#and we also did some shopping afterward and i got all of the holiday presents im gonna give my girlfriend

[silhouettecrow]

365 Days of Writing Prompts: Day 344

Adjective: Grim

Noun: Lullaby

Definitions for those who need/want them:

Grim: forbidding or uninviting; (of humor) lacking genuine levity, or mirthless, or black; depressing or worrying to consider; unrelentingly harsh, or merciless or severe

Lullaby: a quiet, gentle song sung to send a child to sleep

[polandspringz]

journaling

So my 23rd bday just happened. It wasn’t bad at all, I just did a small thing with my family- breakfast at a local place w my mom, we actually got two cakes for me this year (the carvel snowman ice cream cake I have every year, and then a more custom real cake ordered from Stop and Shop bc I wanted to try out smth new this year), and my sister ordered door dash from a big restaurant for all of us + we watched Barbie which my dad had yet to see

I enjoyed it. It was a good day. I relaxed.

But I always feel weird on my birthday. Well not always, but the past few years I’ve felt weird.

It’s not about the aging, it’s more about what I’m supposed to be DOING. No matter how hard I try, I always feel disappointed, complacent. Like something’s missing.

I made a post a week or so ago about “kids who have a birthday after Christmas unite”, because part of it stems from that, but I can either give a BIG lead up of all the reasons why first or I can just. Say what I want first and make it easier but either way it’s difficult for me.

It’s really. Like really hard for me to say what’s on my mind because I know how it will sound. Selfish.

I guess deep down I kind of want a big birthday. I want it to be a big deal, for my friends, not just my family, to shower me in attention, to make me feel special. I want a big party, I want presents. I want friends to invite me out somewhere and for them to surprise me with something planned just for me.

I’ve felt this way for a while. But I don’t voice it, I’ve been bottling it up, and there’s are multiple reasons why I 1) don’t voice it and 2) feel this way.

The first is that is selfish sounding. We covered that one. But let’s get into the other reasons.

The first is my birthday falls so close to Christmas. I know everyone is broke afterwards, and while my family doesn’t give me combined gifts and have always made sure to give me an equal amount of gifts for my birthday and Christmas despite the cost my parents have endured from doing this, they tried to make me never feel that way. However I know for others it’s more difficult financially. This isn’t something I’m like DEMANDING from my friends, it’s more that I wish my birthday was in a different month, a little further off from the other holiday, because I buy them gifts for Christmas and their birthday, but I understand and know I’ll sound selfish for saying it out loud. I don’t really judge them or resent them for not getting me birthday gifts, it’s just a part of this weird longing feeling inside of me.

That leads into the next reason though- the month I was born in. Being born in the East Coast of the USA means January is cold and often snowy. In elementary school I was one of the only kids with a birthday in January in my grade. Everyone else had summer birthdays. I was always envious of the kids with cool parties, specifically pool parties, or at places like Nail Salons or (ESPECIALLY) build a bear. But either my parents couldn’t afford to do a party like the nail salon and (actually there’s an “incident” involving this) build a bear. But also the weather ruled out any pool parties. 90% of my childhood birthday parties were at bowling alleys. I’ve come to resent that experience. Today’s birthday was actually kind of a mess when it came to ordering food because we have a state of emergency due to weather conditions, and we weren’t sure the door dashers would be able to arrive on time with the food due to road closures if we ordered from one certain place.

Next reason is media and just having an older sister. Media like television shows and movies and books and games always have a cliche of like a big party or a just a really cool looking birthday party. Of course that’s going to shape the idea of what you think and feel you “should” be doing on your birthday. And having an older sister who was in high school while I was in middle school (and graduated right as I entered said high school) gave me some sort of fantastic expectations about birthdays. I would hear stories about my sister and her friends decorating each other lockers, something that I remember arriving early to school to do for my friends, because I wanted it to happen to me, so in a reverse golden rule, I did onto others as I wanted them to do onto me. To be honest, I can’t remember if someone ever decorated my locker for me. It’s been years now. I want to say they didn’t, but I feel like there’s an off chance that it happened once, so I don’t want to rule it out. But that sort of learning expectations bled into stuff outside of high school. My sister is lucky to have a birthday in May, right before the weather gets unbearably hot. Her friends have surprised her by driving her to picnics and things like that, planning whole days of activities and food for them to celebrate.

I’ve always wanted an experience like that. But I’m born in January, and I know a big problem is that I’m always so busy. I don’t want to fault anyone for not doing that because I know I have an impossible schedule that unless people check with me or just let me plan our hang out activities it won’t happen because I need to organize everything within my life. So again, I don’t fault anyone or am upset this doesn’t happen, it’s just that I wish it would. It’s the same thing with the lockers in that, because I don’t have it, I try to make sure others do. I tried to do a picnic for my friends’ birthday one year, and while it was a very fun experience, we’re all very different people and have food tastes/allergies/preferences, so rather than being a dream-like “we all share a big picnic with fun foods” it was more like everyone brought their own thing and sat around and even then we barely ate anything. It was a fun day and a good way to celebrate my friends, but it’s another case where I dread what would happen if anyone but myself organized something like that, or what would happen if we all tried to do something like that for my birthday.

It’s just a weird feeling. I don’t know how else to put it. I always get in this weird funk days before Christmas and then it bleeds over it my birthday. The anticipation of all year waiting for these holidays to come ago, but right before they happen this sort of depression hits me. Like “oh Christmas is tomorrow, it’s already OVER” and same with my birthday, it’s already over. I don’t know how else to describe most of my feelings without sounding like I’m just screaming “I want to feel special!” Like a spoiled child. It’s just. Longing. I’m unfortunately a very materialistic person, so I always want presents, I always want gifts, lol. These are just the thoughts that have been circling through my head throughout the day. I’ve tried channeling them into writing before (one of my Designing in Devildom fics is about this desire) because I don’t know how to voice these things without being scared, without feeling like I’ll be perceived as selfish). When I was going to therapy I briefly touched on these topics with the therapist, and he did talk to me about just. Communicating what I want because we can’t just assume people know what we are thinking and feeling, and really communication is key, but it’s just awkward. Awkward and uncomfortable to voice this feeling inside of myself that wants MORE when I feel like/know that it’s selfish sounding to ask for more. It’s not that I don’t appreciate doing things within my family only, but despite my social anxiety I’ve been cursed with a mind that craves the spotlight. I want to feel special and regarded as such on my birthday. I want to have things done with me that I don’t have to plan or anxiously keep track of. I want to be gifted things. And it just feels weird. And wrong to ask.

[juminsmysticmc]

Pregnancy Series - Part 2

Finding out 

Hope you like the second part of my pregnancy series! 

Click here to read Part 1!  

Jumin 

You dried your tears after you dried your hands with the towel next to you, observing the pregnancy test you just took in front of you.

You hated that one stick so much that whenever your period was late, your heart was beating in fear and not happiness.

One and a half years passed ever since you and Jumin began to try for a baby and there was still no baby.

You couldn’t bear seeing your husband’s sad face anymore whenever you gave him the news that you weren’t pregnant and that this was just a false alarm.

You were sure that this time too, the result wouldn’t be the one you hoped for.

A last glance on the clock made you look at the pregnancy test for the last time before you would toss it into the trash can since you had to get the breakfast ready for Jumin, but somehow this time, something was different.

Your heart was beating crazily in your chest as your cheeks grew warm.

You slowly placed your hand on your belly as you watched the results on the stick you hated so much.

,,Pregnant’’ it said.

You slowly sat back on the toilet, the pink stick between your hands as you read it again. ,,Pregnant,’’ you gasped, trying to gulp the tears away.

,,J-’’ you were about to call your husband when your brain decided to think about this logically.

What if the test is false and he gets excited?

And so, you instead decided to not say anything and instead put the test in your pocket to hide in a bag so that he wouldn’t see anything.

The first thing you would do, however, was go to the doctor after breakfast.

,,My love, I forgot that I have to meet a friend after breakfast. I know I shouldn’t come late as your second secretary, but-’’

Jumin kissed you as he took his bowl of rice.

,,You are my wife and are allowed to do anything. Do you need Driver Kim perhaps?’’ of course you declined and even though you knew, you just lied. You knew that this was going to protect him…

,,Six weeks pregnant, Mrs Han. Your pregnancy test wasn’t wrong,’’ the doctor told you after a checkup, making you tear up.

She then made you follow her to a room where she made an ultrasound and eventually gave you your first picture of your baby.

The doctor explained the next steps, telling you that she wanted to see you regularly.

,,I’m so happy that you finally are here on your way and you did well. It's daddy’s birthday this weekend and you are already a perfect baby,’’ you sobbed as you looked around for some ideas for Jumin’s surprise...

Zen

,,I don’t think I can come today,’’ you groaned as you laid back as you just came back from throwing up into the toilet.

An acidic taste was left in your mouth, making you feel disgusting.

As if an upset stomach wasn’t enough, you even had a slight fever.

Your body felt weak and all you wanted to do was sleep, well, not that you could do anything else in this condition.

Your boyfriend looked concerned for you. The possibility of you being pregnant wasn’t even on his mind since the both of you finally gave up, wanting to wait again after so many failed attempts.

Well, Zen wanted to try more. It was more so you who couldn’t bear it mentally and so he stopped buying pregnancy tests.

,,It’s the time of the flu in February… well, I’ll stay with you,’’ Zen whispered and kissed your nose, feeling sad to see you so sick.

,,No,’’ you tried to stop him.

,,You need to go to work. It’s okay, I’ll sleep a bit and later when you are back, I will be better and I will be able to go to the doctor,’’ you told him, closing your eyes because right now everything was spinning in your head. You just wished for it to get better.

Zen hesitated, but agreed afterwards, giving you a last kiss. ,,I will come earlier, I mean, I took a holiday leave for tomorrow so I shouldn’t have much to do today,’’ he told you and quickly left as he was late for work.

You decided to close your eyes for a few seconds again before a big feeling of nausea hit you again, making you run to the toilet.

,,Ugh, I hate throwing up,’’ you silently cried to yourself as you tried to hold your own hair back.

It didn’t take you long until you decided to dial your doctor's number on your phone and ask for an appointment this afternoon.

,,Thank you, I will be there,’’ you said as the nurse asked you to come right away, making you groan in annoyance and get changed.

The weather was cold as you stepped out, closing the door behind you and walking towards the medical facility, rubbing your hands together as you were freezing.

,,Tomorrow is Valentine’s Day,’’ you remembered as you walked past a shop selling chocolate, remembering that you didn’t buy anything for your boyfriend yet.

,,Pretty lady! We even sell chocolate done with a picture chosen by you! Want to give it a try!? I bet you have a boyfriend!’’ a woman smiled at you, showing you pictures of white chocolate with edible photos printed on it.

You thanked her, telling her that you had to go somewhere and had no time.

A few streets away you arrived, putting your mask on and entering the building, telling the nurses that you had an appointment.

,,When I heard that you had a slight fever and felt nauseous, I knew immediately that you were pregnant!’’ the doctor smiled at you after she checked you up and took your blood sample, making you look in shock at her.

,,R-really? I am...expecting a baby?’’ you asked her, tears slowly coming up and rolling down your cheeks as she nodded.

You immediately called your gynecologist to make a second check and also see if you could already have a sonogram since suddenly you had a very good idea. 

,,Ajumma,’’ you said with a teary face to the woman who wanted to sell you chocolate earlier.

The woman looked concerned at first, but quickly began to tear up herself as you held up a picture.

,,I just got this good news. Will you help me surprise this baby’s father?’’ you asked her.

Yoosung

Soon, you and Yoosung would celebrate your eighth wedding anniversary.  

You were currently sitting in front of the window, thinking about everything the both of you achieved until now.

A lot.

Yoosung had a stable job, you worked with the RFA, both of you had your own big house with a beautiful garden. Your relationship and marriage was the best, there wasn’t anything else you could wish for.  

Everything seemed perfect, if just that one little detail wasn’t missing.

A child.

Something you both could take care of and shower with love and affection as it grew up.

But some things weren’t meant to be. It was just too much for you to handle.

The disappointment you regularly had to face, the pain in your heart.

,,We should give up,“ you whispered as you kept looking outside of the window, tears in your eyes as you said these harsh words.

Giving up was something you would normally never do.

Yoosung hugged you from behind, knowing how much this situation was hurting you and how much this made you depressed.

,,I will be back for dinner,“ he whispered after a few seconds before he rubbed your arms and put on his jacket to step out on his way to work.

As soon as he was outside, you could finally let out that loud sob you held onto yourself to not make Yoosung pity you and cried alone in your room.

,,Ah, I need to go to the doctor today,’’ you groaned as you dried your tears with your palm, sighting and looking at your display as you calculated how much time you still had until you had to go there.

As soon as you arrived, you rolled your eyes in annoyance as you sat down in the waiting room, three pregnant women with their husbands on their side, smiling widely, feeling probably blessed. Today was a bad day.

You were truly happy for every pregnant woman in the waiting room, but seeing them made you angry and made you feel and think things you shouldn’t.

You were jealous, jealous that they achieved something you couldn’t achieve in all these eight years.

,,Mrs. Kim?“ the doctor called you, making you stop thinking about the women around you and instead look up at her.

Your doctor was smiling at you as she asked you to follow her, leading the way to her room where she asked you to sit down to talk to you.

,,How are you?“ she began, ready to listen as you told her that you wanted to give up on getting pregnant.

,,But before that I would like to check one last thing. Is that okay?“ she asked you, nodding as she typed something on her keyboard to note everything you guys talked about.

A bit annoyed, you watched her minutes later as she checked you, finally looking into your eyes, smiling at you.

,,Mrs. Kim, it seems that you are already pregnant. Five weeks,“ she smiled.

In disbelief you observed her, you could feel your eyes get teary. ,,But the last test-”

,,Sometimes they’re false, but you are pregnant,“ she cut you off.

While she talked about a few things you should keep an eye on, all you could think about was that tomorrow you and Yoosung had your anniversary and that this news was the best present you could give him, just like she just gave to you.

Jaehee

,,I just hope you are alright and that they can find out whether it is or isn’t Covid-19,“ Jaehee whispered as she looked out the window.

You weren’t with her together at home, something that already was difficult for her, but knowing that you weren’t feeling well somewhere apart from her made her feel even worse.

The both of you decided to have a little bit of time on your own, making you go to your parents home for the week. Neither of you ever thought that you would stay away longer.

The reason why you both decided to get a distance from your place was that both of you just agreed on giving up on getting pregnant.

It was getting too hard for you and her, knowing that your body couldn’t give you what you wanted - a child.

You and Jaehee already spent about 9.000 won to get you fertilized artificially three times and you both failed three times.

Six weeks ago, when the doctor told you once again that you guys failed, you decided to give up.

As if it was yesterday, Jaehee remembered your crying face in your dark, shared bedroom.

Your loud sobs and your trembling body on the floor.

You were devastated.

She couldn’t bear to see you falling apart anymore and she couldn’t bear to act like the strong one for both of you because she, too, was in too much pain.

As soon as your parents found out, they persuaded you to come back home for a bit to rest.

However, as soon as you arrived, the symptoms of the virus hit you.

You were feeling weak, had a slight fever, and you felt like your limbs hurt a bit.

,,I hope so too. The test was negative. Well, all my tests are negative,’’ you mumbled, making Jaehee feel bad without noticing.

,,Tomorrow they will take a blood sample, but I’m happy that you are feeling good, Jaehee,’’ you said as she told you that her COVID test was also negative. 

,,Okay, I will go and sleep a bit. Call me tomorrow as soon as you know something new,’’ she whispered before she cut the call, her thoughts by your side.

The morning afterwards, your legs were shaking in the isolated waiting room as you waited for your results to come.

Well, if it wasn’t Covid it would be something less worrying, right?

Indeed, the news the doctor had was less worrying since you were told that you were positive - positive for a pregnancy.

,,Huh? But, the doctor said…. we waited so long!’’ you told her, crying out of happiness but not believing her.

,,Yes, sometimes the test can be false or he made a mistake, but I am for sure that you are pregnant,’’ she nodded.

And so, happy that you could go home again, you decided to not tell Jaehee anything and instead surprise her with good and happy news…

Saeyoung

Your husband looked at you with a sad face as you once again felt sick and decided to stay in bed the whole day.

But he knew that you weren’t sick, but more depressed and sad.

He gulped as he looked over to the calendar.

It’s been almost two years since the both of you agreed on trying to become pregnant, even though he was sure that it would work out in less than a year.

But you both failed.

And the one that was hurting her body was none other than yourself, but he could just observe you and stand by your side.

Saeyoung’s eyes wandered over to your desk where countless pills and bottles were standing.

The both of you were currently injecting hormones into you to overstimulate your production of eggs.

He was nibbling on his lips. ,,Mc?’’ he asked you.

,,Mhh?’’ you hummed in response, turning your body to his side.

He hated to see you in pain, feeling unwell, and of course the stress of becoming pregnant was something that bugged you too.

,,Maybe… well no, to be honest, I think that we should stop with the injections wait one, maybe two years for the baby. What do you think? I mean, I don’t want to stress out your body,’’ he whispered to you, nervous for your answer.

You just sadly smiled at him and nodded as you slowly closed your eyes.

,,It’s a good idea. I think I’ll sleep for a while. I actually have a headache,’’ you lied.

Well, the truth was that you stopped taking the injections for four days already, something Saeyoung didn’t know.

