#holiday newsies 2k19

[crazymecjc]

Day One: Singing holiday songs (??) @suddenly-im-respecsable idk what this is lol, hope you enjoy this truly awful pun

[all-hail-the-witcher]

holiday newsies 2019

hello !!

i have decided to host a fun holiday newsies thing, similar to newsiestober, but holiday themed. you can participate in all of the days, some of the days, or just enjoy the content that other people make!

all forms of content are accepted: hcs, fics, oneshots, drawings, moldboards, etc.

additionally, the newsies can be celebrating any holiday that occurs in december. all ships are accepted, or no ships if you want, all characters, all ocs. can be canon era or modern or your own au entirely.

make sure you tag me in all posts and hashtag it #holiday newsies 2k19

december 1: singing holiday songs december 2: drinking/making hot chocolate december 3: decorating for holidays (inside) december 4: favorite holiday attraction in nyc december 5: making a snowman december 6: starbucks holiday drinks december 7: holiday movies december 8: taking a walk in the snow december 9: snowed in december 10: eggnog  december 11: a corporate holiday party december 12: snowball fight december 13: wrapping presents december 14: candy canes december 15: putting up lights (outside) december 16: shoveling snow december 17: saving up to buy someone a really nice gift december 18: knitting (or trying to) december 19: blanket fort december 20: jingle bells  december 21: coming home for the holidays december 22: trying to find where their presents are hidden december 23: not knowing what to get someone december 24: eggnog december 25: trying to make a turkey  december 26: sleeping in december 27: looking at lights december 28: eating leftovers december 29: soup december 30: playing with presents december 31: new years eve party

[ill-try-to-write-maybe]

Lights

Hello hello!! Im back and almost 4 days late! I know i literally just promised to try and keep on top of things but that flew out the window almost immediately :p i will try and do better though, anyway, enjoy! :)

Words: 554, surprisingly short

Warning: theres a swear word, and that's pretty much it

“It’s just a big tree, I don’t get what the big deal is.” Jack stumbled over his own feet as he let himself be dragged through the busy street. A sea of people moved around him and he found himself caught up in the swell of it. “It’s a big tree with very pretty lights.” Crutchie corrected as he tugged on Jack’s wrist, leading him through the crowd. “Now come on, we need to find the perfect spot.” The wall of people was starting to compress now, forming a barrier of bodies that Jack was dreading wading through. He took a deep breath as Crutchie charged into the throng, still dragging Jack behind him. He jumped out of people’s paths, ducked stray flailing arms, and dodged stumbling strangers, by the time Crutchie slowed down and let go of Jack’s wrist to gaze at the stupidly big, currently unlit tree, Jack was very slightly annoyed and very slightly ready to go home. He stared at the floor, lost in his own thoughts, only to be pulled back to reality by a tug on his sleeve. He looked up to see Crutchie slide his hand down from Jack’s sleeve to his hand. He was counting down with the rest of the crowd, which Jack had totally realised already started, and turned to give him a wide grin. “Three!” Jack smiled back. “Two!” Crutchie squeezed his hand and Jack felt his heart melt, he couldn’t take his eyes off of his gorgeous boyfriend. “One!” An explosion of light swept over them and a cheer went up. "Ah, fuck!” Jack squeezed his eyes shut tight, and brought his hands up to shield himself from the sudden burst of light. He blinked several times, slowly regaining his vision, and was just able to make out the hazy image of Crutchie standing next to him. Jack rubbed his eyes and the world came back into focus. He glanced up at the tree that had nearly blinded him, and was surprised to find that it was indeed, quite beautiful, but nowhere near as beautiful as what he was about to see next. Jack turned to look at his boyfriend and he felt his soul leave his body. Crutchie’s face was illuminated by the millions of lights shining down from the tree in front of them, the soft light reflected off of his lips that were curled into a sweet smile, and golden hair that shone with a brilliant radiance. Crutchie looked up and met Jack’s eye. “They’re really pretty aren’t they?” Jack pulled Crutchie into his arms. “Not as pretty as you.” Crutchie snorted and rested his head against Jack’s shoulder, intertwining their fingers. “That was so cheesy.” Jack placed a light kiss on his forehead.

