#and now she threw down the tree and said christmas is cancelled

[memser]

i feel things as my mothers child when she is upset with me in 3 different ways

kid: confused sadness

teen: angry hurt

adult: irritated apathy

none of these are good. especially around holidays when all three resurface and mix so terribly

[suckerforcate]

Hi! Id like to request a Larissa x reader with cliche tropes. Enemies (?) to lovers where reader is a teacher that’s stubborn and kind of always encourages the children with their slightly crazy ideas (only because reader likes to see them having fun because r never got to do so growing up) but of course, Larissa has to keep things in order so they kind of butt heads often. Before the children go back from their break, Larissa and reader had to go to a conference somewhere snowy and the second trope is that, of course, the hotel room only has one bed because the reservation was messed up. The conference got moved because of a snow storm so the two gets stuck in their room. They argue but then they calm down and somehow ends up confessing their feelings for each other.

I really love cliché tropes and would love to see one written for Larissa. Thank youuu!

Snow Storm

Pairing: Larissa Weems x Reader

Word Count: 1881

Warning: none

A/n: I love the one bed trope, honestly it's the best!!! Hope you like it<3

You had grown up with your grandmother and as much as you loved her and were thankful for having frown up so good, she wasn't one for crazy things. She liked order and quiet, no pranks or experiments.

So now, as teacher, your inner child laughed every time the students asked you to help them with some crazy idea they had. You always knew Larissa would disapprove and make you responsible for it, but you took that on you. It was just wonderful to see the kids have fun, often they had problems for themselves. They didn't have amazing families, struggled with their powers or had just normal teenage-problems. It was wonderful to see them have fun for once. To see them carefree and happy.

You knew Larissa didn't mean harm, she wanted to see the kids happy just as much as you. But she was the Principle, and she didn't like seeing a half blown up tree, because you decided to built your own firework. She also didn't like to see the whole school wall full of paint, because you filled balloons with it and threw it at each other. And she most certainly didn't like to see half her students out of bed in the middle of the night because you had organised a nightly scavenger hunt.

Sadly these things had caused some tension between Larissa and you. You couldn't shake the feeling that she didn't like you very much, because you were a troublemaker in her eyes. You on the other hand liked her a lot, probably way too much. Anytime she was angry at you and yelled, you just got nervous because it looked very hot. But you had come to terms with the fact that you'd probably stay alone forever, crying after this incredible woman.

That was until you went to a conference in Newport with Larissa.

It was the last week of Christmas break and Larissa initially asked someone else to accompany her. But they fell sick, and you were the only other teacher that hadn't gone home over Christmas. So she had no other choice. You had of course been incredibly excited, spending a few days with her.

The drive didn't take too long, round about an hour and a half. But as you arrived, you were met by a snow storm. It was still pretty early, because the conference would have started at two in the afternoon. To your delight, Larissa had gotten a message that the conference was cancelled. While you were parking.

"Couldn't they have said that earlier, we could've stayed home!" Larissa shrugged her shoulders, obviously annoyed too. You most definitely couldn't turn around, the snow storm was getting worse, and it had already been hard driving the last half hour.

You knew you couldn't check into your rooms until at least five o'clock. That would have been no problem, if there was a conference to attend. But there wasn't. You decided the most reasonable thing was to eat something first. Next to the hotel was a restaurant, that looked okay ish.

The first twenty minutes were horrible, no one talked, and you just awkwardly started at your glasses. To your own surprise, you were the one to break the silence.

"I'm really sorry, that you're stuck here with me now. I know your not very fond of me, to say lightly." You looked up at her, meeting kind eyes. Larissa put her hand on yours and stroked the back of your hand with her thumb. Your skin felt hot where she touched you and for a second your breath hitched.

"Oh Darling. That's not true, I like you. You're a wonderful person, you just have a talent of getting on my nerves from time to time." You chuckled, that you did.

"I'm not doing those things go get on your nerves, please know that. I do them, because it makes me incredibly happy to see the kids carefree from time to time. They all have way too much on their mind for teenagers and these pranks and adventures distract them." Larissa smiled at you, squeezing your hand.

"I know, but I'd be incredibly thankful, if on the future you could check up with me before doing these things. I'm positively sure there are ways of making them happy without destroying the school." You both laughed. Your eyes fell to her hand still on yours, not knowing what to say. You just wanted to grab it a little tighter, as the waiter came with your food, causing you to break apart hastily.

After that it was much more comfortable, you couldn't remember ever having talked so much with Larissa apart from her yelling at you. It felt absolutely natural, telling her about where you came from, why you had become a teacher. Her telling you about her time at Nevermore. You had always envied the kids for having had the opportunity to go to a school of outcasts.

"Well, I grew up with my grandma. I loved her, and I'm very thankful for her, but of course it wasn't always easy. She didn't understand my ability and for sure didn't know that there were schools for people like me. She was supportive of it, yes, and I also wasn't forbidden to use them at all. But I sometimes felt alone, like I was the only one like this. And of course I couldn't use them in school, no one would have understood. Just my Grandma and later my best friend knew about the telekinesis." Larissa gave you an apologetic look. Your best friend had also been the one to find out about Nevermore and told you about it. If it wasn't for him, you probably wouldn't sit here.

You had long finished dinner and were still talking until a waiter politely kicked you out, because the table was reserved for someone else now. A quick glance at your watch told you that you could probably try checking in. So you grabbed your luggage and went into the hotel. You gladly let Larissa speak to the young woman at the reception while looking around the lobby. As you saw Larissa rub her temples annoyed, you stepped forward and asked what's wrong. The kind young lady answered patiently.

"There has been a mix-up with the reservations. We've booked one room for two, instead of two rooms for one each." You knew the look Larissa gave the poor woman. She was close to an outbreak, so you quickly took over, pushing yourself in front of Larissa.

"That will be okay, we take it. No worries, it wasn't your fault." The woman smiled and you, thankful for your patience and understanding.

"Thank you, here are your keys. You can just put them in the box right there, when you leave." You nodded and gave her another smile. Turning around, you pushed Larissa in the direction of the lift.

"Larissa, it was hardly her fault." She knew that, but it had been a long day and her nerves were strained.

You had the key, so you also opened the door and were the first to step in.

"Oh..." you just stared at the bed.

"What else? I- oh." Larissa sat down on a chair, defeated. There was room for two, yes. But in one Queen sized bed, with just one blanket.

"It's okay, really. I'll sleep on the floor. I don't mind." Larissa's eyes shot up at you.

"Don't be ridiculous. There's just one blanket, do you want to freeze? Well both sleep in the bed. We're grown people." Yes you were, but you were also madly in love with the woman in front of you. You felt your cheeks heat up, but before she could see it you turned around and opened you bag grabbing some comfy clothes and your toiletries.

"I'll take a shower." With that you were through the bathroom door. Leaning on the door, breathing strained. How were you going to survive this? Stepping out of the shower, you put on some lotion and got dressed. Without thinking you stepped out of the bathroom, regretting it immediately. Larissa was still getting dressed and had nothing except her underwear and a bra on. Hastily you turned around again.

"Omg, I'm so sorry." You scolded yourself internally for not knocking or asking. You didn't turn around again until she sighed and talked.

"Turn around, I'm finished. It's not a big deal." You slowly turned, embarrassed of your reaction and packed your stuff away. Hesitantly you sat down on the edge of the bed and crawled under the sheet. Trying your hardest to not make contact with her skin in any way. Larissa sighed again, you were getting on her nerves. You knew it.

"For heaven’s sake, (Y/n). I'm not going to bite you. Do you want to fall out of bed?" You nervously slid closer, still keeping a fair distance. As much as that was possible in a bed of this size.

"Honestly the day was going very well, why are you making it so awkward now? You're overly nervous. It's horrible." She was extremely annoyed. You felt the words get stuck in your throat, and it took you a second to find them again.

"I'm sorry. I didn't want to annoy you. But I didn't want to make you uncomfortable, and then you'd hate me again." Larissa looked at you, surprised of your unsure demeanour.

"(Y/n), I've told you. I don't hate you."

"Yeah, but you might." Larissa was utterly confused, what was all the fuss about?

"Why should I?" You gulped. You couldn't tell her, that would just make it all worse. But she looked at you expectantly. You knew she wouldn't let go until you said something.

"Because, I'm in love with you." You whispered it, so quite Larissa nearly failed to hear it. Her eyes widened, it was the last thing she had expected.

The look on your face broke her heart, she immediately felt guilty for having snapped at you. Her face, her voice even her body language relaxed and became kind and caring again. She gently laid an arm around your waist and pulled you closer. You were way too startled to say anything, and she used that to her advantage. She pulled you into her lap and put her head on your shoulder.

"Are you telling me, all this nervousness is caused by me?" She whispered into your ear, not flirty or seductive. Just amused, but full of love.

"Y-Yes." You stammered, her warm breath on your skin made your heart skip and lead to goosebumps all over you. You felt Larissa's hand slightly push your face to the side. You were now facing her.

"Oh, but darling. That's completely unnecessary." With that she lightly graced her lips over yours, barely touching them.

"Can I kiss you?" That question was redundant, as her lips were already practically on your. But you appreciated in nonetheless. So you nodded and not a second later her lips were fully on yours. At that moment, you forgot everything that ever worried you. For it was unimportant, all that mattered right now, were her lips on yours, her arms around your waist and the warmth of her body close to you.

[maxwell-grant]

Have you read the short story Norvell Page wrote as a wedding present for a Big Name Fan about Dick and Nita's first meeting? Any thoughts on it? My main is that Page does not go where you expect him to based on that description.

I did! Actually it was one of the first Spider stories I read. And yeah, to an extent, it's absolutely not what you'd expect from something set in The Spider's world. And on the other hand, it's absolutely what makes the most sense for these two characters. Because, yeah, Norvell Page could have done what he usually does, and written some over-the-top action where Dick and Nita happen to meet during it.

But no, that wouldn't work. Because, for all the turmoil and chaos in The Spider, for everything that he and Nita go through, there are many times when, sturdier even than Dick's resolve is their love for each other, the deep understanding and affection that carries them through hell itself time and time again.

And so, when it was time to showcase how such a romance started, Page wisely deviated from his usual narrative style, and instead told a very, very intimate and personal story, a long and extended conversation between the two, and more importantly, between Page and the reader. Between The Spider, and You, peering into The Spider through the eyes of Nita van Sloan.

I think for a start, it's an interesting coincidence that this meeting takes place on a cruise ship, and it involves Dick rescuing Nita from suicide. I say this because Margo Lane's first meeting with Lamont Cranston, in the pulps, was stated to have taken place on a cruise ship, and of course, the first time we see The Shadow in the pulps, he's rescuing Harry Vincent from suicide, and both Harry and Margo are The Shadow's main supporting characters. I'm not saying it was intentional, but it's an interesting fact. And more so because Dick doesn't really rescue Nita.

Her scarf whipped in the wind on deck, and it blinded her... and a hand touched her arm, and a voice spoke to her.

"If it's intentional, don't let me stop you," the voice said, "but you're heading straight for suicide."

Nita looked then at the stop toward which, blindly, she was going, and it was a chain barrier beyond which was the sea. And she looked at the man who had stopped her and it was Richard Wentworth. And his words had been a shock to her.

"You wouldn't try to dissuade me from suicide?" she asked.

Wentworth's brows were tilted whit a hint of mockery, but his eyes were very grave. "Every man is master of his own soul, and hence of his body," he said. "And your eyes are wide open and awake. So it would be a considered action. I'm not sure, under those circumstances, that I would have a right to meddle in another's business."

Nita said, "I think you can help me."

Wentworth shook his head. "Only you can help yourself," he said, "but it may be that someone else could help you find the way."

The whole text is a great example of how wonderfully realized of a character Nita van Sloan is in ways so unlike the typical pulp or superhero girlfriends at the time, because the text is written from her perspective, and half of the text reads like an extended character breakdown of who Nita is as a character and person. And the other half of the text is almost entirely comprised of Dick Wentworth spouting philosophy and talking in-depth about his reading of her and what's upsetting her, talking about God and fate and so on. And like so many other attempts to explore serious theological/psychological/philosophical/etc concepts explored through pulp fiction, half of it is bullshit, and half of it is fascinatingly disturbing and thought-provoking bullshit.

"Self-contempt," Wentworth's words were very quiet now. "Is second only to self-pity among the greater sins. Self-analysis is a dangersous thing. You need so much charity. And any person who is advanced enough to think about himself at all is apt to be over-stern in his judgment of himself."

He said to her, "If you don't honor youself, who will honor you?" And, a few moments later, "There is conceit in ruling others, but none in mastering yourself." And, "There is no arrogance so great as self-righteousness."

Nita clashed with him violently, "You are being self-righteous in judging me!"

Wentworth laughed. "I am speaking only truism. It is you who judge yourself, not I." He was serious, then. "My dear," he said, "I would be presumptuous to try to teach you. No man can teach another. But one who has been along that same trail would be less than a man if he failed to mark certain signposts and certain places where there is water to drink so that another, traveling that same road, may know where another struggled and what he has learned. But, as no man can travel a road for another, so no man can teach another. You must work out your own salvation."

"That sense of separation between the inner and outer self," Nita rushed on, "between yourself and the world ... while you were talking, I could almost feel that difference disappearing. The feeling is gone now, but ..."

"All progress is three steps forward and two back," Wentworth said, slowly, "and this is good because thus all ground is three-times covered and triply learned."

And I should probably clarify by this point that, it's not so much Dick Wentworth talking in this story, as it's Norvell Page himself. In fact, he admits as much in another letter he had sent to his readers that he was prone to talking philosophy by this point.

There was a time when the burden of writing just one more Spider seemed too much to undertake. (After all, the magazine is in it's ninth year!) But I never feel that way any more. I know now that the Spider actually does help people; that there are those who appreciate his idealism even though it is expressed in violence.

Especially in the last half dozen Spiders, beginning with the 100th I believe, I have tried very earnestly to teach a little of the philosophy and faith, of which we all need so much in these days.

Here's the thing about The Spider: It's not that the character is mad. Well, okay, he IS mad, I don't pull these over-the-top maniacal cartoon meme descriptions out of thin air, but that's because he lives in a batshit insane disaster horror world where there IS no sane response other than joining the carnage to overcome it. It's not just that Wentworth who is a madman. It's that Norvell Page was a mad man, and Dick Wentworth was Norvell's Page alter-ego, by the man's own admission.

Friends have informed me that I moved about the company as one in a trance: there were some who were concerned about my health, so oddly did I behave. Of course, only my body attended that occasion. My mind was entirely engrossed in Dick Wentworth's big problem - back in my study on a sheet of paper stuck in my typewriter

I did not dream that night; in the morning I restlessly paced my floor thinking, thinking, thinking. I sat down at the typewriter, stared at the words and the keys. Suddenly, as if by magic, Dick Wentworth seemed to move of his own volition. My hands raised, my fingers literally flew over the keyboard.

No matter how ridiculous it seems, I will always feel that Dick Wentworth, creature of my own fabrication, guided me through that tough scene.

No two people can live together without being influenced by each other to some extent. So constantly has Wentworth been in my mind, it is as if we were roommates - partners in everything.

Page has talked about how close of a connection he feels to the character, about many ways he's emulated his mannerisms, even some pretty embarassing anectodes where he claims to have "accidentally" used the character's "indomitable will" to scare waiters or drawing connections between The Spider's cast and real people he's met. Others who met him remarked that he talked of the "Spider" characters as though they were members of his family, or drinking companions.

Even before I got into The Spider, I had heard of rumors that he used to present or discuss stories in his office by putting on a cape and jumping from desk to desk, swinging a yard stick in his hand, and I can't find any source that confirms it, but I don't doubt it in the slightest. A lot of pulp writers had really weird lives, and Page was no exception. He was a journalist who frequently dug into his newspaper clippings for grisly stories to incorporate into narratives. I mean, just look at the dude's eyes, he's seen some shit.

When he was 3, his mother fell down a manhole while they were walking down a Chicago sidewalk. Norvell, terrified, thought she had dissappeared and never quite got over the experience.

When he was a little older, according to some family members, his parents had tickets for the Titanic and escaped disaster when Norvell begged them to cancel the trip for reasons unknown.

Norvell again played a hand in the family's escaping disaster when, one Christmas the family home caught on fire. Candles on the tree had been left burning. He quite arguably saved everyone's life. Waking first, he threw his mattress out of his window, grabbed his infant brother and sister and ran screaming through the hall as he went back to jump to safety. His screams woke his parents who then jumped to the mattress themselves.

Norvell lied about his age and experience to the Norfolk "Observer", claiming to have been writing for Richmond's "Times Dispatch" and was hired there.

His father managed Thomas Edison & Hugo Wurlitzer's ad accounts, and had always encouraged him to write, envisioning him as another Poe, whom his Great-Uncle had worked with as an editor

It is rumored that, in NYC, while at the "World Telegram", he became involved in fellow editor Varion Fry's effort to rescue artists and scientists from occupied Europe. President of the American Fiction Guild, he edited their newsletter for some time. Among his closest friends were fellow writers Ted Tinsley and L. Ron Hubbard and Surrealist painter Max Ernst.

WRITER'S REVIEW 35.08: Norvell W. Page, whose bloodthirsty Spider novels would do justice to Ghengis Khan, demonstrated his bloodlust the other day by accidentally killing a sparrow.

He wrote until 1943, when he abruptly stopped without warning. He dissappeared, for all intents and purposes, from both New York, the arts world and the pulp world for good.

His wife of 20 years, Audrey, had died and this, along with the U.S. involvment in WWII, led to his returning to VA where he would go on to be an intelligence worker in the Truman, Kennedy and Eisenhower Administrations.

He died suddenly of a heart attack in August of 1961.

Surviving family members do not know where he is buried.

I think this is a story that Page might have told differently had he written it earlier in his career, before he got tired, before he underwent his depression and loss of weight that caused him to briefly stop writing pulps all together, in a time period before the World War had cast an oppressive miasma on the world. In a time period where most of the horrifying nightmares he infused into the stories were really just that, nightmares, that he didn't live long enough to see turn into prophecies.

Because that's another thing about The Spider that makes the character more than just a batshit vigilante: As over-the-top as the stories were, a lot of them also inevitably turned out to predict some form of catastrophe in real life.

Written with an eye to the horrors festering in Germany at the time, The Mayor of Hell now reads as an infernal vision of the Homeland Security Act.

The poisoned products found in The Red Death Rain and The Pain Emperor call to mind the Tylenol killings of the summer of 1982, and the hundreds of poisoned products cases that followed.

Bio-terrorism plays large in the Spider mythos, with bubonic plague in Wings of the Black Death, rabies in The Mad Horde, and cholera in The Cholera King foreshadowing the Anthrax scare of 2001. The same could be said of the terror gases from Kingdom of Doom and Green Globes of Death and the nerve gas attack in the Tokyo subways in March of 1995.

Masters of the Death Madness unfolds as a nightmare meditation upon suicide, which has become one of the principal weapons of modern terrorists. One scene involves suicide bombers.

Another scene chillingly presages the Jonestown massacre of 1978: a grand procession lines up to drink from a bowl of poisoned wine while surrounding gunmen pick off anyone who refuses to drink.

The modern reader will recognize the psychological and sociological effects of a citizenry living under the threat of terrorism, so chillingly evoked by Page: the grating loss of safety, the imminent threats lurking in familiar objects, the way security can no longer be taken for granted, the kind of skittishness that empties a building at the first sign of an unknown white powder.

The eeriest of all the modern terrorist parallels appears in a novel called The City Destroyer, originally published in 1936. It features a set piece involving the collapse of a fictitious gigantic building, supposedly the tallest in New York City, called “The Sky Building.” When it fell, it wiped out five city blocks and claimed 1,000 lives. And perhaps it’s worth noting a further parallel that occurred in the 1970’s, when Pocket Books tried to revive the Spider; they repackaged him in a paperback series, striving for an image of what was then cool and thrusting Richard Wentworth into a contemporary setting.

When Pocket Books reprinted and updated The City Destroyer in 1975, the collapse of the Sky Building was replaced with the collapse of the World Trade Center - Stuart Hopen's essay on The Spider

Regardless of how much reality Page was infusing into his stories (because, again, he took a lot of his material from newspapers) or how much he foresaw intentionally or not, writing The Spider definitely took it's toll on him, and as the magazine neared it's final stretch with him on the helm, certain parts did began taking a more philosophical or religious tone, as more of Page's own beliefs, more of Page's attempts to use it as a vehicle to do good, began to bleed through the page.

And ultimately I think that's also what the story of Dick and Nita's first meeting is about, sort of an extended analysis not just of Nita, who Page himself said was a character he conceived as "the epitome of womanhood" and everything he thought admirable about it, but also of Wentworth's own character, and the things Page wanted to get through in his time.

Religion crept deeper into the series with each succeeding year. By all accounts, Norvell Page was a man of deep faith and spirituality who just happened to be writing the exploits of a hero whose idea of mercy was a bullet in the brain instead of the stomach.

In the 100th novel, Death and The Spider, Wentworth battles Death itself - or so it seems - and on Christmas Eve, he is shot so badly while protecting the President from assassination that everyone believes he's dead - including himself.

Dead or not, he forces himself to fight on, sustained only by reciting the 23rd Psalm over and over again.

Nita laughed and accepted a cigarette. "I don't know how to thank you."

"Don't," Wentworth's voice was sharp. "I told you I am only a channel. Don't confuse me with the Source."

It stopped words on Nita's lips, and it gave here a new respect and a new and sudden attitude toward this man beside her, this man who could laugh and jest with everyone about him, and who could teach like a very oracle ... and who carried about him such a sense of dedication to high purpose. He might seem apart from the world, but he was utterly and completely of it.

Nita said, half-laughing, half-serious, "May I like you? And may I admire your ... adjustment?"

"Don't envy my adjustment," he grinned at her. "Have one yourself." He snapped flame to her cigarette with his lighter, and his lean, strong hand was steady and sure as his eyes, as his voice. He was speaking to her but he was looking at the lighter. "I have found my mission," he said quietly.

[soyforramen]

28. i’ve been crushing on you for so long and when i get your name in secret santa i decide to write you a love note except there’s a last minute shuffle with people trading and my gift is given to someone else (bonus: ot3! ot3!)

I know this was a prompt sent in by @arsenicpanda, but lord help me if I can find the ask.

--

“So, who’d you pull for Secret Santa?” Fangs asked.

Betty picked at her sandwich. The reminder of Cheryl’s forced Christmas cheer drove away what little appetite she had. Nervously, she glanced over at Jughead who seemed oblivious to her internal struggle. When he glanced at her, she smiled and shoved her sandwich towards him.

“Veronica,” he mumbled through bites. He shot Betty a glance, a concerned warning that he’d be making sure she ate later.

“Cheryl,” Betty said miserably. “I don’t even know what she’d want.”

While she and her cousin had been on better terms now that the babies were older, it was still rocky. Alice Cooper and Penelope still hadn’t learned how to co-grandparent, forcing Cheryl and Betty to work together to avoid a Hatfield and McCoy situation for every holiday."

“Something red,” Fangs said with a laugh.

“Or stupidly expensive,” Jughead added.

Betty sighed and stared out at nothing in particular. Between finals, editing the school paper, and Christmas shopping for her own family, not to mention the long list of things she hadn’t managed to get to this month, it looked more and more like she wouldn’t be getting much sleep until the New Year.

