#christmas ends on the 24th here so GUESS WHAT

[arom-antix]

Happy birthday to the man, the myth, the legend, trophy husband of Yuuri Katsuki, Viktor Nikiforov!

[il-miele-che-scrive]

a lil xmas-y smau charles leclerc x reader, faceclaim sabrina carpenter

yourusername made something special for you guys for the holidays 🤍 fruitcake is out of the oven

view all comments

username1 wtf is she holding?

↳ username2 a fruit cake I assume since the album's name is fruitcake?

carlossainz55 I gave it a listen before it came out and I'm gonna make it everyone's business

↳ yourusername alright Chili stop flexing or I won't let you pre-listen to anything else in the future 🙄

carlossainz55 you know that's not true

yourusername you're lucky I value your opinion

georgerussell63 Y/n send help Carmen hasn't stopped blasting the album since it came out

↳ yourusername seems like a you problem darling🫶

carmenmmundt don't listen to him Y/n, he secretly loves fruitcake

maxverstappen1 this is better than the Dutch national anthem

↳ yourusername thank you I guess 🤔

↳ username5 that's such an underrated compliment

username3 literally how dare you release Cindy Lou who when you literally stole Charles from Charlotte. Alex 'stealing' him from you is literally your karma

↳ username2 but Y/n and Charles have been recently seen in France together 👀

username3 oh great 🙄 what a homewrecker, also notice how she's flirting with literally all drivers in her comments

username4 they're friends she's not flirting with them lol plus Charles is still in her likes so they're def back together

↳ maxverstappen1 literally shut the fuck up

username5 lmaooo Max being the big brother Y/n never had

username2 tell them queen 💅

username6 i live for the friendship between Y/n and Max 🙏 oh what a girl gotta do for a friend like this

landonorris slay bestie

↳ yourusername you know it

username4 so we're all just gonna ignore the fact that Y/n has been seen with Charles in France and they still follow each other and like each other's posts?

↳ username7 i mean that's just how adults are but

username4 nah just wait and see

yourusername a quick trip to Paris 🤍 je t'aime

view all comments

username4 SCREAMING CRYING THROWING UP

username8 THE 3RD PIC WHAT

charles_leclerc je t'aime moi aussi ❤️

↳ username4 THEY'RE SO CUTE AND FOR WHAT

↳ username5 I love how Y/n is like a younger sister to Max and dating his biggest nemesis of all times

yourusername i asked them to be nice to each other

username3 nah that's too much, I hate this drama and this girl

↳ username8 imagine being so bitter to post a comment like this

↳ maxverstappen1 quit stalking her page then?

username7 big brother max strikes again and we love to see it

↳ username3 weird how Y/n became Max's sister when she started dating Charles 🙄 sister my ass, she's def cheating on Charles

username4 i haven't read a comment as dumb as this since your previous one, Charles and Max were friends before Charles started dating Y/n so he introduced her to Max, what's weird about that?

username3 and what does that change? people make new 'friends' while in a relationship and end up cheating with said friends

username4 sweetheart you're embarrassing yourself, Y/n said in an interview that she's grateful for Charles introducing her to Max because he's like an older brother to her AND WE CAN CLEARLY SEE THAT

username3 what was she supposed to say? Yeah, I'm fucking my boyfriend's rival?

username5 you jealous bitter asshole, go cry to your mom about men and women being friends

carlossainz55 But when are you coming to Monaco? We all miss you

↳ yourusername I'll be home for Christmas

username9 not Y/n replying with a song lyrics lol she's so unserious

username10 what did you expect her to write a whole paragraph about how she's going to be there for the 24th/25th of December

username9 she said she'll be home for Christmas, she's going back to America

charles_leclerc so grateful to have you here for Christmas ❤️ welcome home

view all comments

yourusername i couldn't be happier 😭❤️

↳ charles_leclerc btw we should bake together more often

yourusername you mean I bake and you occassionally steal the frosting more often?

charles_leclerc call it whatever you want darling but we have to repeat it sometime

yourusername bet, now that I live with you you won't avoid it

↳ carlossainz55 In the name of the whole grid could I fill a request to try your baked goods?

yourusername sure if Charlie won't eat all my frosting

username4 SHE'S IN MONACO AND SHE BROUGHT HER DOG???

username5 that's why she said she'll be home, because Monaco is her home now 😭 I'm not crying you are

landonorris haters been really quiet

↳ yourusername they're scared of Charlie and Max joining forces to defend me

maxverstappen1 as they should am i right @/charles_leclerc

charles_leclerc so right mate

↳ username7 so sexy of them to be so protective of y/n

username5 so sexy and for what

username7 for us to fangirl I guess

carmenmmundt Okay but when are we going to hang out? Since when are boyfriends more important than friends?

↳ yourusername we had a double date a few days ago didn't we

carmenmmundt I meant a girls night

yourusername you got separation anxiety or what😭

carmenmmundt Only with you though, it doesn't work like that with George

↳ georgerussell63 I mean, she's right, I haven't experienced any separation anxiety from her

yourusername excuse me @/georgerussell63 the last time i checked she was your gf

charles_leclerc should I be jealous?

↳ yourusername absolutely not!! <3

↳ carlossainz55 Don't worry mate, in the worst case @/landonorris and I can take you on a date

landonorris the worst case?!

charles_leclerc well, it's not ideal is it?

landonorris is it not?!

username7 help cause i've always imagined y/n and charles as parents and lando as their kid

↳ yourusername i mean, he did thirdwheel us a few times

landonorris and loved every second of it

[hornedqueenofhell]

Holiday in... Handcuffs? Pt. 3

Pt 2

Steve woke up on the 24th to Eddie scrubbing the sleep from his eyes before blinking owlishly at him. They were both bundled under a heavy quilt and a few blankets scattered over them, a quick flex of his fingers shows that his hand is still tangled up with Eddie’s.

“Morning,” Eddie offered softly after stretching out like a cat with a yawn, fingers curling in Steve’s because he still refuses to let go.

“Morning sleepyhead.” Steve reaches out to tuck some the wild, sleep ruffle curls behind Eddie’s ear. Eddie places his hand over Steve’s and nuzzles into the touch, kissing his palm tenderly and looking at him with hooded eyes.

“I wish Hector had better timing for breaking up with me, then I could have woken you up in the way I really fucking want to.” He nips at Steve’s fingers, soothing the small nips with openmouthed kisses that make Steve want to whimper and pull Eddie over him.

But he’s a glutton for punishment so instead he asks, “I get it’s easy to say stuff like that now that you know he’s an ass but you were going to bring him here to meet your family, I’m guessing that means you felt pretty seriously about him.” 

Eddie sighs and shifts to sit up in the bed, plucking at Steve’s fingers because he still refuses to release his hold on the other man. “I definitely felt more serious about it than he did. I wanted commitment and he apparently wanted an easy lay. I was the one talking about leaving things at each other’s places, wanting to do double dates with our friends and he’d always skirt around it or change the subject or kiss me. I’d hoped that this trip would make him realize how serious I was about us. And instead I found out how serious he wasn’t.”

He scrubs his hand through his hair before folding his arms over his knees and laying his head on them. “So I guess the short answer to your question is sort of. I was more serious about wanting a real relationship than I was about wanting him I think. Because I’m feeling really hard pressed to find anything even remotely warm and fuzzy feeling about him anymore.”

“That makes sense, I went through the same thing a while ago. And it was hard getting partners to understand why I wake up so early to start at the bakery or thinking I’m a workaholic because I live above my job. It’s been about two years since my last relationship because of that.”

Eddie props his chin up on his arms, looking over at Steve, “Is that why you volunteered to come? You’ve only really known me for a few hours as someone besides another customer at your shop. Then I offer you my big sob story and you saw …a kindred spirit? Was it just to not be alone on Christmas? You just got into a stranger's truck and let me drive you two hours out of the city to meet my family who you know nothing about and now we’re sharing a bed. How did you end up here?”

Steve folds his hands behind his head and stares up at the ceiling with a sigh, chewing on his lip. “Besides the fact that I know I could take you in a fight easily? Well, I feel the same way around you that I did when I met Robin. I feel like even if we don’t work out romantically, I just know that you’re supposed to be part of the rest of my life.”

“Hey now I’m scrappy!” Eddie protests petulantly before his expression melts into something contemplative, “But on the same level as your platonic soulmate huh? I think I can live with that.”

Steve’s hand wraps around his ankle and tugs him back down to the bed, bullying him into his arms until Eddie is tucked under Steve’s chin. “You were saying? I haul bags of flour darling, you’re like air to me.”

“Oh am I, you sure about that?” Eddie strains against Steve’s hold, wiggling around until he manages to get one arm free. Which Steve just grabs and uses to flip Eddie onto his back, straddling him and pinning his arms above his head.

“What now pretty boy?” Steve coos meanly. Eddie whines in response, legs trying to buck Steve off but only turning himself on more. Steve leans down to nibble along his jaw, up to his ear. “Come make cinnamon rolls with me and maybe I’ll give you a little extra sugar after.” And then he slides from the bed, dragging Eddie to the edge of the bed with him.

“You’re taking advantage of meeee.” Eddie groans as he’s manhandled about so easily.

“It only counts as taking advantage if I can’t tell how much you like it.” Steve says, pressing a kiss to his cheek, “We can cuddle on the couch while the dough proofs, come on.”

~O~

Hopper went by the bodega first thing in the morning to ask about their footage. They only had a camera towards the parking lot so he still couldn’t see the kidnappers face clearly, but it was enough to get a plate from the guy's car.

Dustin had texted him updates whenever he could from Steve’s phone, it looks like the kidnappers had stopped for the night near a couple of very isolated cabins. It was the start of a location though, hopefully the plate would be able to lead him to a specific one before anything could happen to Steve.

Hopper pours himself a cup of black coffee and immediately updates the tracking board before starting to run a check on the plates. The waiting is harder than ever, knowing it’s his kid he’s trying to find. What if they’re too late? What if Steve is gone without ever knowing how much he means to the party? What if Hopper never gets to tell Steve that he thinks of him as his son?

The results come in a few hours later which is both great and terrible. Great because he’s one step closer to finding Steve, terrible because it means the kidnapper already has a record. Hopper clicks to open the file and now he has a name. Edward Munson. 

His rap sheet is mostly petty stuff from a few years ago, possession of marijuana, loitering, a parking ticket he’d paid off. Nothing here even remotely hints at a jump to kidnapping but the curly haired figure scowling from the booking mugshot looks similar enough to the guy he saw tackling Steve that he feels comfortable with his conclusion. He prints out the mugshot and tacks it up to the board as well, resisting the urge to shoot the image and pretend it’s the man responsible. Before he can get too lost in the emotions threatening to bubble up inside him his phone rings, it’s Dustin.

“Hey Dust-”

“He’s moved again.” Dustin cuts him off abruptly. Hopper feels a chill run down his spine.

“Where?”

Dustin sends him another screenshot that shows the blip of Steve’s phone deep in the woods. Hopper swears violently when he realizes there’s an abandoned quarry nearby.

“Do you think he’s still…”

“We can only keep hoping Dustin. I just got a bead on who the kidnapper might be. Has Steve ever mentioned an Edward Munson?” On a whim Hopper types the man’s name into their database search bar.

“Umm, there’s an Eddie who comes by the bakery occasionally. Do you think he was stalking Steve, he’d seemed nice according to him.”

A handful of results pop up and Hopper finds himself absently saying goodbye to Dustin as he starts reading. Edward Munson’s mother died in a fire when he was six, his father Al Munson was currently serving 15 years for vehicular manslaughter and child endangerment. Eleven year old Eddie had been in the car when his drunk father crashed and killed two other people. Custody of the kid fell to his uncle Wayne Munson, Al’s brother. Forget kidnapping, this guy had budding serial killer written all over him. And now he was heading into the woods with Steve.

Hopper files a request for housing records for the Munson family and a search warrant for the apartment on Munson’s license.

~O~

Wayne loved the bourbon pecan cinnamon rolls that Steve made. Loved seeing Steve curled up on his nephew’s chest, Eddie reading softly to him, even more. The record player in the corner had some classic Christmas songs playing while a fire crackled in the hearth. Wanting to preserve this sweet moment, Wayne couldn’t resist pulling his phone out and taking a picture of them. The shutter sound caused both of their heads to snap up as they realized they weren’t alone.

“You taking pictures of us old man? You perv.” Eddie teases and Wayne flips him off before going to get another cup of coffee.

“Maybe Steve needs to take you outside and let you run around, burn off some of that attitude of yours.” He calls back out to them, Steve flushes as Eddie shouts back, eyebrows bouncing salaciously.

“He doesn’t need to take me outside for that.”

Wayne rolls his eyes before settling into his armchair and taking a deep drink of his coffee. “Okay, it’s time for you to go wear yourself out. Go take your boy and find us a Christmas tree. And if you’re lucky I won’t lock you outside after you animal.”

Eddie cackles but does encourage them to get up with a soft kiss to Steve’s hair. Steve nuzzles their cheeks together before complying, helping Eddie up off the couch. The two of them are disgustingly cute as they help each other into their jackets, using scarfs and hats as excuses to casually touch each other and pull the other close. Wayne just hopes they can keep it down tonight, an old man needs his beauty sleep.

They gather up an axe, a tarp, and rope from the shed before tromping out into the forest. It only takes about an hour of wandering before they find a suitable tree, Eddie teaching Steve how to make the proper cuts so that the tree falls over safely.

“How did you learn to do that?” Steve asks as they get the tree loaded up on the tarp.

“Wayne, he taught me a lot of this stuff to help me find better outlets for my emotions after my father got put away. Best thing he ever did though was teach me to play guitar.” Eddie threads the ropes through so they don’t rip the branches off the tree before handing one hand off to Steve and keeping the other. Their free hands thread together sticky and smelling heavily of pine but neither seem to mind the idea of being stuck together.

“Will you play for me sometime?”

“Of course sweetheart,” He presses their sides together and squeezes their fingers, “I’d love to.”

Wayne has already started unpacking the bins when they get back, the tree stand ready to go as the excess needles are shaken off and any broken branches are trimmed. Wayne directs Steve on which way to tilt the tree while Eddie grabs water for the base and then tightens the holding screws.

“She’s a fine tree boys, now let's get her dressed up.”

They decide on the lights and Eddie pulls out a lot of garland that he starts winding around banisters and the fireplace and even around Steve to peck him on the nose. Wayne huffs at them and swats Eddie away to stop distracting Steve unless he plans on actually doing anything about it.

Steve laughs and blushes, he’s never seen a parent be so blase about relationships with their child but considering what Eddie’s mentioned about his childhood he gets the feeling that Eddie and Wayne are a very unique case. They all hang the ornaments on the tree together, weaving in and out of each other’s spaces as they find the perfect spot on the tree.

Once the tree is decorated Eddie hauls the last two bins outside and get Steve to bring out the ladder as he starts untangling.

“We have clips drilled in along the frame of the house to make this easier so hopefully this won’t take too long. It’s gonna be getting dark in a few hours.” Untangling the lights probably takes longer than putting them up, true to Eddie’s word the clips do make things easier. And getting to watch Eddie’s thighs work as he moves up and down the ladder while Steve holds it steady really is the gift that keeps on giving.

Eddie feels worn out by the time all the lights are in place, he does not go to the gym often for a reason. Seeing the shine in Steve’s eyes though as he takes in the beautiful colors and warm glow of the tree through the window tells him it was worth it though.

“Merry Christmas Steve.” Eddie whispers, hugging the other man from behind as the brunette snaps a picture of all their hard work, and after a few tries, gets it sent off to Dustin.

“Thank you for bringing me with you Eddie, and Merry Christmas.” They stand there together, admiring their hard work until Wayne calls them in for dinner.

~O~

The warrant falls through. The judge refuses to sign due to a lack of evidence, he’s also frankly pissed that Hopper yanked him away on Christmas Eve to try and harass a guy whose record has been clean for years. And the request for residence records is still processing.

Before Hopper can start shouting or seeing if there’s any other judge who owes him a favor he can call in Dustin calls again.