“I know. The lights are very nice, though.”

“See? I told you you’d enjoy them.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Jack rolled his eyes affectionately, and they stood there wrapped, in each other’s arms as music played over the loudspeakers. Crutchie gazed at the tree, but Jack could only look into his eyes which seemed to glow just as bright, he could see every speck of wonder reflected in those eyes, every drop of joy, and every ounce of love. He smiled to himself. Maybe coming to see this stupid tree wasn’t such a bad idea after all.

[takenbythestyx]

Busted

ship- sprace

warnings- none except that I suck at writing sappy stuff and that I used “shit” a lot

word count- 360

editing- nope

notes- this is for day 22 of @suddenly-im-respecsable‘s Christmas prompt list

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

Racetrack Higgins was a curious man. He always had been. Nothing alive could stop him. So Spot knew he was in for a challenge when Christmas came around. It was the first year they would be living together and would also be the year Spot proposed.

  When Spot got home from work and didn’t see Race, he got suspicious. He set his things down and called out for Race. Spot heard him call back from their office. Shit. Race was never in there and it’s where Spot had hidden the presents. And the ring. Shit.

  Spot walked back to the office and was met with the worst possible situation. Race was standing in front of Spot’s desk, holding the ring box. It was still closed, but not for long.

  “Hey Spot! What’s this?” Race asked, looking Spot dead in the eyes. He knew exactly what that was, he was just being a little shit about it.

  “Uh, nothing? Why are you even in here?” Spot was starting to panic. 

  “Looking for presents. You should’ve known I was going to find them eventually. You did a good job of hiding them. It took me longer than normal. But don’t lie to me. What’s really in here?”

  Spot sighed. “Hand it over.”

  Race gave the box back to Spot. Spot got down on his knee.

  “This… is not how I wanted this to happen. I was planning to do this on Christmas but you busted me. You’ve been one of the best things that’s happened to me. I can’t really imagine life without you. And you’re the person I want to spend the rest of my life with. I had a whole lot more planned but I’ll just cut to the chase. Antonio Higgins, will you marry me?”

  Race was crying. He was crying so hard he could barely breathe. All he could do was nod and let Spot put the ring on his finger. 

  After Race stopped crying, they figured they had enough action for tonight. The newly-engaged couple retired to bed for the night and fell asleep in each other’s arms. And as the snow fell outside, all was peaceful.

[moonbeam-mage]

(Holiday Newsies 2019 Decembet 2- Making/Drinking Hot Chocolate)

Cocoa in Cafe Diem

Race: Excuse me sir, would you like some more cocoa? >:)

Jack: Race, we’ve know each other for years now. You don’t need to call me “sir” and to be honest it’s kinda weird. But sweet, more hot chocolate! But why though? You never give away free stuff to customers? :/

Race: What can I say, it’s the holidays, figured I’d get in on that “spirit of giving” :)

Jack: Alrighty then

Race: Hey, do you mind if I er join you? It’s just... getting kinda lonely over by the counter :(

Jack: Oh! So that’s what this was all about, huh? :D

Race: Oh, shut up! >:/

@suddenly-im-respecsable

Sorry I’m late. Semestral exams have been a pain. :(

[klaineharmony]

Christmas in the City (Holiday Newsies), Ch. 2 snippet

@mirkwoodsguardian

This still isn’t done (although I made progress today!) but I promised @whatstheproblembaby some more Newsbians holiday fic, so here we are. The Newsies Holiday prompts are from @suddenly-im-respecsable - thank you! Once again, these take place in my Sweet Summer Music ‘verse.

Chapter One

Chapter Two

December 2 and 3: Making hot chocolate and decorating for the holidays (inside)

The next morning, Katherine woke first and crept out of bed so as not to wake her sleeping partner. She set about making oatmeal and coffee in Sarah’s kitchen. It was late morning, since the evening concert had run late the night before and they had gone to bed late. Kath loved having a little alone time in the morning, and Sarah deserved some pampering after her dual concerts the day before. She had two performances today as well, and Kath knew she would need some fortification.

