#death stranding secret santa

[lokisgoodgirl]

A Clandestine Christmas: Clandestine F*cks [Avenger! Loki x Fem.Reader]

Part of the Clandestine F*cks Collection Part of the Winter Warmers Collection A link to my Masterlist is HERE Summary: Off the back of a stunning festive revelation, Loki shows you a hidden room in Stark Tower. Warnings: 18+ Minors DNI. Smut. Language. Patchy historical references. Humour. (w/c 2.9k)

It was mid-December. The communal quarters of Stark Tower were being adorned furiously in winding wreaths of pine, gold ornaments flashing in the afternoon sun through the panoramic windows. You stood back from the tree in the corner, fluffing a branch absent-mindedly. You could hear the low conversation of the Asgardian brothers behind you, enjoying the rare hum of interaction untinged by sarcasm or pointed barbs. “...Stark said the belt he shall be fashioning for my Yuletide gift will be the perfect thing to contain my unrestrained godly manhood. A contingency if you decide once again to withdraw the phallus enchantment at a time which is of life or death importance.” You heard Loki scoff, as Thor continued. “You know... if it is necessary for critical missions. First dates and suchlike.”

Your lover made a sharp intake of breath, a scathing and very un-festive comment sure to follow. "Like a ladies sport brassiere, but for your ridiculous penis?" Loki goaded. You rolled your eyes, fluffing the branch a final time before turning to prevent the exchange escalating further. “-Guys, Morgan’s coming over later, so no talk about Santa being fake or anything alright?” Your intended audience remained silent. The brothers were perched at the breakfast bar; Thor enjoying a well earned break from helping assemble the decor ahead of tonight’s party. Your boyfriend, not so much. They were both dressed snugly in hand knitted jumpers, a gift from Scott's grandmother to the whole team. Thor’s was bright red, two candy-canes woven in a haphazard ‘T’. It was far too small for him, the weave stretching dangerously with every movement of his broad shoulders. It won’t last the night, you thought with a smile. Loki’s was a rich green, a sprig of holly resting on the tip of a white ‘L’ emblazoned garishly on his chest. It fit perfectly, because of course it did. The blonde’s face turned pale, his eyes widening. You noted his sudden panicked gaze shifting towards his brother, flicking through a magazine and munching carrot sticks. He showed no signs of interest. “Santa?” Thor mumbled, brushing invisible crumbs from the counter-top. You mean, Santa...Claus? ‘Sinterklaas’? ‘Der Weihnachtsmann’? ‘Père Noël’? ‘Noel...Baba’?” An awkward silence followed; your eyes narrowing as you regarded them with increasing suspicion. “That nonsense is still circulating this realm? How quaint.” Loki smirked, flipping the magazine closed and folding his arms on the counter. Thor grimaced, closing his eyes. “What do you mean?” you said, tilting your head. Loki's smile broadened, leaning forward on the counter-top, his beautiful eyes glinting. “My brother doesn’t like me talking about it. Top secret Asgardian business, you see.” He winked, tapping his nose.

Thor huffed, encircling a strand of bushy tinsel round his neck. “Well if you insist on being so forceful, Loki…” he said, resting his hands on his meaty hips. “Loki is at fault for this realm’s obsession with this ‘Santa Claus’. There, I said it.” “I invented him.” Loki said proudly, picking up another carrot stick. “You most certainly did not brother, he was invented by father and myself to prevent mass rioting within the realm at your hands.” The dark-god grimaced, rolling his eyes. “So dramatic, brother. It was just a bit of fun.” Thor toyed with the tinsel around his neck while Loki crunched the carrot elegantly poised between his thumb and forefinger. Seconds passed in silence. “So...is no one going to tell me what actually happened?” you said slowly, sliding on the barstool opposite the brothers. Thor opened his mouth, silenced by a sharp ba-ba-ba from his brother. “I think not. You will taint the glorious details of the original story with your bias.” Loki said between gritted teeth, turning back toward you with a renewed spark. “Bias...” Thor scoffed, throwing an end of tinsel over his shoulder like a scarf. Loki cleared his throat. “A while ago, my brother and I were spending some regrettable time on Midgard-” “-Father was tired of your childish antics, Loki. It was a time-out.” “Hush.” Loki sniped, rolling his eyes. "We were marooned in the old countries and I was feeling rather affronted by the whole situation and may have spun some yarns to a few curious children who passed our way in a moment of uncharacteristic bitterness.” “How long ago are we talking?” you said warily, as Loki’s smile grew. “About a fifteen hundred years, give or take.” he said coyly. Thor grimaced at the memory. “Loki told a group of naïve village youngsters that in several weeks hence, during the lowest point of winter; gifts would appear if they left their fathers boots outside their dwelling. A ridiculous notion.” “It was just a bit of fun.” your lover repeated innocently. “There was nothing else to do, and those little shits were asking for it. They made fun of my helmet.” “You intended to thieve the boots of those villagers, brother. Do not deny it.” Thor grunted, throwing you a knowing look. Loki huffed. “Well, regardless...by the time Thor found out, the rumour had spread so that every child within a hundred miles seemed to know about this miraculous benefaction and so action had to be taken... apparently.” “Father was furious, thanks to that brown-nose Heimdall.” Thor grimaced, the memory clearly etched deep. “He summoned us back to Asgard immediately-” “-and I was, naturally, delighted. It meant no more dreary, mirthless winter dearth on this sub-par terra.” Loki busied himself with a loose strand on the sleeve of his jumper, before looking up doe-eyed. “No offence, darling.”

“A lot has changed in a thousand years.” you quipped, seeing another smirk tug at his lips as you said it. “If you say so, my love.” he murmured, sarcasm hanging in the air like the scent of cinnamon as he snapped the rogue thread and made it vanish. Thor leant forward, his voice deepening as if recalling a battle tale. “Father demanded that Loki and I fulfil the oath we made to the children of the old country-” “It was no oath.” Loki snapped, jawline flashing in the glow of the twinkling lights surrounding you all. Thor chuckled incredulously, his eyes widening in disbelief at his brother’s selective memory. “Did you not swear to them by the Nine that it was true?” he said, raising his eyebrows. Loki folded his arms. “Potentially. But it was just a bit of fu-”

Thor waved a hand, silencing his brother’s protestations. “Father insisted that Loki fashion trinkets enough for a nation of children, it was...oh, thousands. You should have seen him, Y/N...tinkering away for ten whole days and nights using all manner of magic to fashion carved animals and rudimentary affectations.” Thor became glassy-eyed, his annoyance turning to nostalgia. Large hands grasped at memories of the presents, twirling the imagined items through his fingers; the twinkling lights from the tree reflecting in his wide, excited eyes. “Little dolls and hoops and boats, oh brother, do you remember the hours you spent in the palace workshops with only candlelight for companionship?” “And you, as I recall.” Loki said, his own indifference softening. “Not that you were much help.” Thor let out a pffft, shaking his head with a smile. “You know very well Father forbade me from assisting.” He swivelled on the barstool, facing you across the breakfast bar once more. “My role was to be more logistical, you see. Loki was to create the gifts, I was to deliver them.” “Deliver them?” you gasped, leaning forward in amazement. “Oh yes, Y/N.” Thor nodded solemnly. “But Father concocted a bit of a ruse. It was during the changing of the guard in terms of religion and all that malarky so we had to be...subtle.” “Clandestine.” Loki corrected seductively in your ear, his unexpected warm breath making you shiver. “Not my brother’s strong suit, darling.” You jumped as his hand slid around your waist, resting of your stomach. You hadn’t even seen him move from across the breakfast bar and circle behind you. His firm chest pressed against your back, feeling yourself melt against the rough wool of his jumper. Your eyes fluttered shut, before Thor cleared his throat. “Yes, well...enough of the old lore was in circulation that we couldn’t stir the metaphorical pot much to my dismay. Father was adamant. So Loki was in charge of disguising me in a more...unrecognisable form than my typical unique brand of perfection.” “Ruddy-cheeked and old and soft in the belly. And a wholly ridiculous beard.” Loki smirked against your cheek, his eyes trailing his brother’s face. “I may have used a certain someone for inspiration, considering his interference.” he purred, making you giggle. Thor huffed, “Like I said, unrecognisable brother.”

Loki kissed your cheek, his sultry tones entirely unnecessary to the situation. “There were too many gifts to manage in one trip through the bifrost, so we saddled a chariot to Sleipnir and one enchanted sack later, our plan was in motion.” Thor cleared his throat again, fiddling with the sleeves of his jumper as Loki’s kisses worked down your neck; a small whimper escaping your lips. “Delivery was rather swift if I do say so myself, minus one or two...setbacks.” the blonde muttered, as Loki erupted in a gruff snort of laughter against your skin. “Setbacks? You mean your clumsy attempt to gain access to ill-gotten snacks on your journeys through the Norwegian tundra?” Thor shrugged, pulling a thread from his chest. “I hear that in future years the people of the realm started leaving said snacks out in anticipation of such a need.” “Yes, brother. To avoid their dwelling being raided through any available opening. I mean really, that year how many chimneys did you find your festively plump arse entrapped in, brother? Seven? Any other fool would have stopped after the first. A ridiculous display.” Thor stood, his finger waggling in Loki’s direction. Your dark lover rested his chin on your shoulder, stooped flush against your back. The feeling of his warmth against you was one you never wanted to lose. A smile pressed against your cheeks as you bit your lip, Thor’s indignation in combination with his ridiculous sweater building a bubbling roll of laughter in your belly. “So...how many years did you do this?” you managed to choke, squeezing Loki’s arms tighter around your midriff. Thor shrugged. “Five or six...dozen, perhaps...and then the parents of this realm sort of, took over gradually. Good thing, too...the way it’s spread.” “Thank the Norns.” Loki huffed, burying his face in your hair. You could feel him sigh against your skin, inhaling your scent theatrically. Thor cleared his throat louder, averting his eyes from the sensual scene unfolding in front of him. “All this talk of snacks has found me rather peckish I’m going to...to…” Loki’s hands wandered, his thumb grazing the curve of your breast through your own initialled Christmas jumper. The world faded as Loki’s mouth found yours with a quiet groan, his tongue slipping between your parted lips. From beyond the haze, you heard the kitchen door swing shut as Thor departed. Alone, at last. “Come here” Loki growled, his eyelids heavy with simmering lust as he pulled you down from the stool. You giggled, casting a glance around the living room sparkling with festive cheer. The warm glow of fairy lights nestled in vibrant pine cast shadows on Loki’s features, the corner of his eyes creased with the same mischief tugging on his lips. God, how you loved him. He led you across the room towards an inconspicuous door you had always assumed was a closet, a small ‘No Entry’ sign placed centrally upon it. A wave of citrus and pine hit you as Loki turned the handle and opened the door, revealing a small but perfectly formed room. Soft lighting flooded the opening, the warm glow reminding you of a fireside. Rolls of festive wrapping paper hung on the walls, exquisite ribbons draping downward from spindles in fluttering splashes of gold, red and green. Neatly packed boxes of bows were stacked on shelves, divided by size and colour; labels and a selection of fountain pens lined perfectly against the wall on a solid mahogany desk.

