#again i am so so sorry for the delay but happy holidays i hope you like this!!

[willsilvertongue]

MARISA COULTER THROUGH THE SEASONS

a content creator secret santa gift for @iressails​ 💝

[httpknjoon]

(re)starting over again | kth; 12

plot | Your four-year relationship with Taehyung was going well and strong. Until he was involved in a car accident, resulting to him losing some memories. By some, it means everything that happened five years ago. Things he remember? His friends, his bakeshop, and his ex girlfriend from the past. With that, you tried to keep up, restarting over again.

words | 5.3k

genres | fluff, angst, amnesia au

pairing | taehyung x reader

warning/s | mentions of death, drinking, disease (cancer)

note | surpisingly, i am still alive lol i'm kidding. i apologize for the delay! the bad headaches are now gone and the fever has cooled down. and now, the update's here! to everyone who sent their messages, tysm I appreciate it 🥺 I didn't mean to ghost y'all, I'm so sorry! anw hope u enjoy reading this one :)

main masterlist | series masterlist

Ever since you were young, you liked things to go the way you planned it. When you were younger, you carried a small notebook with you. Your father gave you your first one during the holidays when you were seven. In there, you make your own little bullet journal, listing off the things you would want to do for the upcoming days. With your messy handwriting, you even wrote your far future plans.

As a child, you used to see things with your rose-colored glasses. Everything seemed real and attainable for your small hands. You thought you just had to follow the usual path of your plans and you would be fine. But things do not always go according to plan. You learned it the hard way.

You always dreamt of being a nurse. At age eight, you were a frequent visitor to the hospital. Not because you were sick yourself, but because you and your mom had to go back there from time to time with your dad who was receiving treatment for his disease. You wanted to take care of him. So you did what a little girl could do, listen to your dad’s heartbeat through your plastic toy stethoscope and kiss his pain away. He would always call you his favorite nurse and you would give him your toothy grin. After a year, when you were nine, he lost his battle with cancer. 

Confused and in sorrow, you almost crossed out that dream from your list. You had a hard time understanding why you had to lose your dad at such an early age. Your friends had dads, how come you lost yours before you could even reach middle school? Then, you became angry. Your father was always in treatment in the hospital. Hospitals are meant to cure people, right? Your little kid brain thought. It felt unfair to you.

But then, you and your mom later left the small neighborhood you were living in and moved in with your aunt– her older sister. Aunty Belle is a nurse herself, a surprise for you as you didn’t know you have a relative who works in the same place you loathed at that time. But you couldn’t bring yourself to hate her, she was warm and welcoming when you arrived in her humble abode in Incheon. She doesn’t have a family of her own so she took good care of you and your mom. She became your third parent while your mom deals with the grief of losing her husband.

“It’s fun. You get to meet wonderful people every day and help them to feel better.” your aunt replied once when you asked her about her job.

Aunty Belle never got tired of your questions and curiosity about nursing. Slowly, you began rebuilding your plans. The dream of being a nurse is back, added with your other dreams: making your mom happy, and living independently (like your aunt). You studied hard, aiming for higher grades and going to the best college for your dreams.

But at age fifteen, Aunty Belle became your legal guardian when your mom passed. Through your aunt, you learned that your mother has been struggling heavier than you expected. Your aunt was extremely worried for your mom that’s why she begged her to come and live with her. You always thought your mom was getting better with how she cried less day by day and even took a job as a receptionist in a dental clinic. 

Since then, you have become more understanding and emotionally sensitive to everyone. The feelings you had years ago when you lost your dad were creeping around you. This time, instead of being angry at something else, you felt like this one was on you. You blamed yourself for not seeing the signs from your mother’s eyes. How she became more reserved or how her eyes were often blank whenever she tried to smile for you. Maybe you were too focused on reaching your plans that you didn’t give any attention to her. You were angry, hurt, and in guilt. It’s too overwhelming and is heavy in your heart. It reached the point where you broke down during breakfast, in front of the toast and bacon Aunty Belle prepared for you, weeks after your mom’s funeral.

“I should’ve seen it. I should have seen that she was not okay.” you sniffed as you looked down your plate. “I was supposed to make her feel better and happy.”

Crying, you pushed your plate in front of you and just covered your face with your palms. You repeated the words over and over again like you were reminding yourself how you failed as your mom’s only child.

“Oh, sweetie…” your aunt whispered before sitting beside you and enveloping you in a hug. Her hand moved up and down your arms, making you feel warm. “It’s not your fault. You are the best daughter she could ask for. She loves you more than anything else.”

After that morning, Aunty Belle made sure to get you the best help. She guided you in everything she could and supported you with your choices. She made sure that you will still pursue your plans, never stopping you from doing what you want. Years later, you graduated from high school and were about to embark on a new journey.

“You know that you can just have this place,” she mumbled when you were packing your things. “I’m selling it anyway.”

“But Aunty, this isn’t in my plan. You know how bad I want to live in Seoul.” you smiled at her.

Because of your efforts and hard work, you got accepted into one of the best universities in another city. You later moved from Incheon to Seoul to finish your studies and become a nurse there. While Aunty Belle sold her home and followed her own plans of living with her longtime best friends under one roof.

But none of what happened in the last few years was part of your plans when you were younger. You didn’t really see yourself coming back to Incheon after living in Seoul for the longest time. You never thought you would leave your job in the hospital you dreamed of and work in a slightly different environment.

Two years ago, you left home. The house you had plans in with someone else. You were the one who broke off those plans and moved away without really telling anyone. You remembered that night like it was yesterday.

Every step you took away from him felt like a piece of you fell on the ground. Your vision was all blurry and you had to cover your lips as you sobbed. You clutched onto your gown while you remind yourself that you need to do this. For the sake of your own being. But still, there is this voice telling you to stay– to turn around and come back to him.

“YN, honey,” 

Looking up, you see Julia looking at you with sympathy. She walked towards you with open arms and you immediately just broke down on her dress. Listening to your sobs, Julia eyes her date, whom you didn’t notice was there waiting too, to get in the car. 

Your whispered voice muffled in the hug, “I hate this so much,”

The whole drive home, Julia and Chanyeol respected your silence in the backseat. They put on some radio music and chatted about the wedding while your teary eyes just looked outside the window. They were like your parents that night. When you guys passed by McDonald’s, it took one nudge from Julia to make Chanyeol turn the car back around for the drive-thru. She ordered your food for you in a separate bag so you could have something to eat when you reached home. When you arrived in front of your house, they helped you with your small bag. 

“Thank you so much, guys. I’m sorry this is our first meeting, Chanyeol.” you tried to lighten the mood as you three stood on the porch.

He smiled, “It’s fine. Everyone has their bad day.”

You chuckled before Julia nudged her again with her elbow. Then, she turns to you.

“What time are you leaving tomorrow?”

“Probably early morning. I already have the keys to keep my apartment so I can go there now too if I want to.” your words rambled as your head felt like a mess.

“Okay, call me. I’ll pick you up–” Before you can say anything, she lifts her finger. “And no, I won’t take no for an answer. I wanna see your new place.”

They left after Julia made sure you were fine. Walking into your house for the last time, you tried to go straight to your room to change from your gown to your pajamas. Then, you cried again. And again. And again. 

The last time you woke up in that house was the morning after that. You woke up before dawn. The sky was barely lit and the moon was still present above you. You promised yourself that you would leave like a ghost. Like what you have been doing the last few days. Cleaning up, your hand ran on your bedsheets to smoothen out the wrinkles. Fortunately, almost ninety percent of your clothes fit in two pieces of luggage. You just have to leave a few things that you’ll probably get when you get back.

From Julia

Will be there in five

Five minutes left, you find yourself sitting in front of your vanity mirror. Making one last check, you pulled the small drawers in the table. That’s when you saw that old pearl ring Taehyung bought you in the flea market. A heavy sigh from your chest makes its way out of your lips. Holding it between your thumb and index finger, you stare at it.

We tried, didn’t we?

Before any tears can fall, you simply close your eyes. Your chest heaves. You clutched that ring in your palm for some minute, like you were giving your one last goodbye. Then, you carefully place it next to your keys. You decided to leave your keys as you don’t want to come and go here in secret as you always have the tendency to do that especially if you want to avoid a person. Like you were doing now. You want to come back here better and hopefully, talk to Taehyung in the future.

Feel at home, this house is yours too. Paint the walls with the colors you like, buy new furniture, and fill the frames with new memories. Just please don’t sell it. I’ll try to reach out as soon as I can. For now, live the last years you missed.

You wrote on a piece of paper that you left on the same table. In the weeks you two lived together after the accident, you knew how he struggled to adjust to this house. Now that you’re going, you wish for him to feel comfortable in this house you two shared and called home. The pieces of furniture and shade of blue that took over every wall in the house were picked by both you and Taehyung when you bought it. The frame kept every memory you and Taehyung love to look back on in the span of your four-year relationship. But if it means for him to feel at home, you won’t mind if he wants to change things around the house. Even though it will probably break your heart harder than it is now.

“You…”

It was only your first morning, the second day in your new apartment in Incheon when someone came knocking on your door. You were still organizing your place and unpacking when you heard continuous heavy knocks. Almost instantly, your eyes widened when you saw who it was through your door’s peephole. The person spoke again as soon as you opened your door.

“You moved?!” Jisoo immediately pushed through your door and welcomed herself in. “You moved here?!”

Based on the tone of her voice, she was more angry than surprised. Her eyebrows were scrunched together while her nose flared. Her hands were on her hips like she was waiting for an explanation. Your lips opened for a second before it closed again. You softly scratched your cheek before opening your lips again,

“I-I thought you were on your honeymoon vacation.”

She tilts her head, “Well, I’m not. Am I?”

“Why are you here?” you mumbled, sounding scared at her.

The thing is, Jisoo rarely gets angry or annoyed. You had known her ever since you began working as a nurse and you learned she have the longest patience for everyone else. But when she runs out of it, you don’t know how she will react.

“Why are you here?” she returned your question with raised eyebrows. “You did not tell me you were moving here or resigning in the hospital! What happened?”

You closed the door and quietly walked back to your messy living room since you knew she would follow. She did and continued,

“I saw the shift schedule like two hours ago and you’re not there. I had to ask Gail and she said you resigned. You were not answering my calls or messages! I had to call Julia. Then, she told me you moved here– What the fuck happened? I was only busy for like two weeks and next thing I know, my best friend’s in another city and hospital.”

You sat on your grey couch while Jisoo still stood in front of you. You looked away as your replied,

“Well, actually I’ll be working in a school–”

Jisoo’s tone went higher, “What?!”

“I applied as a school nurse–”

“No, no, no.” she shushed you. “Tell me everything that happened. Everything.”

So you did. But first, you asked her to sit down next to you. You ordered food by app as you don’t really have any stock of food at the moment. While you were waiting for the food, you began telling her about what happened. From how you met Lily to how you happened to be where you are right now. Jisoo listened intently. As you went on, you noticed her shoulders and facial expression softened up. From her jaw being clenched tight, her lips were formed into a slight frown. You tried not to cry throughout the whole story-telling impromptu but your voice did shake and you just felt your best friend’s warm hands somewhere in the middle of your story. At the end, you find yourself leaning your head on her shoulder while she leans hers on top.

“I and Joon just decided to go on honeymoon next month. Plus, I have a toaster and an air fryer in my car.” Jisoo broke the comfortable silence you two shared with a random sentence.

You lifted your head, looking at her, “What? Why?”

“We received like a ton of it from the wedding. We had to give some stuff away rather than selling it and I just knew your place is probably still empty. So I just bought some. I have plates too.” she smiled.

“But what if I was the one who gave you that toaster?” you asked, squinting your eyes.

“You did not.” she chuckled but your expression didn’t change. She blinked and asked with a feeble voice, “You did not, right?”

Your lips broke into a smile, “Yeah, we didn’t.”

She pouted before you two laughed and hugged. Just like that, you and Jisoo are okay.

Unlike any of your past decisions, nothing was truly planned when you decided to move away. Aunty Belle, whom you visit every now and then, comforted you about it and said that life just happens like that sometimes. And that’s how your two years went. Unplanned. You just applied for the first good job you saw, which happened to be being a school nurse in a preschool. You moved to another apartment after just a few months since your initial place is farther on the subway you always take to get to the school every morning.

Working with kids, you always miss your patients back in Seoul. Particularly, Naeun, whom you are still in contact with. You visit her a couple of times when you go to Seoul.

And there were times when you thought you saw Taehyung. Not just in Seoul, but also in Incheon. The first one was just months after you left, you were on your way to preschool when you saw him in the subway. But you thought it was just a look-alike and impossible since he would not have any reason to come here. Plus, you were feeling a little down that week as it was supposedly your fifth anniversary. The next time is when you come to Seoul to visit Naeun. It was a busy Sunday and you stopped by a toy store in the mall to get a gift for your favorite patient. It was a bit crowded since it was on sale. So you lost him in the blink of an eye.

The most recent one is when you came to Seoul for Julia’s birthday. You had a few drinks with your friends and everything was already slightly blurry. But you swore you saw him when you were waiting for your Uber late at night. You were with Julia, who was waiting with you just to make sure you’d be safe. She was talking about something but your eyes caught a man walking on the other side of the road with his head down on his phone. The small light coming from his screen made you recognize him. It’s him, you’re sure.

Although you have visited the city a couple of times already, you never drop by the bakeshop or the house. You never even contacted Taehyung. There were times it crossed your mind. But you never did. You miss him. God knows, how much. But you don’t know what to say about the house, him, you, or the relationship you two had.

You and Jimin talked seldomly. The first one was a week after you and Taehyung officially went separate ways. He would ask how are you and you would do the same thing. You were surprised but happy at the same time when you learned he had a kid, who happens to be Jisoo’s nephew. You two had this unspoken rule to not talk about Taehyung because Jimin doesn’t bring him up and you are too shy to ask. But you know they are doing well, you heard they expanded the shop.

In the whole two years, Taehyung never really left your mind. It’s hard. Especially when you would still get random reminders of your relationship in unexpected ways. In what was supposed to be your fifth anniversary, you got a scheduled e-mail from his account. Every year, your phone calendar still updates you to buy him a gift a month before his birthday. And just like last month, you found an old picture in one of your bags. Something you probably slipped there long ago. It’s a picture taken years ago during your first snow in your house with a handwritten caption, TOO MORE SNOWY DAYS TOGETHER. It was in his handwriting.

“Goodbye, Nurse YN!”

A little kid waved his little hand to you while his mom politely smiled at you. You waved back and continued walking back from your small clinic. This is how your day ends in school: tiny voices saying goodbye and sometimes giving you warm hugs. You were never really busy since you worked with two other school nurses who you became friends with. 

“Oh, hey, YN.”

You just sat in front of your computer screen, recording some student’s health records, when your co-nurse popped into your shared office. Martha just found her recent hobby a couple of months ago after you told her that you haven’t been dating for the last couple of years.

You exaggeratedly sighed and did not even look at her, “What do you want?”

“YN sounds so tired of you already.” Aileen, your other co-nurse, laughed while organizing her files.

“I know, she is.” Martha chuckled. She turns to you, “I know a guy…”

You paused from what you were doing, “Martha–” 

It’s not like you’re not interested in dating. It took you more than a year to be open again to the idea and so far, you’ve gone into two dates from Martha’s recommendations. But both were not a match. The first one is a great guy but he seems like he cannot get over an ex since he talked about her half of the time. While the second guy is just rude. That’s all you can say about him. The date was all about him not liking how the steak was cooked and how one of the waiters was too kind to you. It was horrible.

“No, no, honey. Listen to me first.” Matha cuts you off. “I personally know this guy. He’s my cousin and… he also works in the medical field! He’s a doctor.”

An eyebrow raised. A doctor? Well, you never dated one before. But you knew doctors were better than that last guy you mentioned.

Aileen joined, “Is he the one you showed me earlier?

“Yup,” Martha replied, popping the ‘p’ sound.

“Oh, you’ve got to see him, YN. The guy is gorgeous!” she exclaimed. “If you won’t date him, I will!”

The three of you laughed. Of course, Aileen can’t. She is currently seven months pregnant with her second child and married to one of the teachers in this same preschool.

“Just don’t tell Seb,” she added, mentioning her husband.

You still haven’t said anything even though you are admittedly interested. Martha pulled her phone out.

“Wait, I’ll show you his account.”

“Oh, that dress suits you perfectly!”

Jisoo’s voice filled your room as you fixed the dress on your body. Even though you two are in different cities, she is still your go-to every time you need to dress up for something. Usually, through Facetiming. The date is fine-dining. So, you tried on different dresses for Jisoo to pick on and eventually, you two agreed on the same one.

“Don’t forget your coat! It might get cold,” she advised. “Now, turn around again!”

You giggled before doing what she said. You heard her cheer and compliments, making you smile.

“You are stunning!”

“Thank you so much for helping me, Jiji,” you said with a small smile.

“You’re welcome. Just have fun, okay? Let me know how it goes later.” she told you and you nodded. She spoke again, “Now, go! Book that Uber already.”

“Okay, okay. Bye! Call you later. Love you!” you waved.

She waved back, “Love you, take care!”

You ended the call and moved to another app to look for a ride. Your date initially asked if you wanted him to pick you up. But you just agreed to meet him at the restaurant he invited you to. He seems nice. Martha said her cousin has been single for a while now. After his last relationship, he just gave most of his time to work.

To +82 65 78** ****

Hi! I’m on my way. See you there.

You sent your date the message when you finally got in the car you booked twenty minutes ago. It did not even take a few minutes before he replied,

From +82 65 78** ****

Okay, see you there! Take care.