She found blackberries, pecans, and maple syrup in Sarah’s fridge, and began to assemble bowls, mugs, and utensils on a tray she found in a cupboard. She stirred the milk periodically as it heated, and added the raw oatmeal once it was hot enough. The coffee pot began to burble, and Kath sighed in happiness as the heady smell of hot coffee filled the kitchen.

Once everything was ready on the tray, Katherine carried it into the bedroom, where Sarah was still sleeping soundly. She set the tray on the bed and went around to the other side, kissing Sarah softly to wake her.

Sarah stirred, smiling sleepily as she beheld Kath. “Good morning.”

“Good morning,” Kath said, kissing her again. She ran her fingers gently through Sarah’s hair. “I brought you breakfast.”

“Mmmm,” Sarah sighed appreciatively. “It smells wonderful.” Sarah sat up and carefully put the tray over her knees, and Kath clambered into bed beside her. They each took a bowl, and a mug of coffee, and Sarah made appreciative noises as she took her first bite.

“That is so good,” she said, after she had swallowed and taken a sip of her coffee. “I can’t believe oatmeal can be so tasty. I never liked it before you made it for me.”

“It’s one of a few things my mother taught me to make,” Katherine admitted, a trifle sadly. “I’m good at soups, too. And meatloaf.” And one other thing, she thought silently, but she wasn’t going to give that one away.

Sarah squeezed her hand. “It’s delicious. Thank you for making breakfast; that’s so sweet.”

Katherine squeezed back, pushing away thoughts of her parents for the moment. “You’re welcome. You have a long day today! I just wanted to make sure you had a good start.”

“Well, it’s perfect,” Sarah declared. “I’ll have no trouble getting through both shows now.”

“Can I ask you a potentially uncomfortable question?” Katherine said slowly.

Sarah tilted her head. “Of course. You can always ask me anything, Kath.”

“I saw that you still had your menorah out from Chanukah, but you don’t have any other decorations up,” Kath said carefully. “Do you not decorate for Chanukah? I truly don’t know the answer; you know we were brought up Episcopalian, even though my father is Jewish. He doesn’t observe most Jewish traditions, and my mother goes all out for Christmas.”

The concerned wrinkle between Sarah’s eyebrows disappeared as her expression relaxed, and she smiled. “There’s a range of practices around decorating,” she said gently. “Some Jewish people don’t decorate at all; some do, especially if they’re Reformed or if they have little children. Mama always did, and actually I have a couple of boxes of decorations in the back of my closet. I just haven’t had time to put them out, even though I’ve wanted to.”

Katherine’s eyes lit up. “Would you let me?” she asked eagerly. “I’ll make it so pretty, Sarah, and you can come home to a transformed apartment tonight! What do you think?”

“That would be wonderful,” Sarah said, leaning over and kissing her. “And Kath,” she added, “don’t ever be afraid to ask about our traditions, okay? I know that you weren’t raised Jewish and it’s new for you, and I appreciate that you’re so good about asking. You don’t have to be nervous.”

“Okay,” Kath sighed. “Thank you. I do get nervous; I just don’t want to overstep or do something that would be considered really rude or incorrect.” 

“I know,” Sarah said, kissing her one last time. “Now, let’s get up and we can take turns in the shower.” 

“You first,” Kath insisted. “You have to be out of here, and I’m not on a schedule.”

“Deal,” Sarah said, grinning, and when Katherine lifted the tray, Sarah hopped out of bed, going over to her closet to dig for clothes. She hung her performing outfit on the back of the bedroom door, then picked out more casual clothes to wear to Symphony Hall for rehearsal.

“The boxes are on the shelf in the back, there,” Sarah said, indicating two large cardboard boxes in among the shelves behind her hanging clothes. “Use whatever you like.”

Kath clapped her hands. “Yay! You may regret that,” she warned, laughing, and Sarah shook her head.

“Never. I know it will be gorgeous, and I will be so happy to have the apartment looking a little more festive,” she said. She grabbed her rehearsal clothes and blew Katherine a kiss before heading to the bathroom.