You gasped, “Is this Pepper’s wrapping room? I thought it was a myth.” “Hidden in plain sight, darling.” Loki winked, pulling you inside and closing the door behind him with a soft click. His hands ran over your hips, manoeuvring your ass back against the solid desk. “Loki, we shouldn’t…” you murmured between his ravenous kisses, the words sounding even less convincing in the air than they did in your head. “Correct.” Loki growled, unzipping the side of your skirt with devastating slowness. “But when has that ever stopped us, my love?” The fabric slid down, pooling around your ankles. Loki’s fingers toyed at the waistband of your thick pantyhose, rolling them below your hips. You sat back on the desk, extending one leg as he slid the 200 denier down your thigh, raising your calf and placing a deep kiss on the bare skin. He did the same on the other side, his piercing gaze never leaving yours in the low light. You could feel a sea of wetness pooling in your panties, the need for him growing with every intentionally teasing touch of his fingertips. You crossed your arms across your chest, tugging the jumper upward. Loki pushed them gently down. “The festive sweaters stay on, love.” he purred with a wink. The god sank to his knees, widening your legs. He hummed, sliding a wide palm up your naked thigh and trailing a finger through your glistening folds. “Darling” he growled, “it’s been over a year, are you truly still this desperate for me?” Before you could answer, two fingers slid inside you; making your head fall back with a groan. “Yes, Loki” you gasped, as he pumped them firmly back and forth, his thumb circling your swollen clit. "Lucky me." he murmured, before his lips fastened to the centre of your desire. He lapped at the trail of sticky arousal smeared against your skin, caressing every crevice. Muffled approval rumbled in his throat as he slowly removed the fingers, his tongue delving deeper into the warm heat he craved. You grasped the sides of the desk, resting back on your elbows as you balanced your feet on his thick thighs. Loki shook his head gently back and forth, nose grazing downward as he pleasured every inch of you with whoreish abandon. Even his eyelashes would be wet. “God...baby, yes..y-es, f-fuck…” you sighed, feeling his fingers tighten around the soft flesh of your spread thighs. He suckled gently, wide strokes of his tongue rolled over your slit. You would never know how he could be so fucking good at this. A hand wound in his hair, pushing him deeper against your needy cunt. He growled, the vibration against your clit making you pulse. In a flash, he rolled you backwards, pushing your calves backward so you were completely exposed.

Flat on the table, you craned forward to watch his tongue work your pussy; every lick accompanied by a dark, delicious moan. His eyes were closed in blissful concentration, strands of long hair trailing against your bare skin. The furrow of his brow betrayed the lust you knew was straining against his trousers out of sight. He was always so fucking hard for you. So fucking hard for me, you thought; whimpering as you watched him work with your mouth open. Panting. Loki sucked your clit gently, sending jolts through your body, legs twitching. “Loki…” you keened, trying to thrust your hips upward. He chuckled against your plump lips, sucking them between his teeth in response. Your lover pulled them back gently, releasing them with a wet slurp. “Come in my mouth, goddess.” he whispered, placing another languishing lick up your centre.

Your head fell back against the desk with a thud, hands gripping the edge beneath you. Hot cum flooded Loki’s tongue, his moans of pleasure matching your own as you juddered like a dying thing beneath lingering suckles. You saw stars, murmurs of his name all you could muster as you felt a glow of seidr radiate from his body. He rose above you, his huge cock standing proudly up against the comically unsexy green sweater. You laughed, covering your mouth as he bent over your body; silencing your mirth with a hungry kiss. “You dare laugh at a god’s attire? How rude…” he purred playfully, running a hand down your thigh as you wrapped your legs around his waist, drawing him closer. You both groaned as he entered you, the veins of his thick manhood rippling across every inch of your channel, fizzing with post-orgasmic bliss. Your hands slid up his cheekbones, the perfect symmetry of his features dazzling as his face twitched with the need to thrust deeper. “Loki?” you murmured, making him pause. He looked down with concern, eyebrows slanting. “...I love you.” you said, as his features softened. “I love you too, my precious one.” he whispered, placing a kiss on your forehead as you thrust your hips upward; sheathing him to the hilt. He moaned loudly, a guttural grunt of your name. “F-fuck, darling…” he gasped, beginning to pump in and out of your soaking core. Every hit of his pelvis was magic, every pulse sending new sparks shooting through your blood. His hips met the backs of your open thighs with wet slaps, hot breath mixing with yours; the two of you panting in rhythm. Loki’s thrusts became sloppy as you tugged the back of his hair, a dark growl thundering in his chest as he buried his face in your cleavage hidden beneath the fuzzy jumper. “Do you want me to f-fill you Y/N?” he asked through staggered breaths. You nodded frantically, the angle of his heavenly cock making your back arch against the wood. “Will you ever tire of having your god’s seed..uhhh, yes...d-dripping down those exquisite t-thighs?” His voice quivered with the effort of forming words, the rhetorical question hanging in the air; buffeted between grunts and whines of feral desire. Loki tumbled over the precipice of orgasm with a deep moan as you squeezed your walls tight around his girth. He bottomed out as you rocked back and forth against his hips, feeling the thick slick of his cum spreading along his length before he collapsed against your chest. The sound of his heavy breaths filled the small space, your heart soaring as he raised his chin to rest above your heart. “You are my everything, darling.” he whispered, placing a kiss on your parted lips before sliding out of your pussy and waving his hand. The familiar feeling of his magic rolled up your lower body as he made both of you presentable once more. “Now remember, you don’t know this place exists – alright?” he winked, helping you down from the desk. You brushed a strand of tinsel from his chest, your fingers lingering on the firmness snug beneath the garish festive sweater. You took the few steps over to the door, opening it a crack and peering out to make sure the coast was clear. “Shit.” you whispered, whipping back to Loki with a wide-eyed stare. The door swung open. “Pepper can never know about this.” Tony said gruffly.

His eyebrows rose sceptically as he stood with his arms folded, resting against the sofa.

You and Loki looked at each other, as a smirk curled the corner of Tony’s mouth. “Honestly, how you guys got away with this shit for as long as you did is beyond me. Maybe you’ve lost your touch.” A burning heat spread over your cheeks, hearing Loki chuckle incredulously beside you. "We were simply..." he began, promptly cut off.

"-I think that particular ship has sailed, folks." Tony sighed, pushing himself away from the sofa. "Sailed and sunk. The SS Sinking Sluts..."

You pursed your lips, as Tony straightened. “Just do me a favour, Laufeyson...make sure you didn’t leave a present of your own in there." he murmured theatrically. "I could handle Steve and the car with the whole racoon business- but Pepper...?” Tony pointed knowingly at your lover before spinning on his heels, walking leisurely towards the door as Loki rolled his eyes. “No Asgardian stuffing on my wife’s ribbons, Laufeyson. Check it once, then check it twice. That’s an order.” he shouted with a casual wave, before disappearing around the corner.

A/N: Thank you @lokischambermaid for concocting the intricacies of Thor's 'magic' belt with me🤣 @lady-rose-moon @gigglingtigger @holymultiplefandomsbatman @muddyorbsblr @xorpsbane @lokikissesmyforehead @simplyholl @fictive-sl0th @ijuststareatstuffhereok89 @loopsisloops @thedistractedagglomeration @loveroflokiforpoeticjustice @123forgottherest @joyful-enchantress @sititran @jaidenhawke @silverfire475 @mrsbarnes32557038 @michelleleewise @vbecker10 @imalovernotahater @thomase1 @morriggannlostinfandoms @ladylovesloki @marygoddessofmischief @ravenwings73 @filthyhiddles @peacefulpianist @maple-seed @yelkmelk @wheredafandomat @mistress-ofmagic @five-miles-over @goblingirlsarah @ozymdias @peaches1958 @your-taste-on-my-lips @lokisgirll @lokidokieokie @kikster606 @peachyjinx @peachyymallows @soldeloki @tbhiddlestan83 @trickster-maiden @trojanaurora @ladyofthestayingpower

[lemonlyman-dotcom]

New Fic Live Now on Ao3

Como Te Quiero Yo (how I love you)

E | 6k | Canon Compliant

A gift for @bloodspeckledraphael for the @tarlos-santa Secret Santa exchange 🎄I had so much fun writing this and I hope you love it! Endless thanks to @lightningboltreader for the beta and to @carlos-in-glasses for cheerleading and letting me spiral and being excited about this fic!

Official Playlist (I super recommend checking this one out, folks, it’s one of my best!)

For the prompt: TK notices Carlos is still grieving after the death of his dad during their honeymoon so tries to give him the best day to take his mind off it.

On the afternoon they arrived in Cabo for their all-expenses paid (by their parents) stay at the town’s nicest resort, Carlos had arched an eyebrow and huffed a judgemental, “really TK?” when he’d insisted on buying a half dozen oysters from a man shilling them to tourists up and down the beach, claiming the shellfish he was schlepping in a haggard-looking bucket to be freshly caught that morning.

“You never eat seafood?” Carlos asked, somewhat accusatorily if you asked TK, as TK slurped a whole oyster out of its shell, moaning at the sweet taste as he swallowed it whole. He smirked at the face Carlos made, dark eyes trained on his throat as he swallowed.

“Mmm, you should try one.”

“No. No thanks.”

“You wouldn’t believe the mouth feel.”

“Gross. Don’t say mouth feel.”

“It goes down so smooth. Mmm. You know!” TK said, wagging his eyebrows and fighting to keep from prematurely laughing at his own joke. “It’s almost like swallowing your—”

“Okay!” Carlos all but shouted. “That’s enough about the oysters.”

Continue reading on ao3.

Tagging a few folks who might be interested. As always, please let me know if you don’t (or do!) want to be tagged in the future. @certifiedflower @guardian-angle22 @chicgeekgirl89 @liminalmemories21 @birdclowns @ambiguouspenny @never-blooms @basilsunrise @ladytessa74 @welcometololaland @alrightbuckaroo @rosedavid @fangirl-paba @reasonandfaithinharmony @rmd-writes @freneticfloetry @reyesstrand @lutavero @mikibwrites @heartstringsduet @bonheur-cafe @im-overstimulated-and-im-sad @thisbuildinghasfeelings @thebumblecee @louis-ii-reyes-strand @orchidscript @just-inside-her @wandering-night19 @carlos-tk @noxsoulmate

[the-24-7-lawlu-library]

Poll Vote Slow Burn

Hi lovely readers :D Here are your Slow Burn recommendations for the weekend! Enjoy Reading <3

baby it's cold outside by betsib (T)

They meet as children, when Luffy is staying in North Blue one winter and sees snow for the first time. Fifteen years later they meet again, when Law is in desperate need of a date for his uncle's Christmas party. Written for Truffyfest Secret Santa 2023

Warmth by orphan_account (M)

Law Trafalgar is twenty-six, Male Model of the Year, and an absolute wreck. Luffy's the guy he almost punches in the park. Somehow, despite this brief encounter, Law feels a warmth whenever he thinks of the apparent teenager in a straw hat that he hasn't felt since—hasn't felt in a while.

Sunshine smile and bloody teeth. by babyeblue_bb (T)

Five times Law saves Luffy from a certain death. And one time he is the one who needs to be saved.

The boy of sea and storm by AnnieDeOdair (M)

"You are Torao, right?" The boy asked after a few minutes in silence. Law frowned. "I am Trafalgar Law," he corrected, although he didn't know if he was talking about him. "Yeah, Torao," Luffy repeated as if saying it well. “The other Kamabakka doctor. At last I know you, everyone talks about you.” Law raised an eyebrow confused because he didn't think anyone was talking about him. He was just a doctor in the same organization that Luffy had his soccer team on. "I think it's the other way around," Law replied without taking his eyes off the street and his attention on the cell phone. “I feel like everyone talks about you all the time.”

Softly Stained with Spring by lululawlawlu (T)

Law—being with him is the best feeling imaginable. It‘s the perfect kind of happiness mixed with a little excitement. Just having adventures with Law makes those adventures all the more exciting.

Ghost Roommate by vettany2 (T)

Law is a med student in the last grade of uni. For better focus on his final year studies, he decides to leave the uni dormitory and rent a flat just for himself. Little did he know that he's not gonna be alone there.

Addicted to your voice by Sakuya_Serenity_Kira (E)

Luffy was an orphant. He visited school, had friends, but sometimes... he was lonely. Till he found someone to talk to - online. He didn't know anything about this voice at the beginning... but he started liking him...

Law of Hearts by 32Rats_In_A_Straw_Hat (T)

Law thought he was making a deal with a devil when he formed an alliance with Luffy; turns out he was making a deal with an idiot. Now he's stranded aboard the Thousand Sunny with a captain who doesn't know the meaning of personal space, doesn't call him by his actual name, and even forces himself into Law's bed. But you know what? Maybe Law likes it all just a little bit more than he lets on, even if he won't admit it to himself.

