#but i feel a little disappointed knowing that it wasn’t our christmas but theirs and it’s always their Christmas so it doesn’t matter but if

[frogecstacy]

Stargazing with Lucifer Chapter 2/2

Hey y’all I hope you like this story. It took longer than expected to write so I am sorry about that but here it is. If you liked it please leave a like.

Chapter 2

It was now morning and Lucifer was awakening from his slumber, normally feeling the warm embrace of your body heat you weren’t there to wish him good morning. Remembering the argument you had with him last night made him look forward to your kiss and apology at breakfast. He went to go freshen up and wait for you at the table but you never came. 

The brothers said you had gone to walk to school with Luke, Simeon, and Solomon. This seemed to aggravate Lucifer and the mood set at the table had dropped drastically. None of the brothers seemed to want to talk about the events of what happened last night, except one. Belphie trying to get on Lucifer’s nerves had said you looked pretty down and that your eyes were puffy. This made Lucifer worry a little, had you gotten no sleep as well. This comment on your behalf was not making the chat at the table any brighter so Beel tried to change the subject asking “Hey did anyone set up that picnic area in the planetarium yesterday?” They all shook their heads in saying that they hadn't set it up. If none of the brothers had done it then it had to be MC. Why did all his thoughts have to revolve around MC. Had Lucifer fallen so deeply in love that he wasn’t aware she had him wrapped around their finger. He already missed her touch, how would he go the rest of the day not trying to give in to this petty fight of theirs. 

While the six other demons looked at their older brother, he quickly erased the negative emotion on his face and said “What are you looking at, school starts soon.” Everyone scrambling to escape Lucifer’s gaze he pulled Mammon aside. “Gah, what is it Lucifer? I haven’t even done anything yet.” He quickly shut up as he saw Lucifer’s worrisome face “Was MC really that upset last night?” Lucifer asks this in a shaky breath. The mere thought of you crying over him made him push away his pride and want to put you first. His love. His life. His beloved MC.

“Mammon, do you think you could keep MC busy for about 3 hours after RAD.” Lucifer now asking with a plan and an apology comes to mind. “I could for a price or Gah-” Mammon was quickly shut up with a flick to the back of his head “alright, alright I’ll watch MC.” Lucifer now happy already looking forward to the smile that would be on your face in a couple hours. “Tell MC to go to the planetarium after the 3 hours are up okay.” “Okay, now if you’ll excuse me I have to get to class or could this be a free pass.” Mammon now having a cheeky smile. “Get to school Mammon!”

Lucifer now planning your relaxing evening. First he would be making you a dinner and serving it in the planetarium with candles and a beautiful dinner setting, after that he will then dance with you. And for the finale he will do something so much better than stargazing, he will show you the stars up close no telescope could compare. Flying. He hadn’t stretched his wings in a while but for you he would make the exception. For you he would make any exception, who would have thought the Avatar of Pride would be so madly in love with a mere human. If you asked for a star he would try even if it killed him to see that beautiful smile of yours. 

(Sorry if when I switch POV’s it’s confusing but we are now going to MC’s POV)

RAD was a blur as you had a crap night, no breakfast as you didn’t want to face Lucifer’s harsh punishment that you were sure would come sooner or later. However most of all you missed him last night, in the morning hell you even miss now. Now having thought over the situation maybe you didn’t read the signs and should’ve taken a hint that Lucifer wasn’t in the mood. The insecurities still seeping in through your heart, does he truly think I am needy and annoying? Does he love me or was he waiting to leave and I just happened to end the process faster? All these negative emotions clouding your right of judgement until you hear “Hey! Human, you are coming out with me for a while.” Mammon now declaring his presence you are looking at him lost “Didja hear me, The Great Mammon told you we’re going out.” “Sorry Mammon I think I am just going to go home, I’m tired and I want to go back to bed.” Mammon now frantically trying to find an excuse to keep you around. If the plan failed his weekend would be spent being upside down from the staircase. “Come on MC, you want to go home? Why, Lucifer is there. You're bound to get that punishment. Why don’t you live a little and come with me.” The thought of Lucifer’s disappointing face made your spine tingle, maybe staying out for a little with Mammon wouldn’t be that bad.

You were wrong, Mammon had managed to drag you to every thrift shop and boutique in the DevilDom looking for treasures. It had been almost 3 hours and he certainly was taking his time.

(Quick headcanon I think Mammon would be great at thrift shopping because I do it myself and all the valuable treasures and finds you can get are amazing. Mammon would be like those depop sellers)

Now whining to Mammon “Mammon, can we please go. My legs hurt and now I’m not even your shopping buddy. I'm just here to golf your bags. We’ve been shopping for almost 3 hours now, don't you think it’s time to head home?” Mammon now frantically panicking, he had lost track of time and was hurrying you back to the House of Lamentation. “Ah come one MC put those human legs to some use, we have to hurry we’re about to be late.” “Late? Late for what?” now trying to keep up with Mammon’s step. “I have to be somewhere and I have to drop you off at the house. Alright no more questions, just do what I say.” Now even more confused you just going along with it. This isn’t the first time Mammon has acted strange. 

Finally arriving at the House of Lamentation Mammon takes the bags you were holding for him and rushes you to the planetarium. “Mammon why are we at the doors of the planetarium, I didn’t leave anything in there.” You fully knew you left the picnic set and didn’t want to be reminded of your rejection. “Just go in there would ya. I have to go so bye. Make sure you go in there.” 

After just being left there standing at the doors you finally decide to open them. The sight you saw caused you to gasp. A beautiful table with a dinner that reminded you that you hadn’t eaten anything as you skipped breakfast. All around the room were candles and on the table an enclosed flower. One that looked similar to the one Lucifer had gotten you for Christmas. At the thought of Lucifer you heard someone’s voice from behind you. “Hello MC” behind you was Lucifer the Avatar of Pride holding a bouquet of roses and wearing an apologetic face. “Listen MC I’m sorry for what I said yesterday. I was tired and I wasn’t listening to what you were saying so I didn’t know the whole evening you had enjoyed.” You wanted to forgive him, but the words of neediness and annoying still hung in the air for you. Now turning to him fully, you are holding yourself with your arms, Lucifer starts to approach you but you step back. Lucifer now worrying even more, had he frightened you so much that you thought he would hurt you. Had he been that harsh? “MC please, I’ve missed you. I need to feel you again. I’m terribly sorry for what I said ``''Do you even remember what you said?” You now blurt out your thoughts in a shaky voice. Lucifer now answers hesitantly as he doesn’t want to worsen the situation “Not quite my dear but I take back whatever I said.” “You can’t just take back your words Lucifer! You called me needy and annoying! Do you know how much that hurts? My whole life people have told all I am is needy and annoying and hearing it from you made it all the worse. You never told me any of the crap but I guess you never expressed your true thoughts.” Lucifer now dropping the bouquet of flowers and rushing to wipe the tears that have started to fall from your eyes. 

Believe it or not in that moment the Avatar of Pride was panicking, the strong, mighty, calm and collected brother was in a panic over a human’s state of emotional stress. Who would have thought, certainly not Lucifer. Not knowing how to react he just kisses you. He pours all the feelings he has for you, every thought of you, every single meaning he has felt for you into that kiss because words could never describe your relationship. Art could never show how much he cared for you. Hell if he could he would ask Leanardo da Vinci or Michelangelo to paint the love you share. 

You are no longer trying to get out of his grasp, you have your hands entangled in his hair and wishing the moment would never end as it was the best kiss you’ve ever received. Now letting go for air you look into his glossy eyes and Lucifer saya “MC I didn’t mean any of that and if I had known you had gone through that pain in the human world I would’ve come and kept you to myself all those years ago.” pausing to see if there was still any anger in your eyes he said “I love you.”

Being held in Lucifer’s arms was always something you loved but it felt even better as he held you tenderly, holding you as if he let you go you would walk out on him. “I love you to Luci. I understand you are busy with work but remember to take a break and take care of yourself for once. Ok?” “Will do MC, now let’s not waste any time or else our dinner will get cold.” Now looking over to your right and you see the beautiful meal still warm waiting for you. At the thought of food your stomach grumbles Lucifer chuckles “I’m guessing Mammon never took you out to anything?” Looking away shyly now you make your way over to the dinner table. And on the plate was your favourite. Not wanting to waste anytime you wait for Lucifer to sit and dig in. You ate like you hadn’t in days but Lucifer only watched with admiration and love. “Haha, here have some of mine.” Lucifer now holding his fork up to you. You were shocked to say the least, Lucifer never fed you but who were you to decline him. You took the bite with a smile on your face. 

The rest of dinner was spent chatting and talking about how much you missed each other even though it was only for a day.

(Oh to be sickly in love with Lucifer)

After dinner Lucifer had gotten up and he reached his hand out to you. Now grasping his hand he pulled you up and held you by your waist and pressed your bodies together. As soon as you two start swaying music plays and now you’re dancing. The feeling of Lucifer’s hand on your lower back makes you tingle and your mind go fuzzy but you start swaying in circles to the music. You have never danced with Lucifer properly or formally so this felt magical and meaningful, the tap of your footsteps on the marble and the feeling of Lucifer leading the dance. This feeling new, something amazing. You felt light as a feather and your imagination made you feel like you were in a ball. A masquerade ball dancing with the man across the room. As the song started to speed up as did you. Now swaying up and down in circles, feet sink, you had a huge grin plastered on your face. Looking up at Lucifer you see him looking so happy, his hand on your waist tightening and his grasp on your hand tender. “Thank you Lucifer, I know how much time this must have taken out of your day. I really appreciate it.” your love and appreciation for him grew as you now thought that's why Mammon had dragged you out of the house.  “Anything for you my love.” Lucifer now whispering so you could hear. This image, this moment felt like you were the only people left dancing on top of the world. As the music starts to slow so does your dancing. When the music comes to a stop, it’s only you and Lucifer standing. Who would have thought that love would find you this way.

And yet your evening wasn’t over yet. Now you thought it was time to retire for the night, Lucifer quickly grabbed your hand and when you turned around, there he was in his Demon form. Standing there looking so majestic, his wings fluttering open, his horns coming out and the beautiful mark on his forehead. 

(I am an utter simp for Lucifer’s demon form)

“My dear I still have one surprise left for you.” Lucifer now holds his hand out to you once more. “Oh really, you have already done so much for me, what else could you possibly have in store?” Taking his hand, you are suddenly yanked towards Lucifer and he is picking you up in bridal style. “Remember how you wanted to stargaze? Well who needs a telescope when we go see the stars ourselves.” Letting you get comfortable in his arms he asks “Are you ready?” Looking up you can’t contain your excitement so you squeal “Yes!” 

Lucifer takes off in one swift jump and suddenly you are soaring through the sky. Going higher and higher as each second passes by. As the sky got closer and the Devildom got further you looked down and the Devildom looked like the night sky now. All the cities and streets are shining beautifully. You never would have thought that demons would have such civilised lives and live almost like humans. You were certainly grateful for the kidnapping of your exchange program. As you slowly came to halt in the air, Lucifer’s wings still flapping slowly and silently. “This is as high as I can take you.” Lucifer says as he hopes this is okay. “This is gorgeous Lucifer, I wish I could see the sky this close in the human world.” your voice barely being able to hold your excitement. “Well maybe we can, I think a vacation is deserved soon. I can also use all those unused vacation days from the last 100 years.” You and Lucifer chuckle. “Yeah that sounds nice Luci” Now just floating in the sky basking in each other’s presence, Lucifer is about to open his mouth but you say “Could we stay like this just for a little longer?”

Lucifer is now holding you and hums as a sign of approval, Lucifer was thinking back to your fight and how reckless he was with his words. He vowed to himself now to be more careful in what he says and always be grateful for your love. As midnight came closer and closer Lucifer finally suggested “We should go back now, I’m sure my brother will ask where we went in the morning.” “Yeah you’re right.” A huge yawn now escaping your lips. 

Once you guys reach the House of Lamentation you guys are very quick to get ready for bed and cuddle. After you guys are ready, you get in bed and Lucifer grabs your body from behind and pulls you against his chest. He starts kissing up from your shoulder to your earlobe giving praise to you and saying how amazing you are. He then admits that last night he slept horribly and never wants that to happen again. 

“I love you MC.”

“I love you Lucifer, goodnight”

With a sweet kiss to the forehead you both fall asleep. 

[adenei]

A Granger Weasley Christmas

Some tooth rotting fluff! I’m not sure I could have fit in any additional tropes if I tried, but for those anon requests, here it is in it’s full glory!

The bonus smut chapter I wrote that ties into this fic can be found here, should you wish to read it 

I hope everyone who celebrates has a very Merry Christmas! 🎄

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

Hermione stepped in through the front door of her home as she placed her bag by the door and hung her coat in the closet. She shook off the snowflakes that had fallen onto her hair as she chose to apparate home and walk up the lane, relishing in the peaceful, quiet Christmas Eve night. Her work at the Ministry had finally been finished, and now she could enjoy the next week off with her family. 

“I’m home!” she called as she finished putting her things away. She heard laughter and smelled something rather sweet coming from the kitchen. Hermione walked in to find Ron, Rose and Hugo working at the kitchen counter. Gingerbread pieces were piled high with white frosting acting as glue, and there were colored candies all over the kitchen counter. 

“What’s this?” she asked as she walked further into the kitchen.

“The school sent home a gingerbread house kit for families to do over Christmas hols. The kids have been begging to start working on it, and I could only hold them off for so long. I thought you’d be home an hour ago,” Ron explained while giving Hermione a look.

“I know, I’m sorry! I just needed to make sure things were wrapped up at the Ministry, and now I don’t have to think about work for the next week.” Hermione smiled as she kissed each of the kids on the tops of their heads. She ignored Ron’s eyeroll at her ‘not thinking about work’ comment. “I’m going to go change and then I’ll be back down to help, alright?”

“Okay, Mummy!” Hugo said as Rose nodded. She was far too focused to speak as she was placing a gingerbread square just right so that it stuck to the frosting and layered the way she wanted it to.

By the time Hermione had returned, Rose and Hugo had constructed a towering structure that was slightly lopsided, but amazingly held together. She had a feeling Ron may have slipped a bit of magic in to keep it sturdy to avoid disappointing the kids. 

‘Look, Mum, look!” said Hugo in an overly excited voice. 

“Can you tell what it is? Can you?” Rose added.

Hermione took another look at the tall gingerbread structure, but before she could guess, Hugo spluttered, “It’s the Burrow!”

“Hugo!” Rose sounded upset.

“Oh, my goodness! It is, isn’t it? How clever!” she said quickly, to avoid a meltdown.

“It was my idea!” Rose said.

“And I helped make it lopsided, like the Burrow is,” Hugo added proudly.

Hermione couldn’t help but laugh as she listened to the two of them explain which parts were theirs, and which parts they worked together on. She sat next to her husband as the kids set to work adding details with the frosting and the various candies. She wasn’t sure if more ended up on the display or in their mouths.

“I don’t suppose you had anything to do with enchanting the gingerbread house so that it hasn’t crumbled, hmm?” Hermione whispered into Ron’s ear.

“What they don’t know, won’t hurt them. Besides, we’ll take a picture of their masterpiece, and the magic should hold for a few days anyway.”

“Brilliant thinking. I take it I missed dinner?” Hermione asked.

“Yes, but I’ve left your plate in the microwave. You just need to heat it up,” Ron said as he leaned in and kissed her cheek.

Hermione watched the kids finish their Gingerbread Burrow as she ate her meal, and then noticed the clock. “Oh my, it’s almost eight. You know what that means!”

“Christmas Eve presents?!” Rose and Hugo shouted excitedly.

Hermione and Ron laughed. “Yes, Christmas Eve presents, but only after you clean up this mess. We’ll make sure the Burrow is displayed properly on the hutch, how’s that?” Hermione said as she carefully moved the kid’s creation.

The kids nodded as they began picking up their mess. Ron had moved the garbage can closer so they would make less of a mess transferring the piping bags of frosting and cookie crumbles. Soon enough, the counter was rid of the remaining sweets, and Ron was scourgifying it clean.

 “Alright, kids. To the living room!” Ron said in an energetic tone as he and Hermione followed them.

“Oh, no!” Rose said. “Dad, the lights went out!”

“Ah, so they have. Must be one loose bulb somewhere. Well, maybe we can all work together to fix the lights if it’s not too late.”

“Before we set out cookies for Father Christmas?” Rose asked hopefully.

“Only if it’s not too late,” Hermione chimed in. “Now, here go ahead and open these.” She handed Rose and Hugo identically wrapped packages.

“Yay! This is my favorite part about Christmas Eve!” Hugo said enthusiastically. Nothing could ruin the holidays for their youngest child.

Both Rose and Hugo excitedly unwrapped their presents to find matching Christmas pajamas. The shirts had cute reindeer on them and the bottoms were a checkered red, white and black pattern.

“Thanks, Mum and Dad! Should we wear them to bed tonight?” Rose asked. 

“That’s the plan, Rosie,” Ron said as he reached out his arms to accept a hug from his little girl. “Now, what do you say we get you two cleaned up in the bath so you don’t get any frosting or gingerbread crumbs on those new pajamas?”

~~~~~~

Ron led them up to the bathroom as Hermione picked up the wrappings and joined them soon enough. For once, bath time did not take as long as expected because the kids were too excited to help fix the tree and get the cookies they’d baked earlier that day set out for Father Christmas. He quickly found himself chasing two kids in matching pajamas down the stairs and into the living room where Hermione was waiting for them. 

“Do we still have time to help with the lights, Dad?” Rose asked. Hugo was showing off his best puppy dog eyes and pouty lip to help convince their parents to say yes. 

“I think if we all take a different section of the tree, then we may be able to solve the Christmas tree mystery. Hmmm, now who should take the top section? Hugo, you’re tall enough, right?” Ron joked as he tickled his son. 

“No, Dad, that’s your job! Rose and I can work on the bottom!” 

“Alright, alright, I suppose you’re right. Mum can take the middle section, yeah?” Ron asked as Hermione nodded and the family of four set to work. 

Hermione half suspected the kids to grow tired of the task fairly quickly, and honestly, if it wasn’t the night before Christmas, she’d have just suggested going out to purchase another string of lights to replace it with. Unfortunately, it was too late for that. Surely if they couldn’t figure it out, they could use magic to fix it, right?

As if on cue, Hugo asked worriedly, “Dad? What if we can’t fix it? Will Father Christmas not be able to find our house?” 

“Hugo, that wouldn’t make Father Christmas skip our house! Some of my friend’s families don’t even keep their lights on all night.” Rose argued with her brother.

“W-what? But he needs the light to see! How else would he know where to put the presents and which stockings to fill?” Hugo questioned.

Hermione gave Ron a quick look. They were too young to be having these questioning conversations about Father Christmas, but Hugo was so intuitive about everything that she shouldn’t be surprised. Ron returned her worried look with a reassuring one of his own. Hopefully he had a plan.

“You see, Hugo, Father Christmas is magical, too. I can tell you that he appreciates when the lights are on, but he won’t skip the house if they’re off or broken. Don’t worry, as long as you’ve been good this year, you have nothing to worry about!”

Hugo stopped checking the lights as he bit his lip. He was clearly worried that maybe he hadn’t been as good as he thought. 

“Hugo, don’t overthink it, honey, I’m sure Father Christmas won’t forget you. Remember, as long as you believe, you shall receive.” Hermione smiled at her son, who looked a bit relieved as he went back to trying his lights. 

They worked in silence for a little while, and all of a sudden the middle section lit up brightly again.

“I found it, I found it!” exclaimed Rose.

“Great job, sweetheart! And great teamwork everyone,” Ron said quickly when he noticed Hugo’s disappointment that it wasn’t him to fix the tree. “Should we go set the cookies out and then get ready for bed?”

This helped take Hugo’s mind off the tree as he jumped up and ran to the kitchen. “Mum, look! I made this one especially for Father Christmas!” They’d made classic sugar cookie cut outs that were caked with a heavy layer of icing. Hugo’s was a green Christmas tree with little globs that she assumed were ornaments.

“Wow, Hugo, you worked very hard on that! I’m sure he’ll love it!”

“Mine’s an angel, but I decorated his face to look like a gnome,” said Rose with a triumphant smile. “I got the idea because Dad told us about when Uncle George and Uncle Fred put a gnome on top of the tree at the Burrow when they were growing up.”

Hermione couldn’t help but laugh at the memory as Ron grinned, clearly happy that the kids had enjoyed his story. As they were arranging the cookies on the plate, Hugo asked, “What was your first Christmas together like, Mum?”

Hermione looked at her son. “Do you mean our first Christmas when we were together? Or..”

“No, your first Christmas after you met!” Hugo said excitedly.

“Why don’t we make that your bedtime story?” Ron suggested. “Rose, do you want to hear the story, too? We’ll tell it in Hugo’s room. Go brush your teeth and we’ll meet you up there in a few minutes.”

“What are we going to tell them?” Hermione asked Ron as they heard the kids running up the stairs.

“I reckon we should probably tell them the truth..” Ron said cheekily, earning a playful swat from his wife.

“You know what I mean,” Hermione said. 

“Well, we can explain that you went home, and Harry and I stayed at Hogwarts. Pretty uneventful, honestly.”

“Better than telling them we spent second year together at Hogwarts so we could use polyjuice potion to spy on Draco,” Hermione reasoned.

Ron burst into laughter. “Can you imagine the kid’s reactions if we told them you polyjuiced into a cat?”

“We are never telling them that story! Some things are better left in the past.”

“There’s a lot that they probably shouldn’t know about our Hogwarts years,” Ron said.

“Yes, and hopefully Neville won’t give too much away, either.” Hermione said.

“It’s not Neville I’m worried about,” Ron muttered as he motioned for them to head up the stairs.

They walked into Hugo’s room and sat on the edge of the bed. “So you want to hear about our first Christmas, eh?” Ron said as Rose and Hugo nodded. “Well, I’m afraid it’s not a very interesting story.”

“Why not?” Rose asked.

“Well, it was our first year at Hogwarts, and I went home to spend Christmas with my family, and your dad stayed at Hogwarts to spend Christmas with Harry since he wasn’t going home,” Hermione explained.

“You didn’t get any presents for each other?” Rose asked with a disappointed look on her face.

“Oh, I got your father some chocolates from Honeydukes,” Hermione said.

“And I got your Mum a quill from Scrivenshaft’s. It wasn’t much, but we were eleven,” Ron added.

“Twelve,” Hermione corrected him.

“Well, what about the story of how you met, then?” Hugo asked.

“Now, that’s a story!” Ron said with a chuckle.

“Ohh, tell us, tell us!” Rose begged.

“Please?” added Hugo.

“Alright, alright, settle down,” Hermione told them. “Well, we met on the train at Hogwarts. I was helping Neville find his toad, and I stumbled upon the compartment that Uncle Harry and Dad were in. He was quite rude to me, actually,” Hermione said playfully. “Tried to do a bit of magic, but it didn’t quite work as intended.”

“Yes, and then your Mum decided to tell me I had dirt on my nose and left,” Ron continued. “We didn’t get on very well in the beginning. A couple months in, she tried to help me cast wingardium leviosa, and I called her a nightmare.”

Rose gasped. “You didn’t!” 

“Did you apologize? You never let Rose or me call each other names!” Hugo seemed appalled.

“He did apologize eventually,” Hermione said. “I was so upset that I went to hide in a bathroom and missed the Halloween feast.”

“So she missed the announcement that there was a troll roaming the castle,” Ron said nonchalantly.

Both kid’s mouths dropped open. “A troll was roaming the castle? Aren’t they dangerous?” asked Hugo.

“Do they let trolls loose every Halloween?” Rose asked excitedly. Merlin, they had a Gryffindor on their hands if Ron had ever seen one.

“No, no! It wasn’t planned. All the kids were sent back to their common rooms and the teachers went to go find it. Well, Uncle Harry and I remembered that someone said Hermione was crying in the bathroom, and we figured we should go tell her. It was a good thing we did because the troll went right into that bathroom,” Ron went on.

“And you locked him in there with me!” Hermione interrupted.

“Yeah, but we went in after you when we heard you scream!” Ron defended.

“Yes, just before he was about to get me!”

“What happened?” Rose asked.

“What did you do?” Hugo said with wide eyes.

“Well, Harry jumped on the troll’s back to try and stop him, and ended up getting his wand stuck up the troll’s nose. I tried to throw a pipe at it, and then I managed to cast wingardium leviosa and levitated the club out of the troll’s hand.” Ron paused to make sure he had the kid’s full attention. “And then, the club knocked the troll on the head, and he passed out.”

“We were just about to get out of there when the professors found us and asked what happened. I covered for them, telling Professor McGonagall I thought I could take the troll on by myself, but they wouldn’t let me.”

“You did what? Rose asked.

“After that, your Uncle Harry and I decided to keep her around. She turned out to be a really great friend when she wasn’t nagging us to do our homework,” Ron said with a smile as he put his arm around Hermione and kissed her temple.

“Ewww,” Rose said.

Hermione laughed as she said, “I think it’s time for bed now. If you stay up too late, Father Christmas may not make it. You’ve got to be asleep for him to make his rounds.”

They kissed Hugo goodnight, and repeated the routine with Rose in her room before shutting their doors.

“I’m exhausted,” Hermione said.

“And yet, our night is just beginning,” Ron said with glee.

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

“No, Ron, the bikes should be in the back by the window! Not in the front. Bigger presents in the back, smaller presents in the front,” Hermione chided.

“I still don’t see why Hugo and Rose are getting bikes to begin with. They’re magical, they should have brooms!” Ron shot back.

“They have brooms already!” 

“Yeah, but Hugo’s is a toy broomstick and Rose has got my old Cleansweep from school.”

“Next year that will be Rose’s big present, but this year it’s a bicycle for each of them. They have muggle friends at school, and they need to be able to play with them like muggles. Besides, learning to ride a bike is much like learning to fly a broom, and it will be a good skill for the kids to have.”

“If you say so..” Ron watched as Hermione finished rearranging all of the presents under the tree. He folded his arms and shook his head as he chuckled to himself. “You’re barmy, you know that, right? The kids aren’t going to remember the layout, you know.”

“Yes, but I will. And you secretly love it. You’re not fooling anyone,” Hermione said as she brushed her hands together indicating she was done, and walked over to him.

Ron wrapped her in his arms and leaned in to kiss her. Even after fifteen years together, his heart still skipped a beat every time their lips touched. Hermione seemed to melt into him, probably from a mixture of exhaustion and an eagerness for his affection. With two kids running around the house, it was a struggle to find time to be intimate with each other.

“Shall we head to bed, then?” he whispered against her lips.

“I thought you’d never ask,” Hermione responded in kind.

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

Hermione woke with a start at 4:30 in the morning, and tugged at Ron’s arm. “Ron!” she hissed. “The cookies! We forgot to eat the cookies!”

“Wha-?” Ron said in his still drowsy state. 

“The cookies are sitting on the counter,” she repeated as she hopped out of bed and pulled her bathrobe on. She let out a grunt of frustration as she saw Ron’s head hit the pillow again. “Honestly…” 

Hermione checked both the kid’s rooms to ensure they were still sound asleep before she tiptoed to the kitchen. The cookie eating was always Ron’s job. The kids had a knack for layering the frosting a little too thick, and Hermione couldn’t stomach all that sugar. She took a deep breath and picked up Hugo’s cookie first, and took the biggest bite she could muster so it would look like it was eaten. 

Hermione placed one half back on the plate and took the other out of her mouth, nibbling on a tiny corner before making her way over to the bin. She opened it and stuffed the cookie as far down as she could, strategically placing some discarded wrapping paper over it so the kids wouldn’t see. 

Then,she went back to the plate of cookies and panicked. What do I do, what do I do? She thought. Hermione spotted a piece of parchment on the counter and had an idea. She grabbed it and began scribbling in the messiest scrawl she could manage:

Rose and Hugo,

Happy Christmas! You’ve been so good this year. I hope you enjoy your gifts! Thank you for the cookies. They were delicious! The angel gnome was too creative to eat - I’ve never seen anything like it. Be good for your Mum and Dad and I can’t wait to receive your letters next year.

Father Christmas

There! Crisis averted. Hermione took a deep breath as she quietly made her way back up the stairs, and was hoping for a few more hours of rest before the kids woke up. Ron was already back to snoring.

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

“Rosie, look! Look! A bicycle! Wow!” Hugo gushed as he skidded to a halt in front of the tree, Rose hot on his heels.

Ron and Hermione were cuddled up on the couch, mugs of coffee in hand as they watched the kids open up their presents. Both kids received a few books that Hermione knew the kids would enjoy, but aside from that, their presents couldn’t have differed more. 

In addition to the books and bicycle, Rose received a quaffle, broom care kit, and the furby she was begging for because everyone at school was asking for them. Ron had no idea why it was the hit gift of the year. They looked so creepy, and if an owl was what Rose wanted, he’d have gotten her one, but Hermione had insisted.

Hugo’s gifts included a small magnetic chess set, the latest lego set, and a playstation console. It was a used one, but would do well for Hugo who only liked a few certain games. Rose’s temper had caused an uncontrolled magic accident where their former console had shorted out and wasn’t playable anymore. Hugo was especially excited to have another gently used version to replace the other one. 

The kids received socks and a board game from Father Christmas, and their stockings were filled to the brim with both Muggle and Magical sweets. They thanked their parents profusely, and grabbed their own gifts that they’d created for their parent’s gift. Hugo had made an ornament with painted puzzle pieces glued together, encircling his school picture. Ron and Hermione both gushed over how creative it was.

Rose had made a Christmas tree out of string that was wrapped around small nails protruding from a small slab of wood, with the words “Merry and Bright” scribbled in her handwriting underneath. Aunt Audrey had helped her make it apparently, and Rose was very proud of the finished work. Hermione got up to put it on the mantle and Ron hung Hugo’s ornament on the tree. 

The kids hugged their parents. “Can we ride our bikes?” Hugo asked hopefully. 

Ron laughed. “No, Hugo, there’s too much snow on the ground. We’ll put the bikes in the shed, but I promise on the first nice day, we’ll get right out there. Why don’t you bring some of your presents up to your room and play while Mum and I make breakfast. You too, Rose.”

Rose nodded and began gathering as much as she could carry towards the stairs. Hugo followed her as Ron summoned his gift for Hermione from under the tree. “You didn’t think I’d forget your gift, now, did you?” he said with a smile. 

He handed her a small box, which she opened gently. It was a small jewelry box, which she opened to reveal a small silver bracelet with four stones. The two in the middle were sapphire and aquamarine. Next to the sapphire was a blue topaz stone, and next to the aquamarine, an alexandrite stone. It was stunning, and Hermione knew without explanation that it was their family represented by their birthstones.

“It’s beautiful, Ron, I love it,” she said as she clasped the bracelet around her wrist and then leaned in for a kiss.

She summoned his gift next and handed it to him. It was a simple envelope, and didn’t seem like much. He opened the envelope to reveal a weekend getaway for just the two of them next month in Egypt. It was the one place Ron had been that Hermione had not, and he’d always wanted to take her there. Once they’d started their family, opportunities for travel had all but vanished, so this was her way of helping him make good on his promise.

“Wicked!” Ron said. “I finally get to show you around Egypt, and it’s a holiday for just the two of us? I hope things are still the same as when I was twelve,” he said with a laugh. “This is brilliant, love, thank you.”

“You’re very welcome. Shall we get on with breakfast, then?” Hermione asked. “I’m sure the gifts won’t keep them occupied forever.”

“Right you are,” Ron agreed as he led her into the kitchen.

“I still stand by my statement from last night. This is still the best Christmas ever,” Hermione told him as she leaned against the counter, watching him get ingredients out.

“I’d expect nothing less.”

[fuckallthegood0nesweretaken]

Runs in the Family CH. Five

Book: Prisoner

Title: Pinkie Promise

Words: 1550

Warnings: Fluff

Previous Chapter - Next Chapter

RitF Masterlist

Harry Potter Masterlist

Masterlist

~~~~~~~

Sitting around Harry’s bed, you didn’t let go of his hand. It took him a little while to wake up, but Madame Pomfrey assured you that he would be okay.