Katherine went over to the closet and carefully lifted the boxes off their shelves and onto the floor. Inside she found another menorah, a beautiful silver tealight centerpiece, a delicately made wooden Star of David that was large enough to go on the wall, white fairy lights, several boxes of white tapers, and a gorgeous set of blue hurricane candle holders. There were also a navy blue tablecloth and a silver-gray table runner. A plan began to take shape in Kath’s mind. 

Kath jumped up and started rummaging through her bag for clothes. She heard the shower turn off, and a few moments later Sarah turned the hair dryer on. Kath did some searching on her phone while Sarah finished up in the bathroom, and by the time Sarah emerged, she had a destination in mind and knew where she would have to go on the T to get there.

“Do you have time to wait until I’m done?” Kath asked.

“I do!” Sarah said. She spotted the boxes on her bedroom floor and smiled. “What did you think of my treasures?”

“They’re lovely,” Kath said sincerely. “I’m going to go out and grab a few other things, and you’re going to come home to a cozy holiday scene.”

Katherine hurried through her shower, and when she was finished, Sarah had her cello and her bag ready and waiting by the door.

“Be careful going back and forth,” Katherine said earnestly. “I know you do this all the time, but - I’m a worrywart.”

“I’ll be careful,” Sarah promised, wrapping herself in her scarf, coat, and gloves before giving Katherine a long kiss. She leaned her forehead against Katherine’s as they broke apart. “I know I have a crazy schedule right now, but it’s so good to have you here,” she murmured. “I love you, Kath.”

Katherine’s breath caught. They were still new enough as a couple that neither of them said the word “love” aloud very often. It had only been six months - but Katherine had fallen for Sarah the moment she saw her standing in the orchestra seats at Tanglewood, and she knew that Sarah might truly be her forever. 

“I love you too,” she said softly, smiling, kissing Sarah again for good measure. “I’ll see you tonight.”

“Yes, you will,” Sarah grinned. She hoisted her cello onto her shoulders and picked up her bag. “You be careful too, especially if you’re going on the T.”

“I will be,” Kath reassured her. She blew Sarah a kiss, and Sarah blew one back to her before heading down the hallway.

Also tagging: @queenofbrooklyn, @katherineisthebestpulitzer, @thelittleredheadedmusician, @elozable, @radioactivepigeons, @wordshakerofgallifrey, @livingchancy, @captainlordauditor, @waitformereprise, @mirkwoodsguardian, @writemetohell

[fairly-awkward-trashcan]

Holiday Newsies 2k19

Day 1: Singing holiday songs

I’m very nervous

Word count: who knows

Editing: I tried my best

Ships: Ralbert 

Some extra just about useless information that I’m giving anyways: Race, Jack and Romeo are adopted brothers

 Jack being the oldest(17) with Race in the middle (16) and Romeo the youngest (14)

Also, Race has ADHD and Romeo’s got some separation anxiety 

Modern era 

This is the first time I’m posting writing here so cut me some slack please and thank you

Enjoy:)

———-

“RACE!” Albert called back from his spot in the living room, de tangling lights for the tree that stood next the fire running fireplace. 

“YEAH?” a voice called back from the Harry Potter like closet under the stairs of the Larkin household,” Could you put on some Christmas music or something? It’s real dull in here.” 

“Yeah, sure .” Race said as he set down the box of ornaments he had just fished out. ”ALEXA !” the blond practically screeched into his boyfriends ear. “Jesus Christ, Tonio! You trying to blown out my ear drum?” 

“Huh?”

Albert let a sigh escape his lips,” Jack has the Alexa upstairs bud, just turn on the radio. 102.5 always has Christmas music.” 

“I know, I thought if I yelled loud enough it would hear me.” Albert gave Race a glare,” I’ll turn on the radio.” Race ducked his head and turned to the kitchen. 

“ Romeo, No.” Jack turned looking back up the stairs to his little brother,  the Alexa in hand. “ Why not?” 

“ Ok, first of all, how would giant googly eyes even stick on a tree? Second of all, because I said so.” 

“You’re no fun” Romeo pouted, following Jack down the stairs, his Santa hat falling over his eyes. “ Boo Hoo, Ro.” Jack walked over to the counter, plugging the Alexa into the outlet parallel to the marble counter of the breakfast bar. 

“ Hey, the Alexa turned on randomly earlier. Did you guys do something?” He asked as he went to go sit on the couch next to Albert. 