-Mod Raiya

[tavyliasin]

A nice collection of assorted reading, this is the GaleCord Secret Santa Event Collection! GaleCord is a Gale based fan server, but we have developed and nurtured an active, supportive, and welcoming community of smut writers in the NSFW areas who write for a range of pairings. You're more than welcome to come and join us in https://discord.gg/GaleCord - just mind the rules, no sharing the server or contents to performers/studio employees, and remember that Mystra sucks. Anyway, here's a preview of the collection - a few more are adding to it later as we had 16 entries and not all of them are uploaded yet~ Mind the tags, of course, but so far we have: - Bloodweave (multiple fics with this one) - Astarion/Tav - Omeluum/Tav - Gale/f!OC - Astarion/Halsin/Gale - Durge/Gortash - Dammon/Karlach/f!Reader - Wyll/Astarion

My own entry is this one: The Words That Bind Your Pages - Bloodweave with Dom!Astarion and willpower bondage. Sample below! Smut Below The Cut~

---------- The Words That Bind Your Pages ----------

Gale was entranced. Slick fingers scissoring open the very destination his desire wanted to leap towards. He tried to imagine a heavy weight pressing atop him, holding his body still to keep him from climbing atop the chair in front of him and taking what he wanted. And oh how he wanted it. The pale form of his lover was the most beautiful sight he could imagine, and there was no need for imagination now. Even the depths of the Weave had failed to reveal marvels more magnificent than the sight of Astarion pleasuring himself, preparing himself, all the while taking back ownership of all of it. The connection they felt was clearly no accident, and went far beyond a tadpole squirming in their brains… The heat building in him as he watched was almost unbearable, but…he would give himself over to this fire time and time again, burning up beneath the command of crimson eyes. Those words were the only ones worth listening to, the only requests- the only commands that were worth following. The wound on his neck ached softly on the edge of his consciousness, still longing to feel that gentle pressure, the kiss of death that made life worth living. His chest glowed more with the Weave reacting to his lust, yet he swallowed the magic back down. Not one syllable of a spell would pass his lips, his fingers would not seek a single strand of the power he once craved. Instead, they sought tighter purchase on his sanity, almost bruising his legs as he realised his lover was finally ready to put an end to the teasing. “On the bed,” the soft words almost purred from the vampire’s throat, rich with desire, “take off your clothes and lay back, love, and I will give you everything you want.” Gale stopped himself from replying, biting back the words. He would simply have to lavish his lover with an essay of affection when they were done. His clothes hit the floor with a few deft movements and a quiet swish of fabric. Astarion’s shirt joined the pile as the wizard moved back on the bed, heated skin feeling the contrast of cool sheets beneath him.

The vampire on all fours crawling towards him looked every bit the predator he should, the hint of fangs and sparkling crimson eyes screaming danger to the part of Gale’s mind that was stubbornly hidden beneath a thick curtain of lust. As he lay his head back on the pillows, he stilled his body, trying to calm the rush of his heart thrumming in his chest. “Give me your hands.” Astarion straddled his waist now, sitting upright and reaching out towards him. The command was quickly followed, and the elf took one hand in each of his own in the manner of a noble greeting a potential lover at a ball. “You have been so patient, love, so very good.” Gale felt the cool soft lips press a demure kiss to the back of his hand, blush rising to his cheeks more strongly than during the entire salacious performance. “I think it’s about time for your reward.” Astarion kissed his other hand, this time adding more along the backs of his fingers, shifting his hand’s grip until he could reach the tip of his index finger. “The greatest magic, darling, is not what you can do. It’s what you can feel .” Gale gasped as his dearest vampire slowly took his finger between his lips, tongue curling around and sucking gently, a soft moan reaching his ears and all the while their eyes were locked together in a lover’s gaze. When he was done with the lewd kiss, Astarion slid his grip to Gale’s wrists, lowering them down to either side of his head on the pillows. He pressed down hard for a prolonged moment, then let go and sat up above him once more. “There, love, can you not feel me still? Even though I’ve left? Be a good little Wizard and keep them there.” He paused as Gale nodded. “You can answer with your voice this time, but only briefly. After that, all I will hear from you is the sweet sound of you moaning my name.” Gale felt himself trembling slightly, but he nodded again. “As you wish, my love.”  ---- The rest is on AO3, though I may try to post the full thing here at some point in the future~ Enjoy! And don't forget to drop a little love to the authors of the collection on AO3 too, they all worked very hard on their gift pieces, and every one did an outstanding job~

[third-arch]

My Trafalgar Law HC’s!! pt.4🥳🥳

This one’s longer and is kinda inspired by some people around me, but most of these I could honestly see for him!!

He doesn’t work at a hospital. He owns a private clinic. If he did, he’d work in the ER. He’d have a scribe. He’d either be very grumpy or very patient to work with.

He doesn’t read Homestuck/doesn’t really like it but if he absolutely had to choose his favorite human would be Dave Strider. I literally have no clue what his favorite troll would be, but I’m guessing maybe like Aradia or Karkat.

His favorite Nintendo series is Star Fox.

He’s more of a Vinesauce guy than a Jerma guy.

If you asked him what the three most recent songs he’s listened to are, he’d probably say:

Madhouse-Matt Maltese

Everyone Here Hates You-Courtney Barnett

Climbing Up The Walls-Radiohead

How they appeared on his playlist or if he even liked them is up to you.

He’s not a Taylor Swift fan, but I could see State of Grace, Red, Sparks Fly, Mine, All Too Well (10 min version) and Love Story being his favorite songs. (I literally can’t explain this one LOL)

He doesn’t mind Lofi.

This one is actually inspired by an old friend of mine, but he doesn’t really watch anime. He watches a lot of analysis videos on YouTube and if it’s interesting enough, he’ll watch it. This was the case for Cardcaptor Sakura, Fruits Basket, and Ergo Proxy.

He’s seen Phoebe Bridgers in concert with Nami. She also introduced him to Mitski.

Radiohead is probably his favorite artist. He also likes Paramore and Mitski

(Note: Before, I thought it was FATM, but a lot of my HC's and fanfic content heavily revolve around Radiohead. So, there's that. He probably still really likes FATM though. Same for Evanescence.)

He loves Metal Gear Solid and Death Stranding, and stuff like Half Life, Silent Hill, Portal, Overwatch and GMOD.

He likes watching Luffy play Skyrim and would probably be better than him if he played it.

He cried playing Shadow of the Colossus, Deemo, and Yomawari. He’s also cried playing some other games.

He went through an Undertale phase. He also cried playing it. He’d also be the person to spoil the whole route system, and would get annoyed if you don’t do “the good route”.

He really likes Batman. He prefers DC.

His favorite channel is Adult Swim.

If you show him Star Wars I-III he’ll make really funny jokes the entire time. He also really likes Chewbacca, Luke, and Obi Wan. And if you gift him a lightsaber you might find him on the deck late at night doing lightsaber tricks.

He LOVES Pikmin.

He sucks at MarioKart.

He’s really good at Smash Bros but he’ll silently rage quit if he’s doing bad or loses. His main is Cloud.

His favorite Pokémon is Lucario, but he also likes Bulbasaur. His favorite element is electric, so he also likes Espeon and Umbreon.

He does not participate in Secret Santa at the clinic.

This one’s kinda obvious but his favorite AOT character is Levi.

His favorite Demon Slayer characters are Rengoku and Nezuko. He bawled when Rengoku died.

His favorite BTS member is Jungkook.

When Pokémon Go was big, he used to drive Luffy, Chopper, and Nami around. Them and Kid and Killer would be fighting for Poke stops all the time, and leech (MaxMoeFoe reference) off their lures. Things would get so heated LOL

If you ask him to watch a Kdrama with you he’d hate it at first but then get really into it. He'd get so upset at any cliffhangers.

This one’s also obvious but he hates the color pink.

He doesn’t play Minecraft. And he probably wouldn’t in the foreseeable future.

[epic-potato-crisp]

The Monday Incident

A very belated Secret Santa Gift for @kaseytransboi-blog (hope this is your Tumblr!)- so belated it is from 2022. So incredibly sorry about that! 🙈 I wanted you to still receive this gift, even if it means arriving in time for Ajin Secret Santa 2023. You wanted "Generally Wholesome" so It's a little One Shot featuring the Ajin Cast in the Brooklyn 99 universe - I hope you will (still) enjoy! <3

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LINK:

The Monday Incident - epic_potato_crisp - 亜人 - 三浦追儺 & 桜井画門 | Ajin - Miura Tsuina & Sakurai Gamon (Anime & Manga) [Archive of Our Own]

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Detective Nagai had a terrible day. A day that had started with a diffuse ache in his abdomen and his heart palpitating at a mile an hour when he woke up an hour before his alarm from a nightmare he could not remember.

Seeing as it was pointless to go back to sleep, he cursed himself and the entire squad out, a plethora of creative insults he would, most likely, never voice out loud.  Then he went to brew a cup of coffee. He would have loved to say it immediately jolted him out of his stupor and into an active, motivated, pre-case solving state, but of course it didn’t. Rest assured, he was mercifully saved the one benefit of caffeine that he was betting on. The only change he experienced was a familiar burn in his throat, his reflux’s friendly way of reminding him that it was planning on becoming a permanent resident.

What a bother. Kei had always hated the concept of roommates.

He didn’t own a car, neither did he drive- not, as some might assume, because of not passing the ridiculously simple theoretical exam (He had, with a stellar score of 110% , the bonus resulting from giving himself extra credit for a formatting and spelling error he noticed). No, he simply chose not to, because frankly, the idea of riding into oncoming traffic on four shaky wheels with nothing but steel-aluminium walls that dented at the lightest scratch and a sorry excuse for an airbag keeping him from certain death, did not seem very appealing.

(And perhaps also, because the look his driving instructor had given him after his most recent attempt at the practical exam had etched himself in his soul forever. Sure, Kei might have avoided the head-on collision with the HAYAKAWA CIGARETTES truck, but the terror in the man’s eyes and the scathing indictment that followed made him wonder if actually getting mowed over by 4 tons of vehicle would have been the better alternative.) Ah well, now he would never know.

Thankfully, there were other people in his squad. Some compensated for their mediocre cognitive ability with a surprisingly solid physical skill set. One example was Nakano Kou, the overly-energetic detective who had declared himself Kei’s best friend two weeks after the latter had joined. It had been an unanimous decision Kei had interestingly never been consulted on. But he could live with that, he supposed.  Nakano could be incredibly annoying, but he did give Kei rides to work, which was appreciated.Especially , on a day as frosty as this one, where Kei would have rather stabbed himself than get up an hour earlier to spend his precious pre-work time scratching ice off car windows. Nakano, thankfully, seemed to have no such problem.

He was even punctual when he pulled up to Kei’s apartment that morning, dressed in his signature yellow parka.

“Good morning!“ he cheered loudly, turning down the Black Eyed Peas‘ “I GOT A FEELIN“ that was blaring in the background at Kei’s raised eyebrow. Orange strands as unkempt as ever, one hand on the steering wheel, he held out a cup emblazoned with yet another caffeine franchise that people with lack of a spine might pledge addiction to.

 “Kei”, the cup read.

He grinned as Kei got into the car, strapping on his seatbelt: “You gotta call shotgun, Nagai.”

“I’m not saying that every single time.” Kei sighed, “And I don’t want coffee.”

“That’s hot chocolate.”

Kei narrowed his eyes: “Without caffeine?”

“Yes, yes! Without!” Nakano said, lifting his left hand in an idiotic gesture of sincerity.

“Careful.” Kei snapped, not wanting his idiotic attempts at being genuine to endanger them in the morning traffic.

“Dude, chill, I’m still parking.” Nakano said, conveniently ignoring how Kei had told him to never call him dude  under any circumstances in their first week working together. He revved the engine to life and then, placing a hand on the back firmly of Kei’s headrest and turning to look behind himself, maneuvered them backwards and then out of their parking spot. The close proximity of his teammate’s fingers to his neck and the self-assured, almost cocky way with which his colleague steered them back into traffic did nothing for him, Kei reminded himself, gripping tightly around the cardboard wrapper. He let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding and chased away a flicker of regret when Nakano’s hand dropped from its place on the headrest, fingers curling back around the steering wheel.

“You know, a “thank you, how was your weekend” wouldn’t kill you.” his colleague said, side-eying the stiff way he stiffly occupied the passenger seat.