Pursing your lips, you look outside the window of the moving car. You hope for the best for tonight. You hope Martha’s recommendation is at least okay this time. Maybe the universe could prove to you that Taehyung is not the only guy in the world who could make the butterflies play around in your stomach. Or the only guy who would be patient enough with your tendencies. You just have to know that he is not the only guy in the world. Period.

As much as you won’t say it, dating Taehyung for four years made him your standard for everything. You already met two versions of him; one before the accident and one after the accident. They are almost the same person but the latter just brought you a lot of pain because of various circumstances. But you know and feel he shows his emotions in other ways.

“We’re here.” the female driver, whom you saw is Val, said as she stopped the car in front of the brightly lit restaurant.

You smiled before getting out of the vehicle, “Thank you.”

Starry Night lives up to its name. As you noticed before, the whole place is lit up with many lights. Carefully, you walked inside with your strappy heels. The staff smiled and greeted you, and you greeted them back.

“Good evening, madam. Welcome to Starry Night. How may I help you?”

“I have a reservation under Jung Hoseok’s name.” you politely replied.

“Oh, okay. Let me check our list. Excuse me.” the host scrolled down his iPad for a minute. “The name’s here! Please, follow me to your table. This way please.” 

You followed him while looking around the place. It’s not too crowded and it has a romantic feeling because of the lights and jazz music. You know someone who would have loved to go here. Before you sit down, the host assisted you with the chair and offered to take your coat. You agreed. Pulling out your phone from your purse, you update Hoseok that you just arrived. You put your phone down and studied the whole place again with your eyes. 

A woman caught your eye. She was talking and chatting with the chef in the side station. They looked like they were waiting for someone to enter the door. Your gaze were broke off when someone spoke from your side.

“Good evening, ma’am. My name is Soojin and I’ll be your waiter for tonight. Would you like to order something?” the young waiter smiled.

“Oh, I’m still waiting for my date…” you murmured. “But can I have some water please?”

“Certainly, ma’am. Excuse me.”

Soojin left as you said thank you. As she was gone from your sight, your eyes landed on the man who was entering the restaurant. Dressed in a nice black coat over a light blue shirt, you quickly recognize him. Your mouth runs dry while your heart beats like a horse’s footsteps in a race. You were frozen.

What is he doing he– Fuck.

Your eyes meet. You can see his eyes widening as his lips gaped slightly. His Adam’s apple bobbed up and down while you practically lost your hearing. All you can hear is the drum inside your chest.

Fuck, you cursed again.

What are the chances for this to happen? Is the universe playing or simply fucking with you? You asked for a great date and it gave you this. The man you’ve been holding as your standard ever since. 

It burns.

His eyes. You can feel them as you take a sip from the ice-cold glass of water. After the host led him to one of the empty tables in your line, your eyes traveled everywhere except on his spot. You two were literally just an empty table apart.

Is he here for a date? Why here? In Incheon, really? Can’t he just date people from Seoul?

It has been nine minutes, you’ve been counting. Your hand rests on your knee, to stop your knees from jerking up and down, while the other rests on the table with your phone. You’ve been texting but erasing messages to Hoseok. You don’t think you can do this. With Taehyung being just a few feet away from you, it felt wrong to be with someone else. You should have been sitting right in front of him.

Slowly, you try to move your eyes in his direction. You paused when you saw that he was staring at you too, unmovable. Are you supposed to smile? Wave? Nod. just nod. You were about to do that when the same woman from the side station walked up to him, covering your view of him.

“Hi, good evening!” you heard her honey-like voice greet him. “I’m Ashley.”

You noticed Taehyung stood up. They shake hands and you don’t really hear the rest of their conversation. You began texting your date,

To +82 65 78** ****

Hi. Where are you?

You’ve been alone for a while now.

Taehyung noticed. The glass of water on your table is almost empty. The waiter already come back to you a couple of times now. He can see you chewing on your lower lip as you check your phone every minute that passes by.

Did your date just stand you up?

His hands clutched as he thought of that idea. He knew you didn’t deserve that.

“I think this is good! Not too sweet, not too spiced. It’s soft too. Just perfect.” Ashley snapped him from his thoughts.

Taehyung tried to concentrate on what he originally meant to do here, “Yeah… uhm… Jimin, my friend, really tries to balance the texture and taste. It’s his own carrot cake recipe that he worked on before we even had the shop.”

Ashley already had a taste of every cake he brought. Five open Tupperware are on their table, including the cheesecake you love. She began talking about the other cakes and dessert while Taehyung stole some glances at you again. This time, you are on call. You pursed your lips before replying to whoever it was. He can read the disappointment through your eyes as your lips form into a small frown. You sighed before saying, it’s fine, I understand. No problem. 

“Okay, these are really good. I think your products will be a great addition to our menu.” Ashley spoke again. 

Taehyung looked at her with surprise, “Oh, wow. That’s… great.”

Did he just get this deal?

“Yeah, I trusted my chef when he said he had the best Tiramisu in your shop and I’m glad I did. These desserts are perfect and really satisfy my sweet tooth.” She compliments.

Taehyung bowed his head, “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Your desserts deserve to be everywhere. Haven’t you guys thought of opening a branch here?” she asked.

“Oh, we’re still figuring things out. We just expanded our main shop in Seoul.” he chuckled.

“Well, I might go there when I visit Seoul.”

“Please do and let us know.” he smiled.

“I will. By the way, the contract is not ready now. But we are definitely having this deal! Can you and Jimin visit here again next week or maybe me and my head chef can visit your shop in Seoul?” Ashley offers.

“I still have to discuss that with my friend.”

“Oh, sure. Sure. Here, we are okay with any decision. Just let us know. You guys have our e-mail and numbers, right?” Taehyung nods. “Okay, I guess… that’s a done deal.”

Ashley stood up and offered her hand. Taehyung stood up too and shook her hand. 

“Thank you so much.” Taehyung smiled.

While Ashley replied, he stole another glance behind her. That’s when he sees you standing up and walking back to the host at the entrance of the restaurant. The host had an apologetic look on his face as you talked to him. He helped you with your coat. It seems like you’re leaving with your date being a no-show. 

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be rude. But I would have to go for now..” Taehyung carefully said.

Ashley smiled, “Oh, of course. Yes. You can go. But one more thing… can you leave these cakes?”

Taehyung chuckled with that, “Of course!”

“Thank you! See you in the contract signing!”

“See you.” 

Taehyung took his coat from his seat and left in a hurry. You were already gone, possibly out of the restaurant. He said thank you to the staff who opened the door for him and he immediately searched around. That’s when he sees you standing, looking down at your phone.

“This one’s just a few minutes away–”

He took a deep breath before saying, “YN?”

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[hobipaint]

Peppermint Mocha

synopsis: Wanting to break away from the hubbub of the big city life, you decided to return your quaint, tiny town, seeking solitude. However, you meet Hoseok, who seems way more familiar than he should, and your solitary vacation takes a turn - for the better, or for the worse?

genre: fluff

word count: 4.6k

rating: pg13

a/n: A very happy new year, everyone! And especially to the amazing @the-boy-meets-evil - jess, I was so glad I could be your secret santa this year! carol worked hard on her puns hehe :) i hope you enjoyed my asks and this fic! i'm so sorry for the delay in sending out this gift, but i hope you enjoy the extended holiday spirit :) and for everyone reading, I hope you have an amazing 2024!

written for the @kpopsecretsanta secret santa event! | my masterlist

The holidays always went a little too fast for your liking. You didn’t know when it Christmas had come, shown its colours, and left; it felt like yesterday that you were preparing for Halloween. And yet, the wispy bits of fluffy snow falling from the sky said that it had been long since that time. You could feel the frosty bits of snow crunching under your feet as you trudged out of the airport into the lanes of the town. 

In the distance, you could see the festive hubbub that surrounded your town - with officials figuring out logistics for lights and trees, vendors setting up their markets and little kids toying about with the snow: everything was exactly the same as you remembered when you had last been here. 

“10 years,” you whispered to yourself, a small smile forming on your lips. “Hello again.” 

Your family had once called this town home, back when you and your siblings were young kids. Time had flown away like the little snow flakes did now, and forced you all to move away from your home to build a future of your own. Normally, you would have wanted to be with your friends and family to celebrate the holidays, but something oddly made you want to come back here. 

Making sure you had your belongings, you asked around to figure out where your lodge was located, not recognising a lot of the shops that now decorated the streets. Your parents had recommended a lodge they had first stayed in when they came here, one out of two cabins owned by a family friend who had since shifted to New York. They let you rent out one for the holidays, and encouraged you to get acquainted with the stranger who would be renting the other cabin around the same time - “wouldn’t hurt to make a new friend,”  they’d said. 

A tap on your shoulder broke your reverie. “Y/N?” A voice called behind you, making you turn to face the person in question. Dressed cosily in a green sweater that screamed the holiday spirit with vibrant red hearts and candy canes all over it, it was a man, snowflakes settling in his fluffed up brown hair. He was tall in a way that made you stretch your neck up to look at his big smile, and his eyes had a soft crinkle to them, as if you had just shared a funny anecdote. 

“I’m Hoseok,” he mentioned, stretching out a hand. “I figured you’re the other person staying at the Woodson’s cabin, aren’t you?”

You accepted his hand, surprised at the warmth instantly engulfing your frosty fingers. “Yeah, I am. How did you know it was me, though?” 

He grinned, tilting his head to look at your heavy bags - as if they were a clear indication. “No one really travels alone with three big bags to this town unless they’re planning a long vacation.” 

You smiled sheepishly. “Yeah, I guess that kinda gave it away.” You could feel him staring at you as if trying to figure out what kind of a person his neighbour for the next few days was like. 

Hoseok flashed a friendly smile. "Well, it's nice to meet you, Y/N. I’ve got my car here, so if you don’t mind, we can get to the cabin together? Let me help you with those bags." He effortlessly grabbed two of your heavy bags, leaving you with just one.

“Thank you,” you said, following after him and settling into the warmth of his car. Helping him load your luggage on the car, Hoseok immediately ran off inside the car, immediately cranking the heat on. You couldn’t help but laugh as he gestured for you to come in quickly. 

“Not a fan of the cold, I presume?” you asked. 

“Brrrr,” he shivered, rubbing his palms together and blowing at them. “I love the aesthetics of cold weather, but absolutely hate the feeling of cold.” Starting the car, he slowly drove out of the parking lot, suddenly grinning to himself. “By the way, Y/N? You haven’t asked me for any proof of who I am,” he hesitated, looking over to you cautiously as if to detect any signs of panic. 

You froze at his words, realising his perspective: you had just trusted an absolute stranger and gotten in the car. “Should I be worried, though?” You tried to play it off casually. 

“I would suggest being worried, and not being relieved until you were sure I was the right person to approach you,” he said, lips pursed and hands tense on the steering wheel. “I could be really dangerous.”

For some reason, that stunned you, and yet, it made you burst out into laughter. 

Hoseok looked at you confused. “What?” 

Gasping for breath, you could barely stop your laughter enough to calm Hoseok’s concerned face. “Mrs. Woodson is a family friend, Hoseok. She’d already told me about you, and how you’ve been here for a few weeks at the cabin. I did recognise you a few seconds after you spoke to me.”  You grinned. “It would have been concerning if I did blindly trust you and get in the car, though.”

Hseok dramatically breathed out, as if a huge tension had been lifted off of his chest. “Well, at least you knew who I was. Imagine if you didn’t know anyone or anything in this town and got all lost? I would feel terrible.”

You settled into your seat, humming in agreement with him. “I do know this town well enough, though. I have lived here for long enough to know these streets, even if they’re more colourful now than then.” 

Hoseok smiled. “Ahh, so you lived here too.”

You turned to him in surprise. “You, too?”

He nodded. “I lived here for some years when I was younger. I don’t have very strong memories of this place here - I moved away with my dad after my parents divorced, you see - and came here only sometimes to visit my mom while she still lived here. And when all my family moved from here, I didn’t really have a reason to come back here as much.” He smiled softly. “But then, I just felt like I wanted to be here this year, alone, yes, but in a place I first started enjoying the holidays.” 

You hummed in agreement, understanding the sentiment.

He pointed to the houses you were crossing outside, all cheerfully decorated in lights and decor. ‘I used to rank the houses by their decor every year, and then go to the house I ranked first to tell them that they won,” he said, making you both laugh. “I wonder if the owners are still the same people.” 

“I would hope so, too,” you said. “‘My family and I had loads of friends we lost touch with. It would be nice to meet some of them.” 

The road to the cabin was a long one, you knew, and yet, you weren’t as bothered about travelling a long distance as you thought you would be. Hoseok’s company and your childhood nostalgia got the best of you, keeping the conversation in good spirits as you made your way to the cabin.

As you climbed the steps up to the Woodson's cabin, Hoseok spoke up, "By the way, if you ever need anything or have any trouble, feel free to knock on my door. We're practically neighbours for the next few days." He knocked at his door jokingly, before showing you into your cabin.

You nodded in gratitude, feeling a sense of warmth in both the gesture and the offer.

The Woodson's cabin was a rustic haven nestled amidst a picturesque snowy landscape. Its exterior, adorned with a glistening layer of snow, exuded a quaint charm that perfectly complemented the festive spirit of the holidays. A trail of footprints led to the wooden porch, where a wreath of pine cones and twinkling lights welcomed visitors.

Upon entering, the warm aroma of burning pine logs greeted you, emanating from a grand fireplace that stood as the heart of the cozy abode. The crackling flames cast dancing shadows on the log walls, revealing a collection of Wooderson family mementoes – framed photographs capturing moments of laughter, family gatherings, and snowy adventures. The memories were frozen in time, a testament to the cabin's rich history and the cherished moments shared by generations past.

The living area featured plush, oversized chairs and a well-worn sofa, adorned with festive throw blankets that beckoned you to sink in and relish the comfort. The windows, framed by heavy curtains, offered panoramic views of the snow-covered landscape, while the soft glow of fairy lights added a touch of enchantment.

In the corner of the cabin, a towering Christmas tree stood adorned with an array of ornaments, casting a festive hue that bathed the room in a warm and inviting light. A quaint dining table, draped with a red-and-green checkered tablecloth, held the remnants of a shared meal, as the remnants of peppermint hot cocoa lingered in the air.

The Woodson's cabin was a rustic haven nestled amidst a picturesque snowy landscape. Its exterior, adorned with a glistening layer of snow, exuded a quaint charm that perfectly complemented the festive spirit of the holidays. A trail of footprints led to the wooden porch, where a wreath of pine cones and twinkling lights welcomed visitors.

Upon entering, the warm aroma of burning pine logs greeted you, emanating from a grand fireplace that stood as the heart of the cosy abode. The crackling flames cast dancing shadows on the log walls, revealing a collection of Wooderson family mementoes – framed photographs capturing moments of laughter, family gatherings, and snowy adventures. You could spot your family and more familiar faces in the frames: the memories were frozen in time, a testament to the cabin's rich history and the cherished moments shared by generations past.

The living area featured plush, oversized chairs and a well-worn sofa adorned with festive throw blankets that beckoned you to sink in and relish the comfort. The windows, framed by heavy curtains, offered panoramic views of the snow-covered landscape, while the soft glow of fairy lights added a touch of enchantment.

In the corner of the cabin, a towering Christmas tree stood adorned with an array of ornaments, casting a festive hue that bathed the room in a warm and inviting light. A quaint dining table, draped with a red-and-green checkered tablecloth adorned the center of the cabin as the fragrance of toasted peppermint lingered in the air.

Hoseok bashfully scratched his head. “I may or may not have used your stove to make myself some Christmassy drinks.”

You grinned. “Was it something with peppermint?” 

“How did you know?” Hoseok asked, nodding in agreement as he stacked the washed and dried mug back in the cabinet. “I’ve always loved a good old mint flavoured drink, and ‘tis the season for peppermint, isn’t it?”

Seeing your vigorous agreement, Hoseok offered to whip up a drink for you while you settled your belongings in the cabin. 

“I’ll start the fireplace,” Hoseok called after you, busying away in the hall while you made your way to the bedroom. 

It felt like ages since you had sat by yourself, giving yourself time to do nothing. 

After you had moved away from your hometown, your life had been consumed with racing against the clock. With all your hardwork, you had been successful in your education, your career, and you had a place that you called your own. And yet, there were barely moments where you got to enjoy the time you so rightfully deserved to give yourself. Running around to prove yourself had only made you deprive yourself of your own time, seldom finding it in your busy hubbub. 

And now, as you overlooked the snow-laden mountains, with the town distantly coloured in a warm hue, you felt your shoulders melt into a more carefree, comfortable posture. You deserved this, you thought to yourself. It was more than worth it to come here, all alone, and enjoy one vacation in solidarity. You deserved the time all to yourself. 

And plus, Hoseok’s here for company, you added, feeling more and more resolute in your decision to take a break from the festive season. 

“This tastes really good, and I say that as someone who barely drinks coffee,” you hummed, hands wrapping around the warm mug that Hoseok handed to you.

He occupied the other end of the sofa, matching mug in his hands, crossing his legs comfortably. “That’s mainly because of the peppermint, Y/N. It adds a sense of uniqueness to the otherwise common coffee and elevates it.” You giggled at his narration as he indicated to his mug as if pitching a billion-dollar idea. 

“I noticed you like peppermints a lot,” you said, sipping away at the drink. “I like them too, but it is rare to find a fellow lover.”

“Oh, I love them!” Hoseok beamed eagerly. “Peppermint mochas are probably my favourite thing to make over the holidays. It is the only time of the year where it tastes just right and fits in, you know?” 