“If you wanted to stare at me, all you had to do was ask. I'll send you as many pictures as you want.”

Betty’s eyes refocused to find Toni sitting across from her. Her knowing smirk made Betty flush. Suddenly, Toni was all she could see, bright eyes twinkling with mirth and her lips temptingly full and pink. Before Betty could stammer out a response, Jughead laughed and slung his arm across her shoulders.

“Toni, are you flirting with my girlfriend?”

At the reminder of his presence, Betty squirmed and stared onto the old picnic table. Guilt crawled across her skin; after all, Toni hadn’t been the only one flirting lately.

“Have been for a while Jones,” Toni shot back with a wicked grin. “You gonna do something about it?”

Betty held her breath, waiting for an irritated response or jealous sulking, but instead Jughead threw his head back and laughed. The sound shook out the tension that had suddenly risen within in her, and she couldn’t help but join in with him. When she glanced across the table, Toni shot her a wink. This time Betty’s skin crawled with something far different than guilt.

--

It was the last day of finals, and Cheryl had finally rounded everyone up. A vast array of presents, the wrapping of each a reflection of the giver, was piled in the center of the common room. Betty’s was meticulously wrapped, a hand made bow sitting on top. Archie’s was wrapped with more tape than paper, and Jughead’s had been thrown into a plastic shopping bag. Veronica’s was wrapped in expensive, holographic paper, no doubt wrapped at a chic New York boutique, while Kevin’s sat in a reusable tote that proudly thanked him for his donation.

“Can we get this over with Cheryl,” Veronica said over a latte, “I have an economics test in fifteen minutes.”

“So much for holiday cheer,” Kevin said in a soto voice.

“She’s even wearing Grinch green,” Fangs added.

“Do any of you humbugs have any holiday cheer?” Cheryl asked. She set her hands on her hips as she surveyed them. “No? Then how about we make things extra interesting. We’re all redrawing names.”

A collective groan rang out. Not to be discouraged, Cheryl picked up the first gift, a small package topped off with tinsel.

“Archie, pour vous.”

Before he could take the package, Toni leapt forward and grabbed the package.

“Sorry Red, you'll have to take a rain check,” she apologized, ignoring Cheryl’s harsh look. When Cheryl started to object, Toni said, “You’re the one who changed the rules on us.”

Cheryl huffed. “Fine, I’ll allow it just this once. But anyone else who tries it -“

She let the threat hang in the air before reaching for the next present.

“And this one will be for …”

--

Betty watched Jughead pack from the comfort of her bed. Outside the snow fell, it’s soft plinking noise lulling her back to sleep.

“Are you sure you have to be in Ohio the whole time?”

He turned, smiling, and kissed her on the forehead. “Jellybean’s been threatening me since August that if I didn’t come up there she’d drag me there herself.”

Betty reached out and grabbed his flannel shirt, pulling him back for another kiss. “I’m sure I can fend her off.”

“I’ll miss you too," he said.

His eyes were so soft when he looked at her like that. It was almost enough for her to volunteer to drive him to his mother’s. Almost. Knowing that they had holidays to spend together years from now made it easy enough to let him leave today. That, and the fact that if she did go she’d miss the twins’ first visit Santa. (And, worse than that, she'd have to hear about it all second hand from Cheryl).

“Why don’t you ask Toni to hangout? She wants to go see that weird alien movie you've been gushing about,” Jughead said, turning back to his luggage.

All of the warm, gooeyness that she’d felt evaporated immediately. Desperate to relieve her discomfort, Betty pulled the blankets tighter around her. There wasn’t really a reason she could give as to why she could say no; after all, they were part of the same friend group and they did get along splendidly. Not to mention the inappropriateness of admitting to one’s long term boyfriend that you had a maddeningly, infuriatingly, deep crush on someone else.

“Maybe," Betty said while she picked at a loose thread.

Then again, maybe spending more time with Toni would cure her of this crush; after all, it had happened with Veronica and they’d settled into a close friendship, one Betty wouldn’t give up for anything.

“Don’t have too much fun while I’m gone,” Jughead said, picking up his bag and helmet.

He kissed her cheek and Betty mumbled out an ‘I love you’ that felt just as real, just as strong as it ever had. A few minutes later Betty’s phone chimed and she saw a text from Toni. Betty groaned and burrowed deeper into her bed.

--

“It’s fine, really. I can walk. It’s only a few blocks,” Toni repeated as she pulled on her jacket.

Betty glanced out the diner window. Outside, drifts of snow were quickly growing.

“Just because you can doesn’t mean you should,” Betty replied.

Despite the tension that had been building up within her, despite the fear (exhilaration? increasing desire?) of being alone in such a close space with Toni, Betty couldn’t let her walk home in this kind of weather. Even if their friendship hadn’t grown deeper over the past week and a half she still would have made the offer.

“Are you worried about me, Cooper?” Toni teased.

“Yes.”

The smile fell from Toni’s face. She searched Betty’s face, and finding what she was looking for, smiled softly at her. It was so similar to the one Jughead had given her before she left that Betty had to look away.

“Alright. Lead the way,” Toni said.

Pop’s bid them a good night on their way out, and they braced themselves for the cold. Impulsively, Betty slipped an arm through Toni’s. After all, they were friends now, closer than they had been. She did this sort of thing with Veronica all the time, though unlike with Veronica, Betty only found her crush on Toni growing deeper.

“So, what are you doing tomorrow?”

Toni shrugged and stepped closer to Betty. “Same thing we always do. Watch reruns of It’s a Wonderful Life with Grandpa and eat too much. You?”

“The Blossoms invited us over for Christmas dinner.”

“Yikes,” Toni said with a slow whistle.

Betty pulled out her keys and opened up the passenger side door. Toni nodded her thanks and sat down. A minute later they were pulling out of Pop’s parking lot.

“I take it you and Cheryl are running interference?” Betty nodded and turned on her blinker. Despite there being no one on the street, it was a ingrained habit that made Toni smile at her.

“Something like that. Mom’s convinced they’re going to cancel last minute to make us host it, so she’s been on a cleaning and decorating rampage this past week. But the kids love that Cheryl’s been staying with us.”

“That’s good. I'm down there. ” Toni pointed to the right side of the Sunnyside Trailer Park. “The most drama we get is when some idiot decides to shoot off firecrackers at 4 am.”

Betty laughed and pulled in next to the trailer surrounded by half rebuild cars. She sat on her hands to keep from rushing out of her car and checking the models of each.

“Well, this is me,” Toni said.

Betty nodded, unsure of what else to say. In her peripheral vision she saw Toni pull something out of her bag.

“You were supposed to get this at Cheryl’s Christmas exchange,” Toni said.

She held out a package with crushed tinsel wrapped around it. When Betty looked closer she realized there were different kinds of vintage cars driving along a highway, each with a pine tree strapped to the top. Glancing at Toni, she gently pulled the paper apart. She almost fainted when she realized what it was.

“Toni, this is too much, I can’t -“

Toni held up a hand. “It’s really nothing. I just got lucky at the thrift store and thought of you.”

Betty stared at the first edition copy of The Secret of the Old Clock, scared to open it least it fall to pieces in her hands. A paper peeked out of the pages, and she gently tugged it out.

‘Merry Christmas Betty!

Thought you might like this (and don’t forget to check the inside cover before you put it under glass).

From,

Your Secret Admirer.’

Upon reading those words, Betty couldn’t help but keep the smile from her face. Something like this was so heartfelt, so personal, she couldn’t help but want to take Toni into her arms and thank her profusely. Opening the book ever so gently, Betty gasped at the author's faded signature.

“Toni -“

Her voice had taken on a tone of anguish. Torn between her loyalty and the sudden tenderness she felt, Betty was at a crossroads without a map.

“Is this about Jughead?” Toni asked. Betty whipped around to look at her. With a gentle smile, Toni wrapped her hands around Betty’s.

“Call your boyfriend.”

Betty squinted at Toni, unsure. Was Toni asking her to choose between them? As if reading her mind, Toni laughed. She slipped the book out of Betty’s hands and set it on the dash.

“Call your boyfriend, Coop.”

Frowning, Betty pulled out her phone and dialed Jughead. With every ring, her heart beat more painfully against her chest.

“Hey, happy Christmas Eve eve,” came Jughead’s sleepy voice.

“Hey, I didn’t wake you did I?”

She could her him shifting in the background. “No, we were just watching the worst movie of all time.”

Jellybean yelled out in the background and there was a scuffling as the phone exchanged hands.

“Break up with him, Betty, he has no taste.”

“Santa’s Slay should never had been made,” came his tinny voice. A second later and his voice was as clear as if he were sitting next to her. “What’s up?”

“Toni’s with me, and -“

“Oh, she finally gave you her Secret Santa gift?”

Betty’s eyes drew together and she glanced over at Toni. “You knew she drew my name?”

“Actually, I drew it, but -“

“You?”

Jughead’s chuckle was throaty and deep. The sound of it sent shivers down her spin in much the same way that Toni’s look did right now. “She wanted to trade, and neither of you have been subtle.”

“But -“ There was a silence that hung in the air as Betty processed what was happening. “Do you mean -“

“I’m secure in our relationship Bets. If you want to, then you have my blessing.”

“Oh.”

He laughed again. “Merry Christmas Betts. I love you.”

“I love you too,” she said, her voice sounding far off.

The line went dead and she sat there, watching the falling snow. It felt as if her chest were going to explode. The world had expanded three times since she’d first picked up the phone and suddenly it felt as if there was a wealth of new possibilities open to her.

“Well?” Toni asked, breaking Betty out of her reverie.

Betty turned to her slowly, taking her all in. Setting her hand on the console between them, Betty slowly leaned in, hesitantly touching her lips to Toni’s.

“Thank you,” she said softly. “I really like my Christmas gift.”

Toni wrapped her hand around Betty’s and tugged her closer. “Than you’re going to have to do a better job of showing it than that.”

[goth-girlfriend]

Endeavor’s Intern

(4/?)

Pairing: Endeavor/Enji Todoroki x Student Reader

Rating: Fluff

Warnings: none?

Notes: Spelling errors? I was going to finish it with this part but decided I’d like to add a bit more before I finish.

💙❤️🖤❤️💙🖤💙❤️🖤❤️💙🖤💙❤️🖤❤️💙

“SHOTO!” I jumped onto his back and clung to him. His hands grabbed my thighs to keep me from falling off his back.

Deku looking shocked, his eyes wide.

“ARE YOU TWO DATING?!” Denki stepped into ask.

I laughed as Shoto seemed unamused, I wrapped my arms around his neck and rested my chin on his shoulder.

“What do you think?” I asked and tilted my head.

“Yes?” Denki asked instead of answering.

“...........ok.” I shrugged and moved upwards and tried to get higher.

“So, let’s get to class.” I said still cling to Shoto.

He sighed and started to walk, Deku fell into step on our left, Denki to our right. He was curious that’s for sure.

“Also no, it’s not Shoto I’m dating. He’s just the bestest friend in the whole world!” I squeezed him.

He sighed and bounced to get me higher. Denki didn’t seem impressed or like he believe it.

“So winter break comes up next week. What are you going to be doing?” I asked.

“Spending it with my step mom.” He said keeping a straight face.

“Awe, that’s sweet. I like her, she’s sweet and pretty.” I smiled at him.

“Yeah, Dad never stops talking about her.” He looked back at me.

“Anyways, what about you guys?” I asked the other two.

“I’ll be him with my mom.” Deku answered.

“I’ll be with the fam, you know how it is.” Denki said and sighed with a smile.

“That’s sweet.” I said, we finally stopped at the class door.

“Oof, such a short walk.” I mumbled.

“Because you weren’t walking.” Shoto said rolled his eyes.

“Hehe,” I smield and opened the door, “What are we waiting for?”

We entered the class only three of four people were here. I made my wya to my seat and took a deep breath and sighed. Deku and Denki went to their seats and I was lucky to be beside Shoto.

“So where are we going?” I asked and tilted my head.

“I don’t know, he said it was a surprise. My brother and sister don’t know. I think they would freak out if they figure out his second girlfriend is the same age as his last child.” Shoto whispered back.

“Yeah, So it’s just you me and the big guy?” I asked, I paused and thought, “and Deku?” I I nodded in his direction.

“I was going to ask him until Kaminari showed up. I was just lucky you showed up to break the silence.” He was so serious.

“Oh, well, tomorrow is Friday. Do it then or you never will.” I sighed and pat his shoulder.

“Now I’m cold soooooo,” I slid closer to Shoto and hugged his left arm.

“You’re so warm.” I pressed my cheek into his shoulder, “So warm.”

A lot of people rushed in started to take seats just as the bell rang.

“Everyone shut up and sit down.” I smield At Aizawa as I moved to my desk.

It’s gotta be a struggle being a pro hero and a teacher. Especially with this class.

“Alright, as a reward for how good most of you have been doing and have grown. We’re going to be having a party.” Cheers erupted.

“SHUT UP BEFORE I CANCEL IT.” Everyone stopped.

“It’s nothing fancy, just our class. Today is our last day before break starts. We’re going to run a quick test like on the first day of school to see how much your control over your quirk and skills have improved. So get out of here and go get dressed.” He sighed and pulled out a juice pouch.

“Atleast it’s not a test.” I mumbled and stood up lingering at the back of class avoiding the big group. The day went by, just like the first day, long and sweaty. Luckily it wasn’t as hot as the beginning of the school year.

Bakugo still reminded number one, followed by Midoriya who tied with Todoroki then Shoji, Tokoyami, Kirishima, me, the rest followed, and the most important part, Mineta was last. I smiled, he’d progressed but not enough to move up. He was lucky the first time Midoriya didn’t have a quirk exactly but this time he lucked out.

Every sat down taking deep breaths and trying to relax on the drying field. Todorki sat his legs ages did him and leaning back on his open palms. I dropped beside him a threw my myself back over his lap.

“It’s hot.” I whined taking his right hand putting it on my forehead, “You’re such a good friend.”

The rest of the Deku squad came around and started to chatter, I was staring up at the sky as it started to turn from its pale blue to a darker blue. The sun was moving over making room for the moon. I sighed and sat up.

“Deku, I need to talk to you and Todoroki.” They both looked at me. “Privately.”

After they followed me to a more secluded part of the field I turned to Shoto and gave him a look. “So, this isn’t my business so I’m leaving.”

I turned and walked not waiting. I made it back and plopped down beside Tokoyami who was sitting in the shade of a tree. Just a calm and nice person to sit silently with while the time passed. He opened his right eye and looked at me. I gave a small smile and he nodded before closing it again. This is what a friendship is made of, no words, just a peace full silence.

Time passed and I found myself staring at the sun through the leaves thinking about times I’ve spent in secret at the Todoroki Estate. My parents didn’t know, they lived in a different city, I had been staying in a student apartment until the school opened dorms. Whenever unexpected breaks came up I’d just tell them I was staying with Deku and his mom and they approved. In reality I’d go and stay with Shoto and stay in his house in the guest room. I might be infatuated with his dad but I’m not a loose woman. I arched my chest popped my back and stretched my legs out. My mind drifting to memories, of shopping with Shoto using his dads card, spending time with Endeavor, stuck under his heavy arm pressed against his side as we watched movies. Lingering in his office when he was busy with hero stuff. Hanging out with Shoto more and getting to know more about Endeavor then I would’ve expected. Soft touches and forehead kisses. Helping mend his and Shoto’s relationship, they might not be lovey dovey but now they can hold a simple conversation without cold stares and loud Soba slurping. I thought of every picture in my camera roll and Snapchat, picture with Enji, pictures with my future step son Shoto, pictures with both of them. Pictures of just them together. The day came to an end, and everyone finally started to head back in. I walked beside Tokoyami, just casually. When everyone was hot and back in the classroom Aizawa told us to dress nice for tomorrow for a photo. Everyone mumbled an okay and then left.

“So, Shoto....” I started as I dropped onto his bed, “How’d it go?”

“He said yes.” His simple answer as he looked through his closet.

“Great.” I chirped and stretched across his bed.

“He now also knows you’re going to be my step mother.” I chocked.

“what....” I faced him.

“A family vacation and you would be there, I can’t lie and say I invited you. It would make no sense for you to just show up. So I told him you were dating my dad.” He found a white button up shirt and grabbed closet hanger.

“Oh, so I can call him son in law now....” I grinned up at him as he tensed.

“Sure.” He mumbled and didn’t face me.

“NOW TELL ME.” I shoved myself up, “Where are we going?”

“Ask Endeavor when you see him today, now get up we have to get to class. I won’t be late for this photo because you’re interested in my dad and vacation.”

The party passed quickly, Momo tried to make a move on Todoroki which was stopped by Deku accidentally bumping into Iida who bumped into Uraraka who bumped Momo out of the way and away from Shoto. It was a calm first period, we took photo’s with Aizawa Separately and then together as a large group. He seemed happy as he looked at his phone until Kaminari screamed.

“IM GOING TO MISS YOU DADZAWA.” and then hugged his shoulders which led to a group hug.

The rest of the day was spent watching movies, when the day finally ended class 1-A spent all night singing Karaoke and playing games. Everyone heard Bakugo genuinely laugh after Kirishima tackles him and started to tickle his sides. He’s the only one brave enough and the only one who would’ve survived. Bakugo was nice the rest of the night, small ‘heh’s coming out of him every now thin. Leaning on each other and smiling talking about things that happened until Mina brought up the game of secret Santa we had all decided to play. So everyone traded gifts and decided to not open them until Christmas the only thing being you have to send a video to the person who sent it to you. I thanked Todoroki as he gave me a box. I gave one to Kirishima, who gave one to Bakugo, who gave one to Deku, who gave one to Tokoyami, then Mina, then Shoji, then Ochako, then Mineta, then Sero, then Ojiro, then Jirou, the rest followed until everyone had one gift.

“Group chat! Everyone has to send a picture of what they get!” Kirishima said and made a chat before anyone could deny.

I smield down at my phone as people sent messages with names and pictures. The night ended and we all went our separate way in the morning with goodbyes, take care, hugs and platonic cheek kisses.

I was the last one, everyone had left. I head back up and grabbed my bag, and a bag with the things I needed. I walked home, looking up at the sky. It was starting to pepper itself with stars. I made my way up an apartment building to the third level. Room 300, I opened it. It looked exactly how I last remembered it. Navy walls, white counter tops. Black glass Kotatsu, navy cushions with stars and constellations. I sighed the cold air filled my lungs. I stepped in, and turned on the bright white lights. I locked the door behind me. The kitchen was still small, white walls, black stove and sink, black refrigerator, wood knife block with gold knives I bought for the esthetic. I saw a bowl of mangos and picked a note that was laying on it.

‘(Y/n),

Were sorry we couldn’t bring you home. We sent a grocery order, If you’re reading this note it means the order made it to your apartment. Your dad and I sent you gifts we bought for Christmas. We love you, and stay safe.

Also, I sent a few extra hundred to your bank account buy yourself something nice while your off for break.

We love you, Merry Christmas. Well call you soon.’

I nodded at the note and just sighed. I made my way to my room, the walls here mimicked the living room with gold trim. I had placed metallic vinyl stars along the crown and down wards. I stepped over to my desk and it’s chair. I looked at my bed, king size leaving almost no room for anything else. Two standing lamps on either side of the head of the bed. The windows beside it were letting the moons light shine in through.

I sighed and laid in my bed and took in the feeling of the cold heavy blankets. I felt my eyes stinging, Why was I crying? I’d get to spend a week with Enji and Shoto and Deku. But I guess after that I’ll be alone for four weeks. Being alone that’s why, I sighed and rolled onto my stomach burying my face into a pillow. I pulled the blanket over myself and fell asleep in the moonlight.

I woke up heart racing to tapping on my window. I looked at the window ready to face whatever it could be. All I came to face were large slow raindrops pelting themselves against the window. I watched the skies, bright blue and purple lightening bolts lights up the dark. I wish it could rain forever sometimes, but I guess that’s just not the case. I sighed and pushed the blankets back feeling the heat build up. The rumbling of my ac started up, I yawned and stretched. At some point last night I ditched my pants and bra. I pushed myself up and took a shower and got ready to do nothing. It’ll be this week and next week before I get to see Shoto and Enji. What should I do?

I looked around my living room and huffed, “I probably should’ve stocked up on entertainment. I guess I can go to that large art store down the street. Or binge watch some Netflix.” I grabbed my phone to check my bank account. I’d been saving up and rarely spending to be able to splurge on myself on Christmas. I’d saved up $800, and let me see what my mom sent. “600?!”

“I have $1,400.00 to spend on myself! I could do so much... but I should probably save it for vacation in case I want to buy something.” I closed my phone and just decided to binge watch Avatar The Last Airbender. I got antsy and started to practice baking. I wasn’t bad but I wasn’t a pro.

I sighed leaning on the counter staring at the screen, Zuko’s back story played and I spoke to myself. “He’s definitely the reason I’ve had so many explosive crushes.”

The rest of the day went by slow, I recited the deliveries of present, I made cupcakes and a cake, an egg pudding, and I tried my hand in mochi. I sighed and started to make the icing to actually finish the cupcakes. I looked up smiling at a funny scene from Avatar. I started to pipe on the icing, and smiled at the black and white swirls.

The first week passed slowly, I used every tube of paint I had and still cut them open, I wore down every crayon, used every pot and pan at least five times. I started watching naruto with fillers, and took up sculpting with ten pounds of air dry clay I got on sale for four dollars. I smiled at the little frog I had finally finished, I put it in the sun to let it dry with the other frogs and turtles.

‘Hey you wanna come over?’ ❄️🔥

‘Yes please😢’ ☀️🖤

‘Alright, you should know what to bring by now. We’ll be there to pick you up in 30.’ ❄️🔥

‘Your such a life saver 😭 do you like sweets by the way?’ ☀️🖤

‘Sure, what’s your address? Natsuo will eat it if I dont so what do you have?’ ❄️🔥

‘A bakery, I just sent you my location’ ☀️🖤

‘You live in a bakery? 🤔’ ❄️🔥

‘Nope, just been bored. I’ll pack so see you when you get here.💙💙💙’ ☀️🖤

‘Food?’ ❄️🔥

‘Bread???’❄️🔥

‘🍩🍩🍩??? 👀 👀’ ❄️🔥

I finished packing and grabbed my favorite pillow and went to the kitchen and packed two cakes and about two dozen different muffins, and a tin of all my cookies.

‘I’m ready.’☀️🖤

‘You live here? 🤭🤭’ ❄️🔥

‘Yeah why?’ ☀️🖤

‘Your husband doesn’t seemed to pleased....👀’ ❄️🔥

‘HE LIVES IN A MANSION MY APARTMENT IS LIKE HALF THE SIZE OF ONE OF YOUR SMALL CLOSETS. 😭😭😭😭💔💔💔💔’ ☀️🖤

‘Sorry 😅 just come out.’ ❄️🔥

‘I need help to bring boxes down. 😐’ ☀️🖤

‘He’s going.’ ❄️🔥

I opened the door and came face to face with Enjis chest before he knocked.

‘Enji!’ I cheered.

“Shoto said you needed help.” He said and stood there looking down at me.

“Yeah, I uh....work for a baked and I have a lot of sweets that I’m not going to eat so I asked Todoroki and he said I could take them so he and Natsuo could eat.” I smiled up at him.

“I see.” He looked past me at boxes.

“Well let’s get these down then.” He picked up the boxes with ease and took my bag still after I denied.

