirs from his friends’ travels and some of his own too. In there, you recognize an eiffel tower keychain you gifted him after your family’s holiday to France.

“Here, look!” He grabs a few and begins hanging them on the tree. “Decorations!”

You laugh. It’s a classic Taehyung move, and honestly it doesn’t look half bad. Picking a few keychains of your own from the box, you join him in placing them around the tree.

“What are you going to do about the tree topper?” you ask.

He smirks. “I’ve already got that all figured out.” Unboxing the second shoebox to reveal his collection of polaroid photos, he rifles around till he finds the photo he wants. Brandishing the polaroid of Yeontan, he grins. “Both an angel and a star. Perfect.”

You can't argue with that logic, and you say as much before vacating the step stool so he can clip the polaroid to the top of the tree with a wooden peg. Eyeing the pile of scarves on the couch, you ask, “What about the scarves?”

“Scarves? You mean ribbons?” he says, and begins draping them across the tree. You giggle and reach for one. The soft material is plush, caressing your skin as you run your fingers over the material. It's much nicer than the other scarves, you notice, and way too nice to be stuck on a christmas tree.

“Hey,” you say, “isn’t this cashmere? Are you sure you want such a nice sweater on your tree?”

Taehyung shrugs. “It was a gift from my ex. It’s not like I’m going to wear it anymore.”

His ex. The words hit you like a punch to your gut.

Taehyung's ex, Samantha, was a pleasant person to be around, easygoing and bubbly with a sunny personality that matched him well. At least, from what you could tell based off the first two months of their relationship that you got to witness firsthand. You're not quite sure who exactly initiated the distance -- whether it was from your own courtesy that you gave them space, or whether Samantha had, directly or indirectly, requested for it -- the memories were all too foggy by now.

What you do remember is that one moment they were happy together, and the next they were broken up, the relationship lasting just a little over six months. Taehyung never spoke much about it and when you did probe, he would brush it off with scant excuses that they just figured they weren't compatible after all.

That had been some time in the spring. Briefly, you wonder how many wears the scarf had gotten, and how much sentimental value it held. The quality of the material hinted towards a relationship that had been going strong.

Yet, you muse over it as you drape the luxurious material over the prickly christmas tree, Taehyung brushed it off with such brashness that spoke otherwise.

“Hey,” Taehyung breaks the silence that has fallen between you, clearing his throat in a self-conscious manner as if he’s feeling guilty over the awkward turn that the conversation had taken. You look at him, half-hidden behind the tree pines, his eyes pensive. Maybe he’ll finally open up about the relationship -- it’s been eight months after all. But then he flashes his usual elfin grin. “Any luck with your secret santee gift yet?”

You groan, partly because no, you’re still clueless and stuck on what to get him, and partly because he’s once again evaded the topic of his ex.

The incessant buzzing of your phone gets ignored, vibrating almost violently in its spot on the tinyass coffee table next to your feet which you’ve kicked up ever so demurely. The consecutive, rapid-fire notifications can only be from an overly enthusiastic Taehyung.

Irene nudges foot with her own socked one. “Aren’t you gonna check your phone? I can pause the movie if you want.”

“Nah, I’ve watched Home Alone enough times to not care about missing anything. And it’s probably just Tae being all excited about secret santa gift suggestions.”

“Ooh, how’s that going? Finally got him to spill what he might want?”

An exasperated sigh escapes you. “No, he’s sending me individualized suggestions for everyone that are so well thought out and personalized that I can’t get them for anyone else.”

Grabbing your still-buzzing phone, you flick through your texts. Just as you’d predicted, Tae’s sent you a bunch of Christmas socks he found on Amazon that he thinks would make a good addition to Jin’s collection of festive socks, a set of really nice paints that would pair well with Yoongi’s newfound interest in painting, and an anthology of time-travel short stories that he thinks would fascinate Namjoon.

“Hm, d’you think he’s called your bluff? Intentionally sending you suggestions that wouldn’t be helpful?”

You shake your head, frowning. “Tae’s not like that. Honestly, it was just a bad move on my part, hoping that he would give some generic gift suggestion that would let slip what he really wants. Tae is too thoughtful to get people generic gifts. He puts his heart and soul into the presents he buys for others.”

Reaching over, Irene pinches your cheek lightly as she coos at you, “Awww, you’re so in love with him. I can feel the cavities forming.”

“Pretty sure those are from the hot chocolate with extra marshmallows you love so much,” you say, tipping your chin in a gesture to the mug in her hands.

Irene sticks her tongue out and takes an extra large sip in typical defiance.

As much as you mock Irene for her love for Lifetime holiday movies and hot chocolate, you do have to admit that there’s a certain appeal to it. Curled up on the lumpy couch in Taehyung’s apartment, cupping the hot beverage in your hands, even the uneven lumpiness of the cheap piece of furniture begins to feel comfortable.

The entire room is dark, save for the glow of the television. Taehyung has always insisted that this is the best way to watch movies. Maybe it’s a good thing your makeshift decorations on the christmas tree -- still standing proudly in the corner of the room -- didn’t include christmas lights after all.

Outside, the snowfall has gotten pretty intense, the temperature dipping significantly compared to the previous few days. It is well and truly winter, the cold showing no mercy to anyone who wasn’t prepared for it. You’re thankful to be inside and with a nice hot drink.

But as the film runs on, you get so engrossed in the plot that you don’t even realize you’ve finished your drink till you drain the last of it. Oh.

Looking over at Taehyung, you could always request for more and you know he’d be more than happy to make you another cup. But the movie is at its climax and the way his eyes are glued to the screen, his mouth slightly agape with how invested he is in the film, you can’t bring yourself to interrupt him now. So you try to ignore the way the cold begins nipping at your fingertips.

Soon enough though, the once warm mug that was a pleasant source of heat became stiff cold ceramic between your equally stiff fingers. Scrunching your toes, you wish you’d thought to bring an extra pair of socks over, especially when you think about the pair of socks you’d stuffed into your boots, soggy and cold with melted ice. A shiver runs through you at the thought.

“Are you cold?” Taehyung asks, and you jump. You didn’t realize he’d noticed.

“Yeah, a little.”

He pouts. “Why didn’t you say something sooner? C’mere,” he says, and lifts the edge of his blanket, revealing his plaid pants and sweatshirt combination.

Crawling in quickly, you tell yourself that you’re only complying because you know he’ll put up a fight if you don’t, and you don’t want the cold air getting into the cocoon of warmth he’s created with his blanket. Not because you’re excited to snuggle up with Tae. Definitely not. But now that you’re here, you may as well make the most of it, you figure.

Taehyung yelps as you press your icy toes to his warm thigh. Your arms wind their way around him, desperately seeking out the warmth of his body heat. Nuzzling lightly into the crook of his neck, you sigh, finally getting some relief from the cold.

The tiniest of groans escapes him. Then, a tight gasp. Stiffening, you peer up at Taehyung carefully.