He also didn’t know that you were already six weeks pregnant.

But you also just found out at your last appointment when the doctor told you that you were five weeks along, making you feel the most happiest wife on earth.

The reason for your lies was that soon Saeyoung would have his birthday and you wanted to make this day a special day for him, but also for his brother, who would be an uncle soon.

And so you decided to lie to your husband who was clearly worried as hell and told him that you were having side effects of the hormones.

Well, that was something you also thought at first.

The doctor told you from the very first injection that the side effects may be hot flashes, mood swings, nausea, and swelling, so when you first had them, you didn’t actually think that you were pregnant.

But you still wanted to talk with her about it to make sure that everything was fine.

To your surprise, it was more than fine and you were pregnant.

,,We just need to keep the secret,’’ you whispered, rubbing your still flat belly.

Saeran

You patted your boyfriend’s back as he once again sobbed at the negative pregnancy test.

,,I… I’m a loser,’’ he whined and looked at you, his eyes red and swollen from all the tears.

,,Maybe my mother is telling me that I shouldn’t become a father, that I don’t deserve it, that I am bound to become a monster like her and… ahh… so much is going through my head!’’ he whined and threw the test into the next corner, sobbing into his hands.

You slowly began to sob too, feeling guilty.

,,I’m sorry, Saeran… I wish I could do better,’’ you cried as you looked at him. He seemed so fragile.

Your boyfriend suddenly looked up. ,,Why are you apologizing?’’ he asked you. He couldn’t believe what you were saying.

,,I can’t give you what you want. I’m a bad girlfriend,’’ you whined.

,,No!’’ he sobbed again. ,,I’m a bad boyfriend and brother! I can’t find Saeyoung so I’m getting punished and you’ve been with me even though you didn’t do anything!’’ he told you, now hugging you and rubbing your back. ,,I’m so selfish, crying to myself even though you’re in pain too!’’ he sobbed harder.

And so this day, just like other ones, ended with the both of you lying in bed, sobbing into each other's arms as you thought about the future without children.

But it was still empty.

Days passed by and you and Saeran decided to give it up. For the time being, you didn’t want to get stressed, you wanted to enjoy life/ Saeran wanted to find his brother for real now and you just wanted to have a clear head.

But it didn’t work as you felt a sudden pain in your abdomen.

Sick and lightheaded, you laid back in pain, feeling a slight temperature that morning.

Some infection, you thought. Being pregnant wasn’t on your mind back then.

But after you didn’t seem to get healthy again, Saeran decided that it was best to bring you to a hospital.

,,Are you perhaps pregnant?’’ the doctor asked you and seemed to understand the case pretty quickly.

But you wanted a whole diagnosis. ,,No, I can’t get pregnant,’’ you told him, hearing these words from your own mouth hurt even more and so you once again felt your hot cheek as your eyes began to shed tears again.

,,Make a pregnancy test to make sure before doing anything else,’’ he told the nurse and went off to the next patient.

Indeed, the nurse turned back with a big smile, asking you again. ,,Are you sure that you can’t get pregnant?’’ she asked you, rubbing your arm.

,,The last test was negative,’’ you whispered.

,,Well, we will bring you to the maternity ward because it seems that you are pregnant,’’ she chuckled and pushed the wheelchair to the other ward.

,,Uhm, can you please not tell my boyfriend? I… I want to prepare a surprise for him,’’ you told her as you began to smile in happiness.

Finally good news arrived. Was it a sign?

Jihyun

Almost two years passed ever since you and your husband decided to adopt a new child to make Lucy into a big sister.

However, back then the adoption wasn’t possible, making you go for pregnancy.

But to you it just seemed as if God wanted to punish you for something.

,,It’s not working,’’ you sobbed as you found out that this time, too, you weren’t pregnant.

Your husband pressed his lips together and thought of something else.

Injecting hormones into you was something he wanted to avoid.

,,Maybe,’’ he began, looking at you and stroking your hair. ,,Now, we should stop for a bit.

You are stressed out and I’m nervous.

We are doing our best and I’m sure that one day the right time will come and we will be able to have a child on our own,’’ he told you.

He let go of your hand and kissed your head and then walked off to pack his bag.

Jihyun also had to go on a business trip for six weeks so he had to prepare a few things.

As consolation, the both of you lastly had a lovely and also sexy time together. This time you two didn’t think of having a baby, you just wanted to feel each other, feel closer and happier as you both wouldn’t be able to stay next to each other for a bit.

The next morning, Jihyun already left. The house felt empty and you were down, but for Lucy, you kept staying the happy mother she knew, waking her up, preparing her, as well as bringing her to school and then doing your house chores.

But it didn’t take you three weeks until it all backfired. You got a bad virus and weren’t able to get off the bed.

,,I’m so sorry that I can’t help you,’’ Jihyun gasped from where he was currently, feeling guilty.

,,It’s okay. Hyun and Yoosung are helping me and Jaehee keeps an eye on Lucy's tuition while Jumin helps with the hospital and medicine,’’ you groaned as you felt like vomiting again. It was eight in the morning after all.

,,I am such a bad husband. Three more people have to look out for you,’’ he chuckled, happy that you had support at home.

,,Well, you are providing for our family so don’t feel bad. Besides, it’s five. Saeyoung and Saeran are doing their best making Lucy happy and helping me too,’’ you laughed.

A few moments later, you cut the call as a red haired man, none other than Saeyoung entered your room. ,,Hurry up, I am taking you to the doctor’s. I read countless diagnoses with your symptoms and none of them is anything I would like you to have,’’ he said worriedly, helping you get ready after you vomited again.

But the diagnosis you had was much better than you all thought and with happy tears in your eyes, you entered your friend’s car again, actually shocking him. ,,I never thought that you could be so wrong with your diagnosis, Saeyoung. Actually, Jihyun and I are finally going to become parents!’’

Vanderwood

The both of you stopped counting the time at some point.

It just felt like a never ending story. It felt as if it was impossible for the both of you to archive what you wanted to.

Becoming a family.

Having a child between the both of you at night, caring for someone…

The more time passed and the more negative tests you held between your trembling fingers, the more you thought that this was an impossible dream for you.

You kept biting your upper lip as you looked into your calendar again.

You were once again bleeding. It was your period.

A sigh left your mouth as you looked over to Vanderwood.

Ever since he stopped smoking and was actually trying for a child, his mood had gotten weirder and harder to bear.

You weren’t happy anymore.

,,Yo, Vanderwood!’’ you called him, trying to smile as he turned your head over to you. ,,I… can we actually stop trying? You can smoke again and I can… maybe focus on my job for a bit… like, nothing has happened yet. Can we go slowly?’’ you asked him.

This was so out of the blue, he was actually so shocked, maybe a bit pissed off. You fell over him with this topic as if it was the most causal thing to say.

But he still said yes. He still nodded at you and he still agreed with you.

And so he really began to smoke a day later. Of course, smoking wasn’t that good anymore. He actually hated it.

But, he was sulking? He was hurt by you, a bit disappointed even though he could understand what you were trying to tell him.

A few days later, your period didn’t come as strong as it was supposed to be, so you decided to visit a doctor, maybe also to get a prescription for your birth control again.

But the news you got there was something you never expected.

,,You’re pregnant and you’re three weeks along!’’ she said, looking at you happily. She never had a woman who couldn’t get pregnant since she was still not a very well known doctor.

But you, one of her hardest cases, finally did it.

,,Since it was a hard fight, I want you to take these,’’ she said and wrote something down. ,,You need to take them to support your body with the change, make sure to come regularly. I think you already know what to do, but do not lift anything heavy, rest a lot, sleep, drink, whenever something feels off do not hesitate to visit me, okay? I will now schedule the first ultrasound of your baby and then you will have the assignment to search for a midwife to support you, okay?’’ she asked her.

Suddenly you felt so happy and scared at the same time that you didn’t know what to do.

But you already knew that there was someone at home that would be clearly happy to find out and you knew that for sure.

Part 3 of my pregnancy series here

MASTERLIST 1

MASTERLIST 2

MASTERLIST 3

🤰🏻ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴄʏ sᴇʀɪᴇs🤰🏻Masterlist here 

12.05.2021// 23:55 MEST

[waywardodysseys]

Eight Days of Christmas - Day 6

Christmastime is Here

Pairing: Ransom Drysdale x female reader

Warnings: cussing

Summary: Your eleventh Christmas with Ransom Drysdale.

Day 1 / Day 2 / Day 3 / Day 4 / Day 5

(divider by @firefly-graphics​)

You walk through Faneuil Hall with your two-year-old son, Oliver, trying to find the perfect gift for Ransom, who happens to be shopping as well. The two of you deciding to come down to the famed marketplace to enjoy one of your holiday traditions with your son. The marketplace is extravagantly decorated with holiday décor as Christmas music filters through the speakers and the smell of gingerbread cookies and roasted chestnuts drift through the air. Christmastime is here and the frenzied crowd’s milling about, trying to find the perfect gift for whoever they are shopping for.

You and Oliver have been weaving through the crowd, going into various stores. Most of them were for Oliver to look at the toys or some clothes. You had taken him into a store, showing him a few things, his father might like. “What do you think, Oli?” you inquire.

“Daddy has sweaters. Anda clothes. What ‘bout toy?”

“This is for your dad, not you.” you answer and receive a frown in return. “What about a watch? Hmmm? Or maybe something for the Beamer?”

“We could get ‘m a new car!”

You laugh, “Your dad would be a horrendous Grinch for the rest of his days if we got rid of the Beamer.” Along with me. Because there were still times you and Ransom took the silver car out when enjoying a night out on the town and the two of you ended up getting down and dirty in the car before making it into the house. It was also where you and Ransom did the deed for the first time because you couldn't help yourself when he pulled up to his house all those years ago on the fourth date.

“Momma!” Oli’s voice brings you out of your memories. You turn to find your son ogling some high ultra tech drones. You walk over to him and crouch down to his level. “I’m sure he’ll let you play with it, but know it’s your father’s toy not yours.”

Oli nods his head in response, too engrossed in looking at the pricey mechanical devices. You smile as you stand and begin talking to the retail associate.

*

Half an hour later you are walking back through the marketplace, holding Oli’s hand. Soon you’d meet Ransom for lunch, and he’d take Oliver for a couple of hours while you looked for a gift for Ransom from yourself. Currently, no doubt, he was probably overthinking a gift for you or one of his family members. He had always been prepared for this day but knew he had to outdo the gifts of the previous year.

“Momma?” Oli questions from below.

“Yes?” You stop and look down at him. 

“Where’s daddy?” He looks up at you with tiredness in his eyes. 

You reach down and pick him up. “He’s shopping for Grandma Linda, Grandpa Richard. And the rest of his family.” You and Ransom had agreed when you were first married he’d buy all their gifts because he’d know what they want and like then you wrapped them and placed both of your names under the ‘from’ on the tag. You had been doing the same for your own family. It worked out perfectly every time. 

“Nana? Papa?”

He’s referring to your parents. “I will be shopping for them after we meet daddy for lunch.”

“I hungry!”

You cuddle him into your chest as your stomach growls. “Me too. How about we find a place to eat? Huh? I’ll let him know where we are, okay?”

He nods his head and buries his head in the crook of your neck. He whispers, “Otay.”

-------

You and Oliver are sitting inside Anthem Kitchen and Bar, which is near Faneuil Hall. You had texted Ransom where you were heading and he responded immediately, telling you he was finishing up at a store and would join you shortly.

“There’s my beautiful family,” Ransom remarks as he approaches you. He places a brief kiss on your lips then places a kiss on Oliver’s head. “How are my two favorite people?” he inquires as he places his bags down and takes a seat.

“Hungry!” Oliver boasts. “Momma say I canna have burger or chicken sticks.”

You laugh and shrug, “Close enough. Though I did say chicken tenders.”

Ransom smiles, “Whatever you want, buddy.” Ransom reaches under the table and finds your hand and squeezes it. “Something’s on your mind. What is it?”

You watch Oli scribble on a coloring sheet then glance at your husband. “Our son made me reminisce about a particular silver car.”

One of Ransom’s brows pops up, “I can call my mom. Have her watch Oli tonight.” He leans in closer to you and cups your cheek. “I’d love to take you for a spin. As well as the car.” Your cheeks are hot as Ransom chuckles. “Any specific moment you were thinking about sweetheart?”

You swallow. Happy your husband still knows how to keep things lively no matter what the occasion is. “Our fourth date.”

Ransom moans under his breath, “You couldn't keep your hands off me that night. And I think it was because you had agreed to it on the fourth date because you declined me on the first one.”

“I wasn't about to let you get what you truly wanted on the first date.”

“Well, I did get to second base with you that night.”

“Ransom!” you hiss as you giggle.

“You in trouble daddy!” Oli exclaims.

Ransom pulls back and looks at Oli. “I know I am. But I think she’ll forgive me later.” He winks at his son. Oli smiles widely and laughs. 

The server appears seconds later, and three lunch orders are given. They disappear again and are not seen until lunch is brought out and placed on the table. 

After lunch is over, Ransom, you, and Oliver walk back out into the chilly winter air. A now fed Oliver is bursting at the seams, ready to shop with his father.

“What we buyin’ momma?” Oli inquires as Ransom scoops him up into his arms.

“We gotta discuss it when she’s not around Oli.” Ransom leans over and presses a kiss to your lips. They linger for a minute before he pulls away. “Couple of hours? And I’ll call my mom about watching Oli.”

“Grandmama Linda? She’s here?”

Ransom shakes his head, “Not here. Maybe she’ll watch you tonight while your mom and I shop for you.”

You shake your head and laugh at Ransom’s lame excuse to cover him and you are having a date night. Which included the Beamer and possibly reenacting your fourth date. You lean over and kiss Oli’s cheek then place a kiss on Ransom’s lips. “That should be enough time.” You look between the two of them and your heart swells. “Take care of one another.”

“We will,” Ransom and Oli respond in unison. 

“I love you.”

“I love you.” “Love you momma.” Ransom and Oli respond at the same time. 

You turn and make your way back towards Faneuil Hall while Ransom looks at his son and inquires, “What shall we get her?”

Oliver shrugs. “I don’t know.”

“Makeup? Jewelry?”

“She already beautiful daddy. She dontna need that.”

Ransom laughs, “No she doesn't. I got lucky with her, you got lucky too having her as your mom.” He pauses, “What about a new purse?  She loves her handbags.”

-------

Hours later, wrapping paper, gift bags, and tissue paper are strewn about the kitchen island and table as you and Ransom wrap presents. Oliver had fallen asleep on the car ride home and thankfully, Ransom had gotten him into the house and up to his room without him waking up while you unloaded the car with dozens of shopping bags. Both you and Ransom then grabbed the wrapping supplies and set up shop in the kitchen.

“Did you peak?” Ransom now inquires as he tries to wrap a box.

“I did not,” you respond, “you always hide it.” You pause, “Or maybe you always buy my gift last minute.”

“I do not. I’ve learned over the years to buy early. You know I still hate the frenzied crowds and the mad drivers. All of them fucking assholes.”

You laugh, “There’s my Grinch.”

Ransom grins, “A couple more weeks and Santa gets to visit.”

“I’ll be ready. As always.” You look over at him. “You called Linda?”

“Yes. She’ll be over at six to pick Oli up. Says he can spend the night too.”

You snort, “She rarely wants him to spend the night.” Then a realization hit you. “Please don't tell me you told her we--”

“I told her no such thing. She said something about taking him to brunch tomorrow with my dad and the three of them could go do something afterwards. Knows what it’s like to have a young boy at his age, knows his parents want some quiet.”

“I’ll have to make sure to get her something else along with what you bought her.” You see Ransom shrug. “It’ll be from me, big spender.”

Ransom sighs, “I just don't get why we can't draw names. There’s a dozen of us now.”

“You know Harlan likes tradition. He’ll never cave into that.”

Ransom curses under his breath. “I also hate wrapping. Why can't everything go in a gift bag? Or better yet the volunteers at the marketplace could’ve wrapped ‘em.”

“We always wrap our own Ransom. Besides, I think, you’ll enjoy unwrapping your gift this year.”

Ransom’s brows shoot up. “Yours, or Oli’s?”

You shrug nonchalantly and don't answer as you begin to wrap another present.

“Sweetheart, come on,” Ransom whines while he makes his way towards you. He pulls up a chair next to you and sits down. One of his hands travels up your leg while the other pushes some hair aside. He dips his head down and nips at your neck. 

“Ransom,” you whisper as you look at your husband, who’s giving you sad puppy eyes. 

“Y/N,” Ransom murmurs before he sweeps his mouth against yours.

Seconds tick by in silence until a squeaky voice states: “Eeewwww.”

You and Ransom jump apart then laugh. Ransom squeezes your leg. “Wait till you’re in your teens Oli. It won't be ‘ew’ then.”

“His teens?”

Ransom rolls his eyes as he places Oli in his lap, “You’ll always be a momma’s boy Oli. So, no kissing until you're in your thirties.”

“Girls are eeewwww.” Oli makes a disgusting face then looks at you and smiles brightly, “But not momma. She pretty. Right daddy?”

Ransom chuckles, “The prettiest girl in the world.”

You laugh, “Thanks Oli. I love you too.” You watch Ransom’s face drop then reach out and stroke his cheek. “And you.”

“Grandmama Linda here yet?” Oli asks as he looks at Ransom. Oli rubs his eyes, still sleepy and worn out from the day.