“Just drive.” Kei grumbled, managing to avoid the eye-contact he was afraid would sell him out.

“Screw yourself, seriously.” Nakano said, fondness tinged with annoyance, as he shifted into third gear. Thus started their morning bickering- the only way, Kei realized, to properly wake him up.

They managed to get to work a good fifteen minutes before their morning meeting at 8 am. Which was good, because arriving any later than the designated time would be a surefire way to draw the wrath of their captain.

“Good morning, Sarge!” Nakano cheerfully greeted Sergeant Hirasawa, who was already sat at his desk, two yoghurt cups stacked in front of him.

“Good morning, detective Nakano.” Hirasawa replied. Age was not lost on the seargant, who combed back his hair in an effort to mask the balding patch, tucking his glasses behind his ears.  Calloused hands spoke of many years in the service, but in the seargeant’s case, he had followed an unconventional career path, having spent his years before training in the Academy as a bodyguard of sorts. “Well, hired gun is more like it.” the Sarge had shared during one evening during a post-working gathering a pub. Manabe, one of the four guys that had been employed about the same time as the Seargeant and who seemed to have known him for even longer, chuckled dryly at that.  Kei hadn’t bothered asking what the vague job description meant, he could put two and two together. Unlike Nakano, who had stared at Hirasawa with a quizzical look. Before the words “What’s a hired gun” could leave his mouth, Kei had grabbed him by the back of his parka and dragged him to the bar.

“The next rounds of drinks are on you.” he said sullenly, as his colleague complained loudly about the rough treatment. There must have been something in Kei’s eyes however, as Nakano dropped the topic pretty much immediately. When he came back carrying an armful of beers, their table cheered,  detective Suzumura and detective Kuroki slapping him on the back appreciatively. Nakano preened under the attention and was engrossed in a lively conversation within minutes.

Kei nipped at his rum-filled beverage, grimacing at the bitter taste and cursing out the bartender for clearly misjudging his soda to alcohol ratio preference. But just as he was about to call it an early night, Sergeant Hirasawa slid on the stool next to him. “So, I’ve heard some impressive things about you, Detective Nagai.”

“Which would be?” Kei asked, skeptically. The Sergeant laughed at his open mistrust. Well, someone tells me you are planning to become a captain of a squad yourself someday. Your stellar scores graduating from the Academy and your track record of solved cases also speak for themselves.”

Kei did his best to not feel too flattered under the praise. “That is, if I make it that far. I’ll have to pass the Sergeant’s exam first.. It would be a fool’s error to rest simply because of previous success I had.” He took a sip, and forced himself not to avoid the Sergeant’s gaze, which seemed downright friendly and empathic. Sometimes, he had to remind himself not everyone he ever worked with had ill-intent.  But then again, he had to keep an eye open for the possibility.

“I still have a long road ahead of me.” He concluded a conversation that he felt was becoming too personal for a work acquaintance.

“Spoken as a true contender for the position of Captain would.” Seargeant Hirasawa said, and Kei attempted not to startle too much when he amicably slapped his back, and in a tone, that sounded too genuine to be false said,  “I’m rooting for you, Detective Nagai.”

Well, at least, someone was rooting for him. Kei felt as though he was not having the same luck with the new Captain that had been assigned to their district.

Captain Tosaki Yuu  was not one for humor, or slacking, or any other form entertainment that would have made the arduous work days in the precinct more bearable. Kei would have been fine with that. Instead, it was Detective Nakano’s morale that took a major hit when their new commanding officer introduced himself and how he planned to run the precinct. However, it took him only a few weeks to win even the sour-faced captain over in that strangely charming way of his. This didn’t necessarily mean that Detective Nakano didn’t still make a fool of himself- he did- or that the Captain had never yelled at him for his tardiness or unserious attitude – he had – but it did meant that even tall,  pale, consistently stressed Captain Tosaki begrudgingly accepted the cheerful detective as vital member of his squad.

Which caused Kei even more of a headache because he himself wasn’t having any of that luck.

He had tried every strategy from mute respect to blank sincerity to disinterest to word-by-word conduct of corporate advancement guidelines but he kept clashing with the Captain more often than he had probably should. Conflict with superiors was not a favorable strategy, that was what he’d learned in the Academy. Sometimes, he laid awake at night, ruminating on the possibility that it could be a death sentence for his career that had not even properly begun. It was simply that he, Detective Nagai, had his own way of doing things which had served him well over years in service, and was only the slightest bit aggrieved at the fact of being presented with a new Captain that seemed to micromanage his every move.

If he was available to speak with at all.

As Nakano settled into his desk, finishing his coffee and chatting with the Seargeant, Kei flicked his eyes over to the Captain’s office. At the desk right in front sat Naomi, his personal secretary, who spent 1/3 of her time relegating calls, another third being mean and the final third playing Flappy Bird on her phone.

“Sorry, Captain’s not available right now.” she warbled into the speaker, examining her sapphire acrylics with genuine interest, just as Captain Tosaki came into view behind her.

“Who’s that?” the Captain asked sharply, flanked as usual by his right-hand Sergeant Shimomura, who stood stoically next to him.

To Naomi’s credit, she was used to his unannounced entrances and didn’t as much as startle, left alone appear guilty being caught blatantly avoiding her job.

She swiveled around in her desk chair, blowing maroon strands out of her eyes, perfectly manicured fingers held over the mouthpiece.

“Oh, just Ogura from Forensics.” she said, batting her eyelashes and dragging out the “a” with an annoyed sigh, “I told him I don’t get paid to deal with this before 9 am. Do you want him to call you back later?”

“That is exactly what you are getting paid to do.” Tosaki said monotonously, “But yes.” He grimaced, “Let him call back later.”

The fact that there was no love lost between the Captain and the leading physician of the Forensics Department, who liked hassle him at every turn, was not a secret for the crew. Naomi smirked, delighted at having her expectations met and withdrew her fingers from the mouthpiece, “He’s busy right now.” she faux-sweetly announced, “Try again during our office hours.” She slammed the phone down before Ogura’s distant voice on the other hand could as much as bring forward another jab.

Now that the matter was dealt with, Captain Tosaki moved onto the next target to air his morning frustration out on.

“Detective Nakano, Detective Nagai.” he barked.

“Sir, Yes Sir!” Nakano immediately jumped to attention, almost spilling his drink in the process.

Kei rolled his eyes.

“What is it, Captain?” he asked, feigning politeness.

“What are you standing there for?” Tosaki said, irritatedly, “Get settled in the meeting room. I’d like to start on time for once.”

Nakano cheerily shouted his affirmation, as the Captain strode off. Sergeant Shimomura remained behind, noting something on her clipboard.

“Good morning, Detective Nagai. Detective Nakano.” she greeted them properly, obsidian eyes calmly meeting their gaze.

“Good morning, Seargeant!” Nakano exclaimed, grinning back at her, not even attempting to hide his delight as having received her full attention, “How was your weekend? Did you do something fun?”

This was a one-sided love affair at best, Kei was certain, but that didn’t stop Nakano from being hopelessly infatuated with the Sergeant the moment he had stepped foot into the precinct. It’s good that he himself never had to deal with this type of ridiculous experiences, he thought, quenching the faintest annoyance that bubbled within him whenever he realized Nakano did have a habit of being very flirt-friendly with a lot of his female colleagues. Shimomura faintly returned his smile.

“It was fairly uneventful.” she said, in that reserved, cryptical way of hers, “I hope yours was enjoyable, as well.” The open-ended question was a rookie mistake.

As Nakano launched into an overly-detailed recitation of his weekend which included a paintball tournament and a barbecue (where on earth did he take the energy, Kei could not imagine), he observed the Seargeant more closely.

Fairly uneventful could mean anything when it came to Sergeant Shimomura. The last time she had used that description, she had single-handedly led a drug bust that had carried on into the early hours of Sunday morning. She was only few years older than Kei. He was also fairly certain they’d both trained at the same academy, although he had no proof of that. Upon joining their precinct, Tosaki had immediately recruited her as his second-in-command, which came to no surprise. Shimomura was not only loyal to the core, but also greatly skilled both in detective work and martial combat. She also did not seem fazed by the fact that she often got mistaken as Tosaki’s secretary. Whenever that happened, the Captain made sure to correct the mistake immediately, referring to her as his “highly talented Sergeant” and, and redirecting whoever misspoke to see Naomi if they wanted to speak with his “highly talented secretary.” (It was a blessing that he always made a show of loudly announcing these corrections, so Naomi at least had a few seconds to save her level on Wintry Workshop and pull up an Excel Table on her computer so as not to undermine his statement.)

Apart from this, he had not a single clue about the Seargeant’s backstory, interests or even exact whereabouts. Which was fairly unusual for a  department as…sociable as theirs. This was the most polite way Kei had of putting it.

“I know exactly three things about you.” Kei had pointed out one evening, as stacks of paperwork were dragging them long past the end of their shift, “And one of them is that you don’t let anyone know where you live.”

“That is already one thing more than you were supposed to know, Detective Nagai.” the Seargeant had said, the corners of her lips tilting up ever so slightly, “Not even my relatives have the information.”

He had left it at that. He had once seen her body-slam the leader of human trafficking ring that towered two heads above her after the man had attempted to pull a gun on her. It really wasn’t worth the risk.

“So in conclusion.”  Detective Nakano said, gesturing towards the projector, “I’m really certain this is the man we’re looking for. Here he is, on his way of committing crime.”

With a dramatical flourish, he moved onto the next slide of his presentation.

The grainy photo, taken from a security camera inside the Forge headquarters, showed an elderly gentleman wearing a baseball cap and a knit cardigan. His eyes were unfocused, almost closed, giving the impression of him having just woken up from a nap.

Kuroki and Manabe erupted in laughter.

“No way.” Kuroki said.

“He’s on his way alright, but to the next retirement home.” Manabe scoffed.

Kuroki cackled at that and held out his hand for a fist bump, which Manabe returned.

“Alright, let’s give Detective Nakano a chance to present his case.” Seargeant Hirasawa spoke up patiently, ever the mediator, “Detective, what proof do you have?”

“Oh, uh- proof.” Detective Nakano said, scratching his head, “Well…”

Kei looked over at the Captain, who was observing Nakano from his seat at the front of the  meeting room with a stony expression. Never a good sign.

“Well, the evidence speaks for itself, doesn’t it?” Nakano said, shrugging helplessly, “He’s in this footage, he was on the previous footage…I’m sure if I contact the Cyber Crimes division they could retrace the IT address that the perps used to hack into the Forge database, and that would probably lead back to—”

“We do not operate on the basis of probably, Detective.”  The icy tone in the Captain’s voice made even Nakano cringe.

Tosaki got to his feet. He swiftly moved towards Nakano, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

“Zoom in, Detective.” He ordered. And Nakano did.

Kuroki whistled at the sight. ““Man, let’s hope he meakes it to the retirement home at all.”  he said.

As much as it pained Kei to admit it, he was right. Upon closer inspection, the suspect appeared even older, properly geriatric. Fragile. If Nakano had meet him outside of work, he would have likely asked if he needed assistance crossing the streets. And then helped him cross said street. Nakano was friendly like that.

“Are you telling me.” Tosaki said, each word laced with scathing disbelief, “That this is the man you believe to be behind the string of seven flawlessly executed robberies, most recently at the Forge headquarters, a company that prides itself on their bulletproof security system?”

“I’m not sure he even knows what Windows is.” someone muttered in the background. Probably Kuroki. Kei shot an unnerved look in his direction. If someone was to harangue Nakano for his mediocre presentation abilities, it was to be him.

“He could- could have allies!” Nakano defended himself, now gesturing wildly, “Like, most of them big time dudes do.”

The big times dudes, right. Whenever Kei doubted his own capabilities as a detective – which happened more frequently than he would like to admit – it was moments as this one that reassured him that perhaps a future command wasn’t this far out of reach, if this was the competition he was to contend with.

“He has a caretaker, at most, that- “

“Enough.” the Captain snapped. He massaged his temples.

He turned towards his right-hand, the only other detective’s – except, in some instances, Hirasawa’s- opinion he regularly took into consideration. “Sergeant Shimomura, what do you think?”

