#and any time someone asks how his jumper is christmassy he just points at it like they're the idiot.)

[wander-over-the-words]

Live for the notion that Benny is always wearing something with a chequered pattern on it like

it’s especially hot out one day so he ditches the blazer. comes down from his suite in a short sleeved button up but oh look it has black and white checkers.

christmas comes around and his christmas jumper? black and white checkers. is it christmassy? fuck you

goes for a dip in the pool. swim trunks? black and white checkers

needs to blow his nose. handkerchief? black and white checkers

one of his boys is getting married or something and they beg him not to wear the goddamn chequered suit so he just “ugh fine” and turns up in a normal black suit and then when someone makes a quip like “funny to see you not wearing checkers haha” Benny looks them in the eye, props his foot up on the nearest piece of furniture and rolls up his trouser leg and oh yeah socks have black and white checkers

gonna be wearing a chequered tie at his own wedding. that's non-negotiable, baby.

the only item of clothing he weirdly never wears checkers on is his undies which are always those boxers with love hearts that you see when dudes get pantsed in cartoons

[marvel-sluts]

Christmas with the avengers

pairing: avengers x teen!reader, Peter Parker x reader.

warnings: maybe some swearing?

summary: your first Christmas with both the avengers and with Peter, what could possibly go wrong?

a/n: merry Christmas everyone! this is absolute shit but I wanted to write something Christmassy, I hope you all like it!

******************

you hadn't been part of the avengers long when you started dating Peter, causing this to be your first Christmas with the both of them.

you get dressed in the matching Christmas jumpers you and Peter both had, because apparently it was tradition in the avengers tower to wear Christmas jumpers on Christmas day, so you had both agreed to wear the matching jumpers. (see gif)

you pulled on a pair of jeans and tied your hair up in a ponytail, with a small peice tinsel wrapped around your hairband. you did light makeup with f/c (fave colour) of eyeshadow.

you walk out of your room in the avengers tower and bump into Thor and Loki, heading to the kitchen.

"hello lady y/n, you look ravishing. I love your jumper." Thor said smiling at you.

"thanks Thor, you look good too." you say smiling at him.

"I like the tinsel" Loki muttered to you on the way past. you and him had become quite close over the past few months you have spent at the tower, but it still shocked you that he would say something like that with Thor around. normally he was a lot quieter in the shadow of his older brother.

"thanks loki." you say cheerfully, getting into the lift with them.

when the three of you get to the living room and kitchen you go your separate ways. Thor to the kitchen, no doubt to raid the cupboards of poptarts and you and Loki to the living room. you take a seat next to your boyfriend and smile at him.

"you look amazing" Peter says, looking at you lovingly.

"so do you." you say giggling.

"I know" he said, pretending to do a hair flick. but failing miserably and accidentally hitting himself in the face.

you laugh at him, and he looks at you with those puppy dog eyes that you can never resist. "sorry love" you say before kissing his cheek where he hit himself.

both of you head to the kitchen and after collectively deciding on cereal for breakfast, you go back into the living room with bowls full.

just as you both sat down on the sofa at your previous spots, Tony came in with Morgan trailing behind him, also wearing matching Christmas jumpers. "Merry Christmas everyone!" he says, sitting next to Steve and Bucky on the sofa.

Morgan runs over to you and attemps to scramble onto your lap. after realising what she was trying to do you help her get up and she sits on you happily.

Morgan had begun to like you in the short time you had been here, you were good with kids and would often play with her causing you two to become immediate friends. she was your little partner in crime and the pair of you would often adopt Loki to help prank Tony and Steve.

"I know its Christmas but there is a lot to get done, Pepper, Wanda and Bucky are on cooking duty first and then we will rotate, check this peice of paper that was kindly provided by Bruce for the timetable. everything else should have been done already."

"I can't wait to see what I got from Santa!" Morgan squealed excitedly, eyeing the pile of presents under the tree.

"I'm offended" you say dramatically, "are you not exited to see what I got you?" you asked laughing.

"yep, I'm exited for all the presents!" she said before getting off of your lap and running into the kitchen to 'help' with the cooking.

after half an hour of chatting and crimes cookies Nat decided she was bored.

"who wants to play Christmas games?" she shouts holding up a box. you glance at the box before bursting out laughing.

"o-deer! really?" Sam said, laughing at what happened last time you played it.

"do you remember Rhodes last time, he looked like he was going to take off." Scott said laughing.

"erm, excuse me. but who won?" Rhodes said pointing to himself. "this guy, so don't get ahead of yourselves." he said.

"I personally think I'm gonna win this time" you say sticking your tongue out at Rhodes.

"not gonna happen doll" Bucky called from the kitchen.

"just watch me win" you say.

everyone comes in from the kitchen and takes a break from cooking to play.

you all take turns having the antlers and throwing the hoops, when both you and Peter had finished you both collapsed on the sofa. he put his arm around you and you nestled your face in his chest, breathing in his warm sent.

after Nat announced that the winner was Wanda (everyone thinks she used her powers, although she swears that she didn't) you changed around kitchen duty, next up it was you, Peter and Steve.

Vision had mysteriously disappeared from the cooking rota, despite the fact that Wanda had been helping his cooking skills he couldn't seem to get any better.

you got started on the brussel sprouts, how anyone could eat them was beyond you but apparently some people *cough* Sam *cough* liked them.

Peter had gotten started on the stuffing, making the mixture and rolling it into balls. whenever he would walk past u he would kiss you on the forehead, or whatever part of you that was facing him at the time. Steve was watching this behaviour and wasn't sure to find it cute or disgusting.

Steve was getting busy with the mashed potatoes and checking on the turkey every once in a while.

a gasp echoed through the kitchen as you burnt your hand on the oven attempting to check on the turkey per Steve's request.

"what happe-" pete asked trailing off when he say u nursing your hurt hand, "oh baby, are you okay? did you burn it? don't worry it will be okay. I'll get some ice for it" he said, completely freaking out.

you watching him frantically searching for some ice for a minute before saying "don't worry petey, it's fine. it's only a burn. and it doesn't hurt that badly" you say giggling at how concerned he was.

"but what if it gets infected? or if it swells up?" he asked finally managing to find some ice and putting it on your hand.

"honestly, you kids." Steve says rolling his eyes and chuckling. "are you sure you are alright y/n?" he asks, his eyebrows knitting in concern.

"yeah I'm sure" you say, smiling up at him.

"okay" he says checking on the turkey himself.

you checked the clock "our shift ended five minutes ago! those little fuckers didn't tell us!" you say taking off the apron. you go into the living room and find Morgan and Loki laughing on the sofa.

"I'm truly sorry Lady y/n, it was my shift next and I didn't want to do it." Loki said, smirking at you.

"your not sorry" you say.

"no, your right, I'm not" he said, grinning again.

you roll your eyes and resume your earlier position on the sofa, Peter sitting next to you.

"secret santa!" came a shout from the doorway, you looked up to see that it was Tony. he was carrying the secret santa presents in his arms and Clint and Rhodes were behind him also carrying armfuls of presents.

Morgan jumped up from her seat next to Bruce squealing excitedly.

"don't we have to wait for our special guests to get here?" Pepper asked eyeing Tony.

"oops I forgot, yes we do" Tony said putting down the presents bashfully.

"what special guests?" you ask, having not heard about this at all.

"you will see" Tony said, with a shit eating grin.

about ten minutes later a knock was heard at the door.

Vision gets up to answer it and you soon here a shout from the doorway.

"do not fear, Christmas is saved. for the overrated king of wakanda and his amazing and beautiful genuis sister is here!"

"SHURI!" you and Peter both yell in unison.

"it is I" she said flicking her hair (and actually succeeding) before running to hug the two of you.

"not that anyone has noticed but I'm also here" Doctor Strange says from the doorway.

Tony and Bruce look up from talking to T'Challa and go over to shake hands with Strange.

"presents now?" Morgan asks, tugging on Tony's trouser leg.

"yes sweetie, go over and open some of them." Tony says. patting her on her head and sending her on her way.

everyone gathers around the tree and watches Morgan open her presents from santa. when she has finished you give her a wrapped package with some art supplies in. she jumps up and hugs you with a massive grin on her face.

then someone (you guess Scott but your not sure) yells secret santa.

everyone gets the presents they had gotten for their secret santa, you had gotten Thor and after asking for help from Peter you ended up making him something. when it was time for you to give thor his present you presented a wrapped up package. it was a knitted jumper with tiny hammers and lightning bolts on it.

he opened the present with a massive grin on his face and pulled you into a bone crushing hug.

"thanks you Lady y/n, I couldn't have asked for anything better."