“Steve sent me a picture. I think it’s where he’s been taken; there’s no caption, no call, nothing.” The boy has been beside himself with panic and grief but this, this is proof that Steve is alive. At least for now. It’s a breath of air for the party, knowing that all is not lost yet.

“Send it to me now.”

He rushes back to the station and pulls up the cabins on the map, trying to use the picture to figure out which one it is. He thinks he’s got it nailed down to two and one the second search he hits paydirt. A cabin owned by one Wayne Munson. He scribbles down the address and texts Dustin to have everyone meet at the Hopper-Byers place tonight. They’re going to get Steve back.

Pt 4

[tigertales9]

Naughty and Nice

Pairing: Joe Burrow x Reader

Warnings: 18+ / Smut

Description: Christmas tree decorating with a little fluff, a little angst, and a little smut. This fic takes place between week 12 (Titans) and week 13 (Chiefs).

Here's a timeline to refer to if you get confused. I was confused most of the time while writing this.

Thanksgiving - Thurs. Nov. 24th, 2022

Bengals at Titans - Sun. Nov. 27th, 2022

Tree decorating (this fic) - Wed. Nov. 30th, 2022

Chiefs at Bengals - Sun. Dec. 4th, 2022

--------------------

You glance around the living room making sure everything is ready for tonight. "Something's missing," you muse to yourself, surveying the vast array of Christmas ornaments laid out on your coffee table.

You and Joe were decorating your Christmas tree tonight, and you wanted everything to be ready when he got home. Earlier that day, you'd wrestled the gigantic Christmas tree box out of your storage room and set up the first two tiers, leaving the top tier for Joe to set up since his tall ass could easily do it without a step stool. The tree was pre-lit so at least you didn't have to worry about that.

"What's missing?" you ponder, chewing on your bottom lip for a bit before it hits you. "Garland!" you chirp, rushing back into the storage closet to dig around. You emerge a few minutes later with several sparkly strands wrapped around your neck. As you walk back into the living room, you hear Joe coming in from the garage. You feel a surge of happiness as he rounds the corner and hits you with that panty-dropping smile.

"Ohhh festive," he purrs, leaning down to give you a kiss while fondling the garland. "Do I get to unwrap you?" he teases, sliding his agile fingers up and down the garland in a suggestive way that makes your toes curl. "Not yet," you giggle. "Pizza will be here in 15 minutes." Joe's stomach growls loudly just as you finish your sentence and you both laugh. "Right on time," he chuckles, dropping another kiss on your lips before walking into the living room to survey the tree.

"Looking good," he says, grabbing the top tier and easily clicking it into place. He plugs the tree in and stands back to admire the lights. "You want to put the garland on before the pizza gets here?" he asks.

"Sure." You unwind a glittery strand from around your neck and hand it to him. "You can do the top since I can't reach. I'll help once you get farther down." You watch as Joe carefully twirls the garland around the top of the tree, your eyes instinctively drawn to his ample ass showcased by slinky gray track pants.

"How's this look?" he asks, tucking the end of the strand in.

"Sooo good," you moan, flashing him an innocent smile when he shoots you a look over his shoulder.

"You were checking out my ass weren't you?"

"Maybe," you shrug, tossing him another strand of garland.

He gives you a dirty grin. "You better be glad pizza is on the way or you'd be in big trouble."

"How big?" you tease, lowering your gaze to his crotch.

His eyebrows shoot up as he slowly walks toward you. "You know exactly how big, baby girl, but I'd be happy to show you."

He's a step away from you when the doorbell rings. "Bad timing," he grumbles, playfully smacking your butt before jogging to the front door. He returns a minute later with his nose buried in the pizza box. "I smell pineapple," he groans, pushing a few ornaments to the side before plopping the pizza box down on the coffee table; he throws the box open and grabs a slice, his eyes sliding closed as he takes a huge bite.

"I guess we're eating in the living room tonight," you chuckle, walking into the kitchen to grab napkins and a couple of drinks. Joe is finishing his first slice when you walk back in. You set his napkin and drink down beside him, smiling as he picks half the pineapple off a slice of pizza before handing it to you.

"Thanks, babe," you grin, taking a bite and watching in fascination as he piles the extra pineapple on his next slice and crams it in his mouth. You're about to make a SpongeBob joke when Joe's phone chirps. He quickly wipes his hands on his napkin and checks his phone, frowning for a second before typing out a quick text. You take another bite of pizza before turning on some cheesy Christmas music. Joe laughs as you wiggle your hips to the beat. "C'mon," you say, nodding at the tree. "Let's do this."

Y'all finish wrapping the garland around the tree then move on to the ornaments, stopping every now and then to take bites of pizza. Everything goes great for a little while before Joe's phone starts chirping every few minutes. He mumbles apologies while shooting off texts. "Sorry, babe," he says, after the latest interruption. "Chiefs week got some of the guys trippin'."

"It's fine," you say, smiling as one of your fav Christmas songs comes on. "It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas," you sing, kicking your smile up a notch as you hit your stride. "Everywhere you goooo…" Joe returns your smile then immediately frowns as his phone rings. "Just a sec," he mumbles, hurrying to grab his phone. "It's Coach," he sighs, walking a few steps away before answering the call.

You hum along to the Christmas carol under your breath as you hang a few more ornaments, shooting a couple of quick glances at Joe as he runs a hand through his hair and nods his head several times. "Yeah, that's fine," he says, giving you a quick grimace before continuing his phone conversation. "Let me call you back in 5 minutes." He ends the call and graces you with a sheepish look. "Coach wants to send me a couple of film clips real quick to get my opinion. Is that okay? It'll only be like 15 or 20 minutes then we can finish the tree."

You chew on your lip for a bit before answering. "That's fine," you mumble, giving him a smile as fake as the tree you're decorating. "Thanks, babe," he says, planting a quick kiss on your cheek before jogging upstairs to his office.

You feel every bit of happiness leave your body as you look at the half-ass decorated tree. "It's beginning to look a lot like fuck this," you sing under your breath, turning off the Christmas music before unplugging the tree, plunging the room into darkness. Just like my mood, you think to yourself. You know you're being dramatic but fuck it. Shit like this always happens and you just have to swallow it down and be supportive.

It didn't help that Thanksgiving was a bit of a clusterfuck less than a week ago. Y'all had hosted a small get together with just family and a few close friends, but Joe's mind had clearly been elsewhere for the duration of the festivities. Between watching football games and texting his teammates, Joe had pretty much had his face in his phone until his mom finally snapped at him, causing things to be a little awkward after that. Joe's dad had reminded everyone that Joe had a huge game coming up in a few days against the Titans, so he was rightfully distracted by game prep, but Robin wasn't having it. "He can put the phone down for 30 minutes!" she'd snapped, narrowing her eyes at Jimmy when he opened his mouth to protest.

"And that was that," you whisper to yourself, "would anyone like a slice of pumpkin pie with a side of awkward silence?"

You walk to the kitchen and grab a glass, sighing loudly as you toss in some ice cubes followed by a hearty amount of vodka and a tiny glug of cranberry juice. You take a sip and make a face as the potent drink hits your taste buds. You take another sip and lean into your pity party.

You can't even call anyone to complain because they'll all say the exact same thing -- that's what you get when you're engaged to an NFL quarterback. Or even worse -- don't complain, girl, at least he makes bank. You'll never have to worry about money.

You shake your head at that last thought; you were in love with the man not the money. When y'all first got together back at LSU, you had no idea this would be his career trajectory. You wonder sometimes what it would be like if he never won the Natty, the Heisman, and became the first pick in the NFL draft. What would a normal life be like?

You take a deep breath and try to quell that line of thinking. "It is what it is," you mutter, grabbing your cocktail and heading upstairs.

You walk into the master bathroom and turn on the dimmest light available before running a bath, squirting some bubble bath into the heated water and watching as a thick layer of foam develops; you strip naked, twist your hair up to keep it dry then step into the hot water, sighing in satisfaction as you breathe in the fragrant steam rising up around you.

About 20 minutes later -- after the hot bath and vodka have started working their magic -- you feel a little ashamed of your negative thoughts.

"He's just watching game film," you mutter to yourself. "He's not out bar hopping or chasing women or ignoring everything to play video games." You shake your head as you continue to berate yourself. "He's living his dream right now and it won't last forever."

You feel a pang of anxiety as you think about how close he came to having to give up his NFL dream before it really got started. The knee injury halfway through his rookie year could have easily ended his career; lesser injuries have been the end for several players, but not your man. You feel a rush of pride when you think about how hard he worked -- scarily hard with single-minded focus -- to regain his strength.

"And here I am being a little brat about decorating the damn tree." You sink farther down in the tub, giggling as the bubbles tickle your chin; you're still smiling when you hear a knock at the door.

"Babe? Can I come in?"

"Yeah."

The door opens and Joe walks in, smiling when he sees you chin-deep in bubbles. "Hey gorgeous," he says, crouching down beside the tub. "Sorry it took a little longer than I thought. Coach is trippin' about the Chiefs game. He just wanted to make sure we're on the same page about a couple things."

"I don't know why he's trippin'," you purr, giving Joe a sly wink. "He's got the best quarterback in the league."

"Thanks," he mumbles, trying and failing to keep his grin just shy of cocky. "What's this?" he asks, picking up your high-octane beverage. "It's a cranberry cocktail," you mutter, giggling as he takes a hearty gulp. "GAH-lee!" he laughs, "that's damn near straight vodka." He holds it up to the light and squints his eyes. "You sure there's cranberry in here?"

"There's a little," you shrug. "I made it strong for medicinal purposes."

"Medicinal?" he asks, giving you a quizzical look. "For what?"

"Pity party," you mumble, biting your lip when he quickly sets the glass down and locks eyes with you.

"I should've turned my phone off the second I got home," he says. "I'm sorry. I was really looking forward to tonight. I hope I didn't ruin everything."

"You didn't ruin anything," you whisper. He opens his mouth to object and you curl a hand around the back of his neck, pulling him in for a kiss. He leans into it, dipping his tongue into your mouth to tangle with yours in a way that puts your entire body on notice.

"Naughty or nice?" you whisper against his slick lips. It takes him a second to register the question so you ask again, giving a little more clarification. "Naughty or nice? What do you want tonight?"

"Is that a trick question?" he asks, nipping your bottom lip before loudly sucking on it in a way that sends a jolt of electricity straight to your clit. "No," you breathe, squeezing your thighs together to try and ease the steady throb.

He gives you a knowing smile and dips his head down to kiss your neck; when he leans back there's a puff of bubbles on his perfect nose. He narrows his eyes at you when you giggle. "What's so funny?"

"This," you chuckle, swiping the bubbles onto your finger to show him. He grins as he blows the bubbles into the air, and you both watch as they slowly glide down and land on the edge of the tub. Several seconds pass before he locks eyes with you.

"What if I want both?" he asks.

"Both?"

"Naughty and nice."

You raise an eyebrow. "I'm listening."

"What if I go downstairs and get a nice fire going in the fireplace and make you something tasty to replace that shitty cocktail." You laugh as he nods at the offending beverage. "Then you can come down and we'll finish decorating the tree." He shrugs and gives you a naughty smile. "We'll see what happens after that."

You match his naughty smile with one of your own. "Sounds good," you say, standing up. "Can you hand me my towel, please?"

"Yes, ma'am." He takes his sweet time grabbing your towel while bubbles slowly slide down your torso exposing your breasts; his hot gaze rakes up and down your body as he wraps the fluffy towel around you. "Thanks," you whisper.

"You're welcome." He watches you for a few seconds before turning to head for the door; just before he exits the room, he stops and throws you a look over his shoulder. "If you're a good girl, you might get your stocking stuffed tonight," he teases, giving you a filthy wink before leaving the room.

You grin and shake your head when you hear him laughing all the way down the stairs. You finish drying off before taking your hair down and running your fingers through it several times. Once you're satisfied with the result, you walk into your closet to select an outfit. You shimmy into a slinky, red long-sleeve tee --no bra-- before stepping into a pair of tiny black boy shorts. You study your reflection in the full-length mirror, not quite happy with the ensemble.

"Needs something else," you whisper, eyes going wide when an idea pops into your head. You grab a pair of black thigh-high cable-knit socks that you usually wear over leggings with boots. You smile to yourself while sliding the socks up your bare legs. "He's gonna love these," you giggle, giving your reflection a thumbs-up before heading downstairs.

Joe gives you a slow once-over as you walk into the living room, letting out a low groan as he admires your outfit. "So fucking sexy," he whispers, wrapping you in a hug while sliding a couple of long fingers inside the top of your thigh-highs. For several minutes y'all sway together in front of the crackling fire, the Christmas music that he turned back on providing a languid tempo as you melt into each other, his big hands eventually coming to rest on your bubble butt. "Woman," he groans, nuzzling his nose against your fragrant neck, "we better get this tree decorated before I lose all sense of decency."

"Yes, sir," you whisper, stepping back and giving him an innocent smile when he hits you with a loaded look. You grab an ornament and sashay toward the tree, knowing full well his eyes are on the bit of butt cheek peeking out of your boy shorts. You smile to yourself when you hear him curse under his breath. "I think this should go down here," you purr, bending at the waist to hang the ornament on the lowest branch, making sure to aim your ample ass directly at your man. "You better stop playin'," Joe mumbles. "What's that, babe?" you ask, twirling around to lock eyes with him. "Nevermind," he mutters, giving you a thorough once-over before taking a deep breath.

"I made us some cocktails," he offers, his gaze coming to rest on your very visible nipples poking against your thin t-shirt. "Sounds great," you smile, biting your lip as it takes Joe a few more seconds to drag his gaze from your breasts to your face. "I'll go get 'em," he croaks, spinning around to head to the kitchen.

"You are a shameless tease," you whisper to yourself, more than a little smug at the effect you have on Joe, even after several years together.

"Here you go," Joe says, walking back in and handing you a frosty glass. "It's a much more reasonable vodka to cran ratio plus a twist of lime," he continues, watching you closely as you lift the glass and take a sip. "Mmmm delicious," you sigh, taking another sip. "At least it won't give you alcohol poisoning," he chuckles, taking a sip of his own cocktail.

You take another sip before setting your glass down and nodding toward the tree. "Alright Burrow let's finish this," you order. "10 minutes left on the clock; we gotta get the rest of the ornaments on the tree in that time. You think you're up for it?" you ask, smiling when he sets his glass down and cracks his knuckles. "I'm always up for it," he brags, giving you a smug grin. "It's gotta look good though," you warn, "can't just throw 'em on there buck wild." He elevates his grin from smug to downright cocky. "Have you seen my accuracy stats?" You nod your head. "Yeah, you're really good under pressure," you answer, slowly licking your lips while holding his gaze. "Also best in the league at squeezing it into tight spaces."

His eyebrows shoot toward his hairline as he points a finger at you. "You're about to be in big trouble and you know it," he warns, spinning around to jog into the kitchen; he returns a few seconds later holding an old school timer; he waggles it at you. "10 minutes," he says, "you ready?"

"To quote Joseph Lee Burrow, 'I stay ready'," you boast, giving him a devious grin while grabbing an ornament in each hand. He winds the timer to 10 minutes and sets it on the coffee table. "Go!" he orders, grabbing several ornaments as the timer loudly starts ticking down.

Y'all rush back and forth between the coffee table and the tree, grabbing ornaments and strategically placing them, occasionally stepping back to check for spacing.

"How's it look?" he asks, as you do a quick inspection. "Fab," you answer, plucking a few more ornaments up while he checks the timer. "We got 2 minutes left," he announces blandly, grabbing the last of the shiny baubles and flashing a smirk as he places them on the tree.

You step back and nod your head in approval for a sec before a thought hits you. "The topper!" you yell, frantically looking around. "There it is," Joe points, rushing toward an end table and snatching up the large glittery star. "Heads up," he warns, making sure you're looking back at him as you run toward the tree; he uncorks a beautifully accurate pass, dropping the star over your shoulder and laughing as you bobble it a few times before pulling it in. "Way to stay with it," he whoops, his smile turning into a frown when you stand on your tiptoes. "I can't reach!" you yell, hopping up and down a few times before you feel his strong hands on your waist. "I got you," he soothes, easily lifting you up; you place the star on top of the tree just a few seconds before the buzzer sounds. "We did it!" you holler, ridiculously pleased that y'all beat the timer.