The room grew quiet, as everyone’s attention focused on the Seargeant sitting in the second row. Nakano seemed to be holding his breath. Shimomura was silent for several moments. When she then spoke, there was the faintest trace of sympathy in her otherwise emotionless tone.

“As much as I appreciate your case work so far, Detective, I believe you at this point that you are lacking the necessary evidence to make an accusation, let alone an arrest.”

She concluded by clicking her pen shut. Upon this judgement, Nakano visibly deflated. Shimomura had likely been his last and most important pillar of hope.

Tosaki nodded. “I agree.”

“Listen, guys.” Nakano called out, a tinge of desperation creeping into his voice, “You know I have a really good intuition.”

That he had, Kei had to admit. Despite his own record of solved cases, Nakano wasn’t lagging too far behind. Or at all. There had been one too many times where they had made a competition, with a humiliating punishment for that month’s loser in terms of numbers. Though even those didn’t seem to faze him. He had worn the pink, glitter-adorned “Boss Babe ” shirt with pride to the precinct the day after Nagai had bested him one glorious August evening. Kei would have called sick before he sat one foot through the doors in this get-up. He imagined his little sister calling him a misogynist and scowled at the idea.

“And it is because of said intuition”- wow, what a big word for you, Detective, Kei thought drlyly, “That I am so very certain.”  Nakano continued, his voice becoming more steadfast and louder in his determination, “This is the culprit!” He pointed back towards the screen, the image woefully undermining the earthshattering point he was trying to make, “this is the guy we have been chasing for months, who has been making our lives hell since he robbed that gaming store a year ago.”

“That’s a hell of a nice deal on those retro consoles.” Ogura had whistled through his teeth when Kei had shown him the recipes of the robbery after the doctor’s persistent badgering, “Wish I had a Pacman game at home.”

“So, if you believe me, I can say that it’s him with like” Nakano frowned, running the numbers in his head: “85% certainty! That’s how certain I am!”

Kei was about to throw in his own comment on the situation when the Captain shut down the projector, much to Nakano’s gasping dismay and feeble protests.

“85% are not enough, Detective.” he said coldly and turned towards the room

, “Meeting dismissed.”

Kei tried to spend the rest of the day in a productive state, in an effort to be able to go home at the designated time that was almost never kept. Nakano, who had not quite bounced back from their morning meeting, unintentionally made every effort to thwart this plan.

“I just don’t get why my case work wasn’t enough.” he whined, for the second time that afternoon, head placed on Kei’s desk, where the later was filing, or rather, attempting to file a report.

“And I don’t get why you continue to ignore my work space, but here we are.” Kei said monotonously.

“Come on, dude, we’re basically desk mates.” Nakano argued, which was a very convenient stretching of the truth.

The fact that he had to roll past four other desks on his way to Kei’s – courtesy of Tosaki, who had placed them apart in his first week in order to improve work flow - was no deterrent for Detective Nakano. He enjoyed making the way into a race of sorts, often timing how long it took him to get from one desk to the other. His record of five seconds was still unbeaten.

“I pulled so much overtime for this, it’s like the Captain didn’t even properly read my report-“

Kei saved his document, and sighed, deciding to spare a few seconds of his valuable time for his colleague.

“I’m certain he did. It’s just not that simple.” He said, “Seargeant Shimomura has been on the same track for months. If she’s finding it to be a challenge, why did you think it would be an easy solve for you?”

This seemed to resonate with Nakano. “Well.” he said, appearing thoughtful of suddenly, “Guess you have a point. Still sucks, though.”

Kei hummed affirmatively, leaving his colleague alone with his own thoughts, which was thankfully a peaceful situation. He chanced a glance at the large office clock. If he kept working at his previous speed, and if Seargeant Hirasawa didn’t magically appear with another apartment break-in for him to process, then perhaps- today he would actually be able to leave-

“Detective Nakano, Detective Nagai.” Captain Tosaki barked from his office door, “A word. Now.”

Kei did not even attempt to suppress his groan.

“Well, suppose we should go, right?” Nakano said, squaring his shoulders and throwing him a questioning sort of look to which Kei could only respond in kind. No, he too had no idea what could possibly be going on.

“Oopsie.” Naomi said, a grimacing-type of smile clear with Schadenfreude, as they walked past her desk, “The Captain is still in kind of a bad mood. The fact that Doc Ogura just called back a few seconds ago didn’t help with that at all.”

Kei saw that she at least had the decency to pause her Candy Crush game for that short, albeit pointless conversation.

“Great.” he replied sarcastically, “Thank you for the info.”

“No worries.” Naomi chirped, “Let me know if there’s anything going on, yeah? The office has been so quiet these past few days.” She leant forward and lowered the register of her voice: “I could use some juicy info.”

“We’ll see what we can do, Miss Naomi!” Kou called out enthusiastically, as Kei, unnerved, dragged him to Captain’s office.

Captain Tosaki wasn’t alone. Sergeant Shimomura stood on his right side, giving them the hint of a smile as they entered.

“Close the door properly and pull down the blinds.” Captain Tosaki instructed promptly “I have a matter of great importance to discuss with both of you.”

Kei had not expected this turn of events. He took a moment to recollect himself, while Nakano already jumped into action with an enthusiastic “Yes, Sir!” and carried out the tasks.

“Sit down.” the Sergeant said, gesturing to the seats in front of the desk.

They both did. Anticipation had Kei sliding to the edge of his chair, toes poised on the carpeted floor. Nakano seemed equally as nervous, but in stark contrast, as far as Kei could tell, carried himself with less with dread, even with a hint of excitement.

“So.” Tosaki said, after a few beats of uncomfortable silence, “I have called you here to inform you that I – or, rather, we both-“ he glanced at the Sergeant, “Would like to revise our statement on Detective Nakano’s casework.”

Something lurched in Kei’s chest.

“Revise?” Kou said, in a puzzled tone, because of course he did.

“Retract.” Sergeant Shimomura interjected, “We have reviewed your work and believe that you are on the right path, Detective.”

“All evidence considered, we believe you have identified the correct culprit. Responsible for the burglaries of several stores, the Forge headquarters and beyond.”  Tosaki continued with a sigh, “Your intuition, unfortunately, was correct.”

Kei could see the wheels turning in Nakano’s head.

“Heck yeah!” his colleague shouted, pumping his fist in elation, which earned him an insistent Shush from his unamused superiors.

“Sorry.” Nakano .said sheepishly, scratching his head. “I’m just glad I got it right. It’s good when your work pays off.”

The Captain sighed again.

“Why unfortunately?” Kei spoke up, raising an eyebrow at the odd turn of phrasing, “How is a progress in a case not beneficial?”

The Captain and the Sergeant exchanged another one of their trademark looks.

“Well.” Sergeant Shimomura said, hesitating, “The matter appears to be larger than we originally anticipated.”

“That being a rather euphemistic understatement.” Tosaki said, producing a file from his drawers and slapping it down in front of them, “Our culprit, Samuel T. Owen, is not only responsible for the string of robberies.”  

CLASSIFIED, red letters read.

“We also believe him to be the leader of an anarchist uprising with ties to the black market, specifically organ trafficking.”

Fuck, was the first thought to enter Kei’s mind, More overtime. He was exhausted as it was. He ignored the sliver of interest he felt at the promise of a case far more thrilling than he had ever worked one, even dreamed of working when he chose his career path. Nakano, on the other hand,  made an odd, high-pitched noise next to him, which Kei correctly identified as a suppressed whimper of excitement.

“Heck yeah.” his colleague whispered in awe, fist clenched,  beaming like Christmas had come early.

“So we have asked you here to promote you to primary investigators on this case that must be carried out with utmost-“ Tosaki paused, eyeing Nakano scrutinizingly, “disrection. No- one is to be informed the nature of this investigation, or any new developments, apart from Sergeant Shimomura and myself. At least, for the foreseeable future. Understood?”

“Yes Sir!” the Detective replied, an excited almost-yell that made the Sergeant shush him again.

The Captain massaged his forehead. “You both, including you, Detective Nagai.”

“Yes, Sir.” Kei responded, dully.

“I hope you do not disappoint us with your work on the SATO case.” The Captain concluded.

“Sato?” Nakano asked, frowning.

“It’s the acronym we have chosen.” Sergeant Shimomura explained, “Samuel T. Owen is the name of our suspected culprit. Or in other words-“ she paused for effect,  “SATO.”

Even if Kei had had more time to prepare, he would not have been able to quell Nakano’s shout of excitement this time. It would have been hard too, with excitement and anticipation thrumming in his own veins.

“Heck yeah!”

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Rest in Peace Andre Braugher (01.07.1962- 11.12.2023) - your incredible portrayal of Captain Raymond Holt will be missed. You will always be the Captain of our Hearts!

[reolf]

Mysterious

@rumbellesecretsanta

Hi @abovethemists, It's me, Santa!

Happy secret santa! I wish you every bit of happiness and luck.

You gave me a reason to write again and I am thankful for that. I hope you enjoy your gift.

Greetings,

Reolf

“rain, heartache, marriage of convenience”

– Heavy rain was pounding against the window of the carriage. Belle could hardly see anything of the landscape they passed. They were on the way to a ball. It was her 7th season and she was already considered a spinster. Her father absolutely hated it. He wanted her married and soon. Especially now they had financial problems. Belle couldn’t really say why she had stayed unmarried for so long. Was it her mother’s early death? Her absence making it difficult for Belle to navigate the balls and other social gatherings of the ton? Was it her father being an awful matchmaker, only introducing her to boring and dull men? Or perhaps it was just herself who was the problem? Maybe she was the odd one, as she loved to read countless books. It wouldn’t be the first time if she sneaked away during a ball to the library. It wasn’t ladylike, but Belle couldn’t help herself sometimes. – This ball, it seemed difficult to sneak away to the library. They were at the home of The Duke and Duchess of Misthaven. Lord David and his wife Mary Margaret were perfect hosts, but they were highly honored among society. Her father wished they had the social standing among the ton as they did. Her father was only a baron. Their family’s history has been shrouded by the multiple feudal lords waging wars they couldn’t win. It seemed Belle couldn’t win either.

While her father conversed with other Lords, Belle was stationed next to the dance floor. Her dance card remained relatively empty until she caught the eye of a broad shouldered man. He was tall and had dark hair. She felt his eyes on her during the third dance of the evening and by the fourth he had approached her already.

“I don’t think I have ever seen you before. What is your name?”

Belle introduced herself. He smiled and took her hand, kissing her glove. “ My name is Gaston, Lord of LeGume. Can I have this dance?”

As Belle couldn’t see a reason why not, she let him lead her to the dancefloor for the next round of country dance.

His presence was overwhelming. He grabbed her hands, hurting her more really. She also found he was terribly arrogant as he talked about himself and his lavish hunting parties. He insulted other ladies as they passed by. “That dress is ugly compared to her necklace. She is rather idiotic looking. Unless you, my Belle, you are stunning.”

Belle found herself getting more bored by the minute. She hoped the party would soon be over and she could return to her books.

It was when Gaston went to get her a glass of lemonade, she could finally breathe again.

She wanted to turn around and get lost among the corridors of the estate, no matter the social cost. She wanted to do just that as she bumped against someone. Hastily apologizing, she looked up into a familiar face. It was Lord Gold, Earl of the Frontlands.

“It’s no matter,” he answered in his brogue voice. “ I wasn’t looking where I was going either.”

Lord Gold was a mysterious person among the ton. He rarely was at the social events, only if he could make deals with other people. If not making deals, he was standing alone in a corner, cane between his feet. He had long brown hair with gray strands in between, which was unconventional for the fashion. She had spoken to him a handful of times, between standing at the sidelines and being ignored by the other members of the ton.

He was a relatively quiet man and Belle didn’t know why he was so standoffish towards other people. He had obviously a past and Belle liked to know his story.

She saw an opportunity. When she saw Gaston returning, she laughed like she had heard a funny joke and looked Gold in the eye, hoping he would get along. “You are a man of wit, my Lord”

Gold, who had seen Gaston approaching, smiled at her. “If you say so, Miss Marchland.”