"your welcome Thor" you said, smiling up at him.

when everyone was done with the secret santa, you had received a few scented bath bombs and a silver snake ring from Natasha, some people trickled out to go and help in the kitchen.

you handed Peter a package wrapped in red paper, "here you go Petey" you say.

he takes it and opens it, you had given him a watch with the millennium falcon on the inside of it.

"thanks baby, I love it!" he says hugging you tightly and kissing you square on the lips. "you will get yours tonight" he says with a grin.

not even five minutes had passed when a yell was heard from the kitchen.

"you idiot, you were meant to take out the turkey while we were opening the presents!" Sam yelled.

"well its not my fault that the timer didn't go off!" Clint yelled back.

"FRIDAY, did you set the timer like I asked you to?" Sam asked.

"you never asked me to set a timer sir" FRIDAY replied.

"shit" Sam muttered kicking the table in frustration.

after a few minutes of chaos Steve managed to find a ham in the back of the fridge, everyone decided that the ham was the best thing to have so you cooked it up and it didn't get burnt.

everyone gathered around the table, the food was delicious, and you almost couldn't tell that there wasn't a turkey.

"hey Bucky, could you pass me the potatoes please?" you asked. piling your plate high with good food.

once everyone was done eating you all sat in the living room and put on a Christmas movie.

you and Peter wanted to watch the muppets Christmas Carol but you both were outvoted and you ended up watching the Nightmare before Christmas.

Tony got the movie set up and you curled into Peter. an hour later when the movie was finished you were still in the same position, you were very happy next to Peter with him stroking your hair lovingly. you buried your head further into his chest until you had to upstairs to bed.

Peter offered to carry you and you glad fully accepted, completely worn out from the chaos filled day.

when you had both gotten up to your bedroom he presented a wrapped up gift from his pocket.

"I'm not done with you yet y/n" he says with a grin on his face.

you open the package and inside find a box. upon opening it you find a beautiful silver heart locket. you open up the locket to find that Peter had already put a picture inside, it was a picture of you and him on Valentines day, on the date that he had set up for the two of you.

"omg, Pete I absolutely love it!" you say with a massive grin on your face, "can you put it on me?" you ask.

"turn around" he says, taking the necklace from you and clasping it up. "all done"

he spins you around and you land in his arms, he kisses you passionately and you kiss back just as fiercely. the kiss was filled with passion and promises.

that night you fall asleep in his arms, with a massive grin on your face.

you couldn't have wished for a better Christmas, even if it did include burnt turkey.

[blu-joons]

The Last BTS Concert Before Christmas ~ BTS Drabble

25 DAYS OF CHRISTMAS CHALLENGE ~ DAY 4

Seven sweaty boys ran up the steps for the encore of their final performance before Christmas, each of them wore a cringy jumper, with tinsel around their necks and heads, gearing the crowd up for Mikrokosmos.

Five months they’d been on tour, and finally the time to go home came around, which they couldn’t have been more thrilled about. And neither could you.

Whilst you loved travelling the world with your seven best friends, it was nice to know in just a day you’d be back in the comfort of your own home, making the most of the build up to Christmas.

You stood at the side of the stage proudly, waving along as they sung the song, then took their bow, wishing Army a merry Christmas.

They couldn’t wait to get off the stage, each hugging you on their way down the stairs, sighing with relief, patting themselves with towels.

“I cannot wait to get home and enjoy Christmas,” Taehyung firstly spoke, sitting down in a collapsible chair. Meanwhile, you stood beside Namjoon, helping to dab his face, knowing how terrible of a job he usually did.

“I’ve still got all my presents to buy, it’s going to be a nightmare,” Hobi grumbled, brushing his hands through his long, light brown locks. “All of the sales will have finished by now.”

“That’s why I shop on tour,” Yoongi smugly responded, knowing he had a case filled with presents to take home with him, and not a single shopping stress. “If you see something just get it.”

“Didn’t you steal a present from a fan for your mother?”

“That’s not the point, when am I ever going to need oven gloves? At least my mum can make use of those.”

You glanced up at the stage as the crowds began to file out, with Christmas songs playing in the background. A smile appeared on your face, the adrenaline was building in you to head home and celebrate with your friends and family.

Watching the arena disperse for one final time surprisingly made you a bit emotional. You’d spent months with the boys, night after night watching happy faces disappear just for new ones to come along the following day, but now that was coming to an end.

“Shall we go sit on stage for a bit?” Namjoon proposed, as one by one you all filtered onto the stage, grabbing plenty of drinks and a couple of jumpers for warmth. “It would be nice to reminisce for a while.”

“How about we have a bit of a sing?” Jimin asked, sitting himself beside you, resting his hand over your thigh.

Everyone quickly nodded with excitement, watching Taehyung run back to grab one of the guitars, placing the strap around his chest. With caution, he began to strum the tunes of one of your favourite carols, as he began to sing, and everyone else soon joined.

During the tour you’d all become immune to Christmas, you hated celebrating whilst you were still travelling the world, it was only once home came around did you finally feel like you could be festive.

“Y/N, do you have a song you want to sing?” Jungkook asked from across the circle. “It doesn’t even have to be Christmassy.”

“I’ve always liked Silent Night, we used to sing that at school when we were younger, have you heard of it, Tae?”

He nodded, strumming lightly, just as the lights came down in the arena. Plenty of squeals escaped, mainly from Hobi who hung onto Jin for safety. Then, two spotlights came down on the stage, following you all around as you came back together.

“I think someone is watching,” Jimin whispered into your ear, “they want you to perform.”

“No way, there’s a reason why I stand backstage and not onstage.”

After a few more songs, Taehyung retired the guitar, placing his hands in his lap. Come the end of tomorrow you’d all be going your separate ways for the holidays, and that was never easier. As a group you were inseparable, especially over the past few months.

“So, what’s everyone’s plans for Christmas?” You asked.

Neither of them wanted to speak first, all stuttering over each other until Namjoon proposed they go around the circle.

“Well, I’ll be heading home, visiting all my family, especially my dad, he’s been ringing me a lot recently,” Jimin began, as you smiled watching his grin grow thinking about heading home to his family.

Then he turned to look to Jin. “I’m going to help out at the restaurant, we’ve got a Christmas menu this year, so I’d love to try that and make sure things are going well. Maybe I’ll turn it into an Eat Jin,” he giggled.

“I’ll be staying at the dorm for a bit, choreographing a few routines and then head home. My sister’s going to come and visit for a few days and do some shopping without mum and dad around,” Hobi replied to you next, clapping his hands in delight. “Namjoon?”

“I’m just excited to go home, we’ve got a family holiday that I arranged towards the end of the holidays which will be nice.”

“Where are you going?”

“Singapore, it’s somewhere I’ve never had the chance to explore before, so I’m really looking forward to it.”

Next was Taehyung, who told you all about his trips to see his family, with Tannie right by his side, whilst Yoongi planned to produce a Christmas song during his time off to release for all the fans.

“And I’ll be at home too, continue studying when I can, just see how things plan out,” Jungkook concluded, the final of the boys in the circle.

You loved listening to all their plans, knowing they were keeping themselves busy, excited to hear all about it when you finally reunited.

Going home at any point was special but going home for the holidays meant a great deal to everyone. Being able to see their families and spend quality time at home was all they could have asked for.

“What about you Y/N? Have you got plans?” Yoongi asked.

He made you jump as you looked to the floor, nodding your head. “I’ll be heading home too, spending some time with the family. I’m like Hobi, I’ve still got all my presents to buy too, so I need to get cracking when I get home.”

Hobi leaned forwards, high fiving you across Jimin, laughing in the boys’ faces that you were the same as him.

All eyes then fell on the empty arena, just a few lights and pieces of tinsel remained as the clean-up began from the festive concert. You’d made so many memories on the road with the boys, ones which you knew you’d never forget.

“I know tomorrow might be the last time we all see each other, so there is one thing I want to say,” Namjoon spoke, as everyone turned to look at him. “We’ve worked so hard this year, and I hope we all have the best Christmas with our families. I want to wish you all a Merry Christmas, whatever it is we will all be doing.”

“Merry Christmas everyone!”

---

Masterlists

[all-the-love-harold]

Chapter 2 - Let It Snow

It’s a very christmassy Chapter 2 for you all to enjoy! As always I have @lovesmelikebrandnewstarlight to thank for helping this chapter happen. Let me know how you’re liking the re-write so far! 