 “He looks a bit peaky,” Ron said.

 “Peaky?” Fred said.

 “What did you expect?” George said with a snort.

 “He did fall over a hundred feet.”

 “C’mon Ron. Let’s walk you off the Astronomy tower and see what you look like,” George said.

 “Probably a right sight better than he normally does,” Harry said.

 Everyone let out a laugh and you let out a sigh of relief, happy that he had finally woken up.

 “How are you feeling?” Hermione asked.

 “Brilliant,” Harry said.

 “You gave us a good scare there, Harry,” George said.

 “Damn right you did,” you scolded.

 “What happened?”

 “The dementors came onto the school grounds,” you said.

 “They made you fall off your broom,” Ron said.

 “Oh really?” Harry said sarcastically. “I meant the match. Who won?”

 “No one blames you, Harry,” Hermione said. She went on to talk about the dementors and Dumbledore but you knew he wasn’t really listening.

 “There’s something else,” you said softly. You looked behind you and Ron walked forward, putting a bundle into Harry’s lap.

 “It flew into the Whomping Willow.” Ron took a step back and that’s when Madame Pomfrey shooed everyone out.

 “[Y/n]!” Harry called. You stopped and turned. “Good job today. You did well.”

 “Thanks, Harry,” you said with a smile. “I’ll see you tomorrow, alright?”

 “Yeah. Tomorrow.”

 ---

 Pretty soon it was winter. When classes weren’t happening, you were either outside playing in the snow with your classmates or inside next to a roaring fire with a nice cup of tea. You had already decided to go home for Christmas, having missed the last one due to being petrified. It would be nice to see your family and see how they were doing.

 Today, however, you were going to take a walk around the grounds. Everyone who was able to was making their way into Hogsmeade. It didn’t bother you that you couldn’t go yet, you enjoyed the quiet that washed over the school. As you were walking to the courtyard you heard Harry talking loudly.

 “What’re you doing?”

 “Shh!”

 You knew it was the twins so you put your back up against the wall and listened to their conversation. You heard everything about the map and was impressed with the magic behind it. When you heard the twins say mischief managed, you accidentally let out a laugh. Fred stuck his head out into the corridor and sighed when he saw it was you.

 “It’s just [y/n],” he said. You gave him a sheepish grin and he pulled you into the room with them.

 “You need to promise that you’ll never tell this to anyone,” Fred said.

 “Well, duh. I’m not about to go and get people into trouble,” you said.

 “You want to come with me to Hogsmeade?” Harry asked you.

 “No, I’m alright. I’ll see you later.”

 Harry left after giving you a hug and you turned to the twins.

 “I solemnly swear that I will never tell a soul about this map,” you said. You held out your hand, your pinkie finger raised.

 “What’s this?” Both of them said.

 “It’s a pinkie promise.”

 “Pinkie?”

 “Promise?”

 “Yeah. You’ve never heard of a pinkie promise?” The twins shook their heads and you stared blankly at them.

 “What’s it do?” George asked.

 “A pinkie promise is a promise that you don’t break. Here, give me your hand.” You grabbed their hands and moved their fingers into the proper place. “Now what you do is hook your pinkie around the other persons pinkie and give it a little squeeze. That’s a pinkie promise.”

 You squeezed their fingers softly and gave them a smile.

 “Muggles are weird,” Fred said after a moment. You giggled and linked your arms through theirs.

 “I think it’s endearing,” you said.

 “What happens when you break a promise?” George asked.

 “A curse?”

 “No,” you said with a laugh. “It’s a Muggle thing, remember?”

 “Oh yeah.”

 “The locking of fingers means that if one breaks the promise, the other can break their finger.”

 “That’s a bit much,” Fred said. Both twins look startled and you laughed again.

 “I’ve never had to break anyone’s finger before, don’t worry. It’s more symbolic.”

 The three of you continued walking, the two of them asking more about Muggle things. Pretty soon, night had fallen and it was time for dinner. You found Harry sitting at the table and you could immediately tell that something was wrong. After dinner, he led you to an empty classroom.

 “I found some things out about Sirius,” he said after a minute. You didn’t say anything, wanting Harry to tell you at his own pace.

 “He’s my godfather and he-he betrayed my parents. He practically killed them.” It was clear that Harry was trying not to cry and you gathered him into your arms.

 “Oh, Harry. I’m so sorry,” you said. You ran your fingers through his hair, aiming to soothe him.

 “How could he do that to them? He was their friend and he betrayed them.”

 You let him cry it out and once he was done, you looked at him.

 “Do you want me to stay here for Christmas?” You asked him. Harry shook his head.

 “You should go. I know you’ve been wanting to see them,” he said.

 “Stay out of trouble while I’m gone, alright?”

 “Alright.”

 ---

 You were happy to see your family, but it was tense the entire break. Vernon barely spoke a word to you and it hurt you to see him act so coldly towards you. Petunia was trying her hardest to make it as normal as possible and you would be forever grateful for it, but Dudley was probably the most excited to see you.

 “Tell me about your school,” he said one night. Christmas had already passed and your parents had gone to bed so you knew it was safe to talk about magic.

 “Well, I got onto the Quidditch team and we won our first match. It was against Gryffindor, Harry’s House, and it was very exciting,” you said.

 “What’s Quidditch?”

 You grinned and dug through your trunk to find a book.

 “Quidditch is the Wizarding version of football. It’s not necessarily the same, but it’s just as popular.” You proceeded to explain the basic rules, about the positions, and the balls.

 “So you’re a Chaser and Harry is a Seeker,” Dudley stated. You nodded. “Your job is to fly around and throw the Quaffle into the goal posts.”

 “Exactly!”

 “Each goal is ten points and whoever catches the Snitch gets one hundred and fifty points for their team.”

 “Perfect! In the match against Gryffindor, I made four goals. Our Seeker, Cedric, caught the Snitch before Harry could and we won the match. But Harry would’ve caught it if he hadn’t fallen off of his broom,” you said.

 “Can- Can I see your broom?” Dudley asked.

 “Sure!” You grabbed it and put it onto your bed. Dudley marveled over it, a look of awe on his face.

 “Would I be able to ride it?” There was some hesitation in his voice and you furrowed your eye brows.

 “I don’t know, actually. Out of everything I’ve read, it is possible that you could, but you might not be able to.” You looked at your brother, a grin on your face. “Want to find out?”

 Dudley nodded and the two of you quietly went into your backyard. You were thankful that there were some hedges high enough to cover the two of you as you tried to see if Dudley could fly.

 “Alright. I’m going to show you how to do it. Watch carefully.” You mounted the broom and kicked off lightly, hovering a foot off the ground.

 “The higher you want to get, the harder you kick off. We don’t want to go high so our neighbors don’t see us,” you explained. “To go right, you lean right. To go left, you lean left. Grip the handle and lean back to stop, tighten your grip and lean forward to go forward.”

 You flew around in a circle before hovering again.

 “Now to land, you lean forward but you don’t grip the handle.” You leaned forward slightly and landed on the grass. Dismounting the broom, you held it out to Dudley. “Your turn. Don’t be too disappointed if you can’t fly, okay?”

 “Okay.”

 Dudley was nervous but excited as he mounted the broom. Taking a breath he screwed closed his eyes and kicked off from the ground. He opened his eyes when he heard your gasp and found himself a couple feet off the ground.

 “I can fly,” he whispered.

 “You can fly!” You let out a quiet cheer and clapped your hands. Dudley flew in a couple circles before stopping and landing. He was wobbly when he got off the broom and you tackled him in a hug.

 “That was a lot of fun,” Dudley said. “Can we do it again later?”

 “Of course we can. We should probably get to bed though.” The two of you laughed and made your way back inside the house.

 You were glad you went home for Christmas.

[densi-mber]

Christmas Cheer

A/N: Happy first day of December and Densi-mber!

This story takes place in the last couple years. For today’s prompt: Densi buying a Christmas tree.

***

“How about this one?” Deeks asked, reaching in between the fragrant branches of a large spruce tree and grasping the trunk.

“I liked the last one better,” Kensi commented, craning her neck to see the very top of Deeks’ pick.

“But the top branch was crooked.”

“I know. I like things with imperfections.” Kensi slanted a mischievous glance his way and turned to look at another tree that was less massive and almost perfectly straight.

“You should get the big tree,” a soft voice said from behind them. Kensi glanced around until she saw a little boy with dark brown skin peering at them from between two trees.

“You think so?” Deeks asked, turning to face him. The little boy nodded, eyes wide.

“It’s the best one here,” he said, lowering his voice as though someone else might hear and decide to snatch the tree up. Deeks grinned and sank into a crouch.

“I agree, but my wife likes Charlie Brown trees.” He bobbed his head to the side in Kensi’s direction.

“Hey, I saw that movie!” The boy said excitedly, squeezing between the trees. “Do you know Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer?”

“I do.” Deeks stood again with a groan, brushing off his knees as the little boy came to stand between them. “My name’s Marty, by the way,” he added. “This is Kensi.”

“Hi! My name is Bobby. I’m five years old.” He proudly showed them five fingers.

“It’s nice to meet you.” Deeks offered him his hand to shake, which seemed to delight Bobby even more. His hand looked ridiculously small engulfed in Deeks’.

He turned to Kensi, his chin tucked down by his chest, and shook her hand without looking at her.

“You’re really pretty,” he said shyly. Kensi grinned, completely charmed.

“Thank you,” she said and he ducked his head again.

“But not as pretty as my mom. She’s the prettiest.”

“Did your mom come with you?” Deeks asked, managing to make the question sound casual. “You look pretty strong, but I’m not sure you can carry this tree without a little help.”

“You’re silly. I came with my mom,” he said with another giggle. Kensi noticed that one of his bottom teeth was missing.

“Do you know where she is?” Kensi asked, crouching a little and Bobby nodded.

“Uh-huh. She’s over there, looking at the little trees. I wanted to get a big tree, but she said they’re too espensive.” He pointed to a section of trees that were decidedly less impressive.

Kensi felt her heart clench as his smile faded a little bit.

“Hey, you can still put presents under a small tree,” Deeks pointed out and Bobby’s grinned returned in full force.

“Santa’s gonna bring me a Spider-Man bike this year!” he exclaimed excitedly. “I guess if it’s too big to go under the tree, he can put it next to the tree.”

“That sounds amazing and I’m super jealous.” Kensi rolled her eyes as they started debating who was the best Avenger.

“We should probably go find your mom before she starts to worry,” Kensi interrupted after a couple minutes.

“I guess...” Bobby sounded a little disappointed, but didn’t resist when Deeks put a guiding hand on his shoulder. They started to walk towards the spot Bobby had indicated.

“Ooh, I think I dropped my phone somewhere,” Deeks said suddenly, patting down his pockets. “I’ll be right back.” Kensi eyed him suspiciously as he turned around and went in the completely opposite direction.

“C’mon, Bobby. I’m sure De-Marty will be back in a minute.”

They found his mother, a woman who looked maybe in her late 20’s, looking a little harried and worried as she craned her head around two medium sized trees. She caught sight of them and ran over, her expression turning to one of relief mixed with exasperation.

“Bobby, I told you to stay close by,” she said, grabbing his shoulders and giving him a quick once over.

“Mommy, this is Kensi! She’s married to a guy with hair like the guy who sings about country roads. And he likes big trees too!” Bobby told her excitedly before Kensi could explain the situation.

“He was just giving me and my husband some of his expert Christmas tree advice,” Kensi clarified.

“Well, thank you for bringing him back.” She hugged Bobby against her side, bending to press a kiss to his head. “What would I do without you? I hope he wasn’t any trouble.”

“Oh no, he was perfectly charming.” Kensi smiled at Bobby, who was fiddling with his mom’s jacket now.

“He’s definitely that,” she agreed with a slightly exasperated smile.

“Ma’am, we have your tree ready,” one of the farm employees interrupted, directing his statement to Bobby’s mother. He pointed several feet away where another employee was carrying a mesh wrapped tree.

“Hey, I think that’s my tree, mommy!” Bobby shouted excitedly.

“No, Bobby, it’s not ours,” she said, resting a restraining hand on his shoulder. She turned to the employee “I think you made a mistake. I didn’t buy a tree yet.”

“No, someone else bought it for you.”

“Who?”

“They want to remain anonymous, but said they saw you checking out that tree and figured it was in the spirit of things to make someone’s Christmas brighter.” He shrugged. Bobby grew steadily more excited and in a few minutes managed to convince his mother than the tree was indeed theirs.

Glancing around, Kensi saw Deeks emerge from the store at the center of the tree farm, two foam cups balanced in one hand as he slipped his wallet back into his pocket. Kensi narrowed her eyes, walking over to him with her arms crossed.

He grinned and offered her a cup.

“Hot chocolate?” She took it, but didn’t take a sip.

“That was a pretty slick move, Mr. Deeks,” she commented. Deeks took a healthy gulp and scrunched his nose.

“I have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about,” he said lightly, looking over at Bobby. He was practically jumping up and down in excitement while two men helped strap the tree to his mom’s car.

“You made that little boy’s day. Possibly his entire Christmas.” Deeks sighed, seeming oddly embarrassed.

“It wasn’t much,” he said with a shrug. “I’ve been that kid, you know? I hated the way it made me feel when we couldn’t afford something. And I know it killed my mom. Now Bobby’s mom doesn’t have to choose between making her son happy and paying the bills. And Santa has somewhere to put that Spiderman bike.”

Kensi wrapped her arms around him, careful not to spill hot chocolate down his back, and leaned up to kiss his lips. Not caring that there were dozens of people surrounding them, she gently cupped his cheek.

“You are such a good man, Marty Deeks,” she told him, overwhelmed with love and affection. He bobbed his head.

“Sometimes.”

“Always.” She shifted back and looped her arm through his. “Now let’s go find you the second biggest tree this place has.”

***

A/N: Hope you enjoyed the story!

[canonicallysoulmates]

Supernatural 15.16

What can I say? No, seriously, what can I say this was such a disappointment I just wanna salt it, burn it and forget it. 

This is not what I wanted nor what we were told we were gonna get, the promo’s and the way it was promoted made it seem like this was gonna be a heavy brothers centered episode and we were gonna get to see flashbacks of Sam and Dean hunting solo together, without their dad, for the first time. It wasn’t.

This episode is snake oil. It was advertised in all the right ways to make us buy into it but it has no real substance or value.  

The plot is simple: Sam and Dean have to investigate the death of an old, sort of friend they made in one of the motel’s they stayed at back when they were little and haven’t spoken to in over 20 years. And let’s talk about this real quick because at the beginning Sam and Dean don’t know they’re going to investigate their friends’ death they think they’re going to the funeral cause the victim’s sister, who was also a sort of friend of theirs back in the day, invited them to the funeral to guarantee that they would go which is so stupid, people miss funerals all the time especially when they’re the funerals of people who they only knew for a week over 20 years ago and didn’t keep in contact. So, the stupid starts early in this episode. 

Back to the plot, the thing that Sam and Dean are hunting is something they had hunted and thought killed years ago back when they were the wee!chesters, and by “they” I mean….Dean and the girlie. I’m sorry you thought, we were gonna see young!Sam and Dean actually hunt together? No. 

The four of them sort of work together to figure out where the thing might be hiding and Dean’s all ‘I’m handling this on my own’ and Sam’s like ‘I’m going with you’ and Dean’s like ‘no’ and the girls like ‘then i’m going with you’ and Dean’s all ‘no’ and so he goes off on his own but the girl follows him so it’s the girl and him hunting this thing down while Sam is stuck back in the motel on babysitting duty of the girls little brother which I’m sure the writer is patting herself on the back for because at the beginning in the first flashback Dean was all ‘I used to babysit you when I was your age’ so now Sam is stuck babysitting...get it? Get it? I think it’s supposed to be clever…...excuse me a minute

*clears throat* where was I? Oh yes, so anyways after some investigating and Dean finding a bunch of children’s corpses they arrive at the hotel in time to see the thing they’re hunting attacking Sam and the other kid and Dean’s all ‘Sam get out of the way’ and stabs the thing which makes it turn to dust so they think it’s dead which we all know it ain’t but let’s talk for a minute about the fact that Dean just walked to see a monster attacking his baby brother AND HE DOESN’T EVEN RUSH TO CHECK ON HIM WHEN THE THING IS DEAD!!!! Also, this thing was hunting kids that were around Sam’s age but Dean doesn’t seem to give a fuck. 

So what was the thing Sam and Dean were hunting oh so many years ago when they did shit re-search even though we know that they knew how important research was but this writer doesn’t know how to write this characters in present time why would she be able to write young! them? Baba Yaga! But they still don’t know that they’ll find that out later in the episode, in like a 5min scene that really does not do this figure justice but neither does the rest of this episode as this writer doesn’t really care and treats Baby Yaga more like a traditional vengeful spirit. 

For real though, it is a shame that this writer doesn’t care enough because Baba Yaga is a folklore figure with so much history they could have really done something interesting and scary; such a famous folklore figure and she was treated like a footnote. 

But that’s what young!Sam and Dean were up to what about our Sam and Dean? Well, after they find out the truth that they’re there to investigate and not attend a funeral that happened a week before they go check what’s up at the motel since that’s where everything happened years ago and the dude died, Dean is feeling guilty af for so many reasons including that he had yet to tell Sam Jack was gonna die, at first Dean doesn’t believe it’s the same thing they had hunted but then he’s like ‘okay maybe it’s not as dead as I thought’ and leaves Sam and the girlie to do research while he has a scene with Billie where she tells him the end is coming and while that’s happening Sam finds out it’s the Baba Yaga and the girl gets attacked and then Dean returns and he and Sam go their separate ways to find her because of course the do and Dean gets attacked but Sam arrives and then they properly kill the monster. 

Anyways, it all ends with their “friend” telling Dean for like the 20th time that he has changed and then they have a hug which gives us our final flashback where after him and the young girlie say goodbye to each other him and Sam are waiting for John to pick them up and Dean’s all ‘I don’t know about this college thing but we make a good team’ which would be great if we had actually seen them work as a team.

With the thing dead Sam and Dean make their way back home and Dean tells Sam the truth about Jack dying. We’ll come back to this scene. 

And that’s the episode in a nutshell. It’s bad. It’s unforgivably bad. This is the mediocre, poor man’s version of Something Wicked. 

It’s got no soul, with the exception of one scene it’s got no emotion. It stays at the surface level, we don’t truly get to see young!Sam and Dean work together, we don’t really get to see their dynamic with each other, we don’t learn anything new about them, Dean clearly didn’t like Sam thinking about college but it wasn’t really explored he was just an ass to Sam about it and then was all ‘we make a good team’ but like I said we didn’t truly get to see them be a team so it just falls flat, there weren’t really any proper scenes between the young brothers, Baba Yaga is not explored she’s more a footnote, we also don’t get to see adult Sam and Dean hunt together. 

You compare it to other flashback episodes like Something Wicked, A Very Supernatural Christmas, Just My imagination to name a few, and you can’t. You can’t really compare it cause those episodes were well written and actually explored Sam and Dean’s emotions and their relationship. This episode is the worst flashback episode we have ever gotten and I wish it didn’t exist. 

I wanna talk about the young!Sam and Dean actors real quick cause no shade to them but I didn’t like them one bit not just because of the way they were written but also because they don’t really embody Sam and Dean’s personalities in the way that their predecessors have, I look at them I don’t see Sam and Dean. Also, their acting? Not the best. 

So, all around this is a failure as far as young!Sam and Dean.

There was one scene in this whole entire episode that had any sort of emotion: the final scene with Sam and Dean in the car where Dean tells Sam everything and about Jack dying and Sam is pissed off and they get into a fight. That’s the only scene where Sam and Dean got closest to acting and sounding like themselves and the only one that was worth something and I give full credit to Jared and Jensen for that because their acting in that moment was standing ovation worthy, they honestly almost made me cry. I think if this epi had been better written and emotions actually explored it would have managed to make me cry. 

I don’t like that the epi finished with the boys fighting, even less that the one proper scene we got between them was a fight but it was the best scene of the episode and it should be watched if for no other reason than to see Jared and Jensen put on an amazing performance, 

But that scene alone is not enough to save this episode. 

The writer of this epi once recommended that you could put the first 2 seasons of this show on as background noise and maybe if she hadn’t done that and actually paid attention to the foundation of the show that paid her bills she wouldn’t have given us the mediocre version of Something Wicked or would have learned how to artfully weave the main plot of a season into a stand alone episode like Phantom Traveler did instead of sticking in a scene right in the middle for some exposition. As it is, you can use her episode as background noise. 

Here’s the thing, you can make the argument that it’s not as bad as it could have been or as what we have gotten, or that we should expect the episodes to be bad because it’s all we’ve gotten, or that we should just be happy with what we get and listen you feel how you wanna feel about this episode and/or tell yourself what you need to make yourself feel better but that don’t work with me. I’m not going to thank the writers for taking a smaller shit on this show than they did last time, and expecting the episodes to suck doesn’t mean we don’t deserve better and that we shouldn’t be upset. 

And I am upset. I am angry. I am sad. I am bitter. I am disappointed. 

You know what stings most about this episode? What makes it cut differently than all the other shitty, insulting, disappointing episodes that have come before it? That this is the last time we’re going to see young!Sam and Dean. This was the last ever flashback episode. A badly written episode with barely any proper interaction between the young brothers, is the last time we’ll see young! Sam and Dean. 

I so badly wish I could recommend this episode but the truth is that I can't. What I can recommend, and I highly do, is looking up the final scene and enjoying that beautifully acted, painful, brother moment. And then if you still want to watch young!Sam and Dean, just re-watch Something Wicked. 

In conclusion,

[pointnumbersixteen]

A Few Thoughts on the Ghosts’ Christmas Special

I’m going to start with the things I really liked, because that’s always best.

1) In the Bleak Midwinter. Beautiful. I’d love to have a Ghosts’ musical. I don’t care how much they’d have to stretch to pull it off. But since that’s unlikely, all of them singing a Christmas carol together was a nice gift to help sate that desire. Did I mentioned it was beautiful? Some of the cast can really sing... the rest of them can at least fit nicely into a chorus. And the way it fit into the episode, with the Ghosts satisfying Alison’s Christmas wish after she did her best to satisfy all of theirs, that was wonderful. All of my subsequent rewatches have been for that part. And ‘twist-it.’

2) I enjoyed the bits with Fanny and the Christmas tree. I don’t know why, but that was one of my favorite subplots. Maybe because I really love Christmas trees. And Fanny remained tolerable throughout, which is hard for Fanny.

3) I enjoyed Pat and Cap’s reaction to the handsome men comment, straightening their ties and looking proud of themselves. It was very adorable. And how Pat and Cap spent most of the episode together. 

4) Mary’s interactions with the baby were interesting and added something both to her character and to the world-building of the show (babies can sometimes see ghosts) which could pay off later in the show if Mike and Alison ever have a child or something like that. 

5) Julian’s daughter became a Green party MP. That’s perfect. 

And the things I didn’t like... (because, unpopular opinion, overall I was kind of disappointed with the episode?) These are largely subjective, but hey, most entertainment reactions are. 

1) Mike’s family was kind of awful. They didn’t treat him with any respect whatsoever. Particularly his sisters. Like, y’all are all in your late twenties/early thirties. He’s hosting y’all, trying to give you a really nice Christmas. And your reaction to this is to intentionally try to make him miserable and angry so he’ll have a meltdown on Christmas day that you can record and laugh at him about later? That’s not a fun sibling dynamic. That’s super immature and toxic and if my sister or I tried doing stuff like that to each other, we’d probably just stop speaking to each other. I certainly wouldn’t invite her over for Christmas.

2) I didn’t like how Kitty sided with Mike’s sisters, with the oh, yeah, Mike’s so stupid bits. I get how she’s lonely and bandwagons with whatever young women are in the house, and yeah, Mike isn’t the brightest bulb out there... but neither is Kitty, for that matter, so maybe show a little loyalty to the guy you live with and who does his best to accommodate you and your ghosty friends even though he can’t see y’all? 

3) Where is Alison’s family? It would have taken one line to establish that they are dead, estranged, vacationing in Bermuda, what have you. It’s not like they have to go into all of the details, if they want to make that a focus of a later episode... even if they want to leave it a mystery, they could have mentioned something like, ‘oh, I wish my family could have been here’ or ‘oh, I wish I had any sort of relationship at all with my family.’ Not mentioning it at all just left me with a giant question mark and seems needlessly coy. It’s not like they trimmed all the fat for run time, because they certainly didn’t, so ‘wasn’t relevant enough to make the cut’ can’t be the explanation. 

4) A lot of the characters’ subplots were EXACTLY what I would have predicted them to be. Thomas spending most of the episode pining for a kiss under the mistletoe from Alison? If I had to put money on a prediction beforehand, that would have been it. Robin ranting that Christmas is a crock? Same. Kitty following various people around the house like a puppy while tossing hints that her sister is horrible? Well, that’s basically what she does in most of the episodes. Pat’s Christmas recollections of the eighties being exactly what mine were in the nineties... the kids playing board games (later video games) while the adults drink until someone inevitably squabbles? Of course they were. And on the one hand, it speaks to consistent characterization... but on the other hand, doing the most predictable thing possible with half the characters is kind of... boring. Like, I’m sure they could have kept the characters in-character while coming up with something a bit more surprising for at least ONE of them. It would have been nice.

5) Once again, Humphrey is underutilized. I enjoy Humphrey as a character, so I find the episodes where Humphrey is just a prop to be a bit frustrating and his entire experience in this episode was being used as a baby mobile for a few seconds. 

6) And once again, we get no new information on the Captain. And after thirteen episodes, it’s becoming less mysterious and more frustrating. Half the fun of mysteries is being provided hints and tidbits to see if your guesses are going to pan out and so it’d be great if they could get on with that. I know they’ve said in interviews they want to set the tone before getting into some of the deeper stuff, but... the tone’s set, guys. You’ve had two full seasons. Get to it.  