He’s turned to look at you too, his attention that was once rapt by the movie now focused directly on you with equal intensity. Nervous energy accumulates within you and your heart rate skyrockets, now keenly aware of every hard plane of his body against yours. The logical part of you regrets the way you launched yourself at him and gave no regards for personal space. But you’re only dimly aware of that. The part of you that just wants Taehyung, the part that you’ve kept under lock and key, now fights against the restraints you’ve tied yourself into, unravelling you. You gnaw at your lip unsurely, and you watch as Taehyung’s gaze drops to your lips, heavy-lidded as they linger there, then darting back up to meet yours head-on.

The hand that he has on your hip grips you a little tighter, and you clutch the front of his sweatshirt in response. Your heart is pounding now, and the headiness of it all makes you feel swirly. Is he leaning clo-

Slam!

Both of you jump. The noise from the film startles you both, and you accidentally head butt Taehyung’s chin in the midst of it. He yelps in pain.

“I’m so sorry!” You frantically rub the spot to soothe it. “Are you ok?”

He laughs it off in his usual carefree manner. “Yeah, I’m good.”

“You sure? It doesn’t hurt?”

“It’ll be fine in a bit,” he says, pulling you into his chest, his warmth emanating from his chest to your back in a comforting manner. “Let’s continue watching the movie.”

With his arms wound around you, you wonder if he can feel the way your heartbeat continues to beat erratically. If he does, he says nothing about it. And underneath you, you can feel clearly how his heartbeat matches yours in its stuttering pace. But you say nothing about it. Not for the duration of the movie, not when it ends, not when you stand to leave, and not when he wishes you goodnight at the door.

The next day, you wake up with thoughts of yesterday sending your mind into a spiralling whirlpool. You decide it’s time to make an emergency call.

Also, it’s five days to Christmas and you still haven’t thought of a suitable gift for Taehyung.

“Hello?” comes a chirpy voice over the line.

“Jiminie!”

“____! What’s up?”

“Listen, I need your help. It’s about the secret santa thing.”

“What about it?”

“I need a suggestion for a gift for your best friend.”

Jimin chuckles. “Isn’t he also your best friend?”

“Well, yes, but…”

You take him through your original plan to covertly ask Taehyung what he would like by asking what would make a good gift, and how it got completely derailed, to which Jimin just laughed. And then your discussion with Irene on finding something that has been a constant in his life. Since you’re on the phone with Jimin, you take the chance to rant about your annoyance with yourself at not foreseeing Taehyung’s thoughtfulness and the personalized gift suggestions that he’s been giving you.

“____,” Jimin interrupts you mid-rant. “The answer is right in front of you.”

“What do you mean?”

“Maybe your plan didn’t really fail. If Tae is suggesting personalized gifts, then…” he trails off meaningfully.

You gasp. “Oh. You’re absolutely right, Jimin, you genius!”

“This was your own plan, ____.” He chuckles. “Now as for what has been constant in his life… Do you really not realize?”

Oh.

“Jimin, you’re a genius, y’know that?”

“So I’ve been telling everyone.”

“Ok, I gotta go now,” you say, excitement zipping through you as your mind fills abuzz with different ideas now that Jimin has set you on the path.

“Seeya on the 25th, you dork.”

“See you!”

Belatedly, you realize you missed out on telling Jimin about what had happened the day prior. But you shrug it off, figuring that you could tell him about it another time.

---

But as it turns out, you don’t. The hectic rush of preparations for Christmas keep you and your friends so busy, you’re thankful everyone’s blocked out Christmas night for each other or you’d just miss each other completely otherwise.

Days on from the eventful movie night you had with Taehyung, the distance has already caused the memories of the night to go slightly fuzzy. You wonder if it had really even happened, or if you were just overthinking everything as per usual.

And since Taehyung never brought it up, your friendship carrying on in the easy status quo, it was simple enough to chalk it up to your own imagination.

The rush towards Christmas keeps itself up even till Christmas day itself. You’re huffing a little as you squeeze yourself and your grocery bags through the doorway of Taehyung’s apartment. The lopsided feeling of your beanie sitting askew on your head is just one part of your disheveled state right now.

“Tae!” You set the bags down and replace the spare key in its hiding place. “I’m here!”

He comes bursting out of his room and running over to help you with the bags. “Is it time to bake?” His tone is bright and shimmering with anticipation. Baking Christmas cookies with each other’s families was a tradition the two of you grew up with, and a tradition you both intended to keep even while away from your hometown.

Pulling the cookie cutters out of the bag, you wave them with a grin. “Shall we? We still have to prepare dinner after this and make sure we log onto Zoom on time too.”

The afternoon is filled with a flurry of flour and butter and sugar, cookie cutters and oven mitts, and a whole lot of messy icing. You pipe out a beautiful blue and white star, if you do say so yourself, taking pride in the baking skills you’ve honed over the past twenty years. Meanwhile, Taehyung scribbles Yeontan on a star-shaped cookie of his own. He adds this to his collection of alien cookies and rabbits on the moon.

When you’re both done decorating and the icing is left to set, you get to work on dinner. It’s a simple affair, just some mashed potatoes that you set Taehyung to work on, some lightly roasted veggies, and a rotisserie chicken from the supermarket in place of the usual Christmas turkey your families would normally have.

Grabbing plates to serve up your dinner, you can hear the chorus of hellos from the living room as Taehyung sets up his laptop to join the Zoom call. It fills you with a warmth you didn’t know you were missing, the cacophony of noise from your friends still as familiar as it always is even though it’s filtered through the speakers on the laptop. If anything, it may even be more chaotic than ever, with everyone speaking over each other, the social cues becoming even harder to read over the virtual platform.

When you finally enter the room with your two plates, the noise only gets louder, everyone shouting to greet you. You say a quick hi and slip back into the kitchen to get the tray of cookies to show off to the rest over the webcam.

You take your place next to Taehyung, seating yourself next to him in a similar cross-legged position, your knees knocking together as you both squeeze to get into frame together. Memories of the movie night come back to you, but Taehyung seems unfazed. Feigning calmness, you try to focus on the ongoing exchange instead.

The conversation drives itself, years of friendship and months spent apart from each other fuelling the chatter. With small talk on how Christmas day was for everyone, quick catch-ups on how everyone’s doing, inside jokes and references to shared experiences of the past, the atmosphere feels just like that one year you all went on a camping trip together and sat around the bonfire on the final night, swapping stories and jokes in a breezy fashion.

Just as the conversation slips into an easy placidity, Hoseok suggests you all move on to the secret santa bit of the night.

That’s when you gasp. Amidst the manic pace of the day and its activities, you’d forgotten to retrieve your present from where you’d stowed it in your apartment. In the same way that you treated Taehyung’s apartment like your own, so was your apartment to him. Taehyung could walk into your apartment any moment, whether you were present or not, and you needed to find a good secret place for your present. Stashing your prepared present in an unused cupboard in the kitchen, you remember commending yourself for having found such a great hiding spot. Turns out, it was so excellently hidden that even you had forgotten about it till this very moment.