“My family used to make peppermint-infused hot chocolate,” you grinned. “It used to taste amazing.” 

As the crackling fire painted a warm ambience across the cabin, a subtle wave of nostalgia washed over you. The flickering flames seemed to dance in sync with the memories of holidays long gone, reminding you of the lively chaos that filled your childhood home during this time of year. 

Hoseok, sensing a shift in your demeanour, looked at you with understanding eyes. "Something on your mind, Y/N?" he asked, the glow from the fireplace casting a gentle warmth on his features.

You hesitated for a moment before responding, "It's just that... well, I miss my family. The holidays were always about being together; this year, being here alone feels different. I mean, it's wonderful to be back in this town, but the absence of their laughter and the familiar holiday chaos is hard to ignore."

Hoseok nodded empathetically, a soft smile playing on his lips. "I get that. Family has a way of making this time of year special. Maybe we can bring a little bit of that magic here. What's something your family always did during the holidays?"

As you shared tales of your family's traditions, Hoseok listened attentively. You don’t know when you two had started shifted closer, but soon enough, you and Hoseok were slapping each other on the arms while laughing away at old, embarrassing childhood stories. 

“I can’t believe you would do that!” you laughed, wiping a tear away from your eyes. Hoseok chuckled at your state. 

“Well, its at least better than when my family paraded me as baby Jesus on Halloween - my neighbour’s kid actually thought I was him,” he added, making you laugh even more. 

Outside, you could see the snow settling up higher and higher, and soon you and Hoseok decided to bid goodbye for the night. While walking him out, you chatted about more anecdotes from your time in this town - and you found yourself thinking, this vacation isn’t off to a bad start at all. 

Just before saying your goodbyes, Hoseok's eyes caught something above the door – a delicate mistletoe, adorned with tiny white berries, hung there as if placed by some unseen holiday fairy. A mischievous glint sparkled in Hoseok's eyes as he gently pointed upward.

"Well, look what we have here," he remarked with a playful grin, drawing your attention to the festive foliage above.

Your gaze followed his, and a soft gasp escaped your lips as you realized the implication. The air seemed to crackle with an unspoken tension, and a warm flush crept up your cheeks. Hoseok, with a charming smile, took a step closer, the glow of the cabin's lights framing his silhouette against the snowy backdrop.

"Tradition dictates that if two people find themselves beneath mistletoe, they share a kiss," Hoseok said, his voice low and filled with a playful warmth. “Unless they both don’t consent, of course.” 

You hesitated, before responding. “I’m single, so - unless you don’t want to -”

Before you could fully complete your words, Hoseok leaned in, closing the gap between you. Time seemed to slow as his lips met yours in a gentle, lingering kiss, capturing the essence of the winter night and the enchantment that hung in the air. The snowflakes continued their silent descent around you, adding a touch of whimsy to the unexpected yet welcomed moment.

As his lips parted from yours, you could feel the frosty snow take away his warmth, and you oddly wanted nothing more to pull him back and kiss him. 

But he was already walking away, promising to see you the next day. “See you tomorrow, beautiful."

The mistletoe kiss had cast a spell, and the days that followed became a tapestry woven with the threads of shared laughter and newfound connection. The town, now dressed in the shimmering aftermath of Christmas, beckoned the two of you to explore its post-celebration charm.

In the heart of the town, where the streets turned into a canvas painted with the hues of festive lights, you couldn't help but marvel at the lively holiday market. "It's like walking into a snow globe," you mused, the twinkling lights reflecting in her eyes.

Hoseok grinned, the glow of the lights accentuating the warmth in his eyes. "A magical snow globe where every shop is a treasure trove waiting to be discovered."

The vendors, like holiday artisans, showcased their creations with pride. Hoseok found himself drawn to a quaint bakery where the scent of peppermint-infused pastries lingered in the air. "I can almost taste the nostalgia in these," he remarked, savoring a bite of a holiday treat.

You chuckled, a melody that harmonized with the festive ambience. "Nostalgia is the secret ingredient that makes everything here taste like a piece of childhood."

As you both strolled through the town square, the ice-skating rink unfolded like a winter dreamscape. People of all ages took advantage of the icy wonderland, gliding and playing around on the ice. "Care to join me?" Hoseok extended his hand, the invitation echoing your kiss from a few nights ago.

You hesitated for a moment before taking his hand. “As long as you don’t make me fall,” you remarked, making him laugh. 

Evenings were a journey through the luminous streets, where each step resonated with shared stories and whispered dreams. The glow of holiday lights reflected in his eyes as they approached midnight. Hoseok, holding Y/N close, whispered against the backdrop of fireworks, "Here's to new beginnings."

It was almost as if the post-Christmas festivities had turned the town into a living storybook, with Hoseok and you as its protagonists. The holiday magic lingered in the air, blending seamlessly with the enchanting connection that unfolded like the turning pages of a heartwarming tale. 

A chilly onslaught broke the rather pleasant dream you were having. Groggily, you woke up, wrapping the blanket around you strongly to block out the sudden rush of iciness. The fireplace weakly flickered, and you could hear the howling winds outside as a storm built up. 

Not knowing what to do, you decided your best option was probably to try to revive the fireplace and whip up something warm for yourself. You poked at the fire, but it seemed like it wouldn’t revive at all. As the firewood dwindled and the flames grew weaker, the bitter cold of the snowstorm seeped into the cabin, chilling the air and turning every breath into a visible mist. Despite your best efforts, the fire refused to revive, leaving you shivering and desperate for warmth.

“I did come here to be alone, but this is not what I envisioned,” you laughed to yourself, hugging your blanket tighter. 

Your phone was not getting any network, so you hoped that Hoseok would somehow be awake at 2 AM. Bundling yourself up to the best of your abilities, you set out to his side of the cabin, knocking at his door as loudly as you could. 

A few minutes later, a rather disgruntled Hoseok appeared at the door. “Is everything okay?” he rasped, hair awry and clothes haphazardly pulled on. 

“I think my heating is broken, and the fire isn’t reviving, either.”  You explained. 

“Ahh.” Hoseok welcomed you in his cabin - a near mirror image of your one - and let you settle up on the couch while he volunteered to check on your heating system. 

While Hoseok busied himself outside, you noticed how tidy Hoseok had kept the cabin. There were more photos here - though you could only recognise a few faces - and a few more albums, stacked on the table next to the fireplace. Curiosity getting the better of you, you decided to peruse through one of them, immediately finding pictures of people from your neighbourhood celebrating Christmas together. On some pages, you could find your own parents smiling back at you, with your siblings holding hands with the other kids from the neighbourhood and singing carols captured in a faded photo. 

 To your surprise, you stumbled upon a faded photograph of two young kids, clutching a bag of peppermints, wearing matching grins.

Hoseok stepped in at that time, and yet, in your shock, you could barely register any of the words he was saying.

"Hoseok, is this...?" you began, showing him the picture.

He glanced over and chuckled. "Yeah, that's me, and my neighbour’s kid. We used to be quite the troublemakers when our families spent holidays here together."

You smiled. “Do you know where this kid is now?”

“No,” he said, sadly. “I wish I did, though. We used to be best friends when we were younger, literally joined at the hip, but didn’t really stay in touch after I left. I sometimes do wonder about her.” 

You held the picture up to your face, making Hoseok face you. “Don’t you think something about us looks similar?” 

Hoseok frowned, judging the faded Kodak with your beaming face. “You do have the same eyes, now that you say it. She had very pretty eyes.”

“Do you not remember her name?” You asked. 

“We would call each other with nicknames,” Hoseok said, dusting the snow off his hair. “I used to call her Bunny, and she used to call me-”

“Hobi,” you completed, eyes gleaming. 

Hoseok looked stunned. “Yeah, that’s what she called me. How did you know that?”

You laughed at his oblivion. “Because I am Bunny, silly.”

“Wha-oh?” Hoseok exclaimed, bracing himself as you rushed to hug your childhood best friend. “Are you serious?” 

“I am,” you convinced him, finding it just as hard to believe as him. I mean, you don’t come to a cabin on the outskirts of the town looking for solitude only to bump into your childhood best friend again, do you? 

Hoseok pulled away from you, gripping your shoulders and letting his eyes take in every part of you - as if he were meeting you for the first time again. “I can’t believe it is you.” 

“Me neither,” you said, as you kissed his cheek. “It has been far too long, Hobi.” 

Hoseok's astonishment lingered in the air as you both navigated the surprising reunion. The faded photograph, a relic of childhood mischief, lay forgotten on the table, replaced by the incredulous exchange between Bunny and Hobi after years of separation.

The cabin, with its walls echoing with the laughter of yesteryears, seemed to encase the timeless connection that had just resurfaced. Hoseok's eyes remained fixed on you, his disbelief slowly giving way to the realization that the Bunny he once knew was standing right in front of him.

As the shock settled, you couldn't help but laugh at the sheer serendipity of the moment. "I never imagined I'd find Bunny and Hobi reunited in a cabin on the outskirts of town," you remarked, a playful gleam in your eyes.

Hoseok joined in your laughter, the familiarity of shared memories weaving a comforting thread between you. "It's like a plot from a nostalgic movie," he added, shaking his head in amazement.

The two of you, now seated on the sofa, exchanged stories of the years that had passed, bridging the gap between then and now. The cabin, a silent witness to the unravelling narrative, seemed to cradle the essence of your rekindled friendship.

As the night wore on, and the snowstorm outside intensified, the cosy cabin transformed into a haven against the wintry tempest. Hoseok, ever thoughtful, stoked the fireplace, the flames casting a warm glow on the shared stories and laughter.

The sofa, now an island in the sea of nostalgia, beckoned both of you to its comforting embrace. The flickering flames, the snowstorm outside, and the whispers of shared memories paved the way for an unspoken understanding.

"You know," Hoseok began, his tone gentle, "it feels like we never really left those days behind. Just picked up where we left off."

You nodded in agreement, feeling a sense of belonging that transcended time. "It's like we're continuing a story that got interrupted."

As the night deepened, the warmth of the cabin and the shared connection became a refuge from the cold. The sofa, once a witness to the nostalgia of the past, now cradled the reunion of Bunny and Hobi.

Hoseok, looking at you with a softness in his eyes, spoke words that resonated with the atmosphere of the cabin. "I'm glad you found your way back, Bunny."

You leaned in, your shoulders brushing against each other, and whispered, "Me too, Hobi. Me too."

The flickering flames painted a dance on the log walls, casting shadows that seemed to waltz in rhythm with your shared laughter. The coziness of the cabin, the gentle snowstorm outside, and the rekindled friendship all merged into a symphony of comfort.

In the hushed moments that followed, the realization dawned that sleep was claiming its territory. The sofa, now transformed into a shared haven, invited both of you to surrender to its embrace.

"You know, Hobi," you said, your voice a sleepy murmur, "I never thought I'd find such warmth in the midst of a snowstorm."

Hoseok chuckled, the sound a gentle melody. "Maybe the storm outside brought us the warmth we didn't know we needed."

And so, amidst the crackling fire and the distant howl of the snowstorm, you and Hoseok snuggled closer, finding solace in the shared warmth. The flickering flames painted a canvas of comfort, casting a soft glow on your intertwined fingers.

And then, as if the universe had orchestrated the moment, your gaze met Hoseok's, and in that shared glance, a silent understanding bloomed. With a tenderness that mirrored the nostalgia of rediscovery, your lips met in a gentle kiss, sealing the night with a promise of new beginnings. The flickering flames seemed to dance in celebration, casting a warm glow on the cabin, now a witness to your reunion. 

As sleep began to weave its tranquil spell, Hoseok whispered, "I’m so glad I met you again, Bunny."

You smiled, the words a gentle echo in the cozy cabin. "I’m so grateful, Hobi."

While your previous year left much to be forgotten, it seemed that this year had begun with the embrace of an unexpected reunion, the flickering flames and the snowstorm outside bearing witness to the rekindling of a friendship that time had only strengthened. In the arms of the cabin, beneath the quilt of shared memories, you and Hoseok surrendered to the tranquility of the night, finding peace in the warmth of each other's presence.

If you made it till here, thank you for reading! i hope you enjoyed the fic - i would love to hear from you about it! love, hazel <3

[therealdisneyfan2319]

One Special Night | Wanda Maximoff

Summary: A blizzard leaves you and a stranger stranded on Thanksgiving

Pairing: Wanda Maximoff x Male Reader

Warnings: Language, angsty fluff? fluffy angst?, death

Word Count: 6.9K

Masterlist

A/N: This was requested by @joewatt111 on Wattpad.  It’s based on the movie One Special Night starring Julie Andrews and James Garner (it’s one of my favorite Christmas movies!)  

So sorry for the delay in getting requests out.  I’ve been struggling through some writer’s block ever since I finished writing “Can’t Help Falling In Love.”  But I’m working through it and I’m hoping to get caught up before the holidays.  

Thanksgiving, 5:03 PM

“Any plans for Thanksgiving, Doc?”

“Oh you know, the usual,” you replied.  “Get togethers with family you don’t really like, avoiding conversations that’ll spark arguments, and eating too many casseroles of who knows what.”  You didn’t really like Thanksgiving.  It held too many memories you’d rather forget: the years of being shuffled from house to house to spend time with your divorced parents, the subsequent arguments that you’d hear between your drunk father and sobbing mother as you buried your head under the covers in a feeble attempt to drown out the screams, endless holiday dinners ruined by shifts in the emergency room treating deep fryer burn victims, people slicing their hands while attempting to carve a turkey, and sprains, bumps, and bruises from people slipping on ice or grease, and, of course, the one Thanksgiving where your fiance dumped you before the heavy cream could even be whipped.  Needless to say it wasn’t your favorite day of the year.  So instead of subjecting yourself to the horrors of dinner conversation, you volunteered to work the holiday, collect the overtime, and treat yourself to your favorite Chinese takeout and watch whatever football game was on.  Most people didn’t understand your disinterest in the holiday, so you fibbed and said you had plans.  It’s not like anyone would figure it out anyways.

“But that’s the fun isn’t it?  It only comes around once a year,” the tech posed.

You shook your head as you pulled on your coat.  “Yeah, fun.  There are lots of things you can classify as fun.  I’m not sure this is one of them.”  Slamming your locker shut, you grabbed your bag and headed for the door of the locker room.

“I don’t think it’s that bad,” the younger man responded.  “But anyways, get home safe, Doc.  The news was saying that we’re supposed to get one heluva of a storm today.”

“All the more reason to not go out,” you winked.  You pushed the door open and trudged down the hall, backpack slung over one shoulder as you ambled down the corridor and towards the main entrance of the hospital.

“Dr. L/N?” you heard a voice call from behind you as you passed the emergency room’s front desk.  You turned around to see who the voice belonged to and found Janelle, your intern, running towards you.

“Yeah?” you answered, cocking an eyebrow.

“You forgot to sign off on the papers for Mrs. Levin.”  She handed you a clipboard with a pen clipped to it.  You took it from her, scribbled on the appropriate line, and handed it back to her without much thought to what you were doing.  “Thank you, doctor.  And Happy Thanksgiving.”

“Yeah, same,” you responded.  All you could think about after your ten hour shift was your steamed dumplings and lo mein, not some last-minute paperwork.  But as you passed by the desk again something out of the corner of your eye caught your attention.

“You’ve got to be kidding me, right?  What do you mean there’s no tow trucks available?” You saw a fiery redhead who was red in more than just her hair.  She was leaning up against the front desk, yelling into her cellphone, a backpack sitting by her side.  You watched as she rolled her eyes at whatever response she was receiving.  “Well fine, I’ll just call a cab if you-what do you MEAN they aren’t running the cabs?  How the hell am I supposed to get home?”

You eavesdropped on her conversation as you walked by, trying to make sure it wasn’t apparent that you were listening in.“Please, isn’t there something you can do?  I’ve been at the hospital with my father all day and I need to get home.”  You could hear the desperation in her voice as she pleaded with the voice on the other end.  You felt bad for the stranger, but it wasn’t your responsibility to make sure she got home.  You had no obligation whatsoever to be her taxi driver.  But as you neared the door you felt a nagging in the pit of your stomach telling you to do something.

No, don’t get involved, you told yourself.  You don’t want to do this.  But you felt yourself turning around before you got to the front door, your legs carrying yourself over to the frustrated woman who had been placed on hold by the towing company.

“Excuse me,” you interrupted.  She ignored you as she continued to tap her foot impatiently as she waited to be taken off hold.  “Excuse me,” you tried again.  Still nothing.  She looked even more impatient as you attempted to interrupt her again.  “Hey!” you yelled a tad more aggressively than you’d anticipated.  She shot daggers through you as she glared into your soul.

“What?” she snapped, pulling the phone down to her chest.

“Do you want a ride?”

“I’m sorry?”

“Do you want a ride home?  Look, the weather is shitty, it’ll be difficult trying to find a cab, and good luck trying to find an uber on Thanksgiving.  I’ve got a truck with all wheel drive, I can get you back to wherever you need to be.”  You had no idea why you were offering this complete stranger a ride back to wherever she came from.  Maybe it was the spirit of the season warming your heart.  “It’s okay, I’m a doctor here,” you added quickly, flashing your ID.

She looked at you with a combination of relief and apprehension.  You were a complete stranger offering her a ride in the middle of a snowstorm out of the emergency room.  “You’re offering me a ride?” she asked.

“Yeah.”

“Wow, okay then,” she said, hanging up her phone and grabbing her backpack.  She followed you down the hallway.  You could see the blizzard raging outside illuminated by the parking lot floodlights.  It was going to be a challenge to drive in these conditions.

