#also one of the decorative pumpkins i bought matches my outfit so

[woolandcoffee]

Went into Big Lots hoping to find canning jars, left with only Halloween decorations. If that doesn't say everything you need to know about me, I don't know what does.

[bittywitches]

Gone in the Night - Pt. 1

| Schedule + Event Info | Masterlist |

Summary: Y/N and the twins are looking for a fun Halloween adventure, but it seems they’ve gotten more than they bargained for.

Warnings: Explicit Language

Word Count: 3k

A/N: It’s finally here! Hope you guys enjoy this spooky treat <3

Tags -  @brockdolan @livelaughlolobelle @grxysgxrl​ @guiltydols​

•   •   •

The house itself should have been enough of a warning.

It was an old building, the only one in the neighbourhood that hadn’t been torn down to be reconstructed into bigger houses with much less yard space. It’s grey and blackened wooden walls looked brittle. It seemed unreasonable that the house hadn’t toppled over in the late evening breeze, but it stood firm. Even so, it was uninhabitable still, as the skirting around the sides had been torn off. The front porch, however, looked like it had been torn up and out of the ground as if it were a vegetable a farmer had carelessly plucked out of his garden. The wooden support legs from the front could be seen halfway up, pulled through the earth. In Y/N’s mind it seemed only plausible for something like a tornado, maybe an earthquake to have caused that kind of damage, though she knew that wasn’t possible. While California had many earthquakes year round, usually none were great enough to cause too much damage. Plus, she had a deep feeling that this had nothing to do with unpredictable weather. That feeling made her want to puke.

The railing of the porch stood up at an awkward angle, some of the poles snapped and broken, other’s splintered. The backside, the part connected to the house and leading to the door, had sunken into the dirt, so the entire surface was tilted. Looking at it from the front, seeing the empty dark space below the base with the support beams sticking out of the ground, Y/N couldn’t help but feel like the weird positioning of the porch disturbingly resembled a mouth. She found herself leaning to the side, looking past the beams and the staircase into the empty abyss below the porch, as if waiting for something to appear. It seemed childish looking back on it later, but she was half-expecting a pair of glowing yellow eyes to materialize. But she shook her head, scolding herself, because the only thing she’d probably find under there would be a family of raccoons.

The more she stared at the house however, the more things she found that eerily resembled a face. The dirty and tinted windows at the top with their broken shutters and cracked glass felt like a pair of old eyes, watching as people passed by. There was a dormer that was conveniently placed almost directly center of those windows further down, looking like a crooked nose. She could barely see the top of the roof, but noticed missing shingles, underneath them being ashy gray squares, as if bald spots on this menacing figure. And of course, the deep and dark mouth of the porch with it’s rusty wooden teeth did nothing but send shivers up her spine.

Her sickly feeling only intensified when she realized how starkly this reminded her of 29 Neibolt street. This house, however, did not have a number; she could faintly see the markings of a number near the front door, but the metal plates had either been teared off too long ago for the contrast of the wood to show, or the degeneration of the house over time had simply just taken its effect. Either way, Y/N surely was not eager to look back under the porch now; for if she were to be faced with a sickly leper, she’d most definitely shit her pants.

“So, what’ll it be?”

Y/N and her two friends stood on the front lawn of the lean dwelling, the grass beneath them dry and crunching beneath their feet with each step they had taken. It was funny; she wasn’t really sure how they’d even ended up here in the first place. She remembered them deciding to go buy pumpkins… Grayson was eager not to put off decorating any longer. They’d piled into the car, but… had they bought the pumpkins?

“I don’t know man, these are a bit pricey.” Y/N finally looked away from the house at the sound of Ethan’s voice, only for her attention to be caught by the eager man flaunting the tickets in their face.

That’s right, tickets. This was an event of sorts. A haunted house? Something like that, she thought he had said.

“Why, but it’s a buy one get two free special, you won’t find anything else out there,” he spoke, more directly to Y/N than the twins behind her. Of course, they’d been walking down the street- but why again? Was this near the patch they were going to? Whatever the case, the man had seen them passing by, stopped them with his vivacious attitude and grand voice, barking about the great deal on these tickets.

Y/N looked at the man. He wasn’t a pleasant sight to see. His sunken and hollow eyes seemed almost skeletal, his pale skin an ashy color against the darkening sky. He was tall, unsettlingly tall for a man who looked ancient. He was around 6’1, bordering 6’2, which only freaked Y/N out even more considering he loomed over the twins, the two of whom she’d always thought herself to be quite large. The man’s lanky body parts seemed disproportionate to his narrow frame, his bony arms dangling awkwardly from his sides, his hands seeming too big for them. The wrinkled fingers of his left hand gripped firmly onto the tickets, though they did not crinkle or bend under his touch. They alone seemed to be the one thing in front of her that were crisp, clean, perfect. Almost too perfect, and it hit her in a bad way, almost as much as the outfit the old man had on.

His outfit was one you’d see a vintage carnival worker wearing, one who sat inside a ticket booth at the front of a circus, for example. He wore a stiff white dress shirt, blindingly white compared to his stale fingernails and his yellowing, stained, and chipped teeth that showed with every creepy, crooked grin. The shirt was much too large for him, however, the cuffs of the sleeves coming down to his thumbs. But it didn’t feel like it was too big; no, it felt like the man had shriveled up in his clothes, withered down into the frail man he was within the cotton. He had a crisp suit vest on top, with white and red stripes running down vertically. It too seemed weird, awkward, almost like a protective guard more than a piece of clothing. A bright red bow tie was tied at the base of his neck, matching the color of his shoes, but much of them were covered by his overly large white pants. The same pattern of colours were seen on his top hat. It had a short and flat top with a narrow brim, a pattern of red and white lines going around it.

Now, all of this Y/N could get by with. So the man was a little strange, and he was a bit eager to get rid of the tickets in his hand. What was the big deal?

But there was just something about his face that irked her. The details of his wrinkles, the spots on his forehead, the random tufts of hair from his ears and his nose, the dangling ear lobes and the non-existent eyebrows. His sunken in eyes, almost swallowed by his skin, the bags of them highlighting the yellowing whites even more. His terrible cackle, his horrifying grin. All of these things, but something deeper, some other visceral gut reaction within her told her that something was off. She just couldn’t place it.

“What do you say, my lady?” The old man garbled one more time, raising an eyebrow and giving her a toothy grin, only making her shudder once more. The man raised a frail arm towards the house, gesturing towards the door.

“A haunting experience awaits.”

Y/N’s eyes followed his arm and his gaze, settling on the tall black door resting shut. It gave her a similar vibe to the void under the porch, like something was lurking just past that thin piece of wood. It was an ebony black, a stark contrast to the greying planks of the house.  You’d expect the paint to be chipping, but it looked like a fresh coat. It actually seemed to be the one thing from the house that hadn’t been touched by age, other than…

The staircase.

God, why hadn’t she noticed the stair case?

While the porch had been ripped well out of the ground, the staircase leading up to it, the one she had leaned to look around into the darkness under there, was perfectly intact. The wood was still perfectly symmetrical, no splinters, no cracks. It had a different hue compared to the rest of the wood, it didn’t look aged, weathered, or beaten up like the rest of the house did. But how did she not notice it? She swore she looked at it when they first passed by… she’d seen a squirrel scurry across it. It hadn’t looked this new then, did it? No, it seemed blended into the rest of the house, but now… It was distinguishable. It had a presence.

It was still connected to the porch, but somehow still firmly grounded into the earth. This seemed impossible to Y/N, if it was still connected, shouldn’t it also be ripped out of the ground? Wouldn’t there be cracks in the wood from the pressure?

Apparently not. All Y/N could think was that the staircase felt like a long, winding creature. A snake or a serpent grasping onto both ends of this creepy house and the world in front of it, growing and shrinking along with it’s changes to keep it anchored to reality. To provide a pathway to what lies within.

But then again, it could just be her imagination. She had been watching a lot of scary movies recently.

She turned to look behind her at the broad twins, them in their sweaters and sweatpants, Ethan with his hands stuffed into his pockets and Grayson with his hoisted on his hips.

“Sounds like it’ll be fun.” Grayson piped in, a small smile appearing on his face. Y/N’s eyes fluttered over to Ethan’s, and he gave an encouraging nod as well.

She sighed. It was the Halloween season. What better time to get spooked? “Alright. Why not?” She replied and took two wrinkled twenty-dollar bills from the wallet she had stuffed into her back pocket, and handed it to the man, who let out a screechy giggle when he plucked it from her fingers. He placed the three white tickets into Y/N’s hand, leering at her almost maliciously all the while, making her shrivel back.

“A wonderful decision, you won’t regret it.” The man almost carelessly stuffed the money into his back pocket, then clapped his dry hands together.

“Alright folks, “ He threw his arm up in an over the top gesture, His voice seeming to magnify in volume as he did so. “Step through the Stygian door to discover what awaits. Remember-” His other hand came up to suddenly grip Y/N’s arm, his cold palm making her gasp. He drew her close to him, his crooked nose inches from hers when he gave her another foul grin.

“Time is precious.”

He released her, and she stumbled back into the two boys behind her, their arms coming up to keep her balance.

The man stepped back from them, spreading his arms out in a demonstrative gesture as he did.

“Good luck,” he cackled, stopping when his foot met the pavement of the road. He tipped his hat at them and bowed, looking up one last time so they could meet his old eyes. “And have fun escaping.”  

A sudden screech came from behind the group, causing Y/N to jump once more, and the three whipped their heads towards the house. A murder of crows squawked and cawed as they flew from the roof of the house, somehow still clear in the darkening sky. There were so many, it seemed like they were spilling out from inside the house.

Y/N let out a nervous chuckle. “Alright, you sure put a lot of effort into your effects-” she turned around.

But the man was gone.

Another shiver went down her spine. She decided to push that feeling of unease away, however, sure that it was just an act the man was putting up for extra effect.

“That guy gave me the creeps,” Ethan mumbled, and Y/N chuckled at him half-heartedly before clearing  her throat.

“Alright, come on.” She and the twins made their way towards the house.

Y/N hesitated before stepping onto the stairs, cautious of the darkness so close to her now, even more aware of the strangeness of the porch’s architecture.

But she shook her head. She wasn’t going to let a bundle of nerves stop her from having a fun Halloween experience.

She and the boys walked up the steps, the three of them irked that they didn’t hear the expected moans of the floor-boards.

Y/N took a deep breath. She grabbed the black door knob, twisted it, pushed it open, then stepped over the gap caused by the sunken porch, and into the house.

“What in the Hocus Pocus is this?” Ethan asked, getting a laugh out of her and releasing the tension in her tight shoulders.

Inside, they were greeted with a furnished living room, though it still didn’t look like anyone had lived here in decades. The paint was chipping, wallpaper was peeling, the room just felt musty and old. The walls and ceiling were a yellowy colour, with stains covering many spots. A deep maroon carpet at their feet covered the dark brown planks of the floor, and extended into the center of the room, leading to the old rustic looking couches and coffee table arranged in the middle.  A fireplace was placed at the left wall, soot covering the insides and surrounding area, much like the dust covering almost every other surface. A mounted deer rested high above the fireplace, feeling like a sort of gatekeeper for the room they had just entered. It’s dark beady eyes shouldn’t have bothered Y/N as much as they did.

“This is literally some rich dead old white guy’s house.” Grayson finished his brother’s thought, walking into the room, which was dank and dark, the window at the back of the room not helping at all since it had grown late.

“So your guys’ house in fifty years or so.” She followed him, Ethan at her heels behind her.

Ethan scoffed. “Shut up.” He walked past one of the couches, dragging his finger across the leather material only to recoil when he saw how much dust he’d picked up.

“Okay, so where do we start?” Grayson asked, squatting down beside the coffee table. “We’re probably looking for something escape-roomy. A key? A button? Switch?” He ducked his head under it, probably to see if there was anything on the underside.

“I guess so.” She walked past him towards the fireplace, the cobblestone border and burnt up kindling seeming to call at her.

Ethan headed over to a cabinet against the back wall, with some ornate frames settled atop it. Grayson, after finding nothing, got up and walked over to the opposite side of the room, stopping in front of an oak door. He tried the handle, but it was locked. He turned back towards Y/N, and nodded towards the door. “I’m assuming we’re trying to figure out how to get this thing open. To actually start this whole thing up.”

“It’s locked?” Ethan asked.

Grayson rolled his eyes. “No, I just pretended it was for shits and giggles. Yea, dick-for-brains, it’s locked.”

“Damn okay jeez,” He muttered, turning back to the cabinet. “Don’t know what’s got you all worked up.”

Grayson breathed out. “Sorry. Think I’m just a little on edge. Didn’t think I’d be this spooked already.” He turned back to the door, jiggling the handle again before letting his hand fall.

“Yea, that guy was weird…” Y/N crouched down beside the fireplace, leaning her head in to get a better look.

“He looked a million years old.” Grayson added, his voice sounding distant behind her.

“Haha, yea-” Y/N turned her head to the side to look up through the chimney, thinking there may be something hidden up there, only for her eyes to meet two beady red ones.

“Holy SHIT!” She yelled, and screamed when a pair of fluttering leather wings shot down through the chimney and into her face, making her fall on her front into the charcoal and soot of the fireplace.

“Fuck it’s a BAT!” Ethan yelled, flinching away from the spazzing creature.

“GET IT OFF!!” Y/N screeched, pushing herself up and swatting her arms around her. Grayson ran forward to try and help, but the creature swooped down and stuck it’s tiny claws into Y/N’s back pocket, grabbing the three white tickets. Before Grayson could reach it, it flew up into the air, then darted to the other side of the room.

“Are you okay??” Ethan asked, rushing towards Y/N.

“No! That was a fucking BAT-” but she and the boys were interrupted by a loud rattling sound. They turned their heads to see the oak door shaking, almost vibrating, when it finally slammed open with an enormous whooshing sound, a sudden burst of air and wind shooting through the doorway causing the door to slam against the wall, chips of the crumbling paint falling to the floor along with a cloud of dust forming when it did so. The tiny bat, somehow hovering right in front of the door, seemingly unaffected by the currents coming through, flew through the door into the darkness of the other room, still clutching the three tickets in its claws, blending into the sea of black.

The three friends blinked. Slowly, Y/N got up, doing her best to dust herself off before turning to the two brothers, the shocked expressions on their faces still apparent.

“Well,” She pressed her lips together. “I guess it’s begun.”

