#esp bc its like.. your party does not know you super well but everyone tries to help a little in their own way some moreso than others...

[quenthel]

Honestly what really did it for me w Pillars when I first played was the very intense personal pressure on the player character to solve the damn main story. Like in so many RPGs the stakes are so weird bc the world is ending but your character technically has time to solve political bs that has 0 impact on the actual threat etc. But in pillars 1 it's like. Ok. This is a bad situation but not world ending. But also YOU are personally invested to solve this because you are literally losing your sanity bc of your awakened soul and you have to solve it NOW. Like there is no timer but the story is strong enough to press you alone without any quest being timed (some can fail tho if you advance events but that's a moot point).

Like it's not a personal story at all but that little personal investment on the part of the watcher is just so good. Also IG the watcher is just a very good main character bc they are not all powerful but can be. They are special but that's not always a good thing and they do suffer for that. It's good...

[elijahfitz]

and introduction.

meet elijah.

hey guys! im lina! im 18 and im in the cst timezone. im currently a freshman in college and ive also been rping for like 6 years now ( i started on the neopets chat boards. if thats not an embarrassing fun fact idk what is ) but i havent rped since this summer since school was and still is kicking my ass. im really into musical theater, marvel & dc, and disney! i also used to be a lifeguard at a great wolf lodge for 2 years so if u want any funny stories about stupid children, or even just wanna be friends, lmk! im also SUPER sorry this intro is so late. i was gonna do it yesterday but then my friends wanted to hang and it kinda went downhill from there. im actually posting this like 20 min before i have a lab practical so i wont be able to reply until late tonight, but like this post to plot or anything!

some fun facts abt elijah:

he was adopted when he was around 3-4? he was abandoned and left on the back of a merchant cart headed to corona, where he was then discovered and then put into the local orphanage since no one was sure where he came from or who left him. all he had was a stuffed bear (named wooly), a basket of water and fruits to eat, and a letter that explained that:

his name was elijah

he was 2 (born on february 28th)

his parents couldnt care for him, so they hoped he would be found by a kind soul who could either take care of and love him, or else get him to someone who could

they loved him and only left him in the hopes that he would have a better life

he lived in the orphanage for almost 2 years and the few months before the 2nd anniversary of his arrival, rapunzel & eugene visited the orphanage that eugene grew up in and fell in love w/ eli, promptly adopting him soon after. he barely remembers anything about his abandonment and time in the orphanage, but always wanted to find his birth parents and let them know how he turned out. he kept the bear and basket in his room but carries the letter around with him in his wallet wherever he goes.

his full name is elijah frederic fitzherbert. he was given the middle name frederic in honor of his grandfather.

but, he much rather prefers eli. doesnt mind formalities but insists on people who know him to call him by his nickname. except he HATES being called “highness” bc he thinks it sounds stupid. he wont get upset per se if u keep referring to him as “your highness” but he will get annoyed

he very much wants to fulfill his role as “corona’s golden boy” by contributing back to his people. he worries for the kingdom more than he worries for himself and is always trying to prove that he is worthy of being a prince rather than just some random kid who got lucky enough to get adopted. most of his days are spent doing modest favors and helping out the townspeople or visiting the villages surrounding the kingdom.

when he’s in the castle you can almost always find him in the kitchen! boi loves to bake and cook. he loves the way food can bring joy to everyone. he often makes goods to give to the townspeople or the kids at the orphanage, where he volunteers at least every 2 weeks when hes not busy w prince stuff.

has an acute fear of disappointment. he feels so much pressure to prove his worth that came from growing up thinking if he did anything wrong he’d be sent back to orphanage, esp since his parents had another child. they wouldn’t want or need him anymore. he mostly got over this when he broke a vase when he was 12 and tried to run away from home, except he fell out the tree that he used to climb out his window and broke his leg lmao. his parents assured him that no matter what he did they would still love him and never abandon him, and his dad also taught him how to climb trees and roofs without dying (much to his mom’s chagrin). even tho hes pretty much over it, it kinda lingers subconsciously. thus, he overcompensates in everything he does and gets overly anxious about small problems

growing up he thought the stories that his dad told him about his past were so cool, despite the fact that he would almost always only hear those stories when he was being taught lessons of what he shouldnt do. he used to run around pretending to be flynn rider and his dad played along, planning play heists for them to do together (think scott & cassie in that one scene from ant man and the wasp) but they stopped when eli hit that age where he thought it was embarrassing to play w his dad. but, it really helped him bond w eugene and help him work on his coordination bc eli is CLUMSY AF

eli legit trips over nothing at least twice a day.