Ransom shakes his head. “Not yet. We still gotta finish wrapping gifts. Wanna help?”

“But I won'tna be able to see what you gotta me and I wanna know whatta you gotta me.” Oli whines.

Ransom chuckles. “Well, your mom and I are shopping tonight and will wrap it later. Besides, it's a gift, Oli. You aren't supposed to know what it is until Christmas morning.”

“Otay.” he sighs in defeat.

The rest of the afternoon and into the evening, before the doorbell rings at six, the three of you wrap gifts in the kitchen. Not caring if they are wrapped perfectly, or unnecessary amounts of tape is used. Not worrying about Oli trying to write people’s names crookedly or illegible on the gift tags or even writing his own under the ‘from’ section on it along with your’s and Ransom’s name too. 

All you care about is spending time with the two men of your life, enjoying the holiday season with them. Knowing these are part of the traditions you had grown up with and had been sharing with Ransom and now with your son. 

[pop-punklouis]

Hi there!

I know it's no way to start a positive cheery secret santa message but uff I had such a horrible day. From what I gathered from your recent asks, you did too. Hoping for both of us to have better days tomorrw. We definitely deserve it 💐

Concerning what we talked about before: I'm not really good at bowling, haven't been too many times but honestly it was a lot of fun. And the alley had amazing pizza mhh. But my thumb wasn't used to it, hurt for two days afterwards haha.

The Christmas market was fun! Didn't entirely feel the vibes bc I went during daytime and not when it's dark and all the lights are on, but still got me a bit more into the Christmas vibe. Also ate some yummy stuff there (e.g. chocolate covered strawberries).😋

And with presents for parents I meant my own parents actually, I don't have any kids yet 😅😂 It's hard to find presents for them because they say they have everything they want.

I don't remember if you said anything else but fingers crossed that tomorrow is gonna be a lovely day. Talk to you soon ⭐

Oh noooo baby. I’m sorry you had a rough day. it seems like we’re both just going through it™️ huh? my sunday has been a bit better. i forced myself to go outside and just enjoy nature. that usually helps me to reconnect with the outdoors when i’m feeling low. that and hot baths 🤍 what usually helps you on bad days? how was your day today? any better? 💫

oooo greasy bowling alley pizza sounds so good right now. i’ve barely eaten all day, so anything sounds good tbh but like i said there’s something about the bowling alley where the food is greasier and better. i cant believe you hurt your thumb from bowling!! youch. those holes in the bowling balls can get ya.

yeah, i can see where the market would feel more magical at night. i think i’m also going to mine during the day so hopefully it’ll at least hold some of its magic still. i love all the vendors at those types of markets. i bet the chocolate covered strawberries were delicious 🍓 what’s your favorite dessert? I’m currently eating some cookie dough ice cream

and OH DJFKFKFK i totally misread that I thought you mean kiddos. at least you now know about what i’m getting my nephew haha. geez yeah parents are so hard to shop for. my parents are always like “i dunno” or “i don’t need anything” and i’m constantly in a state of 🔪🔪 but i’ve found if i write down things they like throughout the year in my notes that shopping for them is much easier when it comes to the holidays. crossing my fingers for you!! what do you parents like? x

love ya, holiday pal. hope your weekend turned around 🤍🤍

[lokidrabbles]

Cinnamon Brews (Loki x Reader)

Loki and reader continue to develop their bond inside a coffee shop.

A/N: Next part in my LokixReader Winter Series. As always, gender neutral reader!

Warnings: Some mentions of jealousy, supper fluff

“Thanks for coming with me again. Tony and his lab partners always get really cranky when they don’t have their coffees on hand.”

“Anything to get out of that fool’s sight. I don’t think I can tolerate another ‘reindeer’ joke without hurting someone.”

Both you and the indifferent Asgardian made your way towards the closest coffee shop around the corner. You urged Loki to make haste, wanting to avoid the NYC crowd that was more than likely beginning to pile up in these small shops. As temperatures continued to remain a steady low, the residents of NYC would stampede towards Starbucks, Coffee Grinds and other various tea shops, which would make your job especially difficult.

For one, you hated the crowds. There was always bound to be some idiot making a scene or being totally rude to everyone else. Everyone bumps and grinds against each other, triggering your irritability even further. And due to the high capacity, there would often be something wrong with your order. Definitely not your favorite thing of the season.

Luckily, Loki decided to tag along. You hoped at least his intimidating aura would scare off anyone who would want to try something with you. You’d give him that. Loki, when pushed over the limit, could be terrifying. You mentally knocked on wood, hoping you would never have to experience having Loki angered at you.

As you both turned the corner, you beamed at the sight of a practically empty coffee shop during the morning hours. You clapped your hands eagerly, catching the attention of Loki beside you.

“Thank the lord. I swear was about to turn right back if I saw a crowd.”

“Wouldn’t Stark be upset with you if you didn’t retrieve anything back?” Loki asked, humoring your words.

“Tony can be as upset as he wants but I wasn’t going to go through with that trouble. Lucky for him, we’ll practically be first in line. In fact, how bout we get a little something to drink for ourselves?”

You tugged at Loki’s arm, a scheming grin plastered on your face. Normally Loki would immediately refuse the offer, for a variety of reasons but mainly because he wasn’t a particular fan of coffee, and because he did his best to avoid any type of human interaction possible. Crowds were also something he wasn’t a big fan of, no matter the size.

However, stalling and keeping long for Stark to receive his so much desired coffee, now that was as good as a reason to follow you inside that shop.

You both entered together, immediately hit with a symphony of smells involving freshly brewed grounds, herbal teas, sweet things and spices. Only a handful of customers were present, either idly talking or typing away on keyboards. Just the right amount of people both of you could only tolerate.

You spotted a booth in the far back, just isolated enough for both you and Loki to be at peace, and pointed over towards it.

“Snag that seat for us while I get Tony’s stupid order. Anything you’d like in particular?”

“All of my past experiences with this coffee substance haven’t been particularly enjoyable.” He began, making a disgusted face. “I can only ponder how my brother can tolerate it so much.”

“I take you for a sweets guy anyways. I’ll get you something you’ll like, trust me.”

He shrugged, walking promptly to the booth you had instructed him to occupy. You made your way at the counter and pulled out your phone to recite Tony’s grumpy text to you earlier from the morning to the barista. As they took your card, you peeked over to look at Loki and sputtered at how out of place he appeared.

For one, his entirely black wardrobe was contrasting the bright holiday colors from the shop’s tacky decorations. He looked like a lost child, completely unable to blend with the background, eyes only darting back and forth. He looked adorable. You knew settings like this made him uneasy, and you reminded yourself to thank him once again for joining you on your little errand run. His adjustment to Earth continued to be a challenge for him but at least this was some progress in itself.

You turned your attention back to the barista, placing an additional order for a vanilla cappuccino. You figured starting easy with a sweet drink would be a good way to ease him into tasting it. If not, you could always drink it for yourself.

Once the barista handed over your receipt, you made your way back to the booth, only to encounter something unsightly. You felt your smile drop suddenly and your stomach began to churn uncomfortably.

Another person, a young woman, was there conversing with Loki. She stood next to him, smiling and tucking her hair behind her ears repeatedly. Her eyes fluttered constantly as well, as she held her phone towards him, probably asking for a number of sorts.

Loki, visibly uncomfortable at the ordeal, only looked at her with his best attempt to be polite. Again, much progress, but not really called for in this situation. His crooked smile only motivated you further to march over and find out exactly what was happening.

“You don’t have a number? What about your handle online? Any social media?” You heard her murmur at Loki who was dumbfounded at what she was getting at.

He chuckled nervously. “My apologies, I’m not really adept to that sort of stuff.”

“Anyways for us to get in touch then?”

Loki shook his head, and she sighed.

“I just, I took a look at you and I’ve never seen a man like you before. You’re super handsome. I’d really regret it if I didn’t get in touch with you.” She continued, coy and shy.

“Ah.” Loki said, not particularly impressed. “That’s very...kind of you.” The struggle was real. If it were not for you being there, Loki would have handled the situation much differently. He would have caused a large seen, and he would have felt awful at you dealing with the mess afterwards. For now, he gritted his teeth.

Fortunately you had arrived to his rescue, clearing your throat loud enough to catch both of their attentions.

“Can we help you with something sweetie?” You asked, shooting literal daggers at her. Loki would immediately notice your sudden change in attitude. You appeared much more dominant and even he could feel the jealousy steaming off of you.

“Oh!” She jumped, pulling her phone back away from Loki immediately. “Uh, were you two...?” She struggled with her words, knowing she had probably crossed a line.

“Yes, yes we are. Did you have any business with him?”

“N-no.”

Now this was very entertaining for Loki.

“Leave him be then, he doesn’t want you anywhere near him.” Your eyebrows furrowed and Loki’s interest grew even further.

“I’m so sorry, I didn’t know you both were together.” She stammered, inching away from both of you. “I didn’t mean anything by it.”

“Yeah you did. We don’t want to be bothered, thank you very much.” Your words cut deeply, and the young woman dejectedly made her way out of yours and Loki’s sight.

You sat down across from Loki, who only observed the interaction meticulously. He shot a smirk at you, catching eye of your ongoing vigilance of the woman, who had probably made her way out of the shop by now.

“I didn’t realize you would be such a possessive individual.” He began, crossing his arms. “You reduced that human girl to absolutely nothing with a mere few words and those intimidating eyes of yours.”

“I know those type of girls, they want to act all innocent just for guys to eat out of the palm of their hands.” You replied, still keeping at eye at the entrance. “I’m not allowing that shit to go down.”

He laughed at your justification. “To be fair, you were much kinder to her than what I probably would have done. Still, I believe you ruined her day.”

“Maybe. But, I don’t know.” You turned back to face him, only to rest your face upon your arm. “I got really upset when I saw her talking to you.”

“If you even consider that a conversation.”

“I was pretty mean to her. She probably had no idea.” You laughed. “I guess I am more possessive than I thought I was.”

“You do know you have nothing to fret about, if that’s the issue.” Loki replied, reaching his hand, palm up, towards you across the booth table. “My best way to describe it is, you’re the only human I can tolerate on this whole planet.”

He looked at you, eyes bright and a gentle smile across his face. A small smile formed across your own. Loki’s progress continued to show, and his efforts, while still awkward, were genuine. You reached out your hand to his, intertwining your fingers along with his. His hands were soft and warm, bringing you instant relief.

“You’re the only person I can tolerate in this whole city too.”

A few moments later, you both exited the shop, coffee on hand, and hands clasped tightly together.

[iwritethat]

Batboys: Valentines Day Headcanons

A/N: I couldn’t think of any for Duke or the Batgirls and I don’t know their characters that well so my apologies that I couldn’t give them an individual one.

Happy Valentines Day, I hope you have a wonderful day doing what you do.

All my love, Jessica ♥️

>>>>—————————>

Bruce Wayne:

• Cancels all meetings for the day so he can spend it with you, however Batman is still on call and he does genuinely apologise for this. You don’t mind, you’d expect some mad love scheme from Gothams villains at some point tonight.

• Has probably bought you a few gifts, the classic flowers and chocolates are a must and you can bet they’re top quality.

• Alfred makes breakfast for the two of you as you chatter and enjoy the family’s company in the kitchen.

• Of the assortment of gifts you offhandly mentioned you wanted throughout the year, there is a truly meaningful one that he would give you in private. Whether it be jewellery, a gadget or book which reminded you of a time you spent together. You cry. It’s too sentimental.

• Has plans to take you out for a fancy meal later that evening, we’re talking 5* restaurant and you give him his gift there which of course he loves.

• You take a peaceful walk through the city afterward, which is cut short by the revelation of Joker kidnapping couples. You give each other a knowing look and in minutes the Batmobile is pulled up in the closest alley.

• Bruce - Batman is apologising but you smile and wave him off, but before he leaves you quickly give him a new gadget you got Barbara to work on.

“I have two Valentines I suppose, so my gift to Batman is this.”

“You’re truly amazing (Y/n), I love you.”

“Go save the city love.”

Dick Grayson:

• Not subtle about the fact Valentines Day is around the corner, you know he’s planning something and are on edge.

• Jokes on him though because the competition is ON this year. You woke him with breakfast in bed and he was salty about how his patrol the night before had prevented him from waking up before you. Still assured you that you didn’t have to do this.

• The romantic gestures get more extravagant throughout the day from each of you, in reality you both do this for fun as you show how much you love each other through everyday gestures. But this was go big or go home.

• You arrived from your shopping trip to a trail of rose petals leading to the lounge where too many flower bouquets were waiting - each equipped with a cheesy pick up line. You’d probably give some flowers to the elder residents of the building in the end.

• Dick stood proudly in the middle of them, also nervous as to whether you’d like them. You smiled, pulling him into a loving embrace when he whispered “I’m winning.”

• That evening you took him out see Haly’s circus and he was a mess, it was cute to see him catch up with old family members as well as watch the show. You wanted to give them some privacy but Dick pulled you along introducing you as the love of his life, adamant that you meet Haly. The older man approved, covertly telling dick he’d be an imbecile to let you go.

• In return Dick treated you to a meal at any restaurant of your choice and was glowing for the rest of the evening. Honestly he’s so pleased that your his it’s ridiculous, expect showers of adoration and you just can’t shut him up.

• When you get home and are well relaxed, he presents you with a velvet box.

“This is - no it was too much. I can’t accept this you beautiful dork.”

“I saw the way you looked at it all those months ago so I saved and got you something special, with everything you put up with, you deserve this and much more (Y/n).”

It’s a price of jewellery that you fell in love with whilst shopping for Wallys birthday present and of course your boyfriend remembered.

• You’re cuddling on the couch at this point, pure bliss for the both of you as it’s not often Dick takes a full night off but for you, he would.

“I really tried to get you the best gift in the world this year so I could win our game but I just couldn’t part with it.”

“What do you mean?” He’s confused are your unexpected confession but intrigued.

“How am I supposed to gift you to yourself? Besides I wouldn’t give the best thing in the world up, how could I ever lose you Dick Grayson?” Your words have him blushing, he’s flustered and so full of sheer joy that he just pulls you into his arms with a soft kiss to your lips.

“I - that was - god you win. I don’t deserve you.”

Jason Todd:

• On this day, it is common knowledge to everyone who knows you both that you can ask him anything and he’ll do it. Only If it’s reasonable and for you. Breakfast in bed? Hell yeah. You want a romantic bath? It’s done.

• Will get you a lovely meaningful gift that reminds him of you and you love it so much, and thank him profusely.

“It’s nothing, don’t worry about it.” Jason obviously brushes it off with a brilliant blush adorning his skin.

• Never admits to the fact he loves baths with you, but on Valentine’s Day you got out the rose petals, bubble bath and candles. Didn’t take much convincing to get him in there with you and you presented a new book you’d gotten him. Jason melted. If you want him to read aloud in the bath whilst you relax, he will. It’s so peaceful for him.

• Jason isn’t into fancy wine and dining and would rather a casual setting, so brings up going to Big Belly Burger for dinner. As a joke. No he seriously would.

“Oh yeah, sounds great. I’ll get ready.” And you do, willingly.

“Wait but - um, don’t you want? I dunno, a nice restaurant?”

“As long as I get to spend time with you I don’t mind, I would eat on the roof for all I care. Actually no, it’s quite cold - but in summer I would.”

• It’s all registering in Jason’s mind how amazing you are, and he’s just gazing at you with pure adoration before skidding over and clasping you’re wrist as you went for his keys.

“Ah - no, we’re not doing that. I’m making you dinner, no objections. It’ll be incredible I promise.”

“I’ll help then.”

• And boy can he cook, the food is gorgeous and he put so much effort into it too. He appreciates your help as his sous chef, the many kisses in between demonstrated that.

• Essentially from then it stems to a normal evening for the two of you, a comfortable night of playful teasing either reading or watching a show. Jason believes these are the best kind, Valentines isn’t for special treatment when he aims to make you feel loved everyday - even if he’s not the best at it sometimes.

Tim Drake:

• Less invested than his eldest brother who is a hopeless romantic but is still determined to ensure you feel special. You’ve said you didn’t want anything but he refuses to let this be a completely normal day unless you really want it to be.

• Starts by making you breakfast in bed and it’s actually to die for, you share the blissful morning in one another’s comfortable company and it really invigorates you for the upcoming day. He had a gift for that.

• “How about we skip the cliche stuff and do something for us?”

“What did you have in mind my lovely nerd.”

• You played some video games before venturing to Titans tower where you spent the day with your friends - you cared about them too. Honestly it became a low-key house party with everyone conversation going and messing around.

• Afterwards you head back to Gotham and hit a nearby food stand and your boyfriend insists on zipping you through the skyline to perfect place to eat which is exactly what you do.

• Takes you up to the ‘best rooftop’ in Gotham, you didn’t believe one existed until you see the view. Tim offers his scarf as you sit on the ledge watching the sun set behind the city, the sky a breathtaking ombré.

“Y’know, this is very clićhe Tim.” You laughed, nudging your boyfriend who offered you a playful grin in response.

“Well you’re still here so I must be doing something right.”

“You are the something right.”

“I was going to say the same about you, thank you for everything (Y/n). I truly love you, y’know that?”

• After arriving home, you spend the evening cuddled up in bed with Netflix playing and an array of snacks out. You doubt you’ll get through a season by the time you fall asleep but you’re both willing to try.