“It’s that one,” you said, pointing to the red truck parked down near the end of the lot.  You zipped your coat up a little higher as you struggled across the uncleared sidewalk, grabbing your keys and unlocking the door so the two of you could hop right in.You pulled off your snow covered hat as soon as you sat in the driver’s seat after cleaning off the front of your car.  The redhead was on her phone furiously texting someone.  “Where do you live?” you asked.

“159 Collard Road,” she replied without looking up from her phone.  You groaned to yourself; it was the completely opposite side of town, basically out in the sticks.  It took you twenty minutes to drive out that way in good weather so you knew you were in for a long drive.

“Alright.  Let me know when we’re getting close.”  You started the car and looked over your shoulder as you carefully backed out of your spot.  The radio kicked on, your favorite local Y/F/M station coming on as you turned left out of the parking lot.

“Y/F/M?” she scoffed, shooting you a look.“Is there a problem?” you asked.  You should’ve left her at the hospital.“No, it’s your car, you control the radio.”“And what do you prefer?”  You couldn’t hide the sarcasm oozing from your voice.

“Y/L/F/M.”  You nodded, gripping onto the wheel tightly.  There was no way in hell you were going to change the station for her, so you decided to turn it off.  The two of you sat in silence as you continued to drive.  The roads were absolutely awful.  You were used to driving in nasty weather, but this was particularly bad.  It was night, too, and you were having to drive without using your brights because of the reflection of the snow.  

Halfway there, you thought to yourself.  Just a little while longer and I can go back home.  Why am I even doing this in the first pl-

Your internal musings were interrupted by a patch of black ice.  The truck fishtailed into the oncoming lane as you pumped the brakes.  Hard as you tried to correct the slippage, you ended up overcorrecting and swerving the other way right into a snowbank on the side of the road.

5:48 PM

“What the hell was that?” the redhead shouted.  You threw the truck in reverse and tried to back out of the bank but it was no use: you were stuck.

“Black ice.  We’re stuck.  Damn it!” You slammed on the steering wheel, angry at yourself for getting distracted.  It was not a good situation: you were stranded in a snowbank in the middle of nowhere on Thanksgiving night in a blizzard with a complete stranger who was getting angrier at you by the second.

“Great,” she sighed, pulling out her phone.  “No service.”  She slammed the phone on her bag, visibly frustrated at the situation as well.

You pulled out your phone, hoping you might be able to call your insurance company to come tow you out.  Much to your dismay you didn’t have a signal.  “Damnit,” you whispered.

“I literally just said there’s no service,” she huffed.  

“Alright then, do you have a better idea?  Because that’s all I’ve got.”

“I’m going to go look for help.  There’s a gas station about two miles away from here.”  She pushed the door open into the bank, the wind howling against the door as snow blew inside.  

“Are you kidding?  You’ll freeze to death out there.  It’s pitch black, we are in the middle of nowhere, and you want to go outside?!”  She must be crazy, that’s the only explanation you could think of.  

“And what’s the alternative then, stay here all night?” she snapped back. “Yes!  We stay here, run the heater periodically, and wait until either the snow stops or it’s daylight and then we should be able to either get out of here or get someone to come tow us out!” You were exasperated.  Sure, spending all night cooped up in your truck with this crazy woman wasn’t the way you wanted to spend Thanksgiving, but it was better than becoming a human popsicle on this stretch of country backroad.

“Right, mmhmm, good idea there, doc.  You stay here and do that, I’ll go and look for a way home.”  She jumped down from the truck, sinking into the deep drift.  You watched as she pulled one leg from the drift, trudging her way back to the road.  You groaned, frustrated at the fact this woman was about to wander about in the middle of the night and that you were probably going to have to follow her against your better judgment.

“Hey wait!  Wait a minute!” You unbuckled your seatbelt, sighing as you opened the door.  Wind whipped against your face as snow fell through the air.  It was an absolutely miserable night made worse by your miserable disposition.  The stranger looked back at you.  Her small figure looked even smaller as she hugged her coat against her chest.  The snow was falling hard enough that it was difficult to make her out against her phone’s flashlight.  

“Are you coming?” she shouted.“Only because I’m not going to let you wander around the woods in the middle of the night.”  The wind was rushing against your ears, freezing your words as they left your mouth.

“I don’t need you to protect me if that’s what you’re thinking.”  The look on her face, from what you could see, was one of disgust.

“Oh, I don’t care about protecting you.  I’m only here to-” Before you could get your next thought out you found yourself flat on your face in the snow.  The cold seeped through your clothes and chilled you to the bone.  As you pushed yourself up and sputtered the powder out of your mouth, you heard a slight giggle coming from ahead of you.  You looked up to see the redhead turning away from you.  “Is there something you want to share with the rest of the class?” the sarcasm dripped from your mouth.

“Not at the moment, but I’ll let you know.” Her hidden glance revealed a smirk forming over her lips as she pressed on, not letting you see how amused she was by your current predicament.

Groaning, you attempted to jog through the knee deep drift to keep up with her.  She had made her way over to the side of the road and was walking in what she hoped was the direction of the gas station.  You fought the blizzard every step of the way, trudging through molasses as your eyes strained to follow the dim light.  Your frustration built in your chest, causing one singular thought to race through your mind:

If we make it through this alive, I’m going to kill her.

6:11 PM

“Look, a mailbox!” The flashlight illuminated a snow-covered mailbox a few feet ahead of you.

“Let’s go ask for help.”  The storm had intensified dramatically in the short time the two of you had been walking.  The biting wind nipped at your red hands and ears.  In that time you made a mental note to never leave home without a hat and gloves again.  You scoured the area in front of you for a sign of a driveway, but any indication of one had been blocked by thigh-high drifts.

You watched the redhead struggle to carve a path through the snow only to befall the same fate you had earlier when you left your truck.  As she face-planted into the mound in front of her, you let out a small chuckle.  It was a sight to see: she flapped and struggled her way up like a goose in a most ungraceful fashion.  A part of you thought you should make sure she was okay.  “Are you okay?” you asked as you managed to push yourself over the drift.

“I’m perfectly capable, thank you.”  She flipped her scarf around her neck as she pushed herself to her feet in the ankle deep snow that covered the long driveway.  “I’m sure you are,” you mumbled under your breath.  You followed her straight into the snow-covered woods, spotting what looked to be a small cabin nestled beneath a group of tall pine trees.

“It doesn’t look like anyone’s home,” she said.  

“I’ll go take a look,” you shrugged as you eyed the enclosed porch.

“Wait!”  You turned to see the woman clutching at her chest.  “My necklace!  I have to go back and find it!”

“You can come back after the spring thaw and look for it then.  There’s no way you’ll find it now.”  You couldn’t believe the ignorance of this woman…first getting out of your warm truck and now this.  You turned back, reaching for the rickety screen door.

“It was a gift from my dad.  I have to have it!”  She walked like a goblin, crouching in an unflattering position as she combed the ground for a glimmer of the silver chain.

“Well I’m sure he can buy you another one.  Come on, I’m going inside.”

She stood quickly, tilting her head as she stared at you angrily.  “He’s dying,” she stated matter-of-factly.  You fidgeted in place as she stared at you, eyes boring into your soul as she huffed by.  Her frustration played out as she rattled the knob on the front door, slamming it down in dismay as it refused to open.  “It’s locked.”

Your eyes wandered around the small room, scanning the dark corners for something to break you in.  A pile of bricks caught your attention.  You picked one up, feeling its cold weight in your hand as you turned toward the door.  “Stand back,” you told her, pushing her back with your free arm.

“Oh you’ve got to be kidding me.  You’re going to-”

Crash!  The window cracked as glass tinkled to the floor.  You reached in, feeling your way down the door to unlock it and push it open.  “After you,” you bowed mockingly, extending your hand.  She rolled her eyes, pulling off her hat as she stepped inside the dark foyer.

You felt up the wall for a light switch, flicking it on but the room remained dark.  “Power’s out.  Storm must’ve knocked it out.”  A sharp crack and a small flicker of light lit up the table in front of you.  The stranger found a pair of candles on the sole kitchen table.  Her face was illuminated by their dim glow as you watched her emerald eyes take in her new surroundings.

“There’s a fireplace right there.  I think I saw a pile of logs outside the cabin.  Why don’t you go get some and I’ll look for more candles?”  She rubbed her hands together over the small flame.

You managed to find some snow covered cords stacked against the side of the cabin and subsequently slipped on the ice covering the gravel drive.  Rubbing the bruise on your hip, you regathered the logs and cursed the woman inside as you stumbled through the door.  You were hit with an immediate warmth upon entering, the smell of smoke and crackling of fire creating an indelible sense of home.  The redhead was crouched by the fireplace, a metal poker in her hand.  You cocked your head at her quizzically.  “How’d you get that started?”  Grinning smugly she reached to the side to reveal a cabinet loaded with logs.  “A heads up would’ve been nice.”

“What, and deny you the chance to prove your manhood?”

“Touché,” you nodded as you set the wood down.  As you removed your sopping outerwear, you took a moment to take in your new surroundings.  The cabin was small, only one main room.  On one side was a small kitchen complete with an oven, sink, and refrigerator.  A round table sat in the middle of the room, a chair placed on opposite sides.  There was a sofa directly in front of the fireplace.  Two end tables sat on either side, and a coffee table sat directly in front.  There were two doors on either side of the fireplace: one led to the bedroom and the other to the bathroom.  A chill ran down your spine as you blew into your hands.  “Alrighty then, how about I try to find something to eat?  You should go see if they have any clothes for you to borrow, you’re absolutely soaked.  Maybe jump in the shower, too”

“Right, a cold shower and a stranger’s clothes.  That’s the way I want to spend my Thanksgiving,” she rolled her eyes at your remark.

“It’s gas, the water should be hot.”  

“Really?” Her eyes widened at the revelation.

“Mmhmm,” you nodded.  “And if we’re going to be sleeping together tonight, I should probably introduce myself.  I’m Y/N.”

“Wanda,” she replied as she opened the bathroom door.

“Did you ever watch the movie Psycho?” you posed. 

“Yeah.  Why?”

“No reason,” you grinned.  The door slammed shut.

7:20 PM

“Hi,” a quiet voice said.  It was Wanda.  She was wrapped in a fluffy red plaid housecoat, her damp hair hanging limply behind her.  “What’d you find?”

“You’re in luck.  They happened to have half a box of spaghetti and a jar of sauce in the cupboard.”  You weren’t a cook by any stretch of the imagination, but pasta was manageable.  “And there’s a bottle of wine on the table.”

“And you managed to set the table.  I’m impressed,” she joked as she observed your feeble attempt at making the sparse setting look nice.

“I am a man of many talents.”  You carried the pot over to your table, spooning some pasta onto both of your plates as Wanda sat down.  

“Well, it is edible.  Barely,” Wanda informed you as she took a bite.  “Please tell me you have someone else who cooks for you because otherwise this is just sad.”

“I eat out a lot,” you laughed.  “That’s the whole reason I became a doctor…it’s easier than trying to learn how to cook.”

“So you work in the emergency room then?” She took a sip of the red wine she had poured for the two of you.  You nodded, your mouth full of the overcooked spaghetti.

“Yeah.  It’s crazy, but you’re always on your toes.  That’s why I like it.  You’ll never have the same day twice.  There’s always something new, you’re constantly calling on everything you learned in med school, and I like the adrenaline rush.”  She looked at you curiously.  You couldn’t tell what exactly she was thinking or what she wanted to say.  

“I don’t ever want to spend time in an emergency room again.  I don’t know how you can do it day after day.”  Her voice softened as her head dropped down to stare at the pasta she spun on her fork.  

“You were in there with your dad, right?”

She sniffled, rubbing her nose with the sleeve of her housecoat.  “Yeah.  He’s got cancer.  Stage four.  I’ve been taking care of him for the last few weeks.  But today he had a stroke.  So they admitted him and told me that he doesn’t have much time left.  The doctor said she’d be surprised if he made it through tonight.  So I was trying to get home to get him the picture of our family that sits by his bed, but my car wouldn’t start.  I tried to get a tow truck but all of them were busy with the storm.”

You felt your heart sink.  “I’m sorry,” you murmured.  

“I just don’t know what I’m going to do when he goes,” she sighed.  “He’s all I have left.  My mom died ten years ago and my brother was killed in a car accident last spring.  I quit my job and gave up my apartment to move out here to take care of him.  When he’s gone…” Her eyes filled with tears as she trailed off, staring across the room to the window on the other side.  “Sorry,  I don’t even know why I’m telling you any of this.”  She shook her head, immediately redirecting her attention to her dinner.

“No, it’s okay.  It sucks, cancer sucks, and I’m sorry that this is what you’re dealing with right now.  I see it every day and it doesn’t get easier, believe me.”  Images of your worst trauma cases flashed through your mind.  You physically recoiled at the gruesome scenes.  “Look, I promise that once we get out of this mess I will get you back to that hospital as fast as I can so you can be with him, okay?  And I’ll make sure to come up and check in on him, too.”  You reached out to grab her hand.  Her skin was soft and warm.  You felt your heart skip a beat as you grasped it, which surprised you.  A soft smile spread over her face as she felt your hand in hers.

“Thank you,” she whispered.

10:43 PM

“And that is check, I believe,” Wanda boasted as her rook took your knight.

“Again?!  Are you kidding me?  What the hell, Wanda?”  You threw your hands in the air.  This was the fourth game she was beating you at.  You weren’t a chess champion by any means but Wanda was on a completely different level.

“It’s just check, Y/N.  You can still win,” she giggled.  

“Yeah, right.  Why don’t I just hand the game to you now and we’ll call it a night?” 

“Oh you’re no fun,” she pouted, putting away the pieces.  After dinner, she had found the cabinet where the owners hid their collection of board games.  The two of you had finally settled on chess.  It was one of her favorite games.  Her father had taught it to her and her brother, who you learned was named Pietro, when they were kids.  She had played on the chess team in high school, which you thought made her a bigger nerd than you and your middle school quiz bowl team.

“I know, I’m a party pooper.”  You stood up and yawned, stretching your stiff limbs.  “I don’t know about you but I’m ready for bed.  You go take the bedroom, I’ll sleep on the couch.”

“No, I’ll take the couch, it’s okay.”

“Wanda, I’m a doctor.  I’ve slept on countless gurneys and on-call beds before.  I’m used to it.  Take the bed.”  She didn’t move, curling herself into a tighter ball where she sat instead.

“Fine.  Give me a minute.  I’m just resting my eyes,” she mumbled.  She shut her eyes as she crossed her arms and snuggled into the back of the couch.  You chuckled, pulling the blanket off your lap and placing it over her.  As she drifted off to sleep her light snores echoed through the small room.  You positioned yourself on the other side of the couch, watching as her breathing slowed and her face relaxed.  Hopefully sleep would be kind to her, relieving her of the horrible reality she would face in the waking world.

Friday, 7:03 AM

You woke to the peculiar sensation of being squeezed.  Looking down, you noticed that Wanda had made her way to your side of the couch and had wrapped her arms around your chest, resting her head in the crook of your shoulder.  The sight startled you at first, but you quickly found it endearing.  You were holding her with one arm wrapped around her.  Your other hand was running your fingers through her soft red hair, teasing each strand as you traversed its length.  Her eyes fluttered open at the tickling sensation, which quickly turned into a look of horror.

“Oh god I’m sorry.”  She recoiled as soon as she released the compromising position she was in.

“It’s okay, I don’t mind,” you reassured.  The truth was you really hadn’t minded it.  You liked the feeling of comfort her body provided as it wrapped around yours.  

She sat back on her knees, looking out the window.  “Looks like the storm stopped,” she noted as the sun streaked through the window.

“I’ll try calling a tow truck again, see if they can get us out of here.”

An hour later the two of you were in the cab of a tow truck headed back into town.  You’d left a note and some money for the owners to explain why you broke into their apartment and ate their food.  Once you got your truck back, you dropped Wanda off at the hospital before driving back to your apartment to grab a quick shower before heading back for your own shift.  While holidays were normally busy in the ER, you were hoping that today might be relatively quiet.  It wasn’t so much about not having to rush from bay to bay dealing with patients as much as it was being able to slip away to check on Wanda and her father.  Your palms began to sweat as you gripped the steering wheel, pulse quickening at the thought of seeing Wanda later in the day.  You shook your head to clear the images of the redhead from your mind.  After all, you were only concerned about how her father was doing, right?    

6:22 PM

You collapsed onto a gurney in the trauma bay, groaning as you rubbed your throbbing temples.  All you wanted was a beer and the chance to rip your shoes off.  You hadn’t stopped moving since you stepped foot in the hospital almost ten hours ago, even forgoing your lunch to help the ortho attending reset an elderly lady’s dislocated hip.  It was also the first time all day you’d allowed your mind to wander back onto the woman who was in the forefront of your mind.  Glancing at your phone, you panicked slightly as you jumped off the gurney and raced to the elevator.  Your heart was pounding with anticipation as you pushed the down arrow.  You bounced your knee up and down in the agonizing moments it took for the elevator to pull up to your floor.  When the doors opened you rushed in and pressed the button for the ICU.

“Come on, come on,” you muttered, slamming the button as fast as you could.  The doors didn’t close quick enough for your liking, and you spent the entire ride pacing around.  You were on a tear down the hall as soon as the doors opened, vaguely remembering a conversation you and Wanda had earlier in the day about the room her father was in.  You mumbled numbers to yourself as you jogged down the hall until you found the right one a few yards ahead of you.  Slowing down to a walk, you tugged on the lapels of your white coat and attempted to smooth out your scrubs before you turned into the room.