Master Post 

December 2013,

 London in December was everything that Poppy dreamed it would be. There was a sense of magic in the air everywhere she went and for the first time since she was about eleven she actually felt festive. She spent her evenings curled up by the fireplace watching Christmas films with Harry, when he was around, and her days running around the city between classes and christmas shopping. There was a sense of bittersweetness to it all though, she missed home and all the talk about christmas only made her miss her family. Her plans had always been to go home for christmas, but things with her apartment fell through after two months of living with Harry and all the money that she would have spent on a plane ticket now had to go towards a deposit on a new apartment, which would be ready before her birthday in February. Living with Harry had been a whirlwind for Poppy, she’d made a friend for life, someone she could call at 2pm for a chat or crawl into bed with at 2am for a snuggle because she was missing home. They told each other everything, from the crazy stories that Harry shared about life on the road to Poppy’s miserable attempts at dating, they knew everything about each other and that’s why Harry knew something was up when Poppy hadn’t arranged her flights home by mid December. He gave her a few extra days to bring it up herself, but by the time the 19th rolled around and she didn’t look like she had even started packing anything he decided to bring it up.

“You know how much I love having you around, don’t you Pop?” he said to her as he sat next to her watching ‘Love Actually’ for the third time this week

“Mmm” she nodded to focused on the film

“But you also know how much you love your family?”

“I do love them, yeah, where are you going with this H?” she muted the TV and looked at him

“Are you heading home for christmas?”

“Oh” Poppy sighed “I can’t afford it since I put that deposit on the new flat”

“Do you want to go home, because you know all you have to do is ask and I’ll get you a ticket?”

Poppy thought for a moment, as festive as she felt, she knew when christmas day rolled around she’d feel pretty miserable because everything over here was so different and cold and she’d probably end up spending it alone, but she’d already taken enough from Harry, she couldn’t let him buy her a plane ticket too.

“No” she shook her head “I can’t ask you to do that”

“Well I’m offering, but if you don’t want to go, you can come to cheshire with me”

“I’m already invading your house, I’m not going to invade your family christmas too”

“There’s no way I’m letting my best friend spend christmas alone” Harry said, matter of factly, “so if you’re staying in England either you’re coming to cheshire or I’m going to stay here”

Poppy leant her head on Harry’s shoulder and nodded “Guess I’m going to Cheshire then”

“Great!” Harry said, excitement evident in his voice “We leave early Tuesday morning”

***

December 24th,

 The days in London at this time of the year were short and the afternoons were dark and cozy. Made for snuggles by the fireplace with a warm cup of tea with some homemade shortbread. And with the promise of just that waiting for them when they arrived in Cheshire, Harry and Poppy set off early on Tuesday morning. For Poppy the three hour trip was nothing that she hadn’t done before, it was only half of the trip that she’d take back home to visit her grandparents once a month. Harry on the other hand, had to stop every hour because despite all the travelling he’d done this year, three hours was just too much. The last hour of the trip went by the quickest as they sang along to christmas songs with wide smiles glued to their faces. By the time arrived the guilty feeling that sat in Poppy’s stomach since she called her mum to say she wasn’t coming home, had disappeared and she was filled with christmas cheer.

 This wasn’t the first time that Poppy would be meeting Anne, that happened only two days after she’d landed in London, when One Direction just so happened to have a show at the O2 arena that Harry had forced her to go to, and since then Anne had welcomed Poppy with open arms. When Harry pulled up in Anne’s driveway, she was already out the front waiting for them and Harry let out a slight chuckle at the sight of her in her christmas jumper.

“Hope you have one of those for all of us” he said as he stepped out of the car

“I have better one’s for you two” she winked at Poppy.

“How are you Anne?” Poppy said, stretching her arms out and embracing Anne in a warm hug

“Oh I’m good beautiful girl, how are you, first Christmas away from home?” Anne pulled away from the hug but kept hold of Poppy’s shoulders, holding her at arms length so that she could make eye contact.

“I’m ok, it’s already Christmas Day back home, so I’ll give my family a call soon” Poppy smiled.

Anne nodded “You make yourself at home while you’re here dear, what’s ours is yours” she turned towards Harry and greeted him as any mother would greet her son that she hadn’t seen in months, with a hug that lasted what felt like five minutes and dozens of kisses on the cheek.

“Alright Mum” Harry giggled, “That’s enough, poor Poppy’s freezing, she’s not used to this cold.”

“Oh right of course” Anne said shaking her head “I forgot, the fire’s on inside, let’s go in an get you both warm”

Living in London was completely different from living in Sydney. For starters, if Poppy was in Sydney right now, she’d probably be in shorts and a t-shirt on her way to the beach on a hot summer's afternoon. But instead it was 4:30 in the afternoon and the sun had already gone down and Poppy was curled up on the couch under a fluffy blanket, snuggled up to Harry with a hot chocolate cupped in her hands, watching as snow fell outside.

“Is the first time you’ve seen snow Poppy?” Harry’s sister Gemma asked

Poppy shook her head “It snowed once back home, I think I would have been about four, my brother and I walked outside in our pyjamas and no shoes, Mum has a photo of us laughing at how cold our feet were.” Talking about her family usually made Poppy feel homesick, but right now, she felt more at home than she had all year, and part of her knew that that had everything to do with being wrapped in Harry’s arms.

****

Anne went all out for christmas lunch, there was a turkey and a roast beef and enough peas to feed a small village, although Poppy quickly learned that that small village was in fact just Harry. The table was decorated with festive foliage and ornaments galore, and Poppy was sat next to Gemma who couldn’t stop asking her about Australian christmas.

“So you don’t have a cooked meal like this?” she asked, curious about how the holiday is celebrated on the other side of the equator

“No” Poppy said simply “It’s usually a barbeque, with a honey glazed ham and a ton of salad followed by a pavlova and in my family, a mango cheesecake”

“Mango Cheesecake?” Harry chimed in “That sounds delicious”

“It’s pretty much the best thing ever” Poppy laughed “I’ll make you one when mangoes are in season here”

The food was everything that Poppy had always imagined a traditional christmas meal would be and at this point she was a little annoyed that Harry hadn’t introduced her to yorkshire pudding sooner.

When everyone had finished eating, Anne and Robin cleared the plates from the table and put their santa hats on.

“Right, everyone over near the tree, it’s present time” Robin said in a low bellow that could very well have been the voice of father christmas.

They all sluggishly moved over to the tree and sat down on the couch with their drinks still in their hands. Poppy wasn’t expecting any gifts for herself given that she was there on such short notice but she was pleasantly surprised when Robin called her name and handed her a bag full of gifts from everyone. Gemma gave her a candle that she’d found in a quirky london store that smelt like “Australian Summer” and Anne and Robin got her some Marc Jacobs perfume that Harry must of told them she wears regularly but it was Harry’s gift that surprised her the most, it was simply a card with a picture of a “P” drawn on somebody’s skin resting inside with “My next Tattoo” written on the back. Underneath the picture there was a message that read:

My Dearest Poopy,

Thank you for everything you do for me and everything that you are. I know you’re moving out soon and my house won’t be the same without you but this friendship will last a lifetime, I’m sure of it.

I’ll always hold you close to my heart.

Merry Christmas

All my Love Always, Hairy xx

 With their bellies full of the mouth watering meal that Anne had made for them, they retired to the living room where Harry immediately put on Michael Buble’s esteemed christmas album and started singing along.

“Oh the weather outside is frightful” he sang, holding his hand out to Poppy and pulling her into dance

“But the fire is so delightful” Poppy sang back, pointing to the open fire next to them

“And since we’ve got no place to go” Gemma joined from the couch

“Let it snow, Let it snow let it snow!” they all sang together.  

With a glass of mulled wine in her hand, Poppy sang and danced the night away, and not once did she even think about what she was missing out back home because she knew that she had all she needed right here; A best Friend who would do anything for her, and his family who had taken her in as their own.

[justsomewritingsandshit]

The ‘Mrs Clause’

Arthur Christmas x Female!Reader

Length: 1622 words

Warnings: Santa Clause 2 AU, sweet Arthur, female reader, probs not edited properly

It’s the 25th as I post this, so Merry Christmas to those who celebrate, Happy Holidays to those who don’t! Arthur Christmas is currently my fave christmas movie, and I had a dream about this au, so I wrote it!

Arthur Christmas had never once considered himself one day (possibly) becoming the next ‘Santa Claus’. Why would he? As the second son, and an ‘odd-ball’, he wasn’t to be the next in line. For these reasons, he’d never leant a single second into deliberating over the ‘Mrs Clause’. He’d always thought that his older brother, Steve, would be the person to take the job, so why should he bother himself over it?

“Steve, can’t I adopt a child to take after me, instead?” Arthur was not a confident person, so the thought of him having to physically go out and meet someone…

Steven Christmas was irritable. He’d been explaining the reasoning behind this addendum all right, but his younger brother didn’t seem to be grasping it at all. “Arthur, it’s a tradition, mostly just for the sake of it, but it’s also practical too.”