But your internal struggle and the guilt that plagued you went unbeknownst to the rest, each taking turns to open their presents. A whole range of reactions and sound effects went on, Hoseok thanking Taehyung for his gifted sunglasses with such sincerity that transcended the boundaries of the webcam and screen. Yoongi had bought Jin a new fishing reel, and the boys were in the midst of discussing their next fishing trip.

But it was Namjoon’s reaction and the chaos that ensued that truly had you relaxing a little from your anxious-frustrated-guilty state.

“Snacks? And wet wipes?” Namjoon’s expression is incredulous as he pulls the items out of the brown paper bag. “Who’s giving me all these freebies?!”

“FREEBIES?!” Next to Namjoon, Jin smacks the table, causing him to jump. “I’ll have you know that those snacks were selected after careful observation, and I even went so far as to scout out for the specific brand you like and some even required shipping from elsewhere because the grocery stores near us didn’t stock it, and I got you wet wipes because you’re always spilling things, or maybe you could use them after you’re done snacking while on the go, but you still have the AUDACITY to call it FREEBIES?!”

At the sight of Jin gone red in the face, the snickers that the rest of you had been holding in came bursting out.

“Ok, I think we’re the last two to open our gifts,” Taehyung says, reading the room and moving on quickly before Jin could get even more agitated. “____, this is yours from your secret santa.”

Ripping open the wrapping paper swiftly, you find a brown leather-bound journal with your initials embossed on them in gold.

“Oh! This is beautiful,” you gush. “And since we’re the last two, this must be from Jimin!”

Even through the screen, the sight of your friend’s smile, eyes all scrunched up with the sincerity of it, has your heart swelling.

“And that means… that I’m your secret santee!” Taehyung gasps. “No way. And this whole time I was calling you a bad liar.”

He rambles on, explaining to the rest about your sly method of attempting to discreetly ask him what he might like for Christmas. The whole time, you’re chewing on your lip, trying to find the right moment to interject and explain what’s happened.

“Ok! So,” Taehyung finally pauses, looking at you expectantly, “I’m ready for my present!” His hands are cupped and ready to receive the present… that will not make it to him tonight.

You place your hands in his, lowering them gently and taking in his obvious confusion. “I’m so sorry, Tae, I left your present back at home. I promise I’ll bring it over tomorrow! Or you can come over after this to grab it if you want.”

“Oh,” he says, puppy dog pout hitting you full-force with guilt. “But I still want a gift now, so…”

Grasping your hands that are still in his, he tugs you forward into his chest, and plants a soft kiss on your lips.

Silence. Both from your brain, and from everyone around.

It lasts for two seconds -- your group of friends has never found it easy to shut up after all -- and then it’s an eruption, pulling you back to the reality that the two of you are not alone.

You can hear Jungkook screaming, “GROSS!” and Namjoon yelling in confusion. But Jimin’s tinkling laughter, filled with unmistakable joy, cuts through the noise along with a raspily muttered, “It’s about fucking time.” from Yoongi.

In the background, you hear Jungkook asking, “Waaaait, so does this mean that Seokjin has to give Namjoon a kiss now too?” and Jin’s immediate, “NO!”

The noise jump starts your brain back into motion. You attempt to pull away from Taehyung, highly aware that your friends are subject to witnessing all of this, but he tugs you back, anchoring you to him with an arm wrapped firmly around your waist. The laughter from the laptop speakers turns into cries of outrage and then an abrupt return to silence with a click, and you realize that Taehyung must have closed his laptop, ending the Zoom call.

Looping your arms around Taehyung’s shoulders, you begin to respond to his kiss, eyelids fluttering closed. It’s new, it’s electrifying. But it’s also like something deep inside has finally clicked, like you’ve finally arrived. You’re home.

“Did you know?” you ask. “About me having feelings for you?”

“Yeah,” Taehyung admits. Heat rises to your cheeks at that, and you hide your face in his chest. Now that you don’t have to be seated on the floor to be in frame for the Zoom call, the two of you opted to move to the lumpy but still much more comfortable couch.

The gentle strokes of his hand in your hair is familiar and comforting, reminding you of the infinite patience he’s always shown to you. It’s a reminder that this is Taehyung. The boy you grew up with through thick and thin. Your best friend. And that gives you the boldness to continue despite your embarrassment.

“How? And when?”

“Honestly,” he trails off slightly, in thought, “I think it was Samantha who made me realize it.”

A pang of jealousy hits you. But you’re immediately wondering if it’s even warranted, now that you guys are… Well, what exactly are you? You make a mental note to clarify that.

“She was jealous, y’know,” he continues. “Didn’t want to say it at first, and tried to put up with it because she understood that our friendship is not something she could just expect me to give up.

“But it got to a point where things just couldn’t go on any longer. What she initially saw as discomfort that she would learn to overcome with time, soon became an awareness that the two of us were crossing the line of just friends, even if we hadn’t realized it at the time.”

Taehyung sighs, causing you to look at him. He smiles down at you, and skims your cheek with his thumb affectionately. “Maybe it’s because you’ve been here by my side all my life, that it was such a gradual thing and neither of us really realized it.”

“Yeah,” you mumble. “It was only after you began dating her that I realized how not okay with that I was. I thought it was just me being the possessive best friend trying to get used to having to share you. But then I realized I didn’t just want my best friend back. I wanted what she had.”

Swallowing hard, you remember the bitterness of the jealousy you felt back then, and that still recurs from time to time.

“What about you then? How did you come to recognize your feelings?” you ask.

“Samantha made me face up to them.” There’s a faraway look in his eyes. “One day she laid it all out, about us being more than just friends. And when I denied it, she asked me, would I choose you over her if I were forced into making that decision. The answer very nearly rolled straight off my tongue. And that was when I knew.”

“Is that why you broke up?” you ask. Taehyung nods. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be, you silly girl.” He boops you on the nose. “I’m just thankful that Samantha was as understanding as she was about it. I think that’s why it took me a long time to get over it -- knowing that I’d hurt someone as wonderful as she is with my own blind ignorance.”

“And you too,” he says, leaning down to lay a soft peck on your lips. “I hated knowing that I’d hurt you because of my lack of awareness of my own feelings. That’s why I had to take my time this time around, to make sure that I know for sure.”

“Do you know for sure now?”

“Yes,” he says, holding your gaze with seriousness that has you swimming in its depths. “I’m yours now. Purely and fully.”

When you returned to your apartment the next morning, Irene was waiting to grill you on your whereabouts. It didn’t escape her notice that you hadn’t come back to the apartment the previous night, and she joked about how the vacant rooms in Taehyung’s apartment probably didn’t matter because you could always spend the night sharing his bed anyway.

And when you, blushing madly but holding your own nonetheless, informed her that she was right, well, you should have anticipated her squeals of excitement. “Tell me everything!” she had demanded.

You also should have anticipated the endless teasing that she would put the two of you through, especially in the Christmas season. After a trip out to the stores, finally taking a break from her Lifetime holiday movies marathon, she’d returned with copious amounts of mistletoe to hang all around the apartment, insisting the two of you make up for lost time.