• You couldn’t determine who went to dreamland first, but you awoke in each other’s arms after a gunshot echoed on screen. At this point you agreed to turn it off and once more curl into one another with occasional random whispers of conversation before falling asleep for the night.

Damian Wayne:

• Does not care for the holiday and has told you this before, whether you do or not he feels he should at least make some form of effort. Just to lowkey display his love for you.

• Brought you multiple bouquets of flowers, also invested in chocolates and you can tell he’s really trying.

• Titus happily brings you a rose, which had you swooning the dog regardless of how smug your boyfriend was. Definitely up for a romantic walk through the park with Titus and buys coffee/lunch whilst you’re there.

• The day is completely at your disposal, but after the walk and shopping trip he took you on (despite your unwillingness to tell him what you liked knowing he’d get it for you), you relaxed in one another’s company in the Manor.

• Damian put on your favourite movie and in return you set his film up next so you both had something of interest. Thus began the playful bickering and fights over blankets which you ultimately end up sharing anyway.

• Alfred brings in cookies, you had to do a double take because they are heart shaped and you give the Butler a curious look.

“At Master Damian’s request, apparently more ‘romantic’.” You can hear the disinterested sarcasm in Alfreds voice, his witty remarks are treasured.

“Alfred!” It’s a hiss from your boyfriend and you can’t help but laugh, thanking both of them.

• You’re both sitting comfortably wrapped up in each other, simply enjoying the movie playing in the background amongst idle conversation.

“I appreciate you’re trying, but this clearly isn’t your thing.” You smiled knowingly, Damian both offended and impressed that you could read him so eloquently.

“I -“

“Hear me out, how about next year we go away for a weekend? Maybe Africa or somewhere with a wildlife sanctuary y’know.”

• Immediately his eyes lit up, he’d moved for his phone and began listing the most exotic locations and soon you were joining him. So much so that within 30 minutes he’d adamantly decided to pay for everything.

• Now has a renewed excitement for Valentines Day, literally is counting down the days for a national holiday he still has no care for but loves spending quality with you. It becomes a tradition to spend Valentines away.

Bonus: Older Batsis

Imagine being the older sister of the Batfam and having to spend Valentines on your own.

• You didn't hate Valentine's Day but this year you were single and had a lot on your mind lately whether it be stress, work or any other life dilemma.

• As a result you opted to stay at the Manor rather than your own apartment, besides both neighbours were madly in love with their current partners and you didn't want to be around that right now. The family knew of these developments and since it was Valentines...

• A bouquet of flowers adorned the table that morning with Alfred cheerfully cooking your favourite breakfast, the smell alone was enough to die for.

"You didn't have to Alfred."

"Ah Miss (Y/n), you should take your own advice.”

• Damian simply tuts at the doorframe before entering the area and sitting beside you. The young man didn't believe in the holiday one bit and at this point you agreed with him.

• Okay so maybe you brought Cass, Barbara and Stephanie a bouquet of flowers each. Then proceeded to purchase the favourite snacks of Dick, Jason, Tim, Duke and Damian. Dick being in an annoying mood decided to question your behaviour.

“You brought us gifts? We’re not your valentine so, why exactly?”

“Because, I believe Valentines is about celebrating the people you care for, not just for couples to express their affection. And I do care about you all a lot, so this is me showing that.”

• Regardless, you enjoyed a chilled day in the Manor. After a luxurious bath, you enjoyed your own company really. Something you hadn’t managed in a while.

• Your family wanted to cheer you up though, thus ensued a strange day. Cassandra brought you a katana wrapped carefully ribbon warapped which left you speechless, Dick and Barbara got you that jacket you were telling her about last month and Tim had set up a slew of your favourite movies to relax to along with snacks.

• You cried. It meant so much despite them having their own plans, they took at least 10 minutes to see you.

• Steph made you waffles for lunch, which you enjoyed together after concocting masterpieces from the array of toppings on offer in the kitchen.

• Duke and Jason were next, each rocking up with bunches of flowers.

“We couldn’t remember your favourites, I thought they were (fave flower), but Duke disagreed.”

“Duh, they’re (second fave flower), anyway (Y/n) happy valentines. You don’t need no man - or woman. Either.” Duke grinned, Jason following on with his usual degrading humour.

“Exactly, you got us. Not that it helps haha.”

• You had dinner in the Batcave, it was only take out considering you were managing comms whilst the others were on mission that night. Oracle 2.0 if you will.

• It was then that Damian joined you, a box in hand that he slid in front of you and upon opening it, revealed a pearl white kitten/puppy adorned with an oversized red bow.

“His name is Valentine, or Val, or Vee - he’s for you, so you won’t be feel alone once you get home. I guarantee animals build more loyal relationships than humans.”

“Dami, I thought you hated Valentines Day. You didn’t have to get me anything.”

• The youngest gives you a frustrated look, embarrassed that he was caught being so kind in the first place.

“If it helps I wanted to adopt him but father wouldn’t let me, so I had to find him the next best person. Which out of all these Neanderthals, is of course, you.”

“I see, and what spurred you to even look into such a thing in there first place?” Damn you’d caught him out, the only reason he went was to find a companion for you.

"As you said (L/n), it's about celebrating people you care about and my gift will last the longest therefore you know I love you the most."

"And I love you too little bro, thank you Damian."

• Best Valentine’s Day ever.

[litakino]

Yesterday was the 10th anniversary of Rose's death. Also, this November she would've been 30y/o.

She was a close friend of mine, and died of an aneurysm; she collapsed on stage while singing and playing the guitar, and died the next day.

Rose was the same age as my sister, two years younger than me, and her sister is my age and was my best friend. So the four of us were really close, almost like sisters. We would spend the summer holidays either with our family, or theirs, whichever family went to the beach that year.

She was such a big part of my life growing up, that it's weird thinking that she's "stuck" at 20, and I'm 32 now.

I'll try really hard to convey, how important she is to everyone who knew her. How missed she is.

She was so smart, like book smart, but also surprisingly insightful for a 20y/o.

I remember Rose telling me once "I wanted to know if I liked it, so I kissed a girl. But it's not for me". You have no idea how important that was for me. Like I've never even thought of the possibility of not being straight (raised catholic and very conservative), it's not that I was repressed, it was just something I never even considered before.

And she was from a family very much like mine, but able to break away and try her own path (it wasn't that she went around kissing people; and there's nothing wrong with being that person, but she just wasn't, I'm saying this to illustrate how important it was that she did it).

Rose also loved things with all her being. And she was never ashamed of the things she liked. Like she would go into forums and investigate about her heroes and know all there was to know about ER and Sarah McLachlan and Rent and U2 and musicals and Broadway and Wicked.

I'm writing because there's so much she would've done, so many what-ifs I feel I need to make her be present this way, this year.

She wasn't top of her class when she graduated high school, just because she didn't want to spend too much time studying. She was close second though, and that was just with minimal effort. She was a real life Hermione.

Also, Rose was tall, and big, and had long bushy hair. She had to buy her heels from drag queen shops bc her feet were so big, "regular" shoe shops didn't carry her size. And she was CONFIDENT. Like, loved to wear her hair down, big and all, no shits given.

And was really good at shopping for cool clothes, even though most traditionally "feminine" shops didn't carry her size (take into consideration, this was 2009/2010 and we grew up in a small city in Argentina, there weren't many shops available, and "plus size" meant grandma's clothes)

Her last birthday (2010) she rocked a really short shirt-dress with bright yellow tights, I can't even begin to imagine what her style might have been nowadays.

It took her some time to gain that confidence, went through the awkward baggy-pants-and-big-sweatshirt phase like most of us fat girls, but she already loved herself when she was finishing high school. It took me many more years to reach that stage.

I'm painting the best picture, since everything positive about her comes to mind these days.

That's not to say, she was perfect. She definitely wasn't. She was human and made mistakes and (I'm sure) hurt people.

She was loud and could be obnoxious sometimes, but there are very few teenagers and young adults who aren't.

Oh also, Rose really enjoyed singing. And she was really good at it.

She was studying to become an English teacher.

She was really spiritual, and sang in church every Sunday, and was part of the community.

I would love to speak to her now, about feminism and love and gender and sexuality and family. There's so much we didn't know back then, so much I want her insight into.

When I heard the Hamilton soundtrack, all I could think about was about her. And how much she would've loved it.

I want to have the opportunity to hear her rave about things like Lin Manuel Miranda, or Doctor Who, or Good Omens.

I'm glad Rose got to meet my (now) husband, and that she liked him is an endorsement like very few I can think of.

I wonder where she would be living now (I think Ireland or England, studying for her third master and singing in pubs some nights).

I know she would have finally found someone who saw her for who she was, and loved her for it. Perhaps a few whirlwind romances before that.

I wonder if she would've even wanted to have kids.

When Rose died, it was a shock, because no one saw it coming (both her parents are doctors, and the aneurysm was never diagnosed, she never had any syntoms before. And by the time she was rushed into the hospital, it was too late).

Afterwards, slowly but surely, all of her friends and family finished high school, then university. Some of us got married, some got kids. Some moved to other countries.

The year she died, I was out of the country, doing one of those work and travel programs, that encompass our summer (December through March), in WDW. It was something she had actually suggested, that she wanted to do, but last minutes backed out (I never knew why). I was far away from home, working 13-hour shifts (the holidays in the resort are madness). And after her death, a friend suggested some of us took the days off from two weeks, put them together, and take a 4-days trip to NYC. I didn't really have the money to do it, but said yes anyways because Rose wanted to attend Juilliard (childhood dreams), and so we said we were going to visit her in her break (more childhood dreaming). So I ended up eating rice and crackers for a few weeks in order to pay for travel and lodging, but it was so worth it. Everything there reminded me of her, of what she dreamed of doing, of becoming.

I miss her so much, and as I go through life and hit new "milestones", I wonder what she would be doing right now.

Yesterday some close friends and her family gathered (socially distant, and out in the open air) in our old high school. It's a place of 400 square meters, most of which are various sports' fields, and a small forest. It was a place she felt was home, and since the moment she said she wanted to become an English teacher, a spot was there waiting for her to finish her studies.

Anyways, there in the small forest, around the fallen walnut tree, people who loved her, and miss her, gathered, to remember her smiles and jokes and songs.

Her mother read a poem Rose wrote, and her sister sang the solo in "Seasons of Love".

It was lovely, and sad, and had her in every moment.

She is loved, and missed so so much.

[harrypupperandhisownerdraco]

💧∗ˈ‧₊°∗ˈ‧₊°∗ˈ‧₊°∗ˈ‧₊°basically i just had a shitty christmas and after that just started screaming n fighting w my mom and i just want to cry so much, this life is shit i just want sum comforting otp, tag urself im draco 

(also this is a muggle!au)

 Story

Silver, blue, on then off… The hanging lights were flickering all over, illuminating the dirty streets with artificial illumination, blinding the moonlight and hibernal constellations. It wasn't snowing anymore, and all of its reminiscent beauty washed away with dirt and stomped away by happy bystander. The air could have been colder, but what made Draco shiver was the contrast between the eerie feeling lingering in the street and the stinging feeling over his cheek. Twisting butterbeer candy in his mouth, its sweet aroma melted along with the bitter taste of blood. It stung a little, but the endearing feeling of alcohol started to take over. Wandering aimlessly, he was focusing his thoughts hard on the christmas song's lyrics resonating all over the town. Otherwise, the dark thoughts he was trying to shut in would start to yell again.

He inhaled -breath shaky- once again, trying to regain consciousness of his surrounding. He couldn't just cry in the street like that, he was pathetic yes but ain't nobody gonna see it. He sighed as a sad grin slightly made its way on his face, finding a place to cry safely was a middle school thing to do but here he was at 20. He let his gaze wander on all the dolled up shop front, displaying all kinds of present ideas. He hadn't even had time to open half of his presents before running away. They might all have been shitty anyway. Except his mother's… Not to be cheesy, but she was the one who really knew him in that big house, no matter how many people inhabited it.

 Since when the family house became so full yet so cold and empty ? Maybe at the blurred line where childhood disappeared …

 Draco rubbed his humid noise, he was definitely not going to cry in public, for god sake. Leaving the nice display for romantic couples, he walked off. There was only one place where a forsaken college kid could cry his pitiful life and that was college itself. And if luck was on his side, he had the shittiest family life and everybody else went back home.

 Luck showed to not be on his side, Draco discovered with bitter annoyance as he was trying to sneak some snacks from the cafeteria. And it seemed Potter (the worst one Draco could fall into) had the same thoughts. His nemesis since middle school, the one person he personally made sure to say « happy christmas loser» before leaving because he knew christmas was Potter’s least favorite holiday.

Homeboy must have had the whole day to make a sweet stock but no, midnight snacking was better, of course. How original Potter.

"Come on Potter, don’t tell me you don’t hide food in that mess of a room you have", Draco put his arms around the amount of baked good and drinks he had stocked. " 'Cause I wont let you have any of these, you had the whole day, too bad."

"What are you doing here ? I thought you went back." Potter raised an eyebrow.

"Well you know, ehe, maybe I'm Santa and haven't given you your gift yet ?", he gave him droopy smile, trying to suppress wiggles alcohol induced. "Maybe, you’re Santa. 

"A- Are you drunk ?"

"That would be insulting my alcohol tolerance considering I only had candy, but I guess a man can get drunk over his spleen. Oh, and like, a few bottle, aha.."

"You're definitely drunk.", Potter sighed. "Get some water and go to sleep Malfoy."

"But I'm hungryy."

"You're only going to regret it afterwards, now come on, give it-" Potter got awfully closer, and Draco felt an itching feeling under his skin.

"Let a man drink and get shitfaced Potter, jeez, I don't remember stopping you having fun at your last scoot boys party." Draco groaned.

"You're not having fun, " Potter sighed and he came so close Draco could feel his breath over.

"Why you caring about that."  Draco tried to defy Potter's deep glare, but booze only confused him into the lulling gaze of green eyes.

As Potter groaned for answer, he grabbed his plate. Draco didn't put up any resistance as he didn't trust his body so close to Potter's. He might accidentally hit his face, and he didn't feel confident over a 1v1 against Potter right now.

"You don't smell like alcohol, you smell… good.", Draco muttered, as his eyes were half shutting over Potter’s collarbones. "What have you been up to Potty, you really don't know how to party, you only grunt and sigh."

 Draco didn't know whether it was willingly or without realizing, but he leaned against Potter's strong frame more than necessary. The sweet feeling of being supported, not having to fight… If only Potter could close his arms around him.

 "Malfoy I swear you should go now.", Potter's arms tried to shift him, but Draco felt his own arms envelope Potter's nice smelling neck on their own accord.

"Oh come on, I had a shitty christmas and a shitty evening, let me have that.", he whined slightly, tugging closer.

He could feel Potter’s breath stopped for an instant, and Draco didn’t know what to make of it. Maybe Potter would kick him for good now, pathetic or no they never indulged in anything soft or warm ; they challenged each other and threw word with deep rooted meaning, but never anything so clear and explicit.

But when Draco went to unlace himself from this awkward situation, he felt Potter’s strong arms not letting him.

"I don’t even know why i’m doing this, you’re heavy. " Potter complained as he was carrying Draco on his back.

"I’m not, not with those fit arms of yours ", Draco rumbled against Potter’s nice smelling jumper.

"... I should record you," Harry muttered, the back of his neck feeling hotter.

" I’d deny everything, the things you can do with technology these day.."

Draco could feel Potter’s muscles moving slightly over a soft chuckle. He pushed his face further into the nice perfume.

"... Hey take me to your room."

"W-what ?!", they nearly fell as Potter lost his balance.

"Calm your tits Potter, jee-"

"Why’d you want to go into my room anyway ??"

Because it might smell as nice as you..., Because it’s your room..., Because, there, it’d just be full of you and nothing would remind me of anything at home..., Because I don’t want to think about home right now...

"Because I know you have a hidden stack of snacks in there..."

"Malfoy."

Draco couldn’t feel Potter’s gaze on him but his tone conveyed enough to make Draco’s throat clench.

"I won’t steal anything, it’s just... there’s nothing that’ll remind me of home there... Just... I... "

Draco never finished his phrase and soft silence fell upon them for the rest of the way. He tried to no think too deep about tonight’s evolution, but even cloudy thoughts weren’t enough.

"We’re here", and as soon as he opened the door, Potter let Draco fall hardly on the floor. Not bothering to listen to his insulting fuss, he went to throw a cushion his way. "There’s a futon over there, the floor is yours."

"You’re the worst host ever, even dogs are treated better." Draco pouted.

"And you’re a handful guest and drunk", Potter said as he let a blanket fall over Draco’s head.

The ground was cold, he could feel it over the futon and the fall had made his heart sad. Draco remembered the comfy over-stuffed bed he left at home and how he should’ve been sleeping there comfily instead of making a fool of himself in front of the only boy that mattered.

"Well if I could have avoided drinking to drown my sorrow trust me i would.", he sniffed, already sobering up. "I’m so going to throw up all over your carpet."

All sound of moving and shifting stopped for a while. Then Potter peeked his face under the blanket, facing Draco’s.

"... Are you crying ?"

"... Next I’m gonna pee and then you’ll have all my body fluids over your carpet." Draco said with a small voice and he wanted to punch himself. Embarrassed him really had the worst retorts.

"You’re disgusting." Potter said, but he brought his nice smelling sleeve over Draco’s nose and whipped the dampness. Draco sniffed again.