Joe lets you slowly slide down his body until your feet are back on the floor. "Nice catch, baby girl," he whispers against your ear, his hot breath causing a sizzle of heat down your spine. "Anybody could catch that," you scoff, leaning your head to the side to grant him access to your sensitive neck. "You're crazy accurate," you continue. "That star is not remotely aerodynamic."

"Aerodynamic? I love it when you talk nerdy to me," he moans, nuzzling the sweet spot just behind your ear.

"You're feeling that aerodynamic vibe, huh? You wanna talk about lift, drag and thrust?" you breathe, grinding your ass against his obvious erection. "I'd rather demonstrate it," he teases, grabbing your hand to lead you over to the fireplace.

"Are these washable?" he asks, pointing at a couple of faux-fur throws on the sofa. "Yeah," you give him a naughty grin and help him situate the throws in front of the roaring fire. "Come here," he beckons, stretching out on the plush throws and reaching a hand toward you. You take his hand and lay down beside him, a throb of arousal setting off deep inside you as he maneuvers you onto your back and pushes up onto an elbow, looming over you in the flickering firelight.

He lowers his head and captures your lips, teasing you with gentle kisses before sliding his tongue inside your mouth; you cup a hand behind his neck and twirl your tongue around his, moaning into his mouth as he drops a hand down to tease your nipples. The heat from the fireplace is nothing compared to the heat he generates inside you.

"You need to lose this," he whispers, pulling your shirt over your head. He pulls his own shirt off then leans down and latches his pretty lips onto a hard nipple, smiling against your sensitive skin when you arch up against him. He slides a hand down to the seam of your boy shorts, groaning when he feels your wetness through the flimsy fabric. "Damn, baby," he whispers, skimming his hand inside your shorts, both of you moaning when he slides his fingers into your slick folds.

You gasp in pleasure as his long fingers move deep inside you. "I'm close," you whimper, hissing in protest when he withdraws his fingers and pulls his mouth off of your nipple with an audible pop. "I was almost there," you whine. "I know," he croons, quickly sliding your shorts off before crawling between your thighs. "I wanna taste you. Is that okay?"

"Yeah," you breathe, watching closely as he lowers his head and plants wet kisses on your inner thighs just above your thigh-highs; you squirm underneath him, desperate to have his attention back where you need it. He gives you a dirty grin before finally licking into your folds, gently at first, teasing you with the tip of his tongue for a bit before plunging it deep inside you. You gasp his name and slide your hands into his hair, holding on as he continues to pleasure you with his limber tongue for several minutes before replacing it with two agile fingers. You shamelessly beg as he drags his tongue up to your clit, sucking it loudly while you writhe beneath him. "Don't stop!" you whimper, fisting a hand in his dirty-blonde locks to hold him in place as your climax hits. He continues to tease you as you ride out the intense orgasm.

Once your breathing evens out and your core stops pulsing around his fingers, he quickly strips naked and gets on his knees between your thighs. The flickering firelight showcases your essence glistening on his lips and chin, and you watch as he wipes your juices off with his fingers before sucking them into his mouth. You moan at the sensual display and he graces you with a naughty smirk, wrapping a hand around his hard cock and giving a long, slow pull while you push up onto your elbows to get a better look.

You lick your lips while watching him closely. "Put on a show for me, daddy," you whisper, reaching a hand out to slide it up the inside of his right thigh, smiling when his thick thigh muscles jump against your fingertips. He pumps his erection faster as you ease your hand over to massage his balls. "Fuck," he growls, his hips bucking forward as you continue to tease him. A pearly drop of precum appears on his tip and you quickly slide your thumb through it, smiling at his low purr of approval as you suck your thumb into your mouth, swirling your tongue to get every last drop of his essence.

You're still savoring his taste when you find yourself flat on your back, Joe's icy-hot blue eyes capturing yours as he lines his cock up with your slick entrance. "Yeah," you whimper, wrapping your legs around his waist as he slides inside you. You run your hands up and down his muscular back before tangling them in his hair, moaning into his mouth as he slides his tongue between your lips, the slow, rhythmic thrust of his tongue in your mouth mimicking his cock moving deep inside you. "Harder," you beg against his slick lips, lifting your hips up into each thrust as he picks up his pace.

Several minutes later he alters the angle of his thrusts just enough to bullseye your sweet spot, and you pull his hair as your climax hits, your breathy moans quickly joined by his deep-throated groans as he follows you over the edge.

You both gasp for breath for a few minutes before he rolls onto his side and pulls you close, his big spoon to your little spoon. "Let's just sleep here," he yawns, nuzzling his nose into your hair and taking a deep breath before heaving a sigh of pure contentment. "I need a blanket," you whine, grinning when Joe reaches a long arm out and drags another throw off the sofa, settling it over you as you snuggle back against him. "Better?" he asks. "Perfect," you sigh, your eyelids growing heavy as you watch the flames dance in the fireplace.

------------

Your eyes flutter open, and you briefly wonder what woke you up; before you have much time to ponder that question, you see Joe -- butt naked -- walk into the room and throw a couple of logs onto the fire. You enjoy the sight of his plump ass as he leans over to situate the logs just right. You let out a low whistle, giggling as he throws you a look over his shoulder.

"Didn't mean to wake you up," he says, snuggling back into your nest of plush throws and planting a kiss on your neck. You arch your back, grinding your butt against his crotch for a bit before rolling over onto your stomach. You look at the twinkling lights of the Christmas tree, your lips curling up into a satisfied smile as you think about how much fun y'all had decorating it.

"What are you thinking?" Joe asks.

"I think it's beautiful," you answer.

"You're beautiful," he whispers.

You giggle and turn to meet his gaze, the laughter dying in your throat when you see the look on his face. You'll never get tired of the way he looks at you. He holds your gaze while running a hand down the length of your spine and up over the swell of your ass. You spread your legs as he crawls between them, a flutter of anticipation forming in your core as he tilts your hips up just the way you like.

Before losing yourself in the moment, you vaguely notice a Christmas carol playing in the background. Here Comes Santa Claus will never hit quite the same, you think to yourself, letting out a barely-audible giggle before gasping in pleasure as your man works magic between your thighs.

[fairytale-poll]

ROUND 1B, MATCH 16 OUT OF 16!

*Though I am referring to her as Popelka, her original name in Czech, she is also often referred to as Aschenbrödel, her German name. Additionally, Three Wishes for Cinderella is the English title (with an alternate localized title being Three Gifts for Cinderella). The original Czech title, Tři oříšky pro Popelku, and the German title Drei Haselnüsse für Aschenbrödel both are translated as Three Hazelnuts for Cinderella. All names and titles have been tagged. Any local Czech or German speakers feel free to correct me for any mistakes! :)

Propaganda Under the Cut:

Danielle:

This is, imo, the single best retelling of Cinderella out there. She has a great character, her relationship with the prince grows organically rather than happening in a single night, and the scene with the bandits is top tier

The story is told as a historical romance instead of anything supernatural happening. Drew Barrymore is a cute Cinderella, Anjelica Houston is an incredible stepmother, and she's also really nasty to one of the stepsisters too, who ends up taking Danielle (Cinderella)'s side. Also Leonardo da Vinci is hanging around painting a portrait of Danielle at one point.

The Drew Barrymore Cinderella is fantastic. It’s got real history mixed with beautiful whimsy! I absolutely love the butterfly wings and how she spoke up for her step mother and sister at the end (and that they were still punished). I feel like I need to go watch it now.

she’s funny and smart and she’s resourceful (also her outfits are historically accurate!)

Popelka:

She has so much personality. She's funny, smart, kind, has a lot of spunk, and she really does things instead of just waiting for miracles to occur. Also, she's a great rider and has a deadly aim with bow and arrow.

She finds three hazelnuts that grant her wishes by giving the clothes to do what she wants. Beautiful dresses. The prince puts a ring on her finger while she’s in her huntsman’s outfit.

I don't know how it's faring in modern day Czechia, but here in Germany, Drei Haselnüsse für Aschenbrödel is still THE (non-Disney) Cinderella adaptation and a yearly rewatch for many, despite literally turning fifty this year. It's just so fairytale and also just... good? And she hangs out in the woods and shoots with a crossbow and saves deer and gives the prince riddles and then the music aaa the music!! I guess this isn't just a submission of this version of the character but this version of the story. For those who don't know: This adaptation is based on a Czech author's retelling of the Grimm version of the story, the film was a co-production of Czechoslovakia and East Germany and it slaps so hard it gets played at least 10 times (usually more) on public german television in and around December every single year. This is not an exaggeration, you can look it up, they even make a special, official info graphic with all the air dates every year that people can (and do!) share on social media. In Germany, the main event of Christmas is the 24th, Christmas eve, and on that day they play it at least 4 times (often more) at different times of the day on different public channels (ALL of which any German with a hooked up tv has access to) so anyone who wants to watch it gets a chance to. And Aschenbrödel herself in the movie STILL holds up as a (within reasonable expectations) feminist character, she's skilled, she's smart, she's witty, she and the prince actually talk and they like each other for their personalities, like... yes, there's a couple of flaws with the movie that time has pointed out, but mostly small, background things or things you simply cannot expect a movie from 1973 to get right. It's SO well made and just plain charming, it has truly stood the test of time and I would be devastated if it weren't included. It's also my mum's favourite movie (she's from East Germany and was born in 1969 so she's had regular access to it basically all her conscious life) so we would actually usually watch it multiple times each year and even record it (first on VHS, later again on DVD) so we could rewatch it any time and yet, I literally never got tired of it. It's just good & magical & I love it. Even my brother, who usually didn't care for fairytale movies at all and would much rather play video games in his room, would come down and sit with us to watch this one, THAT'S how good and magical this movie is.

And if all that hasn't convinced you yet but you speak German, here it is on YouTube, go watch it:

[Link]

(I won't provide a Czech link since I can't vouch for any of them as I don't speak czech)

Anyway, dear tournament runner: Have a pic of Aschenbrödel, in my favourite of her magically provided outfits, for the poll:

[Link]

She is the Cinderella of like eastern central Europe and the Story is a little different (she's no. 1 girlboss, beats the prince in a shooting contest and instead of a fairy she has 3 magic hazelnuts/ a magic owl)

[aihoshiino]

I did some mathing in my brain about when is AI’s and the Twins birthdays since I’m trying to figure out with what we got in the prologue since Aka never gave anyone birthdays and the time line of seasons is a fuck here. but I’m thinking Ai just turned 16 around the same time she was discovered to be 20 weeks along(5 months) and it starts snowing when her death/20th birthday but the twins birth it also starts snowing with the reincarnation happens.Japan usually starts having snow around mid December til early April so I’m shooting that AI’s birthday is around December while the twins might be late march if im doing a ball park guess I know this is weird thing to bring up in a ask but if Akasaka doesn’t give us birthdays then the fans gonna have to do it with the context clues we get especially since she’s still 16 when the twins are like … 6 months. Idek I’m rambling and want to know of your take cause I love your takes

please undrstand i am saying this with nothing but love but this ask briefly sent me down a rabbithole of forbidden knowledge and insanity and i feel like a lovecraft protag who has seen too much. I THINK i have made sense of all this but.................... listen akasaka clearly didn't think about it the same way i'm doing here so really, i guess i'm the clown in this scenario. heehoo.

The most direct clue we get about when Ai's birthday falls is in Viewpoint B, during her conversation with Kyun. The flashback portion of the story is implied to take place in December (the framing device is set in December and Kyun's recent breakup happened 'right before Christmas') and Ai's upcoming fifteenth birthday is mentioned indirectly; she talks about being about to age out of the children's home she'd been staying in which would put her birthday either in December or January.

This is also supported by the fact that the the snowfall that occurs after her death is noted to be unseasonably early. Given that the series is set mostly in Tokyo which mostly gets its snow in January, December makes the most sense for her birth month. In addition, during the little happy memories montage at the end of the episode, we see the family celebrating Christmas in a space that has exclusively Christmas decorations — so Ai's birthday is not close enough to the 24th or 25th for those sorts of celebrations to overlap. With all that in mind, my best guess for Ai's birthday is late November/early December. I personally like to headcanon it as November 28th, as it matches the timeframe and is when the real life Strawberry Productions Fan Thankgiving event was held.

As for the twins birthday, my instinct was to try and guesstimate this based on the details of Ai's pregnancy. We're directly told by the text that it lasted the full 40 weeks (which is actually not as common for twins — Ruby and Aqua were a bit late!) and that a few months have passed by the time she returns to working as an idol; Aqua and Ruby are using walkers the day she returns from her hiatus and babies are not typically physically capable of using them until around six months old. Obviously the twins are a bit more mobile than a regular baby would be much earlier, but they do seem to be reasonably constrained by the physical limits of their bodies so I feel pretty comfortable saying around six months have passed by the time Ai comes off hiatus. This also makes sense in terms of Ai's health, since it takes about six months to fully recovery from childbirth.

20 weeks post hiatus pregnancy + six months postpartum recovery = ten to eleven months passed between Ai arriving at the hospital and returning from her hiatus. It's also worth noting that she may not actually still be 16 around this time? When Saitou talks about her age, he mentions her becoming a mother at 16 which is obviously the age she had the kids, but it does leave room for her to have had a birthday between getting pregnant and actually having them.

With that 20 week starting point in mind, though, we can use the remaining 20 weeks of her pregnancy to try and narrow things down a bit more.

Using the anime as reference, it seems to be around early/mid autumn when Ai arrives at the hospital. If you look at the greenery behind Gorou when he's up on the roof, you can see there's patches where leaves are starting to show their autumn colours.

Since the hospital is all the way out in Takachiho, where autumn typically lasts between November and early December (if I'm remembering right?), my best guess would be that Ai arrived at the hospital probably late November or early December.

With that in mind, the remaining 20 weeks of her pregnancy playing out in full, that means the twins' birthday must be in mid to late April. This is actually implicitly confirmed to be the case in the series itself: while Ruby's age (and therefore Aqua's by extension) is given as 14 at the start of volume 2, they are already sixteen by the time LoveNow starts airing, which happens not long after they start high school - and the Japanese school year starts in April.

I'm choosing to headcanon them on the earlier side of April, just because that places them smack dab in the middle of cherry blossom season for Tokyo, which both makes them spring babies in contrast to Ai and ties nicely into how cherry blossoms represent rebirth and new beginnings.

anyway watch me post this ask and then next chapter confirms the twins were born or october 5th or some shit.............

[goodnitedrdead]

I definitely think those type of situations work for Carrillo -- they'd be really cute actually. I love the idea of him making dinner and it burning LOL

Well hello, Christmas anony!

The situation I had in mind was something entirely different from dinner, something a bit more... idk sensual I guess but in the end turns out wrong. Im still working on that so it will definitely be a treat for later 😏

BUT WHILE WE'RE HERE... why don't we use this moment to dive into some hcs? *rubs hands eagerly*

So, it's Christmas Eve and you both had been given the day off, fortunately.

it starts off just as he would've wanted, getting to sleep in for the first time in for fucking ever.

(didn't even get to "sleep in" he was just pleased he didn't have to listen to his damn alarm)

this man is used to waking up at the crack of dawn ever since he was in the military and you know what they say, old habits die hard.

not that he didn't wake up at the crack of dawn this time, but you insisted he stay a little longer in bed because.. "it's Christmas Eve, Horacio. what the fuck else are you gonna do today other than take it easy?"

he decided to listen to you since he knows how you get when sleep gets interrupted for you, so he decided to lay back down.

at this you decided to completely wrap yourself around him to prevent this very very stubborn man to not get up

im talking like tangled legs, half of your body on top of his, face nuzzled into the crook of his neck, hands buried in his hair, absolutely no fucking way of getting out of this one.

he'd keep dozing in and out of sleep, absolutely enamored by you and all he kept thinking while he was in and out of consciousness was just how happy you made him the short time the two of you have been together

eventually when you did get up, and both got ready for the day, you decided to start cooking to have a nice lil dinner with him to celebrate.