Gaston halted in his steps when he saw Gold, but seemed to refind his feet and approached them. “Excuse me, my Lord. But the Lady belongs to me.”

Gold faintly smiled. “ Oh, is that so? Well, I seem to remember another Lady at another ball where I heard you say that exact same thing. How did that end for you?”

Belle looked between the two men, confused what they were talking about.

It seemed to work for now. Gaston wished her a good evening and walked off. Belle smiled at Gold. “Thank you for that. He was terribly arrogant and intimidating.”

Gold stared into her eyes and nodded. “From what I have seen, I cannot disagree.” He looked at his pocket watch. “Well, I must be off. Give my regards to your father.”

And he walked away, leaning on his cane. – Gold rarely attended social gatherings. If he did, it was for good reason. Balls were tedious affairs, but visiting the Gentlemen’s Club was even more exhausting. Listening to men boasting about their lives was… interesting to get to know their weaknesses, but exhausting nonetheless.

Right now, he was sitting in a corner, listening to the arrogant Lord LeGume, Gaston. And he was boiling with anger.

“I will tell you this, gentlemen. She is the one, the lucky girl I am going to marry.”

“The Marchland’s Baron's daughter? Isn’t she the odd one?”

Gaston shrugged. “She is the most beautiful girl in town.”

“I know, but…”

Gaston slammed his fist on the table. “I know she is the best, and I only acquire the best.”

He sat back, slightly more relaxed. “Besides, her father is practically bankrupt. He is desperate to marry his daughter. Her title will make it easier for me to get up in the social ladder. Once I save her father from bankruptcy, I will take his place and bam my family’s name will be entering the nobility.”

Gold had heard enough. In no circumstances would he let Belle marry that oaf. She deserved a handsome man, yes, but she deserved someone wanting to be her partner, making sure she was happy, appreciating her sharp mind.

In all the years Gold had seen Belle at balls, he had never seen her with a real suitor. He knew she was beginning to be considered a spinster. Gaston was her first real chance of marriage.

Gold hated himself to do this but he had no choice. He was selfish. He wanted Belle safe.

That’s why he stepped into his carriage and made his way to the house of the Baron of Marchland. –

Belle didn’t know how her father had arranged it, but she was marrying. To Lord Duncan Gold, Earl of the Frontlands of all people! She could scarcely believe it.

It was a quiet affair: a priest in a small church, her father at her side, an exchange of vows and a small kiss on the lips.

She was a Countess now! Who had ever thought Odd Belle would be married to an Earl?

Her new husband was quiet on the way to his estate. He just looked outside the carriage window. When they arrived, Belle saw a gigantic mansion. It would seem the Earl of the Frontlands had a lot of money.

Gold helped her out of the carriage by offering his hand. A small boy came running down the front stairs.

“Papa! You are home!”

Gold smiled at the boy. Belle had never seen him smile like that before.

“Hello, Bae.”

The boy hugged his father. Gold nudged him to look at Belle. “Bae, may I introduce you to my wife, Lady Belle. Belle, this is my son, Baden Neal Gold.”

The boy looked at her with big brown eyes, the same colour as his father. He had black hair that was slightly curly. He seemed to be around the age of eight.

“Welcome to the Gold estate, my Lady.” Bae gave a small bow.

“Alright son, why don’t you give Lady Belle a tour of the house while I will see to her luggage being brought inside.”

Belle was slightly disappointed Gold wouldn’t be the one to lead her around, but the small boy before her was a good guide.

He showed her the drawing rooms, the dining room, the ballroom “which we never use but it’s here”, the studies, the gallery, the library (which Belle absolutely loved).

She could see herself living in this place. – Gold had made it clear to Belle they were only married in name and for financial reasons. Belle had stayed alone in her chambers on her wedding night. She knew it would be a marriage like that, but she couldn’t help being disappointed by his absence.

The days following their marriage she remained her only company. Bae was mostly occupied with his lessons with his governess. Belle took her meals alone, her walks alone in the gardens. If she encountered Gold in the corridors, he nodded briefly and hurried along. When she was in the library reading a book, he would enter, see her and walk out again.

He was avoiding her. Only, she had no idea why. – It was one winter evening when she entered the drawing room, she saw Bae play with a set of wooden soldiers in front of the fire. Gold was sitting in a chair, reading a book.

Upon seeing her, he went to sit up and close his book. Bae noticed, looking between his father and Belle.

“Papa, look at my general!”

Gold looked and nodded. “I see it, Bae.”

Belle saw an opportunity to enter the conversation.

“Can you introduce me to your soldiers, Bae? I haven’t played with soldiers ever before. Can I join?”

The boy happily showed her how to play and appointed her to be the captain of his troops while he was the general. From the corner of her eye, Belle saw how Gold was watching them. And for the first time since their wedding day, he didn’t run away. –

It was the first ball they were attending as a married couple. Belle was wearing a green dress with gold embroidered on the top. Gold was wearing a black suit with gold pin on his lapel. They matched.

It was the first time they would dance together, as was expected of the new Earl and Countess of the Frontlands.

When the dance floor cleared and a new song began, Gold took Belle’s gloved hand and brought her to the middle of the dance floor. His cane was still in his hand, but he had mentioned earlier he could still dance. Placing his hand on her waist, he started to lead the dance. Belle was careful with her steps, knowing how clumsy she was. She found they fell perfectly in sync with each other. She hardly had to take glances at her feet. The music faded away. Gold kept his gaze on her and Belle felt she could drown in those beautiful amber eyes.

When the music slowed and the dance stopped, Gold and her stood still, hands clasped together, their eyes not leaving. Belle felt her chest rise and fall as if she had run miles. His mouth was open and for the first time since her wedding day, she wanted to kiss him again. Her husband was handsome.

The clapping of people brought her back to the surface and she let go of Gold. He seemed to not know what to do with his hands. He opted to walk away, excusing himself to get her some champagne.

Belle nodded. She could use the refreshment.

She walked away to the side, off the dancefloor. She noticed how another person came to stand next to her.

“That was a beautiful dance, my Lady.” Belle looked up to see who was speaking. She did not recognize the woman. She had red hair and had blue eyes.

“I’m sorry, do I know you?” She seemed vaguely familiar though.

“Oh my apologies, my name is Penelope. I am the wife of Colin Bridgerton.” She gestured to the corner with the food. “He loves a good snack in between dances.” She smiled at her husband who seemed to take an extra scone.

Belle suddenly understood. Viscount Bridgerton and his wife were the hosts of this party. Colin Bridgerton must be his brother.

“I remember us standing together once at the side of a ballroom a few years ago. Two wallflowers as they called us. And look at us now, both married. Who would have thought?”

Belle smiled, remembering the woman now. “Indeed, I certainly hadn’t seen it coming. But my father arranged it.”

Penelope cocked her head to the side. “You know, it is touching to see you and your husband so smitten with each other. The love was palpable from where everyone else was standing. You are a lucky woman.”

Belle didn’t know an answer to that. Her husband was smitten with her? Love?

Before she could open her mouth, Penelope was called by another lady.

Her husband soon joined her side again to give her the glass of champagne. Refreshments indeed. –

The weeks following the ball and the conversation with Penelope Bridgerton, Belle had noticed how Gold was more open towards her. He no longer avoided her during meals, now they took every meal together. He didn’t run away when they met in the corridor. He invited her in his study to look at his work. He even brought her tea when she was reading in the library. It was very sweet and Belle loved this small attendance. One day, she invited him to read with her. Soon they began talking about the books they were reading. Heavy discussions followed, each sharing their thoughts and opinions. Belle had never met a man who was interested in her thoughts like that. He really listened to her. And when she challenged him, it seemed like he came alive and brought more material to the table. It was wonderful.

And as his library was very large, the conversations never seemed to stop.

This afternoon he was reading from a book called Fairytales. He had opted for the story of Rumplestilskin. To make her laugh, he used silly voices and made extravagant hand gestures.

“And while you are my servant, you will skin the children I hunt.” Belle gasped, not realising the story would turn so dark and her hand that was holding her cup of tea let loose. The cup fell on the ground, spilling the tea over the carpet.

She looked in shock at her husband, while he looked almost sheepishly at her.

“That was a quip, that is not seriously on the page.” “Right,” Belle let out a sigh of relief. She looked down and realised the mess she had made. “Oh, I am so sorry,” she picked the cup up, “ it is chipped.” “It’s no matter. It’s only a cup.” Her husband set the book aside and stood up. “We can fix it.” –

Things only improved for their small family. Bae was home for the holidays and Belle loved nothing more than to sit with her husband and Bae in front of the fire reading stories. Mostly it was Gold who read, but sometimes both father and son looked at her with their big brown puppy eyes to convince her to read. She gladly did.

One evening, Bae was already gone to bed. But Belle wanted to read to her husband. So while going through the study of Gold to get the book for reading -she had left it earlier there in the day while Gold was working- she saw a letter lying on his desk.

Normally she wouldn’t look at his desk, but something about the handwriting caught her off guard. It was her father’s.

Her father had practically never let anything heard from himself after she had married Gold. So it surprised her to see a letter addressed to her husband instead of her.

She read it. And gasped.

Her father had practically sold her in turn for money to raise his standing in society. He was only letting Gold know how much money he still owned him for his daughter. It hurt to see her father write about her like that. Was she nothing more to him? A price for a suitor to be won so he could forget about her and go on about his life?

And her husband… she had known from day one she was only in this marriage for financial reasons, but still Gold had never mentioned anything about this. Was she really only a price in his eyes? She remembered how cold and distant he was in the beginning.

Confused and heartbroken, she went to sit on the settee. – Gold entered the study to see his wife distraught.

“Sweetheart, what’s wrong?” It was the first time he used the endearment, but it slipped from his tongue.

Belle let out a sob. Suddenly, Gold saw the letter she was holding and understood.

Her father had been so cold the day he had gone to ask for Belle’s hand. He knew he was only accepted because he was an Earl. The Baron of Marchland was only too happy to accept it. But he had a price. A steep one. He had wanted everything Gold could offer him to give him the opportunity to further his social standing.

Gold knew he was being blackmailed. But he didn’t care. He realised Belle was surrounded by men who didn’t care about her at all.

He knew he was buying her and hated himself for it. He wanted to give Belle everything she deserved, but he couldn’t even do that. At least he could save her from her fate being married to Gaston. So he did pay the price.

Only, Maurice started to demand more and more money each month. It was exhausting and illegal. Gold knew that, but he was afraid and a coward. At first, he paid because he felt guilty for shackling Belle to be his wife. But lately since they had grown closer, he had realised just how much out of pocket the Baron was acting.

He was planning to put an end to it.

How to explain all of that to his wife? – Belle stared at her husband, her eyes full of tears.

“My father doesn’t care about me.” She sobbed.

“No, he doesn’t,” Gold answered. “I recognize the patterns with my own father now.” He went to sit next to her. “At first, I didn’t realise it, but it’s true.”

And he explained to her what her father had done. What he had done.

She didn’t know why everything surprised her so much. Except the story with Gaston. She had always known he was an oaf.

Gold looked at her and smiled. “I should have told you this sooner. I am sorry, Belle. It was never my intention to do this to you. I have grown to care for you so much and…,” he seemed to breathe in, “I love you. I want only to protect you.”

Belle stopped breathing. “You love me?”

He nodded. “I love you with every beat of my heart. You brought so much life into our home. With me, with Bae. I am so thankful for you, my Belle.”

Belle laughed. The tears still in her eyes, she went to hug her husband. “I love you too!”

She thought back to what Lady Penelope had said. “How is it that it took us this long to admit it to each other?”

Gold laughed. “I genuinely don’t know.” He looked serious suddenly. “May I kiss you, Belle?”

She nodded in her enthusiasm. “Yes, yes!”

And they sealed their lips again. Finally. – It was late in the night. The moonlight shone on their bed. She was finally truly married to Duncan Gold. They had shared their bodies for the first time. Belle hadn’t realised how much she had missed before. She loved being intimate with her husband. He had jokingly suggested they would only make use of one bedchamber together from now on. Still naked, they were cuddling in bed watching the windows. The curtains were still open.