It was empty.

Your heart sank as you realized what it meant: he was gone and Wanda was all alone.  The cold emptiness of the room enveloped you, creeping into your very soul as an overwhelming sense of sorrow invaded your heart.  You felt a lump in your throat as you thought of her alone, trying to pick up the pieces of her life.  You threw your hands in your pocket, shuffling out of the room as you wondered how helpless she must feel.  All you wanted to do was find her and hold her until she realized that you weren’t going to let her world end.  But you had no idea where she even was.  Besides, why would she want to see you at the worst moment of her life?

Sunday, 11:19 AM

Taking a bite out of your bagel, you thumbed through the pages of the local Sunday Times.  You scoured the headlines for the one you were looking for: obituaries.  It had already been two days since Wanda��s father had passed, more than enough time to write a simple summary of his life.  More than once you’d wondered whether or not you should drive to her father’s house to check in on her, but your nerves got the better of you.  As you sipped your coffee, your eyes settled on the word you’d been looking for: Wanda.  You quickly skimmed the obit, looking for the information you wanted.

There will be no services as per the deceased’s wishes.

You sighed, throwing the paper down.  The funeral would’ve been the perfect excuse for you to check in on her.  Your stomach churned with  feeling that you should’ve been there for her that day.  You paced around the room furiously, mind racing a thousand miles a minute with different ideas, excuses to see her and make sure she was okay.  But the more you thought about it, the more you realized that the only real option you had was to go and see her.

2:49 PM

Carrying a bouquet of flowers in one hand and a bag of Chinese takeout in the other, you shifted your weight from one foot to the other as you stood outside the front door.  The way your stomach twisted up in knots surprised you.  You could stay completely calm in the most stressful of work situations, but the thought of facing her again made you want to run away screaming.  The deep breaths you took did little to quell the churning feeling growing inside you as you raised a shaky hand to knock on the frosted window.

The moments between you rapping on the door and Wanda answering felt like eternity.  Time came to a screeching halt as your mind raced through different what if scenarios.  The bag started to slip from your grasp as your palms moistened with anticipation.  It was far too late to turn around by now.

The door opened slightly at first, a single eye peering out from the crack.  You gave a halfhearted smile as you saw the outline of Wanda’s face in the dark room.  Her eye widened as she realized it was you, opening the door fully as she stared at you in amazement.

“Y/N?” she asked incredulously.  In a moment her world turned upside down again.  A small part of her hoped that you would show up at the hospital before her father died and she was hurt when you hadn’t.  

“Hey,” you said weakly.  When she opened the door fully you saw how much of a mess she was.  Her eyes were sunken and hollow, highlighted by deep bags.  Her hair was falling out of a messy bun on top of her head.  She wore pajama pants and an oversized hoodie, both of them wrinkled by hours spent curled on the couch.  “I, umm…can I come in?”  She nodded as she stepped back to give you space to come in.

Wanda shut the door behind you as you stepped in, slipping off your sneakers and placing them off to the side.  The house was chaotic.  Boxes and garbage bags were piled all around, the remnants of a life complete tossed carelessly inside.  Unopened cards were scattered around the table between drying bouquets of flowers.  Dirty pots and plates were stacked high in the sink while a half-empty pizza box sat on the counter.  

“What are you doing here?” Her meek voice broke your train of thought.  The redhead stood before you, looking like a shell of the woman she was three days ago.

“Well, for starters I brought Chinese food to make up for that pitiful Thanksgiving dinner I made the other night,” you stated while holding up the bag.  “Orange chicken, steamed dumplings, and veggie fried rice.”  Wanda stared at the bag.  You couldn’t read the vacant expression on her face that made her very soul look hollow.  “And I wanted to express my condolences about your father.” 

A spark brightened her eyes as you handed her the flowers.  She grabbed them from your outstretched hands, holding them tenderly and examining them carefully as if she’d never seen something so beautiful before.  She inhaled deeply, basking in their sweet scent as she pulled them to her chest.  “Thank you,” she murmured.  She didn’t make eye contact with you as she spoke.  

“Do you want to eat?” She nodded.  “I’ll go grab some bowls.”

“No it’s okay.  I’ve got it.  Why don’t you go sit in the living room?”  

You wandered your way through the darkened house, the living room illuminated by the glow of the TV.  You cleared some papers from the couch, stacking them off on the coffee table as Wanda rejoined you with two bowls and two sodas.  The two of you sat in silence as you watched her scoop some rice into her bowl with her chopsticks.  Her eyes were glued to the television as you ate.  You sensed she wanted to avoid conversation as the energy of the room shifted.  She became cold and withdrawn, oblivious to the world outside of the flickering screen.  But you didn’t want to interrupt her.  If she wanted to drown her grief in old sitcom reruns then so be it.

You watched The Dick Van Dyke Show for a couple hours, her occasionally chuckles interrupting the program.  As much as you wanted to talk you didn’t mind just existing in the same room as her.  It was comfortable and familiar.  But after five or so episodes, Wanda was the one to break the silence.

“I hoped you’d come up to see him before he died.”

You sat in stunned silence, unsure of how to respond to her confession.  Friday night was still eating away at you, the fact you hadn’t been able to make it up to the ICU in time.

“I tried to.  I saw patients for over ten hours straight that day and I didn’t have the chance to sneak away all day”  It felt like a pathetic excuse, but it was the truth.  

“I understand.”  She turned her head away from you slightly.  It did nothing to hide her sniffles as she started to cry again.

“But the first chance I had I ran up there as fast as I could.  He was already gone by then.”

Wanda turned back to you, her face streaked with fresh tears.  “I waited all day for you, you know?  I kept hoping and praying that maybe, just maybe, you’d show up.  It was stupid of me to think this random guy I just met would show up for my dying dad.  Because you didn’t show up so now on top of being sad that my dad just died I’m upset that a complete stranger wasn’t there, too.”  She wiped her face with her sleeve as she choked out her words through strangled sobs.

“Oh Wanda,” you sighed.  “Come here.”  You opened your arms and reached out for her.  She crawled into your chest as you pulled her close, her chest heaving as she sobbed into your shirt.  You wrapped your arms tightly around her.  Her cries were muffled against your body.  You traced your fingers up and down her back as you held her, rocking ever so slightly back and forth in an attempt to soothe her.  All you wanted to do was take her pain away.  It was odd how much you found yourself caring for this stranger.  In that moment she was the most important thing in your life. That terrified you.  “I’ve got you,” you soothed, drawing your hand up her back and pulling her head closer to her chest, as if your enveloping touch would heal her wounds.

“I miss him so much,” she gasped between sobs.  

“I know.”  

“They’re all gone.  My entire family is gone and I don’t know what to do,” she sniffled.  She was living her own worst nightmare, completely alone for the rest of her life.  No parents to bring a boyfriend home to, no brother to help take care of aging parents, no core group to celebrate the small things with.  She had friends, of course, but that didn’t erase the trauma of losing one’s entire family at such a young age.

You wracked your brain trying to find the right thing to say.  Wanda was deep in the throes of grief and you wanted to help steady her.  But what could you say?  You’d never lost a parent before.  “Wanda I- '' You swallowed the lump in your throat, leaning your head down to rest next to hers.  The world stood still as your heart pounded in your ears.  “You’re not alone,” you whispered in her ear.

She pulled away from you, her bloodshot eyes widening as she studied your face.  They darted back and forth searching for anything that might reveal the hidden secret of your words.  

“The truth is I don’t want to leave,” you sighed.  “I can’t stop thinking about Friday and I’m so, so sorry I wasn’t there for you.  I wanted to come see you sooner, but I didn’t think you’d want to see me.”

“Why would you think I wouldn’t want to see you?”  She grabbed your face and pulled you in until your lips were millimeters apart.

“I don’t know.  I guess I kept trying to tell myself that you didn’t want to see me so I could convince myself that I didn’t want to see you,” you admitted.  It was hard to swallow your pride in front of her, but you couldn’t deny how she’d absolutely captivated you in the short time you’d known each other.  “I’m sorry, Wanda.  I should’ve been there sooner.”

No sooner had the words left your mouth did Wanda close the gap between the two of you.  The tender brush of her lips against yours was absolute bliss.  They were soft as you kissed her back, losing yourself in the remnants of her cherry chapstick.  You felt your heart pounding as her hands started to tangle in your hair, causing you to smile against her lips.  You felt her smile back when you hugged her closer to you.

She was the one to break away from the kiss first.  You watched as her face lit up for the first time all day.  All of her worries had seemingly melted away.  “And here I was thinking that what happened between us was just one special night,” she smiled.  It made your heart skip a beat.

“As much as I enjoyed it, Wanda, I could do without the whole getting stranded in a blizzard thing again,” you joked.  Wanda giggled as she rubbed the back of your neck, her touch sending shivers up your spine.

“Why don’t you stay tonight so we can try again?” she teased.“Are you sure?”  You brushed your thumb over her chin as you looked at her with concern.

“Please.  Stay with me.”

You sighed as you looked into her eyes.  They were pleading with you to stay.  Your brain was telling you that staying might not be the best idea, but your heart wouldn’t let you leave.  You had to stay with her: there was no other option.  So you wrapped her close again, pulling her close enough that she could feel the way she made your heart pound against the confines of your chest.  “Okay, I’ll stay,” you murmured against her head, giving her a quick peck as the two of you sat on the couch.  “We’ll get you through this, I promise.”  

[wheresmynaya]

Blame it on the Mistletoe Ch.5 | Brittana

A/N - Apologies for the delay, it's been a busy week for me! I'm a tad behind so thanks for your sticking around. Hope you all have a lovely holiday celebrating it in the best way that brings you joy! I found title inspo from the song Blame it on the Mistletoe so make sure you blast it at some point!

If you're feeling generous and would like to show your appreciation a little differently this week, consider sending a coffee my way through Ko-Fi: wheresmynaya.

Thanks yall! 

Available on ff.net (x) ao3 (x)

Four long days have gone by since Santana last saw Brittany at the Understudy. It's not that she's actively avoiding her – okay maybe she is. What she did with the waffles that night was meant to be a big fuck you but really, it awakened something entirely different. It reminded her of little tricks they would play on each other, tricks that would lead to stolen kisses in the walk-in or quickies in the backseat of Brittany's car. It's exactly why she needs to keep her distance. For them, there's a very fine line between doing petty things to irk the other person and flirting.

The whole reasons Santana and Brittany even started talking was because Brittany would secretly move all of Santana's prep to the top shelf where she knew Santana couldn't reach. It was supposed to be her way of getting Santana to ask her for help because she had this crush. It went on for weeks, Santana would get so pissed about it – threatening every other line chef except Brittany since she was too innocent to do such a thing. Brittany thought it was hilarious until she caught Santana scaling the wire shelving trying to get things down herself. She nearly plummeted to her death from the two-foot drop if it wasn't for Brittany being in the right place at the right time.

From then on, they did little things to get back at each other – nothing ever too serious because it was all about the teasing. It became their love language and Santana knows from personal experience how easy it is to fall into that pattern with her again.

Scary thing is that she is starting to want to.

For good measure, Santana avoids Market Days since they seem to be a hotspot for them and instead sends Quinn in her place. Miss Maggie isn't happy about it, but she still sends Quinn back to the restaurant with a little treat in hopes it'll entice Santana to venture out.

It's tempting, but Santana stays put. She can't go jumping into things just because she misses being with Brittany. For all she knows, it might be the holidays playing with her head. If only there was some sign that could point her in the right direction!

"Hey Santana," Rachel greets as she enters the kitchen. "There's a VIP out here wanting to see you."

Santana grumbles to herself; this isn't the kind of sign she was talking about.

"Stop calling Brittany a VIP."

"She's not – "

"Rachel, I don't want to see her." Santana turns her back on Rachel in favor of continuing her last few checks before service starts. She'd be lying if she said her heart didn't race a little knowing Brittany was out there though.

"I'll let her know then," Rachel says before heading back out to the front of house. The peace lasts for less than a minute before Rachel returns. "Sorry Santana, she's insisting."

"So am I!" Santana snaps as she whirls around. "Service starts in twenty minutes and we have actual VIPs booked in tonight. One of them could be a reviewer so I don't have time for this!"

Rachel lifts her hands in defense and backs away slowly. "Okay, I'll let her know."

"Thank you." Santana returns to the Pass and continues her work in silence. She can feel her crew's eyes on her but she ignores it so she can focus.

"Hey, you can't go back there!" It's Rachel's voice followed by the sound of the doors being slammed open again.

Santana looks up worriedly only to find Chef Holly Holliday is the one busting through the doors with Rachel close behind.

"This how you treat your beloved mentor?" Holly asks through a smirk. "Where's my welcome wagon?"

"Shit. Sorry, Chef." Santana scrambles to meet Holly halfway.

"See?" Rachel argues. "I told you it wasn't Brittany."

"You did not say that," Santana counters. "You said it was a VIP."

"Am I not?" Holly asks.

"You are, we're just on high alert right now," Santana explains.

"I will return to the host stand then," Rachel grumbles. "Lovely to meet you, Chef Holliday."

Santana lets out a deep sigh, feeling only somewhat more relaxed now that she realizes the VIP was actually Holly.

"Damn, busy night? Why are you so tense?" Holly asks as she goes in for a hug. "You love pressure cookers like this."

"I do, normally. There's a lot of buzz around the new menu but it seems like everyone is trying to throw me off my game," Santana explains. "It's hard to stay focused when personal life keeps finding its way in."

"You mean Brittany?" Holly asks. "You two still haven't squashed things yet?"

"It's complicated."

"You guys didn't seem to have any trouble uncomplicating it at the awards ceremony," Holly jokes. "Being around you two like that, it was like no time had passed at all!"

Santana remembers the night well, how she and Brittany easily reconnected…in more ways than one. She remembers thinking how easy it was to pick up from where they left off, how for a brief moment she could forgive her for leaving and maybe they could move past it.

But then the news about the restaurant broke and the happy bubble burst and she's been struggling to adjust since then. Meanwhile, Brittany can just offer jobs and give all the right kind of feedback on her menu without any remorse? Not a chance, no matter how charming she can be!

"What brings you all the way out here?" Santana asks, avoiding the topic of Brittany.

"Just making my rounds before the New Year. Pop-Up's is slammed with catering events but I was in the area. I thought I'd check on my girls while I'm here," Holly answers. "Although, I thought you two would've been back together already so I could make this trip a two for one."

"Well, we are definitely not together."

"Why the hell not?"

"Like I said, it's complicated."

"Is this about the restaurant?"

"I don't know, maybe?" Santana pulls Holly aside, moving further away from the line chefs so they don't overhear. "Do we really need to talk about this now?"

"Uh yeah, we do," Holly replies like it's obvious. "How are you still mad about that, I thought you'd be happy for her?"

"You clearly don't know me very well," Santana quips.

"Come on, you know she would've told you about it sooner if she could."

"So why didn't she?"

Holly tilts her head to the side, looking confused.

"We told each other everything. She wasn't just my girlfriend; she was my best friend. How could she keep so much from me?" Santana takes a settling breath to calm herself down. "I'm not sure I even know how to move past this, what she did hurt."

"Oh I know it did, honeybun. And I mean, if you have already talked things out and heard Brittany's side of the story then there's not much else you can do," Holly explains. "Time will have to fix the rest, I guess?"

Santana looks around guiltily.

Holly picks up on it instantly. "What?"

"We haven't actually talked. I mean, we have – just not in depth."

"Seriously?" Holly quirks a brow. "So you don't know anything about her job or her psychotic boss?"

Santana gulps. "No?"

"Girl…you two need to talk! Actually no, you need to let her talk. It's no wonder you're still holding a grudge!"

"I don't hold grudges," Santana grumbles. "I don't know why people keep saying that."

"Because you do," Holly laughs. "God, this makes so much sense now! I didn't think you would actually write Britt off for what she had to do."

"What did she have to do?"

"That is not my story to tell," Holly replies. "Look, I won't keep you because I'm getting hungry and you need to get back to work but listen up – make some time for her."

Santana scoffs. "Yeah, I don't think we're even on speaking terms right now."

"Just try," Holly tells her. "Resist the urge to be a stubborn pain in the ass that you love being. Now I'm gonna love you and leave you." Holly steps forward to give Santana one last hug. "Knock'em dead tonight, Sweet Cheeks."

Santana spends the rest of service thinking about what Holly said. It's the first she has heard of a psychotic boss so her interest is piqued. What she seems to be having trouble with is finding the time to talk to Brittany.

Or rather, making the time to do it – her pride involved afterall so she isn't really rushing to reach out and find out she has misunderstood this whole thing. She already feels like an ass for how things went down the other night.

\\

Two days later, Santana is going through the deliveries ensuring everything that was ordered actually turned up. It's a small load today so it takes her no time at all to process everything. With the extra free time, she decides to get a jump on breaking down the lobsters for tonight.

"Sorry to interrupt you, Chef." Santana looks up to find the kitchen gardener, Joe, lingering at the back exit of the kitchen. "There's a strange woman out here rooting through the garden."

"Okay? Why are you telling me this? Get rid of her."

"I tried."

"Try harder?"

"I can't. She said she's looking for someone you've kidnapped."

"Kidnapped? What the hell?"

"I don't know," Joe looks around worriedly. "Do you think I should call the sheriff?"

"Please, Snixx will handle this," She says as she puts down her knife and pulls off her apron.

"Snixx?"

"Don't worry about it." Santana brushes him off. "Where's she at?"

Joe leads the way outside while Santana stomps the whole way behind him. She expected this type of interruption in the city because there are all walks of life out there, but here? This is the country. Everyone knows everyone and the little shit-head kids don't have the balls to mess with her so what the hell is going on?