Christmas Day was going to be spent with his family, so as of now the both of you didn't have to worry about that. It was the best idea because that way the kids (his nieces and nephews and his own kids) wouldn't attempt their own extraction mission to open their presents on the 24th.

he convinced you to relax and let him take care of the cooking, which you were a bit like ??? because you've never seen this man cook in the time you've been with him.

not saying he doesn't know how, but lets be honest, he's a man of tradition and he's kinda used to letting the women handle it.

HE DOESN'T FORCE IT THOUGH

but he felt it was the least he could do today for you to just let you know how much he loved and appreciated you being in his life

but oh boy, if that's how he shows his love then... 💀

it was early in the afternoon when he convinced you to go out and do some last minute shopping

you were like ok... there's nothing else to shop for--

"come on, mi vida. we're out of milk"

there was literally milk in the fridge but you were like ok and went out to see what you could find

you did some window shopping since you literally had every.damn.thing. at home already

when the hell were you supposed to go back???? he never mentioned a time or?? anything???

whatever, you decided to head back home after like an hour

when you got home you noticed he had his windows open?????

you literally almost knocked down the door because your keys kept falling out of your hands

when you managed to get it open and you rushed inside you almost fucking asphyxiated on the smell and the smoke inside

"Horacio? What the hell happened?" you kept shouting and trying to look for him

when you turned around to go look upstairs you collided with a goddamn mountain

he held you still so you wouldn't fall back and he looked almost terrified

"you're back?"

"Well what else was I supposed to do? What the fuck happened?"

it was almost cute how SCARED he look

the man was absolutely mortified that you'd found him and his own house in this state

he kept stumbling over his words and stammering as he was trying to explain to you how he almost burned down the house because he didn't know how long he was supposed to leave the food in the oven for????

"are you serious?" was all you could ask him. You honestly didn't even have it in you to question him

the look on his face was GOLDEN. if anyone at the office were to see him like this... ohhh boy they'd never let this go

the fearsome Colonel Horacio Carrillo... standing in front of you trying to explain himself and looking like he was about to burst into tears

all you could do was try to hold back your laughter... and just hug him

"let's clean up and find something else to make"

he just nodded and sighed, now he kept trying to apologize to you for what happened

"Horacio, it's fine. Just please, don't ever go near the kitchen again," was all you told him and placed a kiss on the tip of his nose

a smile adorning your face and he nearly forgot what happened at the sight of you smiling at him

he honestly doesn't know what he'd do without you

[revoleotion]

december 24th

this is my gift for @cnr-golden! Merry christmas and thanks to @animes-trash for once again hosting the secret santa!

This was a lot of fun to write and honestly, I could've gone on for ages but I decided to end it there so I can still post it on Christmas. I hope you enjoy! <3

~ rev

.

To Hyde, Servamp of Greed, Christmas is no longer just Christmas anymore. It’s Licht’s birthday. And because it’s Licht’s birthday, it gives Hyde a free pass to make the day about him. 

Licht doesn’t seem to agree with him here - but then again, when does he ever? 

They’ve had arguments about it before. Both very loud verbal ones and the much more scary kind, where they would say nothing to each other for days. It might be an inherent part of their contrasting personalities, the sin and the virtue. Perhaps it is selfless of Licht to not want to celebrate his birthday, perhaps it is selfish of Hyde to insist anyway. 

It’s funny because during one of their fights, Hyde told Licht, “Isn’t it kind of selfish that you refuse a party?”

Licht only raised an eyebrow. “Isn’t it kind of selfless for you to care that much?”

Point taken. 

It didn’t feel like this was an argument they were going to solve anytime soon. But it also wasn’t a deal-breaker. It’s just one day in the year after all. Just like the Christmasses before, it will end in a compromise. Licht will accept birthday wishes and gifts, all while celebrating the bigger holiday that stubbornly lingers in the air. 

They’re both stubborn. They’ve always been. Not only that, they also get even more stubborn around each other. It’s how they show their love, Hyde thinks. 

“Why did you put the angel down,” Licht asks him on the afternoon of the 24th of December. He has his legs pulled up to his chest and a blanket draped across his lap. He looks so cute that Hyde wants nothing more than to affectionately bite him, but he can just pull himself together. 

Christmas - Licht’s birthday - ended in a compromise. That’s what they are, right? A compromise in the making. They had some cookies and hot chocolate earlier, and because it’s a tradition in Licht’s family, they will have fondue later. 

“Can’t you guess?” Hyde asks. 

Licht turns to him, making eye contact for a full, frightening five seconds, before turning back to their Christmas tree. It’s a small tree in comparison, which came in handy when Hyde stole the angel placed on top when they decorated it. 

“No,” Licht answers. “I don’t think I want to guess.”

“Well it’s because…”

“Don’t.”

“You’re an angel!”

Licht turns away and lets out a very long exhale. 

“You have to admit that this was funny,” Hyde says. “At least a little bit.”

“Mh.” Licht pulls out one hand from the blanket and reaches for him. Hyde gives his fingers a little squeeze; they’re warm and soft and, according to Licht, it is an honor to even touch them. 

“Do you want me to prove it to you?” Hyde asks. 

Licht blinks at him in confusion. He still looks confused when Hyde gets up and lets go of his hand. The understanding only settles in when Hyde picks him up and starts marching towards the tree. 

“Drecksigel, what are you doing.”

“I think you know what I am doing.”

“You are going to break it.”

“It’s going to be fine.”

Licht makes a little noise that might be a chuckle, and it fills Hyde with enough enthusiasm to follow through with his plan. 

.

For the record, Licht does look very angelic and majestic for the whole one-and-a-half seconds he clings to the treetop. 

And that’s all that counts. 

.

Licht is the first one to start laughing, a sound Hyde doesn’t hear all too often and is immensely thankful for. His Eve sitting inmidst of what used to be their Christmas tree and the presents they put underneath. Hyde’s first thought is not devoted to the damage he caused, though. They do this all the time. It’s part of them, in a way. It’s how they show their love. 

All Hyde thinks is, “I won this time, Engelchen. This is your day.”

.

“Where are we going to get a tree at this hour on Christmas Eve?” Hyde quotes the Christmas movie Licht made him watch because it’s a family tradition. (Hyde did not think about the fact that this somehow means he is family to Licht. He didn’t.)

Sadly (or thankfully), no Christmas tree bursts through their window, so Hyde shrugs and turns to the door. “Wanna look for one?”

Licht frowns. Rolls his eyes. Nods. 

They don’t really look for a Christmas tree. At least Hyde is not actively looking. They celebrated in Vienna last year but this year they are staying closer to Licht’s hometown. Both of Licht’s parents are busy with concerts but Licht, in typical Licht fashion, refused to give one on Christmas Eve. He will have some around New Year’s though, and perhaps it’s selfish of Hyde but he wants to have him for himself for as long as he can. 

There’s no clear goal to their walk, except maybe the walk itself.  Licht offered him his hand about ten minutes in, and Hyde can tell that only spite is stopping him from putting it back into the pocket of his coat. 

They stop at a bench in the town square. Licht sits down, and Hyde takes advantage of his hedgehog-form to curl up in his lap. 

“Sorry for breaking the tree,” he says. “For the record, I still think it’s funny.”

“It wasn’t.” A pause. “But it doesn’t matter. Christmas is more about the spirit anyway.”

“The Christmas spirit?” Hyde asks. 

“Yes.”

“And you think I have that?”

Licht gingerly touches him with his hand. “Of course not, you’re a demon.”

“Your demon.”

Licht’s fingers start scratching his belly the way he likes it. He doesn’t say anything, but sometimes that tells Hyde more than if he forces himself to talk. 

Still, “Hey, Engelchen?”

Licht looks at him. 

Hyde clears his throat, at least as well as that works as a hedgehog. “Thank you for spending Christmas with me.”

===

And now, an artistic rendering of the whole event: (@pinkestlittlebutterfly made me a Licht plushie and I love him and will cuddle him every night and also put him up on the tree to annoy my family)

[what-if-nct]

(you can reply to this one separately to the last post)

also omg i love your outfits! i’m also trying to grow my cute/kawaii and cosplay clothes to wear when going out, mostly so i could stand out in a crowd in cupsleeve events. i don’t usually wear those things!

one thing i really wanna try and pull off is the aliyahcore outfits. definitely one thing i’d do after surgery is to wear crop tops but i really love how the outfits makes you look kinda like a y2k video game character (idk if this is cringe to say or not lol) such as imvu or second life. i especially love the hello kitty outfits- (totally obsessed with sanrio stuff)

(oup here’s me rambling about sanrio)

my favourite character has to be my melody and cinnamoroll. my favourite cinna sibling has to definitely be no other than mocha. that is so damn obvious- i’m pretty sure every black/dark skinned sanrio obsessed person one they get to know about mocha would probably add her to their pfps because that’s the closest we may get to a official black sanrio character. she’s not really black, and i obviously understand why they picked mocha to be the way she is, but i just love her design to be dark skinned and has pink flowers instead of orange just because it “suits the complexion.” like- she describes me so well- and her birthday is 12 days after mine omgggggggggg

anywho- as you can see i REALLY love sanrio stuff- i even got my sister to go to artbox (a shop in london that sells sanrio, bt21 and other iconic kawaii toys such as pusheen) to buy me my christmas present and she got me a my melody blanket and a hello kitty calendar. i purposely didn’t tell her which character to give me as i wanted her to see the shop for herself. they literally have items in sections that it was so aesthetically pleasing, but i guess i didn’t think it through because it was almost empty (it was dec 24th) in which she had to ask someone who worked there for help, but she got it in the end. is it just me or learning about the story of how they purchased your presents are much more interesting than the item itself? like if you don’t tell me that you had to run into the store at 6am, push other customers, shove them to a nearby clothes rack, fought another customer over the last item, slamming them on the ground, paid to the cashier before realising you went over budget, paid the rest with the only cash you had, nearly ran over somebody because they tried to break into your car, just to be able to give me my present, i would most likely struggle to seem appreciative even though i am, but not sure how to express that. is it just me?

also, because i don’t gatekeep, here’s the address for artbox so you can go whenever you come to london!

44-46 shelton street, wc2h 9hz

nearest bus/train stations: convent gardens station (piccadilly line) holborn station (central line, piccadilly line) holborn station (stop n and p): 1, 59, 68, 91, 188, 243 kingsway/holborn station (stop m): 1, 59, 68, 91, 188, 243

for those who chooses to go the holborn route, if you see a boots store, that’s where you need to cross over and take the first turning on the right. if you see a cafe, go straight ahead, take a left then straight down again. it should be on your left. it should be on the maps, not sure why i’m telling the directions- i just wanna be a show off lol (also ignore the bus numbers with N in them. those ones run during the night and the shop closes at 7pm usually. also, idk what that X bus is doing there either. maybe that’s elon musk’s bus.)

Aww, Thank you. I love aliyahcore it's like 2000s fashion with rave elements. It's so cute. And over the top I love over the top fashion. My goal with styling is to have who I am inside shown through with how I look on the outside. Like what you see is exactly what you get. Like when I dressed "sexier" it didn't feel like me I looked cute but it felt like a costume. So definitely go for it when you're ready to. That is so true I love mocha she's so cute and when I first saw her I was like "me!!!" I'm such a Sanrio girly and so is my best friend us giving each other gifts is just us giving each other sanrio merchandise. I have so much sanrio stuff mainly my melody and a few little twin stars things. if little twin stars was easy to find id have more. Those are my fave Sanrio characters. But that's such a cute story for how your sister got your Christmas gift and I think it just adds more excitement and adventure to the gift. But I love "It reminded me of you" or "I thought of you" gifts like you were thinking about little ol me?! it makes me so happy. It could literally be a pink piece glass for 50 cents and I would cherish it forever cause it reminded someone of me. And that sounds like such a cute shop, thank you for address and directions. If Im ever in London I'll would make sure to stop buy.

[ares--athena]

Christmas Cheer

Robby x black fem! Reader x Tory

Summary- Robby and Tory have no idea what to get each other or reader and reader doesn't think she got them enough. Will their financial problems hurt the situation irreversibly?

Warnings- sorta angsty, fluffy, and the very very slight allusion to smut at the end.

December 5th- 20 days before Christmas (Reader POV)

"I ordered their gifts already." I told my friend Starr while walking down the school hall. "A little early, no?" She asked, it was 'early' for most people but not me I wanted everything to be here for them. "No, I honestly haven't gotten everything yet so I'm still a little behind schedule. It has to be perfect it's our first Christmas together." "Girl, I'm positive that if you gave those two some sand from outside they would cherish it like a million bucks. I think you'll be okay." She laughs making her way inside the classroom.

December 15th- 10 days before Christmas (Reader, POV)

Walking through the isles of the store nothing caught my eye for a good gift for them. I wanted to get Tory and Robby meaningful things and nothing was standing out. The stress of finals had been in both me and Tory stressed while Robby was fixing his relationship with his dad, so we were all white busy. I walked around the entire store twice before something caught my eye. A Lego Batman set, the one Tory's brother had been looking at. I don't think he ever told her because she does so much. So I did what any sensible person would do, I bought it with some gifts I did find for them.

December 20th- 5 days before Christmas (Tory POV)

"I don't know guys, what should I get them. Bills are tight this month and I can't make up for it." I ranted to Miguel and Sam while being in class. "Just talk to them, they'll understand." Sam explained. "But knowing Robby he'll try his best to buy what I want and I KNOW (y/n) will go absolutely overboard with gifts because it's her love language." I ranted more, what was I gonna do? "Then don't buy them anything, They love your cooking, make them Christmas dinner." Miguel suggested. "That might actually be a good idea."

December 20th- 5 days before Christmas (Robby POV)

"What the hell am I supposed to get them?" I asked Eli during practice. "You haven't gotten either of their gifts yet? Dude your real behind." He said. "You are not helping, (y/n) is probably getting me and Tory really thoughtful gifts and I can't think of shit to get for her." I almost yelled. "Okay, one calm down, two just get them both things they like, small stuff, they're both going to like whatever you get them." He said. "Yeah I guess."

December 24th- 1 day before Christmas (Reader POV)

Everything was going wrong, I wasn't finished wrapping presents, my hair wasn't done only being washed, and both Robby and Tory were on their way. "fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck" I mumbled to myself as I finally finished wrapping their gifts and started on my hair. About ten minutes later my hair was in two puffs and someone knocked at my door so it would have to do. "Merry Christmas Eve baby" Tory said with a smile. "Merry Christmas Eve love. How are you?" I asked letting her in. "Great now that I see you." As me and Tory got situated we started home alone, a top tier Christmas movie, to wait for Robby. It wasn't cold in the Valley by any means but we were cuddled under a blanket for the movie. There was another knock at my door, "I'll get it baby, relax" Tory said softly getting up. "Hi pretty girl" Robby told Tory giving her a side hug with gifts in his arm. "Robby what all did you get?" Tory asked. "You will find out tomorrow. Hi beautiful." Robby smiled at me. "Hi hun."

December 25- Christmas Day (Reader POV)

Waking up in Robby and Tory's arms may be the best part of my day already. "Babe, get up." I heard Tory shake me. I groaned and turned around. "Come on beautiful wake up. It's Christmas." I heard Robby from next to me. "I just wanna sleep for a little longer." I mumbled to them. "Come one babe it's already 10 and I finished breakfast.' Tory said softly. "Mm okay." I mumbled starting to get up.