I followed him, my phone and wallet in hand, I looked at the building one last time before getting into the car. I sat in the back Shoto passenger and Enji driving. I smiled and scooted to the middle and watched the scenery from the middle of the windshield.

We made it to the estate and I learned Natsuo and Fuyumi wouldn’t be home till Wednesday, considering it’s Saturday I can love on my boo. I settled in the lavish guest room and then made a bee live for Enji’s office. I burst in not knocking and found him standing over his desk. I moved behind him and hugged his waist pushing my right cheek into his back.

“I missed you.” I smield and squeezed him, it had no physical effect considering the man was rock hard.

He pulled my off and turned around, I hugged him again and he took me into his chest. He was so warm, and broad. I smiled into his warmth and enjoyed the physical affection. I felt tears pricking at my eyes, I’m not alone anymore.

The next two hours I spent talking to Enji and kissing his cheeks at random times and hugging his neck and shoulders and arms. I left once he got a phone call and it sounded important. I found Todorki staring at one of the boxes I brought.

“Let’s eat!” I said and popped the box of cake open.

His aurora darkened and he held up a knife, ‘I’ve been waiting for this.’

He cut into the cake and we started to feat, we finished the cake laughing on a sugar high at the sound of Shoto’s chair making a funny sound.

I smield at Shoto and he smield back.

“I’m glad it’s you and not just some random lady who doesn’t care about anyone else but herself.” His words were weird.

“I don’t know what you mean but okay.”

“You make us happy, my dad, you spend time with me and see me as a person and friend when no one else did.”

“Stop Sho, I’ll cry.” I said now understanding.

“He’s lucky, and if he messes up he’ll lose the both of us.” He threatened before stuffing himself with more cake.

His belly now round as he slouched.

“I love you both, really, as much as I can. I really honestly do.” I smield down at the empty messy box.

“I’ll clean up, go clena your face.” I handed him a napkin and patted his head.

I cleaned up thinking about what the future could hold and wondering what it does hold for the future.

🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤🖤

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[spookyrobbins]

Hey! Since you’re a master of angst, i have a challenge for you. I’ll name random words, you have to make angsty hc for that words. (Calzona edition)

1.) Christmas tree

2.) Bubble

3.) laundry

4.) stars

5.) bubblegum

6.) scalpel

7.) cheeseburger

8.) iPhone

9.) basement

10.) x-ray

1.) Christmas tree

the year that sofia was in new york, sofia was supposed to come back to seattle for christmas and arizona decorated the whole house and she facetimed sofia so sofia could pick out the tree with her

but there was a bunch of storms and sofia's first flight got cancelled and arizona got freaked out about sofia flying and so she and callie decided it was better for sofia to stay in new york

needless to say, arizona had a very bad christmas

she facetimed sofia for a bit but it hurt to see penny and callie and sofia having christmas together; then she ate christmas cookies, drank rumchata, threw up cookies and rumchata and cried watching the thin man

2.) Bubble

callie's first night without sofia after the divorce, she found a bottle of champagne in the pantry with a note stuck on the bottom

the note in question: to celebrate the end of 30 days and the beginning of forever all my love, arizona

callie cried in the pantry for like an hour

then she threw the bottle out and then pulled it out of the trash and then threw it out again and then stashed it in the back of the pantry

she tucked the note away in a book arizona had given her for her birthday a few years back and forgot about it for years until arizona found it when they were moving in together (spoiler alert: they both cried about it)

3.) laundry

right after callie walked out of therapy, arizona drove to their house to pack a bag because she just couldn't imagine staying there after what callie had just done

she barely even registered what she was grabbing and she didn't realize until later that she grabbed callie's grey sweatshirt

at first, she didn't want to give it back bc she thought it would be humiliating

then she didn't want to give it back because it helped her sleep bc everything was always so much worse at night

then it felt like all she had left of callie bc callie had moved on and she was happier than ever but arizona had never been so miserable

4.) stars

tim and arizona used to star gaze a lot because stars were always the same and they would always make up goofy stories

arizona started doing the same with sofia when she was a bit older

and when sofia moved to new york, arizona got her a book so sofia could identify constellations without arizona there and she could still feel connected to her mom

5.) bubblegum

so arizona always has jelly beans in her lab coat pocket and when they first started dating, callie mentioned that she like the bubblegum ones, so arizona started pulling them out all the time for callie

only thing is bubblegum isn't callie's favourite, it's actually watermelon, but she never had the heart to tell arizona bc arizona was always so excited to give her the bubblegum ones and she always smiled so brightly and callie loved it

arizona went for years not knowing, at least until she overheard penny mention something (idk why penny was talking about this, just go with it)

she cried on alex's shoulder and alex had absolutely zero clue what was happening but he comforted her anyway bc alex is just that kind of friend

6.) scalpel

callie used to watch arizona's surgeries whenever she had free time; she loved watching her, the way she always chatted with her patient beforehand, the way she was always so in control, even the way she held a scalpel

but after the plane crash, she stopped because arizona was sensitive about callie hovering; and then they were separated; and then they were divorced; and callie shouldn't be watching her ex-wife perform surgery

however, arizona had a pretty groundbreaking surgery that everyone wanted to watch; callie could tell, even from a distance that arizona was stress - before she would've helped her, but now? now there wasn't much for callie to do

at the last minute, callie slipped in the back, right before arizona was about to start and arizona looked up at the gallery and for a split second, everything felt like it was right again

(expect it wasn't; they were still divorced; callie had penny; arizona didn't care anymore; and callie really wished she didn't either)

7.) cheeseburger

every time he got back from deployment, the colonel would take arizona and tim out for burgers; it was their little tradition, just to check in and reconnect

after the divorce, the colonel flew out and surprised arizona; they went for burgers and arizona cracked and told him everything about what happened with callie - the cheating and the separations and the therapy - and she expected him to freak out at her about how much of a disappointment she was

but instead, he just nodded, taking it all in, and asked her if she was getting the help she needed and taking care of sofia. needless to say, arizona cried

8.) iPhone

the morning after the storm, callie changed her phone background from one of their wedding pictures to a picture of sofia and didn't change it back; arizona noticed and it hurt but she never said anything

the night after callie walked out of therapy and their marriage, arizona changed her phone background from a picture of callie and sofia to a picture of sofia; callie never noticed

9.) basement

during callie's pregnancy, she was so frustrated with arizona and mark and then she had a bad surgery and she was tired of everyone fussing over her so she went and hid in the basement; arizona was looking for her and webber sent her down to the basement and callie told her that this always felt like a safe place in the hospital

in the year that sofia was in new york, arizona found herself going down there a lot; she felt like she was drowning and nobody noticed, so it was just better to be away from people; she even slept there a few times, more by accident than anything; plus it helped that it made her feel just a little bit connected to callie

10.) x-ray

right when they started dating, callie kept arguing that bones were sexy and arizona sort of jokingly told her to prove it, so callie took an xray of arizona's hand

she had basically forgotten about it until she was unpacking in new york and found it and sofia was with her and callie had to explain what it was

it caused a huge fight with penny, who wanted her to throw it out, but callie couldn't bring herself to get rid of the photo

[generaldisdainn]

Mandatory Relaxation

Happy Kristanna Christmas in July @somecallmejohn !! I’m your secret santa! :D Your suggestion was Kristoff being a goofball and Kristoff and Anna spending the day together in canonverse, so that’s what I tried to do!!! There isn’t too much plot- just a sweet snapshot of their day spent together. :-) I hope you like it!!! <3 <3 <3 

Rating: K

Pairing: Kristanna 

Word count: 2780

Kristoff hated watching Anna spread herself too thin. He could always see it coming- the frantic energy, the tired eyes- it all pointed to her over-expending herself.

He knew that assuming the role of queen meant more responsibilities and less free time for the two of them to spend together, but he felt that lately she hardly had any time at all. She was a brilliant queen, and Kristoff watched the way she ruled with reverence every day. He whispered how proud he was of her into her skin each night as they cuddled close. But lately she had seemed so tired. She was doing too much all out of the goodness of her heart. A neighboring kingdom had been dealing with a food shortage, and Anna was working diligently to figure out a way to allocate food and supplies to this struggling kingdom while still making sure that her people were taken care of. It was impossible to make everyone happy in situations like these, and he knew how much she hated disappointing people. 

She had finally come to a consensus with her advisors and the officials of the struggling kingdom, but the whole ordeal had left her tired and spent. He could tell in the way she carried herself, in the soft shyness with which her usually bright smile now tugged at her lips. It was why Kristoff decided to take it upon himself to help her relax. 

***

Anna awoke in the morning to heavy eyelids and a sore back. Despite the general aches and pains, she noticed that she felt surprisingly rested. Her mind was agile and ready for the day. It was refreshing. She opened her eyes and stretched against the morning sun, noting the way in which it crawled higher up the wall than what she was accustomed to seeing. She jolted at the sudden realization. There was way too much sun for it to be the time she usually awoke. 

“Kristoff, what time is it?” She glanced around the room in frantic search of her fiance. The bed next to her was empty. “Kristoff?”

Kristoff emerged from the bathroom and made his way over to the bed, a soft smile splayed across his face. “Morning, beautiful.” He reached over to embrace her, lips pursed to place a gentle kiss on her temple, but Anna pulled away, tugging at the covers and moving to get out of bed. 

“What time is it?”

“Sometime around noon,” he admitted sheepishly. 

“What?! Kristoff, I had a meeting at 8 this morning! Kai was supposed to wake me up hours ago!” 

Kristoff placed a hand on her arm to still her sudden movements. “Hey, easy feisty-pants. I called off your meetings today.”

“You what?”

Kristoff took a breath. “Anna, you’re exhausted. You haven’t had a break in weeks. You’ve been doing so much, and you know how proud I am of you, but you really need a break.”

Anna hummed thoughtfully. The anxious stutter of her breath calmed as she looked at the soft brown of her fiance’s eyes. She realized she suddenly had nowhere she needed to be. Relief washed over for a moment as she relaxed into his touch.

“Besides, I’ve missed spending time with you,” Kristoff added. He placed his lips to hers and she smiled against him. She loved the feel of him in the mornings- scratchy stubble and soft lips bringing her eagerly into her day.

“So everything’s cancelled for today?” she finally asked after they pulled apart.

Kristoff nodded.

“And no one’s upset?”

“No, Anna, not at all. Kai and Gerda thought that this was a great idea and were actually really excited. And they said everyone they talked to understood.”

Anna nodded slowly. “So we have a free day together then?”

Kristoff smiled and took her hand. “It’s all ours.”

***

They picked fruit from the garden for a late breakfast, letting the juice from nectarines run down their chins and kissing the remnants of the fruit off of each other’s lips. 

“We should do a picnic for lunch,” Anna suggested.

Kristoff nodded in agreement.

“I can have the cooks make something for us,” she said.

“I have a better idea.”

Kristoff led Anna into the town after grabbing a picnic basket and money from the castle. He intended to walk through town with her and purchase food for their picnic from the townspeople. He held Anna’s hand as they walked down the castle steps. He guided her, holding her as she held up the flowing fabric of her skirts to walk into the square. She was stunning. Her hair glowed in the warm rays of the sun.

He brought her to stands and carts where people sold fresh foods and hand-crafted items. Kristoff bought food for their basket as they went. He tipped each person generously. One of his favorite things about being a part of the royal family now was having the means to tip so generously. When he was a young ice harvester, he never had enough to tip at all, let alone well. He always wished he could give more, and now he had the means to do so.

Anna stopped and spoke to people in the bustling square as they made their way through the crowds. People were excited to see the two of them. Anna was adored for her endless grace and kindness, and Kristoff had even become a town favorite with the kids as he let them take turns riding on Sven and often told them stories about adventures in the mountains and tales of large ice golems in far away ice palaces. 

“It’s been so long since I’ve been out here. I forgot how much I love it,” she said to him as she swung her arm with his. They had made their way out of the main center and walked along the water at the pier, boats lining the shore with pride. Anna walked on a small ledge right next to the water and he held her as she balanced. “Look at how happy everyone is.” Anna sighed as she looked towards a group of kids who were playing some sort of made up game. They looked so happy, so carefree.

“You know, you play a big part in that.”

“In what?” 

“In helping make everyone feel so happy here.”

Anna blushed. “So do you, you know. I don’t think I tell you enough, but I’m so proud of all that you’ve done. I know you don’t always like the whole royal thing,” Anna straightened his collar and ruffled his hair. “But you’ve brought so much to Arendelle.” He truly had. She meant every word of what she said. He was the driving force behind building Arendelle’s first orphanage. He lead ice harvesting trips and taught the kids how to care for the reindeer. 

Kristoff rubbed a hand at the back of his neck and fumbled with something to say. He still found himself getting tongue-tied when he received such genuine compliments. He was always caught off guard by the way his heart would take flight at her kindness.

His fumbling was interrupted by the kids who were now barrelling towards the two of them.

“Kristoff! Queen Anna!” the youngest of the group cried. 

“Hey, guys!” Kristoff smiled. He immediately recognized the group from hanging around the stables. He knew the youngest boy as Bjorn- the one who was always asking for a ride on Sven.

“Kristoff, I’ve been practicing the song you taught me!” Bjorn began humming a gentle tune. 

Anna gave Kristoff’s hand a squeeze.

“I can never get that last part,” Bjorn grumbled as he faltered on the last section of the tune. “Can you sing it for me?” The other two boys lit up at the suggestion.

“Maybe some other time,” Kristoff offered. “I don’t have my lute on me.”

Bjorn gasped and scampered off suddenly.

“You’ve been singing to them?”

Kristoff shrugged. “Sometimes in the stables. They like to help me out in there.”

She had heard him sing many times, but she didn’t know he’d been singing to the kids in the town. Her heart swelled. 

Bjorn returned with a lute in his small hands. “It’s my dad’s! Please Kristoff?” The other two boys clapped excitedly and gathered around Kristoff as Bjorn pushed the lute into his hands. Anna smiled and sat down next to the boys. 

“Alright Kristoff, you heard the boys. You have to play. Queen’s orders.”

Bjorn giggled at that. 

Kristoff smiled and shook his head at his fiance. She was sitting like an eager child, legs criss-crossed and hands propping her head as she gazed up at him with eager eyes. 

He began strumming softly. Anna could tell he was a bit nervous. She knew he was more used to playing for their little family or in the stables, but not in the open like this. But it was just her and the boys on the pier. She could see him start to ease into the song.

Anna watched as he sang. He had a beautiful voice, something she always found herself learning all over again whenever he used it in song. He sang about a beautiful girl who rescued her sister and then saved a forest, a girl who was so deeply loved by a wandering man of the mountains.

***

They made it out to a secluded spot in the woods together. The trees dappled the ground with spots of sun and shade. It wasn’t too far off the beaten path. It was within walking distance of the town, but it was still off the trail just enough so that they were alone amidst the birds and the whispering of the wind through the trees. They shared breads and cheeses and stories and dreams. Anna watched Kristoff talk. She was in awe of the way his face glowed in the spotted sunlight, his hair shining in neat tresses.

“Here- tilt your head back like this, but make sure to keep your eye on my hand.” Kristoff instructed Anna as he posed to throw a grape into her mouth. He had offered to teach her after he had shown off his own ability in catching them. “Ready?”

“This is stupid,” Anna replied, although she stayed in formation.

Kristoff geared up and threw a handful of five, hitting her in multiple different places on her face. “You didn’t catch a single one!” 

“You cheated!” Anna tackled Kristoff to the ground in mock anger. She collapsed on top of him with bubbling laughter and he held her close, breathing her in and feeling her warmth on top of him. 

They laid like that for a moment, breathing and laughing together. Kristoff looked up at the tree-covered clearing and let out an easy breath. He felt so at home.

Anna clambered off of him and patted her lap. “Lay down- I want to play with your hair.”

“Hmmm you’re going to have to pay money for that. My hair doesn’t come for free you know.”

Anna rolled her eyes. “Just get over here, silly.”

Kristoff laughed and laid his head in Anna’s lap. She strung flowers in his hair. They were full of good food and laughter. He smiled contently as she ran her fingers through his locks, putting another flower carefully into place.

“Sing for me?”

“You sound just like those kids,” he teased.

“Can you blame me? You have a beautiful voice.”

Kristoff opened his eyes and looked up at her, her face softening into a smile. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” She placed a hand on his cheek and he leaned into it. It was soft and small and warm. 

He hummed a gentle tune as she worked.

***

“You know, we’ve been so busy we’ve hardly gotten to talk about our wedding,” Kristoff mentioned as they walked back to the town from their picnic. 

“I think we should have two weddings.”

“Two?”

“Well, a more traditional one of course for all of the stuffy dignitaries and ambassadors, but also a special one with your family.”

“You’d do that for me?”

“Kristoff, of course. And it wouldn’t be just for you. I want that too. And I know the Northuldra would come to that one.” Kristoff thought about Anna professing her love for him underneath a night sky, draped in a mossy cape. His heart swelled. “Do you remember when your family tried to marry us after we had just met?”

Kristoff laughed at the memory. It was the first time he really felt him start to fall for her, her radiant smile illuminated by the gems on her headdress and cape. “That was so embarrassing.”

“I thought you were cute. I know we hadn’t known each other for that long and that I was technically engaged to Hans at the time,” they both made a face at the mention of her ex-fiance, “but I think that was when I first started liking you.”

“You mean you like-like me?” Kristoff asked in mock surprise. 

Anna stuck her tongue out at him. “Like you didn’t like-like me then too. You came back for me in the middle of a snow storm.”

Kristoff’s eyes got serious for a moment. He reached out to take her hands in his and held them there, stopping their walk to look at her with sincerity. “I would do that all over again for you. I never want to lose you.”

“I know, Kristoff. I’m right here. I love you.”

“I love you too.” They shared a look in mutual understanding. It wasn’t something they spoke about often, but they both still dealt with the fears of losing each other after enduring life-threatening adventures. Every once in a while they needed to remind each other that they were there- that they were okay. 

“So two weddings, huh?” They began walking again. He looked down at her with a smirk.

“Yup! Is that too much pressure for you? Are you thinking about pulling out now?” she challenged, a playful gleam in her eyes.

He knew she was joking, but he couldn’t help but answer with sincerity. “Never.”

***

Anna read before bed that night for the first time in weeks. What used to be a nightly ritual had become something of a broken habit that she now hoped to get back into. 

Kristoff came out of the bathroom and approached the bed much like he had that morning, arms outstretched and leaning towards his fiance, but this time, she didn’t pull away. She closed her book and nestled into his arms, leaning against the wide expanse of his chest. It was still early in the evening. Usually she would be coming in from a long day of work and head straight to bed, but tonight they felt as though they had all the time in the world. She felt relaxed and at peace as he ran his fingers through her hair. She had taken it out of its braids and it fell down her back in gentle waves.

“Thank you, Kristoff.”

“For what?”

“For everything. For today. I really needed this.” She felt his lips on the top of her head, felt him nestle into her hair and inhale deeply. “I’m going to do this more often.”

“Like take days off?”

Anna nodded. “I’ve missed you.”

“I’m right here. And whenever you need another day off just let me know. I’ll beat up anyone who tries to meet with you.”

Anna snorted in laughter. “I love you so much.”

“I love you too.”

“Imagine you punching a dignitary,” Anna said with a chortle after a moment of silence passed between them. Kristoff laughed alongside her at the thought. 

They fell asleep that night in each other’s arms, sleeping peacefully not because their day was filled with meetings and large decisions, but because their day was spent with laughter and sunlight and music.

Anna awoke that next morning with no aches or pains, no groggy feeling in her head or weights on her eyelids. She awoke to Kai like usual, but for the first time in a while, she took an extra moment to snuggle up to her fiance, to plant a gentle kiss to his temple, and breath him in before going about her day.

[matrixaffiliate]

Christmas in Quarantine

New Story! FFN and AO3

Quarantine has a way of making us want to have the best things in life, the things we can't have now. For Harry and Ginny, this involves hauling out the holy, playing carols, holiday treats, and a little of Christmas, right this very minute. Modern Muggle AU.

This little story was requested and prompted by several wonderful people on Tumblr. @gryffindormischief named the fic and wanted it written for Hinny. @petals-to-fish (who put up so many wonderful fics in one day for all of us and it really was Christmas) wanted to see a snowball fight, baking cookies, and mistletoe kissing. @inakindofdaydream (who adores Christmas after my own heart) wanted to see them almost getting caught by Santa Clause. And @shining-jul-of-hope who pointed out that it's nowhere near Christmas right now. :P I'm so grateful to these lovely people for sharing in the magic with me, and trusting me with their fabulous ideas!

For those of us not part of the UK, cornflour, apparently is what we call corn starch.

Christmas in Quarantine

It was strange, how little Harry Potter's life changed with the Pandemic, but as a blockbuster author who spent most of his time in his office writing the next installment of his fantasy novels, he was more or less socially distanced to begin with. What changed the most was that Ginny was home now. The football leagues were all canceled and that meant Ginny's professional career had been put on hold until further notice.

For the first week or so, it was fun. Harry put off the manuscript in exchange for keeping Ginny company in all the best ways. But then his publisher was emailing him about maybe getting more done since the world had shut down, and his editor started calling and so Harry reluctantly went back into work mode.

He figured Gin would be alright. She had the treadmill and other assorted workout equipment and her team did daily Zoom meetings now. When she wasn't goofing around with the team - he's walked into the kitchen when she's in those meetings, he knows what they're talking about - both their mothers liked to call and check-in, Marlene hosted a Kindle book club now, and Luna taught painting lessons through live videos, so Harry felt confident that Ginny didn't need him to be underfoot trying to "entertain" her.

But he started to wonder if he had underestimated what social distancing would do to his wife when Harry walked out of his office for a snack and heard the sound of... show tunes?

"Gin?" Harry poked his head into the sitting room.

"Alright, Potter?" Ginny was lounging on the sofa in front of the telly, watching something that looked horrendous on their high def screen.

"What's this?" Harry gestured to the telly.

"My mum always said I should watch the musicals she loved as a kid." Ginny shrugged. "And I've got time now, so I thought I'd give a few a go."

Harry chuckled, "You had me worried there. I've never heard you listen to show tunes and I wondered if you'd gone stir crazy."

Ginny rolled her eyes at him. "Don't let that book keep you past dinner again."

Harry shoved his hand in his hair. "I've got an alarm today, I'll be all yours the moment it goes off."

Ginny's returning smile left him wondering if maybe he ought to move that alarm up an hour.

After a week of Ginny watching the musicals her mum grew up with, Harry became accustomed to the show tunes playing from the sitting room. Gin would put on whatever one he assumed her mum had recommended and Harry would come out to assorted big band songs playing. It reminded him of going to his dad's parents' home when he was little, which felt oddly comforting given the way the world was attempting to implode upon itself.

And that was probably why Harry didn't think to question Gin's newfound obsession.

And when she started watching the same one at the start of every day, well Harry just figured that she really liked the music or the story, after all, the bits that Harry had seen were set during the Great Slump and he was starting to wonder if the world wasn't heading for another 21st-century repeat.

Harry was a bit taken aback after a week of her starting the day with the musical Auntie Mame to walk into the kitchen to grab lunch and find Ginny baking mince pies.

"Alright, Gin?"

Ginny grinned up at him from the pie crust she was rolling out.

"Thought I'd make us a bit of a treat."

Harry brushed some of the flour from her cheek.

"Mince pies?"

"You love mince pies." She set the rolling pin down to smear a floured hand across his cheek.