But what Irene doesn’t need to know is just how much the two of you agree with her. Stealing a tiny sprig of mistletoe from around the house -- there’s so much that she wouldn’t even notice anyway -- you pack it into one of the clear baubles you’d bought for Taehyung’s Christmas present, nestling it into the box alongside the other clear baubles that were customized with pictures of the two of you.

[anothertimdrakestan]

Damijon Christmas Present!

FOR THE DAMIJON SECRET SANTA I HAD... @nymph-patt

dear nymph:

hi love! i haven’t written in a fat minute and i’m a little rusty so bear with me hehehe. i hope you have a wonderful holiday season! all my love -elle!

I’ve got a fluff christmas fic and a lil headcanon for ya! 

Merry Stress-mas

“You can’t plan Christmas like a battle strategy Dami,” Jon groaned as Damian wheeled a whiteboard into their living room. “Actually, I’ve found it to be quite similar. Pay attention Kent, I know sticking to the plan has never been your strong suit.” Damian’s foot was tapping like crazy, Jon noted his clear anxiousness- needless to say Damian wasn’t the holiday type. Makes it a million times harder when it’s your first Christmas together as a couple. 

*super-couple. 

Jon gasped as Damian flipped the whiteboard like a school teacher, revealing meticulously drawn out plans mapped in expo-marker. “We start with my family, we stay until Jason is ten shots in, after that Christmas always becomes a nightmare so we head out. With your super speed it’ll be only an 14 minutes 37 second trip to your family where we stay for the majority of the night. At the end you rush us back to Gotham to console Dick after Bat-Christmas fails as always. Our emergency word is tyrannosaurus should anything go wrong at the drop we flee. Any questions?” Damian was flying through the plans, pointing at bulleted lists and analyzing possible flaws. 

Jon took a deep breath, a smile creeping over his face. “I didn’t think you’d care so much about our first Christmas together with our families, it’s kind of sweet.” Lazily he reached for Damian, clinging to his back while Dami shook his head, mumbling as he edited the board. “Not really our first Christmas Kent and I definitely do not care about family tt,” Jon didn’t reply, he just smiled into the crook of Damian’s neck.

“Our suits bring down our aerodynamic potential so I’ve taken the liberty of adjusting our arrival time to 15 minutes 43 seconds. Does that sound accurate?” Jon hummed in response as he straightened Damian’s tie, it was already perfect but he’d take any excuse to get closer to Dami. “Ready my love?” Jon glanced at Damian who was checking his watch. “Yes.” Damian responded, absent mindedly clasping Jon’s hand as they made their way to the mansion. 

“DAMI’S HERE!” Steph’s screech announced. She was hanging off the banister as she stole popcorn pieces from the massive tree. “Wonderful- Miss Brown I must ask you don’t eat the decorations tonight, have some festivity,” Alfred shook his head as he made his way to Jon. “Magnificent of you to join us Master Kent, I assume you will also be heading to your family’s festivities as well?” Jon opened his mouth but Damian answered first. “Yes Pennyworth, we plan on just saying for hors devours,” his curt reply brought a knowing smile to Alfred’s lips. “Always planned with you Master Damian,” his accent was playful making Jon chuckle. 

Dick descended the stairs, Damian groaned at his bright green and red striped suit, Jon couldn’t help but laugh either. “Hellllooo super boyfriends! Are-You-Readyyyy-For-Tonight!” Dick practically skipped towards the two, pulling them into a tight hug before Damian could slip away. “We won’t be long Grayson we must attend the Kent family Christmas too,” Damian nodded curtly, shifting closer to Jon who got the message and moved forward into the living room. 

“Actually, where are all the bat-siblings? And where did Steph run off to?” Jon noticed no one was around but Alfred who was preparing something delicious in the kitchen. Dick began chuckling, a devilish smile spreading across his face. “Oh, everyone is down in the batcave. C’mon.” Damian looked taken-aback but Jon was never to shocked by batfamily-antics. 

The two followed Dick to the secret door. “Now, we heard from a little super birdy [Dick winked at Jon who was now openly grinning] that you were a little nervous about having to deal with two Christmas’ this year, so we felt it’d be easier for everyone if we just-” Dick popped open the door to a winter wonderland of a batcave. A large table was put out, filled with their family members. “Merry Christmas!” A chorus of laughter broke out as Damian’s jaw dropped. 

At the table were the batfam, Kents, and even a couple speedsters littered around. All were laughing and smiling at one another. It was the biggest family gathering Jon has seen ever. “No need for crazy plans my love, just enjoy tonight with everyone,” Jon whispered to Damian as he scanned the room. “I- How did you- Thank you,” Damian settled on the last words of praise for the wonderful man who made every single day better. “No need for thanks, I’d get you the world if you wanted it, but for now let’s have a very Merry Christmas!” Jon took off towards his family and Damian would help but feel the corners of his lips betray him with a smile. Heart full he made his way down to his family.

“JASON DO NOT FLIRT WITH KARA SHE’S OFF LIMITS!”

“WALLY DID YOU EAT ALL THE COOKIES ALREADY?”

“BRUCE, CLARK, STOP FIGHTING OVER WHO GOT THE OTHER THE BETTER GIFT. YOU’RE BOTH RICH!”

very merry indeed. 

~

Okay so I haven’t absorbed much batfam content at all for weeks so hopefully my spin on the HC is still cute : )

I don’t think Jon gets enough credit for how observant he is. 

Too often Jon is forgotten, the second super boy, the sidekick, the boyfriend, the man who left everyone for space. 

It’s true, technically. But Jon is so keen at reading those around him, especially the un-readable Damian Wayne that I would argue it’s a super skill in of itself.

He gets it from his mother you know, Superman was always a little dense, but, though no one believes it, he always had Lois to help him out. Too often the quieter, smarter, more analytical side gets forgotten and that’s no different with Jon. His friends don’t see the way he checks up on them, taking in their facial expressions and reading them to know the right thing to say at the right time to help them out. They don’t realize he spent whole days memorizing their heart beats and their breaths to know if they’re ever in peril. And they don’t see the way he looks at them so fondly, beyond grateful they’re in his life.

Lois sees it.

She saw it when Jon met Damian. 

A young boy mesmerized by the wittiness and strength in the human boy. The greatest irony, the Superboy more human than the murder weapon now called “Robin”. But the two hit it off almost instantly- though Damian may not agree to that last bit. 

Lois knew Jon adored Damian, every deep red was “Robin Red” every Wayne Ent. building they walked past brought up stories of his adventures with the youngest Wayne, every Justice League trip meant begging for his dad to send him to Gotham for the weekend while he was out. He was young, but Lois knew a pair of soulmates when she saw them. 

There were these nights when they were teens. Jon would burst out of bed and rush to his mother. He never needed to say anything. There was this look in his eyes, Damian needs me. “Go” she’d always whisper, pressing a quick kiss to his forehead thinking back to when Clark would do the same for her. 