"Thank you love breakfast was amazing." I said taking Tory and Robby's plates and giving her a kiss. "Merry Christmas babe." Tory smiled. "Come on we gotta open gifts." Robby said getting up. "Yeah I gotta get all your gifts from upstairs. I'll be right back." "WHAT ALL DID YOU GET!?" I heard Tory about from downstairs. I didn't reply as I went to my room and grabbed the gifts from my closet. Or as many as I could, I would have to make a second trip. I set the gifts by the stairs and grabbed the other one before making my way back down. "Holy fucking shit what all did you get?" Robby asked grabbing some gifts and putting them under the tree. I moved next to him to put down the ones I had. "I don't think I got you guys enough actually." I said softly going up the stairs to grab the rest of the gifts. "Holy fuck babe." Tory said coming out of the kitchen. "That's what I said. And She said she would've gotten us more." Robby mocked. "More! You would have put everywhere out of business with more." Tory shouted. "Come on just open your gifts." I said sitting by the tree. Tory and Robby both took seats near me. "Tory, what's wrong?" I asked her, "You look like you're going to cry." "I'm sorry I..." she paused to take a breath. "I wasn't able to get you guys anything. Money was really tight this month and Brandon really wanted this gift and I just couldn't. I'm sorry." She finished. "Tory," Robby started before just moving in to hold her. I joined in not long after. She started sobbing, "I just saw how much you spent on us and I'm sorry I wasn't able.." I cut her off, "Tory I don't do this for something in return I get you and Robby gifts because I love you. This is just how I show that. I don't need gifts from you two because you show your love differently this is just all I know how to do." I said smiling at her and wiping her tears. "Tory we know how much you care for us by what you do not what you give us." Robby spoke softly to her. "And Tory there is one gift I really want you to see first." I got up to grab a gift I had stashed away, I say back next to her letting Tory see who it was too. "Oh my god" she whispered. "You got Brandon a gift. This is, I can't even.." she stuttered looking shocked at the package. "I saw him looking at it on commercials and I don't think he ever told you about it, so I got it for him." "This is great. Babe, I don't even know what to say to you" she smiling at me. "I say we open the rest of these gifts. And then show beautiful how much we really appreciate her gifts." Robby smiled.

[hobbit-in-kuroshitsuji]

Kuroshitcember 2022 Prompt Nr. 23 - Christmas Special 1/3

prompt: Sebastian thinks about his life before his contract with Ciel.

You can find all prompts here!

All of these will be uploaded/archived to this blog's Ao3 eventually

📌Because I ended up not being able to participate in quite a lot of prompts lately, I decided to put together a 3 part little story for 23rd, 24th, and 25th of December, each chapter inspired by that day's prompt. I tried incorporating as many characters as I could <3 I hope you enjoy!! I hope I can keep up writing after Christmas though <3 these prompts have been amazing, and it's been so much fun participating <3

Summary: As Christmas Eve draws to its end, Ciel Phantomhive finds out that his demon butler had a past unlike any the boy could have ever imagined. This means Ciel's Christmas takes a drastic turn, which invites things to go both right and wrong... CW: kuroshitsuji spoilers (if you don't know about o!ciel and r!ciel, do not read this 3 parter!!), mentions death, suicide, anatomy study, workhouses - please be careful if you are easily triggered by real events that happened in the past. oh, if you don't ship Vincent/Undertaker, please don't send hate <3 it's just a fleeting mention, but still <3

“The what?”

Ciel’s one eye flickered over to glare at Sebastian. The question was not a rude one, but Ciel’s patience had been somewhat thin as of late. Memories flooded Ciel during the entire month of December which wore down both his mood and his mental health.  

First it had been his birthday; a reminder of his brother and the loss of affection and remembrance toward his own dead self buried somewhere no one came to visit (to his knowledge)…

Then it had been faint memories of past holidays, with family near and warmth all around a child’s innocent mind.

What was usually the time for a human to get acquainted with the world from behind the protective barrier of parents had been shattered a long time ago, and the bitterness of the loss of a child’s innocence seeped into the holiday instead.

Ciel Phantomhive no longer cared for Christmas, and Sebastian had not had to care about Christmas for any other reason then to keep up appearances of a household serving a philanthropist wishing to remain out of the spotlight, and a kind-hearted lord.

“The Foundation of Timmy.” Desk filled with letters ranging from ‘Merry Christmas’ cards, to bills, to civilians appealing for more time to pay rent, to complaints about the land… Ciel favoured one letter in his hand which would turn the tide for that year’s Christmas. Because of that letter, Ciel was not the only one suddenly overwhelmed with memories. “It’s a charity giving to the poor in London. They’re hosting a special charity during the holiday season to give presents, food, warm clothes, that sort of thing.”

“Let me guess,” Sebastian spoke, voice slightly quieter than normal, pupils ten sizes smaller, and fangs out for show – “They pay special attention to the workhouses of London…”

“Yes.” Ciel thought little of this. Outwardly he didn’t care for his demon’s emotions anyway, and his act meant that he didn’t notice how this was affecting Sebastian. Besides, it was a logical conclusion. The workhouses were on the top of the list when looking for places to go and be charitable.

“They do not mention the Jewish communities?”

Ciel blinked at this question though. “The Jewish…? Well, yes. There’s a separate fund for Hanukkah. It offers the Jewish community funding for those living in the industrial areas… We have missed it this year, though. It ended on the 4th of December.”

“Yes…” Sebastian said no more, and instead busied himself with collecting opened letters from Ciel’s desk to try and tidy up.

“How did you know this?” Ciel looked between demon and letter, glancing at the charity’s symbol: a crest held up by a crow cawing. Within the crest, the letter T was printed.

A mere guess, my lord was what Sebastian wanted to say. Alas, he had been prompted not to lie to his master. Through a fake smile attempting to offer the aesthetic of him being calm and in control of his own emotions – which Sebastian despised he even had – the demon said: “Timothy Smith was a previous contract of mine. In your human, Christian calendar it would have been between the years of 1698 to 1705.”

Shocked and astounded to suddenly hear something about Sebastian’s past on Earth, Ciel stood up in such a rush that the chair tumbled over behind him. With one wide eye, Ciel stared at the demon, who pretended nothing had been said and simply continued to clean.

“Sebastian,” Ciel pointed out, only to find he had no clue of what to ask. He wanted to know all of it, really. Who was Timmy? How old had he been? How had he summoned a demon? Where did they live? Had Timothy been a noble too from the start? Did demons only go for nobles?

For some strange reason though, the only question that formed on Ciel’s tongue was what that contract had entailed. Whether Ciel done right by himself was something he still pondered over. Could he have done better in negotiating terms and conditions with a demon?

Had someone else cracked the code before him?

“What were the conditions?”

“Pardon?” Sebastian paused his cleaning, almost looking offended.

Maybe it was offensive to ask such things to a demon – Ciel didn’t know. He didn’t speak demon language nor did he know anything about their culture – nor did Ciel want to know about their anything. It was a demon. A foul creature with the sole intention of pulling humans down to hell for consumption.

So, Ciel continued despite the offense. “What was your contract about?”

Sebastian’s nostrils flared once, then he seemed to straighten up further than humanly possible – as if to keep something back, a rude comment… maybe…

“Timothy asked me to be his father.”

And now Ciel was just confused.

“Huh?”

“Timothy was a little boy, younger than you, who was taken from a workhouse in 1688 by men of science attempting to understand human anatomy. Taken to a university for the sole purpose of being murdered and cut open, one scientist took pity on the boy before he could hit the nail through the boy’s skull.” There was venom behind Sebastian’s words, a venom which Ciel noted he had never heard before…. Except for once when Sebastian scolded Ciel for not letting him help clean Ciel up, perhaps only a few hours after their contract had initially been created. Ciel had still been hurt then… and… wounds can get infected. This part of Sebastian’s past had become an infected wound too.

He cared.

Demons shouldn’t care… right?

“He took Timothy to a different department. One not researching human anatomy, but the human soul. One thing led to another, and they summoned me… not a human soul.” Sebastian once more looked offended at the mere idea, taking on a pose of superiority toward human souls.

Ciel rolled his eyes at it.

“Small as he was, the child asked for a father. One who would protect, and in doing so figure out what had actually happened to his real family. He didn’t quite understand the reality of the creature he was negotiating with.” Looking away from Ciel, Sebastian remained silent until his master prompted for the rest of the story.

“But you were only with him for seven years?”

“Boys grow a lot in seven years. Eventually, I, as his father, saw it fit for him to find out the truth about his parents. Once Timothy was old enough, the two of us did just so.”

“And…?” Ciel prompted again, waving a hand impatiently.

“They were nothing but a whore and a marine who had needed a relief one day.” Ciel frowned in disgust. “But, it turned out that the marine came from a wealthy family, and so I claimed Timothy’s heritage for him.”

Cocking an eyebrow, Ciel asked in a bored tone: “You mean you killed every single one then made Timothy the formal heir?”

“Yes. Obviously.” Sebastian smirked at Ciel’s wittiness. “You know me well, my lord.”

“It seemed the only thing a demon would do.”

“’Tis a Christmas miracle! You, my lord, offering me such compliments is unheard of.”

“Revolting.” Ciel turned to walk back to the window. Outside, it didn’t feel much like a Christmas miracle. It was raining, barely a degree below zero… There would be no snow this year, he assumed.

Which meant it would be the first year since his parents’ death that he wouldn’t have a white Christmas. The conversation he had with Sebastian was what he clung to in order to keep from feeling sadness over something as childish and pathetic as snow.

“Timothy enjoyed the snow too,” Sebastian said.

Unsure what had prompted this, Ciel turned and offered his demon a confused look.

“All children’s minds are alike,” he explained simply. “All children wish the same thing.”

Ciel nodded, for once not taking offense to the fact that he was being called a child. “I agree. Therefore, Sebastian, I want you to arrange that any funds we can spare are offered to the Foundation of Timmy this year.”

There was a millisecond where Ciel could detect a hint of gratitude and relief from the demon, before it disappeared as Sebastian smiled and bowed.

“As you wish, my lord.”

“And…” Ciel frowned, tapping one of the letters. “That warehouse that suffered water damage?” Blasted English weather. “How much of the toys stored there were damaged beyond repair?”

“A mere two percent, sir.”

“Then I would like all undamaged goods to be shipped to the workhouses of London…” Ciel watched Sebastian for a bit, pondering whether this was a good idea. “Is the one where Timothy came from still running?”

“I- Yes, sir.”

“Then why don’t we make a personal visit?”

“Sir?”

“Christmas among nobility is all about giving presents no one needs. Most of them are returned to the store, exchanged for something they wanted, or forgotten. Then we eat a bunch of things no one can finish, and the leftovers are thrown out.” Sebastian refrained from correcting his master in that, in actuality, the servants tended to finish Christmas dinners at estates, holding a little party past midnight after their work was done…

“But the party –“

“We’ll be back in time. I just…” Ciel frowned. “What you said… About the scientists… Does it still happen?”

“Yes, my lord. It might not be legal anymore to claim living subjects, but it still happens.”

“Then I want to be there. It’s Christmas. People are at home and law enforcement is scathe. It would be ripe time for people to claim children from workhouses. Make it happen, Sebastian.”

“Yes, my lord,” Sebastian agreed, bowing down as Ciel walked past him to leave the office.

Outside, the rain slowly turned to snow. Sebastian watched it, not being able to help feel a sense of warmth within him at the memory of a former master unknowingly manipulating Sebastian into becoming a father… caring for the boy… It was a contract that clearly had long lasting impact on the demon.

And now, Ciel offered a gentle touch to the memory, honouring Timmy…

Sebastian would never admit it out loud, but this Christmas Miracle was quite the pleasant surprise.

__ taglist: @eemoo1o-animoo

[weirdthoughtsandideas]

Are any of the DCLA names common where you live?

No, but many of them aren't uncommon either for people to be named. Many of the names are names that I maybe haven't met anyone that has, but I still recognize the name. I can make a list:

Violetta:

Violetta - Well, this name is not really common in any country lol. However, I think it's more common to name your child this rather than, let's say, Violet. For example, in our translation of Charlie and the chocolate factory, Violet (the chewing gum girl) is named Violetta in the swedish translation. Violetta is much easier to say for a swede to pronounce, as when they say Violet they have to change their pronounciation to an english one.

Francesca - No, not common in Sweden, but it seemed like every friend I had who also lived a lot in another country had a friend named Francesca. I very much remember my friend who was half-french had a friend in France named Francesca.

Camila - Yes! But often spelled Camilla. Every preschool and elementary school has a teacher named Camilla. And SOMEHOW they actually always are red haired, now when I think about it?! Now, I have met like 2-3 teachers named Camilla and all of them were red haired...

Maxi - OH YES. Often short for Maximilian or a nickname for Max. I've met so many dudes named Maxi... many of them were kinda annoying tho HAHAH

Ludmila - Well, again, often spelled Ludmilla instead. Not a common name, but I know I heard the name once in like, a swedish radio christmas calendar. We both have a tv and a radio calendar every year in december (and they're really fun!), but in like 2013 the radio calendar for that year was "All the children celebrate christmas", and was about a family with 23 kids (we celebrate christmas on the 24th here), and every day one of the kids did something and it would be a rhyme with their name in the end. In the 13th episode, the children were performing a Lucia recital at a retirement home, but then their parents realized they were about to miss the bus back, so they had to hurry up singing. But one of the kids, Ludmilla, wanted to sing slowly, feeling the Lucia spirit. Anyway, the rhyme of the episode was "Alla barnen sjöng snabbt, utom Ludmilla, hon sjöng stilla" which means "All the children sang fast, except Ludmilla, she sang slowly".

Natalia - No, but I have met people named Natalie/Nathalie, so close enough. I have heard the name Natalia around, though.

Leon - I feel like that name has increased in popularity, cause I've met at least 5 kids named Leon at the daycares i've worked at

Diego - Not common, but not uncommon. I've heard it. Met a few people with the name and what's funny is that none of them were my age. They were either in their 30s or they were like 1 years old. It just skipped my generation I guess.

Angie - No, and fun fact, if you say Angie people my age will immediately think of the Violetta character. But I know that's not her full name. Angeles is not common, but the name Angelica is a bit more common.

Tomas - Yes, very common. Very common. There are Tomases everywhere. Send help.

Olga - Surprisingly I've met several people named Olga in real life. Both my age, as well as people younger and older than me.

Andres - Yeah, and no. I've heard it, but only met like one or two people with the name.

There's also Vilu's two other tutors she had briefly in the show, Elsa and Ingrid. Both names are very common. Especially Elsa.

All other names I've basically never heard of before, or I simply forgot them.

Soy Luna:

Luna - this is interesting cause it really is both? People who name their kid Luna often do it because they think it's a "unique" and "not common" name, but when every parent has a mindset like that, it's like the names becomes more common. The name is really common for kids who's parents grew up in the late 80s and 90s. So, I feel like either get got inspiration from the moon in Bear in the big blue house or Luna Lovegood (the latter seems very much more likely). Or they are like "uwu it means moon in latin, how cool"

Simón - Yes, but just spelled Simon.

Ámbar - Very uncommon, but I also feel like i've heard the name before? There was a pizza dude in a show named Ambar, or if it was spelled Amvar. I don't remember. That character wasn't swedish, he was from another country. Also I've heard the name Amber, of course, though no one is named that here. We have all just heard the name.

Matteo - Yeah, I mean, it's not the most common name, but I've heard it around. It's either Matteo or Teo/Theo.

Nico - Yeah. I mean, his full name is Nicolas, and there's a fair amount of people with that name. Also, we have a prince named Nicolas, born in 2015. He's the duke of Ångermanland.

Pedro - Not a common name for anyone from here, but it's a name we've heard before.

Nina - Absolutely very common, met so many people. I have a relative named Nina, a childhood bully named Nina, so many teachers and just. Yeah.

Monica - Yes, very common, actually. Every needlework teacher I've had is named Monica (idk how to translate needlework, but basically we have one class where we work with sewing and needlework, as well as one class where we work with wood workshops. Those classes). I've also had a music teacher with that name, and at least three Monica's that are lunch ladies.

Miguel - Not common, but again, we have heard the name, but very few are named it here

Sharon - Another name that's not common here, but we have heard the name before

Jim - Well, the name Jim, as a male name, can be common in some circumstances. I feel like many boys in my parents generations were named that, or Jimmy. But her full name, Jimena? No, I have never heard that name in my entire life. I actually thought the name was a bit silly when I first heard it (but then I felt like, they would probably think it was silly if they heard some of the swedish names, or nordic names in general).

Yam - Well, very uncommon, but I feel like I've heard similar kinds of names? I feel like children who has a background from another country would be named Yamila or a name similar to that, but I wouldn't say it would be impossible if fully-swedish parents named their kid that either.

Ana - Yes, but Anna is very much the standard spelling :)

Mora - No, but we do have a town called Mora. So maybe someone is actually named that too lmao

Gastón - Not common, but we all very well know the name thanks to Beauty and the Beast

Emilia - This is kinda common! Met several people named that!

Juliana - More common with "Julia" and the male name "Julian".