[thisbrokenmask]

Trick or Treat

pairing: female reader x kim seokjin

genre: romance, humour

word count: 3,233

rating: PG-13 i guess?

warnings: the beginnings of heavy petting, seokjin is dressed like clark kent

summary: you’re not a fan of Halloween, normally leaving your building’s trick or treaters in the capable hands of your trusty plastic skeleton, Frank, while you enjoy a hot bath, a film and a bottle of wine. this year, however, Jin unexpectedly shows up at your door and you find he’s not an unwelcome addition to your plans for the evening. 

a/n: I don’t really know where this came from, but Happy Halloween! 

written for my ‘Trick or Treat’ prompt for @btsholidaybingo​

Stepping into the elevator of your apartment building, you’re careful to avoid the fake webbing spread over the paneling as you press the button for the third floor. With your left hand, you absentmindedly tap out the rhythm of a song that’s been stuck in your head all day around the handles of a small grocery bag, a few treats picked up on the way home to reward yourself for once again resisting losing your temper at your annoying colleague this week. As you wait for the elevator to rise, you take your phone out of your pocket to browse through some social media, seeing if any of your friends have posted pictures of their costumes yet. While you’re disappointed not to see Jungkook’s face covered in fake blood or Namjoon and his girlfriend posing in matching horror novel-themed costumes just yet, you do find yourself being drawn to a few celebrity’s images who have already posted their outfits.

With a sigh you’re locking your phone again and swapping it for your keys, desperate for the moment you can shut your door behind you and lock it for the evening. Despite yourself, though, you can’t help the small smile that pushes at your lips as you take in the drawings that have been put up by some of the kids in the building; grimacing pumpkins and wailing ghosts wishing the other residents a ‘Happy Halloween’.

You’re quietly relieved that the hallway on your floor is currently empty. You figure the building’s kids have started on the bottom floor and are making their way up, especially when you can hear the distant delighted screams and giggles echoing up the stairwell, so you’ve made it in time to avoid the begging eyes of children promised free sweets for their dressing up efforts. 

The sight of your door, the only one completely bare of any fake spiders or red-paint handprints, brings a wave of relief over you, tension slipping from your shoulders already at just the thought of running a hot bath to soak away the stress of the work week. Friday has come at just the right time once again; even if tonight is Halloween, you’re still intent on carrying out your plans of bath, wine, movie and sleep.  

It’s not that you hate Halloween. It’s just… you are strongly indifferent to Halloween. It was never a holiday that you took part in growing up, even with your older sister dressing up and going to parties every year throughout her teenage years and your parents always happily opening up the door for the neighbourhood kids out trick or treating. Other than not liking scary films, there isn’t really anything you hold against the annual appearance of carved pumpkins and the ridiculous unbranded costumes. You’re just not bothered. 

You place your shopping on the kitchen counter once you make your way into your home, flicking a few lights on as you go. The bottle of wine goes in the fridge, along with a bar of your favourite chocolate that you only indulge in every once in a while. You sit the unopened bag of crisps in a bowl, ready to open them when you settle in for your movie later, and then move on to the final step in your evening plans before locking up. 

The one Halloween-themed decoration you have is a standing skeleton, no taller than waist height, his hands outstretched in front of him. The same year you bought your bony guardian, who you have affectionately named Frank for no reason in particular, you also picked up a bright orange plastic bowl decorated on one side with a jack-o-lantern’s jagged grin, and it’s this bowl that you fill with a few bags of wrapped sweets and place in Frank’s upturned hands after slipping a small sign over his arms to hang below the bowl. 

Frank and his sugary cargo is carried lovingly out into the corridor and placed beside your door, and you make sure the sign is sitting far enough forward that it’s still visible: 

“Please don’t knock or ask for tricks or treats - instead you can help yourself to Frank’s bowl of sweets!”

Satisfied with your little set up, you finally allow yourself to lock your door and head towards your bathroom. You’ve used this set up for the last few years that you’ve lived in your building and, other than a little bit of confusion in the first year, it’s worked like a charm. The few parents who spoke to you in the days following Halloween were appreciative of the fact that you still put something out for their overexcited kids and quietly confessed that they didn’t blame you for not wanting to keep opening your door throughout the evening. After the second year, Frank became somewhat of a building celebrity, and now you’re quite happy knowing that the kids look forward to seeing him every year. They know you more as The Christmas Lady, given your clear preference and enthusiasm for the winter holidays, and a few suspect the Easter Bunny lives with you and Frank, too. 

Pouring in a generous amount of your favourite vanilla chai bubble bath, you take a deep breath of the rising scents of vanilla, cloves and cinnamon and start unbuttoning your blouse as you walk to your bedroom, leaving the water to run. You grab your fluffiest dressing gown and your favourite pyjamas, setting them out on the top of your bathroom hamper ready for when you finish your bath, before undressing completely. Your discarded clothes go in the hamper before you perch on the edge of the tub, running your hands through the water to check the temperature and fluff up the bubbles. 

You ignore the first knock on your front door, assuming that, like always, there’s one person who hasn’t read Frank’s sign. As a rule, you never open your door and Halloween night, sure that anyone who is confused will either figure it out or give up and move on. 

Turning off the water, you get ready to step into the steaming, bubbly water and melt your troubles of the week away when a second, more insistent knocking comes from your front door. With a sigh, you grab your dressing gown and slip it on as you make your way to the front door, tying off the belt as you look out through your peephole to see is bothering you. 

To your surprise, you’re met with a grown man and no children. He’s dressed in a simple suit, a white shirt under a black blazer, but with the top few buttons undone you can see a blue t-shirt poking out. His square-rimmed glasses frame his wide eyes, his dark hair pushed back with one small section styled to fall back down over his forehead. You roll your eyes as you unlock your door, stepping back as you open it with a smirk and lean against the frame.

“Hey, Jin,” the man in question straightens up at the sound of his name, pushing his chest out slightly and placing a hand on his hip. The other is holding a paper bag, at the top of which you’re pretty sure you spot another bottle of wine. 

“Ma’am,” he says with a curt nod in your direction, a playful glint in his eyes and a matching smirk on his plump lips. 

You’ve been seeing Jin for the last couple of months, not quite officially a couple yet but definitely enjoying each other’s company on a regular basis. This wasn’t the first time he’d turned up unannounced, especially since he’d found out you’d been having a stressful time at work over the last few weeks, but you definitely weren’t expecting to see him tonight, not when Namjoon was hosting a party. 

Namjoon was your mutual friend and the person who had introduced you to Jin, the two men becoming quick friends when Jin had transferred into Namjoon’s department earlier in the year. He hadn’t introduced the two of you with the intention of setting you up to date, but had simply invited Jin along to a few nights out over the summer, his new colleague quickly being adopted by the rest of your friendship group. 

So for Jin to show up at your apartment, a decidedly Halloween-free zone, rather than a party, was indeed a bit of a surprise. 

“Can I help you?” you ask innocently, folding your arms over your chest. 

“Guess who I am first,” he challenges, pushing his shoulders back to puff out his chest just a little bit more. You make a show of looking him up and down, exaggerating a frown.

“Hmm, Patrick Bateman?” 

“He doesn’t even wear glasses!” Jin’s shoulders deflate as he whines, disappointment evident on his face that you can’t help but giggle at. 

“Yes, he does,” you point out, thinking back to Christian Bale’s portrayal of the serial killer. “And it would make more sense to be dressed as him for Halloween: Superman isn’t even scary.”

“You don’t like scary,” Jin points out and your heart flutters slightly that he knows that already, a gentle blush rising in your cheeks. 

“Yes, well, true as that may be, you haven’t answered my question,” you shuffle slightly on the spot to try and hide how flustered he makes you so easily, but the smile tugging at his lips lets you know that he’s already aware. 

“Well, I-”

“Hey!” a small shout down the hall startles you both, the two of you turning to see one of the little girls you recognise from the floor above you, a usually-charming little lady called Maisie. Clearly having run ahead of her parents and younger brother, she’s stood at the top of the stairs, watching you both intently. She’s dressed in what you would consider to be a classic witch costume, with stripy black and purple tights under the puffball skirt of a black dress, a pointed black hat sat on her blonde curls. She has green face paint on and a cape flowing out behind her, a plastic broom in one hand, a small plastic pumpkin already half-filled with goodies in the other. She points her broom handle at Jin, and the grown man in front of you even jumps slightly at the young fury in her eyes. “You’re not supposed to knock on Christmas Lady’s door!” she cries, and if you weren’t so shocked you might laugh at the image of a child defending your honour from someone as gentle as Jin. “You’re meant to go to Frank, he’s in charge of Halloween!” 

Jin’s floundering on the end of the five year-old’s glare and you’re touched that Maisie has not only remembered your traditional delegation of Halloween responsibilities to your plastic skeleton, but she believes Jin is bothering you by breaking those rules. 

“It’s okay, Maisie,” you assure her and she lowers her broom, although her eyes stay pinned on Jin. “He’s a friend, I was just letting him in.” 

“You were?” hope is evident in Jin’s voice when he turns to you, a bright smile lighting up his eyes. 

“Yes,” you say as you quickly usher him in before Maisie can ask any more questions, and he slips through the door beside you to enter your apartment. “Thank you for remembering the rules, though, Maisie,” the little girl’s face immediately melts from a frown into a sheepish smile. “Although maybe don’t shout next time, okay?” she nods quickly, her pointed hat wobbling on her head as she promises you that she won’t. “I’m sure Frank wouldn’t mind you taking a few extra sweeties for remembering Halloween is his favourite time of year, though.” You wink and she giggles, skipping over to carefully pick out her favourites from the bright orange bowl. 

Just as you wish her a happy Halloween, you see her parents come up the stairwell and offer them a polite wave, which they return as Maisie skips over to them to tell them Frank gave her extra treats this year. 

You head back into your apartment, locking the door once again with a sigh and turning to your new houseguest, who stands on the edge of your kitchen, watching you with a smile. 

“Sorry for causing trouble,” he smirks and you grin, shaking your head. 

“Don’t worry about it. Maisie’s a sweetheart, really.” You eye him carefully, finally able to appreciate the exquisite cut of his suit that makes him look like he walked straight off of a photoshoot. “So, really, what did you want?”

“Oh!” Jin offers you the paper bag he’s still holding with a flourish and a tinge of pink in his cheeks. “Namjoon said you don’t like parties, so I thought I’d bring you a little care package.” Your fingers brush as you take the bag and you resist the urge to take a hold of his hand instead, a tingle of anticipation shooting up your arm and flourishing in your chest. “I also thought you might like some company, so,” Jin adjusts his glasses to hide his nervousness, worried you might turn him away even though he’s now stood in your apartment and you look down to inspect the contents of the bag to hide the growing flush on your face. There is indeed a bottle of wine, a more expensive label of your favourite rosé, as well as what seems to be some fancy take-out boxes containing slices of cheesecake. 

You’re used to being alone on Halloween, most of your closest friends opting to go out for alcohol-soaked parties or spend time with their partners instead, so you’re not quite sure how to react to the idea that someone has willingly given up one of the biggest party nights of the year to be with you. 

“It’s just Halloween parties I don’t like,” you smile sheepishly, moving further into the kitchen to put the wine and food in the fridge to chill. “Or Halloween at all, really.”

“Really?” You nod shyly, already internally wincing at the slew of objections you normally get when you state your indifference towards the spooky holiday. “What were you planning on doing instead, then?” The ease with which Jin simply accepts it and moves on surprises you, and you find your heart beating a little bit faster as he looks at you with genuine curiosity. 

You suddenly remember your outfit, pulling the lapels of your dressing gown together a little tighter across your chest. You and Jin have shared several heated moments over the time you’ve known each other, and while his hands may have slipped under your top and climbed higher up your back a few times, he’s never seen you in any state of undress. 

“I was actually going to have a bath,” you say, tucking your hair behind your ear, a nervous laugh escaping you. “I was literally about to get in before you knocked.” 

“Oh right, erm,” Jin has the good graces to look embarrassed, shuffling his feet awkwardly as he struggles to figure out where to look. The two of you stand on opposite sides of your small kitchen, neither of you quite sure what to do. You wonder if he felt the same shift in the air as you did at the idea of you being naked on the other side of the door when he arrived. “So are you, erm…” Jin vaguely gestures towards you, cheeks burning red as he stumbles over his words. “Are you still going to-? I mean, do you want to-? Do you want me to-?” 

Seeing Jin, a man usually so effortlessly confident, struggling to keep his cool around you gives you a strange surge of confidence that you can’t explain but don’t dismiss, leading you to cut him off with a single, straightforward question. 

“Would you like to join me?”

You giggle at the way Jin falls silent, mouth still open mid-sentence. You take the belt of your robe between your fingers, gently teasing at the idea of undoing it for him, watching his eyes drop down to follow the action. You see his jaw tense and he swallows, and when his eyes lift back up to yours they are significantly darker than they were before, his tongue slipping out across his bottom lip before he bites it. And just like that, the stuttering man is gone. 

“Would you like me to?”

“Would I ask if I didn’t?” you cock your eyebrow as he crosses the room towards you, eyes unabashedly raking up and down your form. You’ve never considered your fluffy dressing gown to be one of your sexier outfits, but Jin is quickly making you reconsider those thoughts as he tentatively places a hand on your hip, fingers gently stroking the fabric. You can’t pull your eyes away from his, the dark heat in his eyes boring into yours and stoking the fire burning in your abdomen.

“Better take this off then, hadn’t we?” you feel his hands cover yours, long fingers gently prying yours away from the strip of fabric keeping him from your body. The adrenaline pulsing in your veins gives you a better idea, however, and you dip out of his grasp to make your way back towards your bathroom. With a coy smile on your lips, you gently undo the knot yourself and slowly let the fabric fall from your shoulders, exposing your naked form to his eyes. He’s frozen in the middle of your kitchen, so you give him a beckoning curl of your finger before slowly stepping out of his field of vision. 

Biting your lip, you pray you haven’t jumped the gun and taken this relationship a step too far too soon, but the gentle footsteps that begin to follow you assure you that he’s definitely interested. You enjoy the feeling of the air against your skin with the sway of your hips, pausing at the entrance to the bathroom to look back over your shoulder. 

The sight of Jin unbuttoning his shirt as he follows you sends another bolt of heat through you, although the sight of his Superman shirt underneath does make you burst out laughing. He blushes, laughing nervously as he shrugs off the shirt, but your laughter soon dies in your throat as he quickly lifts the t-shirt off over his head in one quick motion. Seeing his bare chest for the first time shuts you up pretty quickly, the expanse of skin combined with his black trousers, black glasses and black, styled hair leaving you almost drooling over him. 