7) I didn’t find making Julian’s plot the emotional payoff of the episode very satisfying. He spent his daughter’s entire life avoiding her at Christmas and listening to a baby cry for like 24 hours 30 years after he died suddenly made him rethink his life choices? It just didn’t feel very believable for him to have the Ebeneezer Scrooge Christmas change-of-heart just from that. That it made him curious about what happened to his daughter? Sure. That it suddenly enlightened him to the true meaning of Christmas? That seemed OOC to me. This is Mr. Balls-to-Animals we’re talking about.

8) If, alternatively, you see Mike’s conversation with his dad about how eventually he and his mom aren’t going to be able to do the things they do on Christmas as the emotional payoff, that works a bit better narratively, but I found it incredibly depressing to be reminded that eventually my parents are going to die in the Christmas episode of my emotional-comfort show, particularly since we all spent Christmas sick with covid (thankfully, after a few scary days, it looks like we’ll all probably recover, but still, that was not what I needed this year... and I know they wrote this episode before covid became a thing, but still, Boxing Day when my dad was trying to tell me how his blood sugar had shot above 300 but he couldn’t get a single full word out without coughing ranks as one of the scariest days of my life and trying to re-watch the Christmas special afterwards for comfort to be hit by the reminder that this could be our last Christmas together hurt. I know, again, that’s very specific to my situation, but there it is.). 

Anyway, I’ll probably add more stuff as I think about it more, but these are the things that stuck out to me after three watches. 

[thoughtsaboutshows]

Can you make a continuation of the fire-drill prompt? Maybe Sabrina’s family pressuring her to marry Nick now that they’re expecting and she has an emotional breakdown?

Sure!  I so totally got carried away and this is over 3k words long...hope you enjoy.  I followed your prompt but didn’t at the same time.  She has sort of an emotional breakdown but not in front of her family.  

There’ll be another part eventually with another prompt in this universe that I was working on.  But anyways here we are!

Sabrina held tightly onto Nick’s hand as it sat in her lap in the car ride the whole way to Greendale for Christmas.  Nick had been celebrating the holidays with the Spellman Family for years now, lacking a family of his own, but this time it was different.  This time they had news, news that would change the course of their whole lives.  But in the very best way.  

Sabrina had done well on all her finals that semester, passing her classes with flying colors, despite being overwhelmed with impending motherhood in nine months.  Nick had managed to stay focused too, acing his graduate level classes and managing to input the grades of the ones he taught on time.  The night they’d found out, Sabrina and Nick abandoned studying for the evening, ordered their favorite Italian food and celebrated with extra garlic bread and sex all over his apartment.  Their love was palpable, so much so it had already created a whole new person, and the baby they’d meet in nine months would be a physical manifestation of the connection they’d had since day one.  

Nick and Sabrina had been discussing the idea of her moving in with him prior to the baby news, planning for it but never setting an official date.  After she had told him, it was a no brainer as to when his place would become theirs.  She didn’t leave that night and never slept a night back at her place.  They moved quickly to find someone to sublease from her and before they both knew it her dresser had been moved into the bedroom and her shoes were taking up more than half his closet.  They didn’t see that ever changing and never wanted it to.  Her heeled boots in every color were a welcomed sight because it meant she was there next to him every night, and every morning.

“What’s going on in that head of yours, Spellman.”  Nick asked Sabrina as he snuck a quick peek at her.  She was still holding on to his hand but her gaze had drifted out the window.  Her beanie that she’d worn instead of her headband was slightly off kilter and even though he’d only caught a glance of her profile he could still tell she was deep in thought.  Her furrowed brow and slight frown told him her mind was racing down a negative path.  His voice, soft and sweet, pulled her from her thoughts and she turned to look at him.  She pressed her lips together and furrowed her brow further as she tried to figure out how to word what was going on in her brain.

“We have to tell my family I’m pregnant, Nick.”  She said in an obvious way.  How could he not be thinking about it too? 

“I know that, Sabrina.”  He let out a desperate chuckle.  “It’s not exactly something I planned on hiding.”  They’d talked about this, and would tell the family as soon as possible.  Ambrose usually greeted them at the Holidays with a spiked hot chocolate or Bailey’s and would pick up on something immediately when she didn’t accept. 

“And my friends too.”  Sabrina added.  Nick nodded along, understanding what was happening.  Sabrina was an external processor and needed to talk through what they were going to do, even though they’d done exactly that a million times before heading to Greendale for Christmas this year.  

“Whenever you want, Spellman.”  Nick encouraged her.  He liked her friends, but in his mind sharing with them was a decision that belonged to Sabrina.  Theo was a cool guy and Roz was sweet to him.  He was always a little hesitant around Harvey, the guy was her first love and she’d mentioned the sting of their breakup when Nick had first met her, but they got along well enough.  Nick chanced a small smile as he thought of their New Year’s plans.  “Though I assume they’ll also suspect something when you don’t partake in the Champagne Fountain.”   

“Yeah, we should tell them when we meet up at Cee’s the day after Christmas.”  Sabrina grumbled.  Nick sensed her nervousness and squeezed her hand before bringing it to her lips to kiss the back of it.  She smiled slightly back and caught his gaze when he glanced at her again.  “Are you nervous, Nick?”

“To tell your family?”  He asked as she nodded.  “Yes, Spellman, I’m nervous.”  Sabrina blew out a breath she’d been holding, clearly put more at ease to know he’d felt similarly to her.  She thought she was maybe alone in the feeling.  They knew her Aunts and cousin would be happy for them, but they’d likely be shocked.   

“Why are you nervous?”  She asked him.  

“Well, I did knock you up.”  Nick started as he scratched his brow and Sabrina let out a much needed laugh.  She leaned over and kissed his cheek, which reddened at the brush of her lips.  She lingered for a moment, but then remembered he was driving and pulled away.  “I do think they’ll be excited.  But I also think there’s a slight chance your Aunt Zelda will string me out by my ankles and Hilda will bake me into a meat pie.” 

Sabrina laughed again and this time Nick joined her, enjoying the light moment for what it was.  He caught a glimpse of their future, the two of them giggling heading over to the Auntie’s house, except in his vision there was a babbling baby in a carseat in the back.  The thought calmed his nerves a bit.  

“My Aunties love you, Nick.  You know that.”  She reached over the middle console and brushed his hair once.  “I think you’ve had them in your corner since day one.  And Ambrose is one of your closest friends now.” 

“Shit I forgot about, Ambrose.  He’ll kill me for sure.”  Nick leaned his head back on the seat for a moment, but Sabrina caught his smirk and knew he was kidding.  

“Most importantly, they know you love me.”  Sabrina shrugged.

“I do, Sabrina.”  Nick said seriously and grabbed her hand to kiss it again, miffed he was driving so he couldn’t kiss her lips.  “So much.” 

“I know.”  Sabrina said with a soft smile. 

“Why are you nervous?”  Nick asked her then, forcing his concentration back on the road.  

“I guess I’m worried what they’ll expect from me.  I know they won’t be mad, but I want them to believe I can do it.  Be a mom.”   

“You’re gonna be the best mom, Sabrina.”  Nick couldn’t help but cut in.  He had no doubt she was going to be amazing.  As one of the most caring and gentle people he knew, and at the same time the strongest, there was no way she wouldn’t be a great mother.  Sabrina too wanted nothing more than to reach over and kiss him soundly, so she settled for rubbing her thumb on the palm of his hand. 

“I guess I’m worried Hilda will start planning a wedding.”  Sabrina said this as she looked down, worried what his reaction would be.  

“We forge our own path, Sabrina.”  Nick answered her.  She nodded, though not quite shaking the fear of disappointing her Aunties.  She wanted to make them proud, and feared marriage would be a point of contention.  

Nick and Sabrina weren’t married and he hadn’t proposed yet, knowing that a post-pregnancy proposal was not the reason Sabrina would want him to do it.  Waking up the morning after the positive test, naked and each other’s arms, they’d had the marriage conversation and came to the same conclusion.  Despite the fact that he’d wanted to marry her since she walked out in the cold in her slinky pajamas and into his blanket-clad arms all those years ago and she learned early on she didn’t want him to let go, they wanted to focus on being parents first.  They were confident that they didn’t need a piece of paper to show the world how committed they were to each other.  They’d marry someday but it didn’t have to be today.  Nick wasn’t going anywhere and neither was Sabrina.  They were in it for the long-haul and a baby didn’t change that nor did it force either into staying.  Staying was always something that would be.     

“I know.”  Sabrina nodded and took a big breath.  “You do know that I want to marry you right?”  Sabrina asked him and bit her bottom lip, hoping he knew how much she loved him.  Nick thanked the heavens in that moment that they’d gotten off the highway and he’d spotted a small store he could pull into.  Her face stirred in confusion as he pulled over and parked.  “Nick, what are you-” 

“I love you, Sabrina.”  He turned his body completely towards her.  “And it is because I love you so much that I can feel how much you love me.  The way your heart beats?  Mine beats the same.”  Sabrina’s eyes filled with tears that threatened to fall.  Damn those pregnancy hormones.  And damn her boyfriend’s way with words.  “I have absolutely zero doubts that you will be my wife.  I also have zero doubt that we have to do that now in order for that to happen.”  He grabbed her head, grazing her hair with his fingers and wiping tears with his thumb.  “I love you.  It’s as simple as that.”  

She leaned in and kissed him soundly, feeling tears of his own fall and grazing her cheek.  She pulled him closer and wrapped her hand in his hair, using her lips against his to confirm that she wanted the same things.  That she loved him so fucking much it was insane.  And the way he responded only solidified the smooth words he had spoken before she’d kissed him. She was still nervous to tell her family but the nerves were fanned down slightly by the man, the partner, she’d have for life.  

“I love you, Nick.”  She whispered against his lips when she finally broke away.  “We should probably get going though.”  

“Ugh you’re right.”  He groaned over-dramatically and pecked her lips one more time before putting the car back in drive and getting back on the road.   They weren’t far now.  

“I’m always right.”  Sabrina teased, enjoying the way both of their moods had lifted.  He raised one brow and smirked, pulling one of his favorite memories to the forefront of his mind. 

“Oh yeah?  Remember when you thought I was naked under a blanket so you wouldn’t let me share with you?  Those PJ’s you wore were not winter appropriate.”  

“You got me in your arms eventually.”  She smirked back.  “And you seemed to like those pajamas when you took them off later.”

“Which is precisely why I liked them.”  He quipped and she snorted, grabbing onto his hand again.  He kissed her hand for a third time before speaking.  “We got this, Spellman.”

“Yeah, we got this.”  She squeezed his hand back and took a deep breath, ready to tell her family. 

                                                        -

Sabrina managed to avoid the alcoholic drinks Ambrose had offered essentially the second they’d walked in the door.  She blamed it on feeling nauseous, craving Hilda’s homemade tea blend instead.  It wasn’t a complete lie, having had morning sickness more often than not most days.  

Hilda had greeted them in the doorway, with hugs and kisses on cheeks for both Nick and Sabrina, and Ambrose helped them bring their things up to Sabrina’s old room.  The Aunties had never attempted to make Nick stay in a different room even when he’d come home with her the first time, and soon when they shared their news they never would.  

“So why did you gather us in the parlor for pre-dinner drinks, Sabrina?”  Zelda asked as she puffed her cigarette.  She was sipping a martini as Sabrina grabbed for a teacup, holding it delicately in her hands and playing with the rim.  Zelda’s eyes kept darting to her hand, looking for an engagement ring.  She and Hilda suspected that maybe Nicholas had proposed, but he hadn’t asked their permission.  And he was the type of gentleman that would, so she figured that wasn’t what this was about. 

“Yes, cousin.  Do tell.”  Ambrose teased her as he drank tea too, but held his pinky up in mockery.  He’d done the same thing as kids when she’d forced him to have a tea party with her.  

“Well.”  Sabrina started as she looked sideways at Nick and bit her lip.  He wrapped his arm around her shoulder in support and raised his eyebrows, silently asking if she wanted him to take it from there.  Sabrina shook her head and took a deep breath, turning to look at Hilda.  She figured that Aunt would be the best to make eye contact while breaking the news.  “Nick and I…”

“Are you breaking up?”  Ambrose asked.  “Because forcing your ex to come to Christmas dinner is quite rude.”  

“Shut up, Ambrose.  We are not breaking up.”  Nick continued to hold her tight, and rubbed circles on her shoulder, biting back a laugh at Ambrose’s teasing but trying to stay on Sabrina’s side.  “Nick and I are expecting.”   

“Expecting what, love?”  Hilda asked innocently but Ambrose’s eyes had already gone wide.  Sabrina kept her eyes off of him, knowing he had understood.

“A baby, Auntie.  I’m pregnant.”  Sabrina finished strong, nodding and smiling before grabbing Nick’s free hand in show of their unity.

“Pregnant.”  Zelda said once, just to make sure she’d heard correctly.  Hilda’s mouth dropped open and she pressed her hand to it.  Her face was a mix of shock and disbelief.  “You’re with child?”

“Yes, she is.”  Nick finally spoke and his eyes darted between the family of his most favorite person, trying to gauge their reactions.

“How did this happen?”  Hilda wanted to know.  Her voice had increased a few octaves but Sabrina recognized the hint of happy tears in the corners of her eyes.  

“Well, Auntie, when a man and a woman love each other very much-”  Ambrose began, his tone all teasing and face smiling, absolutely not taking the conversation seriously.  

“Hush, Ambrose.” Zelda cut him off firmly.  Her mouth was in a thin line and her expression was unreadable. 

“Well, what do you think?”  Sabrina asked slightly unsure.  She glanced at Hilda who was dabbing her eyes and who couldn’t help it anymore.  She got up from her seat and launched herself at the couple, surrounding both of them in her arms.  

“I think it’s lovely, doves.”  She said and Sabrina buried her face in her Aunt’s neck.  “Just wonderful.”

“Thanks, Auntie.”  Sabrina wiped at a few tears of her own.  Ambrose shook his head and came over to the pair too and laughed.  

“Good luck with a little Sabrina, mate.  You’ll need it.”  Sabrina smacked her cousin in the chest before he kissed her head and shook Nick’s hand. 

“Aunt Zee?”  Sabrina asked the elder Aunt now.  She tapped out her cigarette and placed her hands in her lap.  

“We’ll prepare a room here to turn it into a nursery.”  She began and Sabrina’s face twisted in confusion.  Why would they make a nursery at the mortuary?  She turned to Nick who looked just as perplexed.  HIs grip moved to her waist, and he pulled her closer to him.  “And you’ll marry of course.  Nicholas you can move in as well.  We can redecorate her bedroom, it’s quite stuck in a teen time-warp right now.”  

“Aunt Zee, what are you talking about?”  Sabrina treaded carefully, squeezing Nick’s hand before getting up and moving to sit on the couch by her Aunt.  She was worried about the marriage conversation and had narrowly missed it.  But apparently fate had other plans. 

“Uh-oh, let’s go.”  Hilda pulled Ambrose out of the room, but indicated for Nick to stay when he tried to get up too.  

“I’m talking about next steps with this baby.   Marriage and moving here.” 

“Auntie, we’re not doing either of those things.”  She stole a glance at Nick who nodded in agreement.  “At least not right now.”

“Well fine if you won’t get married then you have to move home.  You can finish your classes online and when the baby is born, you’ll have support when you need to work.”  Zelda would hardly look Sabrina in the eyes, like she couldn’t really believe what she was saying either but her brain was working too fast to control it.   

“I have support.  I have Nick.”  But when Zelda scoffed, Sabrina's eyes narrowed and she grew frustrated.  

“Aunt Zee, I’m not moving away from Nick.  Not when it’s his baby I’m carrying.  Plus I don’t want to.  Right now, our life is in Boston.”  Sabrina’s voice was firm too, but her emotions were starting to get the better of her.  All she wanted was her Aunt to be happy for her, and it seemed what she was nervous about was coming true.  “I’ve already moved in with Nick and he and I have talked about marriage.  We will get married eventually but right now we are going to focus on our baby.”   

“What are you going to do with a baby in Boston?”  

“I was a baby in Boston.”  Sabrina pointed out, stubbornness on full display.   

“Exactly.  And we hardly saw you that first year of life.”  Zelda was emotional now too and Sabrina was starting to see that this might not actually be about her pregnancy.  “My brother disappeared to that city and then I lost him.”

“Aunt Zee.”  Sabrina said softly and then grabbed her hand.  She was grateful when her Aunt squeezed tightly.   “You’re not going to lose me.  And it isn’t forever.”  Sabrina eyed Nick again who offered her a smile of support.  “We’ve talked about moving to Greendale when we’re both done with school, throwing a wedding in the gardens here.  We want what you want, just in our own time.”  Zelda turned to Sabrina then and both women had tears in their eyes.  Zelda reached for her niece’s cheek and caressed it.  “I just want you to be proud of me.”

“Oh, Sabrina.”  Zelda started and then leaned in to kiss her forehead, just like she had nearly every day since they got her.  “I am so proud of you.”

“You were the best mom, Aunt Zee.  I just want to be good like you.  If I’m half the mother you were-”  Sabrina trailed off, unable to put into words how much her Aunt meant to her.  Nick smiled on, happy that the conversation was turning for the better. 

“You will be fantastic.  You already are.”  Zelda wiped her nieces cheeks and pulled her in for a hug.  “I’m sorry I was being forceful, I just want what’s best for you.”

“I know that, Aunt Zee.  I love you.”  

“And I see that you do have what’s best for you.”  Zelda said, turning to Nick and giving him a respectful smile.  “I couldn’t have hoped for a better partner for my niece.”

“She’s safe with me.”  Nick said simply with a nod, holding back his own tears.  

The two women made to get up, laughing and wiping each other’s tears again and hugging, Zelda finally offering up her congratulations.  Sabrina pulled Nick into a tight hug too, before tugging at him towards the kitchen.  

“I’ll be right there, babe.  I just wanna chat with your Aunt for a second.”  Sabrina raised her eyebrows but Zelda shrugged in agreement.  Sabrina excused herself with a quick peck to Nick’s lips before heading out to freshen up and wipe underneath her eyes.  

“What is it you’d like to say, Mr. Scratch?”  Zelda asked, getting right to the point.

“I just wanted to thank you, for raising Sabrina the way you did.”  Zelda’s eyebrows raised this time.  She’d always liked Nicholas, respected him, and was excited to consider him officially family.  “I can’t imagine how hard it is for you to feel like your little girl is growing up.”

“I imagine you’ll figure it out soon, with a child of your own along the way.”  Zelda pointed out and Nick chuckled.  

“I know us getting pregnant before marriage or even graduating college is not what any of us planned.  But excuse my language, fuck plans.”  Zelda laughed and it boosted Nick’s confidence.  “Sabrina is the love of my life.  I never even considered leaving her side once she finally allowed me a permanent place at it.  She certainly doesn’t need anyone’s protection, but nevertheless she has mine.”  Zelda smiled at Nicholas’ words.  She knew now there was no one else she’d feel as happy having her niece be with.  The man clearly understood her, loved her like no one else.   “I guess what I’m saying is thank you for the mother you were to her.  I look forward to us being family someday.”  

“Oh, Nicholas.”  Zelda placed a hand on his arm.  “You’re already family.  You were long before this baby was conceived, we both know that.”  Zelda surprised them both, pulling him in for a hug and holding him tighter than even Hilda had.  “Thank you.  For loving her.”

“Always.”  He answered simply and the both nodded, wiping away more tears and pulling themselves together before heading for the kitchen. 

“Can we celebrate now?”  Ambrose asked in an annoyed tone.  He was holding a few bottles of champagne and looked like an excited puppy.  “Hilda said I had to wait to pop these.  And it’s not like Sabrina can drink it anyways.”   

Sabrina elbowed him in the side, nearly making him drop them.  She walked over to Nick then, a satisfied smile on her face when she noticed that both Nick and Zelda looked happy.  Their conversation had obviously gone well.  She leaned back into him, wrapping his arms around her front as he kissed her hair and cheeks. 

“Yes, we certainly need to celebrate.”  Zelda confirmed and handed out glasses as Ambrose poured, Hilda grabbing apple juice from the fridge for Sabrina.  “To family.  New and old”  She held her glass high, winking at Nick and Sabrina.  

“To family.”  They all repeated in unison.  Happiness fluttered in Sabrina’s chest as she leaned tighter against the man behind her who was holding her tight.  

She’d never been more grateful for a fire alarm than she was in that moment. 

[rainbows-fanfics]

Our Nightmare (Chapter 7)

Summary: Sally moves in with the man of her screams. But there  is still so much she has to learn of Halloween Town, and what it’s like  living with The Pumpkin King.

A sequel to Two Dearest Friends,  where the Christmas incident never happens. But there are still many  ends that haven’t been met, and much for these two dreamers to learn as  they start to spend their deaths together.

Pairings: Jack Skellington/Sally, Dr Finklestein/Jewel

–

Note: This is a SEQUEL to my other story, TWO DEAREST FRIENDS. To read the original story, go here.

–

"-Two gallons of ectoplasm, thirty layers or so of cobwebs and....I think that's it!"

The Mayor's joyous voice booms as the final stack of paperwork falls onto the table. The tall skeleton across from him smiles, grabbing it and sorting it into the proper bin. They both sigh in relief as they continue to work. Finally, the biggest project of the day - finished. If all goes well, everything else should go by like a breeze and they can go home early.

In these final hours of his work, Jack Skellington starts to think about returning to the Manor. To the now-occupied walls of his home, with his ghostly dog and girlfriend waiting for him to step through those doors. Rejoicing with the love of his death, holding her tight as he slides his fingers through her blood-colored hair...They would settle in the night with a lovely supper, and likely talk about their days-

"I must say, we've been getting such terrible work done lately!" His coworker's voice snaps him out of his thoughts. "I don't think I've seen you this inspired in years!"

He bows his skull down humbly. His inspiration is obvious with how excited he is to work nowadays. His enthusiasm must've been picked up by those around him, which isn't very surprising. One's high spirits for Halloween tends to be very contagious here.

The Mayor notices his silence and grins widely. "-Although, I suppose we have Sally to thank for that, don't we?"

The Pumpkin King brings his head up slowly. If he had skin, he was sure the faintest blush would be showing on his cheeks right now. Instead, the ends of his smile twitch in delight. There is a knowing look somewhere in the Mayor's swirled eye, as oblivious as he can be, sometimes.

"It just took some time for this old skull to come up with new ideas." He knocks on the side of it for effect. "Once I was in a horrible mood again, the inspiration just came!" He leans back a little in his chair. "-That, and she does have wonderful ideas."

"Oh? Like what?"

He sets his feathered pen down and stares at the table in thought. So many words want to slip off his tongue in that moment - but the last thing he wants to do is blab on and on about Sally in the middle of work. Although the idea of talking about his sweetheart sounded heavenly to him...

"She's quite talented in making clothes, you see - designing them. She's come to me with all sorts of fabrics and ideas...layering the cobwebs was inspired by her. She did something very similar with a dress one time."

"How horrible! I didn't even know that was her idea!"

He smiles, and the conversation dies down from there. They continue to work across from each other in silence. The skeleton feels a litle distracted, remembering all the cute dresses Sally has shown him....the way she twirls around for him after she tries them on, fluttering her eyes at him as she asks him what he thinks...It makes his bones swell, and suddenly his suit feels a little tight again.

The Mayor drops his pencils and hums in thought. His gaze soon comes back to Jack, and he learns on the desk casually. "Maybe we could talk about some things off the record..? It's been awhile since we've caught up!"

He looks at him curiously before setting down his own work. Rarely would the man be willing to talk about anything but Halloween. "That sounds awful. Why not?"

"Well, how are things going with Sally? I assume she's all settled in, being with you for a little while now."

"She's adjusting nicely. She's been plenty curious about things around my home. It's nice having someone around again."

"Right! You've been living with Zero all this time." His tone almost sounds sympathetic. "If you ask me, it's about time you're finally living with a woman like Sally."

"I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world, Mayor." He sounds smitten as he rests his skull in his hand. "Falling in love is the most terrible thing that's happened to me. I feel like I'm a whole new skeleton!"

He chuckles. "It's nice to see you this excited. I was almost starting to think something was different about you. You've never talked this much through work, and we've had some meetings that came to no luck before."

"There shouldn't be anything like that anymore. Not when I'm this inspired!"

The man falls quiet. He himself doesn't understand the same feelings his superior is going through - but he feels happy for him, regardless. Anything that can get the Pumpkin King back on his feet and focused on Halloween is alright with him. And from what he's known of Sally, back in the days where he'd pay visits to the Doctor...she is something special. He never would have guessed she'd become the rotten apple of Jack's eye.

That was the thing about Halloween Town - although it isn't an irregular occurrence for creatures and spirits to become enamored with one another, it isn't their purpose. Everyone understands how to scare and express loyalty to Halloween - but love is an entirely different thing. Many would argue it was an experience only truly held by mortals and humans.

However, as the Mayor watches Jack closely for the rest of their time...he notices the differences. The smile on his lips that remains there even through the toughest of work - the endless inspiration that strikes him every time after he talks about Sally. How quickly he leaves the Town Hall to return home - coming into work the next day, ready to start the process all over again as if he's been refreshed in some way.

It's then he's beginning to understand.

----

Things begin to settle down in Halloween Town's shopping plaza. Lunch time just passed, and somewhere in the next couple of hours, most vendors will take small breaks to wait out the time until the sun sets. This includes the witches, Helgamine and Zeldaborne, who decide to temporarily close up shop while they talk by the town fountain. Most of their 'talks' nowadays consist of only one thing. Ever since they had that unfortunate confrontation from the Pumpkin King himself, they've been left feeling confused, heartbroken, and most of all, bothered.

"'A Pumpkin Queen'...." Zeldaborne mutters to herself.

Helgamine crosses her thin arms as she sits next to her sister, folding a leg over the other and holding her nose high in the air.

"-I don't even think it'll happen. Jack may be with her now, but it'll take a lot more than that for him to settle down." She turns her head at her sister's silence and crooks an eyebrow. "Do you?"

The shorter witch hangs her head low. "He sounded like he meant it. And he was so upset when he came to us. What if he really does love her that much?"

The thought makes the tall witch shudder. Countless years of being one of Jack Skellington's admirers - thrown away to a woman who was barely made. Helgamine and her sister are upset. How can they not be? But they have to remember his wishes - and did exactly as he had asked.

The day after he spoke to them, they felt guilty over the whole ordeal. They talked with the fellow women of their circle and attempted to explain how Jack was furious over the way they were speaking about Sally. It was a long discussion filled with heartbreak and tears - but they all ended in a unanimous agreement to respect what hey had. If not, to at least act polite. At the expense of their King finally being happy.

It doesn't mean they aren't still sour about it at times. Zeldaborne often mopes about it. She cried the most while they struggled to accept it. Helgamine, on the other hand, seethes quietly on the inside. She often debates on doing something unpleasant to Sally. But then she has to talk herself out of it, realizing Jack would just be utterly enraged. And that is the last thing she, or anyone else for that matter, wants.

"...Maybe....maybe he does..." Helgamine confesses quietly.

They both sit there listening to the water. It takes a long time before either of them speak. It's Zeldaborne, who fidgets with the end of her broomstick.

"We disappointed him. He never sounded so upset with us before."

Helgamine adds, "-He even threatened to kick us from this year's Halloween..."

"I don't want to hear him that mad again..."

They look at each other and frown. How ugly they had acted towards her - and it nearly costed them their good terms with Jack. How could they have been so blindsided by jealousy and possessiveness over someone who wasn't theirs to begin with? Their guilt overshadows whatever envy they have left, and sit there in contemplative silence as they wait for time to pass.

. . .

 "Hey there, Sally!" "How are you doing today?" "Hi, Sally!" "Miss Sally! You look awful today!"

Sally Finklestein smiles modestly and waves at all of the monsters she passes by. She is heading into town to pick up a few things, but she doesn't expect to have such warm greetings sent her way. She carries her basket in her hands as she continues on. She wants to make this as fast as possible so she can return home in time to catch Jack before it gets too late.

Just when she is about to approach the small stand she wishes to buy from, a couple of voices startle her.

 "Sally!"

The ragdoll jumps in surprise before turning on her heel. She finds the witches, Helgamine and Zeldaborne, approaching her. She momentarily feels a little afraid after what happened last time, and instinctively clutches onto her basket tighter. She freezes in place the moment they get closer, but then she notices the smiles on their faces. They're currently waving at her.

"We didn't expect to see you out." Helgamine begins, clutching her hands behind her back. "How...how are you doing?"

The kindness in her voice sounds forced and uncomfortable. But the smile at least seems genuine. She bows her head slightly. "Oh, well, I'm doing fine. I was going to buy a few things-"

"How horrendous! You picked the right time of day to come." Zeldaborne awkwardly cuts her off. The three of them are silent afterwards.

Sally feels a little guilty, remembering she was supposed to see them sooner. She wanted to come by their shop and ask for an apology, and see if they could become friends. She must've forgotten about it with how busy she became with other things - what with talking to the Doctor and Jewel, and working on all the new dresses she's making. She completely forgot about them over time.

They look at each other before bringing their gaze to the doll. "Say, would you like to...stop by our shop? And have a little chat?" Helgamine offers. "We have a few things we'd like to say to you..."