All other names I've either forgotten to mention or weren't common at all and/or i've never heard them before.

Bia:

Bia - No, but I've met people named Bea! So, close.

Chiara - I've always met other people who knows someone named Chiara, or Kiara, but I've never met anyone myself.

Celeste - Same with this, I know people who knows someone named Celeste, but not met anyone myself. Also, Celeste reminds a lot of us of the character from Babar.

Helena - Yes, this name is pretty common.

Alex - Yep.

Manuel - Yeah, I've met some people named Manuel. They can also be named Emanuel.

Daisy - Well, not common for people to be named, but we know a lot of fictional characters named that

Victor - Yeah! But often spelled Viktor, but the c spelling is pretty common too.

Lucas - This name was literally the most common name for baby boys a while in Sweden. In elementary school, there was literally 3 boys named Lucas/Lukas in my class.

Mara - Yeah, it's a name you've heard around.

The name Alice is very common here, but it's pronounced like the english Alice.

All other names I either forgot about or are too uncommon

[cileevi]

The Speed Of Pain

Chapter One

Denver, Colorado

June 24th, 1997

Charlotte

I finally made it! After four years I'm finally free from the school system! With a degree in business management to boot. Now it's time to enjoy my summer before entering the " real " world. I plan on having the most fun while I can. 

What are my plans? Ozzfest of course! This is my first time on the road with my dad and there is a whole lineup of amazing bands to see as well. I haven't seen my brother and sister since Christmas so I know we'll be having lots of fun on this tour.  

Quickly maneuvering my way backstage I find the old man talking to Billy from Black Sabbath.  

" Dad! " I cry out as I run up and wrap my arms around him. " I missed you. "

And I really did. I hate how we've had to do things growing up. I love my mom, but she has never made it easy for him to be the father I needed. Now that I'm out of school I plan on spending as much time with him as possible. 

" I missed you too, Schroeder. " He says holding me tight.

I pull back and he lants a huge kiss on my cheek. " My eldest. "

" My daddy. " I say smiling as Sharon walks into the room. " Mom! " 

I run into her arms and she hugs me as only she can. " Hello, my darling. It's good to have you back. " She says before pulling away and taking a good look at me. 

" It's good to be back. I'm just glad to have my degree out of the way. " I tell her in an exhausted tone.

Nodding she claims, " yes, of course, we're all so very proud of you ".   

" Thanks. " I say graciously. " I can't wait to move forward with my career and leave school behind me. " 

" Sis! " 

Turning to my left I see my only brother, Jack, racing toward me.

" Jacky, look at you! " I say not believing he big he is. " You've grown at least four inches in the last six months. "

He gives me a smug look before correcting me. " Five. " 

" Well excuussee me. " I say laughing. 

I then hear from behind, " hey, Lotty "!

I know that voice. My baby sister, Kelly. Turning around I see the most amazing yet disturbing sight. Instead of focusing on Kelly, I can't help but stare at the man in the black corset.

Then my baby sister registers. " Kel's! " I damn near squeal before scooping her up in a hug and spinning her around. Putting her down I smooth out her pigtails and smile. " I missed you. " 

" Me too... Meet Marilyn! He's really fun. " She says as she goes and hangs onto his arm.

Holding my hand out I say, " hi, I'm Charlotte. It's nice to meet you. "

" Likewise. Any sister of Kelly's is a friend of mine. " He says while shaking my hand.

And just like that, his voice melts my insides more than his appearance interests me. It's like melted chocolate mixed with the devil himself. Damn.

" That was my favorite book growing up. " He says off the cuff. 

I am clearly confusion. " Hmm? "

" Charlotte's Web. " He clarifies. 

Smiling I roll my eyes. " Mine too. I think it's the first chapter book I ever finished. "

" Schroeder, come spend some time with your dear old dad. " I hear him call. 

Giving Marilyn one last smile, I say over my shoulder, " coming ". 

Looking back at the oddly attractive man I say, " I'll see you later ". 

Manson

Being here at my first Ozzfest is bitchin'. I wasn't expecting to be involved but money is money at the end of the day. Plus Ozzy is cool so it's a nice gig. I can't lie, when we got the call to join them I wasn't too sure if it would be a good fit. That changed once we got to the first city. Ozzy and Sharon are great and their kids are cool. 

Kelly took a real liking to me and has been like my little shadow since we got here. Usually, I don't like kids, but I make an exception for her and Jack. They're punk rock all the way. We've been having a blast to put it lightly. I was actually pretty surprised that Ozzy and Saron would even let their children be around this lifestyle but I guess it's better the devil you know than the ones you don't. At least they know where Kelly and Jack are at all times. 

After sound check, I'm hanging out with the rest of the band when we see a small commotion over where Ozzy's camp is set up. " What's going on? " I ask as Pogo is heading back from catering. 

" Some leggy blonde just showed up. She's pretty hot but looks like she'll give any one of us blue balls just for fun. "  He says with a shrug. 

It's then that Kelly comes barreling over with a huge smile on her face. " Marilyn! Come on I want you to meet my sister. " She says before grabbing my arm and trying to drag me away. I give in as is becoming usual to Kelly's requests. 

" Hey, Lotty! " She yells as we get closer. 

The one she's leading me to has her back toward us. It's a nice back no doubt and her golden hair shines in the fading sunlight. It's then that I realize this must be who Pogo saw. She turns around and her eyes land directly on me. 

Wow.  I'm not usually one for blonde hair and blue eyes, but her smooth pale skin is very pleasing to the eye. She's still staring but I'm used to people doing it at this point in my career. This stare though... It's different. Not one of judgment or fear. More like curiosity and intrigue. 

" Kel's! " She exclaims before lifting her up and spinning her around.

I stand here awkwardly as she plays with Kelly's hair a bit. It's then that the young girl remembers my existence. 

" Meet Marilyn! He's really fun. " She says as she takes hold of my arm.

Holding her hand out she speaks to me for the first time. " Hi, I'm Charlotte. It's nice to meet you. "

" Likewise. Any sister of Kelly's is a friend of mine. " I tell her as I shake her hand.

Just then my mouth works before my brain can catch up. " That was my favorite book growing up. "

" Hmm? " She asks not understanding what I'm going on about. 

Shrugging simply I say, " Charlotte's Web ".

 " Mine too. I think it's the first chapter book I ever finished. " She says as she puts a piece of hair behind her ear. 

I love it when girls do that. It's an easy giveaway as to whether they're interested or not. Not that I'm looking or anything. It's just nice to know I have such an effect on such a beautiful woman. The fact that she has good taste in books is a bonus. 

Just as I'm about to speak again, Ozzy comes into view effectively ruining the moment. " Schroeder, come spend some time with your dear old dad. "

" Coming. " She tells him from over her shoulder. Turning back to me she says, " I'll see you later. " 

As she walks back to Ozzy's camp I can't help but whisper, " not yet you aren't ".

[m39]

Doom WADs’ Roulette (2002): Alien Vendetta

#1: Alien Vendetta

Main author(s): Various (Idea started by Anders Johnsen)

Release date: December 24th, 2001 (original release)/December 24th, 2002

Version(s) played: Second version/Compet-n edition

Required port compatibility: Vanilla (for almost every map)

Levels: 32 (standard 30 + 2)

Welp... I guess we will have to start off from the beginning. And we are starting with an absolute classic according to many people (that I played before because Dean of Doom happened).

Now, look, if you heard about Alien Vendetta being hard and thought This guy must be exaggerating. It can’t be that hard. then let me tell you something: You will be surprised. This WAD is really hard in some moments. But I’ll elaborate on that statement later.

Because hey, what’s the deal with this WAD anyway? I mean, it only was named the most influential PWAD of all time in 2019, the last great classical megaWAD (by 2003 standards), and one of its maps earned first place in the Top 100 Most Memorable Maps in 2018.

...

Okay, there might be a few reasons why this MegaWAD is so important for the Doom community, but with all of this influence and legacy lies a question: Is Alien Vendetta actually good?

Time to find out.

But before we will jump into this MegaWAD, here is a little bit of history about it:

Originally titled Alien Vindicta, the work for the WAD began in 1996 as a solo project created by mentioned higher Anders Johnsen. Like in the present day, it was a standard, 32-maps big MegaWAD but with the story involving Icon of Sin wanting revenge after its defeat in the original Doom II, with some stuff involving demons being actually aliens or something.

Unfortunately (or rather, fortunately), for the creator of Vindicta, it wasn’t good enough, and, in the way of Valve, decided to make the WAD all over again in 1998, changing its original name to what we have today in 1999, and turning it from a one-man made WAD to a team project (including help from Adam Windsor (Demonfear series, Requiem), Anthony Soto (The Classic Episode, The Darkening Episode 2), and Lee Szymanski (third place in 10 Sectors competition)). It was originally released on Christmas Eve 2001 and exactly a year later the second version of this WAD was released under the title Compet-n edition, improving most of the maps, removing some bugs (but not all) alongside replacing a map titled Valley of Echoes, because its creator thought it was the worst and the ugliest map in this MegaWAD.

There isn’t really anything to say about the story in this WAD. Supposedly there is more in the AV.EXE file but I couldn’t open it. All I have is that the intermission texts are changed, usually talking about different places Doomguy ends up in the near future and such.

Now, with all of the more non-gameplay-related stuff out of the way, let’s finally start talking properly about Alien Vendetta.

Let’s not bullshit around folks. Alien Vendetta looks amazing. If someone showed you this WAD, you would’ve thought that it requires a source port to be played without any problems. But no. This WAD is pure, bloody Vanilla. It can be played without any of these. And the only map that requires being played in a source port to actually save due to its size has another version in the second WAD file titled AVMOVFIX where its mountain section is removed.

I believe that these maps have at least one thing to gasp about their appearance. City in the distance and the cargo ship in Cargo Depot, the entirety of Toxic Touch that somehow made sewers look interesting, and both red and green marble castles alongside the blue caves (probably made out of ice) in Stench of Evil are some of the bigger examples I can think of right now.

My favorite looking map (probably like with many other people) is Misri Halek, partially because it is an Egyptian map (and I’m sucker for those), and partially because it manages to combine three styles (insides of the pyramid, red caves filled with lava, and the mountain region with a nearby lava river) and somehow make it work. Honestly the less I will talk about this map the better, or it will ruin the surprise and the shock value.

The music is also greatly matched with the maps. I’m saying matched, because almost all of the music tracks are either from the original Doom Engine games or are MIDIfied versions of music tracks from other games/media. This doesn’t mean these tracks sound bad, very far from it. They sound really good.

In terms of the tracks not related to the Doom Engine games, my favorite ones are from maps Seclusion, Beast Island (from which the track sounds like something out of B.P.R.D’s WAD), Clandestine Complex, and Fire Walk With Me. I’m not counting Rise of the Triad soundtrack because it would decimate the other tracks.

As for the only original track, Fight the Logic If You Can, well, it basically makes an already fantastic map even better. That one is my all-time favorite from this MegaWAD.

As for the how do feel when playing “Alien Vendetta” vibes in terms of gameplay, it wasn’t hard to understand the maps most of the time, even though some of them tend to be really big. There were a couple of instances where I was stuck for a few minutes the first time playing of course (hell, even when I was playing these maps again I got stuck in some moments).

The map I enjoyed playing the least was Nemesis, due to its dark and confusing caves (especially the ones where the blue key is). The fortress part was fine.

As for the other interesting stuff, Killer Colours has a very interesting concept where you go through locations colored in Blue, Green, and Red respectively, while also fighting monsters with weapons that are both connected to each of the three colors (most of the time).

Overwhelming Odds and Lake Poison make you find three keys before going further, where in the former’s case you exit the level, and in the latter’s you end in a big arena with a shit-ton of monsters to fight.

Fire Walk With Me has one section at the beginning where you have to through a very thin path before moving normally. It also has hanged imps in the second half.

And Seclusion begins where the Cargo Depot ends, with you coming from the dark tunnel with railroads inside of it.

Now let’s change the subject to how Alien Vendetta is hard as nails.

I would like to start it out by saying that the fourth map already has over 200 enemies on it (and that’s only Hurt Me Plenty). Later levels have sometimes over twice as much. And I’m not talking about some low-tier Imps that you can mow down (although you get many of these too), I'm talking about clouds of Revenants, Cacos, Hell Nobles, Arch-Viles (at least one time from what I can remember), once you even have to fight 6 Cyberdemons at once (if you want to and thankfully there is invulnerability). Like, HOLY [[CUNGADERO]], what an absolute Hell it is!

If some of you are actually thinking about marathoning Alien Vendetta, DON’T!!! Just don’t, okay?! You will be tired and sick of this WAD! Take at least a five to fifteen minutes long break after finishing a map that has at least 200 demons on it (GZDoom was counting lost souls too in my case). I believe it will help you, both physically and mentally.

Now let me tell you about the three hardest maps from this WAD (two of which were inspired by Resistance is Futile and Post Mortem from Hell Revealed) in the order they appear while playing:

No Guts No Glory might be the hardest out of this trilogy, since only in the first big arena you are surrounded by five cows and other types of demonic shit in dozens each.

Demonic Hordes is considered to be the hardest map in this WAD and has 775 enemies on Hurt Me Plenty... But I would be lying if I didn’t say that this was the most manageable and easiest map to finish (still hard though).

And Dark Dome has an absolutely brutal beginning. At least the other maps start out in a safe area. Other than that, I’m still questioning if this map is actually harder than the one it was inspired by.

Other levels before and after these three maps, despite their own hard moments, legitimately feel like a cakewalk compared to these circles of Hell.

The only bug I encountered during my playthroughs of this WAD was in Nemesis, where part of the water disappeared and I could see the void.

As for the bugs that I didn’t encounter but are still prominent, asides from the previously mentioned Misri Halek being too big to be played with saving in its original form without a source port, you might get stuck inside one of the secrets in Bulls on Parade. That’s basically everything I can remember.

And that’s basically all I have to say about Alien Vendetta.

Is it great? Yes.

Is it hard? Yes.

Is it perfect? Don’t make me laugh. Nothing is perfect.

Is it the best WAD of the 2000s? Honestly, I don’t know. As I said, it’s a great WAD if not tiring. I would probably have to play the rest of the standard, 30-32 maps long MegaWADs from that decade to find out if that title still holds up.

If you want to hear more about this MegaWAD have a Dean of Doom review of it (warning: it’s a bit archaic though):

And like I said earlier, do not marathon this WAD. Take a small break after finishing every longer map. Only do this if you are masochistic, especially if you are playing on Ultra-Violence.

sigh

Sometimes I feel like this WAD should be split into episodes to make myself split the review and make my life easier (to some degree).

...

Wait a minute...

You start looking at “2002 A Doom Odyssey”.

I think I might have come out with something.

See you next time.

[tbzhub]

12 Days of the Boyz Eric

Pairing: Eric x reader

Summary: you got the worst person for secret santa

Warnings: cursing

Genre: fluff, enemies to lovers au, co-worker au

WC: 1.8k

Tagged: @kpophoe-22

Artist Note: Hi! Just a few Christmas themed drabbles for fun! I’ll post one every day-ish from Dec 6th - 24th! (weekdays only) minors dni with the smut drabbles! If you want to be tagged let me know :) Submitting this for the holiday event @ficscafe

navi | m. list | tag list

Towards the end of your shift, you heard your manager call for a team meeting in the back of the retail shop where you worked. Putting down the shirt that you were folding, you followed after some of your co-workers to meet your manager

“Hey.” You heard a familiar voice whisper in your ear and turned your head to see your friend standing beside you. “What do you think she wants today?”

You shrugged, “No idea, let's hope she’s in a good mood. I am so over being here today.” You crossed your arms as you waited for your manager to speak.

“Okay guys, it’s that time of the year again”, your manager sang and she pulled out a small bowl with folded up strips of paper in it. “Secret Santa. Remember, don’t tell anyone who you have. Let’s make it a surprise. If you get someone you don’t know, use this as an opportunity to get to know them better!”

As your manager passed the small bowl around in a circle, you whispered in your friend's ear, “I hope I get you. I don’t know anyone else.”

She chuckled, eyes on the bowl that was being passed around. “Maybe we’ll get lucky. I hope I don’t get the girl who works the cash register. She’s mean.”