"I’m not crying."

"You’ll deny it for the record I know."

For some reason, Potter lingered his touch over Draco’s face, wandering his hands over his cheeks, lightly wiping tears traces. Draco couldn’t see Potter’s face clearly due to the lack of lamps turned on. The room only escaping darkness for dim moonlight and Draco hoped Potter couldn’t see his face clearly either.

"Why did you come back ?"

"Because I’m the family disappointment and I have no weird cousin to dim that off."

Trying to use depreciative humor didn’t seem to get to Potter, maybe because he couldn’t see Draco’s face laughing it off. He had gotten quite good over the years.

"How could you be the family disappointment. You got the best grade and remarks, you’re basically every rich parents dream kid."

"Yeah that’s what I thought too, right ?... I thought that I would go back home and be congratulated or something, I mean I did get some of the best rank right ? But what are best rank when your friends are not ‘good company’ huh ? And when your clothes doesn’t reflect your seriousness enough, I mean who would hire me in these right ? Not like I came home to have dinner not an interview. Oh and sit straight will you, I taught you better, don’t embarrass me. We have guests Draco, is that really how you want to represent the Malfoy name ? And-"

"Breath a bit."

Potter’s voice was calm and strangely soothing. Draco hadn’t felt his blood pumping so hard until Potter made his heart stretch.

"The thing is... I do everything right but it’s never right enough. My father keeps talking about me like I’m just a display for the family name. I cant even think of doing other things that my whole life is already being pushed down my throat ! I don’t even know if I really want to do what I do ? Maybe I just convinced myself that’s what I want to do ? What if I understand I’m ruining my life when they’re already old and senile and I can’t make them pay for it huh ? Is it my fault they only fucked once and now they only have one shot for their brand of whatever ? Is it so hard to let me live as just ... someone ? Am I not enough just being my own ? "

Potter´s hand was still on his cheek and as everything fell into silence again, Draco felt overly conscious of their proximity. Heart clenching, he tried to not dwell on the words he just said, looking for some other depreciative humor ; he hadn’t plan to open to Potter. They never did this.

"Did you tell them that ?"

"I-", Draco let his lips hang open, slightly taken aback by Potter’s empathy and what felt like concern in his tone. "I did but... I feel like they never listen to what I say, I’ve been saying the same things for years. They say they’re scared for my future and just wants what’s best, but the truth is that they just don’t trust me and now I don’t trust myself either when I shouldn’t. " he bit his mouth over the bitter feeling.

"... I think you’re doing good."

"What do you know..." Draco sniffed, he could feel uneasiness coming from Potter and honestly he felt already bad enough from spilling his gut here he didn’t want some colored sappy moral or whatever. "If you’re going to tell me some sappy shit-"

"No I mean," Potter put his hands over Draco’s wrist so that he wouldn’t go away. And even in the darkness, Draco could feel his gaze’s intensity on him. "You look like, you’re... you just seem like you’ve got everything figured it out, like everything’s gonna work out for you in the end and... even if you feel like you want to change when you’re old, you’re the kind of person that’ll find something else and be great at it."

Draco could feel Potter’s pulse stirring over his touch and he didn’t know what to make of it.

"...You suck at sappy-inspirational speech, let me tell you."

"I mean... fuck if your parent don’t see it, you’re always doing your best and trying hard and giving it your all and... Whatever you decide to do with it you’re gonna be great at it... Even if you don’t really know what you want to do now, it’s ok, I mean... nobody does... know what they’re doing really. You don’t really need to know right away, you can... just keep doing for now until you know better..."

Although Potter seemed very thoughtful about what he said, Draco couldn’t help the awkward chuckle that escaped his lips.

"Hey, I’m serious you know !", even over his voice, Draco could hear Potter blush over embarrassment.

"I know this is why it’s weird !" Draco tried to untie his wrist from Potter’s grasp.

"Would you have wanted me to mock you or something !"

"N-no but now I’m confused ! If you’d mocked me I would have punched you and it would have been fine but now I don’t know what to do !"

"Then don’t reject me for once !"

Over their bickering, the blanket felt from over them but Potter didn’t let go of Draco’s wrist.

"You think I’m great ?"

"I’ll deny it for the record." he muttered and Draco could see him averting his beautiful eyes.

"Say it again."

When Potter’s eyes moved on Draco’s again, they held a burning purpose, and he couldn’t avoid his gaze if he wanted to. Potter’s beautiful eyes had him holding his breath but not wavering, even when he felt Potter’s breath over his lips.

He didn’t wonder who got over the last cm as their lips touched each other very softly, barely even, feeling unreal.

"Can I ?" Potter’s murmur ghosted over Draco’s lips.

On impulse, Draco wrapped his arms over Potter and squeezed very tightly. He had been so close all evening and all his life, and he couldn’t contain his feelings any more second. All the places in contact with Potter felt like they were burning the sensation into his skin, so that he would never forget what he’d been longing for so long. And as the kiss deepened, hands caressing softly through hair and clothes, Draco finally finally felt belonging.

As a ray of pale sun made its way on his face, Draco awoke feeling bundled in an infinite source of warmth and safety. He could barely move but he didn’t want to. Ever.

He might have fallen asleep again a few times before he felt some shifting around him.

The moment he turned around, he came nose bopping with Potter’s ; who opened beautiful green eyes and gave soft and embarrassed smile that Draco returned. He felt on cloud nine and the soft embrace he was in, not disappearing as they woke up, was the best part.

"Happy Christmas," Potter whispers against his lips.

“It’s happy now...”, Draco kisses him softly and they might just spend the rest of the day that way.

[karasuno-writings]

Soooo due to the lack of Yamaguchi content and requests on my inbox I decided to give myself a little christmas present and be a little self-indulgent. I did work on this as I wrote it so it was very out of the blue, nevertheless I could not stand aside to the lack of my favorite boy. I hope this is fine!

Also I ate a strawberry shortcake so so delicious and it made me think of sharing it with Tsukki.

Character: Yamaguchi Tadashi x gender neutral reader

Prompt: Self indulgent christmas fluff

________________________________________

Twas the day before christmas and all through Miyagi every creature was stirring in preparation for the holidays. Whether it was for christmas, hanukkah or New year, people all though Miyagi rushed in the usual december madness to get all they needed. 

Yamaguchi was no exception to the rule, however he decided to enjoy the cold season in which snow coated the streets and a chilly pleasant feeling made every warm cup of anything taste better. That is why he walked slowly, pleasantly taking in everything that surrounded him. It felt weird to be all by himself, but Kei had gone off to spend the month in Tokyo so the errands that he would usually do in company of the tall blonde, were left to do by himself. 

He did not mind much and deep in thought he enjoyed the view of the snow-coated town, and of the people who passed him by about their business, some rushed, some at their own pace but most of them looked at least mildly joyful, or stressed, most  of the times it was a mixture of both only the holidays could manage to create. 

Suddenly his attention was taken away from his thoughts thanks to a nearby yelp. When he turned to look at who made it he saw you. Your footing on the sidewalk had been lost and now you were sliding your way towards Tadashi, whose eyes were opened wide and could not really get himself to move. 

Just when you thought you had regained control over your stance, it happened, almost in slow motion. You were sent tumbling backwards, yelping once more as both of your feet left the ground and your body became buried by a nearby snow bank. 

They say your friends habits rub on you, so it was of no surprise when Yamaguchi found himself holding back his laughter at the whole things, a slight snicker escaping his lips. However, when he saw you were not standing he began to worry, blushing at his behaviour he approached you and stood over to one side.

“Need any help?” He offered, not really finding your head due to the snow that had coated you looking around for a way to assist you on standing. You stretched your arm held single hand out and he took it as a yes, so grabbing your cold, gloveless hand he pulled you up.

You were shivering, so the first thing you did once back on your feet was shake the snow off. Then you looked up to see who had helped you. Tadashi stood shyly looking at you with curious eyes and a big blush, the first thing that came to your mind was how handsome he truly was, his freckles standing out due to the redness of his cheeks and nose; he was glad it could be played off as an effect due to the cold. Now it was your turn to blush as you felt the heat rise to your cheeks, this boy had just seen you make the latest act of clumsiness and had been kind enough to help you stand up. 

“Thank you so much…” You looked at him expectantly hoping to put a name on the face of this kind stranger. He stared back looking at the person who he had laughed at a few second ago, he was left speechless, their shy smile and beautiful eyes made his heart feel something. A few moments of silence passed before he caught what you meant, with that he smiled and rubbed the back of his neck. 

“I’m Yamaguchi. Are-are you okay?” He asked as he took your features in, he was not used to tackling cute people all by himself, they usually only wanted to engage in conversation with Tsukki so naturally he was a little bashful about the whole situation.

“Y/N actually!... but I do feel like I can’t move my ankle” you answered, apparently smiling through the pain, maybe it was the cold, maybe it was not that bad, but other than not being able to stand up properly you felt nothing else on your feet.

Yamaguchi giggled at the terrible pun, sure, it was absolutely one of the worst out there, but you had answered so naturally that he couldn't help but laugh lightly. Then he looked at you and frowned lightly as he saw your difficulty at keeping upright, if you had fallen before he did not want to know what would happen if he let you be on your current state.

“Let me help you to a hospital...I don’t want you falling around more” He said, a hint of harmless mockery on his tone granted by a newfound courage to get to know you better and help you out. Just as he said that you lost your balance and tumbled lightly, before anything else could happen he wrapped an arm around your waist and put your over his shoulders for you to lean on him. The heat on his cheeks was enough to melt snow, nevertheless he smiled at you. All you could do was stare at this angel of a boy who was  thoughtful enough to help you on christmas eve, your eyes glistening as you returned his smile. 

“Sorry about all of this, I bet you had better things to do than asist a silly person like me “ You said as the two headed towards the nearest health clinic. Sure he had stuff to prepare for tomorrow, but none of them seemed to matter at the moment as long as you got safely to the clinic, and maybe even to your house. 

“Don’t worry, it all can wait”

“Thank you so much Yama, maybe we can go christmas shopping together afterwards”

His stomach fluttered as soon as the nickname left your lips, and at the mere thought of going together with you somewhere where he was not really necessary, just because you wanted to spend time with him, he could not deny such a request.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

Yamaguchi tapped his foot lightly against the floor of the waiting room, he knew it was nothing to worry about but something about hospitals always made him uneasy. He could have left and carry on about his day but you had won your way into his heart and he was looking forward to your company in the madness that is last minute christmas shopping. 

When you entered the room he smiled as you gave him a thumbs up, your foot on a special cast that worked perfectly as a shoe. Sure your walking was still wobbly and you still could not feel your toes, but the doctor said that all you had to do was take some medicine that he gave you and wear the special cast for at least four days. 

“I won’t be able to run, but we can sure walk around with me like this!” They said as Yamaguchi stood up, he chuckled lightly once more. 

“At least you can’t fall if you walk slowly” He retorted. He knew you were now his friend, you had won his trust and he was not afraid of showing you his more playful side, and he was glad that his comment made you laugh, like music to his ears he wished to hear that more frequently.

“You’d have no one to save then! Let’s go, we can take turns on which store to go if we hit the mall”

“Sounds good….feel up to getting coffee after?” Was he asking you out? Maybe not yet, but he sure wanted to get to know you better, and maybe in a near future he’d gather up the courage to take you out on a date. For now he was glad he offered his help, and he had made an unlikely friendship that seemed to be the start of something much more than that.

[squirrels49]

What Fowl Can Be Known as a Hawk, But Isn't a Hawk in Any Way?