"Oh." She blinks a few times. She wants to leave quickly, but this shouldn't take long. "Sure."

The Witches look relieved at her answer and guide her back to their place. She feels a tad bit uncomfortable feeling their hands on her back, but she appreciates the kindness they're displaying. They soon lead her into Witches' Goods and to the back of the store. They pull up a few chairs and politely offer her a seat across the counter. She accepts. They sit there awkwardly at first. Eventually, the silence is broken by Zeldaborne. She looks down and sighs deeply, having a hard time making eye contact.

"We know we were, eh, cruel to you the last time we saw you..."

Helgamine mimics her sister's behavior. She adds, "We're sorry it took us this long to tell you but...well, we just haven't seen you around and all. We want to-" She audibly sucks at her teeth. "-Apologize. For saying those ugly things to you and pushing you, and all that."

Her eyes widen in surprise. She hadn't expected to receive an apology so soon. The mournful looks on their faces convince her that they're sincere about it. It is in Sally's nature to be kind and share some sort of understanding with others. The Witches are just jealous women who obsessed over Jack for so long. It must have been a difficult time when she came and won over his heart so soon. She can at least understand that.

Still. When they took out their frustrations on her, it gave her bad memories with the Doctor...which, she is able to shrug off now. He was willing to change, and from what she sees, the Witches are, too.

"It's alright." She soon tells them. "You two were just jealous. And I can see why." Her courage drops down as she gazes into her lap. "I didn't mean to take Jack away from you. Or to do anything at all, really. We just shared something special. And with how much time we spent together, it turned into something more very quickly..."

Hearing this doesn't help the situation. The Witches feel like they're burning in their seats. They have to calm each other by sharing a sympathetic look. They're here to apologize to her like Jack asked them to. It doesn't mean they should like any part of this - but that's the result of being polite. Acting nice even when you really don't want to.

"Of course, of course! We understand." Helgamine says through gritted teeth.

"And we're very happy for you both," Her sister adds, also through her teeth.

The ragdoll looks up and smiles, clasping her hands. "Thank you! I can't tell you how relieving it is to hear. I was so worried about how you'd take the news...I thought you hated me from the last time we spoke."

"-Hate you? No! Why should we?" The tall woman looks at her like she's crazy.

"I just thought....in your perspective, since I'm not scary or rich like he is....that I don't deserve him. And that you'd feel awful about me for having him, anyway."

Truly, she hit the nail on the coffin. But they aren't going to tell her that. They can't build up any energy to convince her otherwise, so instead, they shake their heads and act like this is the most ridiculous thing they've ever heard, even though they said similar things before. Her ruby lips smile again in relief.

Zeldaborne pokes at her warts before speaking again, hesitantly. "By the way, when you asked us if we had any sewing supplies...we were honest with you. We don't. But we do know about the old seamstress that was around here once."

"She was quite a frightening lady! Very talented, she was." The other sister chimes in. "We talked a lot with her before she had to leave town."

"Why did she leave?" Sally leans forward curiously. The Witches look uncomfortable at this question.

"No one likes to speak of it. It's not an unpleasant reason as it is." Helgamine looks uncertain to tell her, so Zeldaborne cuts in. Even she looks disturbed having to explain.

"She, eh, ate children and kept their souls. To survive. None of us knew about it at first, which was why she was kept here as it is, but...when Jack found out, he was very upset, you see. She had been his personal tailor for so many years!"

"But being in Halloween Town has its rules. We all agree not to be mean and scare only with frightening intentions. Not to harm, or actually kill, anyone...."

The ragdoll isn't sure how to feel. This news makes her stomach twist unpleasantly. Jack only mentioned this woman moving away....maybe he was just sparing her from the gruesome details. She almost regrets asking in the first place.

"That sounds awful..."

"It was. Jack has little patience for these things - she was banished right away. Haven't seen her since." Helgamine suddenly tsks. "I just hope she's leaving the children alone. We love to cast spells on the little tricksters - can't exactly do that with people like her eating them all!"

"Anyway-" Zeldaborne side glances at her. "I only mention it because her old place might still has some supplies you can use, if you're unlucky.  That is, if Jack hasn't spoiled you with enough, already."

The image of her grand room and sewing machine with a new desk comes into mind. She feels a little guilty and rubs her arm with a frown. Quietly, she asks, "Where is this place?"

"It's not here - on the other hill, where all of our homes are." Sally understands she means the residential area. "If you take a right at the library, it'll be down the street. When you see an abandoned building - wood probably long rotten by now - that'll be it."

"Abandoned? How come I've never seen it before?"

"You didn't get out a lot, I know that!" Helgamine laughs. "It's out of the way. No one likes to go near it - it reminds us of her, and we'd rather not remember that. Not with the little lumplings everywhere now."

"I see..."

"You should go on by and check it. It's not haunted; the ghosts have no need! They've got their pumpkins back in the Graveyard for that sort of thing."

While the conversation has certainly turned darker, it also feels like the mood has been lightened. The Witches don't look like they're harboring any negative feelings about her anymore. It feels refreshing to have a normal conversation with them again. One that wasn't obsessing over Jack or humiliating her. Oddly, the Witches seem nice. Informative. She hopes they can be friends so she can learn more from them.

"Thank you. I appreciate you inviting me in here, and I accept your apology. I'll be sure to visit that place sometime."

She gets up from her chair and, surprisingly, the sisters look almost disappointed that she's leaving. They stand from their seats and come to her side. They even help her with her basket as she leaves through the door, and stops her just before she's about to leave.

"Thank you for listening to us. You do seem like a nice girl...despite everything." Zeldaborne shares a hesitant look with the woman next to her.

"If you'd like, we can arrange something together sometime." Helgamine suggests slowly. "We have some ghoulfriends of ours we can introduce you to."

The ragdoll pauses before smiling. Being invited to such a thing takes her completely by surprise. It makes her feel even better about the whole situation.

"That sounds lovely. We can do that sometime. I'll let you know when I am free."

The two look almost happy that she accepted! They bid their goodbyes and allow Sally to continue on her way. She finishes her business in the market and leaves just as the sun is setting. Her smile wavers a little as she finds the sky now a mixture of orange and red. Her talk with those Witches took just a little longer than she anticipated...

----

When she is only a couple of minutes away from the Manor, Sally takes a seat on a nearby bench and sets her basket down. There's a lot on her mind that she wants to get sorted out before she sees Jack. Particularly, she wants to think of the questions she'll ask him about this old seamstress and her abandoned shop...Should she go alone, or ask him to come with? It's pretty trivial, and she doesn't want to bother him to go. Plus, she's perfectly capable of doing these things by herself! She just isn't sure if she'll need a key to get there, or if she even should. It's her only chance at getting more sewing supplies...but the situation bothers her, knowing what might've taken place in those walls....

She begins to bite at her lip and rests her head in her hand. Her mind is troubled thinking of this old seamstress. Is it something she should even talk about with Jack? Judging by what she's heard, it must've hard for him to banish his old tailor. She wouldn't want to bring any bad memories-

 "Meow!"

She jumps a few inches in the air as a sudden noise startles her. She whips her head around to find a small black cat approaching the bench. Sally relaxes and sits forward to greet the creature. The feline comes forward and nestles its head under her hand, leading it along its body as it walks between the her legs. As her fingers caress the rough hair, her mind turns blank as she focuses on the cat.

"It's you again." She says softly.

When she was locked in Finklestein's tower, sometimes she would find a cat in the alleys perched on the walls. During the long nights where she hopefully stared at Jack's study, the cat would be around below, mewing and watching her window. She eventually came into contact with the creature after she began sneaking out to meet with Jack. It took a little time, but it grew used to Sally, and even allowed her to pet it in her lap.

She remembers growing particularly curious with the animal just after she met Zero. At the time, it was new for her to interact with any animal. But now that she's been around a ghostly dog for awhile, she's grown other curiosities. What would it be like to own a pet of her own like Jack did? To have a small companion by your side; a creature to help calm you in times of stress...

The cat looks at her before jumping into her lap. She takes this time to continue petting it as her thoughts wander. She can hear it slightly purring from the contact. She giggles as it licks her finger. She's always loved Zero, but she's grown a little fond of this cat and almost forgot about it with how much has been going on. It must've gotten confused not seeing her around the tower anymore.

The animal quickly decides it's done and jumps off of her, scurrying off into the shadows. Sally frowns a little as she watches it leave. She soon collects her things and continues on her way home. When she approaches the Skellington Manor, she finds the windows lit and accompanied with noises coming from inside.

----

Sally Finklestein climbs the stairs to the Manor with a little guilt. She had been hoping to be home before him, but time dwindled, as it usually did. She opens the doors and feels the warmth from inside engulf her cold figure. She sighs in relief as she steps inside and sets her basket down by the door. Before she can get a good look at what's going on, she is suddenly scooped into the thin arms of Jack Skellington. She finds herself in a warm embrace and relaxes against the chest in front of her. All of her thoughts from the day vanish the longer she is lovingly held.

"Welcome home." He greets. She shivers at his voice and holds his arms.

"Thank you...I'm home."

He lets go of her and stands back with a toothy smile. She brushes her hair behind her shoulder as she modestly reaches for her basket. Jack takes a curious look at it and she shows him what's inside without hesitation - some groceries, and a few extra ingredients she gathered from the stands in the plaza. He smiles again and leans down to kiss her forehead.

"Took a trip into the market?" He asks.

She nods and covers the basket again. "I don't know how often you get groceries, but I went ahead and gathered some. If you want, I can start making dinner right now-"

"-No need! I started cooking the moment I got back." He takes the basket from her hands and leads them into the kitchen. "I'm preparing a small roast for the two of us. I thought it'd be a nice change of pace with you coming home to a warm meal."

She watches wordlessly as he puts away the food. Her black eyes travel to the rest of the kitchen, finding used bowls and ingredients messily laying about. The oven is nearly finished cooking the roast, and she can smell a delicious scent in the air. She bows her head when she finds her mouth watering.

"It is nice to come to this," She tells him. "I can't wait to try it."

"That's exactly what I want to hear!"

When the groceries are put away, he gives her the basket and she thanks him. She returns it to her room, where she stars to relax for the evening. She kicks off her shoes and spends a few minutes thoughtfully sitting on her bed. The seamstress is still on her mind, as are the Witches and the alley cat...that is, until the skeleton informs her that their supper is ready. She meets him at the dining table, where their servings are respectfully waiting for them. She takes a seat across from Jack and thanks him for the food before even tasting it. When she takes the first bite, she feels like she's tasting heaven.

"So delicious...You need to give me this recipe!"

He chuckles. "I have all the cookbooks you can imagine, Sal."

She eagerly looks up from her plate. "May I read some? I'd love to make new dishes."

"Of course! I have quite a big library here - I showed you it the first day, didn't I? My cookbooks are all organized in their own section. I have so many; I don't think I've read them all!"

She vividly remembers his giant collection of books he showed her during his small tour of their home. She was excited at such a sight - all of the novels and stories he had, stacked together on endless shelves...Even though he provided Sally with her own collection of romance novels right in her room, she found herself curious with other books, like cooking recipes. The only downside is - his library is in his study, which is on the third floor. It discourages her from climbing the three sets of stairs to get to it. But for something like this - she'd have to make an exception!

"How did work go?" She asks him curiously, wanting to make conversation. He looks up in surprise before wiping his mouth and clearing his throat.

"It went splendid. Like any other work day, really." The memory of him gushing about Sally to the Mayor comes to his mind, and he shrinks into his shoulders in embarrassment. "How-how about yours..?"

"Mine? It went well." She plays with her food in thought. "It was interesting."

"Interesting? Do elaborate."

He leans forward in interest, resting his jaw on his knuckles. Her cheeks grow a little red at his eagerness. "The Witches talked to me today. They said they were sorry for how they acted, and we talked a little bit."

"That's wonderful! I was hoping they would come around. They did treat you with upmost respect, didn't they?"

"Oh, they did. I almost feel like they were being too nice." She laughs slightly. "But they told me they knew where I could get the sewing supplies I wanted. What I asked them for in the first place."

"Where did they say?"

She pauses, wondering if this is appropriate to bring up. She boldly continues. "-Well, they finally explained to me why the old seamstress left...and a little bit about her. They said her old store is where I might find some fabrics and supplies that I need."

Jack is quiet for a moment. She looks up in surprise after hearing nothing and finds him deeply in thought. He finally looks up and catches her stare, then rubs the back of his skull in shame.

"I'm sorry - it's just been awhile since anyone has talked about her..."

"Apparently, no one really likes to talk about it here..." Her eyes droop. "You told me she moved away, but now that I know what happened...I can't blame you for banishing her."

He's silent again. She looks at him once more. His gaze is fixated on his plate with narrowed eye sockets. He grabs for his glass of water and brings it to his lips. Without even looking at Sally, he replies in a dark tone, "-We have strict rules here that some tend to neglect..."

She doesn't say anything. She isn't sure what to say, after hearing his tone. He sets down his glass and looks at her again - this time, with a smile.

"I was looking out for my people. There were innocent children getting harmed with her around! As much as she was needed around here, I prioritized the safety of my citizens over her." He looks down and shrugs, his lips falling into a frown. "Even though we lack a seamstress now, I at least feel more comfortable without her around..."

Something sounds hesitant about that last sentence. She doesn't think much of it. She drops her fork and gives him an endearing look. "You're a good King, Jack."

He looks up and finds her smile. It's contagious like it always is.

"I just wish I had found out about it sooner. Before children had died under my watch." He crosses his arms and drums his phalanges on his arm. "It's not easy doing these things..."

"I understand why you didn't tell me. It wasn't a very good story." She desperately gets to the point. "-Which was why I was considering taking the Witches' advice and visiting that old store...it's abandoned, from what they told me."

"Truthfully, the Mayor and I forget about it some years. We've wanted to turn it into something for many years now, rather than having it sitting there and rot, but...we couldn't think of anything good enough to replace an old sewing shop."

It's at this moment Sally starts to feel strange. Her phantom heart begins to race as her fingers tingle. An idea surfaces in her mind - but one she is not bold enough to say. Instead, she perks up in her chair and taps the side of her glass in thought.

"I can at least go down there and help clean things out, in case you do think of something to do with it..."

The skeleton looks at her and notices the hint of her tone. He hums thoughtfully before taking another bite of his dinner. It's a good point he and the Mayor should discuss soon - what on Halloween's name to do with the abandoned sewing shop...? His eye sockets glance back to Sally, who finishes her serving quietly. Something clicks in his head right away.

"I don't mind if you go and check it out. It should be safe - but even then, it never hurts to be wary." He fishes for something in his pocket and pulls out a key. He leans forward and places it down in front of his girlfriend. "Use this skeleton key on the door if it's locked. Should bring you right inside."

Her eyes light up as she takes it. "Really? I can...go there?"

"Why wouldn't you?" He looks at her incredulously. "You're free to do as you wish. It'll be fantastic if you find exactly what you're looking for."

She grins in excitement as she twirls the key in her hand. Her eyes drop down to the table in thought. "Maybe I can ask the Hanging Tree with me when I go...? He knows more than me when it comes to this stuff."

"What a good idea! Hopefully, the two of you can find something worthwhile there. I don't believe she had that much time to clean up, anyway."

Her phantom heart continues to race in euphoria. So she really can check this out! For a moment, she thought Jack would stop her and insist such a thing was unnecessary...but she was foolish for thinking he'd discourage her interests in any way. She clutches the skeleton key close to her before sliding it in her dress pocket. The figure across the table watches her intently.

"All I ask, Sally, is that you be very careful once you're there. No one has stepped foot in that place for years. And while she may not live there anymore, sometimes the spirit of dishonest creatures lingers in old places. They may not mean well at times."

"I'll be fine. I'm not going to be alone, if things go right." She assures him. "Thank you for worrying about me."

Something unpleasant brews in his rib cage. Something about this doesn't feel quite right - but what does he have to worry, with how careful Sally is? All he can hope is that she doesn't stumble across anything unpleasant. He nods at her and she makes a delighted noise. She goes to finish her dinner, and Jack watches her quietly before slowly eating at his.

 Everything should be alright..who is he kidding?

[exhaustedfander]

For the oneshot request, could you please do some soft logince? Maybe Logan's had a hard day and Roman comforts him with some cuddles or smth?

You got it! It’s certainly been a while since I've written Logince, but it’s a ship I've loved for a while and one I had a lot of fun writing again. 

a03 link

Word Count: 1,673

A Little Creature Comfort Never Hurt 

Logan hesitated to say that he’d had a hard day. Yes, it had been rather tiring. Yes, one of his students had nearly burned the science department to the ground; it reminded him quite a bit of the shenanigans that Roman’s brother, Remus, liked to pull. It was a wonder that he was able to find any humor in the situation. But Logan hadn’t had a “hard day” per se, considering it could’ve certainly gone worse. Even more so, tonight was date night, and Logan intended to put his best foot forward despite his exhaustion.

Roman was making dinner and they were going to watch a movie together. If anything, the evening would be rather relaxing.

Logan sighed as he opened the door to their shared apartment, removing his shoes and placing his briefcase by the door. He could smell the heavy aromas of garlic and chicken coming from the kitchen, his lips upturning in a faint smile as Roman came to the doorway. He was clad in a “Kiss the Cook” apron that Logan had gotten him as a joke last Christmas, having not thought Roman would actually use it. It had been foolish not to know Roman would wear it every chance he had.

“Hello, love of mine,” Roman greeted in a sing-song-tone, walking up to him and throwing his arms around his shoulders and giving him a tight squeeze.

“Salutations, Roman. Dinner smells good.” Roman grinned, pulling Logan into a kiss that the teacher could’ve just melted into, had he allowed himself to do so. Instead he ignored the fact that he was nearly dead on his feet, pulling away and smiling at Roman.

“Thanks, nerd. Should be done in a few minutes. Could you go set the table?”

“Of course.”

Logan still found it odd sometimes, the domesticity that had fallen over his life. It wasn’t as though he hadn’t ever expected to find someone who he wanted to share a life with, he’d considered what his future might entail for years prior. It was just the fact that Roman had taken him by complete surprise. In all honesty, they hadn’t been on the best of terms for quite a while. Roman was a stage actor, a profession that Logan used to know almost nothing about; he still knew very little, but he’d tried to understand as much as he could for Roman’s sake. Logan had never quite understood the ways of the theater. Sure, he could research the great array of plays and performances as well as the rules to how to craft had been perfected as well as the technicality of everything, but that didn’t actually provide him with an understanding of why people enjoyed plays as much as they did.

He’d met Roman through a mutual friend of theirs, Patton, who Logan was fairly sure had been trying to set them up from the get-go. Logan had been sympathetic of the fact that Patton meant well as being as happy as he was in his own relationship with his husband, Virgil, would only want to encourage love in others. But when he met Roman, he was flabbergasted. How could this man be someone Patton could remotely believe to be his type?!

The first several months of being acquainted, many of their conversations devolved to full-blown arguments more times than not. Patton, sweet, sweet Patton, had tried to keep the peace between them but to no avail. It seemed they were destined to argue, and they did just that, any time they spent time with their friends or spent time alone together. Come to think of it, why were they spending time alone together? The question baffled Logan but still he found no answer. Surely, he despised Roman’s company…right?

Signs were pointing to no, considering the moment a quarrel of theirs had found a peak in tension the two of them had connected their lips in a fit of more than mere spur-of-the-moment passion. Logan, as it turned out, had feelings more than just animosity for Roman. All of those instances in which they’d been screaming their heads off at each other he’d unknowingly been becoming smitten with the brash man – and strangely enough, Roman felt the same.

Things didn’t fall into place automatically. There was a gap period where the pair weren’t exactly sure what to label their relationship, considering extensive amounts of conflict continuing between them. But as time went on more of their conflicts found resolutions, or at the very least apologetic make-ups. Roman was much more than the bold, overconfident actor who Logan had initially taken him to be. He came to recognize the kindness his boyfriend possessed that he was working to improve upon as well as how hard-working and determined he was. He was compassionate, and supportive, and far more loving than Logan had ever known.

It pushed Logan a great deal out of his comfort-zone, the affection that Roman was able to provide do freely and willingly. Logan’s relationship with his own emotions as well as human-touch in general was complicated, but being with Roman, he was able to find himself growing to embrace it.

Now here Logan found himself, nearly two years into a relationship with a man so unlike himself, but someone who brought him more joy than even he could conceive. Most of the time, he was deliriously happy in a way he’d never expected to be. He’d even attended a great deal of plays, some of which Roman performed in, some not, to show his appreciation for his partner’s craft. He still had little interest in the theater, but he had to admit that Roman was a spectacle onstage that rivaled the beauty of the constellations. He performed with such gusto, such genuineness and bravado that Logan would have to be a fool not to see the raw talent his boyfriend possessed.

So, to say the least, Logan took date night very seriously. They were both very busy individuals with their work, so some down-time spent together at home was something he cherished dearly. He wanted to express to Roman how much he loved him and adored his company. He was never as spontaneously romantic as his boyfriend was; sometimes Roman wrote him love-letters just for the hell of it, several pages long and sentimental enough to bring a tear to Logan’s eyes. But he could still do whatever possible to ensure that Roman understood that he cared.

Logan and Roman ate dinner and chatted idly about their days. Logan forwent explaining his deep-seeded exhaustion that was beginning to take a tole, determined to make the most of their time together.

It was only when they shut the lights out and Roman put on “one of Logan’s nerd science documentaries” that he liked so much did the weight of the day settle over him. He fought to keep his eyes on the screen, basking in Roman’s embrace but despite how much he willed it, he was dozing off before he knew it.

“Mmm – what?” Logan mumbled in confusion, shifting the blankets around him and realizing he was in bed without remembering how he’d come to be there, his glasses placed gingerly on the bedside table. Roman chuckled, turning their bedroom light out and sliding into bed beside him.

“You started drifting off, sleeping beauty,” Roman teased, “So I brought you to bed. I noticed that you looked tired when you came home but you should’ve said something. We could’ve rescheduled date-night and allowed you to get a few more hours of sleep.” Logan sat up, his mind still somewhat fuzzy with sleepiness.

“I apologize, dear. I’d tried to stay awake.” Roman grabbed his hand, the contact comforting and soft.

“Whatever are you sorry for, my love? You can’t help that you’re tired, you must’ve had a hard day.” Logan sighed. Was it pitiful that the feeling of Roman’s thumb brushing over his knuckles in a steady rhythm was already beginning to lure him back to his slumber?

“I suppose so. A student was messing with flammable liquids without proper instruction and a small fire started. Luckily, it was put out with little trouble, but quite exhausting nonetheless. And then I’d had a staff meeting that was as dull as ever. Did you know they’re talking about cutting this year’s trip to the Science Center? I was appalled.”

“Oh, you poor dear,” Roman cooed in a tone that had it been anyone else, Logan would’ve been positive Roman was making fun of him. Perhaps he was, if only a little, “Why didn’t you say something? I would’ve understood; you’ve put up with me in more sour moods than I’d dare to count.” Logan sighed, relaxing against his boyfriend as Roman ran a hand through his hair.

“I don’t know…I suppose I didn’t want to disappoint you. I enjoy our time together and I didn’t want to sacrifice it, even if I was a little overtired.”

“You could never be a disappointment, mí amour,” Roman drawled out flirtatiously, pressing a quick kiss to the back of Logan’s neck, “And I will always understand if you’re too tired or upset to do something. Just as you preach to me, physical health and mental health are incredibly important things that shouldn't be disregarded."

“Yes, but it’s different when I’m begging you to go to bed when it’s already past 3 am and you’ve hardly had anything to eat all day,” Logan scolded, though the feeling of Roman massaging his scalp took much of the bite out of his bark.

“Ah, but similar nonetheless.” Logan yawned, feeling Roman’s arms wrap around him as he pulled him into a cocoon of an embrace that he was positively helpless to. “Go to sleep, dearest. We can talk more in the morning. I love you with all my heart.” Logan had very little energy for a rebuttal of any kind, instead sinking further into the warmth that was Roman’s hug, closing his eyes and drifting back into slumber.

“I love you too.”

=+=

[inspired-by-the-music]

For You: 4 O’Clock

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Chapter 11: The Name I Loved

Lei’s POV

“You know, Lei,” Lucas grumbled from his place in my closet, “there was a time in our lives when everything you owned was black!”

He stepped out to face me and Grandma. We were sitting on my bed and discussing— of all things— Taemin, who she agreed was the most beautiful person in the world after attending the Atlanta concert. Lucas looked so sad, eyes hooded and lips drawn into a tight frown, that I still couldn’t roll my eyes at his insistence to dress us both as if Mom’s annual Christmas party were a funeral. 

Unable to scold Lucas for interrupting just as she was about to ask, winking, if Taemin and I were ‘friends’ off-stage, Grandma took in his appearance. Already dressed in his all-black suit, Lucas stared down at his shiny black shoes as Grandma delicately asked, “Why are you wearing black to a Christmas party anyway, sweetie?”

Given my general lack of support for Ten’s suggested dress code, I didn’t consider myself the best spokesperson. Lucas seemed to glance at me for permission to speak, so I just nodded my head and fixed my gaze on a hanging poster of Donghae. 

I couldn’t take it down, and yet I couldn’t live comfortably with it staring at me like that. Donghae’s picture smiled so warmly that you could never guess that he carried the weight of rejection for over a decade. Is it okay for a picture to lie like that? Or was that smile genuine? 

All I could wonder was whether Donghae would bring me another strawberry milkshake the next time I was at the studio. All I could wonder was whether those days were behind us— if I had appreciated them enough to be able to let them go without regret— as Lucas replied, “We’re in mourning.”

Lucas’s tone was so hollow, Grandma faced me with deepened concern, patting my knee to offer some comfort. 

“Everything will be okay, Grandma.” I believed it because I had to. I believed it because I couldn’t stomach how Grandma was looking at me (like she had in her dining room). “My group members found out about Mom and Donghae, so they’re wearing black to express how sad it is that they’re not together.”

While Grandma blinked, eyebrows gathering together, and Lucas disappeared into my closet again, I repeated something that Kyungsoo said when I confided in him under Christmas lights. “For some people—” I thought of Lucas and Mark— “this is kind of like their first heartbreak, even if it isn’t really theirs. This demonstration may seem a little goofy to us, but—”

Maybe Mom and Donghae represented a fate that sort of awaited all of us as idols. Maybe the others were mourning what we already knew, what we didn’t like to acknowledge: we couldn’t love out loud. Many of our loves were worse than unrequited; they were unexpressed or unexplored because— how can you fall in love when someone’s always watching?

Maybe the others found their reflection in Mom and Donghae. Maybe that’s what empathy is. 

I guess Grandma didn’t need me to explain that. Before I could even try, she was running to the door, saying, “I guess I better go change then!” I was a little disappointed; I liked Grandma’s and Yesung’s tradition of wearing ugly Christmas sweaters. 

Perhaps feeling victorious at having gathered another person to his cause, Lucas emerged from my closet wearing a broad smile. I couldn’t be relieved to see his joyful expression because my eyes fell on the dress he was carrying. 

It wasn’t black. It was red. The dress I wore to Donghae’s party. 

“Lucas!” My breath caught in my throat as I sat, uncomfortably uptight, on the edge of my bed. “We have to burn that shit! It has bad juju!”

That was what I had been wearing the last time I saw Donghae— “maybe ever!” the dramatic voice in the back of my mind, which sounded too much like Lucas, screamed. That’s what I had been wearing when Donghae forced his way past Heechul into the house to confront Mom. That’s what I had been wearing when I ran up the stairs, away from their argument. That’s what I had been wearing when Mom yelled the world-reforming truth that she was the idol who never debuted. 

I didn’t want to know what terrible fate would befall the Christmas party if I wore that cursed dress.

But Lucas shook his head and argued, “This is what you wore when you found Taemin in your garden!”

Although I must have thought this once, twice, or every night on tour when I fell asleep in his arms, I was winded by the realization that what I considered the worst night of my life doubled as the beginning of a beautiful chapter: the time when Taemin and I were in love. 

So I wore that red dress. Not because Lucas thought it would bring Mom and Donghae together the way it brought me and Taemin together. Not because Lucas reasoned with a smirk, “You looked hot in this! And nobody really got to appreciate it because you left Donghae’s party early!” But because I wanted to see if it still fit. 

I don’t mean that literally. I hadn’t drastically gained weight during those two months of touring in America or anything. I just felt so different than I had been the last time I wore that dress. Wearing it again seemed like a good way to measure my growth. 

When I looked in the mirror, though, I didn’t look all that different. My hair was still short. Lucas had gone with me to get it trimmed before meeting Kyungsoo at the Mall. My eyes were still as wide and childlike as they had been when I debuted. My cheeks— almost permanently full and rosy— still gave me the appearance of someone wandering between childhood and adulthood. 

But there was no longer anything forced in my smile, painted with ruby lipstick. My hands were not balled into resigned fists pinned at my sides. I was not at all anxious about having people from work— the members of SuperM— in my home for a party as I had been every year prior. I was different, even if I couldn’t see it. 