WIth a bite of your lip you wait for him to come to you, your hands immediately reaching out to touch him with an eagerness you don’t even care to hide. It’s returned, though, as Jin’s hands immediately find your waist and pull you close. His face is mere millimetres from yours, breaths ghosting over each other’s cheeks before he ducks his head to bury his face in your neck. The gentle press of his lips against your skin makes you gasp, the heat of his mouth melting any remaining hesitation you still held. 

Your fingertips brush over the muscles of his abdomen, his breath catching as you tease the sensitive skin of his hips before gripping onto his belt and pulling him into the bathroom, the heat between the two of you adding to the already steamy room.

[comrade-kenobi]

It’s The Great Pumpkin, Frankie Morales- Frankie x Reader (Daycare!AU)

| Ask Box | Ko-Fi | Twitter | Masterlist | 

I don’t know how good this is, but i thought it was cute. Happy Halloween, my loves!

Frankie and Ellie’s costumes are perfect, change my mind lmaooo

(Also I’m referencing a very specific thirst trap on tiktok with the readers costume because it’s burning into my brain forever, in a good way.)

“Are you doing anything for Halloween?” Frankie asked sheepishly, busying himself with putting Ellie in the car so you couldn’t see how nervous you were making him. 

“Nope.” You replied with a light shrug, trying to think of the last time you’d actually had Halloween plans. 

“Well,” Frankie started, ducking his head out of the car, and looking at you for the first time since he’d gained the courage to ask the question. The way the setting sun had lit up your face made him lose his breath, and his courage, for a moment. 

“You’re, uh, more than welcome to come trick or treating with Ellie and I.” He finished, all in one breath. You smiled at his quickened words, and Frankie could feel his face warming up under your gaze.

“I’d love to.” You replied, as a beautiful smile graced your perfect features. He watched as you considered something for a moment, and then spoke again. “What are you guys gonna be?” 

“Baby yoda,” Frankie answered proudly. Thinking of how goddamn cute she looked when he’d put her in the costume to try it out.“Ellie’s going to be baby yoda.” 

“And you?” You asked, quirking your brow with a little grin. 

“I bought a cheap Mandolorian helmet, I figured that would work.” He said, suddenly feeling a little self conscious at his lack of effort. 

“Perfect.” You replied, “I’ve got a Star Wars costume at home that I think still fits. It’s a date.” 

Frankie smiled like an idiot the whole ride home. He knew ‘it’s a date’ was just an expression, but the two of you had been getting closer lately; and that gave him hope. More hope than he’d honestly had in a long time. Besides, the idea of the three of you going out in matching costumes was enough to keep him smiling for weeks to come. 

---

When Saturday finally rolled around, 4 o’ clock couldn’t come soon enough. Normally Frankie’s weekends flew by, but today seemed to drag on forever. He’d cleaned the whole house, thrown up some spooky decorations, and gotten Ellie ready with some time to spare. So he took it upon himself to have a photoshoot with his little yodito. 

Frankie was finishing up taking, what he considered to be, the cutest pictures in the world when there was a knock on the door. His heart leapt into his chest when he looked at the time. 4 o’ clock on the dot. It was definitely you. He took a deep breath and collected himself before he opened the door. 

“H-hey…” He stuttered, freezing in place with a dumb look plastered onto his face. He knew you were dressing up, but he was in no way prepared for what he saw. There you stood, smiling in his doorway in black jedi robes, and black thigh high boots.The costume wasn’t skimpy, but God was it sexy. You were showing a sinful amount of the soft skin of your thighs, and the glow of the red lightsaber against your face threatened to awaken something deep within him. 

“Hi” you replied, either not noticing or completely ignoring just how taken aback Frankie was by your outfit. 

“I-I, uh, like your costume.” Frankie said, moving out of the way so you could come in. His eyes briefly wandering to the curve of your ass as you brushed by him. 

“Thanks” you replied, anxiously fiddling with the sash that draped down between your legs. 

“It was sexy Anakin Skywalker, or a Jawa.” You continued, your face scrunching up in embarrassment as you listed your options. 

“I’m glad you went with this one.” Frankie said, quickly realizing how creepy that could have sounded and rushing to further explain himself. “I’m not a huge fan of Jawas.” 

“I’m happy I made the right choice then” you smiled, a comfortable silence settling between the two of you. Though, that silence didn’t last more than a few seconds before Ellie started happy screeching. 

She’d noticed you were here from her place on the floor and crawled over to you at the speed of light. The ears of her costume flopping wildly as she went.

“Hey Ellie-Belly!” You squealed, scooping her up into your arms and covering her little face with as many kisses as she would allow. 

“Frankie, this is the CUTEST thing I have ever seen.” You gushed, playfully pinching Ellie’s cheek before nuzzling your nose against hers, making her laugh. 

“Isn’t it.” He agreed proudly, his heart swelling in his chest as he watched the way you and his daughter interacted. He’d been so worried when he first dropped Ellie off all those months ago, and now he was so glad that he had nothing to worry about. You loved her like she was your own, and Frankie couldn’t be more thankful. 

“Ready to get going, Mando?” You asked, jerking your head towards the plastic helmet that sat on the coffee table. 

“Ready, Master Skywalker.” He replied, completely unable to suppress the child-like grin growing on his face. 

---

Every house you’d gone to swooned over your costumes, Ellie’s in particular. And who could blame them, she was the cutest baby either you or Frankie had ever seen. 

“Aren’t you just the sweetest family ever!” A kind older lady gushed as she placed a few candies into Ellie’s pillow case. 

“Thank you.” Frankie replied, thankful for the cover of the helmet. It hid his blush from you, and this kind stranger. 

“Have y’all been able to take a picture together yet?” She asked, her eyes happily darting between the three of you. 

“No ma’am, not yet.” He responded, looking over toward you. You looked back at him and smiled, shifting slightly to move Ellie higher up on your hip. 

“I can take one for you if you’d like,” the lady offered. Frankie looked over at you and you nodded at him, rather enthusiastically. 

“We’d love that, thank you.” Frankie answered, opening up his camera app and handing the woman his phone. 

The three of you stepped off of her porch and onto the sidewalk. Ellie dove into Frankie’s arms on the way there, she’d spent the whole night hopping between the two of you, never really sure of where she wanted to be. Frankie gladly took her and she snuggled into his chest. 

“Ready?” The lady asked, “Get in close!” 

Frankie put his free arm over your shoulders, and you wrapped your arms around his waist with your head resting perfectly on his chest. Ellie lifted up her head and made an excited squeal, clapping as the two of you hugged. 

“Perfect!” The lady exclaimed from her porch, before walking down and handing Frankie his phone. 

The two of you thanked her and headed on your way. You only made it to another few houses before Ellie started yawning. 

“I think it’s time we head back.” Frankie said, kissing the crown of his sleepy daughter's head. 

“I think so too,” you replied as Ellie started reaching her arms out towards you. Crying lightly when you didn’t take her fast enough.

Ellie fell asleep in your arms on the walk back, so you put her right in her crib when you got home. 

“You know,” you started, walking out of Ellie’s room. “It’s still pretty early, you want to watch some scary movies?” 

“Together?” Frankie asked, causing you to chuckle. 

“Yeah together, pizzas on me this time?” Your smile made Frankie weak, and he wondered for a moment how he could ever deny you. 

“Sounds good to me.” He replied, a happy warmth settling in his chest at the idea of you sticking around longer. 

---

The two of you snuggled up, dangerously close, on the couch to enjoy some good pizza and bad movies. The longer the movie went on, the closer you got to him. You’d taken to hiding behind Frankie’s back, and squeezing his arms every time the music got suspenseful. At one particularly bad jump scare you’d practically jumped into his lap, your face turning red as a tomato once you’d realized what you’d done. 

When the first movie ended Frankie noticed the goosebumps on your skin, and the way you shivered when he moved away to get another slice of pizza. 

“Are you cold?” he asked, his fingers lightly brushing the cool skin of your arm to check.

“A little” you lied, trying to play off another shiver, but failing miserably. 

“I’ll get you something a little warmer.” He chuckled, heading off to his room to find you a pair of his sweatpants and a flannel. 

“I have a question,” he began when he got back, holding the clothes just out of your reach. “Why do you have a sexy Anakin costume?” 

“Don’t ask…” you groaned playfully, covering your face in embarrassment. 

“Fine,” he conceded with a laugh, tossing his warm clothes your way. “Keep your secrets.” 

---

Frankie wasn’t sure what was sexier, you in the costume, or you in this clothes. He had to force himself not to stare. He didn’t want to make you uncomfortable, but there was something about the look of his flannel on you that drove him crazy. 

The both of you settled back onto the couch and continued watching movies. Laughing at the cheesy lines, arguing about which classic killer was the scariest, and practically yelling at the tv every time the protagonist did something stupid. 

“We should do this more often,” you said almost dreamily as you smiled up at him. 

“You said that…” Frankie replied in disbelief. A near love-drunk smile playing at his lips as he looked down at you. 

“Yeah…” You nodded, smiling back at him, wider this time. Then you rested your head on his shoulder and went back to watching the movie. Frankie had to resist the urge to pinch himself, because he was sure he must be dreaming. 

Later that night, after you’d left and Frankie had gone to bed, he was scrolling through his phone. There he found the picture of the two of you with Ellie, he’d forgotten all about it. His heart skipped a beat when he finally looked at it. It was perfect. You were holding each other close, huge smiles painted on your faces as you both looked at Ellie. Who was looking back at the both of you, hands clasped together, mouth open wide, and eyes sparkling with pure joy. 

Frankie laid back in bed and closed his eyes, thinking that if this was a dream, it was a hell of a good one; and he never wanted to wake up.

Tags: @mrpascals​ @yespolkadotkitty​

[themoonlits]

Title: Full of Treats

Pairing(s): Daehyeon/Changyun. Daehyeon/Yeonjin. 

Character(s): Seo Daehyeon. Cha Changyun. Seo Yeonjin. Kim Taehui. 

Summary: Ever since Moonlit debuted, Neostar came to realize that their artist’s birthday fell on the same day as Halloween which sparked the tradition of a Halloween themed party every year to celebrate. 

Warning(s): Aside from some references to sexual content, there’s nothing but fluff! 

Daehyeon was someone who was a stickler for traditions, especially when it consisted of things he knew everyone that was around him enjoyed. When he was younger, he was adamant on his family keeping up the traditions of going on a trip to the beach in the first week of summer, or how at the end of the week they did their best to all sit together and binge shows just to feel like they were still connected even if the rest of the week was a busy mess. It was just a simple way to keep everyone together, without really losing anything. 

A part of him knew that’s why he loved keeping the traditions going: it was a way for him to stay close with his loved ones that didn’t require him tripping on his own feet figuring a way to keep himself close to them. 

Dae would like to believe he was a highly affectionate person, but most of the time that relied heavily on his actions as opposed to his words. 

Being tongue-tied with showing love was something that planted its seed in Daehyeon when he was growing up, and it solely wrapped its roots around his being until it became his foundation. 

So, yeah, maybe relying on unspoken traditions was a better way to go around with keeping his relationships in check. 

Standing in front of the mirror, Dae snugged the bunny ears onto his head, reaching up to ruffle his hair to try and make the ears look more natural, if that was even possible.

When he was younger, Daehyeon was both a fan and an avid anti of his own birthday. There was the part of him that loved it for the evident reason of it being a day where his own existence was meant to be celebrated, and he would be quite the idiot not to enjoy the love and attention he received on that day. However, there was also the part of him that wasn’t the hugest fan due to the fact that his birthday fell on Halloween, which came with a few jokes on its own. 

Jokes which consisted of Dae’s friends giving him “tricks” rather than “treats” for his presents, or how his little brother, Yeonjin, had managed to lock him out of the house at midnight so the witches he belonged to could take him back. It was an occurrence that Daehyeon was not proud to say happened more than once...or twice. Even Yeonu, his eldest brother who was the embodiment of responsibility, played into a few of the jokes. He acted as if Dae was a wandering ghost that Yeonu couldn’t see just to pick on him, until Dae got slightly frustrated and then Yeonu spent the rest of the day showing him with attention. 

As he grew up, Daehyeon embraced all of that. He became one who would play tricks on his friends and make it clear he had the privilege due to his birthday, and although Yeonjin and Yeonu were determined to tease Dae with supernatural jokes, the birthday boy decided to play into it. 

And maybe, he was able to get back at Yeonjin by scaring him to the point of Yeonjin actually believing he wasn’t human one birthday, but it was to be expected. 

When Daehyeon debuted with Dark Moon things, evidently, changed. He spent his birthdays in Seoul with his members instead of his family, although he was quick to book a trip back home the next chance he had. However, when Nesotar grew, so did the events that took place with it’s artists, and so came the tradition of throwing a large costume / birthday party at their CEO’s home, with Taehui hiring full-blown party directors to make it feel all the more special. 

“I thought you were going as a hot playboy bunny?” Daehyeon’s head snapped towards his bedroom door, his eyes falling onto Changyun who had his head peeked out with a grin on his face. 

“Yeah, but I remembered Yeonjin is coming and I’m not keen on traumatizing my little brother like that.” Daehyeon shook his head, wondering if it was too late to cancel on his brother showing up, before shaking the thought from his head. 

He didn’t look bad, he had on a black sweater whose cut dipped down very low to his chest, black leather pants to match, the bunny ears he had on his head, and the choker he had borrowed from Haeju around his neck. It wasn’t as hot as he planned to be, and he was very much aware he was the screaming definition of a basic costume, but as the birthday boy he wasn’t going to sweat it.

 “You still haven’t told me what you’re going as.” 

“Batter up, here comes baseball legend Gyu,” Changyun announced as he walked in with a costume that mirrored his words of being a baseball player, tugging on his cap while he swung his bat slowly in his hand. “Playing to get to third base with the birthday boy.” 

Dae bursted into a fit of laughter at his member’s antics, watching as how he positioned himself to look as if he was getting ready to make a home-run. 

“I’m glad you found that funny, I spent a lot of time thinking about this costume.”

“Oh, you were serious?”

“Maybe I have a special something planned, if you want to and you’re up for it of course.” Changyun’s grin contrasted the careful tone in his voice, making it obvious that Dae was free to reject the proposal like he could always. 

“If that’s your only birthday gift, I’m going to be very disappointed...I’ll take it, but still disappointed.”

“Oh, come on.” Changyun shook his head as he wrapped an arm around Daehyeon’s shoulder, bringing him along in leaving the dorms. “What kind of leader would I be if I didn’t get my member an actual gift?”

“The same type of leader who’s trying to get in my pants at the end of the night.” 