She remembers the frantic December weeks Jon spent toiling on Damian’s Christmas gift. “What do I give a trillionaire who has the world?” Jon would whine and mope around the house for any semblance of inspiration. 

Your heart Jon, all he wants is your love. Lois always thought to herself, she was quite aware of the two boy’s growing infatuation with each other, her husband was always slower in the “feelings” department and if he was slow she imagined Bruce was a damn sloth. So, she let the boys feel safe in her presence. Damian slowly spent more time at her home when Clark was out, she grew to have a sort of friendship with Damian. He’d comment on whatever news article she recently wrote, endure a three second reply and be on his way. She was always astounded at how up to date he was on all her pieces. 

Lois was always proud of the love Jon showed Damian. She’d be the first to tell Bruce he needed to hug his damn kids, but there was a special kind of caring Jon held only for Damian. A love woven only for the two of them. Like an invisible string linking them no matter where in the universe the other was at, there was a friendship, a kindness, a passion, a love.

Overtime, Jon’s analysis of Damian led him to his own feelings. And over an even longer period of time Damian discovered his own. Jon never stopped caring, he never stopped worrying, and he never stopped loving. 

Those, are the parts of Superman that Damian, and the world, need most. 

~

Merry Christmas! <3

[jcspacey]

Pan Dulce

Summary: Héctor, Imelda, and Coco share some sweet memories in the Land of the Living and the Land of the Dead.

Written for @swanpit for the Coco Discord server’s Secret Santa gift exchange. 

Inspired by this piece of art 

---

“Papá!” Coco screeched, her little body emitting an infectious excited energy. 

Imelda smiled at the energetic little girl. She loved giving her this news. “That’s right, mija! Papá will be home in a few hours!”

The two year old continued to do her dance around her room for a few moments until she launched herself into Imelda’s arms. “Papá!” she exclaimed again. 

Imelda couldn’t help but giggle. This tour was longer than most and it had taken a bigger toll on her and Coco than she expected. Now that Coco was growing up, she was becoming more and more aware and affected by his absence. She would often ask for him, especially at night, since when he was home he would sing her lullabies to help her fall asleep. Imelda would always have to tell her that he wasn’t there, but that he’d be home soon. But she never really knew when he’d be back.

Then, Imelda received a letter from Héctor saying that he would be on the afternoon train to Santa Cecilia. Imelda could finally tell Coco that he was on his way back to hug and kiss her and sing her lullabies. And perhaps Imelda could even convince him to stay for good…

“Papá is on his way, so you know what that means,” Imelda said, looking into her daughter’s eyes. She looked like she was going to burst from pure excitement. “We’ll make him pan dulce for when he comes home! How does that sound, mija?”

Coco squealed and clapped her hands together. Coco always loved helping her mamá cook because it made her feel like a Big Girl, and she was determined to show her papá just how much of a Big Girl she was.

“Okay, let’s get started,” Imelda said as she scooped the bubbly little girl in her arms and started towards the kitchen. 

Coco helped Imelda crack the eggs and whisk the ingredients. The pair giggled as some of it spilled on their aprons and the flour got in their hair. Gentle, experienced hands guided little hands as they cut and rolled the dough. Soon, the bread was baking, and Coco stopped to take pride in her handy work. She truly was such a Big Girl.

“Mamá, bread!” She exclaimed, pointing at the baking bread and then putting her hands on her hips, a beaming smile on her face.

“You did such a good job, mija! Your papá will love it,” Imelda said, stroking her daughter’s braids. 

Then, at the sound of a door opening, Coco practically flew out of the kitchen.

“I’m home! Where are my beautiful girls?” Héctor’s voice called out from the front room.

“PAPÁ!” the little girl screamed. Héctor dropped his suitcase and squatted down to her level as she launched herself into his arms. 

Héctor hugged Coco tightly to his chest. “I missed you so, so much, mija,” He said. After a few minutes he let go to take a good look at his daughter.

“Wow, you have grown so much!” 

Coco stood up straight and put her hands on her hips again, a proud expression on her face. “Big girl!” She said.

Héctor laughed. “Sí, mija, you are a big girl!” He patted the top of her head before pulling her into another hug. 

“You need to stop growing so fast, I can hardly keep up!” 

Coco giggled.

“Hmm. Maybe if I push down on your head you’ll stop growing so fast…” Héctor gently pushed down on Coco’s head, only for her to cross her arms and give him an adorable little scowl.

“Okay, okay,” Héctor laughed, pulling his hand away. “You can grow a little bit more.” 

Coco seemed content with this, and her gleeful smile returned.

Then, Héctor looked up and his heart skipped a beat when he saw Imelda leaning against the doorframe to the kitchen. 

How she managed to get even more beautiful every time he saw her, he didn’t know. 

“Imelda,” he said softly as he crossed the room to his wife. “Mi amor, I--” His words abruptly cut off when she grabbed his tie suddenly and pulled him into a deep kiss. He stumbled forward slightly, caught off balance by the sudden movement, but he quickly composed himself and wrapped his arms around her waist.

“Bleh!” Héctor heard a shrill voice behind him exclaim, and the couple pulled away from their kiss laughing. 

“Welcome home, Héctor,” Imelda said softly with a grin on her face. “I’m glad you’re back.”

“I missed you so much. I couldn’t wait to see you again.” Héctor went in for another kiss and then pulled back quickly while sniffing the air.

“Oh, I smell something good!”

“Bread!” Coco screeched, jumping up and down with excitement once again. “Bread! Bread! Bread!”

“Coco and I have made something special for you,” Imelda said. “Stay here while we go get it.”

Imelda grabbed Coco’s hand and disappeared into the kitchen. They emerged a few moments later with a plate of pan dulce in Coco’s hands. Grinning from ear to ear, she held out the plate to Héctor.

“Wow, thank you! Did you help mamá make these?” Héctor asked, kneeling down to get a better look. 

Coco nodded wildly and pointed proudly at the buns that she helped to make. They were small and sloppy compared to Imelda’s, but Héctor thought they were perfect.

“Eat, Papá, eat!” Coco insisted. She grabbed one of the buns and shoved it in Héctor’s mouth. He laughed for a moment and then took a bite. 

“Good?” Coco asked, adopting a serious expression. 

Héctor paused for a moment as if to truly evaluate the taste. “It’s delicious!” He said, scooping up Coco with one arm and slipping his other arm around Imelda’s waist. “You’re an amazing little chef.”

------

Héctor couldn’t believe it. He was holding his little girl in his arms again.

After years of trying, and failure after failure, he was finally there hugging his child again. Years and years had led up to that moment, and it was as beautiful and emotional as he dreamed it would be. 

But then the moment ended. 

He was happy. Unbelievably happy. Happier than he had been in years. He finally had his familia back-- his wife back, his daughter back. Yet there was still something inside him that wasn’t quite right. Something was still… broken. 

He ignored the feeling. He didn’t want to address it. He hated the feeling. Why on earth should he feel sad? He finally had everything he could ever have wanted. It was more than he deserved. He should feel grateful, and he did, but it was growing more difficult to deny the sinking feeling of time that was wasted, moments that weren’t shared, and choices that shouldn’t have been made.