I wasn’t willing to look back on the past 21 years of my life and decide that I had never known happiness. There was something in me that refused to attribute this warmth in my chest— this total internal transformation— to Taemin. Maybe I was afraid that by doing so, I would give him the power to take that warmth away with him if ever he left my side. 

No. I wasn’t afraid of Taemin. I wasn’t afraid of the rising sun. It was impossible to deny that the seeds of self-discovery and self-love had been planted the night of Donghae’s party. They had been planted that night I watched the moon in the garden. I just didn’t know who was more responsible for changing me— Mom by giving me the truth or Taemin by giving me his love. 

But I don’t know that it really matters. What matters is that there was no room in my heart to mourn what could have been. Maybe this made me selfish (or maybe it didn’t), but I was too happy with what was to despair on behalf of Mom and Donghae. 

I let my guard down— no, I allowed Taemin to break my guard down, and he did it carefully and quickly and painlessly— and maybe that’s why I was so hurt by what happened at the party. Then again, maybe I would have been hurt even with all of my defenses in place. Who knows? 

Super Junior was a constant in my life, and they proved it by attending the Christmas party yearly.  When I descended the staircase, I smiled at the fact that the first floor of my home was filled mostly by chaotic uncles who would drop everything to try to make me laugh. 

In the kitchen, Shindong and Leeteuk were constructing a gingerbread village. Although their only audience was Lucas and Mark— wearing their black suits— Leeteuk narrated every action as if he were starring in an international broadcast. 

Yesung, Kyuhyun, and Siwon monopolized the karaoke machine in the living room. They performed for Ten and Taeyong, who sat on opposite ends of a couch. Ten must have been angry because Taeyong wore a glittering red jacket that distracted from SuperM’s public mourning. 

As usual, Heechul was late. I’m not sure whether I was supposed to hope Donghae and Eunhyuk would arrive with him, but I held that hope quietly in the corner of my mind.

I hadn’t found Mom, Taemin, Kai, or Baekhyun before Siwon abandoned his duet with Kyuhyun— a comedic rendition of “Baby It’s Cold Outside”—  to chase me. Longer than Lucas, Siwon lived to ruin my hair. 

“Merry Christmas!” Siwon cheered in my ear before Kyuhyun and Yesung screamed for him to return to the living room. 

As soon as Siwon turned away, I ran to hide in the corner of the dining room with Ryeowook (Wookie) and Grandma, who were giggling about who knows what over their fragile cups of tea. 

“Here, Lei.” Wookie beamed as he lifted the teapot— adorned with carefully painted red roses— to pour into the smallest cup, which he handed to me. My heart swelled at this familiar scene from my childhood when Wookie delicately clinked his cup against mine, winking as he extended his pinky. 

While I smiled into my drink, Wookie asked, “So how are you? Did you have the time of your life in America?”

“Yeah,” Grandma chimed, setting her cup onto its saucer. “Did anything fun happen in America?”

Grandma didn’t have to say anything specific to remind me of her earlier fascination with Taemin. She only wiggled her eyebrows, and I laughed so hard that tea shot out of my nose, leaving my face burning with each breath long after I put the cup down on the table. 

Surprised, confused, and amused by my onslaught of giggles and Grandma’s all-knowing chuckles, Wookie’s gaze flickered between us. He smiled politely. “I’ll go get napkins.”

But before Wookie could stand, Grandma shook her head. “No need.” 

There was most certainly a need, I wanted to argue as the warm beverage trailed down my chin. I bit my tongue, however, when (after following Grandma’s gaze) I saw that Taemin was filling the doorway bridging the dining room to the kitchen. 

I don’t know if I was more embarrassed by the fact that Taemin had apparently watched me snort tea or how goofily he danced over to me as Siwon’s and Kyuhyun’s duet started from the top. My heart fluttered so violently at the first sight of Taemin since returning home that I could barely stand looking at him. Still, I definitely couldn’t stand looking away. 

After gratefully accepting a napkin to wipe my face, careful not to smear my makeup, I couldn’t stop staring at Taemin. Admiring him. Trying to commit every detail of him to memory. Like the other members of SuperM, most of Taemin’s attire was black except for his festive red suspenders and matching tie. 

“Look!” Taemin giggled and leaned over my chair to drape his tie over the sleeve of my dress. “We match!”

As if we were back in one of our rooms in America, as if Grandma and Wookie weren’t watching us (after sharing a glance and taking long sips of tea)— Taemin pursed his lips and ran his thumb over my earring, a simple silver moon. “This is pretty.”

Blushing at the sensation of his breath against my skin, I mumbled, “I’m glad you think so.”

Was it really okay for him to be so close to me? We were among family— or at least I was— but I felt more embarrassed than I imagined I might have felt in a room full of strangers. All those years, I liked to remind people that I wasn’t a child; yet, I shrank at the thought of Wookie or Grandma or anybody else that I had known since youth seeing me as an adult. 

Before Taemin could show me any more affection and darken my blush, Yesung walked in from the living room, arms outstretched and expecting a hug. Perhaps flinching away from Taemin, I ran to greet Yesung, smiling. 

“Merry Christmas, Yesung! Have I ever told you that you’re my favorite?” 

“Only every day since we met!” Yesung smiled and patted my arm. He had always been receptive to that kind of praise. 

When I turned toward the table, not quite ready to return to my seat, Taemin had already settled into it. Maybe he had already introduced himself to Grandma. 

Yesung was asking if I remembered how I used to fight with other Super Junior members if they so much as looked at him the wrong way— as if I wouldn’t still throw punches on his behalf— when Grandma reached across the table to run her fingers along the ribbon tied to Taemin’s wrist. The sky blue didn’t quite match his red and black ensemble, so it stood out more than ever. 

Ever the charmer, Taemin placed his hand over Grandma’s and gave her a dazzling smile. With their eyes, they shared a conversation that I couldn’t quite understand until Taemin chirped, “It was a gift.”

My heart swelled with affection when Taemin met my eyes. I don’t know what I would have done— maybe I would have exploded from joy— had Yesung not distracted me by saying, “I got you the best present, Lei! Why don’t you go get it from under the tree?”

Wookie encouraged, “Go get my gift too, Lei!”

Wookie could have deceived me with his smile, but I gathered from how Yesung fixed narrowed eyes on Taemin that they caught on to our relationship. Whatever they had to say to him (probably the same speech they gave Lucas years ago when we first met) couldn’t have been said in front of me. 

I knew better than to try (and fail) to talk Yesung out of protective mode, so I nodded and obediently walked to the Christmas tree where I found Baekhyun plucking candy canes from the branches. 

“Oh!” He smiled brightly, the lights reflecting in his eyes. “Is it time for presents already?”

“Baekhyun!” Taking his suddenly black tresses between my fingers, I cried, “What did you do to your hair?” I shouldn’t have been shocked. We changed our hair all the time. 

“You don’t like it?” Baekhyun pouted and plucked a candy cane from his mouth. “Well, I guess I can’t do everything to impress you, Lei. This is a part of my mourning exercises.” 

Before I could respond, Baekhyun offered me one of his candy canes. “Here. I’ll give you your real gift when Sehun gets here.” 

“Sehun?” My heart dropped. I opened my mouth to complain that I didn’t want Sehun to come or, at least, to ask why he would show up without an invitation, but a knock sounded at the door. 

Baekhyun advised, turning back to the tree as he stuffed the peppermint back into his mouth, “You probably wanna get that, hm?”

Beyond words, I was grateful to Baekhyun for warning me of what I would find behind the door: Oh Sehun wearing an all-black suit and carrying two presents. It was probably a little rude to greet him with the question, “What are you doing here?” but I couldn’t keep the words from falling out of my mouth. 

Sehun rolled his eyes. “Merry Christmas to you too.”

 Our unity against Baekhyun had dissolved. Leaning against the door frame, frowning at the line that formed between Sehun’s eyebrows, I guessed I was disappointed. 

“Would you let me in, please? It’s freezing out here!”

Snowflakes were falling all around him. If he weren’t already on my nerves— if he could just smile instead of scowling— the sight would have been worthy of a photograph. 

Realizing that I wouldn’t stand aside until he answered my question, Sehun admitted, voice a puff of white air in the winter night, “I’m here to represent Donghae and Eunhyuk, not because I want to spend Christmas arguing with you—”

Oh. So Donghae wasn’t coming after all. So this would be the first Christmas that we wouldn’t drink hot chocolate together or make a snowman family in the front yard or watch Christmas movies until I fell asleep on the couch. 

Oh. Tears gathered in my eyes, knowing that this crumbling, heart-stopping knowledge that life was different— and not only in good ways— occurred to Donghae when Mom was absent from his party. 

Oh. So that’s why Donghae had been able to justify pushing past Heechul and calling me in the middle of the night to talk to Mom. He was either trying to turn time back to the days we knew were happy or forward to the days when he and Mom could be together. It was impossible. Fruitless. But I didn’t fault him for trying. 

Trying to swallow the lump in my throat, wiping my eyes as I stood aside for Sehun to enter with his bad news, I think he tried to apologize. I’m not sure because I was too focused on Baekhyun, who appeared before me, smiling brightly with that candy cane still dangling out of his mouth and muffling his voice. 

 “Come on, Lei.” He nodded down to the gifts in his hands. “Yesung, Ryeowook, and I want you to open your presents.”

Thinking only that I had to find Mom to tell her gently that Donghae wasn’t coming (if she didn’t already know), I shook my head, but Baekhyun forced the brightly wrapped packages into my arms. He slung an arm around my shoulders and ushered me away from Sehun, into the dining room.

I was only slightly relieved that Sehun didn’t follow. 

The smiles Grandma, Taemin, Wookie, and Yesung greeted me with faltered when they noticed the look on my face. I hadn’t found my smile yet, even with Baekhyun playfully nudging me in the ribs. 

Rising from his seat with hands balled into fists, Yesung demanded, “What’s wrong?”

I shook my head and forced a smile. “Nothing—” My gaze drifted out the window— “it’s just— snow makes me cry.” 

The lie wasn’t especially convincing, but at least Yesung sat down. 

I sat only when Taemin stood, poorly masking his concern, to offer the seat he had stolen earlier. Rather than relocating to one of the many empty chairs, Taemin remained behind me, leaning against the back of my chair to watch me open the first gift Baekhyun dropped onto my lap. I kind of grinned, realizing that whatever Yesung and Wookie said hadn’t scared Taemin away. 

To me, it seemed awkward that so many people watched as I peeled back the green wrapping on Wookie’s gift, but I guess that people watching me was just business as usual. Mark and Lucas— bonding in their shared grief— walked in from the kitchen, asking,  “When was somebody gonna tell us it was time to watch Lei open presents?”

Feeling like I was trapped in a bizarre nightmare, I blinked until my eyes settled on Wookie’s gift: a beautiful blue teacup ornament. My fingers traced along the painted flower petals, cold to the touch. Wookie met my tear-filled expression with a smile that made my heart swell. Everyone— most loudly, Yesung and Baekhyun— cooed when I wiped my eyes and muttered my thanks. 

Pointing at the big box wrapped in bright red paper, Yesung instructed, “Open mine next!” Before I had even pulled out each record— one by Tiffany, one by Britney Spears, and one by the Backstreet Boys— Yesung said, “Don’t let me forget to send you the videos I got of each artist signing those and talking about how much they love your music!”

I wasn’t quite shocked because Yesung always got the best gifts, but I was beyond flattered that he had gone to such lengths to make me smile. As I beamed at Yesung, the ache in my chest caused by Donghae’s absence subsiding first with Wookie’s smile and then with Yesung’s enthusiastic thumbs up, Mark mumbled to Lucas, “Does this mean that my gift for Lei’s debut anniversary has finally been outdone?”

Lucas shrugged, grinning. “It’s hard to tell. Lei loves Jaemin—” Taemin breathed heavily behind me, and I shorted at the memory of his tantrum— “but Nick Carter, one of the Backstreet Boys, is like Lei’s ultimate pop icon crush.”

Taemin sat on the arm of my chair to admire my gifts— especially the album signed by Nick Carter— and Baekhyun yelled, “Where the hell is Sehun? I want you—” Looking at me, he chewed through the remainder of his candy cane— “to open our gift now!”

Summoned either by his name, or the dread swelling in my gut, or the rolling of my eyes, Sehun walked in from the kitchen. “Lei—” 

Sehun’s smirk faltered as his eyes fell on Taemin, whose shoulder was flush against mine.

For years, I dreamed of wiping the smirk from his face; then, once I learned how to, I tried to use my new power sparingly. That moment when Sehun forced his eyes away from Taemin to look at me, something very much like pain darkening his eyes, I squirmed at the thought that maybe he really did like me. 

Maybe it had been a game at the start. Maybe I had just been something fun to chase and tease. But to some degree, his feelings must have been sincere. Otherwise, a faint blush wouldn’t have painted his cheeks. He wouldn’t have had to swallow some lump in his throat before forcing himself to continue, “Don’t thank me too much if you like this.” 

Sehun snatched the silver-wrapped box from Baekhyun and forced it into my hands without meeting my eyes. “Baekhyun paid for half of it, so make sure you thank him too.” 

Knowing that Baekhyun and Sehun had joined forces had me on edge before this weird tension wedged between me and Sehun. I guess there had always been some tension between us; when I thought about it, I couldn’t clearly remember a moment that we had gotten along. I guess his sudden refusal or inability to look at me was just the fulfillment of years of— of whatever we were doing. 

I hated Sehun for ruining Christmas before he stood outside my door to say that Donghae wasn’t coming. I hated Sehun for staring down at the gift like that, lips tight in a frown. Except I guess I didn’t really hate him. Nobody wishes for someone they hate to just smile already. 

Taemin, still sitting on the arm of my chair, almost sitting in my lap, draped an arm around my shoulder. With a gentle smile and a nod, he reminded me to open the gift. 

It was an intricately woven mistletoe crown. A dreaded memory buried too deep, too terrible to describe— the memory some part of me relived whenever Sehun looked at me and teased me— rose to the surface of my mind and stained my face scarlet. 

I glared at Sehun, wondering why the hell he would get me something like that, but he didn’t notice. His widened eyes were fixed on the crown. He didn’t blink. Evidently, Baekhyun had been the brains behind this operation, and Sehun had only funded it. 

Again, we were united in annoyance toward Baekhyun. I wasn’t even happy about that because it had never been clearer to me that Sehun and I— whatever we were— were not friends. 

When I tore my burning eyes away from Sehun, unsure of what to say, I caught the briefest glimpse of Mom dropping something onto the kitchen counter, gasping, before running up the stairs. It always amazed me how quickly she could move in those heels without tripping over the hem of her pantsuit— this time a deep shade of green. 

This time, I was stunned by the realization that nobody had been with her in the kitchen. Everyone was either too busy singing and laughing in the living room or watching me open presents. Mom was alone. Always alone. 

Cursing Heechul for being late, I started to rise to my feet only to be immobilized by Taemin’s voice. “Oh,” he hummed into my ear as he lifted the mistletoe from its box. “It’s like a little wreath. Pretty.”

In Taemin’s hands, I thought as he admired the mistletoe, perhaps unaware that I was admiring him, it was pretty. 

Skipping over and snatching the mistletoe from Taemin to drop it onto my head unceremoniously, Baekhyun corrected, “It’s a crown!”

I’m not sure what led Sehun to try to kiss me, but I believe that Baekhyun must have instigated it because everything is a joke to them. 

One second, I was stealing indiscreet glances into the kitchen, wondering what Mom had dropped onto the counter and why it made her gasp, wondering how I would comfort her if it was related to Donghae (as I suspected) when some invisible force struck my heart and filled my eyes with tears every time I thought of him. The next, I was flinching as Lucas screamed “No!” and Sehun’s puckered lips inched closer to mine, agape in utter shock. 

Taemin yanked my chair back so quickly that I thought I was going to tumble face-first onto the hardwood floor. The room erupted into shrieks and giggles— the giggles belonging mostly to Mark and Baekhyun— as Taemin wedged his face between mine and Sehun’s. 

I don’t know why Taemin decided to intercept Sehun’s kiss when he could have just kissed me. On the one hand, I was grateful that our first kiss wouldn’t be the punchline to Baekhyun’s stupid mistletoe joke gift. Still, as I walked away, my entire being burned with annoyance— no, numb anger— that Sehun stole my first kiss.

From the kitchen, I heard Sehun’s gagging, Taemin’s goofy gasping laughter, Baekhyun’s maniacal cackling, and Yesung’s roar, “What the hell is going on around here?”

Maybe I could have found the humor in the situation had I not first found what Mom abandoned on the counter, still messy from crumbs, candy, and frosting that built Shindong’s and Leeteuk’s gingerbread village: a photograph of all of us— me, Mom, and Super Junior— shortly after Kyuhyun’s addition to the group. 

It must have been Donghae’s birthday. We all wore party hats while he wore an obnoxiously large pin that read: Birthday Boy. The picture must have been taken before Donghae’s annual confession; everyone was smiling, even Mom (who usually preferred a closed mouth half-grin). We all looked so young, especially me, wearing a ruffly blue dress, holding a teacup that matched Wookie’s, standing between Mom and Donghae, and staring at Yesung instead of whoever held the camera. 

My heart bled with the realization that we would never live in that moment again. It was in the past. And I don’t know that any of us appreciated it enough when it was our present. 

Once, I read that you only appreciate the value of a moment once it is a memory. That’s the kind of sentiment that I want to disagree with. The fear that it may be true inspired me to try to form myself into a person who seizes the day, who lives for right now, but I can’t quite do it. I can’t quite disagree with the truth. 

Let me be clear: there was never a day that I didn’t love Donghae. Never a day since he greeted me that first time with his warm smile (until those short-lived days of discomfort) that I hadn’t associated Donghae with fondness and security. Yet, I had never thought clearly or deeply about him— I hadn’t really seen him until I noticed his absence, until I felt him drifting away. 

I hate that this is the truth: I never knew how much I loved Donghae until I couldn’t call to tell him. 

It didn’t matter if he already knew. It didn’t matter that I would have gotten too shy or scared or embarrassed to tell him everything. It didn’t matter that I would always hold something back. I climbed the stairs, heavy with regret, clutching the picture frame against my chest. 

I wasn’t crying, I think, because some part of me expected to find Mom sobbing on her bed, face pressed into a pillow. The light was off, and I didn’t dare illuminate what I didn’t want to see— what I heard well enough. Stiff, silent, and awkward, I sat on the edge of the bed, tracing my fingertips along the elegant pattern on Mom’s silky pink comforter.

Of course, I knew that I couldn’t bring the photograph back to life. I knew that there was no merit in dreaming of turning back the hands of time, but I couldn’t shake the thought that if I could go back, I could lessen these present-tense pains. It didn’t make sense. 

How might things have been different had I known at age six or seven that Mom was a former trainee? Would I have looked at Donghae differently if I had known all that time that he wanted Mom to be in love with him? Had I known, would I have made all the decisions and formed all the relationships that led me to Taemin in the garden under the moonlight? 

I didn’t know. I don’t know. 

There was immense discomfort in realizing that I could never know. There was discomfort in believing, even as my mother moved to sob in my lap, that this was still the best version of the universe because this was where Taemin loved me. 

There was something bittersweet in accepting that even if this wasn’t the best timeline, even if this wasn’t the best reality, we couldn’t choose where we were born. I hadn’t chosen for life to be this way. There was nothing I could do to change our circumstances; we would have to learn to be happy because of or despite them. 

Mom said, “I understand that he—” I understood ‘he’ to mean Donghae— “doesn’t want to see me anymore. Outside of work, that’s his right.” Sitting upright, Mom revealed a small handwritten note in her palm. “But did he really have to send Sehun over here with that picture I gave him for his birthday and this note?”

Initially, my eyes fixated on the red thread bracelet on her wrist, trailing down closer to her elbow. I had never seen it (or anything like it) before. Swallowing the desire to ask where she had gotten the bracelet, I took the note and squinted to read the scrawled writing in the dark. 

It’s cruelty was simple. “Choose.”

My brow quivered. Choose what? To be with Donghae or not to be? It seemed to me that Mom made her choice. Regardless of some unspoken attraction to Donghae, she had chosen for fifteen years not to pursue that relationship. 

Maybe I just didn’t understand what might compel someone to beg for love, but I thought that at this point, Donghae was prolonging everyone’s misery. Maybe he just couldn’t imagine how difficult it was for Mom to reject him. Maybe the line between sorrow and anger, for me, had become too blurred in the recent chaos. 

I was overwhelmed by empathy for Donghae and for Mom. While I couldn’t divorce what I felt for one from what I felt for the other, I would have exploded from acknowledging both at the same time. Maybe because she was the one I understood better, maybe because she was the one crying before me, maybe because she had been with me longer, or maybe just because she was my Mom, the protective rage I felt on her behalf in that moment overshadowed every other emotion I had experienced in my entire life. 

I would have had to leave even if she hadn’t calmly instructed, “Go back to the party, Lei. Go have fun with your friends.” Maybe it’s selfish that I couldn’t work through my discomfort to be with her, but I couldn’t stand Mom’s tears. 

Even with her permission, I couldn’t quite move. I couldn’t quite leave her until she laid back on her pillow and added, “I just need some time alone to collect myself. I’ll be down soon.” 

Spurred by her encouragement, I left Mom’s room, but I didn’t return to the party. Clenching that stupid note in my fist, crinkling the lettering beyond recognition, and carrying the picture frame down at my side, I stormed into my bedroom. 

With little consideration of the fact that glass breaks, I slammed the picture face down onto the vanity that once housed the ribbon now donned on Taemin’s wrist. It’s only though some miracle that the metal frame didn’t shatter the mirror. 

The glass from the picture frame littered the vanity, crystallized around the vase of flowers Taemin gave me for my debut anniversary (where I had also placed his wilting rose from the garden), spilled onto the pale hardwood floor. I couldn’t even care because all I saw was Donghae’s smiling poster. All I knew was that I couldn’t have that anymore, couldn’t look at it anymore, couldn’t let it look at me for another second. 

A part of me that wasn’t satisfied with having destroyed only the picture frame wanted to rip the poster straight down the middle. It was only the tiniest fragment of my mind, but it was so loud that I—

I almost couldn’t hear that most of me sobbed at having shattered something so fragile and precious in a fit of rage, no matter how justified. Most of me wanted to run back to the vanity and try in vain to fit the pieces of glass back together, knowing well that it would never work— the frame would never be whole again, and I would only stain the photograph red with my blood. I just wanted to try to fix it because nobody wants to believe that they have broken something beyond repair. 

I didn’t race to the vanity, though. Trying (and failing) to steady my trembling hands, I plucked from the sky-blue painted walls each pin supporting Donghae’s poster. Although I let the pins hit the floor, I caught the poster in my arms just as Taemin filled the doorway behind me and asked, “Why are you taking Donghae’s poster down?”

It wasn’t the first time Taemin saw me cry. Objectively, that night wasn’t any worse than the night in the garden. This time, I wasn’t falling apart. Maybe you can’t fall apart once you know who you are. 

When Taemin walked into my room and sat on my bed, looking at me with concern that more closely resembled the curiosity he always reserved for me, I couldn’t quite meet his eyes. 

Holding the poster out to him because I didn’t know what to do with it anymore, I explained that it was my first Christmas without Donghae, who returned an old photograph of us with that note I left crumbled on my vanity. 

I mumbled, covering my eyes with my hands, “It just hurts to look at him. I don’t want to think about these painful things while looking at him. I don’t want—”

Through my shallow sobs, I couldn't explain that I didn't want the actions of Donghae today to define the Donghae of yesterday, of every day past. Maybe I didn’t know the words to describe my fear that these feelings of rage, bewilderment, and the all-encompassing sense of having been abandoned by another father would permanently taint what I hoped beyond all hopes could be salvaged. 

After folding the poster and laying it gently against my pillow, Taemin crossed the distance between us, enveloped me in his arms, and promised again and again— until the words almost lost all meaning— “It will be okay. Everything will be okay.” 

I wanted to believe Taemin and feel content to stay in his arms, but I had to do something with the rage bubbling in my gut. I couldn’t express that I was tired of waiting for the day when everything would feel okay. Apologizing, I untangled myself from his arms and barreled down the stairs into the party that was as jovial as it had been when Mom first left to mend her own broken heart. 

The goal had been to find Lucas. Feeling better always started with Lucas. 

The problem was that I found Sehun first, back pressed to the wall separating the dining room from the living room. 

My intentions hadn’t been confrontational or argumentative at first. Figuring that Sehun already knew about Donghae’s gifts as the person who brought them, I thought it was convenient that I wouldn’t have to explain much of the story. Besides, if my temper got the best of me, I didn’t mind having Sehun as a witness; I didn’t care what he thought of me. 

Maybe I believed that a tantrum wouldn’t hurt him. Maybe, at least in that moment, I didn’t care if I hurt him because— I acknowledged, glare hardening  as he looked at me— Sehun helped hurt Mom. 

Quietly, hoping not to attract attention, I said, “I need to talk to you.” 

Sehun blinked at me. If he saw that I was upset and had any desire to comfort me, he didn’t act like it. Crossing his arms over his chest, he mumbled, “What’s wrong with you? Can’t find your boyfriend?”

My face burned. “I don’t have time for your games.” Aware that people— namely, Baekhyun, from his place on the couch— were watching us, purely wanting to take the conversation somewhere a little more private, I grabbed around Sehun’s black tie and pulled him out the front door. 

The comfort provided by his lack of protest was short lived. The moment I closed the door, shutting us out in the cold nighttime snowfall on the front porch, Sehun tsked, “Your boyfriend really isn’t gonna like that, Lei. You’re a little new to love, so I’ll give you a tip: Don’t grab other guys by the tie.” 

I rolled my eyes as Sehun straightened his tie, and, although it was none of his business, I argued, “Taemin is not—”

“Ah,” Sehun wagged a mocking ginger, “I never said a name. You did. So there is something going on there. God—” he shouted at the sky so loudly that anyone in the house could have heard— “I thought you would only look at me like that!”

I gasped at Sehun’s allegation that I had ever felt anything toward him that compared to my love for Taemin.

Maybe— maybe if you promise never to tell anyone, I’ll admit that once upon a time, Sehun made my heart flutter in a way that didn’t make me want to slap him across the face. Maybe I’ll admit in a quiet whisper that over years, he had broken my heart little by little until the Christmas party two years ago when he shattered every illusion I ever harbored about him and dating and boys in general under the stupid mistletoe in a corner of my mother’s house. 

Sometimes, I almost convinced myself that Sehun never meant to hurt me. That almost helped me look at him. Often, I tried to believe that the Sehun under the mistletoe wasn’t the Sehun before me, but Sehun (present-tense) was raising his eyebrows, provoking me further on a night when I needed nothing other than a friend. Sehun then was the same person who hurt me on Christmas with little effort. 

At once crumbling under the weight of the mistletoe crown I had forgotten was on my head, I snatched it off, eyes watering at the sharp pain of it yanking at my hair. Tossing the crown onto the rocking chair in the corner of the porch, I wondered what good I imagined would come from leaving sweet, loving Taemin in my bedroom. 

I wondered what good I imagined would come from talking to Sehun, who remarked, “I guess you’ve really grown up then, huh?” 

His smirk annoyed me. “I wish you would,” I muttered, unable to look at him for more than a second at a time. “Really, I wish you hadn’t even come.” 

It wasn’t fair. I dragged him outside. What did I expect him to say or do to make things better? What right did I have to lose my temper when I should have known he would do little other than tease me? Stupid. I never should have left my room. 

Reaching out for my arm, Sehun argued, “You don’t mean that. You love seeing—”

His touch ignited my anger, temporarily numbing my sympathy for him. Wrenching my arm out of his grasp, I tried to burn Sehun with my gaze. “No, I don’t.” He shrank back, furrowed his brow, and I swallowed my remorse to bark, “It’s one thing to tease me. I don’t like it, but I don’t really expect much else from you. One day, I won’t give a shit what you say. And until then— well— I guess I’ve never been able to stay mad even though you make a fool of me again and again. But I will never forgive you for what you’ve done today.”

When I turned away and reached for the frozen doorknob, wincing as its chill bit through my fingertips, Sehun grabbed me again. He spun me around and lowered his face so it was level with mine, so I couldn’t look away as he asked, “What is wrong with you?”

For a second, or maybe less, I thought he was being serious until he continued, “Are you mad because your boyfriend kissed me? I didn’t ask him to or anything, so—”

“Is everything a joke to you?” There were no traces of humor in Sehun’s features, but I asked anyway. “Why the hell would I care if Taemin kisses you?”

Sighing as I swatted his hands away, Sehun shrugged and stuffed his hands into his pants’ pockets. “I don’t know. You shouldn’t be upset. You were a much better—”

“You’re a real jerk, you know that?” Too furious to stomach looking at him, yet too furious to look away, I stared right into Sehun’s eyes, repulsed by his poorly stifled chuckle as I challenged, “It’s not enough that you ruined Mom’s night, so now you’re bringing up how you ruined my Christmas a couple years ago?”