“Who said it’s just me?” Dae groaned at the way Gyu’s smirk slithered onto his face, his eyes fueled with the same confidence that was wrapped around his words, however his complaints fell silent when his mind processed exactly what his friend had just said. 

“You’re lying.”

“I would never lie, I have to set an example for you guys.”

“That’s a first.” Daehyeon suddenly felt Gyu push him forwards, the younger turning around with a bright smile to see Gyu squinting and pointing a finger at him, which Dae took in his hand and simply held as they left the dorms. “Is my pumpkin carriage waiting outside?”

“Fuck no,” Gyu let out a sarcastic laugh, turning back to lock the dorms, “dress up as Cinderella and next time maybe you’ll get lucky.”

----

“If you get a new game, you’ll let us come over to play, right?” the voice of his little brother traveled to his ears before he caught sight of him, Daehyeon laughing at how loud his voice was even over the music blaring. 

“I don’t think anyone bought me a game, buddy.” Dae smiled at his brother before frowning and reaching forwards to try and pick at the fabric Yeonjin had decided to wear to the party and cover his chest a bit more. 

Dae and practically all the artists, and some staff, had arrived at Taehui’s home not too long ago. The birthday boy was more than shocked to see his entire house completely decked out in decorations, starting from the driveway, his mind lost count of how much it would’ve cost for all of the decorations. The inside was even better, each room having a specific theme that radiated with Halloween.

A room designed for a witch concept, which was actually the living room. A zombie apocalypse vibe for the kitchen, eating brains and what not. The movie room had skeletons creeping all over the room, with fog machines stationed throughout it. 

The vibe of the entire house was exactly what Halloween resonated with, although Dae was overwhelmed at how much fun the rich could have, making a mental note to start manifesting the same wealth for himself. 

A strict dress code was enforced, everyone being required to wear costumes. His brother, going as an angel. 

And as much as Daehyeon found the hallo plopped onto his head adorable, he had to fight the instinct to cover him up, the toga he wore for the costume covering only the right of his chest, leaving the left side completely bare. 

His brother was showing more skin than he was, and Daehyeon took that as a personal defeat. 

“Stop trying to cover me up, I’ve gotten a lot of compliments on how good I look today!” Yeonjin grumbled, slapping Dae’s hands away from himself, going to the extent of acting as if he was ready to slip the fabric off his shoulder and just lounge around in the skirt. 

“Who was flirting with you?” Dae squinted his eyes, his eyes scanning the room all of a sudden. He knew Changyun wouldn’t, finding him oddly close to Wonshik (who was clad in a gladiator costume, his chest bare as well, which Daehyeon treated as a birthday gift for his eyes) giving him a slight hint of who the third person in his bedroom would be.

Deoksu was sticking alongside Chan, both boys being a set of costumes: modern-Care-Bears. Deoksu being Share Bear, a white shirt with the purple symbol with matching purple overalls. Chan was Sunshine Bear, his outfit practically the same aside from the symbol and yellow scheme. 

“If you’re trying to figure out who, it was Seoyun.” Yeonjin let out a laugh, watching as the realization faded onto his face, knowing Seoyun was the last person who’d be attracted to Yeonjin, the two having nothing but platonic love for one another. “Plus, you can’t be too worried.”

Daehyeon turned to his brother and raised a brow at his comment, watching in the corner of his eyes how Haeju, who was Catwoman, was trying to steal the crown of Seoyun’s head, who was dressed as a princess. 

“I should be more worried with who you’re hanging with.” Yeonjin’s sly smile mirrored his teasing tone, finding satisfaction in the way Dae’s cheeks suddenly flushed in heat, rising up out of his seat. “As your resident angel, I have to say: sins of pleasure are still sins.”

Daehyeon looked up as Yeonjin with his mouth wide open, his brain going at 100mph trying to figure out how to even respond to his little brother trying to pick on him. 

“I’m going to go find Taewon, I told him to dress up as the devil so we could have a cute contrast!” his chipper tone and bright voice betrayed the way the teasing glint was in his eyes, firmly showing off how happy he was with the fact that he won the small banter. “Don’t find your own devilish adventures while I’m gone!”

With that, Yeonjin was gone, leaving Dae in a small laughing fit, the blush on his face not fading in the slightest. 

Daehyeon tried taking the time to chance to enjoy the feeling of the room, how there was an undying happiness that seemed to wrap it’s hand around everyone’s heart and how there was a spark of fun that ignited a fire of energy that didn’t seem like it was bound to go out until late into the night. 

It just felt right. 

It felt good.

The birthday boy was basking in the feeling of nothing but warmth the night had radiated, when he felt the couch seat dip a bit next to him, turning only to make eyes with his CEO. 

Taehui was adorned in all black, just like Dae. However, he had a silk button up, and a transparent cloth wrapped his eyes, black makeup dripping from his eyes to emulate teardrops. With the large scythe in his hands when they first entered, it didn’t take too long for him to realize he was meant to be a modern Grim Reaper. 

“Having fun, Daehyeon?” Taehui’s voice often felt like honey to Dae’s ears, it was smooth in it’s delivery while there was a gentle sweetness that had always radiated in his tone, making it more than comfortable talking with him.

“Yeah, how could I not when I’m in a spooky mansion right now?” the question was rhetorical, and both men laughed at it, Dae feeling immensely grateful in that moment that he had found his way to Neostar. 

“With all your friends too.”

He felt a hand on his shoulder, the way it squeezed reassuringly comforting him.

“Enjoy yourself tonight, Dae. Your birthday happens once a year, it’d be a shame not to have fun with it. But don’t enjoy it too much, I don’t want to start paying Dispatch to say quiet.”

“You’re right.” Dae nodded to himself, before bringing his hands up to slap his cheeks a few times to get him out of the sadden haze, wanting to listen to Hui’s words. 

“It’s been nice seeing you grow up each year. It didn’t feel like too long ago you were auditioning, and now you’re on your way up to achieving your dreams at full-speed.”

“You can’t tell me you remember my audition.”

“Oh,” Daehyeon felt himself internally groan when he saw the smile on Taehui’s face, the same mischief running across his lips as Yeonjin’s previously. “How could I forget the boy who,  when he was auditioning, was more focused on looking at me and looking like he was going to pounce at me?”

The question surged heat in Dae’s core, his head quickly snapping to Taehu’s directions, trying to make eye-contact through the blindfold. “You knew?”

“I’m not that old, Daehyeon, I’ve seen that look far too many times.” the older man laughed ever so softly at how Daehyeon put his head in his hands, the blush now creeping onto his ears, evidently showing off how embarrassed he had gotten to be. “Don’t worry, we picked you for your talents.”

“I hope so.” the muffled response triggered more laughter, the CEO patting the younger’s back gently a few times. 

“Come on, I think it’s time to open your presents, no?”

“Anything to get away from this conversation.”

“Oh, so you can stare at Wonshik and Changyun like that instead?”

“Are you serious?”

“You’ve got to work on your poker face, Daehyeon, you’ve been eyeing them all night.”

[sserpente]

A/N: Requests from two anons. Now this one doesn’t have any smut but I loved writing it. And oh, there is so much more to come. ;-)

Words: 1939 Warnings: implied smut, fluff

Tony Stark was known for his strange party ideas; so this year was no different. Halloween was just around the corner and Stark had established a costume rule for his most epic party of the year. Dress up as another Avenger and the best costume would win a secret but amazing prize.

And by the looks of it, everybody either planned to do Thor or Cap, for it was the easiest option—their costumes could be bought in stores, after all. Hence, with that or Nat’s rather boring black suit, you wouldn’t exactly stand out.

You were deep in thought when you passed Loki in the hallway carrying a few books. He courtly nodded at you—signalising you were by far the most tolerable mortal around here. Your heart skipped a beat when your eyes met. It was then the idea struck you and you started grinning like an idiot as you returned to your room.

Technically, Loki was an Avenger too now. So why not dress up as you crush?

-

The days went by and you spent hours crafting your costume late at night, sewing and gluing and stitching until your fingers were bleeding. You had copied Loki’s leather armour from scratch which was probably because you had spent a remarkable amount of time just secretly staring at him—you knew his appearance by heart.

You had even bought blue contacts to match his eye colour. Now all that’s still missing was… his helmet. You had tried to do it yourself but nothing you came up with would do justice to the original. So… you’d simply have to acquire the original.

-

It was easier than you had initially assumed. Loki didn’t exactly guard his room, nor did he lock it. Surely, he saw no need for that. Apart from a few books and a selection of Midgardian clothes, he didn’t exactly have any personal belongings which he couldn’t keep in his magic pockets.

When you sneaked inside while he was in the library on the day of Halloween, only a few hours before the Halloween party, his helmet was flaunting on his desk, golden and shiny. Quickly, you grabbed it and fled, giggling in the process.

Loki’s helmet was, quite literally, the crown of your outfit. It took you hours to get ready but you had to admit, the result was dazzling. You really had outdone yourself. Hopefully, Loki would be at the party as well. You thought he could do with some recognition after all the hard work at the compound.

It took you another ten minutes to be brave enough to leave your room. Downstairs, you could already hear loud music and people laughing and chatting. You were looking forward to their reactions. Would they be repulsed? Amused? Impressed?

You took a deep breath—then, you stepped right into the crowd. Paparazzi lights as lightnings almost blinded you, spider webs decorated the corners, on the tables pumpkins with spooky faces glowed in the dimly lit living room. There was a giant buffet and a vast selection of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks and there was a skeleton hanging from the ceiling. Tony had even bought a fog machine.

Half of the room went silent upon seeing you, the present Avengers all turning to face you. Thor even blinked, unsure whether he was seeing you, an illusion or his brother.

Oh, the helmet really was an eye catcher. But most importantly… Loki was there too—and his jaw dropped, literally, his blue eyes slowly widening and wandering up and down your body in an unbelieving manner. Thor patted his back, making him flinch.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Tony was dressed up as Thor. The long and blonde wig looked absolutely ridiculous on him. Mjölnir in his hand wasn’t real, of course. He had made it in his lab, out of metal and wood and the God of Thunder loved it.

“I dressed up for Halloween.” You explained unfazed, eyes fixed on Loki who was slowly approaching you, his scrutinising and somewhat… greedy gaze never leaving yours.

“You’re disqualified,” Tony said when he reached you both.

“What? Why?”

“The rule was it to dress up as another Avenger. Reindeer Games here is not an Avenger.” Gods. He really still loathed Loki for what happened in the past.

“He helps you fight the bad guys. He’s an Avenger to me.” Loki raised his eyebrows at you, seemingly confused about this whole situation and yet… flattered you were defending him. You’d be the first one to do so in at least a century.

“You’re disqualified, (Y/N).”

“Oh, fine, grow a pear, Tony.” Rolling your eyes, you turned away from him. You scanned the other Avengers’ outfits—Thor as Captain America, Captain America as the Hulk, Bruce as Tony, Natasha as Hawkeye and Hawkeye as Natasha—but then, your attention immediately returned to Loki who was still staring daggers at you. Dangerous and seductive daggers, that was.

“The helmet… it looks well-made.” He choked out, almost as if he was unsure of what to say. Loki cleared his throat. He was… irritated. Much likely he was at loss of words. Surely no one had ever dressed up as him before not to mock him but to honour his skills and presence.

“It better be, it’s yours.” You replied with a smirk, winking at him mischievously. Your costume, of course, was more of a female version, complimenting your curves and the leather clinging to your skin.

“I beg your pardon?”

You chuckled, blushing at the very same time. His full attention on you made you swoon—like a little school girl! You would have punched yourself if it weren’t for Loki standing right in front of you.

“I took it from your room. I tried to copy it but I couldn’t do it. Please don’t be mad.”

“I am not.” He responded, still a little taken aback. Then, he took a deep breath, looking you so deep in the eye your heart skipped yet another beat.

“So tell me… why did you decide to dress up as me?” He asked. There was true curiosity in his voice, yet at the same time… suspicion.

You shrugged. There was no way you were going to admit to him that you had taken quite a liking into him… that you imagined him kissing you on the lips both in your face and between your legs regularly.

“Tony said to dress up as an Avenger and—“

“Yes, I know what Stark said,” he interrupted you sharply. “You could have picked anyone. Why me?”

“Why not? I just… like you. And I love your colours.” That wasn’t so bad. It wasn’t a lie, after all. You did adore the elegance in his outfits—and Loki seemed downright surprised about the genuine compliment. Only did it seem like he only now saw you properly, as someone who would in fact, reciprocate his growing feelings for your witty persona, which, quite obviously, you had no idea about.

“I didn’t think you’d join the party.” You said.

Loki rolled his eyes. “Thor persuaded me. I am leaving as soon as he is drunk. He is barely bearable when he is sober… and quite frankly,” he added, “I am markedly undesired here. The feeling is mutual.”

“I was hoping you’d come.” You admitted. “So? What do you think?” You turned around in front of him, your green cape flowing behind you like a river made entirely of fabric.

Loki gave you a smirk. With a start, that greedy and seductive glistening returned to his stunning blue eyes, making you gasp when you came to a stop.

“You look ravishing.”

“So will you kneel if I ask you to?”

His expression darkened, a playful smirk tugging on his thin lips. “Don’t take it too far, little minx.”

Little minx. You swallowed thickly. Gods, were you flirting?! It was clear now Loki indeed liked your costume—a circumstance that made your heart flutter excitedly. In fact, he seemed unable to take his eyes off of you.

And he had to admit, you looked exceptionally adorable. His helmet was a little too big on you, yet it matched your outfit perfectly. The amount of detail you had put into your costume was truly remarkable. Every thread resembled his own armour entirely. It must have taken you ages to craft it to represent… him.

Growing inside of him, clandestine and sneakily, the urge grew to hug you. It was in itch beneath his skin, a foreign feeling he had to fight off. By the Norns, you were precious. A little mortal, dressed up as him, worshipping him! You had been disqualified from Stark’s stupid contest and still defended him, you had stolen his helmet to make the costume authentic… he shook his head slowly, a movement not visible to you.

But there was something else. Not only did he want to press you close to his body and bury his face in your neck, bathing in the affection and recognition you would surely shower him with… oh no, he also wanted to fuck you.

He had neglected his most carnal needs for way too long. You were human, so what? He could be gentle. Loki wanted you. And seeing you in this sexy costume that was representing him of all people drove him crazy with want and lust.