he bonded w his mom through art tho, which eventually turned into aesthetic desserts and meals! thats another reason why he loves baking and cooking so much.

when his 1st sibling was born when he was 5 at first he was jealous. he didnt get much attention at the orphanage due to the fact that there were so many kids and he was just starting to get used to the idea of having parents didnt have tons of kids always trying to win their affection and attention. he thought having a little sibling was the worst thing in the world and would hide from his parents bc if they couldnt find him they couldnt send him away. he hated his sibling.

until he met them. the second he saw their chubby face he was hooked. he swore that he would do anything and everything for them. and that continued when his parents adopted his other siblings as well. he absolutely adores them and acts like the protective older bro role

thankfully, with such a large age gap eli never rlly had to go through any of those petty squabbles that siblings usually have. he was always pretty protective of them tho and would fight when he thought they were being reckless and dumb out of his own fear that if they got hurt he would be an awful big brother (again, fear of disappointment)

he loves to travel bc his mom would always take him to these extravagant kingdoms and on these amazing sightseeing trips

this boy is hopeless when it comes to love. i can imagine lots of ppl liking him on top of all the ppl throwing themselves at him bc royal, but him being completely oblivious and thinking that no one likes him.

he had rlly bad ADD as a kid but its gotten better as hes grown. he still occasionally struggles w executive functioning tho and always gets rlly frustrated when he cant focus or remember

like i said earlier, clumsy af. no coordination. the only athletic ability he ever had was horse riding and running

that said he has a horse named may (short for mayonnaise. dont ask

he likes music a lot. prob learned piano at a young age

he probably is at the party bc royals? idk

EDIT: although (currently) unknown to eli, his true birth mother is maleficent. when eli was 2, his birth father took him away from her and had her suppress eli’s natural born powers. his father realized he was unfit to care for him, so he was the one who abandoned eli.

wanted connections!!

obv his parents and siblings? i mean cmon

one ( or both???? ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) ) of his birth parents!!!!! they dont have to know that eli is their son or mayb they do and are too scared to tell him, but being trapped together will eventually make it revealed

childhood friends! people he met when he traveled w his mom or met at royal social functions? i rlly also want friends that he would hang w at all the royal galas and stuff and they would go do dumb stuff like look sneak out and look for secret passages of make bets of who could dump more crab cakes into the stuffy duchess’ purse when she wasnt looking

people who know him solely through his family

someone who likes eli and eli legit has no clue, no matter how much they flirt and drop hints

people who hate eli! or even just dislike him, which makes him upset bc he doesnt like the idea that there are ppl who dont like him in the world. mayb bc sometimes he gets super highstrung when things arent going how they should b and he like lashed out at them once or something. maybe they hate his parents and on principle hate him. idk

someone who was w eli in the orphanage

past relationships? i feel like hes never rlly had a bad breakup tho, its just that they prob just didnt work out. hes also bi so they can b any gender. hes still looking for his otp

idk, legit anything. send me those plots man

[playerfolie]

°✧。 [ MARGARET  QUALLEY ,  CIS  WOMAN ,  SHE/HER ]   it’s  been  two  years  since  FOLIE  joined  velia  from  NEW  ORLEANS ,  LOUISIANA ,  USA .  apparently  their  name  is  MAEVE  FOURNIER  and  they’re  a  ROGUE .  they  have  been  fighting  as  a  REVENANTS  member  for  a  while  now .  didn’t  people  say  they  were  not  a  beta  tester ?  i  heard  they  turned  TWENTY - ONE  this  year .  let’s  hope  they  make  it  out  alive . 

          hey  there  demons !  it’s  me ,  ya  boy  ( aka  spence  /  20  /  they/them ) .  i  was  in  velia  very  briefly  a  little  while  back  but  had  to  dip  because  of  school  ( + i  am  recycling  this  account  so  that’s  why  there  may  be  old  messages  from  me  in  ur  dms  asfvad ) ,  but  i  have  now  finished  finals  and  i  am  back  to  introduce  you  to  my  new  baby  maeve / folie !  if  you’d  like  to  plot  with  her ,  feel  free  to  drop  a  ♡  on  this  and  i’ll  shoot  you  a  message  ( or  shoot  me  one  yourself  if  you  wanna ) !  this  is  probably  gonna  be  the  longest  intro  ever  because  i  ramble ,  so  sorry  in  advance ,  but  here  we  go !

𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐓𝐒

            ♡     username : folie             ♡     level : 64             ♡     class : rogue             ♡     cursor : green  ( has  been  orange  in  the  past )             ♡     guild : revenants ,  previously  knights  of  the  blood  oath.             ♡     position : recruiter             ♡     mount : n/a             ♡     pet : rabbit  named  cecil             ♡     mastered  skills : stealth ,  communication ,  searching             ♡     proficient  skills : luck ,  appraisal             ♡     languages spoken : english ,  french

𝐁𝐄𝐅𝐎𝐑𝐄  𝐕𝐄𝐋𝐈𝐀

            ♡     maeve fournier was born with a silver spoon in her mouth and ballet slippers on her feet. her mother was a lawyer, one of the best defense attorneys in the south. her father came from old money, took complete ownership of a number of oil rigs off the louisiana and mississippi coasts after her grandfather died. her early life came with privileges, more than one could count, but it had its share of burdens as well. from the time she was toddling, maeve was expected to live her life like a painting ─ something to be viewed, showed off, bragged about by her parents to their wealthy friends. she was to have her mother’s smarts and grace, and her father’s power and charisma ; anything else was failure.             ♡     of the many things maeve had handed to her, video games was not one of them. her mother was convinced that they would ‘ rot her brain ’, take her time away from the things that mattered like school, dance, french lessons, her violin. the first time she played a game was when she was seven years old, sleeping over at a friends house ─ pokemon white on an old nintendo ds that belonged to her friend’s father. she fell in love.              ♡     as she got older, video games became her best kept secret. weekly sleepovers at her friend’s house became a sneaky rendezvous to escape into a digital world for just a couple of days. one day a week to get away from the constant pressure, to be a person rather than a spectacle.             ♡     when her and her best friend heard of velia, they knew they absolutely had to have it. the pair were freshman in college by then, and although maeve still lived very much under her parents’ thumb ( loyola university new orleans was close enough for them to keep close tabs on her ), it was much easier to get video games in her own hands now that she was living slightly more independently. the two bought the game the second they could, and were off to the races. until they got stuck.

𝐈𝐍  𝐕𝐄𝐋𝐈𝐀

          ♡     when everyone first became trapped in the game, maeve and her best friend kept close to one another, but were hesitant to partner up with any other players or join a guild. the two had each others backs, and they were convinced that that was all they needed. that sentiment would later prove to be false. ( TW : ROBBERY, MUGGING, DEATH ). the pair were ambushed a few months into the game ; a party of five players threatening their lives if they failed to hand over their possessions. maeve, aware that the group was too big to be fought off by her and her friend alone, began to concede. instead of following suit, the other girl tried to take one of them on, and ended up catching quite the beating. maeve managed to get in a few good hits, finish the work that her friend had started on one of the group members, killing him. they dropped all they had for the remaining four and high-tailed it out before they got themselves killed.           ♡     after that, maeve went near crazy. it was ironic, how much freedom she found in a digital prison, but living in velia was the first and closest thing to liberation that she had ever experienced. chaos was unfamiliar to her, fascinating, she even relished in it at times. but it also became to clear to her that in this world, you had to do what it took to survive, and doe eyes don’t last long. she never went out of her way to hurt other players if she didn’t have to, but strayed away from heroics. slowly, the reserved, polite, sweetheart that maeve was trained to be from birth slipped away. folie was unapologetic and fierce, and she’d steel you blind if you looked away for more than a second. two things mattered to her: surviving until the end of this, and her best friend. little did she know that she’d lose the latter.           ♡     after getting robbed, and a couple of other close calls with less than savory players, folie admitted to her friend that she thought they should try to join a guild. there was safety in numbers and, with the right group, a significantly less amount of fear with going to sleep every night. her friend disagreed, thought that a group would only make you weak, that trusting other players was a huge mistake. the whole ordeal ended in an enormous fight, but no real answers. for the most part, folie got by through thievery, stealing everything she needed for herself and selling the excess. a week or so after her fight with her friend, folie was caught stealing from a couple of blood oath members, marking the beginning of a friendship that would later lead to her joining the guild. her friend stopped speaking to her after that.            ♡     she was never a fan of blood oath’s heroics, but they were the biggest guild, the most powerful - her ticket home. so that day, when hercules stepped forward, announced the genesis of a new guild, rising from the ashes of the cardinals, it sounded awfully tempting. though folie had found a place in blood oath, gotten comfortable, she couldn’t help but feel disarmed by that same fact. she wasn’t supposed to be getting comfortable ; she was supposed to be beating this game. the revenants new found mission statement of getting out no matter the cost drew her in and captured her. it didn’t take much thought for her to step forward, abandoning her old guild for the revenants.

𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐘

            ♡     despite the fact that folie lost a lot of the qualities programed into her when she was younger, she’s not unnecessarily mean. that being said, if you’re expecting the saccharine-voiced angel from before you’re looking in the wrong place ( but she’ll sure as hell put on a good show if it’ll get her something she wants ).             ♡     a little snarky, usually jokingly so, but if you make her mad she will turn into frozone’s wife from the incredibles and you will never see the end of it.             ♡     not quick to trust. if you’ve earned it though, you’re likely to see some of the old maeve slip through the cracks. those who have had the privilege may have been on the receiving end of some misplaced altruism, maybe caught a shy smile or a soft moment, call backs to who she used to be and who she likely never completely be again. but she doesn’t talk about her life back home much either, aside from the arbitrary, another way of keeping that old version of herself, the one that couldn’t survive this, locked away.             ♡     *mushu voice* a flirt ! she’ll flirt with your whole family ! she’ll flirt with you ! she’ll flirt with your cow ! i wish i could stop her but i can’t ! she’s never experienced this kind of freedom before, who could blame her for being a heaux ?             ♡     still has sticky fingers, watch your shit around her if you want to keep it !              ♡     probably other things i’m forgetting but i am currently brain dead.

𝐖𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐃  𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐍𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒

            ♡     other revenants members      ›      i mean duh,, gotta have those guild connections ! pals ? playful rivalry ? maybe even a little bit of mutual dislike ? gimme it all !             ♡     her old best friend      ›      probably gonna put a wc on the main for this but PLEASE bring me her ex friend who stopped speaking to her when she joined the knights of the blood oath. i will SCREAM !!             ♡     old folks from blood oath      ›      people who she’s still friends with ? people she never got along with ? people angry that she left for the revenants ( esp if they were close before bc i love pain ) ? maybe even an ex ? *sharpay evans voice* i want it all !             ♡     flirtationships & fwb      ›      like i said, she will flirt with a brick wall and she is living her best life as a heaux in velia asdadfvdf. let her be spici !!! ( lil notes : she’s bi + i’m chill w nsfw headcanons but i’m not super comfy writing smut in threads )             ♡     frenemies / enemies      ›      let ! her ! be ! bitter ! that’s really it we can plot out why together i just love some good old fashioned hostility ( bonus points if there’s some underlying ~tension~ *eyebrow wiggle* )             ♡     an unlikely friendship      ›      maybe someone who is more reserved who she can bring out a little chaos in or who can balance out the chaos in her ? maybe someone who has done something that she should hate them for, but instead they grew close ? a fun dynamic with characters who no one would ever guess would be as good of friends as they are             ♡     anything else !!      ›      if you have other ideas for fun connections please shoot them my way !! or we can brainstorm if ya want !!

[johnnysseocute]

Babysitting with NCT

127 edition

Taeil

loves kids and kids love him !!

accidentally makes you do all the work

youre trying your hardest to get them to calm down bc theyre running around and shit

all taeil does is turn on princess and the frog and tell them sit down

and they ofc they all come sit down and cuddle up to him

smiles down at them when they fall asleep in his lap and he just strokes their hair

he likes to put them on his back as he does small chores

he doesnt do much but they always beg him not to leave

johnny

the most organized

he has the kids on a schedule

the most playful !!

he may be 6ft but catch him running around with a bunch of little kids playing tag or hide and seek

when they get hungry he tries to make them food with you but its messy bc he ends up flirting with you the whole time

so he gives up and just throws them some fruit snacks

he kisses you in front of the kids just so theyll say 'ew'

lets them eat ice cream when theyve been "good" but johnny always ends up letting them get ice cream

taeyong

STRESSED !!

just wants the kids to be happy but also kinda wants them to stfu be quieter

he kinda lets the do whatever bc he cabt say no to them

he has the best snacks tho

takes care of you like one of the kids so u dont have to do much

when its nap time he gives everyone a kiss on the forehead including you

likes to bring arts and crafts for the kids to do !!