It started snowing heavily.

Gold whispered in her ear. “Bae is going to love this.”

Belle laughed. “What? The snow or us being together?”

Gold kissed her ear. “ Both.”

[42donotpanic]

Winter Wonderland Bingo 2023 - Masterlist

holding hands to warm up : / / /

lying to each other : / / /

tenderness : / / /

"You won't win next time" - "You say that every time." : / / /

hawkeye's first ever mission : / / /

Winter Soldier & Phantom Pains : / / /

stargazing : / / /

secrets : / / /

left to freeze to death : / / /

kidnapped : / / /

hot buttered rum : / / /

kissing underneath the mistletoe : / / /

Moon Boys on an Undercover Mission : / / /

Taking Care of one another : The final blow / Winterhawk (Clint x Bucky) / 1172 / Teen and Up Audiences

Punishment : Of Pain and Paper Bracelets / MattFoggy (Matt Murdock x Foggy Nelson) / 3126 / Mature / TW: Mentioned Rape, Abuse and Torture

Lying Next to each Other : / / /

Hot Chocolate Dates : / / /

Winter Soldier being taken care of : The moon and its secrets / WinterIron (Bucky x Tony) / 9017 / Mature

stranded on an island : / / /

Accidents : Dying Wish / MattFoggy (Matt Murdock x Foggy Nelson) / 1888 / Mature

to burn/burned : / / /

Snow Apocalypse : / / /

Daredevil & a Mission gone Wrong : / / /

Russian Roulette : / / /

At the Wrong Place in the Right Time : / / /

Silent Hugs : / / /

Letter to Santa finds their doorstep instead : / / /

Different Kinds of Love Languages : / / /

Drunk Confession : Sing, then, wherever you may be / MattFoggy ( Matt Murdock x Foggy Nelson) / 3545 / Teen and Up Audiences

"You're safe, I got you now." : / / /

@seasonaldelightsbingo

[indigothemuse]

Lemongrass Tea and Other Small Things

hi!! here's my KOTLC secret santa!! for @novaliae!! thank you so much to @song-tam for hosting this event!! it was super fun and i hope everyone else had a good time!

you can read it here on my ao3!

oh my god, and, of course, thank you so so much to @wonder-womans-ex for being a FANTASTIC beta, and the reason why it's coherent (im so sorry i forgot to mention you the first time around)

Being part of the group to create the Black Swan felt natural. Tiergan had never felt as though he turned his back on the rest of the elves. Weren’t they trying to create a better world for themselves? He sighed. He’d never imagined that this would be the outcome. Prentice had been lost for so long, so to only now get him back…

But only to get him back, memories almost lost. And…Cyrah. Tiergan had loved Cyrah, and her death had almost broken him completely after Prentice called Swan Song and his mind breaking.

Prentice was slowly coming back. It was a process, he had to remind himself. Losing your mind and then regaining it was practically unheard of. (Never mind Alden.) And Sophie…he felt grief for her. She had lost her childhood, turned into a soldier by not only circumstance, but by them. By him.

“I can hear you brooding. You can’t solve anything by being miserable.” Prentice leaned against the railing beside him, holding out a mug of tea. At Tiergan’s look, he smiled softly. “Lemongrass. You used to drink it when your anxiety got worse.”

Tiergan’s mouth felt dry. He hadn’t drunk lemongrass tea (or mint—Prentice’s preference) since the mind break. It tasted like home. By his smile, Prentice knew it.

“Thank you, even if you’re going to act insufferable about it.”

“Me? Insufferable? Never!”

“Mhm.”

Tiergan broke first, laughing into his cup. Prentice grinned. He took another sip of tea. It tasted, well…like lemon. But it reminded him of home, of sitting in Cyrah and Prentice’s home, of playing with a young Wylie. Prentice smiled at him, and the two stood in silence.

The silence breaks, just a few minutes later as Wylie, Linh, and Tam come home. They look happy, and Tiergan greets them warmly. He’s glad that they’re happy.

Linh is beaming, teasing Tam about something. His son The boy is blushing furiously, much to her delight. There’s water droplets hovering around her, a sure sign of her joy.

Wylie has such a fond look on his face, and Tiergan wishes, oh so desperately, that he could preserve this moment, forever. Prentice is laughing at something Tam said, face transformed by joy. He’s so alive.

He takes a sip of his tea, relaxing into the comfort it gives. And he watches, surrounded by his family.

Tiergan is going into his final year of regular Foxfire, before the elite levels, surrounded by his family. Prentice is draped across his lap, feet in Cyrah’s. Livvy is there too, all on the floor of Cyrah’s room.

They’re dressed in finery, preparing for her Winnowing Gala. Her hair is pulled back in an elaborate updo, gold threaded through the red strands. She’s beautiful, he thinks, and reaches across to squeeze her hand. She gifts him with a bright smile, eyes twinkling.

“Cy, hold still. You’re going to make me mess up!” Livvy has a makeup brush clutched in her hand, dipped in fine gold powder.

“Liv, it doesn’t matter—”

“It matters to me, hold on.” Tongue poking out, she dusts the gold across her eyelids.

Prentice sighs, leaning back against him. “I think I could just fall asleep like this.”

“Do it.”

A soft laugh. “I need to finish getting ready too.”

“Mm. You look fine.” He punctuates this with a soft kiss to his cheek. He smiles, clearly pleased.

“You smell like lemongrass. Did you get perfume?”

“Mhm. Kesler.”

“Nice. Maybe I should ask him for some.”

“What? For your boring tea?”

Prentice twists, a look of pretend outrage. “Hey! Excuse you, I have great taste!”

Tiergan can’t help the fond smile. “Sure, love.”

He scrunches his nose. Cyrah, done, moves closer, resting her cheek against his shoulder.

“Gross,” Livvy calls, clearly unbothered.

“The polycule is open for you! As we’ve said many times!”

“I’m good. Now, finish getting ready so we can go wow everyone with our hot gayness.”

Tiergan snorts and lets Prentice pull him to his feet. “Okay, I’m thinking of eyeliner.”

“Are we trying to give Cy’s parents a heart attack?”

“Mhm! It’ll be fun, baby!”

“I agree. Can you imagine Mom’s look?” She presses a kiss to his cheek.

He rolls his eyes, but leans against her for a moment.

“Right!” Livvy claps her hands a few minutes later, resplendent in a bright red dress, gold beads in her hair. “We ready?”

“Yep!” Prentice has a gold bracelet on, matching Tiergan and Cyrah. The three of them look like a set, and makes something inside him warm. They’re both beautiful, each positively striking in their splendor. (He could look at them forever, and never grow bored.)

Tiergan and Prentice take one of her arms, and together they walk down the stairs into a dazzling ballroom. It’s filled with young men, all vying for her attention. She graces them with one last smile, before sweeping into the crowd. Tiergan dances with Livvy, and then Soheila, Cyrah’s younger sister. They talk amicably, before the song ends, and he’s left alone.

He spends two dances leaning against the wall, watching his friends. Cyrah is a sight to see on the dance floor, her blue dress easily more magnificent than anyone else's. It makes sense, seeing as she’s the star of the night. Still, she’s beautiful in her element, a specter of powder blue and gold and shining red. I love you, he will say that night, later, when all three of them are in comfortable clothes and her makeup is gone and her hair is down, and he will find her just as beautiful.

Prentice too, is alluring. He’s in dark blue pajamas, lounging back on her bed, eyes closed. Maybe he is foolish, he thinks, but he kisses his forehead anyway, pulling a blanket over him. I love you, he has whispered over and over, and it’s never felt as true as it does right now.

He hasn’t said I love you since Cyrah died. It’s as though his heart has closed off, unwilling to let anyone near. But this is Prentice, he reminds himself, as they sit on the couch. His feet are back in Tiergan’s lap, as they so often were Before. His hands are holding a book, balancing it upon his legs. Prentice is drinking a cup of tea, eyes almost shut. He laughs a little at that. Some things don’t change. He had always been an early sleeper, the first to fall asleep anywhere. He keeps reading, only reaching over to take the cup away to place on the low table.

“I love you,” Tiergan breathes, oh-so-quietly, hoping Prentice hears but also wishing desperately that he doesn’t.

He wakes up the next morning underneath a blanket and resting against him. He’s warm. It’s like being a student all over again—falling asleep on sofas together, waking up late for class.

He’s not quite sure what woke him up until he hears the kids frantically whispering.

“I said to be quiet! Not to bump into anything!”

“I didn’t do it intentionally!” Linh whispers back to him, and he can practically see the twins locked in their quiet debate.

Wylie laughs quietly. “I’m sure they’re still asleep. Dad can sleep through anything, and I’m pretty sure Tiergan can too. Trust me, we could set off alarms and they’d sleep through the night.”

He’s not…wrong, exactly. Cyrah had been the early riser of the three, and she would wake them up in the morning. Tiergan would be content to sleep through the day, but he has to teach.

Oh no. He has to teach; he has a job. But he’s warm…hm. Would Leto care if he called in sick? Wait, no, he has a meeting with Sophie. Hmm.

He waits for a few minutes until the kids leave, and carefully moves off of Prentice, fixing the blanket. Tiergan can’t resist, and presses a light kiss to his forehead. “Sleep well, love.” I love you. He goes to get ready for the day, leaving a short while later, brushing his hair back into a bun.

With a quick, “Foxfire!” he arrives on the campus, giving a quick greeting to some of the prodigies. At least he gets to skip orientation. In his office, he sits down, pulling out a folder.

He has to prepare for his first prodigy—a level 4 student named Sage Keyston. They’re working on better mental concentration, especially when it comes to transmitting.

It’s a good lesson, and Sage makes a lot of progress.

“Good job today, Sage. I’d recommend practicing with someone else too. If you’d like, I can send you a list.”

“Sure! That sounds awesome! Thanks, Tiergan!” Sage gives a cheerful wave and flounces out, going to their next class.

He only has a few moments before Sophie’s coming inside, giving him a nervous smile. Her hair’s been braided with small flowers, possibly courtesy of Biana. “Hey, Tiergan.”

“Sophie. Do you need something?” She’s not scheduled to come in until later, close to the end of the day.

“I had a question. It’s, uh, a little personal though.”

“Okay…why don’t you sit down? I have some tea, if you’d like it.” She’s trembling slightly, he notes as she sits down.

“Yeah, that sounds good.” Sophie is devoutly staring at her hands, and he turns to give her some privacy. He doesn’t have lemongrass here, but he does have rose tea. While he makes them each a cup, she starts talking. “I… being queer isn’t really accepted here, is it?”

Tiergan flinches, almost splashing himself. “Er, not really. Most younger elves are more accepting, but you know how traditional older elves can be.”

“Yeah.”

“Can I ask what brought this on?” He hands her the cup, and she hugs it to herself.

“It’s uh. I think I like Biana.”

“Ah. Any reason why you came to me?”

She peers at him from underneath her bangs. “You’re the only adult who wouldn’t be weird about this, or strange for me to talk to, especially without anyone listening.”

He nods, taking a seat. “I see. Well, I’m happy to help, if I can. As I said, most of the older elves aren’t quite as approving since it’s a “bad match”. However, I don’t care. It doesn’t bother me. Hell, I don’t think it even could.” He gives a soft smile, glancing at the photograph on his desk. It’s from when they graduated—the three of them, all smiling and pleased. Sophie is still clutching at the cup desperately, and he aches. He knows.

“I just…I know it’s natural, and normal, and perfectly fine. But that was back in the Forbidden Cities, with humans. And here…everything is so focused on getting a good match that even the idea of a bad match…”

“It was hard. But, Sophie, it gets better. Trust me on this one. It might hurt, and it might be difficult, but it’s worth it.”

And really, it is, isn’t it? He’s…he’s happy now. She smiles tentatively at him, and drinks some of the tea.

“Thanks, Tiergan. I think I’m gonna go to my next class. Can you write me a note?” “Of course, Sophie. Good luck.” He writes out a quick tardy pass and hands it to her. She grins, and leaves.

And there he is. Back in his office, on his own. He drains his tea, and glances down at his imparter.

Prentice: Tiergan, how important was the red vase to you?