------

One clear afternoon, Héctor sat on the steps outside the house plucking a lazy tune on his guitar while Pepita stretched her wings nearby. It wasn’t unlike many afternoons since a talented young boy-- his grandson-- got himself cursed and changed all their afterlives forever, but this time he had his daughter. His little girl was by his side once again.

Well, he supposed she wasn’t quite so little anymore. Looking at her now-- her grey hair, her wise demeanor, the fact that she had a husband-- made it all the more real just how much of her life he had missed. Not only the big moments, but the small ones too. She was her own woman now. She had a life, and he wasn’t a part of it. 

Coco sat close beside him, listening quietly as he strummed a half-finished song. They had done so much talking over the past few days, and he had loved every minute of it. He wanted to know everything about her life and the woman she had become. There had been laughter and tears. But it was nice to simply enjoy each other’s company. They had all the time in the world now. 

“Papá, are you okay?” Coco said quietly.

“Of course I am, mija,” Héctor said. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

Coco shrugged slightly. “A lot has changed for you. I wanted to make sure you’re doing okay.”

Héctor strummed out a small flourish on his guitar. “I have my family back, and that was all I ever wanted. I’m doing better than ever.”

A few more moments passed before Coco spoke up again. “It just… It seems like something is bothering you.”

Héctor stopped strumming for a moment and turned to look at Coco. He remembered those eyes. When everything else about her was unfamiliar, he still remembered her big brown eyes that would stare up at him in adoration whenever he played their lullaby. But now they were full of concern. Héctor sighed. 

With a deep breath he said, “I am so grateful to be here with you and your mamá and everyone else. I… It’s just… I’m so sorry. I’m sorry that I couldn’t be there for you. I missed so much of your life and…” Héctor closed his eyes.

He felt gentle arms wrap around him and a skull rest on his shoulder. “Oh Papá…”

They sat in silence for a moment. Then Coco said quietly, “A lot of time was stolen from us. But the rest can’t be stolen from us now. We can’t change the past, but we’ve got here and now. And I’m so grateful that you’re here, Papá.”

Héctor turned his head to look at Coco once again, a small smile on his lips.

“You’re absolutely right, mija,” He said. “Now, how did you get so wise? I think I should have pushed down on your head more often to keep you from growing so fast.”

They both laughed, and the moment of melancholy had passed.

“Papá, I was thinking, do you want to make pan dulce together? Now that you’re home again?”

Héctor couldn’t help but gasp a little. His daughter’s memory continued to amaze him. Not only did she hold onto the existence of a man who was only present for the first four years of her life despite the fog of her dementia, but she could remember specific memories of their short time together.

“I’d love that.”

------

The Rivera kitchen was bursting with life (so to speak) as everyone piled in to help make the pan dulce. Coco no longer needed help cracking the eggs and those little hands weren’t so little anymore, but she still held onto that childlike excitement as she and her parents cut and rolled the dough. She was a Big Girl, but she figured she would always be a Little Girl, too. 

The twins stood to the side contemplating how to improve the efficiency of various kitchen tools while Rosita cheerfully shared memories of baking with her mamá. Victoria was leaning over the counter consulting a cookbook while Julio watched in adoration at his wife.

The bread had been baking in the oven for a few minutes when Héctor felt something hit the back of his head. He turned around to see Coco wearing a mischievous grin, trying to suppress giggles, and holding some flour in her hand. 

“Oh no you don’t,” Héctor said teasingly, picking up a wad of flour himself. And before Imelda could protest, a full scale food fight had erupted in the kitchen. Julio had ducked behind the counter while the twins started using the kitchen utensils they were studying as catapults. Even Victoria joined in after being pelted in the face by a particularly large pile of flour that coated the entire surface area of her glasses in white dust.

Then, covered with flour and grinning from ear to ear, Coco presented the finished buns to Héctor. 

“Welcome home, Papá.”

At that moment, Héctor felt something inside him become a little less broken.

He grabbed a bun and took a bite. “You’re an amazing little chef,” he said. 

---

I hope you like it! This was literally my first fanfiction EVER so hopefully everything came across well. Happy New Year!

[dancingwitches2004]

The Prisoner’s Lover

Word Count: 3,415 Sirius x OC - Part One Warnings: Fluff, Angst

Lily Potter, maiden name Evans had two sisters; Petunia, who two years older and Ellie who was ten years younger. Petunia envied both of her sisters because although she was human like Lily and Ellie, she was not a witch. This difference between them only led to Petunia feeling envious and resentful, so she wouldn’t spend time with Ellie, her youngest sister. However, Lily and Ellie got along well despite age difference especially as Lily could see the magical potential in Ellie.

Lily was home from Hogwarts for the summer and had planned a picnic for her and her friends; Alice Bennet, Mary Wells, James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew.

“Petunia remember I’m going out with my friends in about ten minutes and you’ve got to look after Ellie” Lily said to her sister “Well that’s not happening…” “Petunia I’m going out with my friends and that is not up for discussion” Lily cut her off “I don’t care if you go out with your friends but I’m not looking after Ellie” Petunia replies “You already agreed…” “Well I’ve changed my mind and I’m no longer looking after her” Petunia cut Lily off with a smirk. Ellie overhears their conversation and goes to the front room and curls up on the sofa reading her book, feeling a little sad.

Five minutes later there was a knock at the front door and Lily ran down the stairs to answer the door “James, Sirius come in” She says with a smile and steps aside to let them in. James and Sirius enter the front room and notice the little girl with the same auburn hair as Lily reading a book of Fairy Tales. “James, Sirius this is Ellie, Ellie this is James and Sirius” Lily introduces three of them “Hello James, Sirius, it’s nice to meet you” Ellie said with a smile as she looked up at them “Hello Ellie” James replied before turning his attention to Lily. “Hello Ellie, it’s nice to meet you too” Sirius replies smiling, taking a seat beside her on the sofa “You’re like a mini version of Lily” He added as he looked into her green eyes “Yep, she’s my mini me” Lily chuckled and Ellie nodded smiling “I’m magical too” Ellie told him with another smile and he chuckled “Me too” He told her with a wink.  

“Petunia I’m going out now, Ellie is in the front room reading. I’ll be back later” Lily called upstairs as she grabbed her jacket from the coat rack “I told you I’m not looking after her. I have my own plans” Petunia called back from her room. Lily sighed in frustration and walked back into the front room. “Sorry Lily” Ellie said softly “It’s not your fault Ellie, Petunia is just being…awkward” Lily replies “But if she won’t look after me it means you can’t go out as planned” Ellie responded and looked a little sad.

Sirius felt sorry for Ellie because it was clear that she was aware that her other sister didn’t want to spend time with her. “Well I have the perfect solution then. Why don’t we take little Ellie with us?” He suggested and ignored the look James gave him. “Ellie can keep me company at the picnic, after all you have Lily, Remus has Alice and Peter has Mary” “Really?” Ellie asked sounding hopeful “Yes. Also with you coming with us, it means it’s even numbers for the games Lily has planned” He answered her “Thank you Sirius” She replied with a smile and got off the sofa to go and put on her shoes. Lily followed her into the hallway “Change of plan I’m taking Ellie with me” “Whatever” Petunia called back.