The ‘Mrs Clause’ was an adage to the ‘Script of Santa’ – which was the Guide to Being Father Christmas. Said clause had started off as ensuring a wife for Santa, which would then continue the important lineage, but it had eventually evolved into a role of ensuring the North Pole both hidden, and successful. His mother, Margaret, often negotiated treaties with neighbouring countries, sorted elvish workers’ rights, and taught many classes to the young elves. It was a very involved job, being the wife of Santa, and it had become rather vital to the success of Christmas.

“Honestly, Arthur, it’s of the upmost importance.” Steve rubbed between his brows, where a headache had begun to form. “Find a girl, marry her within the next five years, have children. I don’t see the issue here.” As if struck by lightning, a thought raced through Steve’s mind. The elder man looked over his shoulder, peering at his brother who was leaning over him, too close for his comfort. He narrowed his eyes, thinking of his brother and what he knew of his life. “Although, we can look for alternatives and loopholes if you aren’t attracted to women…”

Arthur’s eyes widened, and a deep flush developed on his cheeks. He had not once, in his life, discussed his sexual preference with Steve! “Oh, uh, no! I’m not, I, uh, well, no…” His rambling told his brother very little, “I’m not, well, I’ve always imagined a woman, you know… N-not that men aren’t just as lovely, in their – you know – their own way!”

Steve tuned out the rest of his younger brother’s rambling, having gotten the information he needed, “Very well. How shall we go about this, then?” He whipped out his HOHO 3000, and begun to look through old data files on his ancestors. “You could go the path Father went, which might be the best route for you, since you’re quite awkward.” Arthur choked on his breath, behind him. Their father, Malcolm, had done a few years at a university in England, where he’d met Margaret. “I’ll begin filling out the forms in the morning. You go get some bags together, you’ll have to live near the campus…” Steve had stood up by this point, and had wandered off, to go find his personal assistant, Peter. “I’ll check in with you tomorrow, Arthur.”

Arthur, who still stood in shock in his brother’s room, opened and closed his mouth, flabbergasted. He looked down to his outfit, which was essentially pyjama bottoms, a Christmas jumper, and a pair of outrageous Christmas slippers… It was nothing new to anyone in the North Pole, but to ‘normal’ society… This was going to possibly be the hardest experience of his life. “Oh dear…”

Before he even knew what was happening, Arthur found himself enrolled in a few different college courses at a university (located just outside of a bustling city), and living on his own, in a ‘flat’. His mother and brother had him equipped with a ton of non-Christmassy clothing, as well as some stylish, yet cosy, house décor – their way of attempting to not scare off any potential female suitors.

His first day of proper, ‘normal’ schooling told him that he was a few years older than most of the other university first-years – but, luckily; he seemed to get along great with this younger bunch. Life was simple for a few months, with Arthur talking to some of the female in his classes, stumbling over himself and his words as he did. He was a terrible flirt.

On his eighty-fourth day into his attempt at finding a person to be his ‘wife’, an absolutely stunning woman wandered into his Political Science classroom. She was introduced as Y/N Y/L, the professor’s teaching assistant for the next few months. Y/N, herself, revealed that she was a third-year student at the same school, and that she wanted to one-day work for the United Nations. For Arthur, it was love at first lecture.

“Can I help you, Mr Christmas?” Y/N smiled at the young man stood in front of her. She’d been surprised by Arthur, when she’d first introduced herself to him. He was a mature-aged student (which meant he was older than twenty-four), one of two in that Political Science class, and seemed to be loved by all his class-mates. The professor of the class had described him as a bright student, if not a little oblivious, and exceedingly cheerful, too. He was cute, not perhaps conventionally, but Y/N didn’t truly care for that anyway. Silently, the young woman scolded herself; she realised she shouldn’t think of him in such a way, it was unprofessional!

Arthur fumbled with his paper, recently handed back to him that day. “I was, I was wondering if you could help me?” Arthur’s voice cracked with nerves, and his face went bright red. “I mean,” He cleared his throat, “Before the exams… Could you just help me raise the, uh, you know…, the grade?”

Whilst he was embarrassed by his silliness, Y/N was kvelling over his nervous nature. It was nice to know that he truly seemed as wonderful as everyone had described. “Sure, how about I set up a tutoring schedule for us?”

Arthur nodded frantically, it was the perfect way to get to know her! Also, he could genuinely use the help, his grade wasn’t as high as he wanted it to be…

“So, any plans for the holidays?” Y/N was leaning across a coffee-shop table, questioning Arthur about his Christmas plans, nearly a month into their tutoring. “I’m so ready to just finish my exams, and then relax over Christmas!”

Arthur nodded along, sipping his large hot chocolate, which was laced with peppermint, and heavily topped with whipped cream. So far, the month of December had been crazy for the new, young ‘Santa’. He’d been forced into long nights, filled with long communications between himself and Steve, talking in depth about their final plans. Arthur’s days weren’t much more restful, considering he’d been frantically studying for his own exams, too. Still, he managed to be his usual level of energetic. “I’m so excited! Christmas is my absolute most favourite time of year, you know!”

Y/N nodded along, glancing at his loud clothing. “I think everyone here can tell that!” She teased him lightly, secretly loving his childlike enthusiasm for this time of year, as well as his stunning collection of Christmas jumpers. “Are you going home for the holidays, Arthur?”

The two had grown close during their tutoring sessions, eventually realising that they had become more friends, than an assistant-teacher-and-student. Y/N also felt herself slowly, but surely, falling for the adorable man. Despite this, she remained absolute on her stance the two be just friends – at least until she finished her stint as his class-teaching assistant, only another few days at least. She was not going to injure her reputation, no matter how lovely she found Arthur Christmas!

“Yep!” Arthur was briefly reminded of his brother Steve, as he attempted to not spill-the-beans on his true holiday plans. He should not be releasing such information, so soon! “Back off home!” He nearly jumped out of his chair in excitement, when he remembered he’d bought the woman a gift, and had sat it beside his seat earlier, “Here!” Nearly shoving it into her hands, Arthur smiled widely.

“Oh, Arthur, this is so sweet!” She grasped the gift, and nearly tore into the paper when Arthur shook his head wildly.

“Not yet, there’s another week until Christmas, silly!” He blushed a little at her amused smile. The pair continued to discuss a variety of subjects, ranging from Christmas traditions to favoured TV shows, until they were eventually asked to leave the café so it could close.

Nearly a week after her last day as the first-years’ Political Science teaching-assistant, Y/N opened Arthur’s gift to her, in the early hours of Christmas day. She was surrounded by family, the younger members tearing into gifts around her. Arthur’s gift ended up being a framed picture of the two laughing quietly in that same café, where they often met and studied together. The two were smiling sweetly at each other, and the tone of it seemed more intimate than it perhaps was. Attached to the frame, was a hand-written note;

Y/N, as lovely of a friend as I find you, I’d love to get to know you as more. Have a lovely holiday, and I hope we can ‘go out’ when we see each other in the new year. Merry Christmas, Arthur.

She refused to answer her family’s questions, when she smiled to herself all day.

In the North Pole, Arthur ate Christmas dinner with his family, himself smiling happily. He too, refused to answer the questions of his intrigued family. Perhaps, this won’t be as hard as he thought it may be…

TAGGED:

@iamwarrenspeace, @stilesloverdaily, @itsnotnormalteen

[americanowrites]

PINK SKIES // First Christmas 

“I have to say I’m disappointed Harry, honestly this might be the worst thing you’ve ever said to me. And I still remember the time you called to say you’d vomited in my Gucci loafers.” Georgina stood in Harry’s kitchen, a roll of wrapping paper shoved under her arm and a box of bows clutched in her hand. Harry sat at the table, stony faced and unmoving.

“You’re so dramatic. And I replaced those shoes.”

“The trauma still lives on though.” Sometimes she swore she could smell vomit when she put her shoes on.

“I said I’m sorry,” he sighed, feeling a stab of guilt even though it happened months ago.

“But you’re not sorry for hating Christmas?”

Georgina sighed and Harry sniggered at the frown on her face. “I do not hate Christmas.”

“You don’t love it,” she countered, the woolly jumper she’d pulled on this morning clashing with the sour look on her face. She felt like he’d slapped her. She’d been planning gifts since the day after Halloween.

“It’s annoying, shops have their stuff out in like August and everyone goes mad. Liberty had their Christmas shop open in September, it’s was crazy.” He shuddered remembering the afternoon he took his mum shopping and stumbled across the Christmas floor; hearing All I Want for Christmas in August terrified him.   

Georgina countered, “People are happy.”

“It just never makes me happy. I’m used to having like two days off and using it to catch up on sleep.”

Her heart faltered. “That breaks my heart, Harry.”

Harry shrugged. “That’s just how it is. Christmas is a time for sleep in my eyes.”

“This year is gonna be different. I’ll show you what Christmas is all about.” Harry was slightly fearful of the determined look in her eye.