Sehun stuttered, “I— I ruined—” He coughed. “What’s wrong with your mom?” Genuine concern flickered through Sehun’s eyes before he claimed, “I didn’t do anything to—”

“Oh, no, you just delivered the cruelest gift on Donghae’s behalf, right? Because you can’t resist the opportunity to make me miserable—”

“You’re right!” Sehun’s face flushed red. “My entire world revolves around you! I only came here tonight because I wanted to see you! God only knows why when you always treat me like dirt under your shoes.”

Of course I didn’t quite believe him, but Sehun never looked like a liar. He never sounded like a liar. There was some part of me that had existed for years that always wanted to believe him. 

Dropping his hold on me, Sehun huffed, “Maybe if I’d known that Taemin would be hanging all over you like a lovesick puppy or some shit—”

I spoke through my teeth. “Stop talking about Taemin.” 

Sehun cut his eyes from me and ran a rough hand through his hair. “Whatever. Keep denying that there’s something going on with him—”

“What do you want from me, Sehun?”

Did he want me to tell him about the ribbon and the night and the garden and all the nights on tour? Too bad. I would never trust him with anything so fragile and precious and dear to my heart. It was mine, and he couldn’t have it. I would never let him have it. 

Sehun returned the question to me. “What do you want from me, Lei? Do you want me to apologize for kissing you two years ago? Because I won’t. Should I say that I’m sorry for giving your mom gifts from my friend when I didn’t even know what they were?”

I opened my mouth to say that I wasn’t very interested in hearing what he had to say, but Sehun spoke instead. “Without even telling you, I’ve done so much for you. I’ve carried and guarded so many secrets for you, and you just— I don’t expect you to thank me, but would it kill you to just—”

When Sehun stopped abruptly, I followed his gaze to find that Baekhyun had drawn the blinds to watch us through the window from his place on the couch. Our eyes met. Baekhyun looked away first. 

“Whatever,” Sehun grumbled. 

Before I could think of anything to say, before I could embrace or deny the burning urge to apologize, Heechul brushed by me to walk inside, I assumed, to find and comfort Mom. I would have followed Heechul inside to escape the fight that had gone too far even if Sehun hadn’t started the walk to his car first. 

Sehun must have taken the mistletoe crown with him; it wasn’t on the rocking chair when I searched for it in the dark. 

Lucas wrapped me in a bone crushing hug as soon as I walked in from the late night chill. He only released me when I promised, “I’m okay. I’m fine. I just really want to talk to Taemin.” Although Lucas could have teased me, he only nodded and nudged me toward the stairs. 

Baekhyun, the only person I thought knew about my argument with Sehun, didn’t say anything. He didn’t even glance up at me from the popcorn garland (that I made with Lucas that morning) that he was eating one piece at a time. If I imagined that Baekhyun could be sad, that’s what I imagined he would look like: eyes downcast, lips puckered into a boyish little pout, cheeks flushed. Had I been well enough to talk, I would have asked what was wrong. 

At the base of the stairs, where Kai and Wookie excitedly discussed their favorite holiday songs, I discarded my red heels. Before either of them— or any of the others at the still thriving party— could notice me, I dashed up to my room, shoes in hand. 

I don’t know how I knew that I would find Taemin there, sweeping the glass shards around the vanity into a small trash bin. Still standing by the door after I closed it with a soft click, after dropping my shoes onto the floor, I eagerly broke the silence. “I’m sorry I left you here to clean my mess.”

Glancing at the cleaned and reorganized vanity, I saw that he left the folded Donghae poster under the photograph on the same corner where the ribbon had once been. I could only hope that their color wouldn’t fade, that they wouldn’t collect dust for long. 

Taemin lightly kicked the bin under the vanity and walked to me. In both warm hands, he cupped my cheeks, and it wasn’t until I looked into his eyes— kind and comforting and sparkling although the only light in my room was the moon’s rays flooding in through the window behind him— that I realized I was crying. 

Wiping the tears, Taemin promised, “I’ll always be here to help you clean your messes. That’s nothing to apologize for. It’s okay if you run off and take whatever space you need because I’ll always be here when you come back.” 

I wrapped my arms around Taemin’s waist and pulled him against me. I hesitated to press my face against his chest because I didn’t want to stain his clothes with my makeup. There was little room to resist, however, when he drew me closer to his heartbeat, gently combing a hand through my hair. 

As if it would make everything better, I said, “I love you.” Taemin probably would have said that he loved me had I not continued, “I really don’t want to go back down to the party.” I didn’t care if I was being cowardly. 

“Okay,” Taemin agreed, “then we won’t.” 

I hadn’t expected him to stay with me when he could have been downstairs laughing with Kai, but I wouldn’t say anything to convince him to go. Maybe I didn’t need Taemin, but I wanted him. 

“Do you want to talk about it?” Taemin asked once we were seated side by side on my bed (which was much bigger than any of our tiny hotel beds), atop a light blue quilt I had owned my entire life. 

Glancing away from Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, playing on the television mounted on the wall, I met Taemin’s careful gaze and shook my head. “Not really. The last time I tried to talk about this, Sehun and I yelled at each other and traumatized Baekhyun.”

“I’m not going to yell at you,” Taemin said quietly, as if to demonstrate his benevolence. Looking around the room, he joked, “And there’s no Baekhyun in sight!”

Smiling vaguely— and then biting on my lips because smiling didn’t seem right— I admitted, “Aside from all of the Donghae drama, I feel bad for taking my frustration out on Sehun, even though he was being annoying.”

“I don’t think Sehun would have a hard time forgiving you if you apologize.” Taemin disconnected my phone from its charger and handed it to me. When I only accepted it quietly, Taemin added, “I’m not saying that I think you have to apologize. It’s just— if you’re sorry—”

Taemin didn’t even have to know the full context of the argument; he encouraged me to apologize to Sehun only because he thought it would lessen my burden. He thought it would make me feel better. 

“Later,” I decided and laid my phone face down on the nightstand. I wasn’t quite ready to face my actions just yet. And, as I told Taemin, “I just want to be with you right now.” 

With a nod, Taemin swallowed his concern. Smiling like a child, he pointed at the small white-wrapped gift on the nightstand and asked, “What’s that?”

Once I grabbed the gift, I held it out to Taemin, giggling at his wide-eyed expression. “If you don’t like it—” Taemin shook his head, hair flopping as he accepted the present— “then I’ll be more than happy to keep it!”

The enthusiastic shaking of Taemin’s head stopped only as he admired the opened gift. “Does this—” He tucked my hair behind my ear and traced his thumb over my crescent moon earring as he had earlier in the dining room. Taemin beamed down at the giftbox and boasted, “This matches yours!”

I blushed as he retracted his hand to fit his new earring into one of his piercings. “Yeah. They’re two halves of a pair. I didn’t know if you’d like it, but—”

Taemin lightly kissed my cheek, dangerously close to my mouth, and swore, “I love it,” so I didn’t bother to explain the thoughts that led me to choose the moon earrings as his gift. Because f the way Taemin smiled at me, it seemed that he already understood. 

He stood and said, “I left your gift downstairs. I’ll be right back!”

Before he even left the room, I knew that I wouldn’t be able to fall asleep without Taemin’s embrace. Considering his frequent requests to come over throughout the week, I expected that Taemin would agree to stay until sunrise if I asked. Thinking only of making Taemin comfortable, I tiptoed down the hall to Lucas’s room in search of pajamas. 

As I passed Mom’s room and found it empty, I sighed in relief, releasing the breath I hadn’t known I was holding. Heechul must have convinced her to return to the party; he was good at that kind of thing. Although I didn’t quite want to join them, I was glad to imagine Mom having fun downstairs. 

When I first ran up the stairs back into Taemin’s arms, a critical part of my mind cursed me for running from the party— for running from Sehun as I always had. However, I decided as I imagined the smile that might settle on Taemin’s face when I asked him to stay, making new memories didn’t count as running. Spending time with Taemin counted as embracing the present, letting go of the past, and looking excitedly toward the future. 

As I emerged from Lucas’s closet, clutching a black t-shirt and gray sweatpants, I was caught. Face dangerously close to mine, Lucas asked, “What are you doing?”

The party must have been raging for nobody to react to my ear-splitting scream or Lucas’s subsequent side-splitting laughter. 

I wheezed, pressing a palm flat over my chest, “You just gave me a heart attack, Lucas! You should really learn to announce yourself.”

“I didn’t realize I had to announce myself in my own room,” Lucas rolled his eyes. His room— as if he hadn’t occupied a guest room. “I came to check on you. When you weren’t in your room, I didn’t expect to find you stealing from my closet!”

“It’s not stealing.” I tried to walk around Lucas, too embarrassed to explain that I was taking his clothes to encourage Taemin to spend the night. “It’s borrowing.” 

Lucas laughed. “Right.” He didn’t block the door; he walked into the hall first, and that allowed him to catch a glimpse of Taemin slipping into my room, gift box in hand. “Oh, I see!” Lucas winked and snorted at my blush. “Tell Taemin he can keep those—” he nodded toward the bundle of clothes in my hands— “if he wants to. He’s pretty sentimental, huh? He’ll want some kind of souvenir of the first time you asked him to spend the night.” 

My face burned as I kicked Lucas toward the stairs, giggling as he reacted with a dramatic cry as he ran a hand over the injury. 

When I returned to my room, I found Taemin sitting on my bed, a small white-wrapped gift sitting in his lap. I sat by his side and gave him the bundle of Lucas’s clothes in exchange for his box. 

“What’s this?” Taemin lowered his head before mine to steal my attention away from his gift. 

“Pajamas,” I forced myself to answer casually, delicately picking at tape. “You know, in case you want to spend the night. Here. With me.” Funny. Until I started talking, I didn’t think that I was nervous. Now, I couldn’t seem to stand the silence. How embarrassing. 

Taemin smiled at my invitation. His smile grew as he noticed my wide-eyed reaction to his gift: a silver crescent moon hanging on a delicate silver chain. 

It’s important to note that Taemin and I hadn’t coordinated our gifts. The only explanation for our matching, I guessed, was that we each associated the other with the moon that watched over us on that first night in the garden. The only explanation was that Taemin and I remembered that night with the same heart fluttering joy. We were on the same page at the same time, and that was rare and beautiful. 

“Here.” Taemin lifted the necklace out of its box with nimble fingers and motioned for me to turn my back to him. After struggling with the clasp for so long that I started giggling (which was mostly a reaction to Taemin’s high pitched whining), he finally secured the necklace around my neck. He placed a light kiss to the nape of my neck before turning me to face him. 

“Thank you,” I said while tracing my fingers along the cold pendant. 

“You’re welcome,” Taemin yawned and wrapped an arm around me. It was a cliche move, I guess, but it was cute enough to make me smile. “I’m kinda tired. Are you sure you don’t wanna go back to the party?”

Accepting my nod, Taemin grabbed Lucas’s clothes and started toward the door, I assumed, to change in the bathroom across the hall. 

“Wait!” I blurted as if what I wanted to say couldn’t wait another minute. Maybe it couldn’t. Maybe I had waited long enough. For a few seconds, I sat on the edge of my bed, gathering Taemin’s giftbox and the wrinkled wrapping paper. I was thankful that he had only stopped in his tracks; he hadn’t turned to face me. I don’t know that I could have looked him in the eyes as I confessed, “I want us to be together.”

“Huh?” Taemin gasped when I threw my arms around his waist, pulled his body against mine, and rose onto the tips of my toes to kiss the nape of his neck— the same place where he had kissed me just moments earlier. 

Taemin turned in my embrace. “I’ll be right back,” he assured, his lips meeting the crown of my head. “I just have to go change, and—”

Taemin cocked his head when I shook mine. “No, I mean—” I was stuttering, too excited to speak properly. I wasn’t quite nervous— or maybe I was; maybe it was anxiety that tied my stomach in knots. “I have to tell you that I love the necklace, and I love you, and I want to be your girlfriend, please.”

There was nothing to be afraid of. Taemin didn’t even search my face for uncertainty— perhaps knowing that he would find none— before giggling and running his hands down the lengths of my arms. “Is that it?” 

I nodded, and Taemin played, “It’s nice that you said ‘please.’ That’s very polite of you.” He must have been excited that I was voluntarily taking this bold step toward him. I wouldn’t have faulted him for teasing me. It didn’t hurt me when he teased me. “I want you to be my girlfriend, too, but not as much as I want to be your boyfriend.” 

He looked at me with raised eyebrows, so I agreed, “You can be my boyfriend, Taemin.” 

Maybe it was a little silly to be so ecstatic about titles when Taemin and I had been together for those few months that felt like forever, but after he left the room, I smiled so widely that my cheeks hurt as I danced into my pajamas. I was still smiling as I leaped onto the bed, eagerly awaiting the moment when Taemin would fill the space beside me— this time as my boyfriend— when my phone rang.

Should I be embarrassed that, even after the symbolic (dramatic) act of removing his poster from the wall, I accepted Donghae’s call? I’m not embarrassed. You have to understand how much he meant to me. You have to try to imagine how many smiles he planted on my face through years of kindness. 

I must have loved Donghae beyond comprehension. At the sight of him, small and smiling on my phone’s screen, every recently born resentment I held toward him was released. I don’t know if I could have clung to my anger even if I wanted to. 

Maybe it’s impossible to stay angry at somebody you love. Maybe I was looking for every excuse to forgive him for hurting Mom even if he wasn’t sorry.

I smiled a heavy sort of sincere smile as I greeted, “Hello. Merry Christmas,” with a small wave. 

“Merry Christmas.” Donghae mirrored my wave. His smile seemed heavier than mine. “Sehun said you were upset.” 

Is that why Donghae called? Not because his Christmas was incomplete without me (like mine was incomplete without him) but because Sehun tattled on me? My heart sank and only rose from the cold depths of disappointment when Taemin entered the room with his brilliant grin. 

Careful not to make any noise that would alert Donghae to Taemin’s presence— not wanting him to scold me or Mom because a boy was in my bedroom, a place much more intimate than a hotel room— I placed a finger over my lips and motioned for Taemin to sit on the floor. Because Donghae’s eyes were downcast, he didn’t notice. 

Taemin obeyed my instruction to be quiet, but he didn’t sit on the floor as I requested. Gently, he eased onto my bed, sitting down at my feet. I stifled a chuckle, reasoning that as long as he didn’t say anything, there was no harm in Taemin’s small rebellion. 

“Lei.” Donghae reclaimed my attention. “I called to check on you. Are you okay?”

Meeting his gaze, I answered, “I’m okay now. I just—” I almost choked on my honesty— “I missed you earlier, and—”

Did I dare to confront Donghae about the photograph? I had to; it wasn’t right to take out my aggression on Sehun without being willing to confront the source. 

“I saw a picture of all of us taken at one of your birthday parties years ago, back when I was a little kid, and I guess—” As if to remind me that he was there, that it was okay to be honest even when it hurt, Taemin grabbed my hand and empowered me to admit, “I’ve been sad lately because so much has changed.”

Moments passed in silence before Donghae acknowledged, nodding, “Yeah. Change is inevitable, and it can seem scary. You’re at a time in life where you’re starting to step into the world as an adult— and that’s a very good thing. I don’t know exactly how you're feeling, but I know that watching you grow is scary for me.” 

Donghae laughed, so I laughed too. Taemin squeezed my hand. 

Donghae confessed, “Lately, I’ve worried that maybe I’ve been a burden to you— like when I overreacted to your dance practice with Lucas or when I lost my temper because your mom trusted the boys in your group to share a room with you.”

I shook my head. “I won’t lie— you kind of embarrassed me. I mean, not so much with Lucas because I don’t care what he thinks, but Taemin—” Taemin’s eyes widened at his name— “I care what Taemin thinks.” 

Donghae apologized, and I said, “It’s okay. I don’t mind being embarrassed by you when you mean well. I’d rather have you here to overprotect me than have you stand someplace far away where I can’t see you just because you’re not sure what to do.”

I knew that Donghae skipped the party to avoid his tension with Mom, but I considered that maybe he was avoiding tension with me as well. I didn’t want him to avoid me. 

“I’m sorry that I haven’t done a better job of teaching you that always, no matter how far apart we may be from time to time, I love you. You’re like my daughter, Lei, and nothing can change that. If you need me or if you just want to talk, I’m always just a phone call away.”

Maybe because I wanted to— maybe because I needed to— I believed Donghae when he said that he loved me. I just wasn’t quite comforted because, as I told him, “My heart is broken for you. Donghae, I’m not trying to pry into your feelings for Mom—”

Midway through a gulp of water, Donghae choked. Water dribbled from his mouth down to the front of his black t-shirt. Did he not know how obvious his infatuation was? 

“— but how could you have returned the picture Mom gave you for your birthday? Did it hurt you at all to—”

“The picture?” Donghae dropped his phone onto the counter. I could hear him shuffling through his living room before he showed his panicked face. “I didn’t return the picture, but I can’t find it. I usually keep it on the mantle above my fireplace, but it’s not there!”

It was evident from his alarm that Donghae was telling the truth. My brow furrowed. “What do you mean? Sehun gave Mom your gift, and—”

“I gave your mom a bracelet like this one!” He held his hand up and pointed to a red thread on his wrist. I had seen one like it before— on Mom’s wrist when she was crying in her room. 

Again, I tried to explain what I knew. “Sehun said that he was here on behalf of you and Eunhyuk—”

Donghae’s eyes widened. “Lei, I have to go. I have to call Eunhyuk.”

Did that mean that Eunhyuk had stolen the photograph to give to Mom with that scribbled note? To me, that seemed over the top and inappropriate, but maybe Eunhyuk was tired of watching his friend pine. Maybe interfering (and hurting Mom in the process) was Eunhyuk’s way of rushing the fifteen years of rejection saga toward an ending with no regard for whether the ending would be happy. 

Is a sad ending better than no ending at all? I didn’t know.

“Don’t look so sad, Lei,” Donghae begged. “I’ll see you at the New Year’s party. And when I do—” He gestured to a bracelet on his wrist opposite from the one housing the red thread— “I’ll give you your gift: the bracelet that matches this.” 

I caught the briefest glimpse of the bracelet’s infinity symbol as I nodded. “Okay, Donghae. Goodnight, and please remember—” his brow furrowed in anticipation— “everything will be okay.” 

Donghae and I smiled, I think, because we both believed it. 

After saying his final Goodnight and Merry Christmas, Donghae ended the call, and Taemin wasted no time in claiming his place by my side at the head of the bed. Lacing his fingers through mine, Taemin asked, “Do you feel a little better now?”

I probably would have nodded my head even if I still felt terrible, but I felt as if the weight of the world— or at least the weight of Donghae’s fifteen years of heartbreak— had been lifted from my shoulders. It was as I had always hoped: even if Mom and Donghae weren’t bonded in a mutual love affair, Donghae still cared for me. Donghae would still have a presence in my life. 

Trusting that Donghae would somehow explain that he hadn’t returned the picture to Mom, I cast that issue from my mind. However matters between Mom and Donghae resolved, I wanted (or needed) to have as little involvement as possible to protect my relationships with each of them. 

Cupping my cheek— which I guess was Taemin’s new favorite thing to do— Taemin gushed, “I’m really proud of you. Do you know that?” It seemed like a peculiar thing for a boyfriend to tell his girlfriend, but I guessed I didn’t know much about how real couples talked to each other. Anyway, I appreciated Taemin’s pride in me. 

Just as I was about to say something too cringe-worthy to repeat, like, “Are you proud enough to kiss me?” Grandma walked into the room, black sweater sparkling. 

It was incredible, really, that after his colossal meltdown that night in the hotel when I said that anyone could catch us sleeping together, Taemin hadn’t thought to lock the door. Although Taemin hid his face behind my shoulder, and my entire body burned crimson in utter humiliation, Grandma didn’t scold us. She didn’t seem surprised, and she didn’t acknowledge Taemin’s presence in any way other than flashing a simple smile. 

“Lei, I just came to get my phone.” Grandma approached us only to grab her phone from my nightstand. “Goodnight!”

She locked the door on her way out, but our intimate atmosphere was now laced with tense embarrassment. Our innocence was somehow tainted by her unspoken expectation that something was either happening or going to happen. It was one thing for Taeyong to suspect that something was happening and giggle about it over hot wings; it was another for Grandma to suspect that we were up to no good and, worse, to encourage it. 

Face still hidden, Taemin squeaked, “So we’re not in trouble?”

I laid back on my pillow and sighed, grateful that if somebody had to walk in (other than Lucas, Kai, or Taeyong), it was Grandma. “No. Grandma’s not the scolding type.” 

She wasn’t the tattling type either, so she wouldn’t say anything to Mom. If Grandma ever told anyone that she found Taemin in my room, it would be Wookie; she would probably wait until next year, when there was less risk of us getting in trouble, to tell Wookie over a cup of tea. 

“Besides—” I glanced up at Taemin’s red face— “she likes you too much to get mad at you.” 

Taemin lit up, and his blush faded almost all at once. “She likes me?” Maybe Taemin didn’t understand that nobody could get through a conversation with him without falling. 

“Not as much as I like you, but—” 

I didn’t even get to finish teasing. My words encouraged Taemin to lay himself down and fit his warm body to mine. 

I’ll never know why we didn’t kiss that night when it would have been so easy. I guess it must have been the same unknown reason that we didn’t kiss any of those nights on tour in the privacy of our room. Despite the burning urge to lean in and feel his lips against mine for the first time, I kind of enjoyed the wait. Without realizing it, I had waited for Taemin my entire life. Now that he was there, listening to me, speaking to me, holding me, loving me, the wait for a kiss was no real burden. 

Taemin fell asleep minutes after his head hit the pillow. He must have been telling the truth when he said that he couldn’t sleep in the SuperM house. With Taemin snoring faintly into the still darkness, I drew a deep breath. 

In this perfect moment, there was only one thing nagging in my mind, tying my stomach in knots (as usual): the thought of Sehun. 

The urge to apologize to him was like an itch I couldn’t quite reach. And even if I could reach it, what reason did I have to believe that scratching it would make it go away? Isn’t that the worst thing to do when you’re trying to heal— disrupt the injury? 

Maybe, a part of me argued, the apology was more like applying medicine. Maybe apologizing would make me feel better, even if it didn’t magically make us friends. 

They were rather selfish, my reasons for reaching for my phone to text Sehun. I didn’t care much about making him feel better or receiving his forgiveness; I just knew that I wouldn’t get any sleep unless I tried to satisfy my conscience, unless I tried to untangle the knots in my stomach. 

[satonthelotuspier]

❄️ Untamed Winter Fest 2019 ❄️

Day 4 - Decorating - 1.7k - Continuation of Day 2 

Lan Xichen knocked on the door of Jiang Wanyin’s apartment, hoping he was the first to arrive. He had a bottle of wine and nibbles intended for later, much later, after the rest of Wanyin’s family had finished making their decorations and taken them and their sleepy children home, and a selfish want for a little of his boyfriend’s time to himself before the others turned up.

He thought their relationship was getting towards the point where they needed to have the talk about moving in together, but he felt it was fair to leave that topic until after the holidays and all the busyness they entailed, unless Wanyin brought it up earlier of course.

Jiang Wanyin opened the door at that point, and all thought left his head at the sight of his boyfriend, dressed in faded old jeans and a purple v-neck jumper that looked as soft as a rabbit’s fur to touch. How did he manage to make being fully dressed look inviting?

“You’re a little earlier than I expected you” Jiang Wanyin told him stepping back to allow him into the apartment, “But that’s great, you can help me put the tree up and the lights on”

“Anything you want” Xichen agreed as Wanyin closed the door behind him.

But first.

He bent the short distance needed to be able to press a kiss against Wanyin’s unsuspecting mouth.

The brief kiss was over far too quickly for Xichen’s liking, but his family would be arriving any time, and they did have all night later. It didn’t mean he wasn’t going to spend a few extra minutes hugging his boyfriend though. “I wish you had time to seriously muss me up before your family arrive” he murmured regretfully, brushing a lock of hair off of Wanyin’s forehead.

The other pushed him away to arms length at his comment, with a “How can your face be so damn thick as to keep spouting things like that?” he complained, flushing helplessly.

“How can yours be so thin that you’re still blushing at this stage of our relationship?” Xichen asked in amusement.

“Who’s blushing?” Wanyin’s voice rose a decibel or two.

“Oh, no one, no one” Xichen placed a kiss on the jut of Wanyin’s cheekbone, anointing the flush, before pulling away regretfully. “Lets get the tree” he heard Wanyin pull a breath of relief in, so he couldn’t help but add, “Will you promise to muss me up completely later?”

It had the desired effect, and Wanyin’s face flamed.

#

Jiang Cheng’s apartment was in a modern building, and the living space was open and airy, with floor to ceiling windows down one side of the room. It didn’t take them long to get the tree into place in the corner next to the windows, and they worked together to get the white lights strung and spread out to perfection just as the first knock on the door announced Jiang Yanli and Jin Zixuan, with their eight year old son Jin Ling.

Jiang Yanli bustled in with a container and her usual friendly cheer, “I brought dessert” she informed and paused to hug Jiang Cheng, “You like almond cookies, right?” she asked Xichen as she also gave him a hug.

“Of course, who doesn’t?” Xichen responded.

Jiang Cheng could tell, despite how comfortable Xichen was with personal contact within their relationship he was still surprised by casual touch outside of that. But Yanli had always been someone who showed her love through touch with her family, which extended by default to her family’s family. Jiang Cheng and Wei Wuxian had grown up with it so it was the norm for them, whereas, from what Jiang Cheng had gleaned from both Lan Wangji and Xichen, theirs had been a much more restrained household. It was a wonder Xichen was as demonstrative as he was with Jiang Cheng.

He watched, not realising what a sappy smile had curled his mouth as Xichen took the container from Yanli and fussed over her, automatically turning on his charm, the full focus of which was enough to make anyone swoon. He had her coat and hat, had her sat comfortably on the sofa and her preference for tea before she even realised what had happened.

“Apparently the Jiangs are particularly weak to the Lan charm” Zixuan teased Jiang Cheng, who was saved from having to make any response beyond a flush of embarrassment by the second, much more chaotic arrival of Wei Wuxian and his little family.

“A-Yuan take your coat off” Wei Wuxian grabbed hold of the back of A-Yuan’s collar, because he had seen Jin Ling and dashed forward in excitement, while Wuxian was only half out of his own shoes and coat, Lan Wangji stood at the back clucking over them both like an overworked mother hen as they turned taking off outwear into a complex ritual.

It didn’t take long to settle the noisy lot, serve drinks, and have all the crafting materials handed around ready for their afternoon of decoration making.

“We’re counting on you two to make some really great paper chains this year” Wei Wuxian told Jin Ling and Lan Yuan, both of whom agreed excitedly.

“But you’re going to help, right Uncle?” Jin Ling demanded.

“You bet I am” he agreed and Jiang Cheng rolled his eyes. The boys had always absolutely idolised Wei Wuxian. Jiang Cheng told him it was because he was the same mental age as a child so they were always on the same wavelength.

“I’m going to order pizza, yell what you want” Jiang Cheng threw into the ring, and his family didn’t disappoint him.

Lan Xichen looked a little lost at the racket, but Jiang Cheng easily picked out the  different requests shouted at him, each one over the top of the previous.

Once pizza was ordered he was dragged into the melee on the floor, making chains with his nephews and brother.

It was a noisy, chaotic, very Jiang-family afternoon. He noticed Lan Wangji and Xichen have to disappear to the kitchen occasionally, ostensibly to “make tea” but really just to take a break from the chaos. Jin Zixuan joined them once or twice, but after a decade of marriage into the family he was almost completely immune to it now.

They ate pizza and almond cookies, talked, laughed and bickered back and forth and strung paper chains and lanterns together until the sky outside darkened. Eventually Xichen was allowed to put some of the paper chains on the tree while Yanli supervised him, and A-Yuan and A-Ling hung the paper lanterns from random branches. Then they all stood back to observe their joint effort.

“Perfect” Yanli said, an arm around each of the boys’ shoulders and she hugged them into her sides.

“Not quite. But I know what’s missing” Xichen said and went to the kitchen, returning with a presentation box.

He brought it over to Jiang Cheng and held it out with the lid up.

“It’s missing just this I think”

Jiang Cheng’s stomach flipped inside him, and then dropped completely.

He reached out with a shaking hand to accept the purple tinted cut glass lotus flower Xichen held out to him.

It was the single most beautiful piece of craftsmanship he’d ever seen. It has a small tinkling bell and a beautiful shaded purple tassel hanging from the underside of the lotus.

“There’s one for Yanli and Wuxian too” Xichen held the box out to the other two who’d moved closer to look. They each took the lotus ornament obviously meant for them from the box, one almost identical to Jiang Cheng's for Yanli and a dark grey lotus with a red tassel for Wuxian, both of their touches gentle and reverent.

“How did you-?” Jiang Cheng cut the question off, because of course Wangji would know about the lotus being so important to his family, “Where did you-?” he tried, but that wasn’t even important. “This is beautiful, and completely perfect. You’re right, it is what’s missing from the tree” Jiang Cheng saw the pleasure his compliment had caused his boyfriend turn quickly to surprise as he launched himself at Xichen, arms around his neck, “Thank you so much” he didn’t even realise he was crying until Xichen rubbed his back and made soothing noises.