"She's in there." Joe points to his shed.

Santana can hear the rummaging around and for a split second, she wonders if she should've brought some type of weapon to defend herself with. Snixx is prone to verbal takedowns, not so much the physical. But she's not backing down, so she looks around and grabs a nearby rake to wield instead.

"Okay, I'm going in," Santana says aloud.

"You want back up?"

"You couldn't even handle her on your own. You should probably sit this one out."

"Good call. I'll have my phone ready."

"Wonderful." Santana takes a deep breath and tightens her grip on the rake. She knocks the tip of the handle against the shed. "Yo! You've got five seconds to come out before I go all Lima Heights on your sorry – "

The door whips open and Santana's standing so close, she nearly gets hit with it. Thankfully, her awesome reflexes kick in and she's able to dodge the door.

"Have you lost your goddamn mind, lady?"

"What have you done with him?" Brittany accuses.

"Britt?" Santana's face screws up with confusion. "What are you doing in our shed?"

"You know why I'm here!" Brittany snaps. It's the angriest Santana has ever seen her. "I know I'm on your shit list right now, but you didn't have to take it out on PB."

"PB?" Santana sets down the rake. "I'm so lost right now…who or what is PB?"

"My pig!" Brittany explains. "You kidnapped my pig."

"Now why the hell would I want to do that?" Santana laughs but Brittany only glares back. "No seriously, why would I want your pig?"

"Because you do petty things when you're pissed," Brittany says. "You could've at least had the decency to send a ransom letter or something."

"Believe me, Britt. I didn't take your pig," Santana replies. "That is way too much work. Where would I even hide a pig here?"

"Spoken like a true thief," Brittany quips before returning to her search. "I've already found a clue so save your alibi for the judge."

Santana's flabbergasted.

Meanwhile, Joe trails behind Brittany, fixing up all the pots and bags of soil she has upturned on her hunt for said clues. Santana's at a loss as she watches Brittany continue her hunt. It's like watching a car accident, she can't look away.

"Okay Britt, stop." Santana finally says when she starts heading for the firewood shed. At first Brittany brushes her off and keeps walking but Santana tugs on her jacket to get her to stop.

"Why on Earth would I still a pig?" Santana asks. "Is he meant to be a special on your menu or something?"

"No way! PB isn't just a pig, he's a friend," Brittany explains. "He came with the restaurant so he's like our mascot. He's also a great listener."

"I see." Santana sees that fearful look in her eye, she's actually pretty hurt about this.

"I'm supposed to take care of him," Brittany tells her. "Now he's gone and everyone's really worried."

"I can tell." Santana nods over to a couple tree stumps and gestures for Brittany to sit. "I honestly have nothing to do with the disappearance of your pig."

Brittany watches her for a moment before relaxing. "I believe you."

"Okay good because I cannot have you spreading rumors that I've kidnapped someone. People might think I've gone all Sweeny Todd."

"True. Although that would be pretty on brand for the Understudy," Brittany says through a tiny smile. It doesn't stay for long though. "I have to find him, San."

"Look I'm sure he's just taking a leisurely stroll through the countryside," Santana says optimistically. It seems so out of character for her to be the one to planting a seed of hope, that's usually Brittany's job, but she can tell she needs it. "Pigs roam, right? And we work in a beautiful area so it makes sense for him to do a little sight-seeing. Or maybe he's visiting his extended pig family, it is the holidays after all."

"Or he's been murdered."

Santana's jaw drops at Brittany's deadpan. "Let's not jump to conclusions."

Brittany hangs her head low. "Anything could've happened."

"That's right," Santana agrees. "But that doesn't necessarily mean the worst thing did."

Brittany only shrugs. "I guess. This is all my fault. I was the last one to see him…alive. I must've forgotten to lock the gate on my way out."

The way she looks so distraught and helpless, Santana would give anything to make it better – she's just not sure what that is. Well, she knows but kissing the worries away probably wouldn't go down so well considering she was just the number one suspect ten minutes ago.

But damn, does she want to give it a try anyway.

"I have to get back to work but I'll keep a lookout for PB," Santana tells her as she stands. She holds her hand out, waiting for a sulking Brittany to take it. "Come on, I'll walk you back."

The short walk back is spent in silence, but Santana can tell the gears in Brittany's head are working overtime. Who would've known she could be so stressed over a lost pig? She thinks about what Holly said too and wonders if this is the universe's sick way of forcing her and Brittany together. The last thing on Brittany's mind would be taping together the scraps of their relationship though.

"Let me know if you hear anything," Brittany says as they get to her car. "PB loves his veggies so keep an eye on your compost pile."

"I will," Santana says. "And you, don't go lurking in the Joe's shed anymore. I almost hit you over the head with a rake."

"I won't. I'm sorry for scaring him. I'm also sorry for accusing you."

"That's okay," Santana shrugs. "Things between us have been weird so I get why you'd think it was me. I wasn't very nice to you the last time you were here."

"I've seen you not play nice, that wasn't it."

"Oh, have I lost my touch?"

Brittany chuckles. "Maybe?"

"So you're saying should've gone with my gut and made you an eggs royale?"

"I was a little disappointed I didn't get to try your galette, but the waffles were very tasty – even if I despise them. I know you're capable of being way worse, so I'll take it." Brittany jokes. "But if you are looking to redeem yourself, I know a great place where you can."

Santana suddenly feels warm all over. This right here, this is why she needs to keep her distance! She feigns annoyance although she's sure a smile gives her away. "Don't say your restaurant."

"I wasn't going to but glad to know you're thinking of it still!"

\\

Later that night, Santana ventures outside toting a bucket of veggie scraps. The chatter from the kitchen can be heard as the door hangs open in the breeze. There's enough light to illuminate a path and she peers around to make sure no ones watching before she sets the scrap bucket up on the tree stump she and Brittany sat on earlier.

"PB!" She calls out. "I have some of your favorites, I think? PB!"

She listens for any rustling or the telltale signs of a pig nearing, but nothing. She can't believe she's actually doing this as she calls out to him again. Even in the midst of their feuding and awkwardness, Santana's still wrapped around Brittany's finger.

\\

Santana arrives to work later than usual a few days later in preparation for the weekly meeting she has with Kurt and Rachel. They talk about important stuff like sales and revenue and making sure Santana stays within her budget. It's draining but necessary; that doesn't keep Santana from dragging her feet to attend.

However, this time Rachel opens up the meeting with exciting news. She tells Santana that the Understudy will be hosting a huge Christmas event this year unlike any other and it's likely that it'll be a sellout thanks to the latest menu! Apparently they've teamed up with an awesome marketing team who are on top of their game and they're already receiving so many requests for a booking! It's great news for the business, even more so for Santana. Lately she's been feeling off, distracted by this pig thing and Brittany – it'll be nice to refocus her attention on her work.

"I can't wait to start the planning," Rachel beams. "I have so many ideas already!"

"Hang on, I thought we said we'll work on that together?" Kurt asks.

"Shouldn't someone who actually celebrates Christmas be in charge?" Santana chimes in.

"I'll have you both know that although I don't celebrate Christmas, I am excellent at throwing parties with a theme," Rachel explains.

"Who told you that and were they on your payroll?"

"Many people have said that to me, Santana and no they were not on my payroll. Also, while we're on the topic of holiday parties – you haven't rsvp'd to our staff party." Rachel passes Santana an ornate invitation, one she has thrown out several times because it keeps reappearing. "We really need to lock in numbers for the caterers."

"Oh sorry." Santana takes the paper and scribbles over the NO box then passes it back. "There you go."

"Santana, you've checked the wrong box."

"Pretty sure I didn't."

"What?" Kurt cries out when he spots the NO. "You have to come!"

"I need to stay focused, especially now that we have this Christmas event. We haven't even talked about the menu or seating times or what the number of bookings will be. There's a lot left to prepare."

"One party won't kill you," Kurt reasons.

"If Rachel's hosting, you never know. Remember how she tried poisoning me last time?"

"She did not," Kurt insists.

"That's right. You ate a bad oyster."

"Given to me by who?" Santana glares before pointing her finger at Rachel. "You."

"I swore it was a reputable supplier, I'm sorry!"

"You might as well get them from a grocery store," Santana complains. "I'm sure it'll be a fun night for everyone else though. I'm perfectly fine sitting this one out."

"You can't be alone on Christmas though," Kurt reasons. "That's just sad."

He has a point; outside of work, there's no one. It used to be Brittany before things went bad. She realizes this'll be the first Christmas they won't spend together and the thought actually pains her.

Santana always loved the holidays, especially Christmas. Not because of the presents or the shopping deals, she loved how the family always came together. She loved the special dishes her abuela would cook and how it felt catching up with her cousins. She loved the sense of belonging; she loved the warmth.

But living so far away from her actual family and being too busy with work to visit meant that Santana had to miss out on a lot. Thankfully, her family understands the nature of her job but still that melancholy feeling never truly goes away.

It wasn't until she and Brittany became a thing that the feeling began to return.

Despite the busy schedules and exhaustion, Brittany always found a way to sprinkle in the holiday magic. That was love, pure love. It may not be the same as being surrounded by a big family, but it didn't matter. Being surrounded by Brittany was enough.

When Santana thinks about it now, there's no reason they can't have that again. The only one standing in their way is her.

\\

On the third night of PB's disappearance, Quinn goes out for a smoke break and catches Santana in the middle of an attempt at pig-calling. Quinn nearly wets herself with laughter meanwhile Santana is pulling out every excuse in the book to explain what she's doing.

Ultimately, she really can't talk her way out of it and ends up telling Quinn about Brittany and how distraught she is over this pig.

"Okay, so you're back together?" Quinn asks.

"No, we're not back together. I'm just helping a friend."

"Friend? I thought she was your competitor?"

"Por qué no los dos? I don't know!"

Quinn smirks at Santana's obvious floundering as she takes a drag of her cigarette. "You must care a lot about her if you're out here in the middle of the night, cold, missing family meal."

Santana only crosses her arms. "Are you going to help me or just stand there and judge?"

"I'm perfectly fine here, Chef. Thank you."

"Come on, you're already here. You might as well do something useful," Santana complains. "You grew up on a farm. What am I doing wrong?"

"It was a lemon orchard," Quinn corrects. "We didn't have pigs so I have no idea. Pretty sure the oinking you were doing before isn't it though."

"I was not oinking."

"Sounded like it. I have a recording if you want to see?" Quinn starts to take out her phone.

"No you don't," Santana scrambles to see. "Delete it right now!"

Turns out Quinn's full of shit when Santana finds there isn't actually a video of her calling out to PB.

"Should've seen your face!" Quinn laughs. "Priceless."

"You suck so bad, Quinn Fabray."

\\

Despite Santana solely spearheading the search party, Rachel is the one who actually finds PB early the following morning. Santana's barely awake to register the news although Rachel's practically screaming down the line at her to come help.

"I cannot have this, Santana! Our work Christmas party is tonight and I cannot have a pig in attendance! That's just absurd and unhygienic! You need to come help us get rid of it right now!"

In any other circumstance, what the hell was Santana going to do about a pig running amuck in the kitchen garden and why was the first person Rachel thought to call her?

When she arrives onsite, Rachel and Kurt stand with Joe on the outskirts of the garden watching who she assumes is PB rolling around in veg scraps. Rachel and Kurt look like they're seconds away from pulling their hair out while Joe looks around confused.

"Has anyone called Brittany?" Santana asks as she joins the group.

"Why would we call Brittany?" Rachel asks. "This is a pig."

"I don't know, you called me and it's not like I'm a pig wrangler," Santana mutters. "I think he belongs to her though."

"How were we supposed to know that?" Kurt asks. "It's not like he's wearing a collar."

"Actually, I think he is." Joe points to the pig's neck and sure enough, there is one.

"I can't believe I got out of bed for this," Santana groans. "None of you could've spotted that before waking me?"

"Sorry Santana," Rachel says.

"You should be. Now one of you can call Brittany and tell her to come get her pet so I can go back to bed."

"Aren't you two friends?" Kurt asks. "Why don't you call her?"

"No way, we're – " Santana is quick to shut him down but finds herself pausing.

She's nowhere near ready to face the day yet, let alone Brittany. But on the other hand…She's spent nearly a week secretly looking for this pig and now that she's found him, it would make sense for her to finish the job and reunite him with his owner.

So what if her hair is a little messier than normal and what if her ratty old sleep shirt and shorts are the only things she's wearing under her heavy coat? It's not like she cares about how she looks if she's going to see Brittany, then again it's not like she hasn't seen her like this before?

"Fuck it." Santana suddenly makes up her mind. "I'll do it."

\\

While Joe and company coaxed PB onto his trailer and have it hitched up to the work truck, Santana goes to her office to pick up a couple things where she then paced the room wondering why the hell she offered to see Brittany alone.

Once upon a time, the thought of being alone with Brittany was the only thing that got her through a long shift. Now, she's riddled with nerves – the good kind or the bad, she's not sure. She spends the next ten minutes convincing herself that it's neither – this is purely a business transaction.

It's a short drive to Brittany's restaurant but it takes her twice as long with PB in the back. She's actually never been to the restaurant, she's only familiar with the raggedy old barn that used to be there, but as she pulls into the driveway, she's pleasantly surprised by what she sees.

What she can only assume is the raggedy old barn has been completely transformed! There's still the rustic charm associated with being out in the country, the weathered wood and brick, but new iron accents elevate it into something more contemporary. From the outside, the place looks amazing!

"Santana?" Brittany calls out as she comes around the side of the building. She's wearing that familiar beanie again and the tips of her nose and cheeks are rosy from the chill. "What are you – oh my God, you found PB!"

She sprints over to the trailer and as Santana comes around. "He was rooting through our veg scraps. He scared the shit out of Rachel and Kurt."

"I told you he loves his vegetables!" Brittany replies as she gives the pig a loving pat on the side. When she looks at Santana, there's so much adoration in her eyes that it makes Santana want to start pacing again. "Thanks for bringing him home, Santana. I've been so worried."

"Yeah well, you should be thankful he was close by," Santana replies dismissively although the butterflies in her stomach flutter about. "Babe could've easily been roasting on an open fire by now."

Brittany gasps and does her best to cover PB's ears. "He can hear you!"

"Good! Maybe that'll scare him straight and he won't go wandering around anymore," Santana replies. "Seems like he's got a pretty good life here. Maybe he shouldn't fuck it up just because he feels like traveling."

Brittany side-eyes PB, ultimately agreeing with Santana. "I guess she's right. It's your lucky day, sir."

When PB bows his head, Santana starts to wonder if he really can understand what they're saying. Maybe it was just coincidence?

"Could you unlock the gate?" Brittany asks. "I'll get him back to his pen."

Santana nods and goes around to the tailgate. She can feel Brittany's eyes on her and that has her fumbling to get the latch undone. She blames her trembling hands on the cold though. Brittany goes off to unload PB from the trailer.

Thankfully Santana has to do minimal work. She's still only running on a few hours of sleep, no caffeine, and she was rudely awakened by Rachel of all people. It hasn't been a great start to her morning. Seeing Brittany so overcome with happiness because she's finally reunited with her piggy friend and Santana being the reason for that reunion might just make up for all that.

"What's PB stand for anyway?" Santana wonders. "Peanut Butter?"

"What's peanut butter have to do with a pig?" Brittany laughs as if she didn't once tell Santana she used to have a cat named Lord Tubbington when she was a kid.

"I don't know? That's the first thing that came to mind," Santana explains.

"It stands for Pork Butt," Brittany answers.

"Oh wow…"

Brittany only giggles as she guides PB around the building. After Brittany secures PB in his pen, she joins Santana over by the entry of the restaurant. Santana's staring up the at the sign – she hadn't known the name of Brittany's restaurant before today; she didn't want to purely out of stubbornness or spite. But now, she stares at the letters that form the word she and Brittany used to toss around together when they dreamed of opening their own place.

To see it now, come to life, and looking the way it does…Santana isn't sure how to feel and there's no time to dwell on it as Brittany returns.

"PB is safe and sound," Brittany says. "The only way he's getting out of there is if he learns to fly."

"Great. I'll head off then."

"Wait, don't you want to come in?" Brittany asks. The hope is unmissable, the same could be said about her sudden bashfulness. "This is your first time here, it's not how I planned it but you're here and I'd love to show you around."

Santana looks up at the wooden doors and it's oddly inviting – like she's being drawn in or tempted, probably tempted. Brittany's there batting her eyelashes, hope brimming. She can't deny that she's curious about the interior, wondering if it's just as aesthetic as the outside.

What color scheme did she go with? What type of tables and chairs? Is it an open concept? Does it look anything like what they used to daydream about together?

"You're calling it The Stix," Santana mentions.

"I thought it was fitting," Brittany replies. "We always talked about opening up a place off the beaten path, in the sticks. We wanted fine dining but make it feel like customers are at home for Sunday dinner. We wanted warmth and good food and we wanted to do it somewhere that deserves more recognition – like here."

Santana takes a deep breath. "But you named it The Stix. That was our name that we picked together. You did this without me."

"You were all I thought about when I did this," Brittany explains.

"And yet, you never thought to call me?"

"I couldn't!"

"You keep saying that…"

"Because it's true," Brittany explains. "Everything happened so quickly once I came back; I didn't have time to catch you up, all I could do was act fast or I'd miss the opportunity. I figured if you saw the name then you'd be just excited as me about this and you'd let me explain."

"I wouldn't really call this excitement, Britt." Santana frowns. "Look at this place, I would've loved doing this with you if you had given me the chance but you didn't. You told me about it once it was already done."