“We’re too busy,” he sighed. He wanted nothing more than to hang out and do all things Christmassy, but he had an album to finish and she was going to Mexico next week.

“I will make time. Are you too busy to spend time with your girlfriend?” Hands on her hips, she levelled him with a look he was more used to seeing over Skype when he questioned if she was too tired to talk.

“Now you’re being silly,” he laughed; they both knew how far from the truth that was.

“Are you?”

“Of course not.”

Georgina grinned, “Good, so I expect you to tell your musician pals that you’re done for Christmas on the twenty second. I’m flying into London on the twenty first and I want you home in a Rudolph jumper that night ready to experience the best Christmas of your life.”

“I don’t own a Rudolph jumper,” he pointed out, knowing it was fruitless to argue with her.

“Not yet, you don’t.”

*

When Georgina said she was going to make Harry love Christmas, he should have known she wouldn’t do things by halves. So far they’d been ice skating at a deserted rink in Clapham, decorated a Christmas tree that Georgina had made Harry carry home, and drunk more hot chocolate than Harry had had in his entire life. She’d also forced him into a Christmas jumper, much to his dismay.

He still wasn’t in the Christmas spirit, but seeing how happy Georgina was made him feel merry and it wasn’t hard to fake a smile when she looked so happy. He’d let her boss him around, listening to all her instructions and plans, knowing not to interfere. Georgina was like a storm when determined to do something, he’d never realised how terrifying she was.

“So I’m thinking that we head home and watch loads of Christmas films.”

“Sounds good.” Harry’s feet were aching, ice skating wasn’t his sport.

“Shall we get a takeaway?”

“Is that Christmassy?” he teased; everything had to be Christmas related according to her.

She thought about it for a moment. “It can be our Christmas tradition.” He knew she was tired too, her feet weren’t as energetic and she’d stopped blabbering on.

“I think that’s a great idea.” He grabbed her hand, pulling her up from her place on the bench. She leant on him, showing signs of defeat for the first time in two days. “We’ve had a busy week and I think you’re still jet lagged.” Harry had been in London for a week before Georgina arrived on an overnight flight from Mexico City, she’d battled with the tiredness but he could see it was about to win.

“No I’m fine.”

“No, you’re tired. I’m gonna run you a bath when we get home.” She didn’t miss the sly way he referred to his house as home; he’d been making comments like that for weeks now, ever since he’d broached the subject for her moving in with him. It was far too soon for Georgina = two months of official dating was too soon to make that commitment, but she didn’t want to get into that now.

“We need to watch films,.” she argued. She had a stack of them waiting in his bedroom; Elf was top of her list.

“We’ll have plenty more Christmases, if we do everything this year we won’t have anything left to do.” He loved the idea of starting Christmas traditions with her, to have this time every year to be together.

She stayed quiet and he almost thought she’d fallen asleep. “Okay.” For the first time since he’d known her, she admitted defeat but he couldn’t find it in his heart to take any glee from it.

*

Georgina was unusually quiet and it was unsettling Harry. He was staring ahead as they drove through the country roads, winding and weaving through Dorset. He thought it should be him who was worried, he was about to stay with her parents for Christmas, in her childhood home. He’d met her parents once for a quiet dinner in London and briefly one morning when he’d stayed over at Georgina’s and they’d surprised her in LA. He was positive they hated him.

And Atlas, her brother, would be there too - a giant ball of energy who asked a million questions about Harry every time she spoke to him. Harry hadn’t met Atlas yet, but with the way Georgina spoke about him, he knew she must be nervous.

He slid his hand over the console, the pro of having an automatic car, and rested his palm on Georgina’s thigh. She was in her own little world, one he wished he could enter; the mere idea of it intrigued him, he’d love to know what kind of things she thought about. He knew she kept a lot to herself, he just hoped that one day she’d find it natural to share as much as he did.

He didn’t expect her to react, but she gently placed her own hand over his. No words left their lips but they both still felt comforted.

Georgina hated going home, it was a place filled with terrible memories, somewhere she was never happy. But she wondered if being with Harry would make it less painful. She hoped it would.

*

There was a dog. Georgina hadn’t been told about a dog. She’d never been allowed a dog when she was younger and now there was a chocolate Labrador wagging its tail at her and sniffing her shoes.

“Magnolia!” she heard her mum cry from the doorstep. “Welcome home darling.” Georgina didn’t argue with her mum, but she wanted to tell her that she wasn’t home; home was a million miles away.

“What’s this?” Georgina asked, ignoring her mum’s attempt at a hug and pointing at the dog.

Her mum’s face lit up in a way she’d never seen before, not even when her carrots grew correctly for the first time or when Georgina graduated university. “Oh this is Billy! Someone in the village found him and we took him in.”

“You rescued a dog?”

“Yes Magnolia, is that so outrageous?” her mother sighed, her natural reaction to anything Georgina said. “Oh Harry! Hello sweetie, we’re so glad you could make it.”

“Hi Mrs E, thanks so much for having us.” He kissed her cheek, dropping Georgina’s weekend bag on the floor as he gave her mother a hug. She felt a pang of jealousy, she could never grab hold of him like that without worrying who could be watching, Georgina had to wait until they were safely in the car when he’d picked her up at the airport yesterday.

“My pleasure. Now come on, we’ve got some mulled wine.” She danced away, Billy the dog following her happily.

“You okay?” Harry’s fingers danced along her arm. “Babe?”

“They have a dog.”

“They do,” he confirmed, grabbing her hand. She wondered if she looked as nauseous as she felt.  

“I was never allowed a dog.”

“Do you want a dog? We can get a dog.” Georgina sighed, sounding a lot like her mother, much to Harry’s amusement. She knew if she said she wanted a dog, Harry would run to the nearest RSPCA and find her a dog.

Instead of asking for a puppy, she squeezed his hand. “Come on, let the torture begin.”

“Hey.” He pulled her to a stop before she made it through the door. “We can leave anytime you want, ok? I’m here for you and I want you to be happy, the second you aren’t, we’re leaving.”

“My mum will lock the doors.”

“I mean it Georgie.” He stared at her with such intensity she couldn’t look away and she couldn’t ignore her fear anymore.

“Just please don’t change your mind about me, please don’t let them make you hate me.” Her voice wobbled and he hated it. He didn’t want her to ever be fearful of him leaving. He couldn’t ever imagine walking away from her unless she forced him, and even then he’d fight and fight.

“Is that what you think will happen?” She shrugged and he dropped her bag again, wrapping his arms around her. “That will never ever happen, I promise.”

“You don’t know that,” she told him, clinging to his shirt.

“I know that I don’t care about what anyone can say to me and I know that if I was going to change my mind about you, I would’ve done it back when you used to tell me to fuck off every time you saw me.”

“I still tell you to fuck off,” she pointed out, remembering this morning when she kicked him out of the shower so she could shave her legs. He offered to do them for her but there was no way she’d ever agree to that.

“Yeah but you do so with a bit of affection now.” She giggled despite her nerves. “I’m here until you don’t want me here.”

“I think you might be stuck with me forever then.”

“Then we’re both going to be very happy.” She felt him smile as he kissed her forehead; it was the kind of kiss that reassured her, settled her into her skin and reminded her he was there.

*

Her parents were, of course, a nightmare, she’d expected nothing less. They insisted on calling her Magnolia at any given opportunity, they called her out on never calling them, and they doted on Harry like he was their long lost son. Which didn’t bode well when their real life son strolled through the door, hungover and carrying an oversized suitcase.

Georgina wanted a quiet Christmas, a chance to relax with Harry before the hectic New Year. She wished they’d tagged along with his mum on holiday or just stayed at his house in London. She held him a little tighter when Atlas appeared in the room, his eyes glued to Harry like he was in a zoo exhibit. Harry, to his credit, pretended not to notice the way he was being stared at. Georgina was less kind.

“Will you stop it Atlas,” she huffed as he turned in his seat to get a better look.

“What?” he gasped, annoyed at being caught. She wanted to shove a pair of devil horns on his head to match the angel halo her Dad had gifted her earlier.

“Staring at Harry, it’s weird.” Glowering at him, she felt fourteen again.

“Oh I’m sorry, am I supposed to pretend that my geeky sister dating a popstar is normal?”

“It is, he’s just Harry.”

Atlas cackled, sounding like the witch he was. “Fuck off, he’s Harry Styles.”

“And I’m right here,” Harry pointed out, feeling slightly uncomfortable. Atlas had been staring at him rather intensely.  

“Just pull yourself together Atlas or we’re leaving.”

She knew she’d pressed a button when she saw the glint in his eye. “You need to relax Magnolia. Maybe Harry should take you upstairs to relieve some of your tension.”