It was not the first moment that our kitty had brought a surprise back with her. It was not the first time she'd attracted in a live fowl. Maybe it had been she published it in the sack instead of the basement or livingroom (her standard locations to place her victim unfastened ). I presume what really surprised me that the most was the size of the bird that has been now flying in a panic around my bedroom.Over years, using just two female house cats who we let outdoors a few of hours per day, we have experienced our share of rabbits, mice along with other bark , and birds input our residence. Most of time they're still alive, fearful, but for the most part, unharmed. Cats that are satisfactorily fed do not hunt for meals, they hunt for fun, and thus they ordinarily don't eat the animals/birds they capture. They often bring them to the individuals as a present or to demonstrate that they'd caught something.Being a Healer, I understand the value of aiding those creatures and critters overcome their shock before discharging themas it is the jolt which often kills themnot any injury they may have sustained.So the chicken that was currently flying across the sack was just the modern chicken necessitating my attention.Unfortunately, which has been going for considered a significant issue. I was used to helping little sparrows that frequented our garden and the neighbor's bird feeders. This chicken was much bigger-in factthat he had been a predator . He was a hawk.I need to admit my close connections with hawks has been lacking. I feel the nearest I came into one was one had been at an tree eyeing a deceased bird close by. Still, the chicken proved to be much further away compared to main one who currently stood in my dresser looking like it would attack anything or anyone which moved.Normally I'd have let the chicken settle down a bit before approaching him, but it was hurt by my cat like I saw blood onto the ground and walls where the hawk had flown. This absolutely had been enough bloodstream to imply that waiting was not wise if I wanted him to survive.But there have been those talons. And there clearly is that sharp, pointed beak.And these very modest eyes were seeing each movement I made.I shut the bedroom door to contain his flight then grabbed a small blanket to throw over him. This functioned. The bird can barely fly. I donned leather gloves and sunglasses (for security ) subsequently lifted the package, careful to grip the ft. With my husband's assistance, I had been able to examine the bird without even any the damage to either of the us. He experienced only a small cut on his rear and one of his wings had been overlooking a couple larger feathers. Each wounds were bleeding.As I found no other wounds that were of immediate consideration, '' I gave the fowl that the homeopathic medication Aconitum napellus("Aconite") for the shock. Aconite operates great to relaxed shock in animals along with human beings. I have used it before on creatures and critters, also when responding to vehicle accidents.When the remedy had slid the bird, I washed the cuts afterward gave him that the homeopathic medication Gunpowder to stem infections. I bandaged his wing it wouldn't proceed for transport to the Wildlife Sanctuary. For rehab, they'd execute a excellent job.But Al As, these were shut, or so the hawk was attracted house and put from the spare rest room because of the night-it was quiet and there was nothing the hawk could damage himself should he drift all about. He looked a ton better than he'd had before he had been awarded the homeopathics.The subsequent early morning , the hen was doing great, however that I still wasn't certain about the wing. I removed the bandage from his wing, lifted up him and enabled him to fly-he didn't do so good-so I took him into the Sanctuary for more treatment. The hawk was possibly the size of my kitty and that I wondered just how she'd gotten the jump on him. Marin (my kitty ) had no harms, that had been surprising since the hawk was a predator who would prey . Maybe, becoming that the hawk was not small, he was not a threat to Marin.The hawk was published from your Wildlife Sanctuary that a few days later. The rehabilitation helper had been amazed the bird had not arrived for the Sanctuary in jolt, and failed to develop an infection and was able to become released so fast. I wasn't amazed, however, due to the fact I understood the healing skills of homeopathy.I believed the stories that the hawk would tell to other hawks, even joked only just a bit believing the hen could probably come up with a very dangerous and exciting story, telling of this great struggle which had hurt him. Had he told the truth-that he was captured by the cat-he would have already been teased for quite a while.The initial issue we did our trip was supposed to check to our hotel which was that the Barrier Station re sort at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. On our holiday bundle we've got a 3 days and 2 night live, they gave us some dinner certificates to Mulligan's restaurant and pub and Jolly Rodgers. Also a excellent surprise in our vacation package had been 2 tickets to a Musical Show.After checking in we moved right into the hotel to examine it empty the large quantity of luggage we had brought us. The room was we predicted. Even though there were only 2 of us they gave us a two bed room accommodation. This was the bomb because we had our own toilet. The master bedroom had a huge Jacuzzi inside (which we use every night) along with also a king size bed together with a huge balcony. The other bedroom needed to bedrooms and your bathroom. They both had television's and were very well decorated. Along side a huge living space, dining room and kitchen that they also had a washer and dryer. Had we know this we'd have brought much less clothing?After unpacking we moved into the welcome center and assessed all those tasks that these were presenting. They had special to ground meals, games and a variety of lessons, along side several traveling excursions. Perhaps not merely did they all will have outside pools however they also had just one of the largest indoor grills that I have ever seen. And of course a weight room with all types of exercise equipment and also in door and outdoor hot tubes. Of course, when that was not enough they had a superb character walk trail and a location for runners.After exploring the resort we chose to simply take benefit of one of those dinner certificates we had been given and also went on Mulligan's for lunch. We're impressed by the number and high quality of the food and service we received. They'd a deck which moved to the surface of the cafe s roof with tables up there and also you could take pleasure in the sea view as you dined. I do feel just a modest sorry for its waters since they needed to go upward and down about half staircase all day long.When we ended dinner we continued with our vacation going to the shore where we did just a small sunning and tried some small fishing in the fishing pier that had been a few miles from our resort. Not bringing some fishing gear together were surprised that they'd everything you might want to go fishing. It simply cost us about 40.00 for all the apparatus and bait you wanted and now being outside to the pier you did not need to worry about getting eaten alive from almost any critters which might possibly be wondering all around on the island. We also toured about thirty kilometers of the island also found many great places to eat and shop. One of my favorite areas in Kitty Hawk to eat would be Jimmy's Sea Food Buffet. They offer an early bird special at which you can win $100.00 in funds as well as to get the first hour they give you lobster. You really don't even miss the lobster though, because with every different kind of seafood you may think of they possess ten different sorts of crab legs plus you can eat everything you want. Unfortunately we didn't get to eat there this time round because of the a number of other locations we never tried while there on vacation.However we did get to see one of the better musicals that I have ever gone . It was mixed with oldies and classical tunes together with some humor. The entire cast was superb. It lasted about two hours was so interesting that it felt which we're only there for half an hour. They change shows frequently so if you visit into the outside banks regularly you may get to see distinctive reveals. On Wednesdays that they offer you a magical show for those magical buffs in the same construction. So the next time you go there on a break please put that on you are todolist because you won't be sorry when planning on taking my own advice.One issue I did not plan moment doing our vacation was a round of golf and I am sorry I didn't because there weren't several really nice cheap golf courses near. I'm not sure but some one told us there were 12 in the area. Sounds like a golfer's paradise to me personally and together with this most golf courses I think that you need to plan to stay per week instead of just a few days. We did not go into any one of this course's this time round whilst the temptations would have already gone to great but I am certain that with many that they might never have been on to crowded.Well the bottom point for the full article is that it was really so relaxing and so gratifying our next vacation will likely be in the outside banks next year plus people also plan on taking a couple mini holidays or long weekends because a few call it there on a normal basis. And certainly will always be towards the top of my record for vacations to get quite a while for you to come.Because a few varieties of hawk some times kill game critters, the full class continues to be contested. You can find those, and they are several, who fail to observe that birds of prey fill out an important part in the amazing scheme of character. Does the hunter who shoots down the hawk at each and every prospect, because some species occasionally captures what he is very happy to take into account his special property, ever cease to request exactly what caused the quail along with different non-migratory match critters to reach the powers of swift flight that alone create sure they are desired as things of sport?It may be that the bird of prey, pursuing one opposite since the days of these invention, which has evolved not only its own strength of wing, but but in addition that of its quarry. And just as certainly as it is accurate, therefore indeed will that electricity be lost in the event the contributing cause be removed. The do do, a pigeon, found himself over the island of Mauritius in which enemies were unknown. He yielded to gluttony and in action, designed a corpulence that uttered traveling, and was eaten out of the face of the planet in a limited while right following his discovery by gentleman. His relative, the rock dove, who'd to flee the chasing hawk or perish, created but retains a power of wing which is famous around the world.To find additional details on this please dig this. At the same manner some other species, notably a number of the rails, by adopting a carefree lifetime, have forfeited flightand now face extermination if some active enemy invades their haunts. The most hawks, which we have been now , have made our grouse and quail what they are. Close students of the area additionally recognize that the amazing significance of hawks from removing game animals suffering from infectious diseases. Just a small thought should convince people of the fallacy of this debate the diminishing ranks of our game critters are the consequence of depredation by hawks, an idea that's become the foundation of most of the prejudice directed toward them. In case this were well founded then the decimation of the hunters would have caused a gain in match birds.In real truth the two hawks and match possess diminished concurrently, and also from exactly the very same primary bring about. For example of the destruction of harmless hawks under mere sensing, there can be cited an item only published in the report of advancement within an evaluation of methods for increasing quail. Up to thirty marsh hawks had been frequenting roosting regions from the match addresses, and so approximately 1 / 2 of these were taken. Subsequently over one million of the castings of the birds have been analyzed, each signifying dinner with the result that the stays of 4 quail had been observed, whereas a lot more than 2 hundred dishes had comprised one or even cotton rats, which eat the eggs of the quail. Really the announcement is highlighted that the majority of the opponents of those quail are the destroyers of its foes.The nighttime bird that is described being a Frequent Nighthawk is not a hawk in any way, but also a Nightjar. The title derives from the fact that the man makes a exact loud'jarring' call. All these 10" jay-sized birds have plumage that is indeed well camouflaged it renders them almost undetectable once they are nesting around the ground. They like to use gravel on which to rest and also build their nests. Nightjars additionally utilize dry grass and leaf litter, which hides their brown and gray mottled feather coloring perfectly.Nature also has given the nightjars' eggs with camouflage by creating grayish brown scrawling marks all around the off-white egg-shells. Mama nighthawk incubates the eggs all by herself. Preventing the nest emptied at the early day and afternoon, the feminine nightjar ventures outside to collect pests on that to feed, whilst her male counter part watches from a position never far away. He will finely lure off any prospective predators. Surprisingly, regardless of the typical nighthawk's custom of nesting on the ground, they are remarkably long-lived. The normal life span for a nightjar is 5 years, which is quite a while in bird years.After 18 times have passed, and the younger nightjars hatch. Now they're totally coated with fluffy down feathers. This really can be when the male measures in to help feed the younger hatchlings. Flying pests comprise their whole diet and are pre digested and then regurgitated with their own ma ma and papa.If the infants are jeopardized by almost some other predator, including individuals, ma-ma nighthawk pulls a nifty trick out of her bag and acts like she was hurt. She is good at this action which the predator is tempted to move off out of her nestlings since she clumsily blows off a brief distance away. After the intruder was taken enough by the nest, ma-ma nighthawk flies off usually. Nightjars are all about foraging at dusk, twilight and in moon light. Additionally they hunt as darkness turns to dawn. Their highly sensitive crimson reddish eyes tend not to require plenty of light as a way to locate their prey. In fact, too much light can blind them into your own foodstuff. In case the current weather is wet or snowy, nighthawks revert to a country of torpor to reserve their power. When problems are favorable to good searching, they take to the skies all over again. Nighthawks forage only on the wing. Once they restthey lay length wise across a branch or right on a lawn. Their feet are so tiny and their legs really long as to be not quite ineffective to them.The telephone of a nightjar can be a high-pitched'spee-spee-spee' sound that I have heard often when I am out throughout bliss. During a night of trying to find insects like moths and mosquitoes, even a nighthawk can rid us of thousands of pests. Their mouths are deceptively large and open very wide while they scoop the air for all types of traveling bugs. As they want more open spaces near forests in which insects are plentiful, nightjars are one of the very first ever to take advantage of a freshly burnt forest region. These areas afford a very good background due to their bright colors, thus helping them combine in to that environment additional easily.The decline of common nighthawks has been brought about partly with using pesticides, deficiency of habitat in which to hunt, and also the deficiency of their favorite nesting sites. That are the older style apartment lava roof. The other exact obvious rationale is that their habit of earth nesting and resting makes them much more at risk of predators such as owls, falcons and hawks.When their instinct tells them to go for warmer climes at South America, they shape flocks at times numbering in the tens of thousands Their migratory travel starts in mid July as the nightjars take the own time to stop and eat on the way. If they spot a river or marshland about sunsetthey are going to pause to eat their fill and re-energize, subsequently continue their very lengthy trek southward. Nighthawks return to the united states and Canada around February with the very same leisurely method.Common nighthawks also have been referred to as'bull bats' because of their nightly . However, they don't use echo location as snakes do to find prey. Nightjars have likewise obtained the strange name of'goatsuckers'. At some point it had been mistakenly thought they made their way into barns at night time to sneak the milk out of goats, but this is not true.There are just six species of us Nightjars: Eastern Whippoorwill,'' Mexican Whippoorwill, Chuck-Will's-Widow, Pauraque ('pa-RAW-kee') and Buff-collared Nightjar. All of these species are on the reduction. It isn't probable that you may understand a nighthawk because of these nighttime flights along with camouflage, form fact which they can stay absolutely still whenever approached. They will only fly when the prospective predator has too close for comfort. But in case you need to ever see one of these birds, consider yourself quite blessed indeed!Connie Smith could be the proud operator and director of Grandma Pearl's Backporch, LLC, and the professional writer of many online content about effortless and one of a kind methods by which you can cause the greatest bird-friendly lands to enable wild birds thrive and thrive. Understand just how to produce fun and secure backyard habitats for wild creatures with their preferred crops and foods, even whilst adding shade, odor and beauty to your landscape. Uncover simple how-to projects for producing your very own one of a kind bird feedersand find out how easy it's to entice various birds into your gardens and lawn. Visit today!

[captainmarvels]

steve probably never really had holiday stuff until he became world best babysitter, cause nancy’s family didn’t like him so he probably wasn’t invite to much. so, dumbfounded steve having a nice christmas and getting attention on his bday ect

going all out for steve on christmas + his birthday:

so this got way out of hand and its like basically a fic lmao but enjoy x

Your first christmas with Steve had to be special. Had to be. As he slowly opened up to you, you learned how he never really got many gifts, or even attention, during the holidays or his birthday, because his parents were always too busy doing something, and nancy’s parents never really seemed to like him enough to invite him over to spend time with them

So, as the 25th approached, you put your secret plan into action

You recruited the party to help you out, and made Dustin and Erica in charge, because you knew just how well they worked together 

The first step of the plan? Make sure you got all your gifts in order

The boys were in charge of finding out exactly what steve wanted for christmas - he had been refusing to tell you because he didn’t want you spending any money on him, but damn it, if you didn’t try to find out what was the point of anything?

El and Max were in charge of getting Robin to get the day off from the movie rental shop, and they did a hell of a job convincing Keith he didn’t need half of his employees on christmas eve

Once everything was ready, it was time for step 2 - decorations

Steve had never gotten to decorate a christmas tree before, so it was ideal that you got him to decorate something for the holidays

Step 3 was simply watch steve’s reaction on christmas eve, so the plan was full on ahead

When Steve came over to your house, he was amazed at the little set up you made in your dining room - there were two small fake fir trees on the table, with a bunch of different decorations lying around for him to choose from

“What is all this, princess?”

“I thought we could spend some time making our own little christmas trees for our rooms! Besides, I know your parents never put one up but you deserve to enjoy the holiday fun!”

He hugged you so tight you thought he was gonna crush all your bones, and when he pulled away, he couldn’t stop himself from getting teary eyed

Finally, christmas eve arrived, and Steve was spending the night at your house

Your parents had helped you decorate and wrap all of Steve’s presents, and the kids dropped off a card they had made together for him too

Steve came by around 7, and he was carrying a huge shopping bag

You had told him not to buy you anything too, so of course it was no surprise that he had completely ignored your wishes and gotten you something huge

When it was finally time to open the gifts, you covered steve’s eyes and walked him to the living room to show him the surprise

When he opened his eyes, he couldn’t help the tears welling up in his eyes

The floor was almost covered in gifts with his name written on them, and you had decorated your tree with all the decorations Steve had helped you make, along with some polaroid photos of you two together that he had given you for your birthday

He pulled you into a huge hug, and he was so choked up he couldn’t say anything at that moment

But you knew how he was feeling, and his reaction was priceless

For his birthday, you knew you had to pull out the stops

You made sure he had the weekend off from work so he could truly enjoy his day

You took him out for a movie, on you, and bought him all his favorite movie snacks

Afterwards, you took him shopping, and helped him pick out a nice outfit for his birthday dinner the next day

When you dropped him off at home, you gave him his first gift - a bracelet with a small heart that had your initials engraved on it

He almost started crying, but you told him to save the waterworks for another time

The next day was his actual birthday, and you made sure the day was all about him

You took Steve to his favorite breakfast spot one town over, and gave him another present - a limited edition Prince vinyl, with his favorite song on it

After that, you went out to the mall with the party and spent the afternoon eating ice cream sundaes from scoops

For his birthday dinner, you took Steve to a new, very romantic restaurant 

He was all dressed up in his new clothes, and you couldn’t help but compliment him the whole ride there

After dinner and a sweet dessert, you gave him his final gift in the parking lot, under a night sky full of bright stars

The last gift was a photo album with pictures of the two of you, with different captions written next to each photo

“My favorite photo of us eating ice cream”

“My favorite photo of you flipping Robin off”

“MY favorite photo of my favorite person”

Inside it was also a letter from you, addressed to “soulmate”

He didn’t need to open it to know it was a poem you had written about how much you loved and cherished him and your relationship, and he didn’t need to stop himself from pulling you into his arms as a silent thank you for everything you had done

You made him feel so loved and cared for for the first time in a long time, and he would never be able to find the words to say thank you, but his hug was all you needed

[kendrixtermina]

for the ship ask Edelstance? (Edelgard x Constance)

General:

Rate the Ship -  Awful | Ew | No pics pls | I’m not comfortable | Alright | I like it! | Got Pics? | Let’s do it! | Why is this not getting more attention?! | The OTP to rule all other OTPs - Clearly from how we’re written we’re supposed to get that they like each other and work well together (for all that Constance can be a bit over the top at times), they get special dialogue when they wind up on opposite sides,  - their ending is cool too, Constance helps to advance science and magic in the new united empire and the whole thing helps her feel more confident etc. so they’re defs positive influences on each other, there’s Edelgard’s general affinity to smart driven types, they clearly divulge a lot of information to each other that they don’t trust many others with... they could easily be read as close friends instead, but if we assume that Constance is into chicks this could easily be a foundation for a relationship. Also they’re both fearsome badasses which automatically makes it hotter. 

How long will they last? - At least a couple of years. They’d remain friends afterwards. 

How quickly did/will they fall in love? - It sort of happened in between planning meetings and fancy tea outings

How was their first kiss? - Constance stumbled over her words a bit in the beginning, but then she just went and did it and they stood there smooching for a while

Wedding:

Who proposed? - Constance, in the most formal, yet flashy manner you can imagine. Magical fireworks were involved

Who is the best man/men? - n/A

Who is the braid’s maid(s)? - Hapi and Lysithea

Who did the most planning? - Constance

Who stressed the most? - Constance of course

How fancy was the ceremony? -Back of a pickup truck | 2 | 3 | 4 | Normal Church Wedding | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Kate and William wish they were this big.  I don’t think the big fancy wedding is optional with Constance. 

Who was specifically not invited to the wedding? - various nobles who were all too friendly with the PM’s cadre / involved in the war fiasco, apart from the ones who switched sides like Linhardt’s and Caspar’s fathers

Sex:

Who is on top? -  Constance

Who is the one to instigate things? - Constance 

How healthy is their sex life? -Barely touch themselves let alone each other | 2 | 3 | 4 | Once a couple weeks, nothing overboard | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | They are humping each other on the couch right now  

How kinky are they? -Straight missionary with the lights off | 2 | 3 | 4 | Might try some butt stuff and toys | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Don’t go into the sex dungeon without a horse’s head  - Something tells me Constance’s love of bizare experimentation extends not only to magic research if you catch my drift. El would veto some of the more loopy ideas tho

How long do they normally last? - they like to take their sweet time/ probably at some point agreed on a designated date night because else they’ll be too busy with stuff

Do they make sure each person gets an equal amount of orgasms? - its a point of honor

How rough are they in bed? -Softer than a butterfly on the back of a bunny | 2 | 3 | 4 | The bed’s shaking and squeaking every time | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Their dirty talk is so vulgar it’d make Dwayne Johnson blush. Also, the wall’s so weak it could collapse the next time they do it.

How much cuddling/snuggling do they do? -No touching after sex | 2 | 3 | 4 | A little spooning at night, or on the couch, but not in public | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | They snuggle and kiss more often than a teen couple on their fifth date to a pillow factory. 

Children:

How many children will they have naturally? - (see below)

How many children will they adopt? - Constance seems pretty work-focussed so I don’t think there’d be more than 1 or 2 babies, but she would want to carry on the family line - more as an institution, tho. So she wouldn’t mind if the kids are adopted and more about raising them properly to have big aspirations. El would probably soften this somewhat with a dose of ‘but you can do what you want’ and I think Constance would overall be cool to that, she clings a bit to the ceremonial stuff cause that was her way to maintain a sense of identity after losing everything but she is not bigoted or stuck up about it (I mean if she were she & El couldn’t be close allies, but also its clear in her supports) Basically they’d both be vocal about how what matters is the example you set for your kids and not if they have your blood. Might even make a point of adopting a kid without a crest... which then grows up to be a brilliant mage anyways.  If they are ever sad, their mommies told them how much butt Auntie Dorothea and Uncle Hubert kicked despite having no crests. 

Who gets stuck with the most diapers? -

Who is the stricter parent? - Constance, but they’d both be in the serious side.

Who stops the kid(s) from doing dangerous stunts after school? - Edelgard

Who remembers to pack the lunch(es)? - The child doesn’t find out until lunchtime if they gets Bizzare Enchanted Lunch or Sushi rolls that were definitely chopped with an axe. 

Who is the more loved parent? - El. Constance would easily fall in the “embarassing dad mom jokes” category

Who is more likely to attend the PTA meetings? - Constance

Who cried the most at graduation? - Constance

Who is more likely to bail the child(ren) out of trouble with the law? - constance

Cooking:

Who does the most cooking? - Constance

Who is the most picky in their food choice? - Constance

Who does the grocery shopping? - Constance - she likes to bring fancy novelty food. Given that El is open minded she goes along with everything up to a certain degree of exasperating crazyness. Rhubarb soda was great, but pickled cabbage juice might be taking it a bit too far

How often do they bake desserts? - Deserts. All the deserts. Especially fancy photogenic little tarts

Are they more of a meat lover or a salad eater? - it depends more on the presentation. 