"It's still a work in progress."

"One that you're working on alone."

"I was bound by contract, Santana. I had to do everything alone!"

"Contract?" Santana drops further into confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Oh, so now you want me to explain? After all this time?" Brittany shakes her head and laughs angrily. "You're unbelievable."

"Hang on, I'm not the one that's been keeping secrets," Santana counters. "You made this mess. I'm just trying to make sense of it."

"Yes, I know. I'm the one that ruined everything, it's all my fault," Brittany says. It looks as though she's on the brink of tears but they never fall. "You know I could've answered all your questions if you would just let me? I have been trying to make it right ever since that night at the awards ceremony. I have been trying to explain. I have been trying tell you these secrets. I have been trying to fix things but you keep shutting me down. It's like you don't even want this anymore."

"I do want this," Santana says without thinking. "More than anything."

"Then what are we doing?" Brittany asks tiredly. "I understand making me sleep in the doghouse because I know I put you through hell while I was gone. What happens next or is this it? I'm a patient person, but you've got to tell me now if I'm wasting my time because I love you, San. I love you but pushing me away like this…you're just as much to blame now."

Santana only stands there, feeling as though she's just been stung. "I don't know. I'm figuring it out."

"Can't we do that together?" Brittany asks, hope brimming in her pretty blue eyes. One look at her and Santana feels like she could conquer anything – even her own insecurities. "Don't you think we're stronger together?"

"I know we are," Santana says truthfully. She hasn't felt this sure of herself in a long time, especially not when it comes to Brittany.

"So what do you want to do?"

"I want – " Santana's interrupted by the sound of her phone ringing. It's Rachel again so she's quick to ignore it but she catches a glimpse of several unread texts from Quinn that can't be as easily ignored. "Oh shit. I'm sorry, I need to go."

"Is everything okay?" Brittany asks as Santana hurries to the truck.

Santana's speed-reading through the missed texts but only finds Quinn uncharacteristically panicked which makes her feel even more uneasy. She spins around to apologize one more time for cutting this short only to find Brittany right on her heels, so close that they collide.

"Shit, sorry," Santana rushes out but Brittany's hand keep her from falling.

"Are you okay to drive?" Brittany asks as she steadies Santana, eyes searching hers for a sign. "Do you want me to come with?"

"No, no. I'm good," Santana assures her.

Brittany looks at her like she's waiting for more. Despite everything, Brittany still cares for her as if nothing has changed. She's still putting her first and that just about puts Santana over the edge.

"Are you sure?" Brittany looks at her warily. "I mean, you look good in your pj's and cute bed-head but you don't look good good."

Who knew a simple sentence could put Santana at ease? Apparently, Brittany because she always knows the right thing to say when it counts.

"I'm sure. For all I know, it's something ridiculous like Kurt has a hangnail or Rachel's annoying Quinn," Santana tells her. She gives into temptation and reaches out to touch Brittany's cheek. It's welcomed warmth against her icy fingertips, she can't help but linger there. "I'm sorry for leaving."

"Hey, that's my line." Brittany's smile is kind as she leans into Santana's palm. "I understand. Duty calls."

Santana pulls away and goes to get settled in the driver's seat. She pauses just after she starts the engine and looks back at Brittany. She knows she should leave but finds herself unwinding the window. Brittany draws closer.

"Changing your mind?"

"It's not that. Rachel and Kurt are putting on this thing tonight at the Understudy," Santana explains. Suddenly she's riddled with nerves but they don't keep her from holding out the olive branch. "I was wondering if you'd like to come?"

"What kind of thing?" Brittany asks through a grin. "Is it a party?"

"Something like that," Santana replies. "There's decorations and food, probably music."

"Sounds very much like a party," Brittany jokes. "Will you be dressing up?"

"I might be," Santana shrugs. "Depends what time the lunch service wraps up. We're all supposed to have an early finish."

"Okay," Brittany finally answers. "Well, I'm supposed to be working the Pass tonight. I gave one of the chefs asked for the night off, her son's first Christmas. I couldn't be a Grinch and say no, not on Christmas Eve."

"Oh," Santana frowns at the sound of her olive branch snapping in two. She hadn't realized Christmas Eve had crept up on her so fast. "That's cool. Don't worry about it."

"I didn't say it was a no." Brittany smirks as Santana backtracks. "It's a maybe."

Santana sits a little taller; she can live with that. "So maybe I'll see you tonight then."

"Maybe you will," Brittany replies. "But if not Merry Christmas, Santana."

"Merry Christmas, Britt."

[lemonsandstrawberries]

Christmas Delay

fandom: Stony (Steve x Tony),

summary: Christmas is around the corner, and Tony has absolutely no time to celebrate and feels guilty. 

length: 870 words

a/n: Happy Holidays! you will read this fic in three minutes, while it took me like an hour to write, December as usual has kicked my butt. Hope you all get plenty of rest during holidays, be good to yourselves! feedback, reblogs and likes are welcomed and needed!

—————

Christmas Delay

"Babe... Tony!"

"Hrrr... HNG?!" Tony's head jumped up and he opened his eyes wide. Oh, he fell asleep. On Steve's shoulder. A still moist trace of drool on Steve's shirt was clear evidence. Ew. 

Steve's chuckled, not that bothered. He watched Tony rub his face and sit up straight, movements a little slow and stiff. The end of the year was always a busy time for his boyfriend, with wrapping all the work for Stark Industries, closing shipments and sells, invoicing, and all the other things that gave Steve a headache just from hearing about it. Of course, Tony had Pepper to help, but with all respect to Pepper's skills, even she couldn't keep up with the enormous amount of work. Tony made sure that Pepper ate enough, slept enough, and kept her out of the office when he saw that Pepper's bright eyes became red from staying up all night over documents. It was sweet. It was less sweet that Tony didn't apply the same politics to himself. 

"Go to bed," Steve said softly, leaning in closer to press his nose over Tony's cheek. It was still early, just after 7 pm, but Tony clearly needed rest. And if Tony won't take care of Tony, Steve will. 

"But, you wanted to decorate the Christmas tree," Tony said, eyes drifting to the part of the room where a huge, bright green tree stood, boxes of ornaments nearby. He already felt guilty, that Steve had to go and choose the Christmas tree all by himself, while Tony was in the office, doing phone calls after phone calls. 

"We can do it later."

"But - " Tony looked at the TV, seeing a scene where the McCallister family was rushing through the airport. Oh, great. The move barely started and he had already fallen asleep. "I feel rested now, we can still watch the movie - "

"It is fine, Tony, we can watch 'Home Alone' for the twelfth time another day."

Tony was running out of arguments. And patience. Towards himself. Why Steve was so nice when he was letting him down time after time?

"I am sorry," Tony gave up, putting his face in his hands, smothered by the weight of everything. December was supposed to be a joyful time, but it wasn't when you were a head of a multi-billion dollar company with an overfull schedule. 

"You don't have to be sorry, I know you have a lot of work. And soon you will go on a Christmas break, and then we can binge-watch all the movies and eat all the cookies," Steve said in a cheery voice. 

Tony laughed weakly. There was sincerity and love in the voice which he didn’t expect to get. He turned to look at his boyfriend and smiled tiredly. "I don't deserve you," he said truthfully.

"That's some bullshit and you know it," Steve warned, making Tony's smile a bit wider and more real. No self-loathing. Seeing Tony smile, made Steve smile too. "Go to bed," Steve repeated, leaning in again. Tony expected to be nosed in the cheek again, instead, Steve placed a tiny, tiny kiss on his cheek. And another one. And another one. And some more.

"He-hehey! Steheve!" Tony giggled, tipping his head up to escape from the ticklish feeling.

Steve laughed too, placing more tiny kisses on Tony's jawline and neck, just to make him smile and giggle, nothing too intense. When Tony became too wriggly, Steve wrapped arms around him and pulled him closer, making his boyfriend squeak in panic. 

"You're so cute," Steve laughed at the high-pitched sound, pulling Tony into his lap and curling with him.

"I am not!" Tony argued stubbornly, trying to move his face out of the range of the ticklish kisses. 

"You are. And you are ticklish in all cute places like here," Steve said, gently running his fingers over Tony's ribcage.

"AH! Ahahaa! No!" Tony protested, trying to push himself out of Steve's embrace. The tickling wasn't bad, it was quite nice actually and Tony felt his overtired mind-melting, but his body still had some fight left in. 

"You are not ticklish there? Then... how about here?" Steve's fingers walked lower, softly kneading over the sides.

"Hahahaha! Steveehehe!"

"Definitely ticklish. But you know where the cutest place is?"

Tony had a hunch. Still, he squeaked in a very undignified manner when Steve's warm hand slid under his shirt and fingers traced his belly button.

"PHHH HIHIHIHI!"

"Sooo cute," Steve said gleefully, continuing the very soft tickling over the quivering stomach and sides, not bothered by Tony's constant wriggling and kicking legs. He didn't want to be too mean and kept it up only for a few seconds before stopping and cuddling Tony close, not letting him bolt away. 

Tony took some deep, calming breaths, settling down. His head felt heavy, and his body relaxed greatly, not so tense anymore. Huh. Who would have thought that something so silly would be so helpful. 

"Mmm... Steve..."

"Yeah?"

"I think I need to go to sleep earlier."

Steve smiled, loosening his hold, but still keeping Tony close. "I think so too," he agreed, letting Tony stand up and walking with him into the bedroom.

Christmas could wait.

[alphabetboyluvr]

holly. holly i need to desperately live inside your brain like you don’t understand.

it’s been a while since i last dropped by. life got a bit chaotic at the end of the year but the excitement of the holiday season + new year persists. i find myself in a constant state of giddiness recently.

coming back and seeing what has been waiting for me MY GOD IT FEELS LIKE CHRISTMAS ALL OVER AGAIN! i’m writing after immediately finishing imposter syndrome and YOU HAVE ME BY THE THROAT🧎🏽‍♀️ this is ur impact. my insanity. thank you & ur welcome.

that chapter. wow. time and time again blown away by the heart you put into your writing. honestly, how did we all get so lucky to experience this little world of yours? seriously can’t praise you enough. and the fact thank i have two more chapters to catch up on? ugh, now i know what they mean when they say life is the gift that keeps on giving.

no but really, thank you. and now that i’ve gone crazy, let me properly greet you lol.

happy new year holly˚ ༘✶ ⋆｡ how are you? are you staying warm this winter? anything exciting you’re looking forward to? what’s something that made you happy recently? i’m excited to hear all about it.

i hope you’ve been well and taking care of yourself. hope you continue to indulge in all the things that make you whole. rooting for you in all your endeavors. may all your wishes come to fruition. sending you love and light. excited to see how you’ll orbit the sky this year🌠

here’s to new memories🥂

~🎧💌

hello again 🥹

I won't lie, I saw you mention imposter syndrome and was like... I don't think I have anything by that name?? and then realised it was a bd chapter name hahahaha - my brain is very smooth, it's not a very good place to set up camp!!

I hope you've enjoyed the following chapters too <3

it always amuses me how well-put together your asks are and how I'm just like :D he he :D. I think you'll make a far more eloquent writer than I am!!

Happy new year to you too lovely - we're a little way into the year so I hope it's been treating you well 💕✨️

I'm doing well! this winter hasn't been too cold thankfully (though I'm sure this is indicative of terrible advances in global warming, so perhaps I shouldn't be too happy about it). I've a trip soon to see one of my best friends in the whole wide world in one of my bucket list countries and so that's mega exciting. this year is full of variables and I'm so excited to just experience the unknown.

how have you been?? 2024 treating you well?? anything you're looking forward to?

thank you for your kindness. I'm really lucky to be afforded with such grace and consideration, and will eternally be grateful for it.

and also sorry for a delayed response - I'm not on here much!! but its so lovely to be greeted with asks like these when I do check back in 🥹💕✨️

all my love!!✨️

[cookinguptales]

Hello, hi! I read your year in review post, and it inspired me to come say hello. I fell off Tumblr a few years ago and have tentatively crawled back over the last few months (honestly, it was the Goncharov craze that got me nostalgic for Tumblr again - I love Tumblr memes). I was really happy to see that you were active here and still writing fic for a new fandom that I also love!

I wanted to let you know that I'm a huge fan of your work and still am even after all these years! Your writing is so thoughtful and detailed, with a warmth and sincerity that makes it far too easy to consume a lot all at once, like a big mug of hot chocolate that you finish too quickly. Not just your creative writing, but your nonfiction blogging on fandom and health accessibility and travel too! I still go back and re-read some of my favorite fics you wrote when I'm feeling the itch to indulge in an old fandom! I had a big Muppet deep dive because I loved your fic so much, and now I go to work every day at a desk covered in Kermit stickers!

And I should have told you all of this a while ago. I regretted not reaching out for a long time. But now I have! And I hope you're okay with me being all mushy and earnest (how cringe!) out here in the open. If you don't want to post a response, I'm fine with that. I'm happy to just say hi, and I hope that my message brings you some joy/pride/whatever you need right now. Wishing you Merry Holidays and a Happy New Year!

Sorry for the delay! Life has kind of been a lot lately!

This is very sweet to hear, especially because... yeah, things have been a lot, and I've been struggling with feeling really down on myself. So thank you. Hearing that my fic feels like that makes me really happy. ;;

My dad literally just emailed me about a Bunsen & Beaker ornament set he found, so clearly I'm still into them. (I... bought it, too. haha. This is not even my only Bunsen & Beaker ornament.) The Muppets are a real comfort canon for me, so I'm really happy that I was able to share some of that with you.

Honestly, there's something that feels very... idk, genuine about writing and posting fanfic for me. I think fiction only works if you really give yourself over to it, whether that's getting really engrossed in the emotions of fictional characters as the writer or as the person reading it. I don't think it's cringe to be earnest about your feelings. What's the point, really, in being anything but earnest about them? I think it's nice to be able to be genuine about these things. So thank you for being genuine with me. I know that can feel a little vulnerable sometimes.

As for your second ask, which I also saw, anyone is free to DM me whenever they want. I'm not always... super great at responding promptly, especially right now. But yeah, we may not be friends yet, but talking is the only way to get closer. :)

(And you'll have to tell me what the new fandom we share is!)

[hydralisk98]

Why we celebrate Halloween / Samhain like a silly parade of costumes and candy trickery

Hey fellow nerts, guess what time it is?

It’s "Helluva Boss" talkshow time on here, the thing you were awaiting for by far it seems. Sorry for the delays.

Anyway, you may need some context here:

I commissioned a Etsy email letter impersonating Stolas (real or fake correlation, at this point I don’t care.) to provide some comfort reading to myself, my family, my friends and you online observers over my passions.

And from said letter he asked a interesting question worth researching over. About the why / how we came to celebrate this Holiday like a silly pride parade with candies & costumes.

So here I am diving into such a response out of my genuine curiosity and care of all free-will gifted sapients. (not kidding over that monster club attitude)

As for most things we humans did and do in this reality, it comes down to historical traditions, games/questions and the overall social & playful core vibe of Homo Sapiens Sapiens as a species. (for most of such anyway, and no the constant is not that directly "Love" you hopeful romantics, that will be worth talking about another day...)

Turns out if I am to add to Halloween with insight from the contemporary relevance of such celebrations in the last century or so, it is a twisted way (derived from Celtic Samhain and other iron age traditions) from our ancestors to celebrate the dead, deter nefarious Hell's entities (or rather agents as I like to call each individual with free will and a sole body) from making Faustian / Mephistophelian bargains / pacts (you are doing fine enough Stolas, not everybody here are worth catering to...) or animistic tricking to encourage the respect of social etiquette guidelines (which is also worth pointing that it serves some axial age safety purposes too and ain't exclusively a anti-demons matter).

And as far as why I still decide myself to attempt disguising myself into the custom dark academia studious demon lady dress-up of my very own for this year's edition of Halloween? Well, first the Helluva Boss YouTube cartoon show trend obviously, the last few generations of young adults (mostly Gen Z but could apply to Millenials and the generation in between both to which I belong) overall tinkering alot with cultural prejudices as to celebrate pride in novel ways due to how radically right-wing and Wilsonistic-ally Fascist the status quo in the West became as of the last decade to fail at discourage deviation amongst more matters... But also because I do like to show my sympathies to other sapient phenotypes and make advantage of mundane plane's life on my very own terms (but not insulting others ofc) as well as the spiritual autistic transfeminine human I am.

Hopefully you all get a better glimpse at the human biases we have and to Stolas specifically I hope that is a enjoyable read with pertinent trivia information about this reality's human culture.

As for Octavia, I will be happy to provide her the safe-space she needs as we both learn and exercice the esoteric arts in a relatively remote rural environment. Caring is sharing and I am sure a constructive relationship is best for all parties involved here, no matter what specific reality we inhabit. Also applies for whoever polite enough to respect that mutual agreement.

The actual letter written from Etsy store indie seller "LettersFromTheWeb" at ( https://www.etsy.com/ca-fr/shop/LettersFromTheWeb ) if you are wondering:

Until we meet (again? Maybe in the flesh and bones perhaps?), farewell to you all and hoping that things get better for all of us.

[emylilas]

dun dun dun... it's me! I'm back again, your HEX gifter!

😈

Thank you for your previous answers, especially your detailed response on Luna! By the way, I have also watched Wheel of Time and absolutely understand your devotion to Kate Fleetwood and her complex characters.

A couple of follow up questions, as I continue to pull together your gift -

Do you have any specific songs you associate with Luna, Farah, Saul and Andreas?