Harry tried to pull back but wasn't quick enough and laughed as he reached for a towel.

"You're right, so I guess the proper response should have been more along the lines of 'thank you' or maybe enthusiastic snogging?"

"I'll take the thank you now and the enthusiastic snogging after these pies are baked and cooled." Ginny kissed him and Harry moved closer to her, letting his lips move slowly against her, loving the way she melted against him.

"Thank you for making mince pies in April. I'll make sure that you get far more than enthusiastic snogging once I'm done working on this blasted novel."

Ginny bit down on his lip. "I can't wait."

Harry was surprised by Ginny baking mince pies. But the next morning he was downright floored to find their Christmas decorations out and mostly up when he stepped out to refill his tea.

"Gin? What on Earth?"

"We need a little Christmas, Harry." Ginny adjusted where she hung an ornament on their tree.

"It's April…" Was all he managed to say as he realized how much she'd managed to get done in the roughly three hours he'd been writing.

"Life is a banquet, and most poor suckers are starving to death!" Ginny laughed and smiled at the telly where Lucille Ball's character was talking about building a home for Jewish refugees.

"Right…"

Ginny moved back to the last couple of boxes of their Christmas decorations.

"I have a surprise at lunch. So don't work through it."

Harry blinked. "This isn't a surprise?"

"We need a little Christmas, Harry!" Ginny pulled the Santa hat or if the box and stuck it on her head.

And then it clicked.

"Are we in that musical?" He gestured to the telly.

Ginny huffed and dug into the box closest to her. "Well, I thought it looked like fun!"

"I can't sing," Harry grinned and moved to the boxes with Ginny. "But we could haul out the holy, maybe fill the stockings, turn on the carols."

Ginny's eyes filled back up with hope, "Bake Christmas cookies, have a snowball fight, watch for Santa?"

Harry slipped his hand into the box next to him as he smiled down at Ginny.

"I have no idea how we'll have a snowball fight, but yes, I'll go close out of my document for today and we'll have ourselves a little Christmas."

Then he lifted out what he'd been digging through the box for.

"But shouldn't we start our Christmas off right?" Harry held up the mistletoe over their heads.

Ginny chuckled, "Very smooth, Potter."

"I had to write a few romance pieces at university." Harry leant closer to her.

"Why have I never seen them?" Ginny smirked, leaning back away from him.

"They were rubbish. I tossed them the moment I had the grade." Harry finally pulled her close enough to capture her lips.

She laughed against him. "Go tell your boss you're out for the day while I go hang this above our bed."

Ginny snatched the mistletoe from his fingers and skipped to their bedroom.

By the time Harry had finished saving everything and putting a few ideas down in his notebook, Ginny was standing at his office door in her bikini with his swimming trunks in hand.

"What happened to Christmas?"

"I figured out how to have a snowball fight!" Ginny tossed him his trunks. "Come on!"

Then she headed for their balcony.

Harry couldn't change fast enough.

"Here," Ginny shoved a bowl at him as he stepped out the door to join her. "This is your ammunition, use it wisely because I'm not using any more of our cornflour for it."

"Cornflour?"

"Yes, and hair conditioner, which I've already told Amazon to send more of."

Harry laughed at how Ginny had moved their two patio chairs to make a battle line.

"I can't believe you managed to get us snow when it's 19 degrees out." Harry stuck his hand in his bowl of fake snow and grimaced at the texture.

"YouTube," Ginny shrugged and then jumped to one side of the chair battle line she'd created.

The moment Harry shut the door, she threw a ball of the 'snow' at this bareback and he grimaced at the way it felt sliding along his spine.

"This is an awful cross between that wretched Halloween slime we made in primary and store-bought decor snow."

"Wouldn't know," Ginny shrugged, "seeing as I haven't been hit by any of it."

Harry didn't move fast enough as she threw another 'snow ball' at him and it slid down his side. He groaned as the feeling of it crawling along his side sent shivers across his skin before reaching into his own bowl and tossing a large handful back at Ginny. She ducked and it splatted against the wall behind her.

There wasn't really much 'snow' between the two of them and when he missed Ginny by a hair for the third time, Harry decided to go all in. He jumped up on the patio chairs and pushed his foot on the back of the chair, tipping it over and taking his wife by surprise as he dumped his bowl over her head.

Ginny yelled and shoved him back onto the toppled chair as she threw the last of her snow at his face. Then she collapsed on top of him and laughed as they tried to keep the 'snow' from their eyes.

"I think a shower is in order." Harry pushed his caked glasses up into his hair. "And then what would you like to do next?"

"I have everything out for some Christmas cookies, icing and all." Ginny wiped some snow from her forehead before it could slide completely into her eyes.

"Baking and Christmas carols?"

"And maybe a bit of something else…" Ginny moved to kiss him but immediately backed away when more 'snow' tried to sneak into her eyes.

Harry laughed and pushed them to stand. "Lead a blind man to the shower, won't you?"

After a long shower, Harry wrapped his arms around Ginny's waist as carols played through her phone and she measured out the flour.

"Aside from the tank top, this feels like Christmas."

"Maybe we should spend Christmas in a warmer climate from now on," Ginny brushed a bit of flour on his nose.

"Our mums would probably hunt us down for something like that."

"Ooo, adventure and a holiday, sounds like a book waiting to be a bestseller."

Harry laughed and helped with the cookies and icing. Slipping his phone out here and there to jot down a few notes.

"I thought you told the boss you were off for the day." Ginny pouted as Harry set his phone down to ice another cookie.

"Just writing a few ideas down," Harry leant over and kissed her cheek.

"Typing, not writing," she teased.

"You said you had a surprise for me and to not work through lunch." Harry redirected their conversation.

"Well, I was going to use it to convince you to go along with having a bit of Christmas in April. But since you decided to jump on board without it, I'm saving it for tonight." She bit her lip.

"Tonight, eh?" Harry stood and moved to the fridge.

"Alright, Potter?" Ginny frowned.

"I know that look," Harry started pulling out sandwich fixings. "I'm going to need more than sugar cookies and icing for lunch if you've got that look."

Her laughter felt more genuine in that moment than it had since the world hit pause, and Harry grinned.

They really did need a little Christmas.

They spent the rest of the day 'virtual caroling'. For which his parents not only thanked them but joined in, taking the phone along as they dug up all the Christmas boxes and argued if they could thaw the ham overnight or if they should just make whatever they had on hand for a family Christmas dinner the next day hosted via Zoom meeting.

Harry scrounged up everything for a shepherds pie dinner and they put on A Christmas Carol after as they ate the iced cookies and drank hot chocolate for dessert.

It felt like Christmas.

Harry felt light and he felt happy and he could see the happiness and lightness in Ginny as well. They definitely needed a little Christmas in all of this pandemic insanity.

"Thank you," he kissed her hairline.

Ginny smiled up at him, snuggling closer to his side. "Thank you for being on board. This has been so much fun. I forgot about how awful it is out there."

Harry kissed her, letting himself indulge in the softness of her lips, the taste of chocolate and sugar on her lips.

"Do I still get to see that surprise?" Harry kissed along her jawline to the spot behind her ear that made her breath catch.

Ginny laughed, "Wait here."

She pushed up and slid out of the room with a confidence that made it a strenuous exercise in self-control for Harry to not follow her out of the sitting room.

To distract himself he took out his phone and jotted down a few more notes.

"I might just throw your phone in your office and lock the door."

Harry quickly locked said phone and tossed it on the side table.

Then he looked up.

Ginny had on a Father Christmas cloak, white wig, and a set of glasses that had the white beard attached.

"Wow…"

Ginny laughed and undid the belt that held the robe shut.

Harry's initial confusion dropped instantly as his wife's body was revealed, no imagination needed.

"We're losing the beard," he smirked and moved to gently pull the glasses-beard combo off Ginny's face.

"What Father Christmas doesn't have a long white beard?" She teased as her fingers moved along his waistband.

Harry kissed her slowly as his hands moved slower against her freckled skin.

"The one who is actually my wife," he pulled back before sweeping Ginny into his arms and carrying her back to their bed, and the mistletoe hanging over it.

The sun long set and the moon high in their bedroom window, Harry waited patiently until Ginny's breathing became even and he was sure she was fast asleep. As quietly as he learned to move when he was a child spying on his Christmas gifts, Harry snuck out of their bed and down to his office.

It took the better part of an hour to get it how he wanted it. Then it took another half-hour to get the printer to print it the way he wanted. And another half-hour after that to find the freaking wrapping paper. But after roughly two hours of trying to be silent, Harry snuck into the sitting room to set the gift under the tree.

He went to grab this phone from the side table when a cloaked image came into his peripheral vision and he almost cried out as all the anxiety of a child being caught by Father Christmas came rushing up at him from years as a boy trying to spy on Christmas gifts.

"Why are you out here?" Ginny's groggy voice sounded and Harry felt relief rush through him like a tidal wave.

"Just grabbing my phone. I forgot to plug it in to charge while we slept."

"Come to bed, you're how I don't freeze to death at night."

Harry slipped his arms around Ginny and led them back to bed with a smile on his face.

He hadn't been caught by Father Christmas, but more importantly, his wife would still get her surprise on Christmas morning.

And just like childhood, Harry awoke far too early, and far too excited to go back to sleep. Though rather than for what he would receive, it was for what he was giving.

"Gin," he nuzzled her hairline and kissed her cheek.

Ginny made a sound that was a cross between a moan and a grunt.

"Don't you want to see what Father Christmas left for you?"

"I'm Father Christmas and I didn't leave anything out because it's not actually December the 25th." She mumbled into her pillow.

Harry chuckled. "Let's just go have a look."

Ginny blinked her eyes open and frowned. "Only if I get to come right back to bed."

Harry put his hand over his heart. "I promise, well go see if there are any surprises and then come right back to bed."

"Fine," Ginny pushed up from the bed, her Father Christmas robe slipping from her shoulders. "But if this is how you're going to be with children then we're rethinking our future plans."

Harry laughed and forced himself not to run full tilt down the hall and leave his adorably sleepy wife in the dust.

He held his breath as Ginny moved to the tree and his lone gift that sat wrapped below its branches.

She turned to look up at him, bewildered, "What's this?"

"Open it," he shrugged.

Ginny pulled the wrapping away and slid the booklet from the manilla envelope he'd used to hold it.

"A Holiday and an Adventure," She read aloud. "Harry, what is this?"

Harry stuck a hand in his hair. "Well since you're not on the team for the foreseeable future, and you've always got the best ideas when I'm stuck in a story, I thought maybe, maybe you'd like to write a book together, you and me. All those pages in the booklet are the notes I was jotting down all day yesterday. And I've organized them out the way I do with my novels. If you like the idea and we finish the story, we could send it over to my editor. See what she thinks."

Ginny looked up from the booklet, eyes wide. "You want to write a book with me?"

Harry smiled, "I kind of already do. You're my sounding board and you find more of my plot holes than my editor does. So I guess I'm really asking you to be an active participant so we can put your name on the cover too."

Ginny looked back down at the booklet before launching herself at him. Harry caught her and managed to spin them around so he fell on the sofa and not his back.

"So is this a yes?" Harry chuckled as he kissed her hairline.

Ginny kissed him enthusiastically before jumping up. "Come on! I want to start right now!"

Harry snagged her around the middle before she could go running off. "What happened to wanting to go right back to bed?"

"Don't be ridiculous," Ginny laughed, "do you have any idea how badly I've wanted some real control in your novels?"

"Now you have a story to be in control of." Harry kissed her. "Happy Christmas, Gin."

Ginny's smile shone like the rising run out their sitting room window. "Happy Christmas, Harry."

[bungou-stray-dingus]

Sorry to be annoying but I have a bunch of scenarios in my head and you are just a perfect writer to do so Can I request chuuya and mori spoiling their s/o with expensive shit but she came from poor roots and it’s a bit uncomfortable for her to receive them

YOURE NOT ANNOYING AT ALL! You can send me all the requests, I will gladly write every scenario you have in your head! I appreciate you and your requests! ❤️❤️❤️

Chuuya

You deserved the world, and he would buy you the entire planet if he was able to. But he wasn’t able to buy you that, so he opted to buy every little thing that caught his eye, every item he passed that he thought would look good on you, or anything that reminded him of you while he was away from you. He didn’t mind the price tag or how many zeros were after the 9, he was going to get it because you deserved only the best.

He had scheduled date nights, he’d rent out an entire restaurant just to be alone with you. He’d always buy you a knee outfit for the occasion, complete with new heels and accessories that were diamond encrusted.

It’s not that you didn’t appreciate the things he got you, you loved them. It’s just that you weren’t used to such lavish items being dropped at your feet on a daily basis. It seemed like a waste of money to be getting you all these things.

He came home from work carrying multiple shopping bags, laying them on the bed in front of you. He started unpacking the bags, holding up the beautiful red dress, you caught a glimpse of the price tag hanging from it and sighed. Five hundred thousand yen for a piece of fabric that you would only wear one night. You didn’t even want to see the price of the items in the other bags.

“Do you not like it?” He sounded worried and you just shook your head. You had never told him about how you grew up. Watching your parents struggle just to put food on the table, they both worked two jobs and could barely afford the roof over your head. “I can go get another one if you don’t like this dress.”

“No, Chuuya... I love the dress, but it’s so expensive....” You reached out to brush your fingers along the fabric, it was satin.

“So? I don’t mind the cost. It’s for you, you deserve it.” He laid the dress on the bed and took a seat next to you. “You’re my queen.”

“But I’m not a queen. I don’t want to be a queen.” You started pulling the items out of the bag. “What makes me deserve this more than anyone else? Why do I get diamond necklaces and fancy shoes and ridiculously expensive dresses?”

“Because you’re my girl. What other reason do I need?” It’s like he didn’t understand the value of money, it was just something that could be thrown around, and he did it freely, carelessly.

“This dress... the jewelry.... all of this.... I love it, but I don’t need it. These shoes... I can barely even walk in them.” Memories of nights when you were young, your parents sitting at the end of the table watching you eat cheap soup while they had nothing, birthdays where you’d get a piece of candy and if you were lucky a new pair of shoes since yours were too small and falling apart. You didn’t even notice that you were crying until he started wiping away your tears.

“Babe...” He pulled you into his arms, holding you there as he tried to think of something to say.

“I don’t need fancy dates at five star restaurants, I don’t need to be dressed like a million bucks to feel like a queen. I never had money, my family was poorer than poor, but we loved each other, and that was better than anything that money could ever buy.” You wipes your tears and moved back to look at him. “Chuuya, I love you, and you love me. That’s worth more to me than any necklace or piece of clothing.”

“Why didn’t you ever tell me?”

“I was embarrassed. I thought you wouldn’t like me if you knew that I came from nothing.” You dropped your eyes down.

“Y/N, where you came from, what you had or have, that’s not important to me. I love you for you.” He tilted your chin up to look at him. “And if you don’t want me buying these kinds of things for you, I won’t.” He pressed kisses all over your face, making you smile his favorite smile, the one where your cheeks burned red and your lips pulled up awkwardly, your eyes shut. “Alright, I’m gonna cancel the reservation at the restaurant, we’ll spend the night here, have an at home date.” He hopped off the bed, pulling his phone from his pocket. He talked quickly, giving them some lie about you being sick and he couldn’t make it.

You spent the evening on the couch, he was in sweatpants and a plain white t-shirt, and you were wearing one of his oversized t-shirts with nothing else. It was comfortable, being in his arms as you both lazed across the couch, flipping through tv channels until you both found something that caught your interest. “I think I like this more than a restaurant. I can’t do this out in public.” He pulled you closer against him, burying his face in your neck.

He ended up returning all the items he had bought. He didn’t really know what to do with the extra cash he got back, but then a thought popped into his mind.

He came home with a medium sized box, wrapped neatly with a bow on top. “I know you said no expensive items, but this wasn’t that much, and it has a lot of use.” He handed it to you, and you gnawed on your lips as you slowly unwrapped it.

It was a Polaroid camera. He had remembered you saying that you really wanted one. “We can get a photo book too.”

He ended up using the camera more than you, he took it everywhere when the two of you went out. He didn’t do as many fancy dates, opting for more casual days of walking through the park as he snapped quick shots of you walking towards the ducks that were under the tree. He took pictures of the two of you at the beach, and he was slightly embarrassed of the picture you got of him when he was taken down by a wave.

He realized that money truly wasn’t everything, and it’s the memories that mean the most, and it doesn’t cost a lot to make memories.

Mori

He placed the small gift wrapped box in front of you, elegantly wrapped in gold paper with a black ribbon tied around it. He smiled at you, waiting for you to open it.

“What is this?” You asked, picking up the box and shaking it. You heard the small rattle it made and knew immediately.

“Open it, you’ll see.” He said, but you put the box back on the table and slid it to him.

“No more gifts, I don’t need them. Save the money.” You said and he looked confused at the statement.

“I don’t care if you need them, I want you to have them. Please open it.” He slid it back across the table to you. You sighed and slipped it into your pocket.

“We can save it for Christmas.”

“Christmas is silly, why wait for a single day when I could give you everything right now. Name it, you’ll have it my dear.”

“But I don’t need material things.” You said, the weight of the box in your pocket seemed to grow. You couldn’t understand how he could be so careless with his money. It scared you even, that he basically threw it away just to appease you. You didn’t even have to ask, he just came back baring gifts.

“What do you mean? I thought you liked my gifts.” He gave you a little pout. You sighed, getting up from your chair to walk over to him, wrapping your arms around his slender form.

“Mori, I love everything you get for me.”

“Then what could be the problem?” He brushed his fingers through your hair as you rested your head against his chest.

“There’s other ways to show me you love me, or that you’re thinking about me. Money isn’t infinite.” You sighed and he chuckled, the rumble in his chest shook you.

“My money is. You don’t have to worry about it.”

“I grew up without diamonds, I have no need for them. Your money, I don’t care for it. I love you, for everything you are, not what you have, and not what you can give me.”

“My dearest Y/N, I know that you had nothing. I want to make up for your parents could not give you.” He kissed the top of your head. His motions were genuine, he honestly thought that he was doing a good thing. He didn’t understand why this seemed like such a bad thing to you.

“But they did give me a lot. Just because they didn’t have money doesn’t mean that I had nothing. I wasn’t rich with items, I was rich with love. It was the only thing they could give me, and it was enough.” You sighed and pulled out of his hold. He watched as you paced his office. “You can’t buy love. Love doesn’t have a price tag, its free, but it’s the most valuable thing you can give another person.”

“So what you’re saying is you just want me to love you, without gifts?” He tapped his chin as he thought about what you said, letting it really sink in.

“Exactly. I don’t mind small things, but, your love would be the best gift you could give me. I’d love it more than any little object you bought, because it would be real.” You finally stopped pacing, and he walked over to where you were standing, wrapping his arms loosely around your waist, staring down at you quizzically.

“You are quite strange dear.” He murmured, kissing your forehead. Your strangeness was actually endearing to him. Knowing that you didn’t love him for the money he had, you genuinely loved him for who he was, and he found that he loved you more now.

[classysassy9791]

Sometimes its the quieter moments that speak the loudest. A story of love, laughter, and friendship carried through the years during the most wonderful season of all. Full of fluff and Christmas cheer. Interconnecting One-shots.

Fandom: Inuyasha Genre: Romance/Friendship Pairings: InuKag, MirSan, SessKagu Ch. 1 l Ch. 2 l Ch. 3 l Ch. 4 l

Chapter 5: All I Want for Christmas is You (part 1 of 2) Word Count: 2590 Can also be found here

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.

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Kagome knew she was blushing.

She could feel the heat growing in her cheeks as she continued to stare across the room to where the object of her affections sat. Inuyasha sat at the dining room table, his face screwed in concentration, as he battled against frosting and gingerbread.

He had somehow managed to get icing everywhere, including his face and hair. He lifted his fingers to his mouth, licking them clean, and then running his tongue slowly over his lips to catch any remnants. Her heart beat quickened, and she shamelessly thought that his lips looked very kissable.

“Kagome?”

Biting her lip, Kagome watched in a daze as Inuyasha began to slip off his button-up shirt, grumbling something about it being one of his nicer ones, leaving his arms bare and his chest covered only by a wife-beater. She could practically feel the drool drip down her chin as he continued his work, his forearms flexing.

What she wouldn’t give for him to wrap those arms around her.

“Kagome, are you still there?”

Sango’s voice over the receiver finally startled Kagome out of her audacious musings, further deepening her blush.

“Y-Yes, I’m still here.” She immediately turned around and proceeded back into the kitchen, covering her face with her hand as if to hide her rosy cheeks. “Sorry about that. What were you saying?”

“I was saying that I won’t be able to join you guys today. Since my dad and Kohaku went to the hockey game, my mom needs me to run some errands with her.”

“Oh, well that’s all right,” Kagome said, while simultaneously trying to cool her blush by fanning herself. It didn’t help that the oven was on, making the room feel much hotter than it probably was. “I think we can survive without you this time.”

“Really?” Sango spoke skeptically. “You think you’ll be able to keep the boys in line?”

Kagome pondered for a moment before smiling sheepishly. “Well, I’ve left them unsupervised for a few minutes and they haven’t caused a disaster yet. So that’s a good thing, right?”

Sango exhaled deeply on the other line. “Well, just tell them if they don’t behave, I’ll castrate the both of them.”

“Sango!” Kagome shrieked, all efforts of disposing of her blush now gone to waste. “Since when have your threats become so crass?”

She could hear her chuckle on the other line. “Since the boys stopped believing I could actually beat them up – which, by the way, I still can.”

Rolling her eyes, Kagome leaned the phone in the crook of her neck, held in place by her shoulder. “If you say so.”

“Inuyasha, what the hell is that?” Miroku’s voice came from the dining room.

“What are you talkin’ about? It’s a house.”

“More like a haunted mansion. Seriously, do you even know what a house looks like?”

Inuyasha scoffed. “I can do whatever the fuck I want.”

“Language, boys!” Kagome called out before turning her attention back to the phone. “Look, Sango, I have to go. But call me later tonight after you’re done helping your mom.”

“Will do. Good luck!”

“Thanks,” she murmured sarcastically. The girls said their goodbyes, allowing Kagome to return to her task at hand, as well as the sinful thoughts she had minutes earlier.

Even though she told Sango it was okay, she silently berated her for canceling on them, leaving her to fend for herself against Inuyasha and Miroku’s usual depravity. Although, she couldn’t help but wonder how much damage they could do with some icing and gingerbread.

Sighing deeply, she took a moment to pull herself together. She breathed in the aroma of that perfect blend of spicy and sweet, filling her home with warmth not just from the oven. Gumdrops, marshmallows, and coconut shavings separated, Kagome gathered up their respective bowls and proceeded toward the dining room where she was sure to find disarray.

“Hey, here are some more—“ Her words cut off as she paused in the entryway.

The boys froze upon her entrance, each holding a tube of icing, and looking as if they had just been caught with their hands in Santa’s cookie jar. She glanced over their makeshift masterpieces, and almost laughed at the appearance of Inuyasha’s gingerbread house – which looked more like a lean-to.

But that was not what caused her to stop in her tracks. Somehow, icing was everywhere; on the table, smeared across the chairs, and even on Inuyasha’s face – again.

“He started it!” Inuyasha called out, immediately putting down his weapon when he realized they had been caught.

“Me?” Miroku rebutted with raised brows. “You’re the blockhead who couldn’t take a little constructive criticism!”