Who is more likely to surprise the other(s) with an anniversary dinner? - Constance is very much the Grand Romantic Gestures type of person

Who is more likely to suggest going out? - Constance

Who is more likely to burn the house down accidently while cooking? - Definitely Edelgard

Chores:

Who cleans the room? - Both

Who is really against chores? -  Neither

Who cleans up after the pets? - Constance 

Who is more likely to sweep everything under the rug? - Edelgard if she’s had an exasperating day

Who stresses the most when guests are coming over? - Constance

Who found a dollar between the couch cushions while cleaning? - Constance. She remarks on weird things she found and was usually the one who brought and lost those weird things in the first place, except for that one time she found a drawing of herself which El thought she had safely disposed of

Misc:

Who takes the longer showers/baths? - Constance

Who takes the dog out for a walk? - Edelgard, except maybe when it’s cloudy

How often do they decorate the room/house for the holidays? - Constance seems like she’d decorate if she could afford it

What are their goals for the relationship? - Its all about the stimulating company and the great accomplishments

Who is most likely to sleep till noon? - Edelgard, on her off days

Who plays the most pranks? - Constance

[artificialqueens]

Holiday HCs (Craquaria) ~ RPDRShippingGoals

I’m finally back with some Holiday HCs. Hope you enjoy reading them as much as I enjoyed writing them.

It was already mid-December and Brianna and Aquaria have slowly finished their Christmas purchases, everything from gifts to decorations.

The Christmas tree was missing but that was a shopping trip for later, to keep the tree as beautiful as possible on Christmas Eve.

Both Aquaria and Brianna took one day off to spent more with their little daughter Hayley because they had a little surprise planned for her

“Hayley, come to the living room,” Brianna called and the two moms waited for their little princess.

Once Hayley arrived, Aqua said: “Put some warm clothes on, we want to go for a walk.” only to be met with a frustrated look. “I don’t want to go outside, it’s too cold,” she complained and had a pouty look on her face.

Her parents expected this response but sighed anyway. “Come on, you will love it, I promise.” Aquaria low key pleaded, the frustration slightly noticeable. Their daughter was bratty and may have been a bit spoiled thanks to Aquaria.

After a small discussion, Hayley stomped into her room to put on some clothes. To her parent’s relief, she followed their instruction on putting warm clothes on.

Brianna checked if she had everything and checked a list in her head, everything from keys to phones. Aquaria and Hayley already walked into the hallway of the apartment complex and waited for the third member of the family to lock the door and made their way outside.

On their way to the planned surprise, the walked past many stores such as toy stores. Of course, Hayley’s eyes were glued to the window, watching all of the presented toys and already making a list in her head for everything she wants and hoped to unwrap on Christmas. Aquaria couldn’t hold back a chuckle, being remembered by her own childhood, acting similarly to her daughter.

A few more minutes have passed and their daughter got grumpy again. “When can we finally go back home? I’m hungry and I’m cold.” She complained but her mood quickly changed when she noticed where they were heading, the ice rink with the huge Christmas tree in the middle. “Surprise!” Both Aquaria and Brianna said with a big smile on their face. Hayley’s eyes lit up and practically ran towards the tourist attraction. Thankfully, her parents could get a hold of her soon enough before losing their daughter in the giant mass of people.

Once they paid for the tickets and rented the ice skates, they waited for the ice rink to be emptier. Luckily, it didn’t take too long.

Because Hayley only went ice skating a few times before, her moms held one of her hands to stabilize her on the slippery surface, one on each side.

It was an amazing time for both Hayley and her parents, all of them enjoying the music and the atmosphere.

After what has felt like only a few minutes, they had to make their way back home. To the moms' surprise, Hayley was too exhausted to complain but also, too exhausted to walk on her own, so Aquaria carried her all the way back to their home.

Two weeks have passed and it was finally Christmas Eve. The day before, Sharon and Alaska arrived to spend the holidays with the small family. “Where’s my little princess?” she asked with a baby voice while walking towards Hayley to pick her up. “I’m here, Mom!” Aquaria joked while first hugging Sharon and then Alaska. Neither of them could hold back a laugh. Brianna greeted Aquaria’s parents quickly but had to make her way back to the kitchen to finish dinner.

Unfortunately, Brianna’s parents couldn’t make it because of the weather in her home town. It really bumped her but tried to cover it up as best as possible. Aquaria obviously noticed and offered to help her clean up, mostly to talk to her wife in private. “What is going on, baby? You seem sad, what happened?” she asked with a concerned look on her face. Nothing hurt more than seeing her wife upset. Brianna sighed, “My parents can’t make it this year. Stupid weather in Seattle. I was really hoping for a Christmas like two years ago when all of us were together.” She was immediately hugged by her wife. “I’m so sorry to hear that. I was really hoping for it too but unfortunately, we can’t change that. It will happen next year, okay? At least my parents are here, so Hayley will have a great time and next year, it’ll be even better, okay?” Aquaria assured her. A small smile made its way on Brianna's face and she nodded to her wife. She was so happy to have her in her life. Both of them continued to clean up and joined the rest of the family in the living room.

The next day, the family decorated the tree together that Hayley and her parents purchased. Well, Hayley picked it out and her parents paid for it but nonetheless, everyone enjoyed the activity together and were pleased with the result.

Brianna took a picture of the tree and a picture of all of them together to send them to her parents, wishing them Happy Holidays.

Throughout the day, not much has happened. They watched TV together, talked, played some games, etc. In the early evening, Brianna prepared their typical Holiday dinner, Raclette. It was everyone’s favorite because everyone could create their own version of it. While Brianna was boiling the potatoes, Aquaria prepared the slices of cheese and the toppings.

At dinner, they continued their conversations about everything and nothing while waiting for the cheese to melt. Afterward, they all cleaned up together to save time and sat together in the living room when they were done.

“Do you think you behaved well this year for Santa to bring you presents?” Alaska asked her grand-daughter with a smile on her face. “Of course! I was very nice and sent him my Wishlist!” Hayley grinned, earning a chuckle from everyone else. “Then hopefully, Santa agrees with you with some nice presents,” Brianna answered with a smile on her face. She loved her daughter to death and was not only content but happy even though, her parents couldn’t be there.

Throughout the evening, Hayley got tired but like usual, denied any accusation but couldn’t hold back a yawn. Sharon and Alaska did not want to miss the chance to bring their grand-daughter to bed, Aquaria and Brianna not trying to hold them back. Both of them knew how much they loved Hayley and gave them the rare opportunity of taking her to bed.

A few hours and two bottles of wine later, the rest of the family got ready for bed. Aquaria made her way to the guest bedroom to ask her parents for the presents to put them underneath the Christmas tree. Alaska handed them to her and Aquaria made her way to the living room to put them next to the presents she and Brianna have purchased. Shortly after, they went to bed.

The family got woken up the next morning by Hayley shouting through the whole apartment: “He was here! Santa was here!”. None of them could hold back a laugh at her cute reaction and slowly made their way towards the living room not forgetting to each get a cup of coffee.

They all surrounded the Christmas tree and waited for Hayley to open up her presents before opening their own gifts. She got some new dolls, a few coloring books, and a Nintendo Switch she has wished for so long. Seeing the joy in her eyes as she opened her presents melted everyone’s heart and made their day better.

Throughout the rest of the day, they listened to some music, played a few rounds with Hayley on the new Switch after her convincing them which did not take much and overall enjoyed the rest of the holidays.

[something-tofightfor]

He’s Not Here - Part 14

Pairing: Billy Russo x Reader

Word Count: 4600

Rating: M. Mention of sex, language, knives... nothing too explicit, though. 

Parts 1-13 + the interludes can be found on my Masterlist (link in bio)!

Summary:  As Billy recovers from hs injury and the holidays get closer, what does it all mean for the two of you?

Tagging: If you want to be added or removed, let me know.

@banditthewriter @breanime @obscurilicious @padfootagain @madamrogers @ooo-barff-ooo @agent-bossypants @suchatinyinfinity @chibiyanai @songtoyou @ethereal-heavcns @editboutique @marauderskeeper @drinix @ilkaeliseb @delicatelilyflower @king4thesirens @likethetailofacomet @blah-blah-fuckit-shit @ymariejp @mr-robot-x @rageshots @shinebrightlikeafanbase @littlemermaidprobz @jovialyouthmusic @zaffrenotes @introvertedlibrary @writing-for-a-chance @yesixoxo @ilikebeachessushiandsmallanimals @likeorions @swiftyhowlz @dylanobrusso @dreamwritesimagines @waytoobsessedwithmyfandoms @lexxierave @ms-delos @elanor-of-imladris @lynne1993

Billy had stayed in the hospital for two days following admission just to be on the safe side, but when he’d been released, you’d been there to pick him up as requested. He had tried to pretend like he wasn’t in pain,  but you’d seen through it - the wincing and the holding of his side telltale signs that he was suffering a lot more than he’d let on. Billy hadn’t wanted to inconvenience you by staying in your apartment so you compromised for the first few days and stayed with him, wanting to be there when he needed you, even though he hadn’t asked and you’d had to offer. He’d thanked you profusely for the first week, sounding bitter every time the words left his mouth, and with very little prompting, you realized that Billy’s greatest fear was being considered weak. “It’s nothing.  Fuckin’ bullet isn’t even in there, I’m fine.” He was doing things on his own that you knew he shouldn’t have been, but you were thankful that he wasn’t trying to go back to work, wasn’t trying to work out… he was letting his body heal, and Billy healed fast.

Billy’s mood got worse each day that you denied him sex; not because you didn’t want him, but because you didn’t want to hurt him. Though the wound was healing on the outside, you were well aware of the fact that things likely were moving much more slowly on the inside. Three weeks after Billy was released, he was laying on your couch on his side, flipping idly through TV channels. “There’s nothing on.” He groaned, waiting for you to bring dinner to him, carrying the plates with ease. “I’m fuckin’ bored.” Billy sat up, running his hands through his hair - still short on the bottom and longer on top - and then over his face, where his beard had grown out. “C’mon, I’m fine.” He pulled you onto his lap as soon as you set the plates down on the table, a surprised gasp coming out of your mouth as you felt his hands moving against your skin beneath your sweater, his lips going to the skin of your neck and latching on. “It’s been weeks, don’t you want me?” He breathed the words against your neck and though you shuddered at the sound of them since it had been so long since you’d been with him, you knew you had to push him away again.

“Billy…” You sighed, hands moving up to his head and through his hair, pulling his face away from you. “Come on, don’t make this harder for me.” He shifted beneath you, mouth opening in a whine as you felt the telltale sign of his arousal.

“Hard for you? What about me?” You sighed, shaking your head. “Oh, come on!” He tightened his hold on you, his dark eyes locked on yours. “You’re gonna make me wait forever? I’m not a fuckin’ cripple.” Billy’s accent had gotten thicker as the days passed, his annoyance growing, and though you still had the idea in the back of your head that he would walk out, leaving you for someone that would give into his demands, Billy showed no signs of walking away, no signs of wanting anything  - or anyone - but you.

“Billy, we have less than a week. We agreed on a month.” You shook your head. “December 22 is the official date that I will feel comfort-”

“That’s another four days.” He raised one eyebrow, hand sliding up further beneath your sweater, fingers brushing against your lace-covered breast. “I’ve never had anyone push me away for as long as you, you know?” He was smirking, fingers stroking over your skin. He’s not going to win this one. “A month? We’re gonna waste a month?” I hurt you, and we’ll end up wasting a lot more than that.

“I made you wait two months before, and that was before we were even dating, Russo.” You leaned in, kissing him on the mouth and biting down on his lower lip, feeling him swipe his tongue against your mouth as you pulled away. “Four more days isn’t gonna kill you, and it’s going to give me some extra peace of mind that you’re not going to bleed all over the bed.” He sighed, pouting and slumping backwards against the back of the couch, hand moving back to your waist. “Plus, you can think of it as your early Christmas present… anything you want.” Billy’s eyes darkened in the glow of the TV and the lights from the Christmas tree you’d set up in the corner, brightly colored wrapped presents stacked beneath it. “It’ll be worth the wait, Russo. I promise you.” You kissed him once more, sliding off of his lap and onto the couch, curling  your legs beneath you as you ate. Four more days.

The time passed quickly, and on the morning of December 22 at 12:01 am, Billy climbed into bed with you - his heated, naked skin moving against yours. “You promised.” With a grin on your face, you nodded, pulling his face down to yours as you arched your back, pressing your body against his. “What’s this?” You grinned as he moved his hand against you, sliding it down over your abdomen. “Already naked?” With a nod, you raised an eyebrow, daring him to continue - and he did, wordlessly.

---

Christmas Eve was spent with the Castles, the two of you joining the four of them for an early dinner followed by the opening of presents afterward. You and Billy had bought gifts for the family together, though you’d done the majority of the actual shopping while he was recovering. You’d gotten Frank and Maria a couples massage, and Billy had picked out an expensive bottle of bourbon for his friend, along with a signed copy of Maria’s favorite book for her; he’d gone to the signing in his time off from work, and even Frank had lit up at the sight of the weathered cover inscribed for the woman. Billy’s really good at gift giving. You weren’t surprised, because he was great with details, but at the same time, you knew how little he’d had to look forward to as a kid, how few people he’d had to buy things for… and so it was especially touching to see how he was with his closest friends. For the kids, each of them were given a gift card, and Frank Jr. got a new video game while Lisa squealed over her new purse.

Frank and Maria hadn’t gotten you any couples gifts, but they’d put some thought into what they chose for both you and Billy, and though you hadn’t known them for very long, they treated you like family, too. Billy’s eyes were shining, an easy smile on his face as he opened his gifts from them - a brand new watch  (one that Frank had known Billy had his eye on) and a jacket that you knew Maria had picked out - and the kids had made Uncle Billy a small basket filled with his favorite hair products, which he opened with the biggest grin you’d ever seen on his face. They were simple things, practical things, but you knew that they meant the world to Billy; it was apparent in the way that the easy smile stayed on his face the whole time you were opening presents. For you, Frank and Maria had opted for the practical route - a new pair of gloves, a recipe book filled with Maria’s handwritten cards and two new pillows - but again, everything was thought through, meant for you.

“You guys coming over for New Year’s?” Frank was leaning back on the couch, his arm curled around Maria’s shoulders, the other hand holding a beer. “Y’always do, Bill, and Maria’s parents are gonna take this kids this year.” Billy shrugged next to you, pulling you closer as the two of you sat on the loveseat.

“Probably not, Frankie.” Billy shrugged, taking a sip of his own beer. “Thought we’d spend this one together. Just the two of us.”It was the first time you’d even considered New Year’s Eve, and though you had figured you and Billy would be doing something, you hadn’t been sure. You also hadn’t known that he spent it with the Castles, but again, it didn’t surprise you. “I’ll let you know, though.” With a surprised look on his face, Frank looked between you and Billy but didn’t say a word, instead raising his beer and smirking, throwing a wink in your direction before he looked back over at Maria, who was grinning. Weird.

Just before eleven, you and Billy said your goodbyes and headed back to the city - Billy choosing to stay overnight at your place. After you both got ready for bed, Billy pulled you into his arms and sank down on the couch, pulling you down with him and kissing you tenderly on the mouth. “Merry Christmas.” It was only two words, but the way he said them shook you to your core, causing you to hold him more tightly for long seconds, the silence of your apartment surrounding you. “This is the first major holiday I’ve ever spent with a woman.” Billy sniffed and you shifted onto his lap, giving yourself the vantage point to look at him, watching the way that the twinkling lights from your tree danced across his face, bathing it in the bright colors and softening it even more than the expression he wore did. “You tell anyone I’m gonna say this and I might have to kill you.” He was joking - you could tell with the way he was smirking at you, but you knew that there was some truth to the threat - whatever he was going to say was a big deal.

“You got it, Lieutenant Russo.” You winked at him and he leaned down, kissing you again and moving his hand slowly up and down your arm.

“There’s absolutely nowhere else I want to be.” He took a breath. “Now, tonight, tomorrow… I wanna be here with you. I never felt this way about anyone before.” He paused. “It scares me.” He shook his head. “A lot.” I love you too, Russo. So much.

“That’s the best gift you could have given me, Billy.” You chose honesty with him, shrugging your shoulders and leaning in to press your lips against his cheek, pushing his hair away from his forehead. “I told you before, I just want you.” He nodded, looking back down at you and suddenly the serious tone was gone, replaced with his usual sarcasm.

“Oh, so I can take all your presents back then?” Pushing him gently away with a laugh, you shook your head. “That’s what I thought.” He leaned down, teeth grazing over your lip for a moment before he kissed you hard. “Let’s go to bed.” He cleared his throat, gazing down at you with a predatory look in his eyes. “You can demonstrate all the reasons why you’re on Santa’s naughty list this year.” His arm went beneath your knees and the other around your back, and Billy stood quickly, smoothly tossing you over his shoulder and smacking you on the ass once. Oh, he’s in for it now.

The next morning, you woke up before Billy, sneaking out of bed and back into the living room to start a pot of coffee. On your way, you paused long enough to grab your phone and pull on a pair of sweatpants and one of the hooded sweatshirts that were hanging over your desk chair, since you hadn’t bothered to get dressed when you and Billy had finished with each other at around 3 am. You were sore and spent, but you felt good, felt happy, felt satisfied, and it was all because of the man that was still soundly asleep in your bed, his long, toned body taking up much of the surface as he slept on his stomach.