Of course that set Yanli crying, holding the lotus to her chest she wrapped the other arm around Xichen and Jiang Cheng, crying into Jiang Cheng’s shoulder, “This is so lovely, I can’t thank you enough” she managed to hiccup out.

And of course Wei Wuxian wouldn’t be out-done, wrapping his arms around them all. “Thanks Xichen I’ve always said you’re one of the best brother-in-laws I have” he propped his chin on Jiang Cheng’s other shoulder, his automatic humour-to-hide-emotion not doing a good enough job because there were tears rolling down his cheeks.

When he finally managed to break free Jiang Cheng pulled Lan Xichen over to the tree, to hang the crystal lotus ornament from one of the highest branches with him, almost like it was a ceremony.

“Perfect” Yanli said again, and this time no one said otherwise.

#

On the whole, Lan Xichen had had a very enjoyable day. It had been noisy and disordered and completely overwhelming on occasion, but he hoped to be involved in hundreds more similar days with Jiang Wanyin, Wangji and the rest of their family in the future.

He hummed his satisfaction, head resting against Wanyin’s chest where they cuddled together on the sofa in the dark, the only illumination from the Christmas tree lights and their reflection of the multicoloured paper decorations that had been made that afternoon.

Wanyin’s hand brushed through his hair in a repeated and extremely soothing brush.

It was fair to say with the combination of the exhaustion of dealing with Jiang Wanyin’s  boisterous family, the wine they’d drunk together this evening, and the soft, rhythmic stroke of Wanyin’s fingers in his hair he couldn’t keep his eyes open.

So he stopped fighting the feeling and let sleep take him.

He didn’t know whether he really heard the “I love you” or whether it was his dreaming mind playing tricks on him.

Day 4 down and the second outing for these two. Think there’s likely two more outings for them over the course of the month but the ideas I’m playing with fit into later prompts.

[ask-the-cordium-crew]

Holidays with the Kahn and Colonel (A WKTC holiday story)

William was outside in the forest with his beowolf Fluffy soon enough. He gasped and shouted, “BULLY!!!” 

He looked up and saw the perfect sized pine tree he soon whistled loudly. Fluffy growled loudly before raising his claw and cutting the tree down. William then got his axe and chopped off the extra bits sure Fluffy could cut the tree, but still, some need to be trimmed off.

He wasn’t perfect at cutting things in the right places unless those places were enemies of William and atlas.

“Ah, wonderful job Fluffy mind picking it up for me chap?” the big beowolf nodded gently before grabbing onto the tree and carrying it over his shoulders careful not to stab it with his spikes. Hence, it wasn’t too damaged. The two then headed towards a large home, and Will knocked on the door, smiling gently. The tiger faunus kicked the door open, causing William to stumble back.

While he was trying to regain his balance Sienna pounced on top of him soon on her knees while on top of his chest “got you~” she said while smirking William chuckled and then wrapped his arms around her before pushing her into the snow before smirking himself “no-no dear I GOT YOU! Ha, ha.”

She pushed him off him and then shook the snow off her self before helping him up. “Oh, William, you never stop surprising me. That's why I like it.” 

William spun around with his arms out while he spun around to get the snow off himself he grabbed onto her she looked surprised as they both spun around and did the tango.

William even had a tiger rose in his mouth. His aura stopped his mouth from bleeding after this, he spun her into the open door and made her spin right into a chair sitting her down. 

“OH, AND YOU NEVER DISAPPOINT ME MY FEISTY TIGER! ANYWAY ahem, Fluffy get in here and put the tree in the corner I'll set it up” Fluffy went inside the house ducking to avoid hurting himself, and after he put the tree in the corner he went up and closed the door and sat down next to it panting gently Sienna sighed gently.

“Must you bring that thing here? I know he’s your pet, but still, it unnerves me to see a beowolf even if I know it’s yours” in response to this fluffy gave her the finger she then gasped surprised. 

“Oh, will you two get along? it’s Christmas, and also, I needed his help getting the Christmas tree and well, you know the deal every second Christmas one of my Grimm get to stay with Fluffy and us we don’t do that to people we only give those type of jesters to Jacques Schnee.”

Fluffy and Sienna both rolled their eyes and crossed their arms “Fine William he can stay and oh I totally agree, but I'd rather break that mans back then just simply tell him to fuck off speaking of that how did fluffy learn how to do that?” she turned her head confused.

William was also confused looking at Fluffy and turned his head “not sure actually I blame Qrow brawnwen, but it could also be that fluffy hates Ironwood so much that he learned it himself” she laughed gently “Ok well that is a little funny a beowolf hating someone so much it teaches itself to tell people to fuck themselves.”

William soon got to set up the Christmas tree putting it into a stand, placing a mat under it and put on decorations. Instead, of an angel on top, it was some custom made figurine of him and her hugging while having halos above their heads after he was finished with the tree she hugged him and kissed him on the cheek.

“It looks wonderful, William. I am so glad we can spend Christmas together it’s the one time of year we don’t need to worry about either of our factions finding out about us since they are too busy with their own families.”

William smiled and kissed her in return before holding her close.

“One day, we won’t need to hide. Do not worry, my tigar goddess” she rolled her eyes and slapped him but playfully “alright now, don’t be a suck-up now. What are we having for Christmas dinner?” William rubbed his chin gently, then smirked his eyes sparkling “TURDUCKEN!” She rolled her eyes and smiled “I had a feeling you would say that thankfully I had 2 of each bird we’d need.” 

William kissed her on the cheek before running to the kitchen, “OH YOU KNOW ME SO WELL KITTEN!” 

Time skip.

After about 3 hours of hard cooking, they both were at the table next to the tree eating together. William then threw a whole turkey at fluffy, who ripped it to shreds and ate it roaring loudly. 

“He doesn't need to eat the doesn't even taste the food he just likes doing it” William giggled softly soon after a little bit of time they were finished eating. William gave Sienna her Christmas gift she opened it and smirked, “oh claw sharpeners just what I wanted to thank you, don’t worry I got you something too.” 

He turned his head confused she then gave him a box he ripped it open and gasped his eyes filled with stars “A BOX OF 6 FIRE DUST CRYSTALS AND SOME DIAMOND BULLET CASINGS YOU SHOULDN’T HAVE DEAR! oh, whoever messes with me is gonna be in so much pain when I use these bad boys bully indeed!”

He then grabbed onto one of the crystals and started to crunch it. “Oooh theirs some yellow dust mixed in lovely! just be glad it ain’t gravity dust that gives me gas,” he snickered, and she groaned “gross William.” 

She then turned to Fluffy and threw a box in his direction “I even got something for you” the beowolf ripped it to bits and then put on what was inside a Christmas hat saying ‘Christmas Pupper’ on it William then took a picture of Fluffy 

“OH MY GOD, THAT'S ADORABLE. I AM SO HANGING THIS PICTURE ON MY WALL!” he then sighed, “Thank you, dear, but you didn’t need to do that.” 

“Oh nonsense William, of course, I did I know you were gonna bring fluffy I know this is only our fourth Christmas together but I know which of your Grimm you love the most” “now-now Sienna dear I don’t pick favourites between my Grimm!” she then looked at him with a look saying ‘really?” “OK, FINE Fluffy is my favourite, but don’t tell the other three, especially peanut.”  

she then stuck her tongue out at him “fine, I won’t, but I pick the Christmas movie nothing by your brother” William whined, “AWW BUT HIS HOLIDAY MOVIES ARE BOTH DIRTY AND FUNNY!” She sighed gently, “I know you like them, but we both know your brother isn’t the biggest fan of faunus.” 

He groaned but nodded, “I know to trust me, I do. I don’t understand why I mean we were pretty much raised our whole lives by a deer faunus, but let's not worry about it.”

she then purred softly biting his neck before pushing him down “oh don’t worry I’ll sweeten the deal I’ve been feeling a bit stressed we can have a little fun in the bedroom after the movie~” she licked her lips 

William was utterly dense “OH sure I’d love to give you a Christmas spa treatment!” she just face pammed herself “not what I meant William, but that's fine to” 

They then got up and went to cuddle on the couch watching Christmas movies for most of the night each of their Christmases was a little different each year. Still, the two were happy, and that's all that mattered. She felt comfortable near him. She was allowed to be vulnerable, and it’s because of him, she had any faith in humankind. There were a lot of anti faunus people out there.

Before she met him, she hated all of mankind. She was no better than Adam Taurus, but after she met him, she had a bit more respect for humanity and was more bent on making sure they had equal rights he helped her be a better person, and she helped him stay sane and happy.   

Too bad, it wouldn’t be like this forever. They only had two more Christmases together after this.

[chuckling-chemist]

Everybody Needs Somebody

((They say a picture’s worth 1000 words so I wrote 3750 because I can’t draw and then rushed the gag itself. Also probably the only thing I’ve really written of all this that I’m posting, be it here or anywhere, since my interpretation of the ball being at a swanky hotel was incorrect, but also everything else is only like....debatably relevant? All 1.5 other pieces, that is. idk, might another short piece or two but this one was certainly a vanity project written in the early hours of the morning in post-Stardew Valley Christmas hazes that is only getting posted to make myself feel better, for some sense of “welp did the thing I said I was going to write 6 months ago and here it is” type of thing.

Anyway there’s a lot of silly references in here so kudos if you pick them all out))

Joilet tapped his foot impatiently from behind their practice room. He hadn’t meandered much around the crowd of the ball -- ignoring the current charges against him, high class crowds weren’t his scene -- but current security was still enough to make him worry. Brownblood host or not, he knew enough have true highbloods stalking around as guards. Bouncers who Joilet’s certain were watching him and recognized him the last time he did a sweep of the temporary hivestem. After their performance, Joilet and Akroid were going to have to peel out immediately.

At least they were paid upfront this time upon meeting him in person the night prior. In cash.

Though, to be fair, the Blue Brothers shouldn’t have been paid. A friend of theirs in similar line of work, a brownblood named Elliah Fagane, performed last sweep and she was slated to perform again. She was perfect for the job, a good little songbird who kept complaints she had about anything to herself and was the perfect paragon of elegance and grace -- lowblood or not. The Blue Brothers, meanwhile, were two midbloods (Joilet was a stocky cobaltblood while Akroid was a lanky tealblood) who both had a penchant for getting into trouble. Under normal circumstances, the two of them alone -- much less the whole band -- would ever be asked to perform for a traditional socialite of any caste. But, they needed the money and so Joilet was able to pull a quick favor from her to have her drop her spot while simultaneously recommending them as adequate replacements. He accepted, playing as if he knew who the two of them were the whole time. He told them how much of a fan he was of their “country and western band”, how Elliah “just wasn’t the sound he wanted”, and how excited he was to get some “representation of their own people’s music, in a more palatable fashion” in the setist. 

He was partly right: once they performed a cover of Stand By Your Rail at a dive bar, pretending to be an actual western band. He’s pretty sure this guy wasn’t aware of that, but an attempt was made. At least.

Their tight, uniform appearance also helped matters. Despite the different castes and heights, Joilet and Akroid looked the part of a two person midblood group with a backup lowblood band. Same black sunglasses that cover up half their face, same black fedora hooked onto their respective short horn (Joilet’s left horn, Akroid’s right), same unruly hair covered up by said hat, same black suit and skinny black tie. Sure, Joilet’s other horn broke off during his stint in prison while Akroid’s just hooked off again and Joilet’s sideburns were unkempt, but otherwise? Perfectly uniform. If the host had any questions of their legitimacy, they were quickly quelled after seeing the two of them in person the other night and, to Joilet, that spoke just as much as their actual skill level.

Joilet glanced over to Akroid. Damn teal looked as unflappable as ever behind those dark sunglasses. It was him who got them in this whole situation in the first place. Akroid, the idiot who picked him up from the big hive at the start of the perigee with a pipe dream of getting the band back together. The idiot who resisted arrest for public intoxication from the drones all because he was a former felon himself, starting them on this stupid honkbird chase in a desparate bid for cash. Akroid, the idiot who helped get his ass out of prison in the first place, all due to whatever strange desire for the other’s companionship they developed over the sweeps.

Fuck him.

Akroid must have caught his gaze because he gave a short smile and a thumbs up. “We’re doing good,” he said. “Remember, we’re on a mission from God.”

Right. The mission from God. Joilet found himself relaxing almost instantly. He distinctly remembered the out of body experience he had upon visiting one of those criminal infested freeports before departing; where, if he hadn’t talked to the God (Joilet didn’t believe the clowns held any sort of stranglehold on the concept of godhood), he certainly talked to a god. If nothing else, they made it this far without a single hiccup they couldn’t solve in their plans. It’s hard to believe someone’s not looking out for you when you escape a chase by driving through a busy mall and still make it out on top. Without their current employer hearing any of it.

“And what if God lets y’all get caught again?” their saxophonist, Marini, asked. He was a skinnier rustblood, long curly hair that went down to his mid back and oddly pointy teeth for such a red caste. “Leavin’ us high and dry again like when Joilet got hit.”

“We’ll be fine,” Akroid said. He shifted the sleeve of his suit, pausing in his speech to check the time on his watch. “Just follow our lead and look like nothin’s wrong.” 

The rustblood let out a huff with a brief shake of his head, but he didn’t argue. Instead, he asked, “How much longer do we have anyway?”

“Ten minutes,” Joilet answered. “We got ten minutes.”

“Well good.” He removed his saxophone off the neckstrap and set it on the stand. “I drank way too much Faygo. Gotta piss.”

“Then go piss!” Akroid’s stone face cracked into a distinct scowl. “Geeze, you don’t gotta announce everything. Just get back before we perform.”

Their drummer, another rustblood by the name of Barkay, stood up as well. He looked about the same age as Joilet, with curly hair partially that was obscured by his dark green visor. Barkay looked about as respectable as anyone of his caste could, with a dark red dress shirt and black tie.

“I’m goin’ with him.”

Joilet blinked harshly behind his sunglasses. “Okay? It’s the damn ablutionblock. Do what you need to.”

They apparently didn’t need to be told twice. The two trolls were out the door before Joilet had a chance to add anything else.

“You’d think his bulge was on fire,” Joilet finally said. His gaze swept around the rest of the band rapidly. They were quiet. Somber. Hell, if he didn’t know any better he’d have mistaken the lot of them going off to war, not performing for big money at some fancy gala-thing. “You think he’s gonna bail?”

“Marini? Nah. He was the only guy we didn’t have to pester who was workin’ at that diner. Been itchin’ to rip on that sax.” Akroid smirked wryly. “And doin’ it here? In front of all those rich pricks? I’d worry more ‘bout yourself. You gonna choke?”

Joilet snorted. “ ‘Course not. We’re in too deep.”

“Didn’t seem like that a few minutes ago.”

“Yeah well….” Joilet trailed off. Akroid wasn’t wrong. Joilet had panicked. It seemed like every jackass out to get them were outside waiting for them. And Akroid, bastard he was, simply reminding him that those jackasses hadn’t got them during the rest of the sweep brought him back. 

Not like he’d admit it out loud.

“Had a moment of panic’s all. Then I remembered this kid’s probably being a nervous wiggler about staffing with his first year. Nothin’ else.”

“Uh-huh.” Akroid’s smirk widened a bit, giving Joilet the sudden urge to punch it right off his face. But not now. They were too close to their goal.

They stood in comfortable silence for a few more minutes before a new figure came out from the curtain, an indigoblood with short, cropped hair in a suit matching his caste walking next to Manini and Barkay. That was the guy who’d be ushering them on, sure, but he’s almost certain it hadn’t been ten minutes. Did something happen?

He glanced back over to Akroid, who just shrugged. Figures.

“Are you ready?” the indigoblood asked. He had some smile plastered on his face in some attempt to be friendly, but it didn’t look friendly. The offset, sharp teeth broken off at odd angles gave off a distinct predatory vibe.

“I dunno, did they get their break?” Joilet said.

Barkay grinned, giving the two trolls a thumbs up as he walked seat. “I got what needed done. No worries.”

The indigoblood’s face split wider, if that were even possible. He beckoned Joilet and Akroid with an open hand, unmoving until the two of them actually started following him through the narrow hallway. “Excellent. Let’s get moving then. Your stage is set, guests are waiting...you wouldn’t want to disappoint such eager crowds I’m sure. They could get aggressive.”

Joilet refrained from mentioning he passed time in prison by performing old classics, and just how dangerous some of those trolls were. Hell, he even learned a few new songs thanks to an actual country musician of a brownblood involving being stuck in prison. Aggressive wasn’t a problem. It was authority. 

“Got it.”

“Good.” He stopped in front of a door, giving them a nod. “You can go ahead and enter through the door. Hopefully you don’t need any final warmups?”

“We’ll be fine,” Joilet said.

The indigoblood nodded. “If you’re certain. I shall return at the end of your set.” He opened up the door. “Best of luck.”

The two of them exchanged a look. “We don’t need luck,” Akroid said before disappearing through the door.

Joilet followed suit, giving the inidgoblood a curt nod of acknowledgement before adding, “We’re on a mission from God.” 

As he walked through the door, he was immediately greeted with a dark blue curtain in front of them with a short opening to the left of them where he could catch the smallest glimpse of the piano on a raised platform. Nothing else. The piano obscured most of the view of the crowd beyond them. He imagined it was exactly the same on the other side.

It was a small exit. But it would be perfect for escaping out.

He wondered if Akroid was thinking the same thing. Probably. There was no way to tell, no way to properly read his expressionless face their last moment of respite before their performance and subsequent frantic escape before anyone did a serious background check about who they were. Still, there was a twinge in his gut that his partner in crime agreed.

When they exchanged one final nod in solitude and took their places in front of two microphones, Joilet had a feeling he was right.

As soon as he made it, he did another quick scan of the room. It was blue. Blue tablecloths covered the guest and dessert tables. Blue curtains shuttered the ball off from the outside world. Blue lights in the punch bowl made the ice snowflake sculpture inside look blue. And if it wasn’t blue, it was white. White tree sculptures adorned with white lights twisted around each marble pillar. Vases of white flowers topped every table. A white rug ran down the center of the ballroom. Small, white lights dotted an otherwise dark ceiling to give the loose impression of stars or snowflakes down onto the dance floor.

Even the trolls did nothing to break it up. If the dress didn’t match the owner’s blood color, it was a distinct blue or white with sparkles or shimmers. White lacing and white boas perfectly match the white boots and white dresses. The flashes of gray due to the high cut of many of the dress slits managed to break up the coloration more than anyone matching caste color. 

Thankfully, the heavy blue-white combination made the distinct pinks, purples and blacks of those on their tail easy to spot. And oh boy, were they available -- even more so than earlier. Joilet wouldn’t be surprised if their host figured out about them at some point, but not early enough to cancel and reschedule so he let these brutes in instead. Burly indigo and purplebloods in suits stood along the edges, away from the crowds with their arms crossed in rapt concentration of the two of them. Standing next to the dessert table were a series of inidgobloods all dressed in formalized cowboy outfits, complete with stetsons, glaring at them -- the very same western group the Blue Brothers once impersonated. A few particularly annoying “seadweller master race” types in colorful gowns and military pinks stood in the back next to cobalts in military regalia, quite possibly from some local, non-drone law enforcement they managed to pick up to defend themselves. On the other side of the cobalts were a few subjuggalators who definitely were full into the “highblooded landdweller supremacy” in full face paint and religious purple clown robes. Both were groups the Blue Brothers have antagonized, whether it be intentionally with the seadwellers (they deserved it), or accidentally (turns out subjuggalators don’t like lower castes hearing the voice of their god, whatever god answered Joilet and Akroid notwithstanding). It was, however, the first time Joilet’s ever seen the two work together for a common goal. Traditionally the two groups go at it worse than a bad kismesis. He was almost proud that they were able to perform such a feat, though he wasn’t sure if the pride was directed at the supremacy groups or himself for bringing them together.

He let out a slow breath. Only one thing to do at this point. Start.

“One. Two. One, two, three, four.”

The band kicked off with the sound of upbeat horns while the two trolls gave a short dance around the mics for a few bars. After which, while the intro kept repeating, Akroid grabbed his micrphone and said, “We’re so happy to see so many of you lovely trolls here tonight. We would especially like to welcome the esteemed members of Kilran’s hired law enforcement who have chosen to join us at the 12th Perigee Ball here tonight. We hope you all enjoy the show and hope you remember that no matter who you are and what you do to live to try and survive, there’s still some things that make us all the same. You, me, them--” Akroid looked directly toward the back of the room toward the cobaltbloods assisting the supremacists with a disappointed shrug “--everybody. Everybody.”

And from there, it was Joilet’s turn. With the second mic in hand he started singing their opener, Everybody Needs Somebody to Love. It was a speedy tune, possibly a little too fast for what their host was intending, but they sounded perfect and that’s all that mattered. The band’s hits fell right within the pauses in Joilet’s vocals, and Akroid knew exactly when to come in to accent with his deep baritone. Each transition into the next part of the song was smooth, from pointing to various people in the crowd at the you, you, you, to Akroid seamlessly whipping out his harmonica to accent Joilet’s singing the pre-chorus.

There were a few scattered cheers of appreciation, but for the most part these people weren’t dancing. Only one way to change that.

As they gave a pause in vocals to allow for a harmonica solo, Joilet started through a complicated dance twisting around the band members, ducking and weaving through saxophones and trombones while he turned this way and that. It was finished with a cartwheel across the front end of the stage, landing him right in front of the microphone for the next verse.

It was the opening some of the trolls -- lower castes mostly, but he caught flashes of higherbloods in the mix -- needed. The dance floor segment had all sorts of trolls, be it single or paired off in some fashion, dancing in whichever way they fancied. Akroid must have led them into a rhythmic clap too, judging by the trolls unwilling to dance instead clapping and even chanting at every repeat of you, you, you. He caught the leader giving them a death glare. Joilet ignored it.

At the next verse, Joilet swung on his heel back toward the band. He pushed his outstretched arms down toward the floor in an overemphasized quiet down for the crowd, and every instrument dipped off except for a cymbal hat to keep time and the grooving bass guitar.

It was Akroid’s time again. He moved right toward center stage, mic in hand and announced, “You know people when you do find those special trolls for any quadrant, you gotta hold that ‘rail, hold that ‘sprit, love him, squeeze him, love her, please her. Signify your feelings with every gentle caress or angry glare. Because it’s so important to have that special somebody! To hold. To kiss. To miss! To please and squeeze!”

Akroid dropped into a kneel on the stage, as if enraptured with his statement, as Joilet finished out with the chorus. He didn’t stand back up until the harmonica came back in. He rejoined Joilet in the back for the end, and the two mimicked each other dancing on the balls of their feet as the band played out.

When the last note struck, the two of them landed simultaneously on one knee, head down with their hand holding the brim of their hats.

Two songs left. Then they bolt. They could do this.

Their performance of Soul Man was just as energetic. This song was pretty much entirely Joilet’s, so he let Akroid dance around the stage now. He could catch the other troll jumping up and down, legs moving so loosely and briskly they may as well be jelly. He only cut in for parts of the chorus, letting that deep baritone accent Joilet’s raspy vocals.

In only a few short minutes Soul Man ended and their final song, Sweet Home Gusthollow opened with swift guitar licks in a short solo. As the rest of the band kicked in and Joilet sang out the first few bars, Akroid raised his hands up to lead those listening in a clap. Barkay joined in as well. He raised his own drumsticks high above his head, tapping off the beats until those in the crowd kept time on their own.

As the first verse ended, Akroid took hold of Joilet’s mic. “Six and three is nine. Nine and nine is eighteen. Look there pupa partner and see what I’ve seen.” He nudged Joilet and pointed toward the cobalt in the back standing between the supremacists. Shit. Another look and Joilet realized he knew that troll. He was one of the wardens of the prison he was released from. But he also noticed at his angle, with the growing crowd of dancers and listeners, they might be able to slip away. After all, the stage wasn’t raised. The only reason he could still see the warden was thanks to the gaps down the main walkway.

The two of them waved confidently at him as they continued through the chorus. Even with the distance, he noticed the cobaltblood drag a thumb across his neck.

It struck Joilet numb for a few seconds. Good to know where he stands, he supposes. 

The two finished out the chorus with a flourish, letting the band take over. Joilet turned over to Akroid, offering out his hands to dance. The other troll accepted, and the two pranced right off the stage and into the crowd, swinging around as Marini moved center stage to crank out a solo. With the focus off them, they were able to swing right back onto the stage and through the small opening to the area behind the stage. He could still hear the band, but it was muffled. 

“You think that creep’s waitin’ for us back here?” Akroid asked. 

“I sure fucking hope not. Could do without running from his slimy ass too.”

Joilet whipped open the door, ready to run from whoever Kilrun left to deal with them back here. What they were greeted with instead was a troll leaning on the nearby wall wearing a tight, long sleeved red dress that pooled onto the floor. Yellow and orange flowers, though Joilet wasn’t sure what kind, outlined her skirt. A large, black wide brimmed hat wrapped outlined in string lights covered her whole face. When the door closed, they looked up, revealing a noticeable pair of fins and tyrian pink eyes. 

A fuschiablood.

“So...you must be the two trolls I was informed of.” She gave the two a grin filled with those sharp seadweller teeth, just as predatory as the indigoblood earlier, but for some reason it didn’t feel directed toward either of them. “Ran into your two bandmates earlier. He gave me a heads up you might be headed back this way before you run off.”

“Who the hell’re you?” Joilet asked.

“Call me Mayola. You two pissed off those buncha entitled rich fucks who think they’re better than everyone else right?”

Joilet and Akroid glanced at each other in silence. “What about it?”

“I’d like to bring you and your band on for Sandyhorn’s next festival. You two would make a great fit.” She pulled a thick envelope, quite obviously stuffed thick with cash, out of seemingly nowhere and handed it to Joilet. “Consider this a down payment. You’ll get the rest when I see ya there.”

Joilet thumbed through the money, eyeing her. This was a lot. More than he they could’ve gotten from this gig alone. “Yeah sure. Sounds like a deal.”

“Hey, just one problem.” Akroid jutted his thumb out toward the direction of the ball beyond them. “All those goons seem to have caught on our tail and we can’t perform unless we get outta here without goin’ to prison.”

Her face brightened. “Oh well that’s an easy one. Here, follow me.” She pushed herself off the wall and sauntered toward the door, that red dress almost appearing to shimmer in the dim lighting. With a quick motion of her wrist, she opened the door into the back of the stage. Only a few further steps in, and she leaned down and pulled at a small hitch in the floor. A trapdoor immediately popped up without a sound.  “Found this out the other day when I couldn’t sleep. Should lead outside without a hitch, though you might have to go through some sewers.” 

She looked up at them, eyes wild and filled with pride, catching the two troll’s equally bewildered and ecstatic expressions. “You’re brilliant!” Akroid exclaimed. “Amazing! Fantastic! Wonder--”

She held up a hand. “Save your praises for later. For now...just think of me as today’s savior.”

[hcneymilkks]

STRAY KIDS Hyunjin ‘Charming’

Request from WATTPAD.

Prompt number

6. First Christmas with their S/O and panicking to their best friend/sibling about what to get them. Somehow, a plushie didn't seem exactly suitable when they knew the other had bought them an engagement/promise ring.

Pairing: Hyunjin x OC Ying

Genre: fluff

Word Count: 2.3k

MASTERLIST

Going to the shopping district was an absolute nightmare. A week before Christmas and it seems like the whole world didn't finish their Christmas shopping. Ying grumbled incoherent words as she looked at the selection of teas, already getting a migraine. Just why was everyone out today? Of all days?

"Hi, can I get a green tea latte?"

She opted to stay in the cozy and secluded place, the Brentwood cafe, squished between a plushie store and a jewelry shop on Fifth Avenue. Knowing she wouldn't be able to get any Christmas shopping done until later, she opted to work on her new novel. A fantasy novel filled with magical creatures added with a little touch of horror. Just as she was finished the part where the main character accidentally saves the enemy, the bells chimed signalling that someone had just come to order. Ying stiffened as a chair scraped across from her, but she continued to write, massaging her wrist and cracking her neck. Only to make eye contact with a guy.

A guy who was standing way too close to her liking.

"Hwang Hyunjin if you do not move an inch I will smack you with my bookbag."

Yup, it was Hwang Hyunjin. Funny, loveable guy, but also so very clingy and annoying at times. Who knew Ying could bear with him for the past year, even his older brother Minhyun couldn't stand him. But then again, siblings are just weird in general.

Hyunjin pouted and sat in the chair in front of Ying, whining. He hadn't seen her in what? Like a week and this was how he was treated? How rude. "Yinggggg! You're so mean!"

"Let me finish this one sentence and then I'll deal with you."

"Excuse me, am I some part of your to-do list?" He feigned hurt and put a hand over his heart, dramatically leaning back onto the chair....almost, just almost making himself fall. Ying raised an eyebrow and finished the last word, sighing and packing up her things.

"Hyunjin why are you here anyway? I thought I told you I was going to shop for Christmas presents."