“Hey mate, come on,” Harry interjected before Georgina could tear Atlas apart.

Atlas held his hands up and stalked out of the room, leaving Harry and Georgina alone with the TV and Christmas tree. “He’s such an idiot,” she moaned, shoving her face into Harry’s chest. She almost poked his eye out with her halo but he still warped her in his arms, the human shield he didn’t know she’d need on this trip. He thought she’d always exaggerated about her family.

“I’m used to people staring; you should just let it go.” Running his fingers through her hair, his fingers caught at the bobble and he tugged gently until it fell away.

“It’s Christmas Harry, I don’t want you feeling self conscious about who you are.” He’d told her that Christmas was his time to relax and she felt like she was ruining it for him.

“I don’t.”

“Yes you do, don’t lie.”

“Maybe a little but it’s okay, I expected it.” She knew he wasn’t going to let her win anytime soon. Harry was too polite to complain.

“You’ll tell me if you ever feel uncomfortable?”

“I mean, I think the worst is going to be having to be behave around your parents because that angels halo you’re wearing is making me want to do very bad things to you.,” he whispered against her ear, teeth nibbling at her ear lobe.

“Shut up,” she giggled as his fingers found her bare stomach.

“You look amazing and I’m struggling a little.” Her stomach did a slow roll.

“You’re terrible Harry Styles.”

“And I’m so gone for you.”

*

Harry watched as Georgina pulled her hair up into a big ponytail, tendrils instantly falling down. She leant against the windowsill, her bare legs half covered by his old Kiss t-shirt, the one he’d given up any claim to, and a pair of bright pink woolly socks. The t-shirt hugged her bum and rode up a little as she strained to see something in the garden below. He watched her while she watched her childhood garden as it filled with the voices of her parents. A space she’d known all her life, a space where she’d broken her wrist as she fell out of the tree house, where she’d played hide and seek, where she’d had her sixth birthday party. He admired her, amazed at the woman she’d turned into. He’d seen all the school photos hung on the walls, her awkward teen era, her lonely years, and felt a strange guilt that he wasn’t there for it. He wondered what she was thinking about as she watched her family; he wondered if she felt disconnected from them. Was it them against her? He hoped she’d realised that she had him, despite whatever anyone had ever said about her not deserving anything or anyone. He hoped he’d be enough for her.

“G?”

“Yeah?” she mumbled, too tired and too warm to do much else. Her mum had the central heating blaring out, turning her cheeks pink and her fingers toasty. Georgina was used to the warm California sun but this was stifling. Her chest was tight having just watched her parents and Atlas laughing at a joke together.  

She turned her head to see Harry staring at her with a soft smile. Her chest loosened. “My t-shirt looks good on you.” He didn’t smirk like he often did after a cheeky comment. She didn’t know if he knew of her sadness. Harry was very good at reading people, especially her, despite how hard she fought to keep things hidden. But she was trying to be better for him, to be the person he deserved her to be.

“And you look good in my bed.”

“Wow,” he laughed, the sound golden on her ears. The ice in her chest had melted. “There’s my cheeky girl. Come here and ravish me.” He threw his arms across the bed, eager to have her near him.

“You might regret that Styles.”

“I’ll never regret anything with you.” His voice was firm, solemn and she knew it was more than a flirty line.

*

“Magnolia will you get me that mixing bowl?” her mother demanded as she stood at the kitchen unit, hand on hip. Georgina forced herself from the chair at the table and her magazine. Harry was in her room calling his mum while she had a burst of signal and Georgina felt lonely. Her mother had barely said two words to her.

She mused quietly to herself how different it felt from when she was with Harry’s family. She’d only been up to Holmes Chapel twice, but she felt more comfortable there than in her own family home. They didn’t make snarky comments or try to belittle her, they respected her and maybe it was because she was new in their lives, but Georgina still knew she shouldn’t feel so uncomfortable around her family.

Handing her mother the cream ceramic bowl, she weighed her options. Harry told her they could leave if things turned bad and she knew he meant it; they’d be on the motorway within seconds if she asked.  

So she bit, “Can you please not call me Magnolia?”

Her mother stopped her stirring for a moment and then shook her head. “I gave birth to you I can call you anything I like.”

“It’s quite disrespectful though, Mum.”

Her mum didn’t turn to look at her but she knew she’d rolled her eyes. “It’s also disrespectful to go and change your name as soon as you’re legally allowed, Magnolia.”

Georgina’s heavy groan didn’t go unheard. But her mum brushed it off, used to Georgina’s displeasure. “Harry’s here, can’t you at least be normal?”

“I’m perfectly normal love.” Georgina stared at her mum and knew she was fighting a losing battle, just like every other visit home.

“Everyone else manages to call me Georgina.”

“That’s because no one knows the truth, you’re living a lie Magnolia.”

“No, I’m living my life.”

“Will you be quiet, I’m trying to cook.” With that, Georgina was silenced and she stomped off to find Harry.

*

Christmas morning was filled with torn up paper, her dad’s vinyl collection softly playing and enough eggnog to fill an army. Georgina’s stomach was warm, her head fuzzy and her lips aching with the smile on her face.

The last couple of days had been awful but seeing how Harry fit in with her family, how he had them all at ease, made her practically glow. She knew she wouldn’t feel like this if he wasn’t here but she wasn’t dwelling on that.

She’d managed to get Harry into a Christmas jumper - after many promises of returned favours and inappropriate touching - and he was sat next to her in a bright red knitted jumper with a flashing Rudolph nose. He looked cuter than she’d ever seen him, especially with his pout. They held hands while her parents opened Harry’s gift to them, a weekend away in the Cotswolds which put Georgina’s Harrods’ hamper to shame. Atlas nearly wept when Harry gifted him a year’s membership to Soho House. She vowed to yell at him later for being so generous.

Harry had beamed like a little kid when he opened his vintage Pentax camera which Georgina had wrapped in tacky wrapping paper complete with a bow; she’d slid a little card inside promising ten hours of photography lessons. She’d been worried about her gift to him but his face calmed all her worries.

“You realise you’ve gotta be my subject now?” He winked, her father chuckling from the corner. She couldn’t help but feel a burst of happiness that her parents seemed to like Harry.

Her gift haul was full of knickers and socks and toiletries from her parents and a book about film from Atlas; she was surprised he’d bought her something so personal. Harry squeezed her hand as he passed her his gift, a large red box.

“I didn’t have a clue what to get you,” he told her honestly.

“You didn’t have to get me anything.”

“You never say that to us,” Atlas interjected, a glare fired his way from Georgina. She really didn’t want anyone to feel like they had to buy her gifts and she definitely didn’t want Harry spending loads on her. Her fingers shook as she lifted the lid on the sparsely decorated box, she knew he wasn’t full of festive cheer so she appreciated his effort. She could see him twisting his rings, nervous energy flowing through him as they all watched her. Atlas looked as though he was expecting a Kardashian to jump out of the box. Nestled inside the box was a shiny white number plate, the large black letters immediately catching her eye. “NRVOUS” was branded across it below the Illinois state marker. Georgina gasped as she realised what it was. One of her favourite films was Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and this was a replica of the license plate on Cameron’s dad’s Ferrari that Ferris drove around in.

“Harry, this is great,” she beamed at him.

“It’s the real deal. I found out some guy was selling it and I bought it. It’s got the certificates of authorisation and everything.”

“You’re joking?” she gasped again, clinging to the box a little harder.

“No.” He looked puzzled, slightly fearful.

“Harry...oh my gosh this is too much.”

“Do you like it?”

“I love it.”

“Then it’s exactly enough.” He smiled and she was sure her heart burst with happiness and appreciation for the boy sat in front of her. “I wanted to get you something you’d never dream of buying rather than something you need.”

“You’re amazing.” She leant over and kissed him, grabbing his jumper and holding him close. She wanted to kiss and kiss him until her lips turned blue, but her Dad coughed and she was forced to remember that her family were in the room. “Thank you,” she whispered against his lips.

“Come on Mag, show us what you got.” Her dad bustled over, pushing into the space between her and Harry, ending their kissing show.

*   

They’d retired to her room, their bellies full of Christmas dinner and two servings of pudding. They’d played charades and watched Shrek, which played every Christmas Day. Harry had sat in the dining room with her Dad for an hour listening to his old records and sharing a Brandy, much to her delight, while Atlas regaled her and her mum with tales of his London life. For the first time in a long while, Georgina had felt comfortable at home and she wondered if the curse had been lifted, if her Prince Charming had come along and helped her save herself from the desolate future.

“I…I got you another gift…I didn’t wanna give it in front of everyone.”

“Oh god it’s not a strip tease is it?” she joked, but then she saw how sick he looked.