Once the coffee was ready and you’d sent a few good morning/Merry Christmas texts to the Castles and your friends, you carried a mug for Billy back into your room, setting it down on the nightstand before sinking down gently onto the bed next to him. “Morning, Billy.” You leaned down, kissing his bare shoulder, lips making contact with the skin just beneath one of his surgical scars. As he stirred, your eyes traveled down his back, lingering on the fresh, still healing exit wound from the November incident. He was lucky, I don’t care how nonchalant he is about this, he was damn lucky. “Merry Christmas, Russo.” A grin spreading across his lips, Billy opened one eye and turned his head fully to face you, reaching up with his hand to touch the side of your face.

“Hey, you.” He shifted and rolled onto his side, the hand never leaving your face as his fingers tightened against your jaw. “Good mornin’.” You lowered your mouth to his, relishing the kiss - the way his lips moved against yours, the way he anticipated your actions, the way his other hand tightened against your hip as the kiss continued. He pulled away first, falling back onto the bed and staring up at you, his hand falling into your lap, the fingers finding yours and lacing with them. Every movement was natural - they all seemed practiced though it had only been a few months, and your heart ached again at the thought that you likely wouldn’t be spending the next Christmas together, since he’d be deployed. Don’t think about that. “You bring me coffee?” You tore your eyes away from Billy’s and looked over at the nightstand, nodding. “Good, I’m gonna need it after last night.” He sat up, leaning against your headboard and reached for the coffee, taking a long drink before he spoke again. “I’m exhausted… you wore me out.” He smirked at you, tongue cleaning off a few droplets of liquid from his lower lip. “That’s rare for me, you know?”

With a laugh, you stood, looking back over your shoulder at him. “Come on, Billy, these presents aren’t going to open themselves.” With a grin of your own, you settled onto the floor near the tree, legs crossed. After  a few minutes, Billy joined you, gracefully settling down after depositing his coffee mug onto the counter. He was dressed casually, and as you looked at him, his profile standing out against the tree and the windows behind him, you got a glimpse of the future - of waking up to Billy on every holiday, spending Christmases and Thanksgivings and Easters together, building a life with him right there next to you. Don’t get ahead of yourself, it’s been five months.

But even as he leaned forward, reaching beneath the tree to begin passing out presents between the two of you, you knew that there was no stopping your thought process. You were in deep, in it with Billy Russo, and it was more than the five months of officially dating - it was the time before, the initial eight months of getting to know him casually, followed by the seven months of deployment. It was nearly two years of you falling in love with the man despite knowing better, and as he placed a small box in your hand, you knew that no matter what happened, you wouldn’t trade any of it. “Here, open this one.” Billy’s voice was filled with excitement, and you eagerly took the package - which was wrapped perfectly, all crisp edges and flat folds - sliding your finger beneath one of the paper edges.

He made you open all four of your presents before he would even think about touching his stack, and by the time you got to the final one - a large box, you were fighting to keep your breathing steady. Billy knew you, knew what you liked, what you wanted - even what you needed. He saw you, he listened to you, and he understood you in ways that you didn’t think  were possible. “Careful, Billy,” you joked as you bit your lip after setting your final present off to the side. “You’re this good at gift-giving, people will think you actually have a heart.” His laugh filled the room, and he shook his head.

“Don’t tell anyone.” Growing serious after a few moments, he looked at you, eyes widening and a small frown on his face. “Did… Did I do good? Are they … okay?” They’re perfect. You looked down, fingers moving your gifts so that you could look through them again, even though you’d just opened them. The small box had been a set of sparkling geode coasters that you’d had your eye on since the day you and Billy had been shopping before Thanksgiving. A slightly larger box had been a pair of slippers and a sleep mask, along with a set of blackout drapes for your bedroom. Those are for your benefit, too, Billy. He was always complaining about the light that seeped into your room, but now he wouldn’t have to anymore. The third box was a bottle of your favorite perfume - one that you’d been putting off buying for yourself because it had run out a few weeks after Billy had returned home and the expense wasn’t something you could justify. The fourth and final box was large and heavy, and Billy had leaned against the couch as you opened it, one arm resting on the cushions. It was a new knife set for your kitchen - complete with a mountable magnetic strip that would free up a ton of counter space - and a custom made cutting board, the varied colors of wood arranged artfully into a gorgeous pattern.

“Billy, everything is…” You shook your head. “Yeah, Billy. They’re perfect.” He sighed in relief, letting a breath out and you nodded again. “Seriously, Billy. This is... “ You shook your head again. “Thank you.” He grinned and you reached over, handing him his first present. “Start with this one.” You cleared your throat. “I went with more practical things, Billy… I wanted…”

“Shush, and let me open my Christmas presents.” He had his tongue between his lips, looking down at the gifts in front of him intently. “You used like half a roll of tape on each one.” With a laugh, you watched as he opened his first gift - a new pair of boots that were identical to the pair he often wore - with the difference being that the new pair actually had tread on the bottom and a pair of non-frayed laces. He looked up, winking at you before he moved on to the second gift - a new iPod, since his was old and only had a small amount of storage. “Why do I have the feeling that if I turn this on, there’s already gonna be a ton of music on here?” He tapped on the box, shaking his head.

“You know me too well, Billy.” Shrugging your shoulders, you didn’t say anything else as he reached for his third gift - a long, thin box - and you saw his eyes light up. I should have wrapped that in something else. He knows what it is. When he had torn the paper off and opened the box, Billy looked up at you with a look in his eyes that you weren’t prepared for. “I thought…”

“A blade?” He licked his lips, wrinkling his nose and groaning softly. “It’s gorgeous.” He picked it up off of the cushion that it rested on, wrapping his fingers around the handle and turning it in his hand as if he was checking the weight of the double edged blade - which was illegal in New York City, but had been shipped to you with no problem. When he spoke next, his eyes were locked on the shining metal and his voice was low, almost a purr. “It’s perfect.” Billy brought the blade up to his eyes, scrutinizing the edges before gently running a finger against one. “I love it.” Your heart seized as you heard him say two of the three words you were waiting for, but then as his  eyes moved away from the weapon and locked back on you, it began beating again - the look in them a combination of arousal and honesty and appreciation. Goddamn, Russo. “Thank you.”

“The last two aren’t…” His eyes widened and Billy looked down at the ground, realizing that he still had presents to open.

“There’s more?” You nodded and he made quick work of the large flat box, which contained two thermal sweaters with slightly different textures that you’d been dying to see him in since you saw them in the store, knowing that the way his long arms and torso filled them out would be absolutely delicious. “Red and green… how festive.” Billy was laughing, but you watched as he ran his fingers over the soft material, appreciating the way it felt in his hands. “Ok, last one.” This is the one I’m nervous about. “It’s heavy!” He laughed as he peeled the paper back, fingers working to open the simple, dark colored box contained within. “What?” He took a breath and looked up at you, surprise in his eyes. “What’s this?” You paused before you spoke, reaching out to touch what Billy held in his hands - an etched glass block with the Anvil logo inside of it. “Anvil?”

You nodded, scooting closer to Billy and tapping on the glass with a fingertip. “It’s a reminder of what you’re working toward.” You paused. “A reminder that I believe in you.” Always. “Something to keep you motivated while you figure out how you’re gonna get that company.” A reminder of me. “Don’t give up on that, Billy. Don’t you dare.” He was silent for a few moments, staring down at his hands, and then he set the block down carefully atop a pile of the wrapping paper that was scattered around the two of you, taking a deep breath. Your heart was pounding as Billy stood, reaching out to you with one hand. Without pause, you reached up to take it, letting him pull you to your feet and into his chest, his hand dropping yours as both of them moved to the sides of your face, holding you in place as he lowered his mouth to yours.

“Thank you.” His voice was hoarse, the words quiet. “This is the best… the best Christmas I’ve ever had.” He sighed, kissing you again, no urgency in his action, your hands going up to his forearms, fingers wrapping around the muscles there. “You’re… the best…” He trailed off, leaning his forehead against yours, hair falling forward and against your skin.  “I…” He stopped, took another deep breath and continued. You could feel his heart pounding in his chest, feel the slight trembling of his hands. “I wasn’t expecting any of this.” He was speaking quietly, and you could tell that he was second guessing his words. “I thought you’d… God, I don’t even know what I expected, you know?” You were swaying back and forth slightly in place, Billy’s thumbs stroking over your cheeks as his breath hit your face. “Fuck.” He swore, shaking his head slightly, and you tightened your grip on him.

“Me either, Billy.” With a sigh, you turned your head and leaned it against his chest, feeling his chin resting on your hair. “Guess we know each other pretty well, huh?” He laughed and agreed, falling silent as you stood in your living room together. You’d had great Christmases before - plenty of them, spent with family and friends and a warmth that you thought couldn’t ever be rivaled, but none had been like this. None of those past holidays compared to the way you felt with Billy’s arms around you in your quiet apartment, the way your body reacted to him whispering into your ear, his breath hot against your skin. He’s here. He’s with me. This is mine.

When Billy pulled away from you, he gestured down to the paper and ribbon on the floor, one eyebrow raised. “As much as I want to say “fuck it” and leave this here until later, I think we should clean up.” You nodded, swallowing hard. “We’ll clean up and then I’ll install the magnetic strip, and…” He trailed off, looking into your kitchen. “You can play with your new knives.” Oh, Billy.

“You gonna play with yours?” Stepping away from him to get a trash bag, you heard Billy inhale sharply from behind you, but he didn’t move until you were back in the living room, crouching down to stuff the torn paper into the bag you carried. “Well?” Billy dropped to his knees next to you, wordlessly grabbing at the paper and crumpling it up.

“I thought I had a knife kink.” His voice was low, words laced with double meaning. “I think I might have overlooked yours, though.” You didn’t say anything, reaching for more of the trash, and then Billy’s hand closed around your wrist, squeezing. “Or maybe yours is because of mine, hmm?” Finally looking up at him, you met his eyes, knowing full well that they gave you away. He’d been buried in you for what had seemed like hours the previous night, andyet you ached for him again based only on a few words and the memories of what he could do - and had done - previously with you in bed with a blade. “You trust me with your body with something I’ve never held before?” Without hesitation, you nodded, eyes never leaving his and his next breath left him in a hiss.

“With my life, Billy.” You swallowed, licking your lips and reaching for him with the hand he wasn’t holding on to, your fingers raking through his hair. “Always.” He surged forward, kissing you with a ferocity that you were unprepared for, mostly teeth and tongue, and you were breathless when he pulled away, eyes almost black.

“Spend New Year’s Eve with me.” The words were rushed. “Please. I want to start my year with you.” You nodded, whispering the word ‘yes’ to him, and even as you spoke, Billy’s eyes widened, almost as if he thought you’d tell him no, that after what you’d just shared, you wouldn’t want to spend the night with him. Is he crazy? Is that really what he thinks… “Thank you.” Billy leaned in and kissed you again - slower and more controlled this time, his tongue delving into your mouth and moving against yours, lips soft and warm. He broke the kiss, teeth closing around your lower lip and tugging it backwards as he inhaled through his nose. “The kitchen can wait.” You nodded again, closing your eyes, only opening them again when you heard rustling near the floor.

Billy had reached down with one hand, opening the box that his new knife was in, fingers curling around the handle again. “Don’t tease me, Billy.” Your voice didn’t sound like yours, and you had a brief thought about the fact that it was Christmas and you were most certainly not going to be doing anything with Billy that could be considered good behavior, but you didn’t care. Your eyes followed his movement as he lifted the knife, rising to his feet, the cold steel hanging inches from your face. Without thought, you reached up, fingertips making contact with it as you brought your eyes up to meet Billy’s, which were trained on your face.

“Stand up.” It wasn’t a request, and you complied immediately, breath getting caught in your throat. “This what you want?” Billy raised the knife back into your field of vision and you nodded, watching as he twisted it back and forth slowly. “Good.” He sniffed again, leaning in, his lips right next to your ear. “Good girl.”

---

[heymondoitaliano]

Weekend at Cassy G’s

Our Friday was a resting day. Taking it easy, bit of housework, bit of washing, that sort of day. Pip did make some pasta with her bare hands - a ravioli cut with the pasta stamper/cutter thing she bought at Eataly in Rome and filled with the leftover knife-ninja chicken and vegetables from the night before.

We were readying ourselves for a weekend away. First to Castellana Grotte for the Fanove, and then, on the spur of the moment and to make the weekend fuller, a night at an agriturismo (called Agriturismo Lama San Giorgio) near Rutigliano. Both these places are in the north of Puglia, up around Bari height, so making it a weekend was far more sensible than trying to drive home after the festival and after the mulled wine in particular. Pip had booked a BnB in Castellana G (this is the gangster name for the town on most of the signposts) and we had arranged a check-in around 3pm. This presented us with a chance to visit some more new places along the way and we set out in the north-west direction again, this time making it to the famous town of Campi Salentina for coffee. Now, given that this town has posters of Obama every few meters along the entrance road, one could be forgiven for thinking the town had been visited by 44, but a little research reveals that these posters are to celebrate one of the town’s favourite sons, a pastry chef, who created a chocolate version of the region’s famous dessert, the pasticiotto, cunningly called the Obama a Pasticiotto. Not sure this is particularly PC, but the town put young Angelo on the plane to America to see if he could meet the man and present him with the chocolate treat. I don’t know if he ever did, but the pastry lives on in Campi Salentina folklore. We had a coffee and a traditional pasticiotto in a plain bar called Tony’s.

From Obama-rama-ding-dong, we motored on to Manduria to stretch our legs and relieve our bladders. The backstreets hid some lovely gems, including an unmarked antique shop, run by a lovely man, who quickly turned on the lights and ushered us in to his tiny shop after Pip pressed her nose up against the glass to see what was in there. He had a small, but carefully curated collection of artworks, bronzes and porcelain that were well out of our price range and carrying ability and were there for a good 20 minutes with explaining each item’s origin and history and price (just for us and just inn Italian). He was passionate and after some discussion and talk of fires at home, we managed to convince him that his lovely things were too dear for us.

We had plenty of time till check-in, so we decided to head to Martina Franca and find some lunch. We parked near one of the gates and walked into the old city, which was largely abandoned at 2pm, until we found a place on the main drag, Corso Vittorio Emmanuel. Instead of the sandwich we imagined, it was butter and sage sauced ravioli sprinkled with crushed pistachios for Pip and lasagne with tiny meatballs in it for me. There may have been some wine as well. Time to get back on the road and head on up to Castellana G. The slight hitch here was that the maze-like streets had fooled us into exiting the old town by a way other than that by which we had entered it. It only took about 20 minutes of walking to admit that we had lost the car. It was not such a great problem, given that the walls of the old city go around in a circle, so if we walked one way, keeping the walls on our left, we would eventually find the car. This was, surprisingly, the first car loss in all our visits to Italy and it took a good 40 minutes of hiking to find the dog grooming salon outside which we had parked. There was now no time to lose to reach our BnB and check-in.

There are some moments on international holidays where the stress of the unknown and the idiocy of local laws collide in a marriage-testing explosion. Trying to find a. our BnB, and b. a park in a town where half the central streets are closed for a festival and the traffic is bumper to bumper at every turn is one such time. We found a park, but quickly realised that it was in a ‘No Parking’ zone and had to abandon that idea. Three or four tense circumnavigations of the town, including one through the local burghers setting up the stalls for the festival and we finally found an empty piece of kerbside an unknown distance from the BnB. We parked and got our bags, coats and hats on and were just about to head off to find our target, when a Segnora poked her head out of the house we were parked two feet in front of and asked us to move. Fortunately, she only wanted us to move back a meter, I assume so that she couldn’t see our car out of her front door. She smiled so I moved back and the search for the BnB could commence. It wasn’t that Googley hard. It was about a half K away near where we had first parked. It was in a old building, newly renovated with a spiral staircase up to the sleeping quarters on the mezzanine. Noice, unusual, modern, but with a sticky, squeaky, scrapey bathroom door. We rested up a bit and prepared to do the festival.

Fanove we had seen before, when we were staying nearby in Triggianello, three years ago. We were taken with it as a festival and keen to come back and see it better and, as alcohol is involved, not be burdened with a drive home afterwards. Fanove celebrates the end of a plague in the Middle Ages, following which all the furniture and combustibles were taken into the streets and burned. There are dozens of bonfires around the streets (causing many of them to be closed) and some particularly large ones in front of one particular church which is in the centre of the action. The action is a festival of food stalls, around the piazzas and streets near the big bonfires. There is also a brass band which precedes the religious processions that moves through the town for hours lighting the fires. We started a little early, in a bar in a piazza with several wines and Spritz Aperols. As the festival started to heat up, we made our way down to the big fires, through some tiny streets with stalls getting underway and found our way to a shop just on the edge of the action selling buns with meat and sugo. We then needed to break a large note (they hate 50 euro notes almost everywhere) so we popped into a handy bar for a couple of G+Ts.

Amongst the food stalls, which were mostly barbecuing things or selling dried fruit and fava beans, was one of a number of stalls that was melting caciocavallo cheese hanging by a chain over their barbie onto slabs of toasted bread and serving it with a roasted sausage. Bliss! The cook let the cheese melt, then scraped it of the melty bottom of the cheese and wiped it thickly onto the bread before plonking a sausage onto it and wrapping the bread around it. An audible sigh and an eye roll followed each mouthful.

This was a big night in Castellana G - hundreds of people crowding around the fires and the food stalls, the brass band playing and marching through the crowd, the tiny streets crammed with families and running teenagers. It was the vin brûlée that did me in, and the lemon crepe - I don’t want to forget the lemon crepe. We rambled back up through the town to the Main Street, where our apartment for the night overlooked the action and it didn’t take long to fall into bed.