“Keh! Who asked for your opinion?”

“I merely tried to assist in your foundation!”

The two men, faces flushed from the heat of the argument, looked absolutely ridiculous, more-so because of the entirety of the situation. Kagome couldn’t even be angry with them for destroying her mother’s dining room or wrecking their gingerbread experiment.

She just found it so funny.

And she started laughing, haphazardly placing the bowls on the table as she watched their dumbfounded expressions. Inuyasha tilted his head like a puppy dog. “What’re you laughing at?” he asked innocently, as if he had no clue what kind of predicament he was in. “Do I have something on my face?”

Kagome wiped a tear from her eye and pointed to his face. “You have some icing there.”

He reached up to swipe at his cheek, but missed entirely, only causing Kagome’s smile to widen.

“Here,” she offered, grabbing a napkin and stepping close. “Let me.”

She wiped away the frosting, dabbing his face lightly, and granted him an amused smile. “Uh, thanks,” he grumbled, his voice husky as a light blush warmed his cheeks.

Kagome tugged on his hair playfully, pulling another glob of frosting free. “You sure are a handful, you know that?” she murmured affectionately.

It took her a full thirty seconds to realize their noses were only a few inches apart and she could feel his warm breath caressing her skin. Her gaze wandered to his lips and she swallowed past the lump in her throat.

“K-Kagome?” Inuyasha whispered, effectively snapping her out of her stupor.

Eyes wide, she suddenly pulled back, feeling heat creep up the back of her neck and flush her cheeks. “Uh, th-there you go,” she fumbled, clearing her throat. “Much better.”

Inuyasha blinked, as if he too had just realized what they had been doing.

Fortunately, as the awkwardness of the situation settled over them, Miroku decided to call out with, “Kagome, I have some frosting on my face, too! Can you come help me?”

Kagome turned to him, chuckling at his child-like pout and hopeful expression. “Sure.”

“Clean your own damn face!” Inuyasha snapped, sending Miroku a heated glare.

“But Inuyasha, why does the beautiful Kagome get to help you and not me?”

Ignoring the insults the boys threw at each other, along with a few pieces of gingerbread and candy, Kagome worked to calm her racing heart. She sighed, watching as they bickered, and realized her school-girl crush on Inuyasha was working its way deeper into her chest, leaving her at a loss.

On the bright side, she knew one thing was for certain.

Inuyasha and Miroku would never be allowed to build gingerbread houses again.

...

A low hum of Christmas music played in the background, coupled with the crackle and pop of the fire in the grand hearth. The beautifully embellished tree towered over them, lights twinkling across the glossy ribbons and brightly colored paper.

Kagome pulled another piece of tape from the dispenser and expertly folded the corner of wrapping paper, sealing it in place. She smiled at her handiwork, rather proud at how far she had come since she was a child. Her mother taught her well.

Glancing over, she realized not everyone had gotten better when it came to wrapping presents, evidenced by Inuyasha’s catastrophe. He currently attempted to tape together an odd-shaped gift for their friend, Shippo, but he was having no luck in making it look pretty.

Sango suddenly exhaled deeply, pushing away her latest gift into her growing pile. “Well, I’m ready for some more hot cocoa.” She stood up from where she had been sitting cross-legged on the floor, stretching her arms high over her head to loosen the muscles. “Anyone else want some?”

“Sure,” Kagome replied, handing her cup over, as well as Inuyasha’s when he distractedly agreed.

“Come on, Miroku,” Sango urged, nudging him with her foot. “Help me in the kitchen.”

“But I’m not done wrapping my gift yet,” he protested, proceeding to fold another corner.

Sango swiftly kicked him again. “I can’t carry four cups by myself.”

Pouting, he slowly climbed to his feet and grabbed their mugs. “I’ve only finished half of my gifts. This is going to take all night!”

“Oh, quit complaining. It’s not our fault you take your sweet time,” Sango berated him as they ventured into the kitchen, the sounds of their conversation fading.

Kagome smiled and turned to Inuyasha, who was still struggling with his present. “Some things never change,” she murmured, shaking her head affectionately. “Here, let me help.”

“No, I got it,” he assured, attempting to pull apart a piece of tape that had somehow stuck to itself.

She rolled her eyes at his pride. “Inuyasha, at least let me show you. That way you can do it yourself next time.”

He opened his mouth to refuse her help again, but at the same time managed to tear the paper wide open, resulting in having to start all over.

Kagome smiled warmly. “Let me.”

Scooting closer, she tore the paper off and began again. She folded the edges of his present neatly, her nimble fingers working quickly to tape it together. Inuyasha crossed his arms, grumbling under his breath that he was doing just fine and didn’t need any help.

While he watched her work, he suddenly turned to her and asked, “Hey, what do you want for Christmas, Kagome?”

She raised her brows with surprise, sparing him a glance. “You haven’t finished all your shopping yet?”

“Nah. I still have Miroku and Sango to do, but the rest are done.”

“Yeah, I still have a few to pick up, too,” she hummed in agreement.

“You didn’t answer my question.”

She looked up at him innocently. “Hm?”

“What do you want for Christmas?”

She shrugged and turned back to wrapping the gift. “Nothing really.”

He furrowed his brows with surprise. “Nothing?” he parroted. “You always have a Christmas list made out in July. What do you mean ‘nothing’?”

“I just don’t want anything this year. Is that a crime?”

He didn’t miss the light blush that dusted her cheeks. “Uh, yeah, for you it is. What’s going on—?”

“Here we are!” Miroku exclaimed as he and Sango suddenly reappeared, effectively interrupting Kagome and Inuyasha’s conversation, which Kagome was all too happy for.

After all, how could she tell him what she really wanted for Christmas?

Sango handed her a cup of hot cocoa, which Kagome quickly took a sip, relishing in the warm chocolate taste and sweet hint of marshmallow. “Perfect, as always.”

 “So, did you guys finish your holiday shopping?” Sango asked as she took a break from wrapping gifts.

“We were just talking about that. I still have Souta to buy for, but he should be easy.” Kagome curled her hands around her mug and sighed. “My gramps will be hard, though. I never know what to buy him.”

As the conversation turned to brainstorming ideas of what to buy for the rest of their family and friends, Kagome could feel Inuyasha stealing glances at her. Her answer to his question had left him confused, and contrary to popular belief, Inuyasha wasn’t as dense as he seemed.

...

December twenty-fourth rolled around, and just like many years before, Kagome found herself at Sango’s place to celebrate. However, she wasn’t really in much of a partying mood, even after a few glasses of eggnog.

She had Inuyasha to thank for that.

It had been a week and Kagome still hadn’t told him what she wanted for Christmas. Time was quickly running out, and at this rate, he had told her she would be receiving her present late. Not many stores were open on Christmas, and it was already seven o’clock at night.

Determined to avoid him and his insistent questioning, Kagome had ducked into a different room or another crowd all night. It was rather exhausting, not leaving much energy for actually enjoying the party.

Finally, she had given up on evading him. Curled up on the couch with a cup of hot chocolate in front of the fire place, she gazed at the hearth absently. She listened to the low hum of Christmas music playing in the background, sometimes drowned out by the laughter of some of the guests.

Over the years, the parties at Sango’s place had grown. Extended relatives joined in, some newly married or recent parents, as well as neighbors or friends whose family had all passed and had nowhere to go. Sango’s home was a place of solace during the holidays. After all, no one should be alone on Christmas.

Inuyasha suddenly plopped down next to her, effectively startling her, but when she realized who it was, she smiled. “Having a good time?” she greeted him.

He shrugged. “Yeah, I guess.”

She nodded her head behind her to where his half-brother and his girlfriend were speaking with Ms. Higurashi. “How do you feel about Kagura?”

“Keh,” he scoffed, following her gaze. “She’s all right. Sesshomaru’s more tolerable when she’s around, so that’s nice.”

Kagome laughed. “Yeah, I can see how she can keep him in line.”

Silence fell over them as Kagome sipped on her cocoa. She stole glances at Inuyasha out of the corner of her eye. He wore a red cashmere sweater that fit snug in all the right places and he had pushed up his sleeves to his elbows due to how warm it was inside.

God, did he look good.

“So…” Inuyasha prodded hesitantly, effectively pulling Kagome’s gaze back to his own. “Are you ever going to answer my question?”

She already knew what he was referring to. Averting her gaze to her cup of hot chocolate, she watched the marshmallows float in the milky-brown. “I already told you.”

“That wasn’t a real answer.” He wrapped his arms around her bended legs, resting his chin on her knees.

She gazed into his amber eyes, flecked with firelight, and affectionately tousled his hair. “I don’t want anything,” she tried again, hoping to ward him off with a smile.

He didn’t buy it. “Liar.” He pulled her hand free from his hair and held it. “I’m serious. What’s going on?”

Kagome swallowed hard past the lump in her throat, feeling her stomach pool with unfamiliar warmth and the feel of Inuyasha’s calloused hands against her own. She felt heat flush her cheeks, and it wasn’t from the warmth of the fire. “Inuyasha…”

His hand tightened around hers. “Tell me, Kagome. What do you want for Christmas?”

She wasn’t sure where her courage came from, but she suddenly found herself taking the proverbial leap of faith. So while staring into the amber eyes that gave her butterflies, in a small, breathy whisper, she spoke a single word.

“You.”

[fandom-imagines-stories]

Clouds

Josh Lyman x Reader

Words: 2373

Part 1 of 2

Summary: Head spinning from funeral preparations, the reader barely has time to grieve her father’s death. Her husband, Josh, remembers losing his dad and tries to help her through the dark days of loss.

Notes: I really wanted to write a sad Josh imagine after the sappy Christmas one, so here we go. Also, I want to write some more suspenseful and intense West Wing imagines, so hopefully I will be able to get those going as well! (This started to get long, so I’ll be splitting it into two parts. Let me know what you think!)

-

You turned the corner, saw your husband, and immediately turned back. You weren’t fast enough. 

“Y/N!” Josh shouted, pushing through a couple assistants to catch up to you. You turned around and put on an innocent smile. 

“Hi honey.” His eyebrows were furrowed and his lips turned into a deep frown. “You’re cute when you’re angry.” 

“Why did the President’s speech get moved back?” He asked with a frustrated sigh. 

“We thought it would be better for him to speak after-”

“After the Majority Leader announces that the Democrats just got screwed!” He shouted, receiving looks from the people squeezing past you. 

“Maybe we should talk about this in my office, Josh.” You said through gritted teeth. You grabbed Josh’s arm and shoved him into your office. “We decided that the speech would be too contradictory to try and make policy changes right before our other changes are shot down.”

“As opposed to sounding like a bunch of kids trying to start a fight on the playground?” He snapped. “Y/N-” You held up a finger and gave him a silencing look. 

“Need I remind you that this is my job?” You were one of the Media Specialists for the President. Josh stepped closer to you, his voice almost a growl. 

“Need I remind you that I’m technically your boss!” If you weren’t standing in the White House, you might have slapped him. The muscles in your jaw clenched as you bit your tongue to keep from saying something you’d regret. You turned away from him and sat down behind your desk. 

“You probably have something more important to do… boss.” You kept your eyes on your desk as he stormed out. Fuming, you grabbed a pencil and snapped it in half, throwing the pieces across the room. 

“Is this a bad time?” Your assistant, Lisa, asked cautiously from the doorway. 

“He pulled the authority card, Lisa.” You exclaimed. “He told me that he’s my boss!” She raised an eyebrow. 

“Isn’t he your boss?” 

“He’s also my husband.” You retorted. She shrugged. 

“Hey, you’re the one who married the Deputy Chief of Staff.” Lisa handed you a note with missed call information. “You got a call while you were arguing. She said that she’s your sister.” 

-

Josh was cleaning up a stack of papers that he’d thrown across his office in anger when Donna walked in. 

“What tornado came through here?” She joked, leaning against the door frame and her arms crossed.  

“Don’t start with me this morning, Donna.” He barked. He gathered up the papers and put them back on his desk. 

“You talked about the speech thing, didn’t you?” He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. 

“I told her I was her boss.” 

“You didn’t.” Her arms dropped to her side and she stepped into the office, closing the door behind her. 

“Yeah.” Josh grimaced. “But she’s wrong!” 

“It doesn’t matter who's right or wrong, you’re sleeping on the couch tonight.” She pointed out. He narrowed his eyes with annoyance. 

“Get out.” 

“I don’t want to hear about your back being sore tomorrow.” She shrugged. 

“Go!” She went back to her desk and he fell back into his chair. Donna was right, of course, which irritated him even more. He’d barely even started to look over his work when Donna came back into the office. “Didn’t I tell you to leave me alone?” 

“Lisa just called me-” He was too fired up to process the shocked, saddened expression on her face. 

“Donna, I can handle-”

“You need to go talk to Y/N-”

“Donna, really-”

“Josh.” Her serious tone caught him off guard. When he finally started to take in the grieving look in her eyes, he knew something was wrong. 

“What is it?” 

“Y/N’s dad just died.”

And the fight was forgotten. Josh walked quickly, rushing through the West Wing and making his way towards your office. Donna’s words echoed in his mind, mixing with his memories of the Illinois primary. When he lost his dad. 

“Where is she?” He asked Lisa. She pointed to your office. 

“She’s getting ready for a meeting with a committee from-”

“Cancel it.” He ordered and Lisa nodded in agreement. It was an easily reschedulable meeting, and you weren’t in the state of mind to discuss national park advertisement. He slowly opened the door to your office, finding you loading your briefcase with documents, the papers shaking in your hands. “Y/N?” 

“I really can’t talk right now. I have to get to a meeting.” You tried to move around him but he placed a hand on your arm. 

“I had Lisa cancel it.” You couldn’t bear to see the sympathetic look in his eyes. You shook your head. 

“I can’t. I have to-”

“Y/N.” He put a hand on your cheek and you finally looked into his eyes. Your lip started to tremble and your composure crumbled. Josh’s heart sank. “Come here.” He wrapped his arms around you and it almost felt like he was holding you up, your knees buckling underneath you. He kept one arm around your waist and held the back of your head with his other hand. “I’m sorry.” He muttered into your hair. “I'm so sorry.” 

“He’s just… He’s-” You sucked in a painful breath. “He’s gone.” It didn’t make any sense. Your dad wasn’t sick. He hadn’t been battling an illness for the past several years. You didn’t have time to prepare. Car accidents didn’t allow that. 

Josh didn’t say anything. He knew there wasn’t anything he could say that would make any of it easier. He knew better than most. That growing empty feeling that you just can’t shake no matter how many hands you shake or sympathy cards you read. 

Word spread quickly through the office, reaching the President in a matter of minutes. 

“You’re sure?” He said somberly and Leo nodded. 

“He was in a collision on the way home this morning,” Leo explained, his heart heavy with the news. He knew Bill well. It was actually how he had met Y/N. She was all fire and spunk and he had recommended her to the President for a media specialist. 

“He was a good man.” President Bartlet sighed. “Remind me to send something to Marissa. And tell Y/N and Josh to take all the time they need.” 

“Will do, Mr. President.” 

-

You usually loved driving home. The Virginia fields reminded you of the land that you grew up on.  Now, all you could think about were the memories. Your father teaching you how to ride a horse. Bringing you ice cream after a long day of homework. He was the one who taught you how to write. And now he was just… gone. Josh tapped his fingers on the steering wheel to the music on the radio. 

“You know you’re going to have to get along with her.” You said suddenly, images of previous arguments flashing through your head. 

“Who?” He asked innocently, eyebrows raised behind his sunglasses. You gave him a look. 

“My sister.” He shuttered and you rolled your eyes. “I’m serious, Josh. I know you don’t like each other, but this is really not the occasion to get into one of your screaming matches. Everyone is going to be on edge enough and-”

“Hey, it’s okay.” Josh took a hand off the wheel and placed it on top of yours. “I won’t fight with Celia.” 

“Promise?” He gave your hand a gentle squeeze. 

“I promise,” Easier said than done. Josh had never gotten along with your older sister. Even at your wedding, they managed to have an argument in the kitchen while you threw the bouquet.  You never understood what their ongoing feud was about. They had the same political stance, your sister adored President Bartlet, and Josh had always gotten along with your parents. Your mother couldn’t get enough of him. If you were honest, sometimes you thought she liked him more than you! But not Celia. There was something about the two of them that always led to legendary arguments that could be heard from the capitol. 

After a few more hours of driving, the hills and trees opened to a long, winding driveway that led up to the house. You drove up a few days early so that you could help your mother prepare for the funeral, but even now, cars lined the driveway belonging to people coming to express their sympathies. Being a Representative for the State of Virginia made your mother a well-beloved and publicized woman. So word spread quickly around town and many families came to share their grief. 

After Josh was able to find a parking spot, the two of you carried your suitcases to the back door. Dozens of people in black dress clothes passed by you with sympathetic smiles. 

“Here, let me get those.” Someone offered. You turned to see Thomas, your brother-in-law. 

“Hey,” You greeted, pulling him into a hug. “How is everybody?” He shrugged. 

“We’re holding up.” He turned to Josh and shook his hand. Thomas, compared to his wife, took no issue with your husband. “Fair warning, Josh, a lot of Bill’s journalist friends are here and they’re going to love seeing the White House Deputy Chief of Staff.” 

Your father had run the local newspaper for years. He was an incredible journalist, with many offers from bigger news outlets like the Washington Post, but he only ever wanted to do local news. 

“Local news is where the good stories are.” You remembered him saying. “Writing about real people and not always talking about how dark and gloomy the world is… that’s all I want.” 

He’s the reason you got into media work in the first place. When you got the job at the White House, he got you the most beautiful fountain pen, with gold embellishments and the words “Make the world a little less dark and gloomy. Beyond proud of you- Love Dad” engraved on the box. With all of the messes going on at the White House, you started to wonder if you ever really made him proud. 

“Hey,” Josh grabbed your hand before you stepped into the crowded living room. He must have seen your nervous expression because he gave you a reassuring smile. “Do you want to just go for a walk? Get some of that fresh Virginia air before you talk to anyone?” You let out a breath of relief and nodded. 

Josh knew how it felt to look around your childhood home and not recognize a single person. To see a bunch of strangers sharing grief for someone that they hardly knew. It was suffocating. He convinced you to walk him through the orchards. They were beautiful this time of year. You took off your heels and walked down the path with bare feet. The dirt and the grass were cool against your skin while your intertwined hands swung back and forth as you walked in the spring sun. 

“He loved days like this.” You mused, looking up at the sky. It was freckled with large, puffy white clouds. “He used to say that clouds were the shadows of distant worlds passing by. Island kingdoms home to all sorts of creatures.” 

“Sounds like he should have written fantasy novels instead of news articles.” Josh chuckled. You smiled. 

“He did.” You picked up a flowery branch and twirled it around in your hand. “They were just filled with little stories for me and Celia. He got them bound and everything, but he never published them. They’re up in his study somewhere.” Josh smiled with awe, fondly remembering the way his father-in-law told everyone stories at dinner. Some of them were true, some definitely weren’t, but it didn’t matter. They always made him think differently about himself. 

You made your way back to the house, seeing Celia standing on the back porch with her arms crossed over her chest. 

“Uh oh.” Josh groaned. You slapped his side. 

“Thomas said you guys got here an hour ago.” She snapped accusingly. “Did you just want to leave me and mom to do all the hosting?” 

“CeeCee, hush, it’s alright.” Your mom came through the screen door with a tray of wine glasses. “I wouldn’t have wanted to be in with the crowd either if I didn’t have to be.” 

“Representative Y/L/N, it’s good to see you.” Josh gave your mother a hug. “I’m really sorry for your loss.” 

“And I’m sorry that even after three years of being my son-in-law you still haven’t called me Marissa.” She scolded. 

“My apologies, Marissa.” He grinned. 

“So where have the two of you been?” Celia asked her tone still accusatory. 

“We just went for a walk.” You shrugged. She clenched her jaw and sat in one of the chairs while you and Josh shared the porch swing. 

The sun started to set and the five of you enjoyed a few glasses of wine and Josh bit his tongue whenever Celia tried to provoke him. This lasted for a few hours before everyone decided that they’d had a long day and it was time to turn in for the night. 

You slept in your old room, only now it had classy wallpaper instead of band posters. Josh had all but fallen asleep when he noticed you standing at the window. 

“What’re you doing?” He muttered groggily. His senses, however, switched to high alert when he heard the sniffle of crying. “Honey?” 

“I’m fine.” You waved your hand at him. “Go to sleep, I’ll just be a second.” He stood up, taking the comforter with him to wrap around you while his arms fell around your neck.  You held back a sob. “I don’t know if I can do this.”

“I know it hurts.” He whispered, his lips grazing your ear. “And I can’t tell you when it gets better because it’ll come back. Not all the time, but every once and a while, it’ll hurt. But I’m gonna be there for you when it does.” You turned around so you were facing each other and he pressed a sweet kiss to your forehead. 

The next few days would be rough, but he knew what they were like. And he would get you through them.

[twiceinadream]

“I’ll be home for Christmas.”

Requested: Yup

Request: Mina's remote girlfriend surprises her in her apartment to take care of her   Sorry for the english I speak spanish (Also I know Christmas has passed, but I kinda made it work. Hopefully)

a/u: Hey, guys! So this is still kinda a holiday themed one so sorry if this wasn’t what you were expecting. But, I hope you enjoy since this is kinda more fanfiction than a one-shot. But I also want to thank you guys for all your continued support, it really means a lot! (Uh, I miss Mina so much. I wish her the best)

Category: Fluff and (Minor) Angst

Word Count: 1.7k (Sorry, I just got out of a writer’s block)

“Yes, I promise. I’ll be home for Christmas,” You smile to yourself as the voice of your girlfriend drifts out of your phone, your eyes watching the snow fall from the window of your guy’s shared apartment back in Korea. Sighing as she tells you, ‘I love you, Y/N-yah.’ You run a hand through your hair, your heart clenching at her words, “I love you too, Minari.”

The call ended, but you continued to stare out the window; you looked at the reflection of your suitcase in the glass. ‘Five months.’ You thought to yourself as you walked over to your couch, falling onto the plush cushions. Five unbearable months of not being able to see your girlfriend; all because of a stupid rule emailed to you by JYP himself.

-

The notice read:

Dear Ms. L/N,

This is Park Jinyoung. I am sending you this email personally on behalf of your partner: Myoui Mina. As you know, Mina will be returning to Japan for recovery, and we are asking for you to please not interfere with her treatments and to not seek her personally. You will be allowed standard calls but that will be all, information on her progress will be released to you as soon as we are able to get them. Thank you.

Signed,

Park Jinyoung

-

More than anything, that email felt like a slap to the face as you were forced to endure life as normal. Well as normal as you could get it ever since your girlfriend was practically ripped out of your life. But, your pity party was coming to an end and you couldn’t be happier. You smiled to yourself as you got into bed. Cuddling Mina’s pillow as you imagined the sleepy, gummy smile she would flash you just before she pecked your lips and drifted off to sleep. Plus, it was Christmas Eve; what could possibly go wrong?

—

Well a lot apparently. You woke to the shrill sound of your alarm as you bolted out of bed, blinking away sleep as best as you could as you reached to turn off your phone. Noticing an alert below your alarm, ‘Snow Storm! All streets closed until further notice. All persons are advised to stay inside.’

You felt your heart sink as you read the alert over and over again, this can’t be happening! How could this be happening! You threw your phone to the end of the bed as you screamed into the empty space surrounding you. Running your hands through your hair as you grabbed your phone, pulling up your contacts to call Mina.