He was many things but most of all, he was perceptive. Granted, he had been rather surprised about the unexpected turn of events, for he had never considered you more than a… a friend in this damned compound, for his disturbing feelings to turn into… this. Now, however, he did not miss the subtle glances, the way your breathing quickened and your cheeks blushed, the way you bit your teeth as he stepped closer. How nervous and flustered you became now that his eyes rested on you…

It was Halloween. He should treat himself. The God of Mischief gnashed his teeth. He did like you, after all, a lot. For a mortal, you were peculiarly clever.

“My bedroom. Now,” he growled demandingly, his lascivious expression sending pleasant shivers up and down your spine. Your eyes widened. Had he just… what?! You hesitated. “I will not repeat myself, little minx.”

You swallowed again. You were shaking from lechery when you followed him back upstairs, not quite believing this was really happening. Surely, if you hadn’t known each other for a while, Loki wouldn’t have as much as glanced at you despite your costume and instead dismissed it as pure mockery.

“L-Loki…” You started when the others were out of reach, “Are you sure about this?”

You longed to have him in your bed; or alternatively, rolling around under the sheets in his bed. It was just… untypical for him, he always seemed so… restrained. Could it be? That Loki did indeed feel the same kind of attraction you did? The kind of attraction that made you want to rip each other’s clothes off of your body and lick every inch of each other’s skin?

“Dead sure,” His voice was dark, heavy with desire.

Huh. If you had known it was that easy to seduce the God of Mischief, you would have dressed up as him way earlier. Your heart was beating in joyful anticipation when he led you into his bedroom, heat and arousal already pooling between your legs.

His smirk was downright mischievous, malicious even, when he closed his bedroom door to drown you both in utter darkness, using his seidr to lock it. Next thing you knew, his lips came crashing down on yours.

-

A/N: Check out my blog to find more Imagines and take a glimpse at my first (to be) published novel! Also, if you enjoyed this story, I would appreciate so much if you supported me on Kofi! ko-fi.com/sserpente ♥

[dokidokivisual]

Gochiusa BLOOM episode 7 impressions

Previously: 6 - 5 - 4 - 3 - 2 - 1

In real world Halloween might have been a month ago, but in the world of Is The Order a Rabbit it’s exactly the season for all things spooky. And maybe things become a little too supernatural for a slice of life show. In the last episode we’ve seen how BLOOM symbolizes the growth of the characters. And as we enter the second half of the season, another meaning is revealed...

But first let’s visit Ama Usa An, where horror-loving Chiya is decorating the traditional Japanese teahouse for Halloween. Since Halloween is decidedly not a traditional Japanese holiday, it looks kinda surreal, but Chiya’s grandmother is more worried about souls of the dead coming back to life, especially that of Chino’s grandfather (see season 2 episode 9 for more of their backstory). Of course the soul of Chino’s grandfather isn’t actually dead, but is inhabiting the body of a rabbit. It’s not clear how exactly this happened and Cocoa might have been involved.

Speaking of Cocoa, we see her practicing with the magic set she bought in the first episode of the season. She tries to make something appear in her hand, but nothing happens. Clearly you can’t just learn to summon matter into existence in Gochiusa world, or can you? Anyway the shot focuses on a candy laying on a table before the opening sequence cuts in. This must be the object Cocoa has tried to summon and it’s also clearly a foreshadowing for something.

Meanwhile, Maya and Megu are trick-or-treating in matching werewolf(?) outfits hoping to score some free candy. Interestingly the tradition of giving out candy on Halloween has descended from a medieval practice of sharing so-called “soul cakes” which represented the souls of the dead.

Meanwhile the staff of Rabbit House are dressed as vampires. The theme of vampires fighting werewolves brings up to mind the Twilight series although I’m sure the idea came up many times throughout history. If you look closer, you’ll notice that Cocoa, Rize and Megu have fake fangs (I think Maya’s is natural), although they’re not consistently drawn between scenes, even though in the manga they’re drawn correctly. Maybe they’ll fix this in BD. The only one whose fang is not shown is Chino, and ironically she is the one who actually bites somebody.

Also the flashback of Chino “roaring” at the mirror reminded me of the scene from Celestial Method where Noel (also voiced by Minase Inori) roars at a dinosaur standee. To be fair it sounds completely different but I just can’t help but compare them.

Also while I was browsing through my copy of volume 6 I found a cute illustration card that seems to be relevant to this episode, but includes Mocha and Cocoa as the wolves and Chino as the vampire (here’s a highres version).

I think I bought this particular volume in Japan on the day it was released. Good times...

Next MaMe go to Fleur de Lapin and are greeted by Sharo dressed as Little Red Riding Hood (bunny version). This costume appeared earlier in an illustration for the rabbit chapter from the previous episode.

This is also a rare scene where other employees of Fleur de Lapin can be seen, as usually Sharo is shown working there alone. Even in the manga, Sharo is the only employee shown in this scene. In the end it turns out that Sharo is a wolf in disguise and craving for some meat. Which is weird because Sharo hasn’t been shown eating or cooking any meat before.

Anyway, next stop is Ama Usa An, which is called the Witch’s Mansion now. Chiya mentions the beginning of the Sabbath, and the manga chapter’s title 今宵は甘兎サバト also mentions the Sabbath. This might be confusing because in Judaism and Christianity the Sabbath is the day of rest and happens weekly (on Saturday or Sunday). However since we’re talking about witches, this actually references the Wiccan concept of sabbat, or one of eight festivals in the Wiccan calendar. In particular, Samhain, one of the four Greater Sabbats pretty much coincides with Halloween and celebrates the beginning of winter.

Chiya does this thing where the protagonist’s hand hurts only to awaken their dark powers, I’m not really sure where this trope comes from but I’ve seen it referenced in anime before and it’s a common chuunibyo stereotype. In this case, Chiya did really just hurt her hand. There’s also some sort of runic circle drawn on her bandages, but if you look closer it says shiratama anmitsu matcha parfait in hiragana.

Maya and Megu agree to help Chiya, and become her “familiars”. Even though familiars are better known as a video game mechanic today (which is what the “level up” scene references), witches were associated with familiar spirits since medieval times. A familiar often took form of a small animal, such as a cat. Unfortunately MaMe don’t even know which animal they are, so clearly they didn’t take their backstory as seriously as Chiya did. Their ears and tails look canine to me, so I can see Megu being a fox spirit, but Maya being a cat is less believable. Also during their confrontation Megu confirms that Maya’s fang is her yaeba (snaggle tooth).

As a revenge for the trick MaMe pulled on her, Chiya gives them a selection of pumpkin tarts, one of which is laced with wasabi (which she calls ”Russian roulette”). This seems like a common thing for her, since she did the same with botamochi in season 2 episode 6, and with green tea in season 2 episode 7 (except she used aojiru instead of wasabi). However this time, it was Chiya’s grandmother who put wasabi in two of the tarts, unbeknownst to Chiya. By the way in the manga it wasn’t shown that Chiya got one of the wasabi tarts.

Chiya goes shopping for some pumpkins, but is helped by Rize, and later Sharo gives her anti-pain medications, reminding her of how Chiya tended for her when she was sick in season 1 episode 12. It’s not mentioned in the anime, but Rize also had a “motivation” for helping Chiya, as she hurt her leg before (see season 2 episode 2). Chiya invites Rize and Sharo to dinner and brings up the wasabi-laced pumpkin tarts. According to Chiya the probability of getting wasabi is 1/3. Initially there were 7 tarts, of which 2 had wasabi. Megu, Maya and Chiya eat one each, with Chiya’s having wasabi in it. That leaves 4 tarts with 1 wasabi, so either Chiya’s calculation is incorrect, or somebody ate one more tart.

Apparently last day was just a warm up to Halloween (All Hallow’s Eve’s Eve?), so next day Megu and Maya come to Chiya again and try to summon something. A larger and slightly different version of the runic circle previously seen on Chiya’s hand starts glowing and we see that the 3 white rabbits correspond to three people holding hands. There’s also Anko corresponding to the black rabbit in the middle. By the way, in the manga the sign on Chiya’s hand was just a hexagram, and the summoning ritual didn’t have any visible symbols.

Anyway, they want to summon a messenger from demon world/hell, and coincidentally Cocoa and Chino come in (dressed as vampires) and try to attack (cuddle) them. Chiya, Maya and Megu form New Chimame-tai which works because Chiya and Chino have the same first syllable. However Chi is written with kanji instead of katakana in this version (because Chiya’s name 千夜  is one of the few given names among Gochiusa characters that’s always written with kanji). This defeats Chino, and Chiya consoling Chino like a big sister defeats Cocoa as well.

Ok let’s move on to part B, which is the really important part of the episode. The streets of the town are filled with people dressed in various costumes. Cocoa’s classmates can be seen among the crowd, and Aoyama and Rin are enjoying a boat ride on River Sanzu.

Our main character have also prepared some new costumes for the occasion. First we see Chino, dressing up as Phantom Thief Lapin, while Rize is going as a police officer. Soon Chiya and Sharo join them, who somehow independently of each other also went with a Lapin costume. At least Sharo had a good excuse. For Chiya, Lapin’s gloves obscure the bandage on her hand, so maybe that’s why she chose this costume. But what about Cocoa?

Well, she kinda got lost and we find her at the location that you will recognize if you read my episode 5 review. Cocoa says it looks a little different than usual, almost like a different world (isekai). Well, there’s a lot of evidence to support this hypothesis. First, in a scene that parallels episode 1, Cocoa finds a lost child and tries to calm her down with a magic trick. However you might notice that the child’s head is literally a pumpkin with a moving mouth.

And her mother is also a pumpkinhead. Cocoa doesn’t encounter any other people during this segment, even though you’d think a spot that overlooks the town like this would be quite popular. Well, she does encounter one more person, a mysterious masked magician with an angora rabbit on her head. She also wears a G-clef pendant indicating some sort of music connection.

Now, since y’all had already watched the episode, it wouldn’t be a spoiler to say that this is the ghost of Chino’s mother, Saki. The rabbit on her head is the ghost of the original Tippy before its body was taken over by Chino’s grandfather. The original Tippy was a female rabbit, by the way, a fact established early on in the series. In Sing for You OVA (for which I wrote a not-very-detailed review by the way) it’s established that Saki was a singer and even had a record released.

Anyway, as a ghost, Saki doesn’t speak (although she still can giggle and such) and doesn’t physically interact with Cocoa (only indirectly, by casting candies at Cocoa). Nevertheless she does teach Cocoa how to do the candy trick correctly.

Meanwhile, the rest of the group tries to call Cocoa’s phone but she doesn’t answer. This is another evidence for isekai theory. Cocoa is just out of range, you see. Rize and Sharo swap their costumes (the most unrealistic part of the episode) and Sharo starts “policing” the Lapins on how the real Lapin would talk. Chiya has a bright idea to shout out for Cocoa and call her big sister. However Cocoa would obviously only react if Chino calls her that, so Rize encourages Chino to say it louder (referencing her training for the choir in Sing for You).

Cocoa and Saki hear Chino, and Saki looks at her daughter from the terrace. Chino also looks up... but doesn’t see anything. She does get a hunch that there’s something up there though, so the group finds Cocoa eventually. Meanwhile Saki feels like her time is up and makes for a quick exit, literally disappearing.

This is where Cocoa returns to the “real world”, as the current Tippy calls out for her. Why was Tippy with Cocoa anyway in the first place? Cocoa looks around and there are in fact lots of people there as expected.

Cocoa thinks that Tippy speaking is an evidence of a ghost, despite her interacting with a real ghost just a few moments before. The 3 Lapins arrive and start arguing who is the real Lapin. Chino says that it’s the one who gets away with everything in the end, implying she will take the whole Cocoa for herself. However Sharo arrests Cocoa for making everyone worry.

On the way back, Chiya recalls the legend which was also mentioned by her grandmother at the beginning of the episode about the spirits of the ancestors coming back for this one day and then returning to heavens. Chino looks up to the sky, while Tippy gives her a solace in the fact that he was once again turned away, implying that he expected to return to heaven with the other spirits.

Tippy also seemed to know what Cocoa was talking about in an earlier scene where Cocoa said she forgot to give thanks to somebody. Just what’s up with Tippy and why is he not allowed to enter Heaven is a big mystery here.

Cocoa also notices Chino being distressed and shows her the magic trick with the candy. It turns out Chino remembers this trick from her childhood, and we get to see a full flashback with Chino’s mother even getting a few speaking lines (delivered by none other but Nana Mizuki). Since the candy was probably a part of the magic set, it’s no coincidence that it has the exact same wrapper in the flashback. The color of the candy matches with Chino’s clothes at the time but you can also think of it as a combination of Saki’s white and Chino’s blue.

By the way, in the manga Cocoa conjures up two candies, and they have a plain wrapping so there wasn’t One Specific Candy like in the anime. Also in the flashback, Chino is carried by her grandfather. His face is not shown, but Takahiro is seen in the background (with Rize’s dad) so by exclusion it had to be him. And in the current scene Chino is the one carrying Tippy like this.

The episode ends with Cocoa asking Chino to tell her more about her mother, while a star is seen rising in the sky, presumably symbolizing Saki’s spirit.

Let’s go back to Cocoa meeting Saki scene one more time. Like I explained, it’s heavily implied that Cocoa isn’t really in the same world as the other characters when she meets Saki’s ghost. Of course Gochiusa had supernatural elements from the start, such as a certain talking rabbit who happens to be Chino’s grandfather. But now we have a ghost of Chino’s mother and Cocoa is the only one who can see her, but Chino can’t? Just what the heck is going on here?

But wait, there is a rational explanation for all of this! Cocoa had a hallucination triggered by all the Halloween celebrations. She imagines helping a lost child just like Chino did before (and told Cocoa about it later) and then imagines the ghost of Saki teaching her magic, because subconsciously she wants to be like Saki. She had seen Saki before on a photograph, but haven’t heard her speak, which is why the ghost can’t talk to her. Hearing Chino call her onee-chan brings Cocoa back to her senses. But how did Cocoa learn the trick if it was just her imagination? Well, consider the fact that she was practicing this exact trick at the beginning of the episode. By the time she shows it to Chino, she has already practiced it a lot of times, but maybe she only realized the crucial part (feint) during the hallucination. Either way, the blue striped candy wasn’t given to Cocoa by Saki, she had it from the start, as part of the magic set! The candies that Saki uses to show the trick to Cocoa all disappear when Cocoa returns to reality.