"Well, I'm doing the same thing. Plus, I knew you didn't like crowds so I figured you would be here writing. Also, I missed you." He shot finger hearts at Ying but she didn't seem impressed one bit. If any, she was already wanting to shoo the boy away.

"Okay....well I'm leaving now so I'll see you at home." she tries to leave the cafe but not until Hyunjin slings his arm around her neck, bringing her closer to him. He laughs and talks about how it's better for both of them to shop together, seeing as how they can combine gifts based on the same mutual friends they have.

"How about this for Jisung?" Ying held up a bento box, Hyunjin stopping his actions and tilting his head.

"Why does he need a bento box? The boy doesn't even cook. He burned cup noodles in the microwave remember?" Ying put the bento box down and ruffled her hair. Just what do guys like other than liking other girl's pictures?

The rest of the day went by chaotically. Hyunjin seemed to disappear every thirty minutes, leaving Ying to ponder over which skateboard would be better for Felix. She was tired and just wanted some food.

"Hyunjin, this is the fourth time you left me, where do you keep going?" Ying rummages through some clothes, her phone stuck between her neck and shoulder.

Hyunjin's breath hitches. "I needed to use the washroom."

Ying rolled her eyes. Even on the phone, she knew Hyunjin was lying. Her mind was racing. Just what if Hyunjin ditched her and already went home?

"Babe I promise I'll come back. I'm just ordering us some food to take home, does Chinese sound good?"

"Anything is fine. Don't forget my Taro bubble tea or else you aren't allowed to come home."

"Okay okay, Love you!"

_____________

A few days closer to Christmas meant two things.

One, the stress of buying presents would finally disappear, ready to attack round next year.

Two, a small purple bag under the Christmas tree got her worried.

The day that Hyunjin finally came back to get Ying, he wasn't holding just a Taro milk tea and Chinese takeout.

Just behind the plastic bag as if Hyunjin was trying to hide it was the small purple bag, with the words Ying could faintly make out before Hyunjin linked arms with her.

Diamond Jewelers.

Even now while Hyunjin went out with the boys and Ying was curled up into a ball, blanket and hot chocolate in her hands, she felt uneasy.

Deciding to dial her best friend, she focused her attention on the fireplace, the flames dancing as if out of routine.

"Hello?"

Ying snapped out of her daze and sipped her hot chocolate, soothing her parched throat. "Flora?"

"Oh hey, Ying! What's up? How's the Christmas shopping?"

Ying groaned. "Horrible. Buying stuff for the boys is so hard, and I didn't even buy anything for Jeongin yet!"

Flora laughed on the other end of the receiver. "Same, Minho is so hard to shop for. I opted to just get him a bunch of cat things but man do I not like cats." Ying could feel Flora cringing, for her love of dogs outweighed the other.

"Anyways, you bought something for Hyunjin did you not?"

Ying sipped her hot chocolate nervously, her eyes staring at the purple bag again. "About that....."

"So you didn't?"

"No! I mean I did. It's just-does a plushie sound fine?"

Silence.

"Um....." Flora nervously laughed. "In all honesty, Hyunjin would love it, but it's your guys' first Christmas together so I would think you would get something a little more you know.....out there?"

Ying sighed. "I suppose you're right. But something's nagging me."

"Spill."

She sets her cup down on the table in front of her. "Like I know I'm not supposed to know what Hyunjin got me, but I have the biggest feeling that it's a ring."

"Like an engagement ring?"

"That or a promise ring."

Silence once again. Ying rolled her eyes and set the phone down on her lap, knowing what will happen in;

Three

Two

One.

"OMG OMG OMG WAIT ARE YOU SURE? LIKE SURE SURE? BECAUSE IF SO THEN YESSSSS! YOU GUYS ARE THE POWER COUPLE OF THE CENTURY! IMAGINE IF YOU GUYS GET ENGAGED BEFORE THIS DECADE ENDS?!" Flora fangirls even more and Ying giggles.

"Okay okay okay I know! But I just don't wanna bring it up until Hyunjin is ready."

"I understand, but please Ying get him something else than a plushie." Flora and Ying laugh.

"I'll see."

___________

Opting to give the soft bear plushie to one of the boys meant that Ying had to buy another present for Hyunjin, and maybe throw in a scarf for Jeongin. Back at the shopping district, she had bumped into Flora, who was cringing at buying cat toys.

"Just be happy for once about the cats."

"I can't Ying, I just don't like them, they are not as fluffy as dogs are." Ying couldn't agree more.

Ying ruffled her hair as Flora looked at the array of shoes, her mind deciding on getting black FILAS, one for her and one for Minho. How cute. Ying sighed and looked at the shoes, thinking of buying matching outfits.

"Oh, I got it! Minho said that Hyunjin loves to read so you can get some books for him. I mean I think I remember someone mentioned that Hyunjin wanted to read a book with you on your dates and pick up on a new chapter on each date or something like that?"

Ying thought about it. "That is not a bad idea, let's go to the bookstore."

Fantasy, Romance, Comics, the bookstore had it all.

But Ying couldn't choose.

After two hours plus a bubble tea break, she opted for three books.

A comic book, a fantasy with some romance, and a thriller. She also added in a new bookbag and another plushie.

"Our little reading bear." she would explain to Flora, who had piles of books stacked in her arms.

Everything was finally settling down, and Ying could breathe a little easier.

_____________

December 24th, Christmas Eve.

As the boys couldn't wait any longer, they all met at Woojin's house to do gift exchanges. To make it more interesting, they added a bottle to spin. Whoever it lands on, the person has to pick another person and guess which present was theirs.

Chan poured some wine as Jisung got the present wrong twice. Minho laughed and teased the squirrel boy as he thought they were "soulmates and could tell which one was his."

In the end, Minho tackled Jisung which resulted in spilled wine and laughter.

Christmas music was playing in the background, lulling everyone slowly into slumber. Ying leaned her head on Hyunjin's shoulder, who had spun the bottle to land surprisingly on Ying. She looked around, she got her presents from mostly everyone except for Hyunjin and Minho. Although she was curious about what Minho got her, Hyunjin's purple bag stood out the most. She took a breath and pointed at Hyunjin, to which he smiled but didn't give her the present.

"I advise you to open Minho's first." was what she said.

Disappointed, Ying mustered a smile and opened up Minho's, her eyes growing wide. In the box was a charm bracelet with not one, but nine charms. She pulled it out of the box and smiled.

"This is beautiful." She beamed.

Woojin cleared his throat. "If it's okay, we would like to tell you why we got you those charms." Ying nodded and Woojin spoke again.

"A bear. For you always being so snuggly and your hugs relaxing me and the members."

"The music note. That your love for music has made others feel inspired and to always follow our dreams." Chan smiled.

"The chopsticks. You make bomb ass food and thank god for that because I can't cook to save my life." Minho laughed and everyone joined in.

Changbin spoke; "A puzzle piece. For you always know how to solve problems and are the missing piece to each and every one of us."

Hyunjin stayed silent, nodding at Jisung to go ahead. "A sailboat. That you always want to explore new things which are always a good thing.

"A video game controller. Because you are the best gamer I have ever played with. No cap, just tea." Felix dabs and she tries so hard not to cringe.

"Excuse me?! So you're saying I'm not good at games?" Minho looks at Felix offended.

"Minho, the only game I play with you is Mario Kart. I'm tired of it." Minho crosses his arms and smirks.

"Maybe that's because you suck at it and I always win. Practice gamer boy."

The boys all yell and erupt in laughter, Felix now glaring at a smug-looking Minho.

Seungmin tries to calm everyone down as it is now his turn to speak. "As I was going to say before I was rudely interrupted," Seungmin looks at Minho who only shrugs. "I chose a book. Not only because you're smart, but also because I can read you like an open book, not to say it's bad or anything! But that means that you're honest and open to everyone."

Flora clasps Ying's hand to put on the bracelet Ying had been trying to put on for the last 5 minutes. "Because Mr. Hwang Hyunjin can't help his girlfriend, I'll be taking his place as her boyfriend. Hyunjin, have Minho."

More laughter erupted and both Hyunjin and Minho gaped at Flora and then cringed at each other.

"I'm kidding. I'll be serious, I chose a heart charm because you have a kind heart and is willing to help anyone in need. You are also full of love and so happy and cheery! You're the light of everyone's life."

Finally, Jeongin points at the last charm, showing his bright smile. "The sun. Because of your bright personality and glowy aura that draws everyone in."

Everyone smiles at Ying who studies the charm, thanking all of them.

"But why is there a space between Changbin's and Jisung's?"

"Because I have yet to add mine in." Hyunjin faces Ying and clasps both of her hands. She feels his hands tremble a little and the thought scares her.

"Ying, for the past 8 months you have shown me nothing but kindness and love. You really are the light of my life, helping me up when I get down. Not to mention the food you cook is amazing. There are so many wonderful things to say about you but I think a few things will explain it."

Hyunjin rummages through the purple bag and opens a blue box. In it, is a red rose charm, with gold accents decorating the outside. Ying gasps and puts a hand on her mouth, Hyunjin clipping the charm onto the bracelet.

"The rose symbolizes love and passion, and that is what I have for you Ying."

Hyunjin stands and Ying does the same out of instinct. He gets down on one knee and pulls out a purple velvet box. Inside, is a beautiful diamond ring, with a twisted gold band.

"Our fates have intertwined Ying, and I don't think I would ever go back in time to change anything. You are the love of my life and I never want to lose you. Will you be with me forever and marry me?"

Flora clings onto Minho, trying not to scream. A tear falls down Ying's eye and she nods.

"Yes yes." She hugs Hyunjin and the two share a kiss that sends fireworks shooting. Her heart is buzzing and her cheeks are flushed, but she wouldn't change this day for the world. Hyunjin places the ring on her finger, cool to the touch, and he kisses her again with more passion.

"Lookie here!" Chan coos and tippy toes to place the mistletoe on top of the newly engaged couple. Ying laughs and doesn't hesitate to kiss Hyunjin once more, feeling warm from the touch.

What a Christmas.

[justanoutlawfic]

The Missing Piece: The Christmas Ball

Summary: When weather prevents David from going home for the holidays, he attends a ball at the castle. Killian, Snow and Regina have an early present for him that he wasn't expecting.

For Day 11 of 25 Days of Ficmas. Separate from the main series because there’s no smut.

Also on AO3

David stood by the window in the ball room, watching the snow fall on the ground. He used to love it as a child, playing outside for hours on end with the other children. He’d come running back into the house, dragging mud and icy water everywhere. Ruth would shake her head with a smile and run him a hot bath. It wasn’t often that David got to just be a kid, but on snowy days, he was granted that opportunity.

 In that moment, however, David hated snow more than anything.

 Regina, Snow and Killian had agreed that he could have Christmas off to go visit his mother. Killian’s brother was going to be visiting, alongside Regina’s father and told him it was a time to be with family. The day he was due to leave, however, the grounds near his mother’s village were blocked and it was too dangerous to travel. Ruth understood, in fact she insisted that David stay put. Even so, he was still sad. It would be their first Christmas apart and he was spending the eve of it at a ball where he only knew his bosses.

 Snow had tried to lift his spirits, showing him the finely tailored outfit she had made for him. It went along nicely with the rest of theirs. Regina wore a ruby red dress trimmed with gold, while Snow wore a matching one in emerald. Killian also wore a suit made of the same shade of green, with his navy badges attached as he almost always did. David’s was the same shade as Snow’s, with hints of gold throughout it. It still felt strange to wear these clothes, despite that he had been wearing a lot of them since he was hired. He felt like a little boy playing dress up, rather than a prince.

 “Probably because you’re not one,” he mumbled to himself. “Remember your place.”

 That was the hard part. While they did have sex with him, Killian, Snow and Regina didn’t treat him like he was there just for sex and chores. They let him eat at the table with them, they talked to him and asked his opinion on matters. When he finished his work, he was allowed to read or draw. They had even pointed out that he had a stocking and a few presents under the tree for him. Even so, he had to remind himself that this wasn’t home.

 David felt someone tap his shoulder and spun around to find Killian standing there. “Do you need me to serve any of our guests?” He asked.

Killian shook his head. “Lad, we told you that you’re not working this evening. It’s a holiday. I was just going to ask you if you’d like to dance. Snow and Regina are out there, but they’ve left me out.”

 David peered out onto the floor and sure enough, the two women were swaying to the music. Nearby, he noticed that Killian’s brother, Liam, was asking Lady Belle to dance. Even Henry Sr. had gotten the courage up to ask one of the older women in attendance. It seemed that they were the only two not on the floor.

 “I’m not very good,” he said.

“I’m sure you’re better than I. Come on.”

 Killian held out his hand and David slowly accepted it, allowing him to lead him onto the dance floor. He felt Killian’s hook wrap around his waist, but somehow it didn’t pierce the fine suit.

 “Just follow my lead and move with the beat.”

 David did as he was told, counting under his breath like his mother did on the rare occasions she’d dance with his father. Eventually, he realized that he had stopped and that he was actually having fun out on the floor. He looked up at Killian and saw a beautiful smile tugging on his lips.

 “And you said you weren’t very good,” Killian teased.

David blushed, ducking his head. “I haven’t had much practice.”

“You’re a natural, love.” He moved him outward before pulling him back in, keeping in time with the music. “I know you’re disappointed that you couldn’t see your mother.”

“Regina says I can go for the New Year instead. I suppose it’s not the date that matters.”

“Still, I’m sorry. She tried to use her magic, but she’s not well versed when it comes to weather.”

David’s heart skipped. “Regina used magic? For me?”

“No matter what you think, David, we care about you very much.”

“I’m just…”

“I’m well aware of how all this began.” Killian spun him in a circle, clearly only doing it so no one would become suspicious. “It doesn’t mean that we don’t want more.”

David nearly stepped on Killian’s foot, quickly stammering back a bit. “I don’t understand.”

“David, we’ve been talking a lot lately and we don’t want you to keep working for us. We want you to become a part of our relationship.”

 The song ended and Killian took a step back from David, looking a little nervous himself. Snow and Regina walked over as another song began, smiles on their faces.

 “Well?” Regina asked.

“I only just got the chance to ask him,” Killian explained.

David looked between the three of them, his mouth sputtering a little bit. “I…I need to use the bath chambers.”

 Before they could say anything else, David sped out of the ballroom. Rather than head to the chambers, he slid down the wall. He was a mere shepherd, they had hired him for sex and nothing more. He’d be lying if he said he didn’t have feelings for them, but he certainly had not been expecting any of this. He didn’t belong, not like the rest of them.

 The door to the ballroom opened and shut, the sounds of footsteps coming down the hall followed. David looked up to find the three of them standing there. Killian extended his hand and helped David to his feet. He pulled him into a tight hug, not letting go. Snow joined it, followed by Regina.

 “We know all of this is overwhelming,” Regina whispered, rubbing slow circles on his back. “But we’ve discussed it at length. We know how this all began, we never thought it would happen.”

“Now it has and we couldn’t be happier,” Snow continued, kissing his temple. “We don’t take on new people lightly and when we do, it’s for keeps. You could say no, and that’d be fine. We can keep our relationship as is.”

“We’ll continue supporting your mother, just as we do our other family members. We just needed you to know, if you want more, we want more,” Killian finished.

 David didn’t say anything in return at first. He wrapped his arms around Killian’s waist and buried his head into his shoulder. The smells of their perfumes and cologne tangled up in his nose, nearly choking him, but it was an experience he wouldn’t change for the world. He couldn’t believe what they were offering. His whole life, he had to work to help his mother and now, they wanted to help him.

 “Would we…would we keep our sex roles the same?” David asked.

Snow smiled. “Yes, that is the one thing we don’t want to change.”

David slowly pulled away from them, wiping the stray tears that fell from his eyes. “I just don’t feel right about accepting money when I’m not working for it.”

“David, you’d be a part of this relationship, it means we’d care for you…”

“I’d still like to be doing work, to earn it. Even if it’s not sexual.”

 He watched as Killian, Snow and Regina quickly consulted one another, almost as if they were speaking with their eyes. Deep down, David wondered if they would ever share such a connection.

 “How about this,” Regina said. “Before Killian married us, when we were courting, we gave him an allowance of sorts. It was for him to spend however he wished and we monitored how well he could do it before we added him to our day to day financials. We’ll do the same for you and you can use the money to finance your mother’s farm.”

“If and when you feel comfortable marrying us, then it won’t be taking our money for nothing. What’s ours would be yours,” Snow added. “Even though, right now we’d like that to be the case, even if you don’t see it.”

“It’s just…it’s important to me to earn it.”

Killian nodded. “Aye, lad. I understand a bit more than they do.”

 He didn’t look phased by the looks his wives gave him, it was the truth. While they weren’t naïve to the plight of the poor and they had definitely struggled in other ways, they would never understand the pride of people like David. Not in the same way he would.

 “So, do we have a deal?” Regina asked.

David nodded. “Yes. We do.”

“Excellent.” She gently kissed him. “Now come, let’s return to the ball.”

 She linked arms with David, Killian doing the same with Snow. Together, the four entered the room for the first time as a polyamorous quad.

[catalinda04]

Carried Away: Chapter 31: Christmas Eve Afternoon

Masterlist

“If I asked you to marry me right now, what would you say?” Henry asked quietly.

Lucy jolted upright. “What‽”

“If I asked you to marry me right now. What would you say?” He repeated looking into her eyes.

“Henry. I. What?” Lucy stammered.

“I’ll take that as a no, then.” He laughed uncomfortably.

“No, Henry, it’s not a no, it’s just. It’s too soon to get married.” She replied, standing, starting to pace.

“I wasn’t proposing we get married tomorrow.” He laughed.

“But you are proposing?” She questioned.

“Let’s call it a hypothetical.” He said carefully.

“So if I hypothetically said yes, do you have a hypothetical ring in your pocket?” Her voice bordering on hysterical.

“Hypothetically, no I don’t. But hypothetically we will be in London for the next week where some of the best jewelers in the world are located.”

Lucy exhaled heavily, “I think I need to sit down.” She said fanning her face. She sat on the seat formed from the fallen stones. She opened her mouth several times as if to speak, before closing it again without making a sound.

“Oh Henry. I want to say yes. But…”

“Then say yes.” He interrupted.

“But I can’t. I do love you, and I think I would love to spend the rest of my life with you, but I can’t say yes right now. You understand don’t you?” She pleaded, “I mean we haven’t even had a real fight. I only want to get married once, I want to do it right, with my eyes wide open. I’m not saying no, I’m saying, not right now.”

“Well, I’m not going to say that I’m not disappointed, but if you’re going to bring sense and rationality into this discussion, how can I be upset?” Henry asked, walking to stand in front of her.

“There’s no need to rush.” Lucy defended.

“But you’re not saying no? So if I were to ask again in say six months time?”

“Henry…” Lucy threatened.

“I’m just checking. But as I am now standing before you a rejected man, broken hearted at having been rebuffed by his love, why don’t you come here, and make me feel better.” He said, pulling her close by the front pocket of her hoodie.

“Oh, dear. Broken-hearted and rejected. What did you have in mind?” She asked saucily.

In response he claimed her mouth with his, his tongue plundered her mouth possessively. He turned them to sit on the stone seat, and Lucy straddled his lap without breaking the kiss.

“Henry you know I love you, right?” She asked breaking the kiss, breathing heavily, her hands framing his face, looking deep into his eyes.

“I do.” He said ironically, meeting her gaze.

“So you’re not mad, or upset, or…” she trailed off, searching his face for a clue about his emotional state.

“I will admit, I am a bit disappointed, I had hoped for something to celebrate.”

“Well, it is our 6-month anniversary. We became official” she said using air quotes “exactly 6 months ago today.”

“And what a 6 months it’s been.” He said giving her a chaste peck. She wrapped her arms around his neck to pull him closer in her embrace.

They walked along the trails, hand-in-hand for another half hour before Henry declared, “We should be returning soon, if you want to change for service.”

They returned to the house, which was alive with the energy of almost 20 people getting ready at the same time. Somehow they all arrived at the church with time to spare.

After service they all returned to the house for a big family supper. Lucy smiled to herself watching Henry completely at ease with his family. His brothers asked her questions about herself, and teaching, about her travels and her life in Minnesota. None of their questions seemed intrusive, seeming to come from a place of genuine curiosity about the woman their younger brother had brought home.

When the main meal was done, and the plates had been cleared, Marianne brought in dessert, or pudding as Lucy was corrected yet again. She carried a plate with a bundt-shaped cake, and what looked like a gravy boat of cream. Lucy could see dark spots, indicating there must be some kind of fruit in the cake. She turned to Henry and asked, “That looks delicious, what is it.”

Henry’s face assumed an almost impish expression. “That is a spotted dick.”

Lucy’s eyebrows shot up and her mouth opened in confused shock. The other adults at the table laughed at her expression. “Are you messing with me? That’s actually what it’s called?”

Heather replied from across the table, “Yes, that’s actually what it’s called. They did the same thing to me 2 years ago.” She said in a comforting tone. “It’s quite delicious, despite the name.” Everyone laughed again, this time Lucy joined in. She eyed the slice of cake on her plate drizzled with warm custard. She felt everyone’s eyes on her as she cut off her first bite and brought it to her mouth. She let out an involuntary “Mmmm” when the flavors all coalesced in her mouth.

“This is delicious Marianne.” Lucy complemented once she had swallowed her bite.

“Thank you dear. Everyone does love my dick.” She said, and the whole table erupted into laughter again.

Once the pudding had been consumed and all the dishes cleared, everyone retired to the living room to open presents. Thomas, being the oldest grandchild, was given the task of distributing presents. Lucy was settling in to watch when a shiny blue package was deposited in her lap. The tag indicated the present was from Marianne and Collin.

“Oh, Marianne, you shouldn’t have.” Lucy protested.

“Nonsense, it’s not much, just a little something.”

“Well thank you.” Lucy eyed the package until her turn arrived.

She unwrapped the pretty paper to find a 3 ring binder style hardcover book with a pale floral cover. She looked to Marianne.

“You mentioned this summer that you like to cook and bake. Well that is a copy of the family recipe book, I’ve marked all of Henry’s favorite recipes.” Lucy noticed the sisters-in-law glance at each other with raised eyebrows, and made a mental note to ask them later about it.

“Thank you Marianne. It’s fabulous. I’ll treasure it.” The rest of the evening passed in a blur of color and noise. Once the children had all been put to bed, all of the adults returned to the hotel for some christmas spirits. Everyone gathered in Henry and Lucy’s room because they had enough seating for everyone.

Once everyone had a drink, the men congregated on the balcony to enjoy cigars, and the women lounged on the couches. Lucy turned to Heather, she felt like she and Heather had bonded the most of the sisters-in-law, probably because of their similar ages. “What was with the look you all exchanged when I opened my present?”

The women all exchanged another look but didn’t say anything. “You just did it again. What am I missing?”

Olivia, Piers’s wife finally spoke-up. “We’ve all gotten a copy of the family recipe book.”

“Ok, that makes sense. But…” Lucy asked.

“But,” Olivia continued, “I didn’t get mine until Thomas was born, four years after we were married. Sienna got hers for Christmas after she and Nick got married. Heather and Eva got theirs as wedding presents.”

“Oh. I see, but why am I so special that I’m getting mine now, when Henry and I aren’t even committed yet?”

“Oh we all have our theories.” Olivia said.

“Really? Do tell.” Lucy asked, intrigued.

“I think she’s scared that Henry will move to America to be with you, so she’s trying to send a piece of the family home with you.” Sienna said.

“I figured she was telling Henry that you have her stamp of approval to make it legal.” Eva suggested.

“I just assumed she liked you better than all of us.” Heather said as they all dissolved into giggles.

“I assumed that Henry said something about asking you to marry him, so she jumped to give it to you.” Olivia supplied.

“He told you about that?” Lucy asked shocked.

“About what? Did he actually ask you to marry him? Are you engaged and haven't told anyone?” Heather asked. All 4 women leaned forward and stared intently at Lucy, looking for a ring on her left hand.

“I shouldn’t have said anything. Just ignore me.”

“No, you’re not getting away that easily, now spill. Did Henry ask you to marry him, are you two engaged?” Heather asked point blank.

“Umm, yes….and no. Henry did ask me to marry him, but I said no.” Lucy admitted sheepishly.

None of the other women spoke. Lucy stared into a sea of dumbfounded, wide-eyed faces.

“I told him we needed more time. I don’t want to rush into marriage. I only want to get married once. I want to do it right.” Lucy defended herself and her decision.

The women exchanged another look and a nod before finally Heather spoke. “Well, Lucy. I would like to be the first to welcome you to the family.”

“Didn’t you hear me, I said I turned him down.”

“Oh, that doesn’t matter. Unless he does something supremely daft, I see this lasting. We’ve been holding you at an arm's length today. We have to be leary of anyone Henry brings home, his fame can attract the wrong type of person. But we can finally say, we approve.” The women all raised their wine glasses in a salute. Lucy felt tears sting the back of her eyes.

“So you really like me?” Lucy joked. All the women laughed. The conversation flowed much more smoothly for the rest of the night, at one point Piers came inside, and he and Olivia said their goodbyes. Nik and Sienna retired shortly thereafter. Henry, Simon, and Charlie came in, to sit with the women.

“What have you ladies been chatting about in here?” Charlie asked innocently.

“Cookbooks.” Eva said, and all three women laughed.

Lucy turned to Henry, “I was hoping maybe this next week while we’re at your place, you could help me make a recipe or two from the book your mom gave me.” Simon and Charlie burst out laughing.

“Why is that funny?” Lucy asked.

“Because our Hank here can barely boil water, let alone cook a meal.” Charlie replied laughingly.

“That’s not true, he made me tapas one night when I was in London this summer.” Lucy defended him.

“Did you actually see him cook anything?” Simon asked pointedly.

“No, but…” Lucy trailed off, she turned to him, one eyebrow raised. “Henry?”

Henry’s face turned pink. “It may have been take-away.” He confessed, pink staining his cheeks.

“I think he was just trying to get into your knickers.” Simon concluded laughing.

“Henry William, were you planning on seducing me under false pretenses?” Lucy asked, mock insulted.

“As I seem to recall, there was a reason we didn’t ever get around to eating that dinner, and it had nothing to do with anything I did.” Henry shot back, this time it was Lucy’s face that went pink, while the rest of the room laughed.

“New topic.” Lucy declared laughing, and talk switched to safer topics, but it wasn’t long before Simon and Eva took their leave.

Heather and Charlie seemed in no hurry to leave. Henry and Charlie had always had a special bond, being several years younger than the other three brothers.

“So Hank,” Heather started, “Lucy told us you had some excitement this afternoon.”

“What are you talking about?” Charlie asked his wife conspiratorially.

“Hank proposed, and Lucy said no.” Heather said conspiratorially.

“Really! You turned him down? I assumed when you two didn’t say anything when you came back, that he’d just chickened out. I never thought you might have said no.” Charlie said incredulously, looking from Lucy to Henry and back again.

“You knew?” Heather demanded of her husband “And you didn’t tell me?” she swatted him on the arm.

“I was sworn to secrecy. Henry mentioned during the shooting this morning, that he was planning to ask Lucy to marry him.”

“You told them?” Henry asked Lucy.

“I didn’t mean to. Olivia made a comment that make me think you had already told them. I really didn’t mean to.”

“So, Hank here asked you to marry him, and you said no.” Charlie stated.

“She said not yet.” Henry clarified, taking Lucy’s hand in a show of solidarity. “She doesn’t want to rush into anything, and she made some good points, I had to agree with her.”

Charlie didn’t reply, but had a pensive look on his face. “Well, my dear, on that note, I think it’s time we leave these two alone.” Charlie said standing. “We’ll see you both bright and early.” He said helping Heather to her feet.

“Good night you two. Sweet dreams.” Lucy said, while Henry walked them to the door. Henry hugged his brother and sister-in-law in turn. “Hank, you’ve got a good gal there. I approve.” Charlie said before leaving

“Thank you Chuck, that’s exactly what I was missing, my little brother’s approval.” Henry replied sarcastically.

“Well, needed or not, you have it.” He said before draping his arm across Heather’s shoulders and walking down the hall to their room.

Henry returned to the seating area of their suite to find Lucy carrying wine glasses to the sink. She turned to him, a worried look on her face. “I’m not in trouble am I? I really didn’t mean to spill the beans.”

“Of course you’re not in trouble. I’m not upset, but how did the topic even arise?”

“Well it all started with that recipe book I got from your mom.” Lucy explained the look and the significance of the book, and the sisters-in-law’s theories. Henry looked skeptical at first, but his skepticism waned as Lucy explained. “Women notice these kinds of things.” Lucy finished. “Are we ok?” she asked concerned.

“We’re better than ok, darling. We’re in love at Christmas, what could be better?” He wrapped his arms around her, swinging her around.

“You’re not upset about earlier? I want you to know, 49% of me wanted to say yes.”

“No, I’m not upset with you. You followed your head and your heart. I don’t want you going in to our engagement with anything less than 100% agreement. No reservations.”

“Thank you Darcy. I love you.”

“I love you too Pumpkin. Happy Christmas.” He responded, lowering his mouth to hers.

Chapter 30

Chapter 32