Unfortunately as soon as you held the phone to your ear a robotic female voice sounded, “You are unable to reach this number due to the storm. Please try again at a different time. Thank you.” You pulled your phone away from your ear, staring down at it in disbelief, “You have got to be kidding me!?” You threw the device behind you as you put your hands over your face, “There is no way this can get any worse.” And just as the words left your mouth, your power went out. It felt as if fate was just laughing in your face now, “Why did I even ask.” It wasn’t a question.

So you spent Christmas completely alone and cold, since the heat in your building was completely shut down and your cold, dead heart did nothing to warm the moment. So you went to bed: cold and lovesick beyond belief.

—

The next morning was just like the last, your alarm rang at an annoyingly loud volume as you grabbed your phone to shut it off. Thanking God (Jihyo) that the storm has passed and the streets were now free to roam. You breathed out in relief as you attempted to call Mina again, only to get the same robotic female voice as before. But that was just one minor inconvenience, today would be better. You hoped.

So you grabbed your luggage as you got ready to make the drive to the airport, marveling at the snow around you as you thought of Mina. The way she would tuck your guy’s hands in her coat pockets when you would walk the street at night or the Christmas tree in the center of a park that you shared your guy’s first kiss under. The memories making you smile as you parked your car in the airport parking lot and started making your way to the front desk of the airline you were using.

“Hello. I had a flight yesterday, but it was cancelled due to the storm.” You smiled at the receptionist as you handed her your boarding pass.

“Oh, I’m so sorry. But there will be no flights heading to Japan today, the storm left the airstrip too icy for take off and Japan is currently in a storm and it was deemed too dangerous to fly. Once again, our sincerest apologies. I can reschedule you for tomorrow.” You looked at her in disbelief as you let out a long sigh, bringing your palms to rub your face, ‘This cannot be happening. Who has this worst of luck!?’ You wanted to slam your head into the counter, ‘Right. I do.’

The receptionist still looked at you as she waited for your answer, “Yes. A flight tomorrow will be fine.” The girl nodded as she typed in your information into the computer frowning as she saw the look in your eyes, you were honestly close to tears.

“Hey, are you okay?” You shook your head ‘no’ as she printed out your new boarding pass.

“I was supposed to leave two days ago to see my girlfriend for the first time in five months. But I guess fate likes to play games with my heart.” The girl gave you a sympathetic smile as she handed you your boarding pass, you looked over it noticing she had changed your seat to first class. You were about to ask her about it, before she beat you to it.

“For the inconvenience,” she gave you a small smile as she squeezed your hand, “and good luck. Your girlfriend is a really lucky girl. Merry Christmas.” You smiled as you thanked her, heading toward your gate.

“I’m the lucky one. Thank you again, Merry Christmas.”

——

But little did you know, a country away Mina was suffering a similar fate as you. “Where is Y/N? She should have been here by now.” Mina frowned as she checked her phone again, no messages from you and no service on her end. Your girlfriend’s eyes looked out to the growing storm outside her parent’s front parlor, her eyebrows furrowing. Her mother frowned as she watched her daughter, sighing as she went to comfort her.

“Y/N will be here sweetie. She’s probably just caught up in the storm, you need to get some sleep.” Mina pursed her lips, she knew her mother was right.

“Okay, Mom. But if Y/N comes tonight, you better wake me up before you let her in.” Mina’s mom nodded as she sent her daughter upstairs.

“I promise. Goodnight, Mina.” Mina gave her mother a small smile.

“Thanks. Goodnight, Mom.”

——

You awoke to the bustling sound of the airport as you sat up from the seating area in front of your gate, the terminal opening as they announced first class, ‘Just in time.’ You sighed as you stretched, ignoring how sore you were as you handed the flight attendant your boarding pass and sat down. You were only a few hours from your girlfriend, you could do this.

-

Once the plane landed, you were quick to make your way through customs and out of the airport to finally be able to tell Mina you had arrived. But there was one problem: your phone was dead. You groaned as you hailed the nearest cab you could see, immediately jumping in as you told the man who was driving the Myoui’s address as best as your limited Japanese could do. And thank your lucky stars he understood.

You let out a heavy sigh as you slumped back into the seats of the cab, looking out the window to see the fresh snow that blanketed the ground.

‘Japan is just as pretty as Mina said it would be.’ You smiled at the thought, only to have your stomach feel like a knot a second later. This was the first time you would be able to see your girlfriend in forever and to be honest; that scared you to death.

You were pulled from your train of thought as the man stopped the cab, the address of the house matching the one Mina had texted you a few days prior. You thanked the man as you handed him probably more than what the ride had actually costed but at this point you could honestly care less, as you dragged your luggage behind you and ascended the Myoui’s front porch.

The light from inside the house felt warm, you felt like you were finally home. You let out a deep breath as you knocked, the chatter from behind the door went silent as footsteps approached and the door opened.

You and Mina’s brother were equally surprised by each other as you two just stared at one another. Then Kai’s face suddenly turned annoyed almost angry, “You’re finally here. Do you know how long Mina’s been waiting for you?” You crossed your arms as you stared him down.

“Do you know how long I’ve been waiting, to at least see her?”

“Kai! Who’s at the door?” You could hear Mina’s father from inside the house. Kai moved aside.

“You better come in.” You gave him a nod as you walked past him and into the living room, the three other Myoui’s eyes were now on you, completely speechless as they stared.

Until Mina gasped and held her hand to her mouth tears already falling as she ran into your arms. You caught her midair as you spun her around, your heart so full you felt like it could burst, “I’ve missed you so much, Minari.” You whispered into Mina’s ear as her tears wet your neck.

“I’ve missed you so much too, Y/N-Chan.” The two of you smiled as Mina captured your lips in a kiss, surprising the other Myoui’s and yourself. But you kissed her back nonetheless, when she pulled away you were breathless.

“What was that for?” Mina blushed as she buried her face into your neck.

“For not being able to see you.” You smiled as you hugged her closer, kissing the crown of her head.

“Hey, it’s just like I promised. I’d be home for Christmas.”

[deliasbabe]

I’ll be Home for Christmas- Cordelia Goode x Reader

Requested from my prompts list, “You're so cute when you’re half asleep like this.” by @lummaland 

Send me more requests!

Summary: Cordelia gets snowed in on Christmas Eve, and Reader decides to take it into her own hands. Literally just fluff on fluff.

Warnings: None? suggestive language if you squint

Word Count: 2,031

___________________________________________________________

“Delia, love, relax.” You said, trying to soothe your obviously stressed girlfriend, “I’m sure it’ll clear up. You will be back in plenty of time to spend Christmas with the girls.” It was the night before Christmas Eve, and Cordelia was away on business. She and the rest of the council were supposed to return two days ago, but a sudden winter storm had stranded them in Seattle with a series of cancelled flights.

“I know, but what about Christmas Eve? It’s some of the girls first Christmas with us, it’s your first Christmas with us. I wanted it to be special, everyone was so excited. We always have craft day.” Cordelia said, on the verge of tears. You knew Christmas was always a big deal for her, as most holidays at the coven were. She had been planning everything for months, all the activities, the games, and your heart broke at the sadness in her voice. She just wanted everything to be perfect. Most of the girls didn’t have families to go home to over the holidays, and Cordelia really made a concerted effort to make up for lost memories whenever possible, taking on a motherly role. You two had been dating for a little under six months, and in that time you too had stepped up to fill in the gaps, at least where you could. You knew the girls would appreciate the supreme doing anything at all, especially given the circumstances, but you still hated to see the love of your life so upset.

“Delia, please don’t cry. I can’t be there to hold you.” You whined, knowing if Cordelia cried then you were sure to follow. Cordelia let out a little laugh and you could picture her nodding as she wiped her eyes, making your heart hurt at just how much you missed her. As much as you appreciated being able to sprawl out in her queen sized bed and not have to worry about someone stealing all the blankets, it really didn’t compare to actually having her in your arms, not even close. “What if I handle Christmas Eve? You already have everything planned, right?” You asked, hoping it would bring her even the tiniest bit of solace. It wasn’t the same as her actually being there to witness it, but it was the next best thing.

“Y/N, no. You can’t possibly do it all by yourself. It’s too much.” Cordelia argued from the other end.

“I think you are severely underestimating my abilities.” You teased, knowing she was rolling her eyes.

“Babygirl, it normally takes three of us to keep everything running smoothly.” Cordelia teased back, and you let out a scoff.

“I never said it would run smoothly. It’ll be a mess, but I can make it happen. What’s the holidays without a little chaos, anyway?” You joked, Cordelia snickering on the other end, “Maybe I can get Madison to help me.”

“Yea, fat chance of that. It would be a Christmas miracle.” Cordelia snorted.

“Well then I guess it’s all up to me.” You said with an airy tone.

“Why are you so sweet?” Cordelia gushed as you let out a laugh.

“Just like to see you smile.” You said sweetly.

“Are you sure you’re ok with this?” Cordelia asked.

“Yea, I can handle the rugrats. You just focus on getting back to me. Our bed is too big without you in it.” You flirted. After your girlfriend had given you the rundown of all the activities and what you would have to do, you headed off to bed, knowing you would have to be up early the next morning.

You were up before any of the girls, trying to figure out how to organize this whole thing by yourself. Cordelia would have been much better at it, and you knew if you had the people to help you would divide the girls into groups and have them rotate between activities, but alas, you were a one-man team. You knew you would spend most of your day standing by the oven and baking cookies for the girls to decorate, so you quickly threw some cranberries and popcorn in bowls for the girls to make garland, gathered all the items so they could make their own ornaments and stockings, and set up stations along with the other small crafts Cordelia had planned.

As you started to whip up mass batches of dough for your cookies, Madison wandered down to the kitchen in search of breakfast, staring wide eyed at the mess you had created. “Holy shit, you really are trying to get laid.” She snarled, “I didn’t believe Cordi when she called me.”

“She called you?” you asked, ignoring the first part of the girl’s statement, “Why?”

“She wanted me to help. I told her the only shit I would help with was spiking your eggnog to get you through this shit show. I’m more of the moral support type of person.” Madison said.

“I don’t think anything having to do with you would be considered moral.” You teased, watching the actress roll her eyes.

“Whatever, I’m just here for the entertainment.” Madison spit back before sauntering out of the room.

A shit show would be a drastic understatement. It was completely bananas, and you were trying your best to keep on schedule, throwing trays of dough into the oven as fast as humanly possible, then trying to get the cookies to the girls to decorate. You didn’t stray father than three feet from the oven all day, you didn’t even know what the girls did with the rest of the crafts. While they all seemed to enjoy it, by late afternoon you were coated in a film of flour and just tipsy enough to not care. You headed upstairs to change your clothes, opting for a pair of pajama shorts and Cordelia’s worn grey jumper. It was way too big on you, making you look like you weren’t even wearing pants, but it was comfortable and smelled like her, so you really didn’t care.

After hanging the garland and placing the ornaments on the tree you wrangled the girls into the living room to watch an endless stream of Christmas movies, although you only made it through the first two before you felt utter exhaustion pulling you under. That’s how Cordelia found you when she got in a little after midnight. All the Christmas lights on, a fire blazing, and curled up on the couch, buried under the heaps of blankets the girls placed on you as they headed off to bed. She thought you looked adorable, with your peaceful face and wisps of hair framing your features. After the council had bid her goodnight and headed off to their rooms she wandered over to you, staring at you for a minute with a soft smile and adoring eyes.

She rounded the couch and leaned down, pressing a soft kiss to the tip of your nose and brushing the hair from your eyes as your lashes fluttered. You gazed up at her with sleepy eyes and immediately smiled possibly the cutest smile she had ever seen, then pulled your tired body up just enough to tug her into your lap and wrap her into a hug. “Well hello to you too.” Cordelia laughed, pressing a kiss to your cheek.

“You’re home.” You whined happily, holding her tighter as you sank further into the couch, like it was swallowing the both of you whole, but you welcomed the feeling.

“I’m home.” Cordelia said, chuckling at your sleepy antics, “How was your day?”

“It was good, better now that you’re here. The girls had a blast.” You said, snuggling into her chest as she dropped a kiss into your hair.

“It wasn’t too stressful?” Cordelia asked, eyeing you carefully.

“No,” You said with a yawn, opening your eyes to give her a soft smile, “It went really smoothly.”

“Really? Because you have batter in your hair, Y/N.” Cordelia teased before glancing down at your jumper, gently grabbing at the hem around your neck, “And is this mine?”

You felt a blush creeping up your cheeks as you gave a sheepish smile, “Maybe.” Cordelia grinned, “It was really cold and I missed you, ok?”

Her grin faded to a soft, heart melting smile as she gazed at you adoringly, “You look cute. It suits you.”

“It swamps me.” You said with a cheeky grin, the woman on your lap chuckling softly.

“That it does.” She said, pulling you impossibly closer as you closed your eyes and relaxed, “Why is the garland mostly cranberries?”

“The girls kept eating the popcorn, but they wouldn’t touch the cranberries, so we had to improvise.” You said with a shrug, fully focused on falling asleep in the woman’s arms.

Cordelia let out a laugh, “It looks great. You forgot one thing, though.”

Your eyes opened and you shot straight up, starting to panic, “Oh my god what? What did I miss?” Cordelia laughed before grabbing the hem of the sweatshirt and pulling you close, kissing you softly. “I forgot that?” You asked once she pulled back, making her grin.

“Well, yes, but you also forgot the presents.” The woman teased, standing up as you flopped back on the couch and let out a groan. “Come on, I’ll help you.” She said as she tugged you up.

You were standing in front of the tree as you placed the last present, stepping back to admire it slightly as Cordelia admired you. She had to admit, this was quite possibly her favorite way to see you, with your sleepy eyes and messy bun, your hands tucked inside the sleeves of her sweatshirt. You always were stunning in her eyes, but something about the Christmas lights and the fire going just made you look impossibly cozy, like she could drown in the ethereal glow radiating off of you. She just didn’t understand how she could have gotten so lucky, how she could possibly love someone as much as she loved you. In her eyes you were perfect, a little slice of heaven just for her.

She quietly crept up behind you and surprised you by tickling your sides lightly before wrapping her arms around your waist, her chest pressed to your back as she rested her head on your shoulder, leaning in to kiss your cheek. “You’re so cute when you’re half asleep like this.” She whispered in your ear, making you smile and lean back into her.

“It’s been a long day. A good day, but a long day.” You said, your smile growing when she nuzzled into your neck.

“Thank you.” She whispered sweetly, pressing a kiss to your neck, “And I’m going show you just how much I mean that.” You let out a laugh as she spun you around, quickly pulling you into a soft but passionate kiss. “Now you,” she teased, smacking your butt lightly, “Need to head off to bed. I’ll be up in a minute.” You tilted your head to the side, smirking as you rolled your eyes, then nodded and gave a slight chuckle. You kissed her one more time before heading up the stairs, knowing she was watching you intently, and she was. In fact, she was fairly certain it was criminal for you to be walking around looking like that, especially when she was gone for most of the day, but she didn’t really mind it now, not when her heart was nearly bursting with sweet affection.

When Cordelia wandered upstairs only five minutes later, she found you to be fast asleep, looking absolutely adorable all curled up under the blankets. She laughed to herself before rounding the bed and opening her nightstand drawer, slipping a tiny black box into the back corner before closing it. That could wait a little longer, and you two seemed to have all the time in the world. She glanced at your sleeping form one more time and smiled as she quickly changed, before shutting off the light and climbing into bed, kissing your forehead delicately before forming her body to yours. Oh yea, it sure was going to be a Christmas to remember.

Tag List:

@emilyprentissisababe

[writersrealmbts]

Con Amore: Part 15

Bulletproof Melody Sequel

Description: Con Amore– A directive to a musician to perform a selected passage of a composition tenderly, with affectionate emotion, or in a loving manner; an instruction to the player of an instrument meaning ‘with love’ or ‘lovingly’. Three years with all seven of your loves, three years of relative peace. But now everything is threatened as darkness surges from the horizon.

Originally Posted: 05/28/2020

Tags: Superheroes, Ot7

Fluff/Angst: 2,035 words

A/N: One more part after this, then we’re done. Promise.

They were an odd group, but they worked together brilliantly. Sometimes, they reminded you of your boys.

Yeonjun cracked some corny jokes now and then that reminded you of Seokjin, but could also be as serious as Hoseok.

Huening-Kai had a tendency to pull the maknae card like Jungkook, and the enthusiasm that Taehyung got when excited.

Soobin would get embarrassed and melt a little like Jimin, or sometimes like Namjoon.

Beomgyu was absolutely as snarky as Jimin.

Taehyun’s attention to fashion which reminded you of Namjoon mostly, but also Jimin, Taehyung, and Hoseok.

“Do you think they would train us if we asked?” Beomgyu asked quietly, a change from his usual talkative self.

You paused, then kept stringing the dried peels, berries, and popcorn. “Yes. I do think they would. As long as you showed that you were willing to learn.”

“They’re the coolest,” Yeonjun said, awe in his voice. “Whenever we heard about them at the temple, Taehyun, Huening, and I would then go and look for every video and article on it we could find on the library computer. They’re so well trained and they work so well together.”

You smiled a little. “I don’t know that they would be able to help you all train your powers. There are similarities with some of your powers and theirs, but there are also differences.”

“But they’ve worked this long in working together despite differences in their powers,” Taehyun countered. “We have a lot to learn about working together.”

You nodded slowly. “That’s true. They are exceptional when it comes to teamwork. They’re a family, but they also have a heirarchy. They know who is calling the shots. They have a specific purpose that they are devoted to.”

“You?” Beomgyu guessed, grinning and ducking when you threw popcorn at him.

“No, you imp. They want a world that’s better than the one they were born into. They were best suited to fighting those who would tear the world down to make it their own. Trying to make life better for supers like you boys,” You said softly, reaching over to push Huening’s hair from his eyes so he could actually see what he was doing.

Soobin nodded. “And what do you focus on?”

“The little things,” You answered, pulling a clip from one of your non-archive storage spaces and pulling Huening Kai’s hair away from his face. “Small robberies, hostage situations now and then, children, children’s homes. As Nightingale, anyway. But as an archivist…the scope of my job varies greatly from day to day. The overlap is very present though, which makes what I do a little more fulfilling than just…collecting things that will collect dust while staying a safe distance from the world.”

Beomgyu set a snack beside you just as you were thinking you should get one. “But…you’re known for being a fighter. I mean, you practically died to save the town. They built a monument to you.”

You shrugged. “The memories of the populace are short-lived. So distracted by every new thing, attention spans shortened by the speed with which needs are satisfied. It was the first big fight I’d ever participated in. And I…wasn’t exactly alive when they got me to the hospital. I had to leave for a while after that, I stopped by the temple for a little bit to be healed completely, then I went and just did my job as an archivist. Laying low.”

“Because it was your family,” Taehyun said, then his eyes widened. “Sorry, I—”

“Relax, Taehyun, it’s okay. I know you don’t purposely pry into my life.” You rested a hand on your stomach where the baby was pushing their little foot out, quickly reaching over and grabbing Yeonjun’s hand to guide it there since he was the only one who hadn’t been able to feel the baby so far. It usually pulled away just before he got to feel it, and lately it had been a little less active. Still moving, but not trying to push it’s foot into your lungs or kick your ribs.

His eyes were huge. “She’s really sticking it out there.”

“He,” Huening Kai countered playfully, not willing to let his hyung have the satisfaction.

“It’s a girl,” Yeonjun scoffed.

“Boy,” Taehyun immediately argued, tossing a piece of popcorn at the eldest.

You rolled your eyes. “Boys, at this rate, we’ll never have the tree decorated and I’ll have to cancel Christmas.”

Beomgyu and Soobin’s eyes got huge and they quickly shushed the other three who weren’t completely ready to give up—especially Huening Kai.

Until Soobin pointed at him and directly sent a wave of peace into him, then did the same with the other two. “String the popcorn.”

“Yeah, I’m not missing my first Christmas just because you guys were fighting,” Beomgyu added sternly. He set more supplies in front of them, then continued cutting the dried orange peels into stars.

The other boys quickly set back to work.

You laughed softly. “I wouldn’t actually cancel Christmas, you know that, right?”

“Not worth the risk,” Soobin said, waving a hand to dismiss it.

You shook your head, still smiling. They were adorable, and you doted on them more than you expected to. Part of you blamed the hormones, but you also knew it was because they were so young, and because they had all been through a lot in their lives. You’d doted on Soobin before all of this, but now you were seeing him grow with these other boys.

Made you feel old, and you really weren’t that old.

Huening Kai was just a baby, too. A cutie-pie who needed to be protected at all costs.

They all were, really.

Beomgyu looked at you strangely. “Are you okay? I’m sensing something…weird.”

“I’m fine?” You answered, shrugging. You picked at the snack, looking over the garland before tying it off. “Soobin, go put this on the tree.”

He got up and took it, pausing.

“Start from the top, wrap it around in a way the looks pretty, working toward the bottom and keeping in mind that there will be a few more strands.” You scrunched your nose as a sort of tightness   pressed on your stomach.

Huening Kai was trying to remember the words to a Christmas song, debating with Yeonjun playfully until you went to get your songbook to settle the matter since they were just making it worse.

You got up slowly, wincing a little. Your ankles were swollen and your feet hurt. So did your back. You’d been doing easy exercises to strengthen your body as the pregnancy progressed, but it still didn’t do much to help since the doctor you were seeing in the town nearby had told you to take it easy. You weren’t strictly on bed-rest, but she wanted you to act as much like you were as possible, and the boys had been making sure you obeyed.

You found the book, but instead of going out, you stared at the book, looking at the doodle Jimin had drawn on the front.

He had been teasing you, mostly because he knew what you had gotten Tae for Christmas, while he had been hand-drawing cards for the other boys and his marker had slipped onto the book he was using as a hard surface—your Christmas music. So, to make it up to you, he had turned the mark into a cute little snowman.

That was the year that you had gotten Yeontan for Taehyung.

You missed the domesticity of your life with the boys. You wanted them here.

You wanted them freaking out when they felt the baby kick for the first time, or staring at the ultrasound and asking you what was what again and again. Freaking out if you so much as got out of bed when they weren’t sure if you were supposed to or not. Reading the books with you, freaking out when you made them find out exactly what happens during birth. Fighting over who would get to be with you during the birth of the baby. How they would handle the hospital.

But that wasn’t possible.

“Y/n!” Soobin called, sounding alarmed.

Then Beomgyu hurried in. “There’s a group approaching, Hueningkai says they’re armed.”

“Okay, remember the plan. Stick to the plan.” You tossed aside the book, running through your repertoire of songs that wouldn’t accidentally harm the boys while you were trying to help keep them safe. Your powers were somewhat unpredictable lately, so you had to play it as safely as possible.

“Y/n, I don’t think you should,” Beomgyu said, grabbing your arm. “You’re health is different than even earlier this morning. Please just let us take care of you. I know it’s not in your nature, but it’s necessary. This is why we’re here, isn’t it?”

You slowly nodded, then stepped back. “Alright. But I’m establishing the communication network.”

Beomgyu nodded.

You hummed the song you’d come up with a couple weeks ago, which melded the various powers of you and the boys to form a sort of mental communication to each other. It was the safest song you had right now. “Update.”

“Four men to the south, three to the west, two to the east,” Hueningkai said.

“I’ll get the ones on the south,” Yeonjun said. “Blind the ones to the west.”