“Really Sirius? You know how much I’ve been looking forward to today, getting the chance to spend the afternoon with Lily. Now Lily’s going to have to watch her sister” James said in a hushed whisper “No she won’t. I already said she can keep me company so it won’t interfere with your ‘non date’” Sirius replied. “Ready” Ellie said as she came to stand beside Sirius and he smiled down at her.

They arrived at the park to see others waiting for them. “Who’s the girl?” Peter asked nodding at Ellie who was holding Sirius’ hand “This is Ellie my little sister, Ellie this is Remus, Peter, Alice and Mary” Lily replied introducing her friends to her sister “She’s here with us as Lily’s older sister refused look after her” Sirius added “It’s nice to meet you Ellie” The others said smiling “It’s nice to meet you all too” Ellie replied.

“How old is Ellie?” Remus asked Lily “She’s five” She replied and he nodded at her “I can’t believe how much she looks like you” He said and nodded in Ellie’s direction “Yea, everyone says that” Lily chuckled.

Sirius sat with Ellie and told her how he met Lily, James and the others at Hogwarts “What’s Hogwarts like?” She asked him, curiosity shining in her green eyes. “It’s truly magical. The staircases move by themselves so sometimes you end up somewhere different than you expected. The portraits on the wall move as the witches and wizards who occupy them go about their lives” “Wow” She gasped and he chuckled at her reaction “Are you in Gryffindor like Lily?” She asked “I am as is James, Remus, Alice, Mary and Peter” He replied “I hope get into Gryffindor when I go to Hogwarts” She says a smile “I’m sure you will Ellie” He told her smiling.

“Watch out Remus” Alice called out seconds before James tackled him to the ground, Sirius and Ellie burst out laughing “Not sure what they’re playing but I’m glad not playing” She said looking up at him “Me too” He replied and watched as Remus and James began to wrestle one another. “They’re so silly” Ellie chuckled and Sirius nodded in agreement.

James and Sirius walked Lily and Ellie home just after sunset “Thank you for letting me come with you today” Ellie said to her sister, James and Sirius “You’re very welcome little one” Sirius said with a smile and James nodded in agreement. “Goodnight Ellie, Lily” James said with a smile “Night boys” Lily replied “Sweet dreams” Ellie smiled up at James and Sirius “You too little one” Sirius responded.

Ellie joined Lily and her friends on other days out during the summer, including a BBQ at Remus’ house one Saturday afternoon. They all sat around telling stories and jokes and having a good time. At some time during the evening Ellie had fallen asleep with her head resting on Sirius’ arm. He moved her so she was sitting sideways on his lap, her head resting against his chest and he wrapped an arm around her. “Thank you for including Ellie in our plans, I appreciate it” Lily told her friends “It’s ok, she’s fun to be around” Alice said smiling “Not to mention she’s a new ‘friend’ for Sirius” James said teasingly and winked at his friend “You’re just jealous because she’s better company than you” Sirius retorted causing the others to laugh.

Ellie missed Lily and her friends when they went back to school so would send Lily letters by Owl asking how she and her friends were and was excited when she received not just a reply from Lily but replies from all of them. Lily wrote to Ellie often keeping her updated on events at the school and Sirius would send her the occasional letter and a chocolate frog.

Christmas that year was different to the others Ellie had celebrated as James, Sirius and Remus came over on Christmas Eve. James had bought Lily a gift and vice versa. Lily poured them each a glass of Egg Nog “Would you like a gingerbread biscuit? I made and decorated them myself” Ellie said proudly as she held out a plate of decorated gingerbread biscuits that were cut into various Christmas related shapes. “Yes please little one” Sirius said taking a train shaped biscuit “Thank you Ellie” James said before biting the head off a gingerbread man “Very tasty little one” Ellie blushed slightly at Sirius’ compliment. Remus took a bell shaped biscuit “Yes, they are very nice” He told her and she placed the plate on the coffee table before taking an angel shaped one for herself, and passed Lily a star shaped biscuit.

“I have something for you little one” Sirius said and handed her a neatly wrapped gift “Can I open it now please?” She asked and he nodded smiling at her. She carefully tore open the wrapping paper and saw the story books inside ‘The Worst Witch’ “Thank you Sirius” She wrapped her arms around him giving him a hug, one he returned “I don’t have a gift for you” She said sadly “It’s ok, I wasn’t expecting anything” He replied and watched as she thought for a moment “Here have some more Christmas biscuits” She said and handed him the plate, he chuckled “Don’t mind if I do” He smiled at her before taking a bite of a sweet treat.

“Sirius want to help me prepare for Santa?” Ellie asked him a few hours later and he nodded “Why not” Ellie’s eyes lit up and she led him into the kitchen. They laid out a Mince Pie and a glass of Milk for Santa and a Carrot for Rudolph.

The following summer Lily and the others came home from school and had made plans to see each other including taking Ellie with them to a Theme Park. Sirius ran away from home during the second week of the holidays and moved in with James’ family.

“Hey Ellie, can you keep a secret?” Sirius asked “Yes” She nodded smiling and watched as he stood up and took a few steps away from her “Watch this” He said and she nodded eagerly waiting to see what he was going to show her. He turned into his animagi form; a big black dog “Ahh” She gasped and he walked towards her being careful not to scare her as he towered above her in his animagi form too. “Such a nice doggy and so fluffy too” Ellie said stroking him and he licked cheek “Eeww” She said and wiped her cheek with her sleeve, James and Lily laughing at them.

A few days later Ellie and Lily were sitting on the swings at the park when James, Sirius and Remus arrived “Hello girls” They three wizards greeted them with a smile “Hello” The girls replied. Sirius sat on the swing on the other side of Ellie “What’s it like living with James?” “Better than living at my home little one. James and his family accept me for who I am” Sirius answered Ellie’s question and she nodded “I accept you too, doggy form and all” She told him and he chuckled lightly, the others joining in too “Thank you Ellie.”

Lily and James began dating at 17 during their last year in Hogwarts “Finally, was beginning to think that you two would never get together” Sirius said teasingly, Lily poked her tongue out at him and James lightly punched his arm “Ow” Sirius said as he rubbed his arm, pretending it hurt to try and gain some sympathy and found none “Serves you right for teasing them” Remus told his friend “Congrats you two” Remus added as he smiled at the new couple.

Lily and her friends left Hogwarts that summer and made plans to see each other throughout the school break before they began their training courses and / or new jobs.

Ellie and James were sitting on a blanket watching the others when she tapped him on the arm “James, can I tell you a secret?” Ellie asked him, her voice low “Of course” He replied “I’m going to marry Sirius when I’m all growed up” He looked at her and chuckled lightly “I’m sure you will” He kissed her hair as he wrapped an arm around her. He had become quite fond of Lily’s little sister over the last few summers.