You shushed your friend, not wanting anyone to hear what she said. “Don’t say that.”

“Oh, stop. It’s just like how you wouldn't want Eric.”

Your face flushed, a sheepish grin on your face. “You’re right. But at least I’m vocalizing it. If I get him I’m screwed.”

Your friend grabbed the bowl from the coworker that was beside her and plucked a small piece of paper out of it. She handed you the bowl and winked, “I’m sure you’ll get me and I don’t need a gift, you can cover my shift for New Years.”

“Sure, you bet”, you joked while you put your fingers into the bowl, rifling through the pieces of paper until you grabbed one all the way at the bottom.

You gave the bowl to the next person and turned to your friend, “Wanna switch before we look?”

She pondered on it for a moment before shaking her head, “Nah, I feel like I got a good one.” She opened the piece of paper, covering it with her hands so you wouldn’t be able to read the name.

“Alright, let’s see who I got”, you mumbled to yourself while opening the paper.

Eric Sohn

“Dammit, she jinxed me”, you thought. You crumpled up the paper, shoving it into your pocket as you looked over to observe the guy that you got.

Eric was talking with his little clique of coworkers, goofing off as usual. It wasn’t that you didn’t like him, you were sure he was nice but he rubbed you the wrong way. Everything he did at work annoyed you, from the way he folded shirts to the fact that he could never seem to get to work on time, always arriving a few minutes later than when he was supposed to come in. He talked a lot and he was loud. Every time you had to close the shop together you would get overwhelmed by just how much he talked. Sometimes going home at the end of a day with a headache, thankful for the silence.

“Guess who I got.”

You turned to look at your visibly excited friend, “We aren’t supposed to talk about who we got.” You walked away from the cluster of people still chatting about Secret Santa and went to clock out, ready to leave this place for the day.

The next few days you tried to get to know Eric from a distance, paying attention more to the things he would say in the break room and during closing. You only had a week to find him a gift but you were drawing blanks. You couldn't even get him a gift card because you didn't know what he liked. You knew nothing about him besides your perception of him and his personality.

Coming in to open the store one morning, you saw that you had been paired with Eric according to the schedule, making your shoulders sag with dread. “Ugh, him again.”

“Wow, am I really that bad, y/n?” Eric walked over to the cash register to get ready for the day. He was on time, leaving you stunned by the unusual change.

“I’m sorry. That was such a rude thing to say.” You bowed your head, feeling guilty for what you said.

“It's alright.” Eric patted you on the arm before walking over to unlock the door at the front of the store.

You went to lean against one of the mannequin displays by the entrance as you waited for customers. It was always dead in the morning which was why you preferred opening versus closing. One day you plan to ask your manager if you could just open the store by yourself, it wasn’t necessary for someone to be there to help you. No one wants to shop for a shirt at 10 in the morning.

Eric popped up behind you, starling you out of your train of thought. “Pretty boring this morning, right?” He sat on a table next to you, pushing aside the clothes on top of it so not to ruin the folded stack.

“Mmmhm.” You wanted to enjoy the quiet this morning, not in the mood to talk to Eric at all.

“So, are you excited for Secret Santa? Did you get someone good?” Eric wore a smile on his easy face as he tried to make small talk with you. You did find him a little endearing, especially since he’s not bouncing off the walls like usual.

“I have no idea what to get the person that I picked.” You shifted your body so that you were facing Eric. “What about you? Happy with who you picked?”

Eric blushed, looking out the large glass window panes at the entrance of the store, “Yeah, I got someone that I really wanted.”

“Lucky you”, you muttered under your breath before hopping off of the display and walking away from Eric to go organize some boxes in the back.

-

Over the weekend you searched the mall looking for a gift that would be good for Eric. You thought about giving up and getting him a book, but you were sure that would be a lame gift. So here you were, walking aimlessly through the mall waiting for something to jump out at you.

You were looking at a bracelet through a shop window when you felt a tap on your shoulder.

“Hey, y/n! I knew that it was you I saw walk past me earlier.” Eric waved at you with a friendly smile on his face. “Christmas shopping too, huh?”

“Uh, yeah… I still have a few gifts to get.” You were surprised to see him outside of work, you didn’t know he lived in the area.

“Want to walk around together?”

You stared at Eric for a while, he seemed genuinely interested in hanging out with you. Figuring this would be the perfect opportunity to get to know Eric so that you could finally get him a gift that he would like, you nodded your head. “Sure, sounds fun.”

-

You walked into your job on your day off, a wrapped present in hand. Your manager planned for everyone to come in an hour before the store was set to open to exchange gifts. Normally you’d be irritated in having to come to work on your day off but your manager was closing the store for a while and giving everyone the week off for the holidays, so you didn’t mind today.

Standing next to your friend, you both waited with your other co-workers for your manager to call everyone together.

As you were chatting with your friend and another co-worker you heard the sound of jingle bells and looked over to see your manager waiting for everyone to pay attention to her.

“Okay guys! I have all of the gifts here behind me, thank you all for participating. You all work very hard and I appreciate everything that we do as a team. Look for the gift with your name on it first and then try to find the person who gave it to you.” She stepped away from the table, there were gifts lined in a row, all with the same wrapping paper so to not give away who brought what gift.

You walked up to the table looking for a gift with your name one it, eyes scanning across the table until you saw a tag that read, “y/n”, on it. You picked up the slender rectangular box, shaking it with curiosity. Walking over to the hide behind a rack of clothes, you opened your gift in private.

Tearing open the paper, you uncovered a small black box and took off the lid revealing the bracelet that you were eyeing for a few days ago. You gasped, looking around to see if anyone saw you. You opened the box again, pulling the bracelet out to admire it. A smile spread across your face as you realized who might have been your Secret Santa.

“Did Eric get me this?”

You turned around to find Eric, bumping into him the second you moved your foot.

“Oops— I’m sorry.” You looked down at your feet, suddenly feeling nervous in Eric’s presence. You held out the bracelet, making eye contact with him one more time. “Were you my Secret Santa this entire time?”

He grinned, “Yeah, I had to switch two times until I finally got you. I hope you like your gift, I saw you looking at it the other day.” He touched your arm tenderly, making you blush.

“Y-yeah. I really liked this bracelet. I can’t believe you got it for me. Why did you switch to get me, Eric?” You looked at him in the eyes, gnawing on the inside of your cheek anxiously as you waited for his response. You didn’t know when the butterflies started to show up but you felt them in your stomach now, fluttering as you stared into Eric’s eyes and down to his lips as he talked.

“I— I just really wanted to get you a gift.” He scratched the back of his neck, looking down to conceal the light flush that was appearing on his cheeks.

You smiled brightly, finding his shyness cute. “I got you too, you know. I’m glad I did too because it made me realize how sweet and fun you are. I’m really sorry that I’ve been so cold to you the entire time we’ve worked together.”

Eric laughed, “No way, you got me that video game?” You nodded, “I had no idea what to get you, I heard you mention this game when we were at the mall. You don’t have it already, right?”

Eric hugged you, wrapping his arms around you in a warm embrace. “No, I don’t. Thanks for getting it for me.” He let you go, leaving you feeling overwhelmed by how shy you felt around him. Who would have thought that you would have developed a crush on Eric Sohn?

You held out your bracelet placing it in his hand and holding out your wrist. “Can you help me with this?”

Eric nodded his head, quickly fiddling with the clasp of the bracelet and wrapping it around your wrist, and fastening it into place. As he tried to pull his hand away from yours you caught his fingers, intertwining them with yours. You tilted your head to the side as you asked, “Are you working today?” You watched as a smile spread across Eric’s features.

“No, why?”

You pulled him towards the front door, “I need to make up for lost time. We’re hanging out, it’s our day off.”

Eric chuckled, a bit surprised by your enthusiasm. “I’ll follow you any where you want, y/n.”

[lollypopsx]

Ok So im obsessed with your brother Harry drabble. And I know you probs have a load of requests cause of ya lil talented self but I just can’t stop thinking about like just fluffy chill drabble of the Styles Fam have Christmas dinner. Its like post meal everyones stuffed, really content and just kinda getting to enjoy something normal

Drabble Request

Drabble Masterlist

Brother!Harry x Y/N - 4.8k+

A/N: I’ve tried to make this fluffy and this is the first thing I’ve written in just over a week, so thank you all for being patient. This is not yet proof read so I may end up changing this a tiny bit at some point!

Warnings: mentions and actions of OCD, social anxiety, medication, grief. But this is mainly calm and fluffy!!

——————

24th December 2018

This was going to be the best Christmas you had ever had in all your eighteen years of existence.

Of course, every year, Christmas was incredible. Surrounded by your most loved family members, the beautiful decorations carefully and specifically placed around the house, they perfectly wrapped gifts under the tree – complete with red ribbon and bows and neatly written tags, the electric fire enhancing the warm glow in the living room, a day full of so much joy, happiness and gratefulness.

Well...every year apart from last year...

23rd December 2017

“You promised Harry! You promised us you’d be home!” You felt your voice painfully screaming down the phone to your brother.

“I know Y/N, I’m sorry. I really didn’t know the storm would come in so quickly. They’ve cancelled all flights and I just...I don’t know when they’ll be running again” He sighs softly, his voice full of regret.

“I told you to check! I told you not to leave it too late because if there were delays then you’d never get back! I told you! I told you and you didn’t listen!” You felt the scratchiness at your throat as you felt angry tears threatening to spill.

“I did listen, I had to work Y/N” He frowns, slumping into his seat on the comfy sofa in his LA house, his heating had been cranked right back up as he watched the flurrying snow storm outside.

“You’re always working! I wish you’d just stop!” You felt the anger firing up within you. You knew this wasn’t your brother’s fault entirely, but you were really struggling this Christmas.

“Y/N...that’s enough” Your mother tells you sternly, her voice giving you plenty of warning to calm down. But right now, you were having none of it.

“Y/N please...” Harry’s fingers curled into his damp hair as he let out a breath, closing his eyes and resting his head back on the sofa.

“You promised! It’s the first Christmas without Robin and now you’re not going to be here too! You’ve ruined it and I hate you!!” You sobbed into the phone, your voice now louder than it had ever been. Harry’s heart completely broke at your words and tone, and especially those three words that escaped your lips. This has been something bubbling under the surface for months. Your Step Dad passing away had been a massive shock and a major change in your life, that you were still struggling to come to terms with.

“Y/N. That’s enough now. Give me the phone please” Anne frowned and stood behind you, resting a hand on your shoulder and holding her hand out for you to give her your phone.

This rage had clearly been building up for a little while, because instead of co-operating and handing your phone over, the steaming anger took over your body and your hand threw your phone to the wall, Harry could only guess what had happened when he heard your phone hit the wall, startling him to sit up in a panic.

“Y/N?...Y/N?!” Harry’s muffled voice came from the now cracked phone, lifeless at the corner of the room, and a slight mark in the wall.

“Harry, I’ll phone you back on my phone in a minute...” Anne frowns. “Y/N upstairs now please...” She shakes her head, although she understood your feelings, she couldn’t let you get away with speaking to people that way. But this had to be dealt with properly.

“Come on...” She whispers, holding your wrists and rubbing her thumbs gently over your pulse. The tears streaming down your face as your sobs escape from your chest as your Mum lead you upstairs, but not to your room, to Gemma’s old bedroom.

Gemma’s old bedroom had been turned into a bit of a den for you. A room of warm glowing lights, soft teddys, blankets, a corner sofa - which was also a very comfortable sofa bed, fidget toys, books and pens with colouring books.

It was a space for you to go when you just needed space to calm down after feeling overwhelmed, or a safe place to go where there was nothing that could cause injuries to you, break, smash or fall and cause a loud noise.

You lay down on the grey sofa, pulling multiple blankets over you just so you could feel some softness against your warm skin. Sobbing quietly into the cushion, squeezing it tightly in your arms. Your Mum left a bottle of water beside you and pressed a gentle kiss to your head, but when you pulled away from her touch, she knew all too well that for this moment you just wanted to be alone.

---

“Mum, I’m sorry. I didn’t realise she would get like that...” Harry frowns, sighing softly as he watched his Mum make a cup of tea on facetime.  

“It’s not your fault H, these things happen.” She gives him a gentle smile.

“Are you ok?...” He asks gently, the softness in his voice and the guilt in his eyes.

“I’m alright love, we all knew this Christmas was going to be tough. And we all know you’d be here if you could” She explains while taking her tea and phone to the sofa. “You know she didn’t mean what she said”

“I know Mum, but I should be there. Has she been like this a lot lately?”

“Well, some days are better than others. But she’s still dealing with a lot of change that we can’t reverse. We all are love. She’s in the den for a bit, she just needs space. Look, she’s smashed it to buggery” She sighs softly, picking up the now-smashed phone and showing Harry.

“I’ll make sure this doesn’t happen again Mum, I promise. I’ll be with you all every Christmas, next year I’ll make sure I’m back in the beginning of December. Can you get her to call me later? Please?”

“I will love. I’ll have a talk with her when she’s calm. She’s going back to counselling twice a week after Christmas, I think that will do her the world of good and they said that the anger phase is quite common in the stages of grief. I think she’s going to be a bit quiet this Christmas”

“Dad’s still coming over right though?”

“Of course, and your grandparents too. I’ll miss you though darling” She smiles softly. “I won’t miss you burning my yorkshire puds though.” She teases and Harry chuckles softly with a groan.

“Mum that happened one time!”

“And you’ll never live that down! I’m going to check on Y/N, I’ll get her to call you later after I’ve sorted out a replacement phone for her.”

“Alright, I’ll speak to you later. I miss you and I love you. Next Christmas will be better. I promise.” Harry blows a kiss through the camera before waving tiredly and hanging up.

---

And Harry kept true to his word. He came back early in December, he had a few London based jobs to do during the month, but he would be home with his family for Christmas.

He had arrived to your home on the 21st December, and he was staying til the 28th before heading back to his house in London. But today was Christmas Eve, and the next few days were always full of things to do. Gemma had arrived to stay too, she arrived dead on promised time at 1pm, while you were helping Harry wrap the last of his presents for the other family members.

Once the wrapping had finished, you, Harry and Gemma were in charge of making some desserts for tomorrow. Aside from the usual mince pies and Christmas pudding which your grandmother made every year, the three of you would also always bake something. This year, Gemma was doing a Cheesecake, and you and Harry were making a Chocolate Trifle.

Your Mother had been banished from the kitchen so she could go an relax with a cup of mulled wine, after she had been doing most of the Christmas Dinner preparations all morning.  

“Don’t you make a mess!” Was the last thing she told you with a jokey tone before Gemma shut the kitchen doors as Harry set up the speakers, connecting them to his phone. “Y/N you’re in charge of the baking playlist this year!” He grins, handing you his phone as Gemma takes all of the ingredients out of the fridge.

You give him a wide grin and push his phone away, taking yours out of your pocket as Harry shoots you a confused frown. “I made my own this year. With all my favourite artists...” You giggle and link it to the blue tooth speakers.  

“Let me have a look at that” He furrows his brow, taking your phone and scrolling through “Oasis...Niall...Louis...Taylor Swift...Liam...Zayn...Coldplay...Ed Sheeran...Hey! None of my songs are on here! Why am I not on here?!” He fakes an offended gasp.

“You are!...Look!” You scroll down to the massive One Direction section

“Doesn’t count” He grumbles before pressing shuffle on the playlist and opening the recipe book, while Gemma started on her Cheesecake. Harry cut up the chocolate log to line the bottom of the dish as you began the chocolate pudding mix.

“Lost my senses I'm defenceless Her perfume's holding me ransom Sweet and sour I devour Lying here I count the hours

Waking up Beside you, I'm my loaded gun I can't contain this anymore I'm all yours, I got no control No control Powerless And I don't care, it's obvious I just can't get enough of you The pedal's down, my eyes are closed No control No control No control”

The three of you danced happily together around the kitchen, singing loudly as you all used a water bottle, a whisk and a remote as microphones. As the song came to an end you all high fived and took a bow to your audience of baking ingredients scattered around the kitchen.

“We have been the Styles Siblings! Thank you, and good night!” Harry shouts with his arms in the air as the three of you end in giggles.