“I’ve got the ones to the east,” Soobin told them. “Hold until we know their intentions.”

You nodded, silently agreeing with Soobin’s assessment.

Beomgyu sat beside you, listening to the boys call out their positions. “We’ll be okay, y/n. Try to relax.”

You glanced at him, but mostly were focusing on sensing out there. The foreign melodies. The inclination toward major or minor melodies and the dissonant or harmonic chords, how it all fit together. “Be ready. They sound more hostile.”

“We’re ready,” Taehyun said. “I’ve got eyes on all of you. Yeonjun, Huening, try to increase the snow-fall to inhibit them more.”

“Got it.”

“Good idea.”

You froze as a foreign feeling washed over you.

Beomgyu looked at you in alarm.

“Boys, maybe put a rush on that,” You told them, getting up and grabbing the go-bag.

“What? Why?” Yeonjun asked.

“My water just broke. We’re going to the hospital.”

“So…loud and messy is okay as long as it’s quick?” Yeonjun asked, sounding a little freaked out.

“Anything to make sure the house is safe and no one follows us to the hospital,” You replied, voice a little sing-song in alarm.

Beomgyu grabbed the other bag and led the way to the garage. “Just do it. She’s a month early and I was right about the contractions.”

Your eyes widened when you heard a crash outside, followed by some screams of terror.

“Okay, just need to bury these guys and then the way is clear.”

Beomgyu shared a scared look with you.

Soobin darted in and hopped into the driver’s seat. “Clear the snow and ice from the roads?”

“Got it, rest of us our outside.”

You held onto the door handle as another contraction came through. “Hurry.” Your eyes filled with tears, and right then, all you wanted was one of your loves. Holding your hand.

But you didn’t get to have that. Not yet.

Beomgyu took your other hand as the other boys hopped into the vehicle. “It’s okay. Just breathe and try to stay calm. Do you want us to contact them?”

“No. It’s too dangerous,” You whispered. “Just keep my baby safe.”

He nodded. “Nothing will happen to the baby. I’m going to be with you and nothing will happen to either of you.”

You rested your other hand on your stomach.

“Soobin-hyung—”

“Got it,” He answered, then an overwhelming sense of peace washed over you. Almost like when Namjoon would use his confession inducement-type power. This was, admittedly, more agreeable.

“Taehyun, Hueningkai and I will set ourselves up around the perimeter and keep an eye out for trouble. Beomgyu will be with you, and Soobin will guard the waiting room. It’s the best we can do at the hospital.”