has a different one everyday and theyre all good

doyoung

omg the perfect babysitter

YOU KNOW HOW ALL OF NCT CALLS HIM THE MOM BC HE TAKES CARE OF THEM YEAH THATS WHY HES GREAT

hes very stern but also very sweet

has a soft spot for the children

hypes all their drawings up,,,, esp if they draw him he could CRY even if they make him look ugly

makes then watch educational tv shows

will not hesitate to scold the kids AND you

scolds the kids for eating sweets past their bed times and scolds you for giving it to them

yuta

mr nakamoto does not play !

he keeps his kids in check

educates them on all types of shit like the flaws of capitalism

his kids are woke !!

makes them watch mulan bc its the feminist movie

hes super affectionate with them tho

always asks for kisses on the cheek and freaks out over how cute they are when they do it

also likes to give them little mini lessons in japenese and he smiles so wide the whole time and highfives them when they get it right

winwin

is pretty much one of the kids

you end up doing most of the work but he feels really bad after

at least they click really well bc hes like one with the kids

they both make a huge ass mess trying to make you heart shaped cookies

and like you wanna be mad but,,,, god they look so cute covered in flour and smiling and they did really try hard on those cookies

so you give them all kisses on the forehead and make them go clean up

likes to talk through their stuffed animals

has the best silly animal voices that makes the kids laugh

jaehyun

surprisingly pulls through and is a natrual dad

hes very calm yet still gets the kids listen to him

they all run to him so they can kiss their 'boo boos'

loves playing dress up

and will never miss a tea party

he runs around as the tickle monster to make them laugh

sometimes theyll run up to him randomly and kiss his dimple and he gets sooo smiley and happy !!

mark

so confused poor thing

he calls you for help

but as soon as he gets the hang of it he loves them and would die for them

theyre all his 'lil buddies'

pretty much lets pick out whatever they want to eat or watch and they love it

doesnt know what kids would even like so he buys stickers but is nervous if they would even like them

mark thinks he did awful but they love him so much and always ask for him back

haechan

at first he wasnt keen on babysitting

but as soon as one of them grabbed his finger it was over

he always taps you to look over whenever theyre doing something cute

always tells them good job even for the smallest things

tells the best bedtime stories

but sometimes he gets too into and it turns scary lmaodjbdjdj

but as soon as he notices theyre a lil spooked he stops and turns it all happy again

he makes sure to tuck them in nice and tight and that they all get their kisses

A/N its 4am tumblr deleted my old one so i had to rewrite this so much fun !! so tjis is unedited once again

[markhycks]

markhyuck au where

it’s their first christmas together as a couple  (continuation of real estate agent au)

so mark’s nickname for donghyuck is ‘spirit’

it’s so adorable bc hyuck always pretends to get mad about it even though lowkey he kinda likes it bc it makes him feel special that someone has a nickname for him?? (how soft right?)

whenever he tries to be mad at mark for it mark just embarrasses him about it and uses his own words against him, like the phrases hyuck used to use to scare him as a ghost

it’s so cute though 

so sometimes when hyuck wakes up in the middle of the night to get like a glass of water and mark’s probably already up doing his lil real estate work bc he’s a busy bee (pls rest soon mr fully capable!!) he’ll use this fake deep n ~scary~ voice and he’s all “WHO GOES THERE”

and hyuck just j u m p s and he’s mad like “Wtf r u doing??!?! it’s 3 goddamn AM who are you trying to kill what if i had a seizure”

and mark just can’t stop laughing bc he’s lowkey a savage too n he’s all “wow hypocrite, you literally used to do the same to people that’d come view the house??”

hyuck just goes red and he’s embarrassed

mark carries on teasing him by using all the cheesy ghost phrases hyuck used to (like srsly where did donghyuck even get his knowledge of ghosts from who evensays ‘who goes there’ anymore) 

donghyuck’s just embarrassed and he’s all “whatever” and quietly drinks his water before heading back to bed

mark can only smile fondly at his boo and pats his butt as he leaves as a form of apology

donghyuck doesn’t mind anyway and reminds mark to sleep soon 

ok so anyway it’s christmas soon!!