“Harry! Out of my way! I need the oven!” Gemma groans, poking at his hip with the end of her bottle.

“Don’t blame me, blame Y/N! She told me to stand her and whip some cream and not move!” He flashes a cheeky grin.

“I didn’t say that. I said don’t get in my way” You huff softly. “Move out of Gemma’s way you loser” Your small frame nudges him, but his masculine figure didn’t budge at all. “And turn the mixer off! You’ll over whip the cream!” You whine softly and check the time.

“How are we doing for time little Styles?” Gemma glances at the time. “We’re 15 minutes ahead so we’re okay” You confirm with a nod.

“...or we will be if Harry doesn’t MOVE OUT THE WAY!” Gemma groans, biting her tongue to hold down the laugh. Harry had a smug smile on his face as he turned off the mixer, slowly moving out of the way so Gemma could open the oven.

You lifted the mixer to stir the cream gently. “How did I do Boss Lady?” Harry peers over your shoulder as you inspect his mixer duty skills.  

“Hmmm, it’s not too bad...can you pass me the vanilla please? It’s behind you” He nods at your instruction as he turns around. You take Gemma’s hand and smear some cream in there, she was about the shriek in surprise but you pressed your fingers to your lips and gently nodded your head towards Harry, who was still rummaging through the cupboard. Gemma understood the mission.

“Here you are” Harry turned around and placed the Vanilla beside you, at the same time, you and Gemma turned to face Harry, each of your hands full of whipped cream as you both pressed a hand to his cheeks.

Harry’s eyes widened in shock, taking a few seconds to realise what the two of you had just done as he chuckled in disbelief. “You cheeky b-”

“Go and get cleaned up Harold! That’s what you get for not listening” You giggle softly. “Oh the war has begun! I’ll get you two back, just you wait and see!” He shook his head with a grin as you and Gemma wiped your hands clean and high fived each other twice.

He took the towel from you as you finished up the dessert, piping perfect swirls of cream on top of the trifle, Harry gently placing it into the fridge until tomorrow and the three of you cleaning up.  

“Time check?” Harry asks, helping you wipe down the kitchen sides.

You check your list and the time on your phone. “It’s 5:20pm. We have ten minutes and then it’s film time and then Mum said we can order dinner at 5:30 and they’ll have it delivered by 7pm because they’re always really busy Christmas Eve”

Harry nodded with a smile “Does that mean is Christmas pyjama time?”

“Oh Harry, you know the schedule so well” You smile proudly and ruffle his hair as you head upstairs. Every year since you were born, the three of you wore matching pyjamas on Christmas Eve, watch Love Actually and order a takeaway. So there you all were at 11pm, half asleep, full up on food, alcohol in your glasses (well actually, you were drinking Fanta because alcohol wasn’t advised with your tablets) and the ending credits of the film rolling round.  

“Right, off you go you Gremlins. Go to bed” Anne smiles softly before pressing a kiss to each of your heads and shooing you all upstairs. Harry’s bedroom was still the same, as well as your room, and Gemma stayed in the den.  

“Wait...” You mumble softly before Harry and Gemma disappear into their rooms. They turn to look at you with a curious gaze, your fingers twiddling together nervously.

“Y/N...What’s wrong?” Harry frowns, noticing your nervous fingers, which was a trait he hadn’t seen all week.

“You know...w-when we were younger and we...we would all stay together? And w-we'd sleep in Gemma’s bed...can we do that again?...Just tonight?” You whisper softly, with a hint of sadness in your eyes.

Harry and Gemma looked between each other and Gemma gave a small smile. “Grab your duvets gang” She smiled and opened her door. The king size sofa bed was pulled out, Gemma shuffled her duvet over to the right, with you and Harry pulling your own duvets in too, and you had a bear with you too...don’t judge. The fairy lights hung round the window and above the sofa was all the light you guys needed.

“Prepare your eyes” you mutter softly before tapping the light switch as usual. On. Off. On. Off.

You slipped next to Gemma, shuffling under your own covers as Harry laid to your right. Please don’t ask. Please don’t ask. Please don’t ask.

“So why the sudden change of sleeping arrangements hm?” Harry asks quietly, turning to lay on his side, his hand keeping his head propped up as you tried to disappear into the deep depths of the duvets. Gemma’s fingers were gently stroking through your curls slowly.

You sigh deeply and look between the two of them nervously. “Because...because it reminds me of being a child when we didn’t have anything to worry about and...and nothing was wrong. And things weren’t...how they are now” You whisper shyly. “It’s just...I was better then...and less anxious and I was nor-”

“Don’t.” Harry cuts you off suddenly. “There is no normal. Normal doesn’t exist, it’s not a thing. You are the way you are and we love you no matter what, you know we do” He whispers softly.

“Yeah...” Gemma whispers gently, still brushing through your hair with her fingertips. “Just look at your brother...he has four nipples and we still love him”

“Hey!” Harry pouts, flicking Gemma before looking back at you.

“Y/N, I know the last 18 months haven’t been easy, they’ve been difficult for all of us, and there’s somethings that, when they change, there’s nothing we can do about it. But you’ve come so far since last Christmas, things are going to get better” Harry explains gently, his voice always giving you the comfort you need.

“Do you really think so?” You whisper softly. “I just feel like sometimes I’m getting nowhere. Like it’s just the same thing over and over again. Like I’m on a loop at the moment.”

“Just remember Y/N, it’s better to be on a bit of loop than to be back at square one. We’re so proud of you” Gem whispers softly, tickling your chin gently with her fingers.

You suddenly sit up with a gasp “Harry what’s the time?!”

He furrows his brows and quickly checks the time 11:52 why?” He frowns.

“We have to put Mum’s presents under the tree before 12am!” You throw the duvet off of you as you stumble out of bed. Harry let out a breathed chuckle as he follows you to your room, waiting for you to flick the light switch on and off twice, before taking found of the full bags of presents from your hands. “You get all of the presents you’ve stashed around your room and I’ll take them all downstairs. Go get back into bed” He sighs gently with a wide, yet sleepy grin.

You nod and pile them all onto your bed before flicking the den light switch twice more and then crawling back into the bed next to Gemma.

The two of you sleepily chatting quietly as you wait for Harry. “And you’ve been feeling okay on these tablets this time?” Gem asks quietly, your heads resting beside each other.  

You nod gently ,“Much better this time” You whisper.

Harry placed the presents neatly under the tree and headed back upstairs, hearing the two of you whispering quietly.

“Come on sleepy head” Harry whispers softly as you three shuffle around to get comfy. You drifted off to sleep within minutes, your head resting on Harry’s arm and Gemma’s hand playing with your loose curls.

---

25th December 2018

A painful groan escaped your lips as you reached for your drink at the table. You, your parents, Harry, Gemma and your Grandparents were sat around the dinner table after three very full courses.

“That dinner was amazing, thank you Mum” You yawn softly, sipping on your glass of Pepsi Max and rubbing your eyes tiredly.

Everyone agreed happily. “And thank you kids for the cheesecake and the trifle...and your kitchen concert at 5pm last night” Anne chuckles softly, sipping happily on her glass of wine.

“Kitchen concert? Why does that not surprise me?” Your Dad chuckles, as your Mum takes her phone, pressing play on a video of her hiding behind the door and film the three of you dancing and jumping around the kitchen.

The three of you groan in sync, embarrassment filling your veins “Mum!” You groan.

Harry was leant back in the chair, letting out a deep breath and chuckling as he pushed his bowl away. “We make a great trifle team” Harry grins, raising a hand up to you. You couldn’t help but giggle softly as you high five him twice and reach over to gather all the plates and bowls, then carrying them into the kitchen.  

You hadn’t eaten anywhere near as much as the others, because you had a bit of a lack of appetite from your tablets, but you’d still had far too much.

“Everything alright lovie?” Your Dad asks, helping to bring in the rest of the leftover desserts and taking them back to the fridge.  

You look up to him with a small smile. “Yeah, I’m alright. Just full up” You nod gently, scraping the plates into the bin before rinsing them under the tap and loading them into the dishwasher.

“You’ve done a great schedule this year darling. What’s next?” He pats your shoulder gently.

“The Queen’s speech, then a film while we play some games, and then a film after that.” You smile softly. Everyone always liked your little Christmas Day schedules, it made you feel useful and it made you calm.

“You’ve done really well this year darling. I’m so proud of you. Of all of you” He taps your cheek gently and presses a kiss to your forehead.

“D-dad....” You whisper softly, looking up at him with warm eyes.

“Yes lovie?” He asks before heading into the living room.

“...Thank you. For sticking around” You whisper, looking down with a smile and pressing your lips together to stop your emotions flaring.

“Hey...I always will be. And don’t you forget it” He walks over, wrapping his arm around you tightly. “Come on now, don’t want to miss the Queen’s speech do we” He chuckles before heading back into the living room.  

Everyone’s presents were still scattered around the living room, wrapping paper crumpled up around still some unopened presents under the tree. You had all really spoilt each other this year. Designer labels, and some handmade gifts, experience vouchers and holiday/getaway vouchers as well.

“Tired huh, trouble?” Harry smiles softly as you plop down onto the sofa behind him.

“One way of putting it” You huff softly. “I don’t think I can even look at another roast potato”

Once the Queen’s annual Christmas Speech was over, the Christmas Day TV began, the board games emerged, and after beating Harry twice at the quiz cards that he had brought round, the two of you sat happily on the sofa, while watching Gemma ad your parents divulge in their annual game of darts, your grandparents in their annual game of scrabble.

“You kept your promise this year Haz...” You say softly, leaning your head against the back of the sofa and sipping on your Pepsi.

“What are on about?” Harry raises his brow and looks down at you, both of you resting your feet on the coffee table in front of you.

“Last Christmas you told Mum that this year would be better...you were right” You whisper.

“Oh...yeah. I know. I’m sorry for last year...” He whispers, still feeling the slight pinch of guilt.

“No, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t of reacted that way. But Mum seems a bit happier this year” You look over with a small smile.

“Grief never goes away. But it just get’s easier to manage when you get the proper help” He whispers, with a nod of agreement from you.

“You know I never meant it right?…last year when I said I hated you…” you mutter, biting your nail gently.

“I know love. I love” he whispers, gently prying your nail from your teeth and the two of you sit comfortably in silence for a few minutes.

“Harry...” You clear your throat softly and sit up slightly.

“Y/N...” He raises his brow and looks back down at you.

“Can I..erm...would you mind if I...I maybe came to stay in London with you for a little bit after Christmas?”

“You want t’come stay with me for a bit?” He smiles. “Like a night or two? Is Mum off away somewhere?”

“N-no...no Mum’s not away...or maybe a...maybe a bit longer?” You fiddled with your fingers nervously again, for fear of rejection or him not wanting you to be there because you’d be a burden. But the grin upon Harry’s face said much different. You had only ever stayed with Harry or Gemma in London when Anne was away for a few nights, but you’d stay for an odd night here or there, but you’d never asked to stay longer.

Harry knew how you could be when you weren’t staying at home, how you could get so overwhelmed being out of your daily routine and away from your safe space here. He always encouraged you to stay longer, but he would never push because he wanted you to feel ready in your own time.

“Of course you can...come and stay however long you like...” He beams proudly.

“I’d erm...I’d also really like to...see London from the London Eye...” You mumble shyly. Heights and busy areas had never been your strong points, but you had been talking to your therapist a lot lately about setting yourself goals to try things. But not to rush into them, and to do things at a pace you feel safe and comfortable with.

The look of surprise was obvious on Harry’s face, but he was elated to say the least. “Okay...we can look into that and get something planned...Or maybe we could start with the Shard? It doesn’t move, and there’s less waiting around. Plus we can just turn around and go back down at any point if you need to” He rests his arm over your shoulder and squeezes your arm twice lightly.

You look up at him in relief with a smile. “Yeah...okay” You whisper and take a deep breath.

“Told you...you’re doing so well” He whispers.

“Anything else you think you’d like to do?” He presses curiously.

“Hmm...I’d like to spend time with your friends...or...try and make some of my own” You mutter. “But I...I’m not sure if I’m quite ready for that just yet” You whisper softly, staring down at your lap.  

“That’s okay...you’re making really good progress so far...Oh...I forgot! When I was out in London the other day, I found these!” He reaches behind the sofa for a gift bag. It was full of silicone shapes with multiple holes in?

“Harry what are these?” You ask curiously.

“They’re these new fidget toys called Pop It’s, look!” He smiles, taking one from the bag and flipping it over to show the bumps, then pushing it in to create a hole. “There was a woman on this stall in Camden and she was saying how they are great for distractions or anxiety fidget toys. So...I got one of each one she had. I thought they may be better than the Rubik's cube or the spinners because they’ll be much quieter. And there’s enough for you to put in every room, plus all our cars, and leave some at Dad’s and Gemma’s. And I...I already put some in your room at my house”

“Harry...I don’t know what to say...that’s so thoughtful...thank you” You smile, popping the holes back and forth a few times. He was right, it was quite distracting and relaxing.

You rested your head upon Harry’s shoulder and closed your eyes softly. Your hands still fidgeting with the pop it, but contently. Anne lightly placed one of your blankets over your legs.

“Tired lovie?” Your Dad asked, patting your leg gently.

You fluttered your eyes open gently and shook your head softly. “Just full up” You whisper. But the truth was, you were exhausted. You weren’t drained like you usually felt, but Christmas was always a very busy time of year, so you always felt crashed by Christmas night. But it was always so worth it.

“Don’t fall asleep just yet Little Styles” Harry nudges you softly. “I want you all to hear something first.” He coughs slightly and picks up his guitar from the stand by the sofa.

“So I...I wrote this song after a FaceTime conversation with Y/N a few weeks back. Two weeks before I was coming back, and we were talking about a lot of things, mainly me coming home, and all the progression you’ve made lately. But I was in Arizona and...yeah. I write this song. It’s called Canyon Moon and I think it’s going to go on the next album...

Harry’s fingers began to pluck at the strings of his guitar with a smile on his face, it was definitely more upbeat that the songs on the last album...

“You gotta see it to believe it Sky never looked so blue So hard to leave it That's what I always do So I keep thinking back to A time under the canyon moon

The world's happy waiting Doors yellow, broken, blue I heard Jenny saying "Go get the kids from school" And I keep thinking back to A time under the canyon moon

I'll be gone too long from you

Staring at the ceiling Two weeks and I'll be home Carry the feeling Through Paris, all through Rome And I'm still thinking back to A time under the canyon moon

I'm going, oh, I'm going I'm going, oh, I'm going I'm going, oh, I'm going home

I'm going, oh, I'm going I'm going, oh, I'm going I'm going, oh, I'm going home

Quick pause in conversation She plays songs I've never heard An old lover's hippie music Pretends not to know the words And I keep thinking back to A time under the canyon moon

I'll be gone too long from you

I'm going, oh, I'm going I'm going, oh, I'm going I'm going, oh, I'm going home

I'm going, oh, I'm going I'm going, oh, I'm going I'm going, oh, I'm going home

I'm going, oh, I'm going I'm going, oh, I'm going I'm going, oh, I'm going home (hey)”

You grin tiredly as Harry finishes the song. “It sounds incredible Harry...”

“Merry Christmas little sister” He smiles.

“Merry Christmas Harry” You whisper. “Sing something else...” You mutter as you close your eyes and rest your head on his shoulder once again.

This was a perfect Christmas for you, a magical day, stuck to the schedule, no panics or worries, and a day surrounded by those you love, and thinking of those we love who are no longer here.

——————

Tag List: @harryhoney-bee - @sunandherflores -  @beachwood-cafe - @damnasstyles - @awesomebooklover17 - @hazgoldenstyles - @evanjh - @harrysbracelet - @nerdypartytrashpsychic - @harryssweatcreaturee - @hibaiqbal12 - @ayeshathestyles - @michellekstyles - @rach2602 - @randomwriter1021 - @elizabethrosecresswell - @izziestyles - @pracsstyles - @florencepughily - @finelinevogue - @justalostgirl - @handsomerry - @watermelonlovershigh - @harrys-cherrry - @crustyblackvans - @kaitieskidmore1 - @vanteguccir - @vodka-popsicles - @emlovesharrystyles