Saki appears one more time in the bar time scene with Takahiro, who is listening to her record Silver Spoon from Sing for You OVA and then calls her by name. I think this is the only time the name “Saki” is mentioned in the show itself, and it’s not mentioned in the manga at all (unless maybe in some recent chapters which I haven’t read yet). The first time it was revealed was during April Fool’s day Clockwork Rabbit event, as a solution to a “puzzle”. Her name is written in katakana as サキ, however one of possible readings of the word “saki” is 咲き which means “bloom”. Now consider how the last few seconds of the opening animation it cuts from a blooming field of dandelions to Saki:

The dandelions connection to Saki was previously seen in season 2 episode 1 and Sing for You. Saki’s character design doesn’t really say “blooming of dandelions” to me, but consider that a dandelion turns into this:

Now that’s more like it! Although it reminds me of Tippy as well. Anyway, that was a very mysterious episode of Gochiusa BLOOM and let’s see what happens next! Only 5 episodes remain...

[oikawaplssteponme]

Pairing: Kuroo Tetsurou x Patricia @vangoghmusings

warnings: none

a/n: art trade with my sistaaa✨💛 if you don’t follow her, you should (she’s kinda a big deal) enjoy pat, you Kuroo simp (also it’s never to early for Christmas themed writing dang it)

•

When people think about the shift from October to November, most people think about pumpkin pie and a nice Thanksgiving meal.

Nope, not Patricia. The second the clock hits 12:00am on November 1st, Patricia is in the mood for some holiday cheer. Of course, no Christmas season is complete without a black haired, middle blocker, chemistry nerd by your side. So Patricia had to take her boyfriend, Kuroo, along for the ride to achieve maximum Christmas spirit levels.

It was a chilly fall morning and Patricia was just waking up (late of course). She rolled out of bed and hopped in the shower. After her shower, she checked her phone and saw the familiar “good morning angel” text from Kuroo. She couldn’t help but smile at her phone from the thought of her boyfriend.

Patricia got dressed then dried and straightened her short peachy hair. She did her makeup and put on a fall outfit and her favorite grey beanie. She reached for her phone again, before hearing a knock on her front door. She went over and opened it.

“You know you should start sticking to a regular sleep schedule,” advised Kuroo. He placed a kiss on her forehead and walked inside her apartment. Patricia sighed.

“Yeah yeah I know. What are you doing here?” She asked.

“What? You don’t wanna spend time with your boyfriend?” Pouted Kuroo. Patricia laughed.

“Of course I do. So what’s the plan?” Kuroo grabbed Patricia’s hand.

“Surprises are much more fun,” he smirked.

~

Kuroo led Patricia to his car. He had already picked up her favorite coffee (a white chocolate mocha) and had it waiting for her in the cup holder of his car. Kuroo drove until reaching his desired destination.

“Target?” questioned Patricia. Kuroo looked at her and nodded, parking the car.

“Well we need to get matching pajamas and Christmas decorations, don’t we?” smiled Kuroo. Patricia’s face lit up at Kuroo’s words.

The two of them walked inside the store, picking up tiny decorations that they definitely didn’t need as they went along. Patricia spotted the pajamas instantly.

“I think we should get these.” She held up a red onesie, patterned with candy canes and gingerbread men.

“If that’s the one you want, we’ll get it,” he smiled. Patricia nodded, placing two of the pajamas in the shopping cart. Kuroo took Patricia’s hand as they walked around the rest of the store.

Along with the pajamas, the festive couple picked up some new tree decorations, box cake mix, and holiday hats. They packed up the things into Kuroo’s car and drove back to Patricia’s apartment.

~

“Hot chocolate?” Patricia asked. Kuroo nodded, grabbing two mugs from the cabinet. Patricia began to prepare the hot chocolate.

She handed Kuroo his mug and they did a quick ‘cheers’ before moving to sit down.

Patrica and Kuroo curled up on her couch, snuggled with the new fuzzy blanket they just bought. Kuroo twirled Patricia’s hair through his fingers as her head rested on his chest.

“I think this is gonna be my first holiday season with a boyfriend,” said Patricia. Kuroo looked at her and smiled.

“Lucky me that I snatched you up in time.” He gave Patricia a kiss on the top of her head. She blushed and looked over to her window.

“Kuroo! It’s snowing!” She cheered. Patricia went over to peak out her window.

“I thought you didn’t like the snow?” said Kuroo, following her to the window.

“Well the first snow is the only good one,” she smiled. Kuroo stood behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist.

“You’re kinda like a snowflake,” said Kuroo. Patricia raised an eyebrow.

“How so?” Kuroo rested his chin on her shoulder to whisper in her ear.

“Well first off they’re all beautiful. Since each snowflake is different, you have to cherish the ones you catch. They only come around once, so when you catch one, that’s the only one of its kind. You gonna be gentle with it and admire it for the time you have it. You’re my snowflake. Just mine. And I’d say I’m pretty lucky to have caught you.”

Kuroo spun Patricia around to face him. Her face was a soft shade of pink. She moved towards him to wrap her arms around his neck.

“I’m happy to be your snowflake.” She smiled. Kuroo leaned in to place a gentle kiss on Patricia’s soft lips. She stood on her tippy-toes to reach her tall boyfriend. He held her tightly, running his hand through her hair. Patricia parted from the kiss and looked at Kuroo.

“I love you Tetsurou.”

“I love you more Patricia.”

[sunshinesteviee]

holidays // tom holland

Word Count: 1.9k Warnings: oof so much cute stuff Request/Summary: the lovely @hollandandi gave me this idea for my 2k celebration “can you just imagine roommate!tom and reader decorating their apartment for different holidays together...dressing up for halloween in matching costumes for trick o treaters, decorating the tree together at christmas...and then valentines day comes along, decorations are up, fashion shows of potential outfits... and then they both come home from crappy dates - both of them realizing that the perfect one was at home the whole time” A/N: this gave me so many feels tbh i loved writing this and i just love it a lot. charlotte you’re a genuis. it was supposed to be a blurb but it got suuuper long, so here we are lol. hope y’all like it!!!

Masterlist

Holidays had always been your favorite times of the year. It didn’t matter what the holiday was, you always went all out to decorate and do something festive for the occasion. When you first moved in with Tom, he thought it all to be a bit excessive. Holidays were nice, sure, but did each and every one of them warrant a big celebration? You were, however, slowly and surely changing Tom’s stance on that. He began to love setting up decorations with you, taking cheesy pictures, and just having fun. He started to not mind all of the small get togethers you’d throw at your place. If it meant he got to spend more time hanging out with you, he was fine with it.

By the time Halloween came around, Tom was fully onboard. He went to the store with you, and the two of you picked out way too many decorations for your place together. The cart was full of pumpkins, skeletons, spiderwebs, and any other decorations Tom thought you might need. You kept trying to tell him that you didn’t need that many decorations, but he insisted, saying that if your apartment was going to be festive, you were going to go all out.

And then came his idea of dressing up for Halloween. You hadn’t planned on going out this year, you were just going to be handing out candy to trick or treaters, so you hadn’t planned on dressing up. But then, Tom had the idea of dressing up in matching costumes, and there was no way you were going to turn him down. He had taken your hand in his and quickly pulled you into the aisle with all of the costumes, “We have to find matching ones! It’ll be fun!” He tried his best to convince you that the two of you should be Spider-Man and Spider Gwen, but you were able to talk him down, saying that he did that every day, and Halloween was meant for being someone that you’re not. In the end, you and Tom were dressed up in matching costumes as Mario and Luigi while handing out candy to all the little kids that came by your door.

-

The next major holiday was Christmas, and this was one that you went all out for. You started buying decorations as soon as Halloween was over, but Tom made you wait to decorate your place until the end of November. Because you lived in an apartment, you hung string lights up in the main entrance and through the main area of your place. Tom had to help you with that, and he also helped you cut out a bunch of paper snowflakes and hang those around the apartment. All that was left was setting up the tree, and Tom didn’t need any convincing for him to help you out with that.  

You set aside a whole day just for choosing out a tree and decorating it, and then forced him to get up early to go out. He grumbled to himself as the two of you bundled up in your coats and hats and scarves, and didn’t stop until you caved and bought him a hot chocolate. Once the sugar was in his system, he was much more cheerful and wanted to choose the biggest tree he could find. You didn’t want an especially big one because you were afraid it wouldn’t fit, so you found a tree to compromise.

After struggling to get it home and in the door, the tree was now standing in the corner of the living room, with lights wrapped around it. Ornaments started to go up on the tree, and Tom helped you reach the top of the tree so you could place some there.

Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without making cookies, so once the tree was fully decorated, you took Tom by the hand and pulled him behind you into the kitchen. He insisted that he was trying his best, but there was flour everywhere, and he kept trying to eat cookie dough, and he kept snatching finished cookies off of the pans once they were out of the oven. More than once did you have to swat at his hand, telling him to be patient.

On Christmas morning, you awoke to the smell of your favorite breakfast, and when you made your way downstairs, you found a plate of it ready on the counter, sitting next to a wrapped box. Next to the box was a note, and scribbled in Tom’s handwriting was ‘Merry Christmas, love. Hope you like it xx’ Tom wasn’t in the kitchen, but you figured it was safe to assume that you could open. You quickly tore all of the wrapping paper off, and found that Tom had gotten you something that you mentioned wanting months back.

Just then, Tom came into the kitchen, and you launched yourself out of your chair, throwing your arms around his neck in a tight hug, “Thank you so much, Tom!”

He only laughed as his arms wrapped around your waist, and gave you a careful squeeze, “No problem, love.”

-

New Year’s came and went quickly. The Christmas decorations stayed up through the New Year, but there was some sparkle and glitz added for the party that the two of you threw in your apartment. The party was the biggest you’d had by far, and it was filled with all sorts of people, most of whom you didn’t even know. Both of you were so busy hosting and trying to make sure that nothing in your apartment got ruined that you didn’t even see each other until everybody cleared out, far past midnight. You didn’t even get a New Year’s kiss from anyone, and ended the night tired and still a little drunk on the couch, with Tom asleep on the other side of the couch.

-

The next big holiday was Valentine’s Day. Most people hated Valentines Day, but you loved it. It was all about love, and to put it simply, you loved love. And for once, this year, you had a date for the evening. Tom had one, too, so you decided that you’d put on a little fashion show for each other to figure out what outfit was best for your dates.

On Valentine’s Day, the apartment was decorated with red and pink hearts and flowers and all kinds of Valentine’s Day things, not to mention, there was plenty of candy stocked in the kitchen. Tom was sitting on the couch as he waited for you to come out with (what seemed to be) the billionth dress you’d tried on for the night. The final one you’d slipped on was a somewhat form-fitting black dress that hit your mid thigh. You pulled on your favorite heels and then made your way back out to the living room where your roommate was sitting. You were hoping that this would be the winner, as you were tired of trying on different dresses, but you also just really liked this dress.

Taking the final step into the living room, you paused, turning around once to show Tom the outfit, waiting for his reaction. You watched as his jaw dropped slightly, his eyes going wide, before he nodded quickly, standing up from his spot. “Holy shit, Y/N. You look amazing. Stunning. That’s the dress for your date.”

You could feel your cheeks heat up at his comment, and a smile stretched across your face as you mumbled out a, “Thanks, Tom.” He walked by, giving your cheek a quick peck before making his way up the stairs to change.

When he came back down, you were putting the finishing touches on your makeup, fixing your lipstick. Turning around, you found Tom fiddling with the buttons on his shirt. You could tell he was struggling to get the right look, so you helped with the buttons and then helped him roll up his sleeves. “There. You look good, Tom,” you said as you smoothed his shirt out. “I’ll see you later, yeah? I’ve got to go.”

Not too long later, you came in through the door, quickly taking off your heels and dumping them onto the ground before collapsing onto the couch. Your date had been horrible, to say the least. He’d shown up a more than half an hour late, talked about nothing other than himself, and then had mysteriously “forgotten his wallet” at home, forcing you to pay for the whole meal. Normally, you wouldn’t mind paying or splitting the cost, but after everything else that had happened, you were fed up. He then tried to convince you to go to their place, and you had to make up an excuse to go home. The only thing you could think about on your way home was when Tom would be home. All you wanted was to curl up on the couch and watch a movie with him while ranting about how awful it had been.

Only minutes after you arrived home, you heard the front door open and then close again. Was Tom home already? You got up from the couch and made your way to the entrance, where Tom was taking off his jacket. He stopped short at the sight of you, slowly moving to hang his jacket up, “What are you doing home so early, Y/N?”

Your eyebrows raised and you shrugged, “Crappy date. Really awful, to be honest. What about you?”

He frowned a little and then nodded, “Me too. She clearly wasn’t there for me, ya know? The whole time, I just kept thinking about how much I wanted to come home so I could rant to you about how terrible it was. And then just, like, watch a movie together.”

“Honestly, I was thinking the same,” you murmured, shifting on your feet as you looked at Tom intently. “Thought I liked Valentine’s Day, but maybe not so much…”

Tom’s eyes met yours, and you could see the way his expression softened at the sight of you. It was silent for a few moments before he spoke again. “Maybe,” he started, his voice soft, “you just spent it with the wrong person.”

You could feel your heart skip a beat in your chest, and it was in that moment that you realized just how close the two of you had gotten. He was less than a foot away from you, and your breath caught in your throat as you looked up to him. Ever so slowly - giving you the chance to stop him if you wanted - he reached out, setting his hand on your hip. His fingers curled around the edge of your hip as he pulled you in closer so your chest was pressed to his.

Standing up on your toes, you slid your arms around his neck to keep him close to you. “Maybe you’re right,” you murmured back, your fingertips brushing against the small curls at the nape of his neck.  

His arms circled around your waist, and he only broke eye contact with you when his eyes flicked down to your lips before back up to meet your gaze once more. You gave him an almost-imperceptible nod, and then his lips were pressed to yours in a soft kiss. You hadn’t given too much thought to kissing Tom before, but you knew that the kiss was better than anything you could’ve imagined.

Pulling his lips from yours just slightly, Tom let his nose nudge into yours as he mumbled, “Happy Valentine’s Day, love.”

-

TAGLIST

@blueoceanwavez @iaiabear @crapri @yourwonderbelle @embrace-themagic @t0m-h0lland-1996 @tshquackson @bamonkey5 @stevieboyharrington @richiethotzierz @kris-nic0le @youtubehelpsmesurvive @marvelouspottering @delicately-written @starlightfound @itsmyfuneralokay @tom-holland-and-textposts @spideymood @twilightparker @musiclover1263 @oonai-trash @tomshufflepuff @littlebookbengal @butithasntkilledyouyet @ghostlypandacolorpersona @spideyboyx @hollandandi @kilieria @amxliapond @pinkmarvel @spideyjlaw @parkerluvs @shaydeevee33 @flyingburrito123

[lyssala]

You’re Idiots, The Both of You

Pairings: Terra/Aqua and mentioned/Implied Cloud/Tifa & Zack/Aerith, Kingdom Hearts

Setting: Halloween before New Years from the first chapter; Terra & Aqua are 20 & 19, Ven is 16

Rating: K

Notes: A lot of these came from ideas I already had but this one absolutely came from the quote. I read it and was like oh no this has to get worked in somehow cause I need it. I had already written Cid in so I figured Cloud was around here somewhere too lmao It ended up a lot cuter than I thought it would be too. Also picking out the kids’ Halloween outfits was the highlight of my day lmao

AO3

14. Drive

"If you're gonna throw your life away, he'd better have a motorcycle."