“I know. Thank you.”

~~~~

Part 14.   Part 16/Final.

Masterlist.  ~  Series Masterpost.  

Tagging: @ephemeral-mindset​, @alex–awesome–22​, @bryvada​, @missmoxxiesworld​, @knjhe, @i-dont-even-know-fck

[27emailsicantsend]

Christmas Eve: A Rina Fic

Author’s Note: Literally no one asked for this, I just wanted to write it. 😂 I’m also in the process of making a part two to this fic for New Year’s Eve, so I’ll link it when I’m finished!

“Both of my parents are working...” Ej sighed.

“Ok, well- moving on!” Miss Jenn said awkwardly as she looked over at Carlos. “What will you be doing for Christmas?”

Carlos smiled at Seb and placed a hand on his desk. “We’ll be singing Christmas Carols door to door”.

“Oh how wonderful! Please make sure to send me copies,” Miss Jenn requested.

Carlos gave her a look of disbelief, “what kind of co-captain would I be if I didn’t send my leading lady a copy? Of course, you will get one”.

Miss Jenn gave an amused giggle. She brought her composure back. “Ricky? How about you? And your dad? Right? You’ll be with your dad Christmas Eve? He shouldn’t have to be alone”.

Ricky grimaced uncomfortably. He didn’t mind Miss Jenn liking his dad, or even them dating, but she asks about him... a LOT. And the last time she asked, she asked if he wore the skinny jeans she bought him for Christmas. Apparently it “outlined” his figure nicely.

“Yes, Miss Jenn,” Ricky said, slightly through his teeth. “It’ll just be my dad and I”. She looked hopeful- Ricky crushed that quickly. “But we were probably going over to Nini’s to help her, her mom’s, Kourtney and her family bake cookies. They give them to the homeless shelter every year”. Ricky hesitated over every part of his remark, especially the part about Nini.

He had spent all of his time with Gina before she moved, then when he thought she wasn’t coming back, he kissed Nini. He liked Nini, right? And they dated and now she finally liked him, so what was the problem? Well... it’s Gina. She moved back and ever since things have been... weird between them. They smile awkwardly at each other in the hallway, almost hugged opening night during the last scene but decided against it, and one time they almost had a conversation more than five sentences when Gina asked Ricky about the missed science homework. But then Big Red came in and saved the day himself. Gina gave a gracious thank you and eye roll and walked away.

Gina’s head was eyeing the marks on her desk, so Ricky couldn’t tell if she was upset or not at the mention of Nini. She traced the writings on the wood with her finger as Miss Jenn asked everyone else in the cast circle about their holiday plans.

Big Red was going to play video games and seemed saltier than usual that Ricky was bailing on their annual video game plans to spend time with Nini, Ashlyn invited EJ to fly down with her family since her sister was in college and ended up not being able to make the family trip in time. EJ had the money to cover the costs and gave a delighted, “yes!”

All eyes shifted to Gina, who was last to be asked. “Oh, you know, we’ll be doing all sorts of fun plans. Decorating the tree, making treats, watching movies... Christmas is... great”. Ricky knew Gina was lying.

The bell gave a sharp ring. Carlos was in the background yelling, “ok everyone! Pre-order for mine and Seb’s Christmas CD is on the piano! 40% off if you order now!... Red! Phone numbers ONLY please. Stop drawing that!...”

Ricky tried to run up and stop Gina, but she was about two steps ahead of him. Just as he began to speak, Gina bolted out and he felt an arm on his shoulder. Miss Jenn.

“Rickyyy!!!”

“H-h-hey, Miss Jenn,” Ricky said, avoiding eye contact.

She placed a firm arm around his shoulders as she walked him to the door, speaking without taking a breath. “Listen, I know you’re going to be busy with Nini and I’m sure your dad doesn’t have any plans, so if your dad wants I won’t be doing anything. I would love to have some company that night. My mom got me this ham, but I don’t really want to eat it all by myself- oh! And then you two can have leftovers and I’m sure you guys needs ham leftovers, right? Well, if he wants to hang out with me or something like I said I won’t be busy so he can just let me know,” Miss Jenn pushed Ricky out the auditorium door. “Ok bye now!” She shut it enthusiastically as Ricky shook his head trying to make sense of what happened.

Ricky looked around the semi-crowded hallway as students made their way to their classes. Gina was long gone.

***********

Miss Jenn breathed a quick sigh from behind the door, perked up, flattened her skirt, and swiftly made her way to the piano to pick up some extra sheet music.

“Miss Jenn?” She heard a soft voice come from opposite stage.

“Gina?” Miss Jenn’s face crumpled as she double checked the closed door. “I thought? I saw?... you leave that way?...”

“There’s a door on that side of the stage too”.

“Oh, yeah, right.”

“Anyway...” Gina gritted her teeth awkwardly, “want some help?”

“Umm... sure, Gina”. Miss Jenn smiled delightfully. “There’s some chairs that need to be stacked”.

Gina made her way over to the chairs. She stacked two in silence and began the third by asking, “so you don’t have plans for Christmas Eve?”

Miss Jenn froze. “What?! No! I have tons of them. Family, friends... so many wonderful people-“

Gina cut her off. “I heard you tell Ricky you didn’t”.

Miss Jenn lowered her head while she meekly straightened her papers on the piano top.

“It’s ok, Miss Jenn. I don’t have any either”.

“Well, that’s interesting Gina, considering you told the entire class you did,” Miss Jenn shot back defensively.

Gina threw her hands up, surrendering, “ok, ok, I’m caught. I just didn’t want anyone worrying about me. My mom is my only family around, but she’s working. So yeah, it’s just me. But... I was planning on just watching YouTube tutorials on how to make eclairs and build puzzles that day anyway... and I think those are activities you can do with two people”.

Miss Jenn finally made eye contact with Gina, “...do you like ham?”

Gina grinned, “love it”.

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

Christmas Eve

Nini was pulling the last batch of sugar cookies out of the oven while Ricky and Kourtney were slapping on globs of green, blue and red frosting on the cooled ones.

“Oh no...” Dana, Nini’s mom, said scrolling through her phone.

“What?” Nini asked as she started sliding cookies onto the cooling rack.

“The weather... it looks like a bad storm is rolling in tonight. The homeless shelter will be incredibly hard to get to with traffic and this storm. I don’t know, Nini, I don’t think we should go”.

“But mom, we do this every year!” Nini protested. “And what would we do with all of these?!”

Ricky used his finger to take some frosting off of his chin and eat it. Nini glared at him as if her eyes were to say “not the time”.

“Oh. Sorry,” Ricky set down his currently half frosted cookie and knife.

Kourtney got up and gave Nini a side hug as she rested her head on Nini’s shoulder.

“There’s got to be something we can do”. Ricky’s dad, Mike, interjected.

“Well, It’s not the exact same, but we could give them to some people around the area. And we can always make cookies again for New Years or something and bring them then,” Carol suggested.

“That works,” Nini looked disappointed, but accepting considering the circumstance.

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

Gina was adjusting the fork next to the paper plate at her small table. It wasn’t much, but Gina really tried to make the place nice for her special guest. She turned on her fireplace, hung up two socks with duct tape, set out some holiday paper plates and plastic ware, and even cut and taped a bunch of paper snowflakes all over the house. She had strung some lights and put up the few Christmas decorations she found in a small box in her attic. She didn’t have a tree, so she put up a faux one on her tv screen from a channel that showed it with Christmas music playing in the background. It wasn’t much, but it made Gina giddy.

Gina heard her doorbell ring. She swung the door open fast and immediately her eyes fixated on Miss Jenn’s arms. In one she was carrying her cooked ham and the other had a small gift bag and her purse. Gina couldn’t afford to get Miss Jenn anything and immediately felt horrible.

“Uh... um... come on in,” Gina stammered.

Miss Jenn looked around as she placed the items on the kitchen counter. “Gina, it’s beautiful”.

“Oh, it’s nothing,” Gina said sheepishly.

Miss Jenn set a gentle hand on Gina’s shoulder. “Really, it looks great”.

Gina bit her lip thoughtfully. “Well, how about that ham?”

“Oh yes! I have just the thing for it!” Miss Jenn zipped open her purse and pulled out a plastic handle with a cover. When she slid the cover off it revealed a giant knife- to which Gina’s eyes widened with surprise.

“Uhm... you don’t carry that around with you... all the time... do you miss Jenn?”

“Oh no, of course not silly,” Miss Jenn said as she made the first carve into the ham. “I can’t carry it at airports,” she said as she winked playfully at Gina.

Right when Gina was about to say Christmas was cancelled, she heard the doorbell ring again.

“Weird. I didn’t invite anyone else,” Gina thought outloud.

“Nini? Ricky?” Gina said, her face puzzled. She heard the knife clud! in the background and Miss Jenn scurry to the front door. “Mike?!” She said, enthusiastically.

Nini, Ricky, Mike, and Kourtney were all standing in the doorway holding a giant plate of cookies.

“What are you guys doing here?”

“We brought cookies!” Ricky said as he tried to present them with a fancy hand gesture.

Kourtney, unable to keep her mouth shut, piped in, “No offense, but Miss Jenn what are you doing here?”

Nini shot Kourtney a look.

“Celebrating Christmas?” Miss Jenn said with a strained smile.

“Come on in”. Gina has to force the words out of her mouth. As soon as she turned around, she rolled her eyes and mouthed “whyyyyy”.

The gang let themselves in. The teens put the cookies on one of them empty counters in the kitchen and Mike made his way over to the ham. “Hey, Jenn, did you carve this?”

Jenn perked up, “yes, why?” She said with a confident smile.

“Well... uh... it’s great... it’s just you carved into the bone and that might break the knife”. Jenn’s eyes widened in embarrassment.

“It’s ok! You did great”. Mike tried to save himself.

“No, I actually don’t know how to carve a ham”. Miss Jenn got a calculated look in her eyes. “But maybe you could teach me?”

Mike looked at the kids, knowing they had more stops to go. “Would you guys be alright if I helped Miss Jenn with this ham?”

Everyone said yes, minus Nini who said no, but when she realized she was the only one, quickly changed her answer to yes.

Gina heard the doorbell ring again.

“What the-?” She asked outloud. She opened up her door and “The First Day of Christmas” was belted in her face by none other than Carlos and Seb. They barely got through the first day before Gina hushed them and stepped onto her small porch.

“What are you guys doing here?!”

“Caroling!” Carlos chimed, before noticing everyone else in the window. “What are they doing here?!” He asked offended. “Are you having an official cast party without me?! Gina! How could you? I thought we were frie-“.

Gina cut him off, slightly annoyed. “Will you be quiet? It’s not! I lied. Ok? I didn’t have anyone coming over for Christmas so I invited Miss Jenn and then the Three Musketeers and their father randomly showed up and they’re the last people I want here”.

“Gina, the more the merrier. Seb and I’s families can wait. Let’s make sure you get a Christmas to remember”.

Carlos then pushed past Gina and went into her house. “Hellooooo everyone!” He greeted. The other three ran over and gave him and Seb enthusiastic hugs.

Gina accepted her fate and walked back inside.

About fifteen minutes later, she was showing Kourtney how she found her “tree channel” on the TV when another knock came on the door.

Gina opened it up, now officially confused. “Red? What on Earth could you be doing here?”

He was carrying a small Christmas bag. “Well, I heard there was a party here-“

“Carlos?”

“Yeah,” Gina perched her lips, “anyway, Ricky also left this at my house and I heard he was here so I made sure to bring it with me. I also brought video games!”

Red let himself in and that was when Gina noticed the giant black backpack stuffed to the brim hanging from his back.

Gina yelled out to the empty street, “anyone else want to join? Apparently there’s a party at my house!”

And as if, on cue, Gina saw two more figures appear. Ashlyn and EJ. “Hellloooo! We heard there was a party here!” Ashlyn hollered carrying a giant pack of soda’s and EJ with chips and other treats in his arms.

“You two are supposed to be in Denver!”

“We were,” stated Ashlyn, “but my flight was with my sister- which EJ took- and it ended up being cancelled because of the storm. My whole family is there so we’re stuck here”.

“Storm? What storm?” Gina asked puzzled.

“Dude, you didn’t hear?” EJ asked.

“No, dude,” Gina retorted in a salty tone, “I didn’t”.

“Well, it’s massive. People are being told that after 6- so like fifteen minutes from now- we need to stay indoors. It’s supposed to be icy and snow like fifteen inches. It’s crazy. So we decided to come here, hopefully beating the storm. Besides, when Carlos declares a party, we have to be there”.

Gina sighed as she gave up. She should have expected a Carlos-party at her house sometime, might as well be now. She let the two, now shivering, in.

She called her mom and explained the situation. Her mom was surprisingly ok with all of the people there, mostly because there was adult supervision. Unfortunately, because of the storm, her mom wouldn’t be back until tomorrow. The office was requesting people stay to be safe, so the entire city was basically on lockdown at this point.

Gina made her way back to the kitchen. Everyone was scattered and chatting throughout her house. She found Miss Jenn and Mike finishing up the ham. She gently tapped Miss Jenn on the shoulder. “Um... Miss Jenn... some more people showed up”.

Miss Jenn must have really been in her own thoughts because she jumped back into Mike’s arms when she noticed all the new people that had arrived since Mike. They awkwardly pushed away from each other and brushed their clothes off.

“Oh... I’m going to need more ham”.

Gina saw Ricky approaching her and tried to push past Red and Ashlyn having a rousing conversation about dinosaurs.

“Hey, Gina!” She heard him call. She pretended not to hear him as she pushed through Red and Ashlyn. Ricky shook his head in frustration and returned back to Nini.

“Everything ok?” Nini asked cautiously.

“Yup. Just fine. Can we please just get back to... whatever we were doing?”

“We were just talking Ricky”.

“Yeah um, never mind. I’m going to get a drink,” Ricky said as he made his way to a canned Dr. Pepper.

About twenty minutes later, Carlos saw Gina sitting alone in her home office. She was sitting in a giant, faded swivel chair- her back to the doorframe, staring somberly out the window.

Carlos sighed dramatically. “OOOhhhh”. This caused Gina to jump, swivel around quickly, and glare at him.

He sighed even more dramatically as he fell against the doorway, palm to his forward, “OOOOHHHHHHH”.

“Yes, Carlos?” Gina asked, unamused.

“Well,” Carlos said, sauntering to a chair, his antics still high. He fell dramatically in the chair as he whimpered, “I’m just so. bored. at this amazing party you threw”.

Nothing.

“So I was thinking we should play a game”.

“Carlos, I own like, no board games”.

“Oh that’s fine!” Carlos perked up. “Charades doesn’t need board games,” he said with a wink. He popped up and held out his hand fashionably toward her.

Gina smiled and shook her head as she took his hand and they ran out to the living room. She noticed they were all already sitting around, a bag with paper strips sat neatly in the center of her coffee table. “Attention! Attention! We are ALL playing charades. No one gets a choice. Pick a teammate,” Carlos demanded royally.

Carlos ran over and grabbed Seb’s hand. Ashlyn and Red looked at each other and shrugged. Jenn scooted closer to Mike in the kitchen. Which left Nini, EJ, Ricky, and Kourtney sitting on the couches and Gina awkwardly standing in the corner.

“I call Gina,” Ricky said without hesitation. Both Nini and Gina gave him weird looks.

“Well then...” Carlos said apparently discomfited, “ I guess that leaves Nini, EJ, and Kourtney on the other team. That’s fine. Throuples are fun!” Carlos didn’t even hesitate with his last statement, but it made the entire room incredibly tense.

“Well go on!” Carlos pushed Gina in Ricky’s direction. “Go sit by your teammate”. Gina sat down next to Ricky, who was now perfectly settled in between her and Nini on the two seater couch.

“We’ll go first!” Miss Jenn volunteered. The game was fun, but Jenn was incredibly competitive and rubbed the fact she and Mike were winning in everyone’s face. Red and Ashlyn cheated the entire time which made Carlos annoyed. And Nini was barely giving any spirit to her team. Gina and Ricky cooperatively played together- at first it was awkward, but about two turns in they were already high-fiving and celebrating their victories and secretly celebrating their opponents losses.

It was the fourth round and it became Gina and Ricky’s turn again. She reached in the grocery bag and pulled out a little white paper with Seb’s handwriting poorly written on it. It read “Gabriella”. She got horrible flashbacks of seeing Ricky and Gina kiss during the show and after the show. Behind stage. Where they still don’t know she saw them.

“Uhh... umm...” she made an elephant trunk draping her arm from her nose and flailing her hand.

“Elephant!” Ricky yelled gleefully.

“Yeah, sure,” Gina said and then swiftly exited the room.

“That’s weird...,”Seb said under his breath. “I’m pretty sure I didn’t put elephant in there...”

Ashlyn chimed in, “let’s keep going,” which was perfect, because it broke the tension. Red ran over to Gina who was walking quickly to her bedroom. “Are you still playing?”

“Umm... no... I’m gonna take a break. Games wear me out,” she said as she let out a half-hearted laugh. “Just have Nini be Ricky’s partner or something”.

“Ok...” Red said as he awkwardly exited the room, slightly tripping on her bedroom frame.

Gina grabbed the small box filled with thick string and began braiding an intricate design on a bracelet she had been working on the past week.

She heard a small tap on the door and looked up from her bracelet.

“Hey Nini, what’s up?”

“Are you alright?” Nini asked, approaching and slowly sitting on the edge of Gina’s bed.

Gina sat up from laying on her stomach and let her back fall into her pillows. She began fumbling with her bracelet again.

“I’m good. Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Well... you left the game kind of... abruptly?”

Gina shrugged.

“Alright, I’m just going to ask. I don’t want to beat around the bush. Is this about Ricky and me?”

Gina scoffed. “Hah! No. Why would it be? Why would I care if the guy I got close to and hung out with for weeks turned around and found someone else right after I left? We were just friends. No big. It’s chill or whatever..”

This stung Nini a little- because it’s what she did to Ricky.

Nini let out a breath. She couldn’t believe what she was about to say next.

“Ricky liked you too”.

Gina dropped the bracelet.

“What?! I- I- mean... what?!! I never said I liked him”.

“It’s ok, Gina. It was obvious you did. I couldn’t blame you. I was pretty jealous. And yes, Ricky and I are together, but things haven’t been the same since. He never said he liked you, but he talks about you non-stop. And he’s the one who suggested we bring you cookies tonight- honestly, I tried to stop him. I don’t think he ever stopped liking you”.

Gina didn’t understand.

“W-why are you telling me this? You said you’re together with him”.

“Because I think I’m realizing what I realized before I got back with him the second time. I don’t want someone who’s only half-in. I deserve to have someone who wants me completely and so do you”.

“Are... you saying you want me to be with Ricky?”

“I’m saying, let’s see where things go”. Nini gently touched Gina’s hand. “But please don’t let some boy come in between our friendship and this party. I thought we were starting to become friends again before you moved”.

Gina laughed thinking of Thanksgiving and almost getting to have a sleepover. “We were, weren’t we?”

“So come just enjoy Christmas with your friends, ok? No matter what happens, we’re all family and that’s what matters”.

Gina smiled. Nini grabbed her hand and they walked downstairs. Everyone was eating ham and smiling and joking around. Gina was glad Nini came when she did. She would have been bummed to miss out on everything.

“Hey Gina! Glad to see you join us again!” Jenn said with a big grin.

“There’s some ham left on the stove!” Mike piped in, standing next to her.

Gina made herself a plate and walked quietly around the room. She saw an empty seat next to Ricky.

“May I sit here?” She said with a soft smile.

Ricky’s face beamed. “All yours”.

Nini glanced over at them and smiled. She went and sat at the small table with Kourtney and Ashlyn.

Red, Carlos, Seb, Gina, and Ricky sat and laughed and cracked jokes about the play and things that went wrong that none of the audience would have noticed. Gina couldn’t help but feel right at home with them. She and Ricky exchanged a small glance and she blushed as she looked away.

“Hey, do you want to play the switch, Ricky?” Red asked.

“It wouldn’t be a normal Christmas Eve without it”.

The night passed with video games, the girls doing each other’s hair, a lot of snacks, a small living room karaoke session, and a wild game of sardines. People had began to fall asleep in random places throughout Gina’s house. Some on the floor, couches, her mom’s bed and even Jenn had an emergency blow up mattress in her car she brought in.

Red and Ricky were the only other two up still playing video games at about 3 am. Gina decided to turn in and go to sleep.

Ricky jumped up and ran over to her while Red pretended not to listen.

“Hey Gina?”

“Yeah?”

“Thanks for letting us stay here. It was really nice of you guys.”

“Well, we didn’t really have a choice,” Gina giggled. “It was over -45 outside. You would’ve frozen immediately”.

“True,” Ricky smiled.

They stood in silence for a moment.

“Good night, Ricky”.

“Good night, Gina. Merry Christmas”.

Gina began to walk to the staircase, laid her hand on it, turned around and gave a soft smile to Ricky, and then walked back up the stairs.

The next morning, Gina went into her hall closet and got out the emergency stash of tooth brushes her mom keeps. Because they have times when they frequently run low on money, her mom keeps a large collection of necessaries handy (when she does get paid), for emergencies. Things like soap, shampoo, tooth paste, and tooth brushes that are long lasting are among the stored parts.

She placed a tooth brush and mini tooth paste from previous dentist visits next to each person, so when they woke up at least they could brush their teeth.

She then went into the kitchen and got out a frozen loaf of toast to thaw and the filled carton of eggs. It wasn’t much, but hopefully it could tide everyone over until the city was cleared to be on the roads again. Nini and Mike were among the first to wake up, with Jenn and Red the last. (Red also woke up in his own drool puddle, but no one was surprised. Ricky was just thankful he didn’t bring any of his “sleeping gear”).

Everyone sat around and ate breakfast, called families, and watched Elf. During Elf, Gina noticed Nini lay her head on Ricky’s shoulder, feeling like their conversation last night was too good to be true. But she could have sworn she caught Ricky giving her a couple glances...

The morning was quickly dissembling when Gina watched Nini and Ricky walk off to another room after the movie finished while everyone else helped clean up decorations and garbage from the day before.

Seb was on his phone when he screeched, “FINALLY. WE CAN GO HOME”.

Carlos looked at him, concerned. “Seb, honey, you ok?”

“I WAS GOING CRAZY. I WAS TRYING TO BE NICE BUT I HATE ENCLOSED SPACES. I CANT BREATHE AND I WANT TO GO HOME. THIS STORM IS OVER- thanks again, Gina- BUT LET’S GOOOO”.

Carlos just shook his head and giggled. They were definitely the first to leave. Red, Ashlyn and EJ were next. Mike walked Miss Jenn to her car, while Nini and Kourtney were in Gina’s room talking. Gina was watching Mike give Jenn a hug when she heard Ricky’s voice behind her.

“You think she’s going to be my new mom?”

“I don’t know. Would you be upset if she was?”

Ricky smiled. “I don’t know”.

Gina watched them talk a few more seconds and then turned around. “Listen, Ricky, about last night...”

“It’s no worries. I get it’s been a little weird between us...”

“A little?!-“

“-ok a lot-”

“-We’ve hardly talked! I mean I get you’re in a relationship and all-“

“What relationship?”

“... with Nini?” Gina asked confused.

“Yeah... I think we decided during Elf to put the breaks on that”.

“Is that why you left?”

“Yeah... Nini feels like she needs to find herself without someone.... whatever that means”.

Gina felt a little tingle swirl in her stomach. She repressed the smile that was beginning to take over her face.

“Well... that’s just a big bummer then”. The statement came out a lot more sarcastic than Gina intended, but luckily Ricky didn’t notice because he giggled back.

“Yeah, a real bummer”.

Nini and Kourtney came down the stairs.

“Ready to go?” She smiled at Ricky.

“Sure,” he smiled back politely.

“Thank you so much,” said Kourtney to Gina.

“Yes, thank you. We owe you. You sure you’re going to be ok? I don’t want to leave you alone on Christmas,” echoed Nini.

“I promise, I’m good. My mom will be home in like, an hour, tops. You guys go enjoy your missed time with your families. They need it too,” Gina reassures them.

“Ok, well, Merry Christmas,” Nini said.

The others copied this sentiment with some goodbye’s and a giant group hug before they headed out the door.

Nini smiled as she locked the door behind them and went over to the kitchen counter. The gifts! They had been so wrapped up in the fun, they never opened the gifts. Gina hurried and look at the tags to see who they belonged to so she could return the presents to their rightful owners.

The one from Miss Jenn was definitely for her so she decided not to make that call... but who’s was Red’s for? Gina looked at the tag.

To: Gina

From: Ricky

Gina set both presents down at the table and slowly pulled the paper maché from the gift bag from Miss Jenn. She had given Gina a handmade ornament that looked like a little cartoon version of herself with a small name plaque that read “Taylor”. Gina smiled as she stared at the detailing on the little figurine. It was so thoughtful and she appreciated Miss Jenn coming over in the first place. Regardless of what actually happened last night, Gina couldn’t help but appreciate how much fun she would have had with Miss Jenn alone. She really was an amazing teacher.

Then she pulled the other little bag towards her and carefully pulled the paper out of it. Inside was a knitted scarf. There were multiple colors in no particular pattern and parts of it had looser seams than others. Gina wrapped the scarf around her neck- it smelt like Ricky. It smelt like home.

Just then she heard the door bell ring. She stood up to answer it, but then realized her scarf was still on. She fought it like a snake wrapped around her neck. When it was finally done suffocating her, she ran to the door.

She swung it open and Ricky bolted in, slamming the door behind him.

“I forgot to give you your present!!!”

Gina giggled, “no you didn’t.” She nodded toward her table.

Ricky giggled. “It’s so bad. I’m so sorry. I was just trying to do this really nice thing-“

“Ricky, stop,” Gina said as she laid a hand on his shoulder. “I love it”.

Ricky blushed as he hung his for a second.

He began to walk back towards the door but as he reached for the handle, he dropped his hand. “Oh and Gina?”

“Yeah?”

“I meant what I said about how nice it was that you let us stay here. I don’t even think I realized how much I appreciated it when I said it”.

He then leaned over and gave Gina a soft peck on the cheek, making her entire body relax with this one small moment.

“Merry Christmas, Gina”.

She smiled and said, “Merry Christmas,” softly as he closed the door behind him.

Gina then walked over, wrapped her colorful scarf around her neck, put her little ornament up to her cheek, and did a small happy dance. This happy dance broke into full on spins. And as she moved and hummed throughout the bottom half of her house, she promised to herself that she would not forget about her best Christmas ever.

[bronzepeonies]

Merry Christmas, from your Clexa Secret Santa!

Hi there! I hope you have a wonderful, wonderful, holiday! It's been an absolute pleasure to be your Clexa Secret Santa. Here's the piece that I wrote for ya, based on the questions you answered over the last few days. I won't be online too much after this, so I hope you have a wonderful week spent with your partner. Cheers on the new job and hope you have an amazing New Year!

xx Your Clexa Secret Santa aka @cantgetoutofmyheda

---

Lexa shook her head as her fingers instinctively tapped the steering wheel to the melody of the season’s most overplayed song—Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas is You.” Stopped at a traffic light, leaving the outskirts of the city before the two-hour drive, she opted to whip out her phone and take a  quick video to send to Clarke. The song was most certainly her best friend’s favorite, and even though Lexa was absolutely tired of it, she figured a quick video of her off-pitch singing to Clarke’s favorite holiday tune would put some sort of a smile on the recipient’s end, since she was still stuck in Philly for a few more days taking the last of her med school finals.

The brunette felt bad about leaving a few days before Clarke, but duty called. It was tradition—Lexa would be home a week before Christmas and help on her family’s farm with the last of the mad holiday rush for fresh baked goods, wreaths and garland, and freshly cut down Christmas trees. Clarke was normally at her side for the two-hour drive, both girls having left their hometown in the Poconos Mountains for the bustling city of Philadelphia, but Clarke’s med school schedule this year had other plans for the blonde.

Her phone buzzed with a new message from the blonde.

Griff: You’re a dork, but I love you. Thanks for the early morning laugh! Drive safe and tell Anya and Gus I’m sad I won’t be there until the 23rd.

Lexa smiled, knowing that her tactic worked, before quickly typing a message back.

Your presence will surely be missed, but mostly by me because I’m going to end up stuck tying trees to the top of peoples’ cars all alone this week. Hurry home, will ya?

---

Lexa grunted as she tugged the wagon holding an 11-foot Douglas Fir, “Is the day over yet?”

“Get in the holiday spirit, little sister. Jeez,” Anya laughed as she watched her sister struggle.

“Aren’t you going to help me?” Lexa asked as she stopped tugging the wagon, “This thing weighs a million pounds. Why do we even offer free car-top mounting? I wasn’t born for this kind of manual labor.”

“Lex,” her older sister started, “as you’re a lawyer, I’d like to think that you know we offer this free service so no one accidentally gets injured on our property. And you were born for this kind of manual labor—you were literally born into the fourth generation of Triku Farms. Sitting behind a desk all day has gotten you soft.”

Lexa rolled her eyes, “I do not sit behind a desk all day.”

Anya quipped a brow, “Oh, so is that why when I asked Clarke what to get you for Christmas, she suggested something nice for your desk?”

At the mention of the blonde’s name, Lexa heard a familiar chirp coming from the pocket of her Carhartt jacket—the jacket she wore exclusively when she was home for the holidays.

Griff: Should I be annoyed that Finn asked me to skip my study group tonight so we could celebrate Christmas together before we both left, but then ended up bailing when his study group decided to go to happy hour?

Lexa clenched her jaw—the expression stemming from the mixture of her annoyance of Clarke’s current fling and the fact that Anya was cutting some rope, signaling that she was ready for Lexa to hoist herself and the tree atop the SUV next to them.

“Ugh, okay,” Lexa said towards her sister’s direction, as she found the easiest part of the tree to lift it up by.

“What’s wrong?” Anya asked, knowing that the annoyance her sister wore wasn’t just about the tree she was readying to hoist above her head.

Lexa finally got the tree settled where she wanted it, then reached for one end of the rope Anya was holding. The pair instinctively walked to opposite sides of the truck to start securing the tree down.

“Nothing, Clarke’s boyfriend is just a total loser and she deserves better,” Lexa shrugged as she tied the first knot, “apparently he asked her to cancel some stuff tonight so they could do a little Christmas thing together and then he ended up bailing on her.”

“I see,” Anya said, working on the knots on her side.

Lexa took her sister’s short reply as a sign to keep talking, “It’s like she’s disposable to him or something—he doesn’t give two shits about anything other than himself. He’s not even good looking in the slightest.”

Anya nodded, even though she knew her sister couldn’t see her, “I see.”

“She’s just... I don’t know, maybe it’s just because she’s so busy with med school that she figures being with him would be easy since they’re kind of on the same schedule, but she can do so much better, Ahn. Everything he does for her is so half-assed, if even that.”

“Sounds like it,” Anya nodded again, tying the final knot on her side.

Lexa pulled the line and made sure there was no slack, before stepping off the sideboard to meet Anya behind the truck, “She’s the most beautiful person on this entire planet, there isn’t one star as beautiful as her, but she always ends up with people who don’t see it. It’s ridiculous—infuriating, even.”

“Well,” Anya looked to her sister, “First of all, there technically aren’t any stars on this planet, Lex. Secondly, sounds like you have a bigger issue here.”

Lexa furrowed her brow, “What issue?”

Anya let out a breath, “You love her.”

“Of course I love her, Ahn,” Lexa started, “she’s my best friend.”

“No,” Anya couldn’t help but stop to laugh at her sister’s aloofness, “You’re in love with her.”

Lexa shook her head, “No I’m not, don’t be ridiculous, Ahn.”

Anya met her sister’s comment with a knowing stare, and at that moment, Lexa realized that her sister was probably right.

Shit.

---

It had been four days of painstaking manual labor and four days of Lexa having a mild mental breakdown at the realization that her sister so kindly pointed out to her. As composed as she thought she was, her slight change in behavior had been apparent to everyone—especially Clarke.

Griff: T-minus three hours until I’m back! What time are you coming over tonight?

I don’t want to take away from any family time, I know your trip got cut short for the holidays, but tomorrow at the farm?

Griff: Are you so sick of seeing me all the time that you want to cancel our pre-Christmas Eve sleepover??

I just feel bad taking time away from your parents, especially on your first night back. But tomorrow, okay?

Griff: Yeah, I guess you’re right. Tomorrow, then.

Get home safe.

Griff: Thanks. Merry almost Christmas. Love you, Lex.

Me too.

Lexa sighed at her phone and threw it back into her coat pocket. Before she had a second to overthink the conversation she just had, a voice interrupted her thoughts.

“Hey, kiddo, thought we’d find you moseying around here!”

She looked up to find Clarke’s parents beaming smiles at her, “Jake, Abby, what are you guys doing here?”

“You mean other than seeing our second favorite daughter?” Jake jokingly asked, before pointing at a box in Abby’s hand, “Just picking up one of these for dinner tonight.”

Lexa glanced over and saw that it was a pecan pie, “Oh,” she nodded, “Clarke’s favorite.”

“Yeah,” Abby slowly nodded, “because she’s coming home tonight. Everything okay, sweetie?”

Lexa blinked a few times, “Yeah, sorry. A little stressed at the moment,” she tapped the side of her head, “got too much on my mind, I suppose.”

“Well,” Abby started, “How about you join us for dinner tonight? Clarke should be home in a few hours, so we’ll probably eat around seven. She’d be happy to see you, and don’t you guys have your annual Christmas movie night tonight, anyway?”

“I actually just talked to her,” Lexa shuffled her feet, “I told her we could skip this year since her trip was cut short, I figured you guys would want some solo time with her.”

Her statement earned a laugh from Jake, “You two have been doing this pre-Christmas Eve movie night for over fifteen years now, Lexa. Abby and I will not be the reason that your tradition stops. You’re coming for dinner, and that’s that.”

Lexa nodded, “Okay, well it’s settled, then. Seven it is.”

---

Lexa scanned the contents of the grocery bag in her hand—a bottle of Abby’s favorite Sauvingon Blanc, a six pack of Jake’s favorite IPA, and a bottle of Clarke and Lexa’s favorite Malbec. She gave herself a nod, before taking a deep breath and knocking on the Griffin’s front door.

As quickly as the door swung open, a pair of arms were wrapped around her neck and a mop of blonde hair was nuzzling into her face.

Clarke gave Lexa one final squeeze before finally pulling back, “Lex! You came!”

Even though her heart was racing a mile a minute, Lexa couldn’t help but smile at her friend’s welcome, “I did, and I come bearing gifts.”

The blonde moved out of the doorway to make room for Lexa to enter the house, “What changed your mind? Missed me so much that you couldn’t handle being apart another minute?”

“That’s part of it,” Lexa shrugged, “but your parents also reminded me that nothing should stand in the way of tradition.”

“That’s right!” the pair heard Jake scream from the dining room, “Now get in here so we can eat, I’m starving!”

For the most part, dinner went as expected: silly jokes from Jake, Abby continuously telling the girls how proud she is of them both, and Clarke having a sixth sense every time Lexa needed a drink or food refill, and doing that for the brunette. The one unexpected turn was Clarke nonchalantly dropping the fact that she finally dumped Finn.

“Good,” Jake stated, “he sounded awful.”

“He was,” Lexa agreed, “Why didn’t you tell me?”

Clarke raised a brow at her, “Because someone was awful at answering text messages this week.”

Lexa feigned hurt, “Maybe that was because someone left me by my lonesome to haul Christmas trees across the farm for days.”

“You’re so dramatic,” Clarke scoffed, “But yes, I figured it was finally time that I took your advice.”

“And what advice was that?” Abby asked, looking between the two.

This time, it was Lexa realizing that Clarke’s glass was low on wine and was pouring her a refill, “That she deserves someone that knew how to treat her the right way, someone that would appreciate her for everything she is, because I think we can all agree that she’s quite wonderful.”

Clarke smiled at Lexa’s gesture, before bringing the glass to her lips for a quick sip, “I think I just need a clone of Lexa.”

The look on Jake’s face told Lexa that the man saw her eyes widen at Clarke’s statement. He couldn’t help but smile before asking, “A clone, huh?”

Clarke looked between her parents who happened to be sharing a knowing look with one another, “Well she’s dealt with me for this long and still hasn’t gotten sick off me, so yeah. A Lexa clone would be great.”

---

Lexa couldn’t help but yawn—it had been a long day at her family’s farm, and Clarke had made her sit through three movies.

“Noo,” the blonde protested at the sound, “one more movie, please?”

“How are you so awake right now?” Lexa asked, followed by another yawn.

Clarke answered with a shrug, “I’m just happy we’re home and happy it’s Christmas. This is one of my favorite nights of the year, I just don’t want it to end yet.”

“We can put another on, but you can’t yell at me if I fall asleep,” Lexa sighed, “and don’t forget we have to be at the farm all day tomorrow. Anya will kill us if we’re late, or useless, or both.”

“Okay, deal,” Clarke nodded, “We can put it on in my room so if you fall asleep, at least we’ll be on a bed.”

Lexa nodded, before getting up to tidy the living room before heading up. She was, without a doubt, excruciatingly nervous. Gone was the calm and collected lawyer that she prided herself on being—she suddenly felt like a teenager talking to her crush for the first time. It was all quite silly, though. Jake had said it himself earlier, they’ve been doing this for over fifteen years now—not just the pre-Christmas Eve sleepover, but sharing a bed whenever they were home for breaks, when they visited each other during college, and even now whenever they stayed at each other’s apartments in Philly. The only new thing to this scenario was Lexa’s realization that her love for the blonde wasn’t what she thought it was, and that was an absolutely terrifying thought to her.

“What’s wrong?”

Lexa snapped back into reality at the sound of Clarke’s voice, “Huh? Sorry, nothing, I was just thinking.”

“Are you sure?” Clarke nudged her, “You look upset.”

“It’s fine,” Lexa shook her head, “I’m fine. Let’s go so I can pretend to watch the movie for five minutes, then pass out.”

Clarke rolled her eyes, earning a comment from Lexa, “I’m an old lady. What can I say?”

“My old lady,” Clarke smiled as she linked arms with the brunette to head upstairs.

---

Lexa tilted her head up—the snow was starting to come down a little harder, with little snowflakes finding a resting place upon the brunette’s eyelashes, “Shit, it’s really starting to come down.”

Clarke laughed at Lexa’s apparent lack of amusement, “Lex, you love the snow. Don’t be such a Scrooge.”

“I love the snow when I’m cozy inside and watching it from the windows, not when I’m out here lugging things into the barn and sheds.”

“You know,” Anya chimed in, “last night was a record low temperature for the end of December. Coldest night in almost a decade.”

“Ha,” Clarke shook her head, “I wouldn’t know because your sister is a human furnace.”

“Clarke,” Lexa set a few bundles of ribbons and signs aside, “of all people, you should know that I run warm. Plus, you’re like a koala on my back whenever we share a bed.”

Anya looked between the two, highly entertained by the conversation, “I see.”

“Well, who needs a blanket when there’s a Lexa next to you?” Clarke shrugged, pulling the last of one of the wagons into a small shed and placing a padlock on the door before she added, “And look, you saved me from the coldest night of the year. Maybe I do need a Lexa clone.”

Anya shot her sister her trademark smirk, then turned her attention to the blonde, “A Lexa clone, huh?”

“To date,” Clarke clarified, “Apparently my parents and Lexa don’t approve of my dating history, so I’ve just come to the conclusion that I need a clone of your sister to appease them all.”

“Hm,” Anya nodded, before taking a step to walk away, almost out of earshot of the pair, “I’m sure you don’t need a clone.”

“What’d she say?” Clarke cocked her head to the side.

Lexa’s eyes widened a bit before muttering, “I’m sure it was nothing. I need to go grab a few things out in the field where the Balsam Firs are. You good finishing up in here?”

“Sure,” Clarke nodded, but Lexa was already almost out of eyesight.

It didn’t take long for Lexa to find her sister—predictable as ever, Anya was warming up inside the office of the main store, pouring herself a fresh cup of coffee.

“Ahn,” Lexa stated as she entered the quaint room, “stop it.”

“Stop what?” her sister asked, fluttering her eyelashes as she mocked her younger sister.

Lexa took a deep breath, “You can’t just say things like that, especially not around her.”

“I think you should go for it,” Anya said, before taking a sip of her coffee. “You may be pleasantly surprised.”

Lexa shook her head, “It’s not like that, Ahn. Especially not for her.”

Anya gave her sister a soft smile, “Lex, for a lawyer, you can be pretty dense. I’ve watched the two of you grow up together, and you’ve always been on the same page as one another. What makes you think this time is any different?”

“She’s my best friend. It’s terrifying. The implications would be–”

“Fuck the implications, Lex. If you weren’t so blind, maybe you’d be able to see that she looks at you the exact way you look at her. You should tell her how you feel,” she got up and put a hand on Lexa’s shoulder, “It's Christmas, now’s a better time than ever.”

Lexa closed her eyes and took three deep breaths, “Fuck it, you’re right. Is the stereo system still connected?”

---

As Clarke locked the barn up, an extremely familiar tune caught her ear. She took a step back and instinctively lifted her ear towards the direction of the sound—Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas is You.”

A laugh escaped her mouth, knowing well that this was Lexa’s doing. Wanting to immediately find the brunette, Clarke went off sprinting to the source of the sound system: Trikru Farm’s office.

She ran so fast that she nearly knocked her full body into the door as she was swinging it open.

“What is it with the two of you barging in here like that?” Anya asked, feet propped on the desk as she drank from her mug.

Clarke brushed off her comment, her mind was only focused on one thing, “Was Lexa in here?”

Anya smiled, “Yeah, we exchanged a few words, then she put on this god-awful song that you love so much, then ran out.”

“Do you know where she–” Clarke started, before she realized she already had the answer, “Oh, nevermind. Balsam Firs.”

“Balsam Firs?” Anya raised a brow.

“She said she had to grab a few things from the field where the Balsam Firs were,” Clarke nodded.

“Makes sense,” Anya couldn’t help but stifle a laugh, “it's the last tree field with all the decorations still up, and the biggest outdoor speaker we have is over there, too.”

“Gotcha,” Clarke nodded, “gotta go.”

---

Once Clarke made her way to the field where the Balsam Firs were, it’s wasn’t exactly hard to pinpoint where Lexa was. The music system was still blasting her all-time Christmas favorite, but the sound of Lexa’s off-key singing was a definite sign she was nearing the brunette.

Peeking through rows of snow-capped Christmas trees that didn’t make it to a home this season, Clarke finally laid eyes on something that ignited a soothing warmth throughout her body—Lexa standing atop a crate with “Letters to Santa” painted on it, and an old, beat up, Santa hat lazily slung on her head. Her eyes were shut as she scream-sang the final words to the song, getting way into it more than she’d ever end up admitting.

As the words ended and the melody started to fade, Clarke let out a laugh, “Well, Lex. That was sure some performance.”

The brunette raised the side of her mouth into the prettiest smile Clarke’s blue eyes had ever seen, “Did you like it?”

“Loved it,” the blonde nodded.

Lexa took a step off the crate and walked towards Clarke. She shuffled her feet a few times before finally reaching for one of the blonde’s hands, “I’m sorry I’ve been so grumpy lately. I’m happy we’re both home, though.”

“It’s okay,” Clarke smiled at the gesture. The snow had lightened up and was only dusting them in soft waves. Surrounded by the Christmas trees and standing in front of Lexa, she realized this was exactly where she wanted to be, “I’m happy we’re home too.”

“I love you, Clarke,” Lexa let out, in the softest voice that the blonde had ever heard.

Clarke smiled again, taking her other hand to grab for Lexa’s free one, “I love you too, Lex.”

“No,” Lexa shook her head, “I don’t think you understand. I love you.”

The blonde took a deep breath and nodded, gripping her hands around Lexa’s just a little bit tighter, “I love you too, Lex. I’ve just been waiting for you to catch up and realize it, too.”

“Wha–”

Before the question could even escape Lexa’s mouth, she felt Clarke’s pressed softly against hers. The feeling nearly knocked the wind out of her. She slowly pulled away, “Wow.”

Clarke smirked at the brunette, “Looks like I don’t need a clone after all.”