Please rank the following in terms of preference of holiday fic tropes:

Snowed in together and only one bed

2. Reluctantly avoiding crowds at a holiday party but while doing so, accidentally getting stuck under mistletoe with their love interest

3. A competitive snowball fight that turns into flirting and / or steamy times.

and that's it... chat later!

Hello! 

So sorry for the delay, I had quite the crazy week and it’s actually the first day this week I’m not feeling like going to bed at 4pm would sound like a real blessing! 

To answer your question about the holiday fic tropes, funny enough, you suggested them the way I would have ranked them. 

Snowed in together and only one bed

Reluctantly avoiding crowds at a holiday party but while doing so, accidentally getting stuck under mistletoe with their love interest

A competitive snowball fight that turns into flirting and / or steamy times

I really am a sucker for cute Christmas movies (I do have standards though) and in case you haven’t watched it yet, and would like to watch a Christmas movie some time, Single all the way truly was the cutest of them all! Do YOU love Christmas movies? 🎄

As for the songs, that’s a bit harder. I did try to think about it all week but for some reason my mind seems to be fairly blank in this regard.

For Luna and Farah, there’s The winner takes it all by ABBA, Romantic homicide by D4vd, War of hearts by Ruelle and Hurts like hell by Fleurie (all very happy stuff as you may see)

I think the song So far by Ólafur Arnalds fits both Luna and Andreas quite well, and probably Farah in post Aster Dell recovery.

Definitely Fleurie’s Soldier for Saul

Leah Nobel’s Not ready to say goodbye works well for both ships in my mind

Sorry, I’m not very good at this. Sadly, when I listen to songs that make me think of a specific character, I tend to forget about it if I don’t add it to the “make gifs or video edits with it” list.

I’ll keep thinking about it just in case something else suddenly comes back to mind! I promise I’ll answer sooner next time if you send something else! 

I hope you’ll have a nice weekend! Em

[by-kilian]

Hi KW how are you doing?

I was able to caught up STH because Uni won’t let me breath peacefully

The chapter was

I will say it before and I will say it again Levi and Killian, the love they have for each other can transcend the universe. They know so well each other and their love just puts a sweet delicious and soft domestic touch.

And yes I was so happy of the Farlan and Killian’s conversation. By Killian’s thoughts, we know we will Indeed blame ourselves for our mistakes and it is our nature.

And yes the hospital scene where Killian gets out from her ward. Indeed she is our Killian 🤭 (uh is the line to marry Killian is there??)

The relationship of Killian and Levi is so precious to me because it is humane. When we love someone, we do things we never imagined to and despite of our faults we never get to understand that why they love us so much. Like in hospital if it was old Killian she would leave but levi is there she cares for him so much. It’s like Levi is Killian’s home

Anyways STH is very precious to me and I’m not ready to say goodbye. Have I ever told you that STH playlist is my jam? Cigarettes after sex matches so good with Killian and Levi’s vibe.

I was jumping up and down when desert rose was playing ( I love the playlist a lot and desert rose is one my favorite)

As always thank you for the delicious chapter and take care

Hey love! So sorry for the delayed response, I've been sick since Sunday and the last few days were a complete doozy. Really had to listen to my body to take it easy 😵‍💫 so thanks for your patience. I am doing better now though, and I hope you are well too. So glad to hear uni has been slowing down a little for bit you!

Thank you so much for your kind words about this chapter!! ❤️ I really wanted to convey a lot this chapter, about domesticity, love, forgiveness, change and growth, and I am extremely happy it translated to many of you. I appreciate your thoughtful feedback and I'm just so glad you enjoyed it.

I adore the STH/LDBS playlists as they are quintessential to writing the stories, so I love when you all find songs from it that you also enjoy! If it feels like the songs match Kilian and Levi's vibes, it's purposeful!! :3 Also yes, taste "Desert Rose" is such a beautiful song and Lolo is my girlyyyy, I adore her music so much.

Thank YOU for your support, patience, and love. I am so appreciative of you. I know no one is ready for STH to end, and honestly neither am I, but I also think it's about time we send these two off on their very well-deserved happy endings. <3 Thank you all for taking this journey and ride with me, especially those of you who have been there since day 1. Take care and happy holidays if you celebrate! :3

[allylikethecat]

ally!!!!! i’ve always loved You Know Where the City Is but wow this is the best chapter by far! like i’ve gone from obsessed to mega ultra double obsessed. everyone talking about wrapping fic!matty in a bunch of blankets and feeding him some soup is so real- you always manage to make the most cozy sweetie pie characters no matter what the fic is about. (it goes without saying that fic! taylor much like the real deal is just perfect and i love her)

counting down the chapters till we meet fic!george. so intrigued to see how there relationship will play out since you said it might not be what we expect…. love a good surprise!!!!

im practically bursting with excitement to read the christmas fic and any of the prompts you have been working on but good things take time! please don’t feel rushed to give us new content you already do so much for the sickfic matty community lmao.

hope you have a happy holiday break🥹 sending love always (also don’t be alarmed if i reblog the majority of your prompts on here soon- i have such a bad habit of liking a fic and then scrolling past it once i’ve read it so i need to go back and hunt for them all and actually save them for next time)

Ahhh thank you SO MUCH for this lovely ask omg, and thank you so much for always being so lovely, and kind and supportive 🥰 I apologize this took me a few days to respond to- I usually try and respond to asks on my laptop because I find them easier to formate and alas I had not been back on desktop Tumblr until now.

I'm so, so, so happy to hear that you enjoyed the newest chapter of You Know Where the City Is! I went back and forth on that chapter a lot (an original draft included a trip to Target lol) but I'm really pleased with how it came out and am glad that other people like it as well! Fictional!Matty (and Fictional!Taylor) could REALLY use a hug oh my gosh. They are both going through it and the worst part is they don't even realize how unwell they all 🥺 Fictional!George will be making his appearance very soon! All I can say is that Fictional!Matty is an unreliable source of information 👀 I hope people end up liking how it plays out!

I'm so excited about the Holidays fics but WOW I hope I can actually finish them in time! I haven't even finished the first one yet and I feel like the holidays are getting closer and closer faster and faster 😩 one second is was the beginning of November and now suddenly it's the end of December?! Who allowed this to happen!? I'm behind on the little schedule I made for myself- but hopefully I'll get them both done! Of course my plot bunnies are like "ummm Ally we have all the inspiration for this completely unrelated project!!!" and I'm over here like "not NOW"

We will hopefully be back to our regularly scheduled prompt fulfillment and sickfic programing after the holidays! I'm sorry about the delay, I know people are looking forward an end of SATVB / IV situation fic and I promise I am working on one!! Alas I have just also been really busy with real life.

Thank you so much for the love and I hope you have the most wonderful holidays as well! If you're ever looking for all of the prompt fills I have filled - they can be found here!

Thank you so much again for your kind words, for reading my fics and for your support! You are just so lovely and I am so grateful for your kindness! I hope you are having a wonderful night / day and will hopefully have some more fic ready soon!

❤️Ally

[caspianxth]

Hello! How have you been, Em? Sorry for the delay but happy Taylor day! I hope you got to listen to plenty of her music and reblog fun Eras Tour edits, I know I did! In celebration of her hitting 34, what are your 3 favorite albums of hers and your four favorite songs?

Oops, I Did it Again — your secret santa, ☃️

donut worry about it bestie (also thta song is a britney banger)!!!!! also no worries at all on the delay!! I hope that u are well and that u have had a lovely taylor day and have been able to partake <3 I have actually had a trainwreck of a day dshfdhgdjh. I think it was pms/unnoticed stress/decorating stress joining forces to put me over the edge but I've had like 3-4 solid cries today lmaoo. but!! I am listening to some taylor now and I am feeling a lil bit better!!! I am reblogging edits now also and I got a lil artful dodger tag check in there between 2 of the cries sdjkghdkfjghkdjfgkh. also my jellycats helped w me feeling better ngl I have 3 lil bunny ornaments w santa hats I love them <3. I put them on the tree last w spider-man and captain america so I can see them all <3. tomorrow I will probs watch some holiday movies to get some cheer back in me tho and drink some tea.

3 fave albums atm in order this time are rep, evermore, and 1989! top four taylor songs is so much harder 😭 um, so this changes a lot as I'm sure it does for a lot of swiffers out there but rn it's king of my heart, is it over now, castles crumbling, and willow (if ur an artful dodger fan...u should know but tbh that song works w like, any ship ever)!! what are ur top 3 albums top 4 songs!??!!?

[cosettepontmercys]

Hi! Sorry it's taken me a day to reply. But I totally agree on the importance of the rerecordings just being hers and owning her work. For the fans, it's just a nice bonus. I don't think I've bothered disliking anything so far and even when fans spot differences, or even the BTR lyric change..I'm fine with it. I've actually saw someone complain how it sounds so rushed and how Speak Now was so badly mixed or something and the originals are so much better. It just doesn't make sense to me to complain about it..idk. unpopular opinion..I am pretty much a fan of all new covers and vault tracks lol. I would've loved Battle and Drama Queen though! It seems like she was having them each have six and maybe that's why but now 1989 only has 5 so idk. We will see if that changes with Debut or not.

I've never seen the Roman Holiday movie actually so I couldn't even compare it to anything. But I really wanna watch it someday haha. It's interesting what will and won't go to Broadway and sometimes you can just tell. Did it not have original music?

Anyway ooh that's so cool that there are two! I think they could be totally different too depending on the music and vibes. I loved The Mad Ones musical so it will be interesting. Just yesterday I saw that the composer also worked on Paradise Square too. I could totally see one being stripped down or focused on story and the Florence one being more glitzy and glam..since that's how the movie was, and her song from it. I wonder if they would be on Broadway at or near the same time though and how that could get confusing lol. It would be nice to be excited for Broadway stuff again lol.

I thought the movie was pretty good. I mean..it was fine, but it did feel like something was kinda missing. I liked the beginning and the cake scene..but then it kinda moved a little fast for the relationship after that. When he first kissed him..i didn't expect it right then and it was kinda like oh already? So it felt like it didn't have enough buildup I guess. Then they were kinda already somehow all over each other which is fine. But basically even by the end of the movie..it didn't feel as dramatic as it seemed, and like they were totally in love either. So I might agree that the movie probably didn't have as much heart as the book. Even with the email leak, I was just like oh okay..but I didn't even know exactly what the emails were other than their relationship being found out. It kinda reminded me of Love Simon I guess and the coming out stuff was handled a lot better in that movie. I probably wouldn't watch it again..and there wasn't that much to obsess over to me after seeing so many people love it or the ship on Twitter..so the movie was just okay I guess. I watched the movie Crush on Hulu after and I thought that one was better..even if they're totally different. The movie seems a lot different than the book from what you described and that they took a lot of stuff out which really sucks. I'm sorry you didn't like it! I might read it eventually..at least a little bit, to compare maybe. I remember hearing about it a lot..but then I heard the author hates Taylor. I've actually never read a book by her before yet.

you're totally fine! no worries on the delayed reply my love! and i agree — i think all the discourse around the rerecordings is very … silly! because the end goal is just: taylor owning her work (as she should). everything else is just as you said, a bonus! i believe drama queen has a co-writer which is part of the reason it wasn't going to be on SNTV, but i'm lowkey still hoping for a random surprise drop of battle, drama queen and sweeter than fiction taylor's version. i would love, love, love for debut tv to have at least 13 vault songs because there are so many of her unreleased songs that i've loved over the years but i'll obviously be happy with anything and everything we get!

the roman holiday movie is one of my all time favorites + just such a comfort movie, and it is one of those movies that should never be remade for many reasons, but primarily that it would never work in a modern day setting, with current technology. i think that's the biggest part of its charm; that and audrey hepburn and gregory peck being so good at what they do! the score was completely comprised of cole porter songs — and they fit fine, but they didn't .... do much for the story, if that makes sense?

ooh i didn't realize they were also involved with paradise square! i didn't really pay a lot of attention to paradise square actually, but i do remember hearing about some lawsuits and cast mistreatment :/ it'll definitely be interesting to see what comes of the gatsby musical — i saw on tiktok that there was a queue to get tickets, which is wild to me! and i do agree with your thoughts about florence's potentially being more glitzy and glam as you put it! it'll definitely be interesting to see which one does "better". makes me feel like i'm living smash (ivy vs. karen, smash vs. hit list) in real time!

i really, really loved the book when i first read it in 2019 (and then again in 2020, and then again ... all the other times i've read it), but it's by no means perfect! and as a heads up, the author uses they/them pronouns 🤍 and it makes sense that it reminds you of love simon — greg berlanti produced both love, simon and red, white and royal blue! i also really liked love, simon back in the day (and i still think the soundtrack to love, simon is unmatched). i don't know how rwrb would feel now, but i think some of its charm lies in when it was written + how the world was back then! if you decide to give it a go, let me know what you think! speaking of buddy reads, did you still want to do our buddy read? when works for you? 🤍

and i share similar thoughts about the movie (among others, haha). i haven't watched crush yet, but i've been meaning to! i am simply ... the worst at watching movies. it took one of my friends maybe .... six months? before i finally got around to watching her favorite movie. it'd been on the list ever since she recommended it to me, but sitting down and watching movies is just not something i'm very good at. but i've been making a bunch of bracelets lately, and i think the embroidery kits i ordered will get here this weekend so maybe i'll watch a few more movies soon!

hope you're doin well! x

[writingstuffandmore]

howdy again! it's me, your Secret Santa!

Sorry for the delay... I'm pretty forgetful and really bad at replying to people T_T I hope this isn't too much of an inconvenience.

I am well, and I hope you are too!

Oh heck yeah! Yeollie, Yixing and Junmyeonnie~ great picks... though, I guess as EXO-Ls we would say that about any/all of the boys! haha

No, don't be sorry! I totally get that for sure! Every moment with EXO is a treasure, after all <3

!!! yass! such great taste! the winter albums are always *chef's kiss* but Universe really takes the cake. And The War has no skips. Don't Mess Up My Tempo, my beloved <3 alright, I'm right there with you!!

so kind T_T you're a lovely person! I hope everyone has a fantastical year as well! this Christmas/holiday season will be grand~

I guess I should ask what type of gift you'd like? I've done fanfics the previous years but... I am learning how to GIF. Keyword learning >.<

What are some things you like or, rather, would like in your gift?

Anywhoo, hope you're having a great week so far! Stay shining~

Hi !!!!

Hope you are doing well 😊

I am so sorry, my internet has been worse for some time..

I am really sorry very sorry 🥲

My health kinda ditched me but I am okay as of now...

TBH, I am not a type of person to you know talk about what I exactly I want till the time I have my eyes set on it. So, my wish is that I want to have a gift from you which makes you feel happy when doing it. You wanna experiment with something new, you are most welcome 💓💓💓

I would be really very happy with you wanna do !!

[emilieautumnarchives]

IMPORTANT!! Book Shipping Schedule Revised

Posted: April 17, 2011 Archived from the BonnyTymePyrate Archives

Dearest Plague Rats,

I am so sorry to have to announce an unfortunate delay in the shipping of the “Asylum…” books. The book has been available for pre-order with the anticipated ship date of mid-to-late April, and I’ve personally done everything I possibly could to make this happen (yep, it’s just me in charge of this whole bloody operation). What I’ve since learned about having books printed in far-off countries is the following:

1. Some cultures (that we do indeed honor and respect) shut down their printing plants for whole weeks at a time in observance of their chosen holidays, holidays that we westerners are not aware of and could not have anticipated.

2. Some printing plants will have your files for weeks before telling you that they can’t read them for some mysterious reason and that you need to send them again.

3. Shipping literally tons of pounds of large, heavy, hard-bound books from far-off lands may (and will) take substantially more time than originally calculated.

4. Some printing companies in far-off lands insist upon reading your book through thoroughly prior to sending it to the presses in order to ensure that the manuscript contains no content considered dangerous or offensive by their cultural standards. I respect this as well, but it does take time (this book is not short).

Thus, the revised shipping date for all “Asylum…” books is now mid-to-late June (I’m hoping for sooner, just don’t want to mislead just in case). I realize of course how disappointing/frustrating/infuriating this will be to those of you who have pre-ordered my book and been patiently waiting, and if you are understandably annoyed enough to want to cancel your order and receive a full refund, then I will respect that completely. However, if you still wish to own this book, then I highly recommend keeping your current order as your copy of the book is still reserved at this moment, and I cannot guarantee that there will be any copies left by the time the shipment arrives (in fact, I can almost guarantee that there won’t be as the book is selling out shockingly fast – pretty sweet for an independently published release about mental institutions, and with no press or promotion;). If you do intend to cancel your order, you may do so by sending a request with your original order information to help@asylumemporium.com.

Important Note: Should you wish to keep your order, I am delighted to announce that my hands will be permanently crippled as I will now be autographing every single book for you (a signed adhesive Asylum bookplate designed just for this purpose will be included with your book). This will ONLY apply to pre-orders, and I am more than happy to do it as a small token of gratitude for your ongoing patience. This book is my story, it contains my entire heart and soul, and it has been my life’s dream to share it with you, my Plague Rats. If you have not ordered a book yet and would indeed like it signed by moi, do order now while it is still available and in the pre-order stage at http://www.asylumemporium.com/Asylum_Book_p/book01.htm.

And lastly, I would very much like to avoid this entire hassle in the future by having my book printed a little closer to home, but have not been able to find a solution that would not result in costing you, the customer, at least three times more. If any of you happen to know of a potential solution, please feel free to send word.

With eternal thanks and love from the Asylum, EA

P.S. I am sure that this delay in shipping will necessitate the revision of at least a few mailing addresses. If you need your book to arrive at an address different from that which you originally requested, do send updated info to help@asylumemporium.com.