-Lorelai

It wasn’t a huge secret that Aqua loved Halloween. There was just something so very magical about the leaves starting to change colors, the small of fall in the air. The sun setting over the town center and all the haystacks, pumpkins, lanterns, the creepy decorations mixed with the cute ones that lined every store front and all over the green. All the stores stayed open late so the kids could have a safe place to go trick-or-treating, an assortment of all sorts of costumes parading the sidewalks for hours as the kids played and gathered all the candy they could.

She remembered it well. Aqua loved getting dressed up in whatever she chose to be that year and taking the short drive into town with her mom and Terra and his mom to go around to all the stores and play the games the town always had set up for the kids. When Ven was old enough he’d join them too, holding their hands as he tried to keep up between them. She used to be able to get them to get their costumes to match when Terra and Ven were young enough not to care but she found about the time Ven wanted to go out with his friends instead was about the time Terra didn’t want to go at all anymore; which did kind of suck cause he didn’t eat most of his candy and would give it to her. Some people apparently thought Halloween had an age limit, she absolutely did not.

“Trick or treat!” a group of voice exclaimed causing Aqua to look down at the sidewalk and not over the town center like she had been. It was a group of three kids, old enough to be on their own for the night and all looking mighty pleased about it.

She didn’t recognize them even though none of them had their faces covered but that wasn’t too unexpected; most people from surrounding towns came out for the night. “Look at you all,” she said with a smile, pushing herself up from the stool she was sitting on so she could grab a handful of candy from the bowl set up next to her. “Happy Halloween,” she said dropping some candy in each bag with only excited “thank you!”s in response before the kids took off again.

Aqua sat back down with a small sigh. It was starting to slow down; a lot of the kids already in the center of town after their initial go around was done. While sure, at nineteen it was a little old to go treat or treating she still liked dressing up and participating. Once Terra stopped caring about it and working at Cid’s, Aqua always volunteered to sit outside the front of the diner and hand out candy since Cid was the last person who’d want to do it. She didn’t mind one bit and because she knew she was doing him a big favor that Cid wouldn’t care how much candy she bought for the store and how much she ate for herself.

It was a huge win in her opinion she thought as she popped another peanut butter cup in her mouth.

Aqua glanced behind her, looking in the bright windows of the diner. It wasn’t too busy since the dinner rush was already over a little early do to the events outside but there were a few families getting some food. The only other person in sight was Ven, who looked a little comical wiping down the counter dressed in a long red cape, the rest of his costume an assortment of clothes and silver armor he made himself (minus the hammer in one hand since Cid said absolutely not). Of course, it would’ve been nice if Terra had told her he wasn’t working tonight.

She sighed again, though this time a little less from holiday cheer and more for the uneasy knot in her stomach. She pulled her phone out of the short jean jacket she was wearing over her dress and clicked into messages but the last one sent to Terra was the one she sent three hours ago and still hadn’t heard anything from him.

It wasn’t unusual so to speak; sure they talked a lot but not every hour of every day. He had every right to have time to himself but she was only here for the weekend before she had to go back to school. She knew Halloween wasn’t his favorite thing but it would be nice even if he just came to hang out with her.

Aqua reached over to the bowl to grab another piece of chocolate. Whatever, if he didn’t want to enjoy the festivities fine, she was sure going to. She got to eat all the candy she wanted and got to dress up, how could that be a bad night?

She had done it before but she decided to go with a 50’s theme this year. It was overdone maybe, but she found the style to be cute so it was a nice excuse to use it. She dug through thrift stores all over her university town and found a beautiful blue dress with a fitted bodice and a wide skirt that twirled out when she spun around (which, yes, she absolutely did do). It was off the shoulder on both sides so she had to get a jean jacket to wear over it since October wasn’t usually warm enough for that, but with the black headband with a matching bow on top, super fluffy white petticoat, and Mary Janes her mom had from some of Aqua’s performances she was pleased with her costume.

Though, it would be nice if her supposed best friend would actually answer his phone so she could give him all the dark chocolate she was hoarding in her pocket for him. Stupid boy.

“Trick or treat!” That voice made Aqua look up from her phone, considering it wasn’t nearly as young as most the voices she heard that night. “Or well, kinda, we don’t have bags.”

Aqua had to laugh when she saw all of Ven’s friends standing in front of her. They didn’t have bags true, but they all did have costumes, and matching ones at that. It was adorable to say the least, even if it did serve as an ever reminder that her friend didn’t want to have anything to do with tonight. “I assume you’re here for Ven?”

“Yep,” Sora nodded, though one of his hands was already reaching into the candy bowl. Someone, presumably Kairi, had drawn an eyeliner goatee and mustache onto his baby face, making him look a little ridiculous.

Roxas was nearby, shoving his very patriotic shield at his brother until Sora passed the blond some of the candy.

“Personality wise, I’m pretty sure you two have the wrong costumes on,” Aqua snorted.

“Yeah, but Rox has the hair, so…” Lea dropped his hand onto Roxas’s head, ruffling his hair for effect. It kind of looked like they just wrapped Lea’s arm in duct tape but someone did convince him to wear his hair down, as opposed to pulled back like usual.

“And cause no one can put up with you like Roxas can,” Xion said from Lea’s other side. She still had her short hair down but otherwise dressed in dark blacks and greens, probably to match Ven’s godly attire.

“That’s true,” Sora said, though his mouth was still full of chocolate as Kairi was trying to get him away from the bowl. She was also dressed in almost all black just a little silver and red to bring out her red hair that was pretty telling to who she was supposed to be; and there weren’t that many female characters on the team to begin with.

“No one asked you, idiot,” Lea rolled his eyes, Roxas taking to hit Lea with the shield instead to get him to get his elbow off Roxas’ head.

Both Riku and Namine were hanging at the back the group, as per usual. Riku looked a mix of amused and annoyed as Sora had taken to trying to shove some of the candy in Kairi’s mouth while she laughed and tried to get away. Riku was dressed probably the most plainly in just a purple button up and black slacks though, the annoyance probably came from when the others clearly implied who they thought Riku was most fitting for.

Namine was always quiet as she was the newest member to the gang, only having lived here for a few weeks now but Aqua was happy to see her fitting in wearing a black dress and long red jacket to match the rest of the group. It couldn’t be easy to move somewhere that everyone your age has known each other since they were babies and still feely okay to fit in, especially someone as shy as Namine seemed to be. Aqua was happy it was her kids that were making Namine feel at home in her new town.

“Alright,” Ven said as the door next to Aqua swung open, cape swishing as he struck some dramatic pose. “I am here.”

Kairi and Sora were still fighting over candy, Lea was blocking Roxas’ hands with his shield Lea somehow got a hold of while Xion laughed in response.

“It’s gonna be a night,” Riku said.

Sora didn’t seem to take too kindly to that, swinging his other arm around Riku’s neck. “I think you mean a very good night.”

“I meant what I said.” The silver haired boy at least was kind of smiling now.

“Alright go on, you’re hogging the store front,” Aqua said with a laugh, noting Sora’s hand reaching back for the bowl. “And the candy, get on now.”

“You’ll be okay?” Ven asked, walking backwards down the sidewalk as his team had already started walking, a few turning to wave back to Aqua.

“I’m fine here,” she said waving. “Have a good time at the party.”

Ven gave her a smile and wave before turning to jog after his friends, hammer coming down to tap at Xion’s head. It seemed all too fast their laughter was gone.

Aqua sighed as she looked back down at her phone in her lap. Still nothing. The street was pretty empty now, just the people in the center of town having a good time, the teenagers off at whoever was hosting a Halloween party, and Aqua here, reaching for another peanut butter cup.

Maybe she should just call him, tell him to come keep her company but he could also be sleeping and she didn’t want to bother him at all. She reached for the bowl of candy yet again.

It wasn’t exactly quiet out, music was playing people were laughing and shouting, some kids flat out screaming but even then Aqua could still feel the sudden sound of a heavy engine pulling into town. Most of the roads were covered with people and kids wandering around but if you went slow enough you could get through; Sherriff Auburn and a few other officers were on duty to help with traffic should they need it so Aqua didn’t pay too much mind.

Well, until she could see it wasn’t a car but a sleek black and very familiar motorcycle. The driver was going relatively slow, the engine noise pretty calm but honestly it was never that bad considering she knew that bike like everyone in town knew it. It was a little weird though; Cloud hated social events even more than Terra did so she had no idea why the blond would be showing himself around now. He could’ve just been going home but he didn’t need to go through town for that, nor did he have a passenger which meant Tifa wasn’t dragging him somewhere.

Aqua supposed it wasn’t any of her business anyways. She liked Cloud but he was a little older than even Terra was so it’s not like she spent massive amount of time with Cloud or his friends, outside of the occasional party. Terra would actually go to those, surprisingly enough; he always liked Zack and since he had been taking to hanging out with Aerith and in turn Cloud and Tifa, Aqua did find herself around them every now and then.

But not enough for Aqua to try and not choke on her candy when the bike stopped in the street in front of her. He turned off the engine as she tried to stop choking, propping the bike up before swinging his leg over to step up onto the sidewalk. She supposed he could just be here to pick up something from Cid’s but there was something a little off.

Despite knowing Cloud’s bike, she was pretty sure that wasn’t him. Okay, she didn’t make a habit of staring at him, but he was a fairly slender guy even with working at his dad’s auto shop since he was a kid. Those shoulders weren’t Cloud, nor were the arms, or the beat leather jacket, or the brown hair when he pulled off the helmet.

Aqua promptly inhaled the rest of her candy causing her to cough when she saw Terra looking back at her.

“How many times have I told you not to eat those so fast,” he said as he walked over, helmet under his arm as he reached his other hand out to her.

She promptly swatted him away, still coughing but now she was more mad than surprised. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Aqua managed to get out.

Terra, on the other hand, looked more amused than anything. “I’m coming to get you, what else would I be doing?”

She took a breath, finally being able to but it absolutely didn’t make the situation better; even if he was still leaning over her slightly making it hard not to glance down at the tight white shirt under his jacket. “I meant on the bike, you idiot. You don’t know how to drive that.”

“Obviously I do, I just brought it here didn’t I?”

Aqua could only blink at him. “Is that why you were ignoring me?”

“I was not ignoring you,” he said, straightening himself up but still watching her. “I was trying to find something to wear.”

It was a little unusual attire. Maybe not so much the shirt and pants but the leather jacket was misplaced, even if it was for the bike. “Why?” she asked.

“Zack invited us to go to a Halloween party and I know you love that kinda stuff,” Terra shrugged like it was the most obvious answer in the world but her heart was in her throat.

“You never told me.”

“Yeah,” he snorted, reaching his hand out to push at her chin lightly. “That was the point. He asked me last week or so and by then you had already been sending me pictures of what you were planning to wear tonight so I figured why not.” Terra gestured vaguely to himself. “Matches right?”

Aqua was still in such a state of surprise she nearly tripped over her feet as she stood up from the stool. His attire did make a little more sense in that context; usually he’d still be in a t-shirt and shorts even this late in the year. She did try to ignore the fact he actually wore something on Halloween with the specific intention of matching hers but her stomach felt light at the thought.

“You did this for me?”

“Yeah,” he said like it was no big deal at all. “Course.”

She reached her hands out to adjust the front of his jacket, the leather old and worn in her hands. “Where did you even get this thing?”

“It’s my dad’s,” Terra said.

Aqua blinked up at him. “Like your actual dad?”

“Yeah,” Terra said, rolling his eyes. “Can you imagine Paul wearing this? I’m pretty sure the only colors in his closet are tan and plaid. No, it was in the garage in a bunch of bags Mom’s been meaning to toss for ages. I figured the least the man could do after walking out on us ages ago.”

She ran her hands down the material a little bit before letting go. She knew she had known Terra’s biological dad but she was a baby at the time and only knew what he looked like from the few pictures that were still around. They did look alike as Terra had gotten older, similar facial structure and build, something she knew used to bother him. He used to be jealous of Ven who looked so much like their mom, making Aqua remind Terra that all three of them not only shared the same eyes and smile, but also the same big heart which set Terra apart from his father. That always seemed to make him feel better; at least back then, he was better with it now.

“It looks good on you,” she said. It was true, it fit him well, not too big or too small though she highly doubted he’d start wearing jackets any time soon.

“Well, thanks, but are we going or not?” He walked backwards a little bit, back towards the bike.

Aqua blinked at him. She had completely forgotten the party and his chosen ride for the night. “Wait, you mean like you want me to come with you on that?”

“That’s why it’s here,” he said, smile looking way too amused for his own good.

“I’m not getting on that with you.”

He arched an eyebrow at her. “Don’t trust me?”

Aqua crossed her arms against her chest. “I trust you plenty, Terra, but I didn’t even know you knew how to ride a motorcycle until five minutes ago.”

“It’s pretty boring around here with you gone,” he said, leaning over to a side bag. “I had nothing better to do so I asked Cloud if he’d show me, easy as that.”

There was no one in the world she trusted more than Terra and she knew he’d never put her in a situation that was dangerous. Still she didn’t even know if she’d go with Cloud who had been driving that thing since before he could legally drive.

“C’mon,” Terra said, pulling out a second helmet, presumably Tifa’s. “Do you honestly think Cloud would let me use his bike if he didn’t think it was okay?”

That was actually a very fair point. She bit down on her lower lip. “Fine.”

“Is that a ‘I’m only doing this because I never say no to Terra’? or a ‘I’m actually okay with this and it’ll be fun’?” He had dropped his helmet onto the bike, holding the smaller one in his hands towards her.

It was admittedly different and she wasn’t sure if the knots him her stomach were nerves or anticipation but even when she was unsure of herself, she knew she could always trust him. “It’ll be fun.”