Tiergan: What did you do.

Prentice: Absolutely nothing, I’m a perfect angel and you know it

Tiergan: Mhmm, sure. And to answer your question: No, I don’t care about the red vase. Please sweep up the glass so no one gets hurt.

Prentice: Sure thing! Have fun at work, love

His face warms, and he taps out a quick reply. I love you. He doesn’t send that, but the thought lingers throughout the day.

He goes home, bearing a message from the kids. Prentice is waiting for him on the sofa, reaching out to pull him into a hug.

“Good evening. How was work?”

“Not too bad. Sage made a lot of progress.”

“That’s excellent! I’m glad they’re improving.”

“Mhm. Also, the kids said they were going to go to Havenfield.”

“Sounds fun.” Tiergan adjusts to sit sideways on his lap, leaning his head against his shoulder. “Hi.”

“Hm?”

“Nothing important, love. Do you want me to read outloud?”

“Mhm.”

“Alright. I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

This time, it doesn’t have to just be in his thoughts. This time, he says it, soft as it may have been.

And so, the night draws to a close: the two tucked away in their own little world, reading. And he’s happy.

I love you.

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

And that's that! thank you so much for reading, and i hope you enjoyed reading it as much as i enjoyed writing it <3

[softguarnere]

White Christmas

Carwood Lipton x reader

A/N: Ho ho ho! Merry Christmas @johnnymartin (@supervalcsi)! I'm your Secret Santa 🎅🏼 I hope that you have a very merry Christmas, and I hope that you like your gift 💕

Summary: The holidays are supposed to be about spending time with the ones that you love, but what happens when the man that you care about the most is called away during Christmas?

Warnings: None

I’m dreaming of a white Christmas

Just like the ones I used to know . . .

The snow falling feels like it’s taunting you. Fat flakes fall in clumps, sticking to the frozen ground, making it slick, trying to trip you up as you walk. The temperature isn’t nearly as cold as that frozen Christmas back in Bastogne. But there is something besides warmth missing from this one, something that might have made this weather and the general stress of the holiday easier to bare: Lipton.

At least back in Bastogne you had each other. Huddling in the foxhole together, you had been able to create some semblance of warmth. When things looked bleak, Lipton was there to raise morale, and to take charge when Dike disappeared to . . . wherever it was that he constantly slipped off to.

Where the treetops glisten

And children listen

To hear sleigh bells in the snow . . .

Yes, even in that frozen wasteland, your heart had often felt warm as you looked at the First Sergeant, slowly beginning to realize that you had feelings for him – feelings that you soon realized he also harbored for you.

Feelings that led to a serious conversation in Austria at the war’s end, where you decided that the two of you made a good team.

Feelings that led to a pretty ring found in Berchtesgaden being slipped onto your finger as tears of joy overflowed from your eyes.

Feelings that had led you to say I do and ‘till death do us part in that little church back in West Virginia, your heart fluttering as you realized that you would never be separated again.

May your days be merry and bright . . .

Until this Christmas, that is, when Lipton’s company called him away on urgent business at the last minute, meaning that you have to spend this white Christmas – your first Christmas after getting married – alone.

And may all your Christmases be white . . .

“Ow!” Someone’s surprised yelp and the clattering of tools grabs your attention, pulling your gaze from the treacherous, frozen sidewalk to one of the yards ahead of you on the street.

Your yard, you realize with a start, as you notice the figure standing in it, trying to keep the ladder he’s perched on steady as he untangles a ball of bright lights. He’s already got quite a few strands decorating the porch rail and the edges of the roof, and as the darkness of the evening creeps in, he’s illuminated by his handiwork, looking like some sort of angel amongst the snow. And you can only think of one angel who would insist on putting up the Christmas lights all by himself.

You inch closer, trying not to scare him, but worried that he might disappear if you blink. “Carwood?”

The man on the ladder turns, his eyes brightening like the lights on the house the second he sees you. “(Y/N)!”

In an instant, he’s down the ladder and standing before you, looking rather sheepish. He glances between you and the house. “You weren’t home when I got back, and I wanted to surprise you, but I didn’t realize that you would be back so soon – “

He’s cut off as you throw yourself at him, wrapping him up in the tightest embrace you can manage. Despite the cold outside, he’s warm. His chest rumbles as he laughs, wrapping his arms around you in turn.

“I thought that you would be gone – “

“Scheduling mistake,” he explains. “I was about to board my flight when I got the call from my boss. He hadn’t even finished explaining before I was running through the airport and hailing a cab to get home to you.”

Keeping your arms around him, you pull back just slightly so that you can look at him. “I’m so glad that you’re back.”

He smiles, the movement tugging at the scar on his cheek. “I am too. No one should have to have a white Christmas alone.”

“Or wrangle these lights alone,” you giggle, glancing at the tangle of lights that’s half on the roof, half on the ladder. “You need some help with those?”

Palm open, he offers you his hand. When you accept, he kisses your knuckles and leads you towards the ladder. “My love, I would be honored.”

[mrslittletall]

13, 20, and 23 for the fandom ask game! X3

Love your fandom ask meme

13. your favorite type of fandom event (gift exchange, ship week, secret santa, prompt meme, etc) Oh, that is easy. Prompt lists! Stuff like Soulstober or Sicktember (okay, that is not specific to fandom but still). I just love to see a bunch of prompts and get creative. I also like to see events to celebrate a certain character. 20. your very first fandom! The Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time. What, I have been around for a while, okay?! Thing is, OoT and MM were THE big thing when the internet was still new and fresh and I spent so much time on the Zelda message board, reading theories, talking about Hyrule, reading fanfiction... secretly reading this insane very nsfw non-con fic that my sister printed out at the tender age of 13... I still have a big fondness for Zelda, but more the other games than OoT.

23. the fandom you're curious about because of a mutual You guys are really interested in that, huh?! Well, I can tell you to your face, I played Death Stranding and Ghost of Tsushima because of YOU! You talked a lot about it and it got me curious. In the end, I ended up liking Death Stranding a LOT and thought "Ghost of Tushima" was okay. So, thanks for getting me into Death Stranding. 10/10 would let Higgs set me up with a bomb enough. Oh hey, there will be a DEATH STRANDING 2! I know this is meant for fandoms that I am not in yet, but I just had to say this ^^

[ffxvficrec]

2022 FFXV SECRET SANTA EXCHANGE FIC ROUND UP

You can also check out the collection here: https://archiveofourown.org/collections/FFXVSecretSanta2022

We’ve listed pairings, archive warnings, and ratings, but please remember to mind the tags!

Stuck With You by Anty_20

General Rating

No Archive Warnings Apply

Prompto Argentum/Noctis Lucis Caelum

Heavy snow prevents Noctis and Prompto from attending a Christmas celebration with their friends, so they enjoy some time together.

Sweeter Than Cocoa by LadyKF

General Rating

No Archive Warnings Apply

Noctis Lucis Caelum/Ignis Scientia

Noctis may not be as smooth as Ignis, but he can be just as sweet.

Silent Night by Loki_chan

No Archive Warnings Apply

Prompto Argentum/Noctis Lucis Caelum

Gladiolus Amicitia & Prompto Argentum & Noctis Lucis Caelum & Ignis Scientia

Prompto had it all planned out. He was going to get Noct the perfect present and confess the feelings he'd been hiding for so long. The people with guns were a complication he hadn't planned.

A Recipe to Die for by Shiary

No Archive Warnings Apply

Noctis Lucis Caelum & Ignis Scientia

Ardyn Izunia & Noctis Lucis Caelum

Ardyn was bored, bored enough that he was contemplating whether or not he should goad the irritating Lady Hilose into a fight with her previous lover, Lord Filac. As amusing as these so-called peace talks were, the endless parties that followed were utterly wasteful. As he was contemplating how to best get them at each other’s throats, he saw a small form moving oh-so-carefully out of a nearby hallway to hide behind a brightly decorated column.

Stood Up by fairygodpiggy 

Teen Rating

No Archive Warnings Apply

Gladiolus Amicitia/Prompto Argentum

To keep his mind off being stood up, Gladio picks up a shift at Moonflow Café, but his co-workers won't stop reminding him of his heartache. When it looks like the same fate is about to happen to a cute blond named Prompto, Gladio takes matters into his own hands and saves the date.

That Snowy Knight by Seradyn 

General Rating

No Archive Warnings Apply

Prompto Argentum/Ravus Nox Fleuret

When the terms of the peace treaty were given, a surprise clause was added, stipulating not only the Prince of Insomnia and Princess of Tenebrae be wed, but that another of Niflheim’s officials be wed to a Lucian. As it happens, today, Prompto is to marry one Ravus Nox Fleuret.

Bigger than the Whole Sky by oathkeptroxas

General Rating

No Archive Warnings Apply

Prompto Argentum/Noctis Lucis Caelum

Noctis Lucis Caelum & Regis Lucis Caelum

The war is finally over. Yet, Prompto just doesn't feel like celebrating. Somehow he still feels like he's lost something.

Past the Wind by roshytsunami

Teen Rating

No Archive Warnings Apply

Gladiolus Amicitia/Ignis Scientia

Prompto Argentum/Noctis Lucis Caelum

Lunafreya Nox Fleuret/Aranea Highwind

Prompto encourages Ignis to join him for a pre-finals party for some well-needed rest therapy. However, the night doesn't go as they expect due to drunken confessions and a snowstorm.

Curses, Kisses by Ember_Lace 

Teen Rating

Major Character Death

Crowe Altius/Lunafreya Nox Fleuret

Crowe Altius & Nyx Ulric

Crowe and Nyx are assigned by King Noctis to save Fae Princess Lunafreya from her prison in a cursed tower within Tenebrae. But when they get there, they find themselves caught up in a plot to save the Empire from destroying itself.

Niflheim's Secret Shiva Gift Exchange! by TheDarkestDandelion 

General Rating

No Archive Warnings Apply

Ravus Nox Fleuret & Aranea Highwind & Ardyn Izunia

After a 'misunderstanding' Ardyn ends up hosting this year Niflheim's Secret Shiva Exchange! However, there is one problem, he doesn't exactly know what a Secret Shiva Exchange is...

Once Upon a Midnight Dreary by AssortedGeekery

Teen Rating

No Archive Warnings Apply

Ardyn Izunia/Cor Leonis

Stranded without a mount and a storm coming in, Cor could do a lot worse than a Hunter cabin and a roaring fire. But he may have to share it with an unexpected guest.

Late Bloomer by AssortedGeekery 

Teen Rating

Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Prompto Argentum/Noctis Lucis Caelum

Gladiolus Amicitia/Ignis Scientia/Nyx Ulric

In a world where most people's soulmates live within 500 miles of their partner, it can take a little work to find your opposite number. If you're looking. If you WANT to look. If you're ALLOWED to look. Noctis is allowed, but doesn't care. Prompto....would really like the chance.

[funkyasshole]

Happy holidays! 🎄 My blood pressure rises - I am part of @deathstrandingsecretsanta and this is for @hope-and-frustration. I hope it suits your taste and that it makes you laugh a little. 😳😊 (cyberfish.art is my IG art account!)

[revenantcliffstranding]

Higgs being Higgs for @danyaselmar  

Happy holidays!

@deathstrandingsecretsanta

[danyaselmar]

Happy Holidays, @funkyasshole !!! Your secret santa has (finally) arrived. Here is your gift. The latest issue of Bridges Fashion Magazine featuring Higgs Monaghan in an exclusive interview.

In it, you'll find all the information you need about the new series "Ride with Sam Bridges", which you definitely don't want to miss. In addition, Fragile reveals something about the future business plans of her company. And of course, the latest protection gear against timefall is presented.

Big thank you to @deathstrandingsecretsanta for hosting this wonderful event and for letting me be a part of it!! <3

Keep on keeping on!

(I am so sorry about the late upload.)

[roguishknight]

“People that put their faith in tomorrow and in me. That kept the lights on and waited for hope to arrive. So I gotta deliver, for their sake.”

For @let-robots-dream apart of @deathstrandingsecretsanta 🌈👍📦 Hope you’ll enjoy this Sam Porter Bridges appreciation as much as I do!