“No,” he smiled tightly, “It’s…well here.” He handed her a small purple box. She had to smile at how worried he looked; it was always a strange pleasure to see the confident, cocky Harry Styles look nervous.

“You didn’t have to get me anything else, you’ve given me enough.”

“I didn’t spend any money,” he assured her and bit his lip.

Georgina’s hands shook while Harry stared at her, waiting. Opening the box, she saw a sleek grey iPod nestled inside. Glancing at Harry, he smiled tightly again. She gripped the iPod and it came to life, the screen lighting up a playlist featuring just one song.

“Harry…”

“Just put the earphones in and listen.”

She did as he said and for the next three and a half minutes she was completely silent. She could feel Harry watching her, reading her reaction but she kept her eyes down, focused on her childhood carpet.

She listened to every word as Harry’s soft soulful voice gently caressed her ears. Her heart was pounding, almost painfully. Harry was mummering such beautiful things, words that she hoped to forever remember, Feelings she hoped would never die. He told her how he felt about her, how she made him feel, and how he loved them being together in the best way he knew how. He made her feel nostalgic for the times they’d had in their short relationship and for the times long ago, when they’d both floated around each other, not realising how important they’d become to each other. He made her body fizz with excitement about their future and all the times they had still to come. He made her feel loved. And even if those words were too soon in the making or not what he wanted, he made her feel like he loved every bone in her body and every fibre of her DNA.

Georgina had never felt it before, the ache in her chest to hold someone, to see someone smile, and to be with someone as much as possible. She never felt it and could barely understand it, but Harry had managed to put all her thoughts and feelings into a beautiful song.

“Wow, Harry,” she sighed when the song came to an end, slowly drifting out into silence. Even the sound of the whistling kettle downstairs couldn’t shatter her spell. “That’ll be a number one for sure.”

“No one else is ever going to hear it.”

“But-”

“I started writing it and it became about you and I just can’t let other people hear it. It’s too personal and it’s so obviously about you,” he shrugged. “I won’t do that, not after last time.” He was referring to Jamie; a person they pretended didn’t exist. Georgina felt ready to burst into tears. “This is for you, I know it’s cheesy but you’re very inspiring.” He grinned, looking every inch like a schoolboy. She felt a swelling in her heart.

“You’re gonna make me cry.”

“Please don’t, your dad will gut me.”

“You’re amazing. Thank you so much.” She leapt on him but he was ready, waiting to catch her like he always promised to do.

[mintymayo]

Almost Christmassy Drarry (Part One?)

Hi, I’m Mayo. I’ve never really written a fanfic before, but I really wanted to try it out. Let me know if you like to see more, and leave a comment if you’d like. I worked hard on it, but it is my first fanfic, so go easy. Enjoy!

***Five Days ‘Til Christmas**

-Harry was never very fond of the Christmas season. He'd been forced to shovel snow for the Dursley's until his hands were numb from the cold. And, of course, it was disappointing to never receive any presents, but it was mainly the feeling of not belonging. The Weasley's were much more enjoyable, but the feeling was still there, even after everything they'd done for him. It wasn't as if he didn't love the Weasley's, he absolutely did, and they were always so welcoming and loving, but deep down he always felt he was intruding.

-Harry just accepted that it was permanent and tried to move on.

-But this year it was too much. Harry didn't think he could handle it much longer. The idea of going to the Burrow, and putting on a smiling face, trying to seem happy, he just couldn't do it, at least not right now. He had been in a depressive state for about two weeks now, and although it seemed to be winding down, being around the entire Weasley family definitely wouldn't exactly ease his anxiety.

-He'd already floo-called Molly earlier and canceled. He never liked lying to Molly, it always made him feel terribly guilty, but sometimes it had to be done.

-After about an hour of staring at the ceiling and constant fidgeting, Harry decided to go for a walk. He pulled on his Holyhead Harpies jumper he'd bought, back when he and Ginny were still dating. It'd been three years since they'd broken up. It was pretty mutual, they were still friends now, and Harry had only just discovered he was bi back then, although he still hadn't dated anyone since. He should probably put himself out there more.

-"As if that's gonna happen," he muttered dryly to himself.

-He pulled on his shoes and a cozy hat and stepped out the back door. It was still snowing lightly, but not enough to bother him. He headed onto the trail that headed into the woods.

-He'd moved to rural England and moved into a muggle town right after he sold Grimmauld Place. He couldn't stand living there. It always made him think of Sirius, and all of the others he couldn't save. Grimmauld Place was also horrifyingly creepy. He'd had nightmares every time he'd try to stay there, much worse than his normal ones, and don't even get him started on the enormous amount of renovating he'd have to do to even make it livable.

-Selling it was definitely the best decision.

-Continuing on the path into the woods, he let his mind wander to dating again. He was twenty-three now. He'd still only dated one person. He hadn't really explored his bisexuality yet. He wasn't a virgin or anything, he'd obviously slept with Ginny and had hooked up with one guy, although it didn't feel quite right to sleep with someone he didn't know, other than that, he didn't have much experience.

-It wasn't as if he hadn't tried. He gave online dating a shot, and that went disastrously. Half of the people freaked out because he was Harry Potter, and the other half didn't believe he was. He tried using a glamour, but he felt like it was lying to them, and, once, his glamour ran out and a date that had previously been going smoothly, quickly devolved into, "oh my God, it's Harry Potter!" and most of the restaurant swarming him for autographs. That, obviously, wasn't ideal.

-He didn't exactly have many friends to choose from. Ron and Hermione were engaged, Neville's dating Hannah Abbott, Luna and Ginny seem to be pining for each other, Dean and Seamus had been together since sixth year, and, to be quite frank, he wasn't interested in any of them romantically.

-He guessed that left Pansy, who worked with Hermione and was quite helpful now that her wrath wasn't directed at him, and Blaise, who he'd met back when he was still an Auror, but Pansy was a lesbian and Harry was pretty sure Blaise was dating someone, although he wasn't quite sure as he rarely talked about his personal life. He mostly just played chess with Ron now that they got along. Before, Ron was quite rude to Blaise, with his family being Death Eater's and all, but when Blaise helpfully pointed out that he himself was not a Death Eater, and obviously didn't support Voldemort, Ron seemed to back off. After that being cleared up, Ron really started to like Blaise's sharp wit, and they got along great.

-Speaking of Ron, it suddenly hit Harry that he hadn't warned him he wasn't coming for Christmas. He should probably call him. Or at least text him.

-Harry continued walking anyway.

-He'd probably try to call Harry later today when he arrived for Christmas Eve. Harry sighed dramatically and sat down on a nearby bench. The path connected to a community park, and luckily his house was far enough away that he wasn't bothered by any noise. The occasional family or child would sometimes wander near his house, but they never really bothered him.

-He pulled out his phone and apologized to Ron for not being able to make it, saying he had a muggle illness and that he didn't want to spread it to anyone. Ron wished him a Merry Christmas and told him to rest.

-Harry felt less guilty lying to Ron than to Molly, although it was guilt nonetheless.

-Harry put his phone in his back pocket and leaned his head back, staring at the blanket of leaves above him. He wondered if Ron would ever understand his mental issues. He knew Hermione would, but if he told her, she'd likely try to tell Ron, and Harry didn't think he could truly explain it to him without him constantly trying to fix it afterward. It felt as though it'd be easier to deal with it on his own.

-Harry's thoughts were interrupted by the sound of someone lightly jogging around the corner. He glanced to the right lazily and froze.

-"Malfoy?" Harry asked, astounded.

-Malfoy stopped immediately, shoulders stiff. His hand was hovering over his wand in his pocket.

-"Uh, hi. What're you doing here?"

-Malfoy rolled his eyes, relaxing a bit. "I'm taking my son for a walk in the park, Potter, what does it look like?" Malfoy gestured down at his son. Harry only then really snapped out of his shock to look at them. He looked quite a lot like Malfoy, at least for a baby, but his face was much softer and he had dark brown eyes instead of grey. His son also had, oh Merlin, adorable little curls! Harry smiled at him and he giggled back. Malfoy cleared his throat.

-"Oh, right, sorry." Malfoy looked much different. He was now ridiculously tall, definitely taller than Harry, maybe even as tall as Ron. His face was still quite pointy, but it wasn't in an unhealthy way like the last time he saw him. The sides of his head were shaved, and the top of his hair was left free. Oh, Merlin, he had curls too! Was he straightening his hair every day at Hogwarts? That must've been tiring. Although, he guesses there are hair straightening charms, so it probably wasn't too hard. Still, Harry couldn't imagine doing that to his own hair, but he hardly does anything with it to begin with.

-He must've been staring at his hair for too long, because Malfoy's eyes widened comically and he turned quite red, seemingly realizing his hair wasn't straightened, and self-consciously ran a hand through his hair, trying to somewhat straighten it out. It only made it worse, as the curls bounced back gently. Harry felt like he was going to faint. He'd always had a thing for curls.