Lily and James got married two years after they left Hogwarts surrounded by family and friends, although her sister Petunia and her husband refused to attend. Ellie was a Bridesmaid and Sirius was the Best Man and he danced with her at the wedding. He gave his Best Man speech and everyone smiled and cheered and raised their glasses in a toast to the happy Bride and Groom before continuing to dance the night away.

Harry was born a year later in July 1980 and Sirius was named Godfather. Sirius bought him his first broom for his first birthday which he was given at the small gathering Lily organised to celebrate her son’s first birthday.

Sirius and James joined Lily and her parents at the station in September 1981 to wish Ellie luck for her first year at Hogwarts. “Good luck Ellie, you’ll do great I’m sure” Sirius told her and gave her a hug “Thank you Sirius.” Lily and James hugged her too “Have fun Ellie and remember what we said about the staircases” “I will. I’ll see you all at Christmas” She replied and boarded the Hogwarts Express.

Sirius had joined the Order of the Phoenix and found himself roiling in stress and mistrust bought on by the terror that was Lord Voldemort and it took its toll on him, so much so that he no longer trusted his friend Remus Lupin. He suspected Remus was acting as a spy for Voldemort and therefore excluded him from knowing important information. He did however still trust their other friend Peter Pettigrew, although this is something that he would later come to regret, in fact that regret would stay with him for the rest of his life.

Sirius and the Potters were made aware that Harry, along with Neville, the infant son of their fellow Order members Alice and Frank Longbottom, had become specific targets for Lord Voldemort following him learning of a prophecy. Although, Voldemort was only informed of part of the prophecy via Severus Snape due to him not hearing it in full himself.

Dumbledore learnt that Voldemort was no longer targeting Neville Longbottom, instead deciding that Harry Potter was the boy in question. Dumbledore surmised that this may be because Harry and Voldemort shared a similar heritage; both were half-blood wizards. As a result of this news Dumbledore advised the Potters to go into hiding and used the Fidelius Charm, which he hoped would conceal them from their foretold fate.

The Potters hid at their home in Godric’s Hollow and felt safe with their assigned Secret-Keeper. Dumbledore had recommended Sirius be made their Secret-Keeper and James agreed, confident that Sirius would rather die than betray them. Sirius disagreed however, convinced that Voldemort would guess they would use him and suggested they use Peter instead and decided to keep Remus and Dumbledore in the dark about the change. This is something else Sirius would come to regret later.

“Make sure Ellie is safe too because if anything happened to her Lily would be devastated. Not to mention James and I would miss her too” Sirius said to Albus Dumbledore “Don’t worry about Ellie she’s at Hogwarts and is safe there. Just make sure James, Lily and Harry are safe” Dumbledore replied “They are safe as discussed” Sirius replied, leaving out the part where he and James had made Peter the ‘Secret Keeper’ instead of him, thus keeping himself as a decoy.

The events of the First Wizarding War finally came to an end Halloween night 1981 when Lord Voldemort made his move and attacked the Potters in their own home at Godric’s Hollow. This attack led to his downfall and left only one survivor: Harry Potter himself.

James died first followed by Lily, who sacrificed her own life to save her son’s, a sacrifice which would have a consequence that noone could have foreseen.

Sirius was beside him with grief when he arrived at the Potter’s home and found James dead on the stairs and Lily dead on Harry’s bedroom floor. Harry was sitting in his cot crying having witnessed his mum be killed. Sirius picked Harry up and cradled in him in his arms until Hagrid arrived to retrieve Harry under Dumbledore’s orders. Sirius disagreed at first “I’m his godfather, he’s coming to live with me as that is what James and Lily would have wanted” He held Harry tighter to him, determined to keep the boy safe. “Dumbledore has made arrangements for the boy to live with his Aunt Petunia. I have been sent here to collect him and ensure he arrives there safely” Hagrid replied. After a few minutes of arguing Sirius gave in and handed Harry to Hagrid “Be safe Harry” He kissed his head. “Keep him safe” He said to Hagrid and handed him the keys to his flying motorbike. “I will protect him with my life Sirius” Hagrid promised and left the house carrying Harry in his arms.

Sirius left the Potter’s house and went looking for Peter and found him on a city street and was determined to kill him for his betrayal. Peter however, had other ideas and outwitted Sirius and publicly declared “You betrayed the Potters. You killed the Potters” Before Sirius could react Peter created a huge explosion, which killed twelve Muggles and gave him the opportunity to fake his own death and escape in his animagi form of a Rat, leaving behind a single finger.

The surviving Muggles who had witnessed the event all said they saw Sirius murder their companions and Peter with the ‘Blasting Curse.’ Their memories were later wiped using the Obliviate spell.

Sirius was arrested soon after by the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and after hearing from Cornelius Fudge that he had seen Sirius laughing maniacally at the scene of the crime, he was sentenced to life imprisonment in Azkaban by Barty Crouch Senior. The sentence was handed out without a trial being held for the thirteen counts of murder with the curse, for giving the information about the Potter’s whereabouts which lead to their death and service to Lord Voldemort.

The other remaining Marauder, Remus believed it was Sirius who betrayed the Potter’s location to the Dark Lord and murdered Peter afterwards.

The consequence of Lily’s sacrifice meant that Harry had to be raised by a blood relative but Ellie was too young at 11 years old to look after Harry. So, under Dumbledore’s instruction Harry went to live with his Aunt Petunia and her husband Vernon Dursley, who had their own young son Dudley. Dumbledore placed a Bond of Blood charm on Harry so that he would be protected from Lord Voldemort whilst living with the Dursleys at 4 Privett Drive. This protection spell would last until Harry became of age at 17 or no longer called his Aunt Petunia’s house his home.

Professor McGonagall called Ellie to her office when she returned to Hogwarts with Dumbledore. Dumbledore spoke first “Please take a seat” He pointed to the chair in front of the desk and waited till she was seated before breaking the news to her. “I’m sorry Ellie but I have some bad news for you. I’m afraid that Lily and James are dead” “H-how?” Ellie asked, shock written across her face “Sirius told Voldemort of their location, he broke their trust” McGonagall replied “NO! NO! He wouldn’t do that. Sirius wouldn’t betray them!” She screamed as tears rolled down her cheeks “He was their Secret-Keeper. He was the only one who knew their location. He also killed Peter Pettigrew although I’m not sure why” Dumbledore said softly, Ellie kept shaking her head “I don’t believe it was Sirius. He wouldn’t do that. He’d rather die than betray his friends” “Maybe once, yes but the evidence is clear child. He has already been arrested and will likely be sent to Azkaban Prison.” He added and placed a hand on her shoulder. “Harry. How’s Harry?” She asked “Harry survived and is safe with Petunia at her house.” Ellie scoffed “Doubt that. Petunia hates Lily and myself, sorry I guess it’s hated Lily now. She won’t care for him properly.” Neither professor commented at that.

Ellie cried herself to sleep that night, grieving for her sister, her brother-in-law and for Sirius who was to be locked away in Azkaban.