and mark’s like, all about christmas he’s a WHOLE christmas enthusiast and he loves christmas jumper day at work and wears his fav christmas jumper which is rudolph with a bright led red nose that lights up and he’s just s o excited to put up decorations in their house

donghyuck doesn’t have many memories of christmas and views it as any other day

when mark hears about this he just gets so sad and he hugs hyuck and the poor boy is emo all day bc ??? hyuck hasn’t celebrated christmas before 

donghyuck’s just rolling his eyes because his boyfriend is so dramatic but he lets mark cling sadly to him all day (mostly bc he can’t even get him off him in the first place)

mark buys donghyuck a christmas jumper with little christmas trees that also have lights on them 

and donghyuck pretends to hate it but on the inside he’s just so happy n shy n blushy bc what did he do to deserve such an amazing boyfriend??

jisung comes over occasionally and him and donghyuck get along pretty well (they both gang up on mark always) and one day he brings his best friend chenle with him so they can all help put up decorations in their home

mark wants it to be extra special because it’s donghyuck’s first actual christmas and also their first christmas together

hyuck’s like “pLEASE stop making this a big deal” but mark’s just huffy n puffy like “nO it has to be special its our first christmas together!!”

so hyuck just rolls his eyes like ok FINE and they even go out together to choose a tree

so come the day where they put up their decorations

chenle’s the l o u d e s t boy ever and him and jisung are both just so hyper together but they’re really fun boys

they spend the day attempting to put up the tree and lights and they blast christmas songs all evening

at one point mark jumps up onto a table to dramatically lip synch to mariah’s all i want for christmas while pointing at a mortified donghyuck

chenle and jisung can’t stop laughing bc its s o hilarious and jisung records it on the sly (bc brother duties!!) as blackmail material

donghyuck goes silent bc he is so SHY and also embarrassed

mark gives everyone second hand embarrassment 

but they still love him 

at one point mark asks donghyuck to grab the star from their room

hyuck’s like oki and heads into their room to search for it

mark quietly follows him when he’s gone and jisung and chenle share a knowing glance with each other when they see him holding a mistletoe behind his back

jisung pretends to gag while chenle only coos

donghyuck spots the star and picks it up before heading back out to the living room

just as he gets to the doorway mark’s standing there in front of him with an unreadable expression on his face  

“hey i got the star-wait what’s wrong?” he blinks, confused

mark’s lips curl upwards into a small smile as he holds up the mistletoe high in between them

donghyuck’s eyes follow the mistletoe and then to mark as he blinks in confusion, his cheeks heating up

he doesn’t know why he feels so embarrassed today

maybe he’s just overwhelmed at the idea of spending christmas with mark??

he pretends to play dumb and clears his throat, fingers curling over the star in his hands

“so..”

mark raises a brow at him, slightly dumbfounded

“what do you mean so? look!” he says, dangling the mistletoe in between them

donghyuck lets out a playful scoff before pursing his lips

“kiss me then, stupid.”

so mark does

donghyuck’s lips are soft against mark’s, they’re warm and still taste like honey, it’s still his favorite taste

they both stay like that for a while until mark lowers his arms to bring them around donghyuck’s frame, gently holding him against his chest as the younger continues to press soft kisses to his lips, fingers still clutching onto the star

mark’s hands give hyuck’s waist a gentle squeeze and all he wants to do is stay like this forever

they’re interrupted by a loud scream (surprise: it’s chenle)

later when they finally manage to decorate the tree, mark INSISTS that donghyuck put up the star just because

hyuck hates being put on the spot like this since he’s not used to it but chensung and mark are looking at him with hopeful eyes and he really loves his boyfriend so much so he’s like o ok 

jisung (as the tallest) has to give him a piggy back so that he can reach the top of the tree

as he’s putting up the star he has to stretch a lil more bc it’s so?? far away still??