-"I didn't know you had curly hair."

-Malfoy turned slightly redder and ignored him. "What are you doing here?"

-"I live just up the path." Harry was still somewhat distracted by his hair.

-Malfoy pinched the bridge of his nose, "Merlin help me, of course you do," he muttered.

-"So..." Harry scratched the back of his neck awkwardly, "got any Christmas plans?"

-"Yes, I'll be spending it with my son, obviously," Malfoy answered dryly.

-"What's his name?" Harry asked.

-"Scorpius."

-"That's... actually a really cool name." Harry smiled down at Scorpius, "does he have a mother?"

-Malfoy's shoulders tensed, "he did." He didn't elaborate further than that, but Harry definitely got the message.

-"Oh, I'm really sorry. That was insensitive."

-"You think?" Malfoy snapped.

-"I'll, uh, make it up to you. Would you like some tea?" Harry asked. He was pretty sure he was going crazy at this point. Asking Malfoy for tea?

-"Really? You want to have tea with your Death Eater ex-nemesis?" Harry flinched at 'Death Eater'. It's not like Malfoy had much of a choice in the matter.

-"Ex-Death Eater." He reminded, "and yes."

-Malfoy rolled his eyes. "Just to let you know Potter, if this is a murder plot, it's very poorly thought out."

-"When has anything I've done been well-thought out?" Harry countered.

-He raised an eyebrow, "good point."

-They walked in awkward silence, although, what exactly did Harry expect. They used to be enemies, they fought on opposite sides of the war, although, Malfoy did save his ass a few times, and vice versa, but that certainly didn't remove all of their history.

-They arrived a few minutes later, and Harry wishes he thought this through a little better, as he hadn't cleaned up his house. It wasn't filthy, but there were some dishes in the sink and clothes on the floor. He opened the door and gestured Malfoy inside.

-"Sorry for the mess, I wasn't exactly expecting company." Harry fidgeted nervously.

-"It's fine, you don't live in a complete pigsty, so this is better than anything I could've hoped for," Harry snorted at that.

-"Make yourself at home." Malfoy parked the stroller by the door and took out a bottle from the side pocket, grabbed Scorpius, then sat down on the armchair, setting Scorpius on his thigh gently. "How do you take your tea?" Harry asked. He was so gentle and loving with Scorpius, it was somewhat weird seeing him like that.

-"I don't. I prefer coffee." Malfoy answered dryly.

-"Then why did you...?" Harry sighed, he would never figure Malfoy out. "But, luckily for you, so do I. How do you take your coffee then?"

-"With sugar. No milk or creamer."

-"Alrighty, I'll get to it." Harry got out two mugs, one saying 'The Boy Who Lived Twice' that Ron bought him as a joke, and added the 'Twice' himself with a permanent marker that had mostly faded now, and a mug that said 'Daddy' that he had also gotten as a joke a while back, because this was the perfect time to use it.

-Harry looked over at Malfoy, who had started feeding Scorpius the bottle. Malfoy was smiling down at him as Scorpius sucked greedily. God, Draco as a dad was doing things to him.

-What the fuck? Draco? He was not Draco. He was Malfoy. Harry needed to get his shit in check.

-Harry put the mugs on a tray with some croissants he had made earlier. He'd always had a knack for cooking, it was one of the only things he liked when he was with the Dursley's. He wished he could've cooked more at Hogwarts, as he still wasn't great at cooking, but he was getting better.

-"Here ya go." Harry sipped his coffee and waited for Dra- Malfoy's reaction.

-Malfoy took a break from feeding Scorpius stared blankly at the mug. "Really, Potter? It seems your level of maturity hasn't changed since Hogwarts." He sat Scorpius upright on his lap and sipped at his coffee.

-"Can't say I disagree, Malfoy," Harry grinned and took a sip himself. "Croissant? I made them myself."

-Malfoy looked somewhat shocked. "You? Cooking? Really? How did you manage to avoid exploding the entire kitchen?"

-Harry shrugged shyly. "I've been cooking since I was really young, it was the only thing I really enjo-" Harry cut himself off. That was probably too much information. "I just really like cooking."

-Malfoy looked like he wanted more information, but luckily he left it. He took a bite out of one of the croissants. "These are... not horrible," Malfoy admitted.

-"Thanks?"

-"Why aren't you with the Weasley's? I thought that's what you and your Golden Trio did for Christmas."

-Harry snorted, "I'd probably have a panic attack if I went there in the state I'm in." Harry blurted out. Merlin's tits, he was stupid. "Um, sorry. I've just been depressed lately." It just keeps getting worse, "I probably shouldn't have told you that, I need to shut up."

-Malfoy looked both worried and like he was going to laugh.

-"Just, pretend I didn't say anything. Please." Harry was sure he was quite red by now. He put his head in his hands. "I'm blurting out my mental problems to my ex-nemesis, what have I become?" Harry muttered to himself.

-Malfoy chuckled at that. "You do have quite the Gryffindor mouth there."

-"Quite," Harry agreed shamefully.

-"Why did you invite me here?" Malfoy questioned.

-Harry paused, "I don't really know. I've just been seeing the same people for the last four years, and you seemed like a breath of fresh air," Harry felt like that was a little too serious, "also because your son is adorably cute." Malfoy smiled at that.

-"Thank you. He..." he hesitated, "takes after his mother." Malfoy smiled sadly and gently ran his fingers through Scorpius' hair, "well, except for the hair," Draco blushed.

-"Why did you straighten it?" Harry asked.

-Draco turned slightly more serious, "My father. Scorpius and I have my mother's curls, and my father couldn't stand the thought of a Malfoy," He said with a surprising amount of venom, "having anything other than immaculately straight hair. So he forced me to straighten it. After the war, I stopped straightening it, partially to spite my dad, but mainly because of how much Astoria liked it."

-"I almost changed my last name to Astoria's, 'Draco Greengrass'. Can you imagine the fit my father would have?" Draco smirked, "I'm pretty sure he'd disown me."

-"I'd love to see the look on his face," Harry agreed, snickering.

-"Anyway, why do you have such an interest in my hair?" Draco asked.

-Harry turned slightly red, "I, just, have always had a thing for curls," Harry blurted. Merlin, did Draco spike his drink with Veritaserum or something? "I mean, um, the curls suit you," Harry was sure he was much past red at this point.

-Draco was also quite flustered, "o-oh, thank you," he paused, then added, "Potter."

-Well, that was bad. Fuck. Also, when had he gone back to Draco? Harry was very sure that he'd gone crazy.

-"I'll just, take the tray then," Harry said and grabbed the tray from the table, trying to ignore his embarrassment. Of course, that's when he decided to trip over his rug.

-It almost seemed to go in slow motion. The tray's contents, including his half-drank, luckily room temperature coffee spilled onto the bottom half of his face and down his jumper, the handful of croissants left feel to the floor, and then Harry faceplanted into the rug, which he was pretty sure carpet-burned his face.

-Harry stayed there, completely silently for about thirty seconds. Until Draco asked if he was alright.

-"P-Potter?" Draco sounded like he was about to burst out laughing.

-"Fucking hell," Harry replied, "that, was a fucking disaster."

-They sat quietly for a few moments before both of them started laughing hysterically for at least two minutes. They eventually quieted down, and Draco set Scorpius down on the armchair, before offering Harry and hand. He took it and pulled himself up.

-"Merlin, I'm a mess," Harry smiled up at Draco. 'Wow, he's really tall,' he thought to himself.

-"I have to agree there," Draco smiled back. They stayed like that for a few seconds, before Scorpius started crying. "You should probably shower, and it's about time for Scorpius' nap."

-"Could we hang out again?" Harry asked.

-"Sure, as long as you don't spill coffee on me," Draco joked, and picked up Scorpius before heading towards the fireplace. "I'm at the park almost every morning, same time." Draco smiled at him.

-"Oh and here's my floo address," Harry grabbed a napkin and a marker and wrote it down. Malfoy looked somewhat disgusted at the choice of paper, but made no comment.

-"Goodbye, Potter."

-"Goodbye, Malfoy. And bye, little Malfoy," Harry waved at them. Scorpius wiggled slightly. 'Close enough,' Harry thought. Malfoy stepped through the floo, stated his address and disappeared.

-"That went surprisingly well," Harry said to himself. 'Well, other than saying you find his hair attractive, tripping over your carpet in your own house and spilling coffee all over yourself,' he added in his head. "Well, for tea with Malfoy it went well," Harry smiled and went to go clean himself up.

Let me know if you’d like to see more. I appreciate any and all comments, but this is my first fic, so go easy ;)