Terra took a few steps forward carefully placing the helmet down on her head. It was a little tight and felt odd to breathe but otherwise it was okay. She watched him as he glanced over her shoulder, giving a wave to probably Cid who must’ve known Terra was going to take her from her candy post. He moved back to the bike, kicking a leg over so he could sit down and balance the bike with both his feet on the ground. He gestured for her to come over.

Aqua was pretty glad she decided to wear shorts under her dress for warmth. She walked across the sidewalk and carefully moved to sit down behind him. Her skirt was a little too fluffy and she couldn’t reach the ground at all but the bike was steady under Terra’s control.

“Kick your feet up there,” he said, turning slightly to gesture where she should keep her legs. “We don’t have to go very far, alright?”

She nodded as she did what she was told. It did seem a little better now that she was sitting so close to him, his familiar warmth bringing her the usual comfort, enough to ease her nerves. Aqua reached her arms around him, leaning in so her head was over his shoulder as he put his helmet back on. He smelt a little like leather and oil but it was still unique to him, and not unwelcome.

The bike roared to life underneath her, the vibrations making her legs feel a little like jelly. Terra leaned his head against hers lightly, asking if she was ready. She tightened her grip on him a little but nodded back.

It was slow at first, different, but not too bad. When they got past the crowds of people and the town, the speed picked up, the familiar location blurring by as the wind whipped around her. Her breath was in her throat at the sudden surge of adrenaline but it still wasn’t bad. It was smoother than she expected, not nearly as frightening as she thought it could be. Of course, part of that was she was pressed up against Terra’s back, her hands clenched together around his stomach as he drove, an endless comfort even in a new situation. She risked looking around a little bit, the air kinda chilly but everything else was warm.  

She couldn’t hear him because of the wind but she could feel him laugh a little, like she was gonna get a big “I told you so” when they were done. Whatever. She could take it. Aqua propped her chin up on his shoulder, closing her eyes for just a moment. This was a lot better than sitting eating candy alone all night.

[andrewbertolucci]

Creative DIY Upcycled Halloween Costumes

Halloween is a holiday that, much like many others, comes with a ghoulish nature of being disposable.

Costumes are bought each year, candy is purchased and consumed in copious amounts, pumpkins are purchased, carved, and then tossed onto the compost pile, and decorations are bought only to be used and then thrown away, in some cases.

We encourage you to put the halt on the disposable quality of Halloween!

Check out these green and easy DIY Halloween costumes that use items you already have in your home, garden, and closet. All you need is a little creativity and time, and you’ll leave the throw-away of quality of yearly costumes for you and your kids behind.

Upcycled Scarecrow

This is the easiest of all costumes!

Dig out your oldest jeans, a worn-out flannel shirt, and any old dusty hat you may have. On the inside of the hat, tape some grass or straw from the garden, so it sticks out but doesn’t scratch your face or neck.

Add a little face make up for effect by drawing a circle of color on your nose, and some bright rosy red cheeks. Easy!

Betsy Ross

Grab your American flag and drape it around yourself, along with a shower cap, to become Betsy Ross, the historical figure credited with inventing the United States flag.

Read up on her so you can educate everyone who asks you who you are!

Bridezilla or Zombie

Skip the Goodwill donation and use one of those old prom dresses or suits to shred, dirty, blacken or drip with red nail polish. Go wild! Add some black eyeliner around the mouth and pin some fish net in your hair for added drama.

George Washington

Really show off your green tendencies! Use some card board toilet roll holders, or cut down tubes from paper towels, and paint them white. Create his powdered wig by stringing the toilet roll holders together so they are held in place around your face, and so they fall down on each side of your ears, down to your shoulders.

Don your crispest white shirt buttoned up to the neck, along with a stiff shouldered blue blazer and a vest if you have one. You’ll be a hit!

Fairy

If you’re a seamstress or craft lover, then perhaps you have a stash of fabric, ribbon or lace, that you can dive into to make a DIY fairy costume.

I recently made some long, shaggy mermaid-inspired bunting for my daughter’s birthday party, using teal colored strips of cotton and long pieces of colored wool. Since I attached all the long flowy pieces onto a wider piece of cotton, the bunting can now double to wrap around my daughter’s waist into a fairy skirt!

The bunting will tie around her back into a bow. We could then upcycle it again, and use it for another birthday celebration.

Pippi Longstocking

Go as your favorite childhood character by wearing some mis-matched socks, a flowing floral dress, brown boots, and your hair in braids!

Keep your braids standing straight out, like Pippi’s, with wire coat hangers.

You could also add a few colorful patches to your outfit to make it even more spirited. Take eyeliner and add freckles to make yourself look more like Pippi.

Rosie the Riveter

Don yourself from head to toe in a pair of denim jeans you already own, boots, a denim shirt, and then wrap your head with a red and white polka dot scarf. Use the scarf long after Halloween is over!

Football Player

Dress your kids up as their favorite football player by wearing a simple jersey, smearing black eyeliner under their eyes, and placing grapefruits on their shoulders to give the effect of wearing pads!

American Gothic

This famous painting by Grand Wood from 1930 depicts a couple standing in front of an American Gothic House that is true 19th century Americana. It’s been seen all over pop culture, and is a recognizable image to many.

It’s an easy costume to pull off with your partner! Dress in overalls and a jacket for the gentleman, and a black blazer, white shirt, brooch at the neck, and apron for the lady.

The female character can part her hair in the middle and pull it back in a bun. And the gentleman should carry around a pitchfork. This will be the true telling sign of what the costume is!

Frida Kahlo

I’ve been Frida more times than I care to admit, simply because I love to wear as much jewelry as possible at one time, draw in a unibrow, and pin fresh flowers in my hair!

Go as the famous Mexican painter by wearing a long flowing dress or skirt, and a blouse or top that has lots of color, pattern or embroidery. Wear the biggest earrings you own, along with large necklaces, tons of bracelets, and more than 3 rings on each hand.

Don’t forget to draw in Frida’s iconic unibrow with brown eyeliner and braid your hair onto the top of your head. Fresh flowers make the added authentic affect. You could also carry around a paint brush just for fun.

from http://ift.tt/2yBHqW0

[voxplusherizes]

April Ramble: Eye Troubles, Hair Uncertainties, and Doll Instanity

I’m gonna try to do a monthly update about stuff from now on.

So, Lots of stuff has happened. and at the same time lots of stuff ...hasn’t...happened.

Eyes:

I’ve finished Erasii’s mouth and right eye. However, my confidence with dealing with resin came back to bite me in the ass. Severl years ago, i tried to start a project where i would make large plushes (like Erasii’s size with a wildly different pattern) or all the remnants and i started with Azur. I didn’t get past sewing the arms and legs, and thats because i started on the eyes right away. I used the exact same methode as this time: sculpt an eye from polymer clay, make a mold, cast the eye dome, attach a photo of the eye behind it. Simple. easy. Lmao. Nope. I recall casting three eyes and every one of the had bubbles. every one of them was cloudy. one was very sticky. I gave up back then, and the project was since abandoned.

Until two weeks ago, where I thought i’d done enough research to know how to do it right. Except i forgot that resin has a fuckin vendetta against me i swear to god.

The first eye attempt developed holes at the dome, aka: the front of the eye. This irritated me because when i poured the resin, it was super clear for two hours before i checked it and suddenly: a fuckton of bubbles. I havn’t no idea where they came from. So i tried again (also tried to cover the first attempt in more resin after pokeing holes to the bubbles, which.....ended poorly.) and poured another cast. i watched this version religiously, and it was amazeingly clear! I thought it went perfect.....until i went to check if i could remove it after four days of letting it cure and it was still completely liquid. two extra days did nothing. Evidently, I did not stir it properly enough (i call bullshit, i stirred for three minutes. i timed it.) and i had to scoop the resin into the trash and clean the mold. by far the most agaonizeing part of this one was that it was still completely bubbleless like w h y must u hurt me.

By this point, I’m incredibly irritated. Whenever I get the measureing and stirring correct, my cast developes bubbles for no damn reason. whenever my cast doesn’t develope bubbles, it doesn’t cure. I have browsed forum after forum, video after video, did every trick i could find, fallowed the instructions to the T. and still, my resin has failed to turn out.

I am torn, honestly. I am so pissed at my inability to cast resin properly that i’m determined to keep trying to get it right. but at the same time, i’m wasteing resin and not making any imporvments. on the other side, My mom has a coworker who owns a jewlery buiseness with her husband and most of their peices use a really nice clear casting material. I’m wondering if I could ask them if they’d be willing to make me a complete eye as a commission. I havn’t any idea how they make their casts, however (i assume molds, but not sure) so i’m not sure. i’m also unsure if their casting material is a type of glass. I’ll ask about the durability of the material, and keep it as an option if everything else fails.

I currently have a third eye in the mold. i havn’t checked it since i poured it. i’m scared to, thb. i don’t want to be dissapointed.

Dragon:

On a more lighthearted note, If yall rememeber my dragon pattern from a while ago, i started on that plush. Originally i was just going to work on it until i got the rest of the stuff to finish erasii, but since his eye is taking forever and i havn’t been able to get the yarn to the correct length for his hair, i’ve gotten a lot of it done. the wings and batting inside are completely done (witht he exception of turning and sewing the finger details+stuffing) which was the largest part of the project. I started working ont he gold tail decor but i need to pull out an entire side since the peice didn’t match up properly. i was going to leave it, but i dont want her to look ugly int he end so about two hours of sewing earlier are down the drain Lol.

Hair:

Returning to Erasii, for more bad news, I’ve decided I can’t use yarn for his hair. i can’t get it long enough. I also can’t make a wig for him like i wanted to try, because i forgot his horns existed. Instead, i’ve decided to order saran hair. This....doesn’t sit well with me. I was going to try wefts this time, but i dont feel comfortable attching them dirrectly to his head. but i havn’t any idea how else to attach them either. i was thinking maybe glueing? or somehow sewing the hair directly into the head? the bangs and sides are the main ones i want to look nice since the back of erasii’s head is litterally just A Mess of short hair. I dunno. i’m ordering a crapton of hair, so we’ll see what i can do when i have it in my hands.

Dolls:

I’ve made the mistake of watching doll customizations. and i wanted to do one. except i couldnt make up my mind, and now i have three planned whoOPS

The first one is Pumpkin Pie, a pumpkin themed girl I want to make arund halloween. I have an orange body thats faceless and lacking hair bc it was from a create your own monster kit. she’s the perfect starter.

The second one was the original one i wanted to make, Nyoul. My little girly boy with a taste for cupcakes and human flesh. He was the reason i first went through the way-too-big box of dolls my mom and i bought years ago (over 500 dollars worth like srsly.) to find a duplicate to tear apart. but surpriseingly, we didn’t have any duplicates. We have three frankies, yeah, but they were all different versions, so i didn’t feel comfortable tearing any of them apart. Most unfortunately, this conundrum gave me time to lament, during which time i keep peeking at my Gooliope. She’s 17 inchs high, and i loved that size. I didn’t dare ruin her (she’s by far my favorite) so i kept an eye out for other 17 inchers. And as luck would have it, while stopping by toys r’ us the other day, I noticed one in the clearence bin. orignally 30bucks, dropped down to 15. not bad. the reason for this was because the doll (a clawdeen) was a little bit damaged. both her ears have broken bits and theres a lots of weird plastic at the seems. not so good for a child, a miracle gift from the doll gods for me. i expected to feel a little guilty buying a doll away from a potential kid, but because this one is damaged, i don’t. parents would have told a little girl to put this one back and grab another one anyway, so no harm in giving this little misfit a home x3

There are some....drawbacks, however.

Nyoul already requided heavy modification (ie: tiddy-be-gone) and now he needs even more. I was originally aiming for a frankie, since she has a lighter skin tone and no ears, since my concept for Nyoul has him as very pale. this is because his outfit will have a lot of color and having his skin be near-white would allow them to pop like on a canvase. he’s also aupposed to look like a doll, but also sickly. Cute, but not quite right. I’m going to have to cut off the ears (and boobs), and then repaint the entire body. I do feel.....gross, about doing that. it feels insulting and wrong. But if i’m going to put all this effort into makeing him, why shouldn’t i make him completely what I want?

on the upside of workin on him, I get to make a prop eventually! I love doing that! he carries a big-ass axe and long scissors.

Nyoul’s going to be a very long project. This is why I want to finish both Erasii AND the dragon before i even start him. So Clawdeen’s just chilling with her deformities for a couple of weeks Lol.

And lastly.....my ball joint doll.

Years ago, i purched a ball joint doll from someone used. I’ve always loved ball joints, but they were all too expensive. I was so excited to have a BJD at last, i developed an entire design for her that sadly failed to come to be. I had a lot of trouble as a newbie seamstress back then that i eventually gave up, and tossed her into my closet for a few....years.

and then i took her out of the closet and put her in the attic for several more years. I rescued her afew days ago, and i feel super guilty. I never even put her pants or shirt back on!

I dislike the original design i had for her, so i’ve been trying to think of what to transform her into. I was thinking about a demon popstar, so i could make horns and wings and a tail, but....her face doesn’t fit. she has a very serene sad face, lidded eyes. I’m not sure if i could paint her face to make her look more evil or mischevious or a diva. I really want to try tho. I might have to save it for another 17 incher monster high tho. i keep seeing the popstar design with highheels and my BJD has flat feet. and I can’t order new ones because they’re expensive and also i have no idea what modle doll i even have so whoops.

if i do move ahead with that idea tho, i’ve taken inspiration from Sia and Lady Gaga (and Billy Joe Cobra if i’m being embarisingly honest) especially witht he hair idea. a boxy neck length thats pure white on top, but each later under is a different color of the rainbow with some rainbow bangs. She’d also have sunglasses, piercings, tattoos, long fake nails....just so much stuff.

But its a long way before i’m confident to even try to work on her. just holding her makes me scared i’m gonna break her. (even tho i kinda already did, accidentally had to restring her legs bc i dropped a string trying to take her head off.)

Her time in the closet and attic seem to have done something to her faceup. I’ve been struggleing for the past three days to remove it (bc i want to repaint her and also the colors were ugly and she has a stupid little tear on her cheek) useing everything i could. I tried acetone first (i did a test ont he inside of the headcap to see if it’d hurt the resin) and it did absolutely nothing. so then i tried rubbing alcohol, and again nothing. i tried a magic eeraser which finally worked, but not well. i don’t want to try to buy anything else, so i’ve been dealing witht he magic eraser. i’ve nearly removed everything besides the lips, and i honestly don’t think i’m gonna be getting that lip color out of there. I’ve tried to shove some eraser into there and scrub with a toothpick and it did not do anything. I was planning on coloring her lips a dark color anyway, so meh. bonus shadeing.