“jisung move closer a lil pls”

and so jisung does

but donghyuck still can’t reach and so he makes the mistake of tugging at a branch 

CRASH

the fuckin tree topples over and jisung and donghyuck topple over and all their endless effort has gone to wASTE 

everyone just goes silent for like 5 seconds staring at the DISASTER that is their tree

donghyuck feels so bad bc he knows its his fault and he panics and looks at mark 

mark’s blank for a moment before he lets out the loudest snort

and soon they’re all laughing so much because it’s just so ?? funny ??

slowly they start putting the decorations and lights back onto the tree and this time mark grabs a stool for donghyuck to stand on before putting up the star

it goes right this time 

they’re all so tired and mark suggests ordering takeout but chenle and jisung already have made dinner plans to eat at this new restaurant and mark’s a lil butthurt that he wasn’t invited

they only roll their eyes and say their goodbyes as donghyuck flops onto the couch tiredly

mark takes a seat beside him “move over, lazy ass”

donghyuck huffs and proceeds to sprawl over the couch more, his head nuzzling onto mark’s lap before he glances up at his boyfriend

mark smiles fondly at him, giving his hair a little ruffle

“thanks for today, mark. i really had fun”

“anytime, my little ghost of christmas past”

donghyuck blinks at him, confused

“your what?”

and mark just g a p e s 

because donghyuck hasn’t read or seen A Christmas Carol??

when their dinner finally arrives, mark insists that they have to watch it that night (even though donghyuck’s complaining bc mark has work the next morning)

they end up watching it even though mark ends up falling asleep near the end 

donghyuck watches the whole thing and lowkey he’s a huge fan already

also bah humbug becomes his new favorite catchphrase 

~

mark’s workplace is having a christmas party at the office and they’re each allowed to invite one guest 

so o f c o ur s e mark has to bring his boo

donghyuck’s already met most of his boyfriends colleagues and he’s really really fond of sicheng (whose internship has now ended and is a full employee at the company)

they play cheesy christmas games and wear crowns and boss taeil gets super hyper it’s hilarious

he spends the evening ganging up on mark with his colleagues 

mark also ends up drinking a lil and he gets kinda tipsy (really mark?? on wine??) and he’s all red and tired and clinging to hyuck the entire time

they make out secretly in taeil’s office when mark says he wants to show hyuck a ‘document’

mark’s a clingy drunk and donghyuck finds it so adorable

donghyuck doesn’t have his permit yet and mark is not allowed to drive while drunk (no drink-driving, kids!) so they have to get jaehyun to drop them home who will drop mark’s car over later on

mark’s being all touchy when they get home that night and hyuck’s like p le as e as he tries to help his boyfriend out of his shoes 

that night they end up cuddling with donghyuck being the big spoon

when they wake up however, mark’s worried about his lil baby’s arms getting numb and he immediately pulls hyuck into his arms, brushing gentle kisses to his temple

~

they spend christmas eve with mark’s family back at his parents home

jisung has invited chenle over and one of his cousins jeno has invited his boyfriends jaemin and renjun over too

they all get along with donghyuck (esp mark’s mother she absolutely a d o r e s him and treats him like her own son)

donghyuck’s shy again because!! family!! so mark squeezes his hand under the table and gives him reassuring glances the whole evening

hyuck sticks to his side the whole night and at one point mark’s mother calls him into the kitchen to help with dessert

when he goes in she gives him a big hug and tells him she loves him and kisses his forehead 

donghyuck bursts into tears right there bc suddenly he misses his parents and he’s never experienced being with family before and he’s just super overwhelmed

she tells him that she’s happy that mark has found someone like him and that her son is lucky

in his head he thinks its the other way around

mark’s watching them from the doorway, an overjoyed expression on his face bc he’s so happy and he just sniffles silently

they sleep in mark’s childhood bedroom that night and mark shares stories about his childhood 

the bed they’re on isn’t exactly for two people so there’s a spare mattress on the floor 

donghyuck insists he’ll take the floor but then decides it’s too cold despite all the blankets

he climbs onto the bed and sprawls onto his boyfriend’s chest while he’s asleep

mark groans, playfully teasing him about being heavy before pressing his lips to donghyuck’s nose and bringing his arms around him

the next morning mark’s awake first and he’s so !!! excited !!! because it’s christmas !!

he shakes hyuck awake (who actually woke up before him but pretended to be asleep) and plants a kiss square onto his lips

donghyuck groans playfully about his morning breath and they end up getting into a brief pillow fight until there’s a knock on the door

as they get dressed into their christmas sweaters again, donghyuck pulls his boyfriend towards by the hem of his sleeve

“what’s up?” mark asks

donghyuck leans over to kiss his boyfriend once more, fingers gently lacing with mark’s before he pulls away

“thank you for all of this, really” he whispers, eyes twinkling

mark just looks at his boyfriend with the s w e e te s t gaze, arms coming to wrap around donghyuck

“merry christmas, donghyuck. i love you”

“i love you too, mark”

and they hold hands before heading out into the living room