“Ha!” Race pointed to Albert from the kitchen.

“Shut up.”

“When’s mama coming back?” Romeo asked, finally using his forearm to push his hat out of the way his eyes. 

“I don't know, she left a little bit ago. She’ll be back soon, don't worry bud.” Jack turned to Romeo who was standing between the stairs on the front door. “ Come ‘ere bud” Jack slightly nodded his head to witch Romeo quickly made his way over, sitting on the floor between his brothers legs. Jack took the hat off and began to lightly play with the younger boys hair, a motion he often found himself doin to calm the dark haired boy. 

Time went on with silence lying between the boys, Albert being the only one doing work, Jack now on the floor himself with Romeo, and Race now hyperfoucused on figuring out the radio. 

Fifteen or so minutes later, the one and only Medda Larkin kicked the front door open with her hands full.

“Children living in my house, give me a hand would you?” 

“Mama!” Romeo jumped up, running to Medda, hugging her side. Jack followed and Albert took to pizza boxes from Medda. “Oh! Hi, baby.” Medda said, looking down and hugging her son back. Jack went to her side, kissing her cheek,” Hi Mama.” Medda looked at her eldest,” Was he ok?” She asked, slight concern painted her face,” For the most part, you know its worse around the holidays.” Jacks voice was quieter, speaking as if Romeo couldn't hear with his face still in their mom’s long red coat. She patted Jack’s shoulder to send him of to help Albert set the table with a thankyou. “ Ok baby,” Medda took Romeo’s shoulders and steered them towards the couch,” Tell me about what happened while I was out.” 

Jack met Albert in the kitchen, taking the paper plates he was handed. “ Hey, Racer. Dinners here.” No response,” Racer.” Jack turned to his brother then to Albert,” What’s he dong with the radio? It’s broken.” 

“Shit.” 

With a sigh Jack went over to his brother,” Racer, dinner” He tapped his shoulder, gaining his attention. ”Oh, I think the radio’s broken.”

“Probably,” 

After dinner, they finally got around the tree. Hanging red balls and other memories onto the tree. “I love this song!” Race almost dropped his ornament when Last Christmas by Wham! came on over the Alexa. Everyone smiled and began to belt the lyrics with Race. Albert and Race began dancing with each other, showing off their dance skills. 

Snow came down for the rest of the night, they sang and danced to holiday favorites as the windows frosted over.

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

I got off track but I hope you enjoyed!

@suddenly-im-respecsable

[ill-try-to-write-maybe]

Tinsel

I'm back again! And still late as ever :) exams are kicking me and i have no time management skills. BUT!! I promise i will try and keep up with these :) it's 800ish words and Ralbert. Enjoy :) @suddenly-im-respecsable (idk if you wanna be tagged in these or not so please let me know)

“Okay, see, now you’ve just made a mess.” Albert knew Race had planned on decorating while he was out, but he certainly wasn’t expecting this. Race tugged on his hoodie strings defiantly and peered up at his boyfriend. “No, what I’ve made is art.” He clarified, carefully unfolding the paper snowflake and holding it up for him to see. “See? Art.”

“I see a piece of paper with slightly rounded edged and,” he paused. “twelve holes in it.” Race narrowed his eyes and clutched the snowflake back to his chest. “You just don’t appreciate art or my hard work.” He stood up, brushing scraps of paper from his lap that floated delicately down to the floor, joining the other pieces that formed piles at his feet. He twisted a piece of blue tack off a large blob on the coffee table next to him, and stuck it on the back of the snowflake. Albert looked at the walls that were covered with about eighty other snowflakes. “Was this the only thing you did while I was out?”

“No.” Race stood facing the wall, scanning it, trying to find the best spot to place his newest creation. “I’ve also put some lights up, tinsel too.” Albert blinked.

“Really? That’s what you call ‘putting up’?” He looked at the strings of lights that had been haphazardly stuck halfway up the walls with the snowflakes, and the piles that had been casually draped over the sides of the couch tables and the TV cabinet. “I thought you’d tried to put some up, then gave up halfway through and threw them around the room. And don’t even get me started on the tinsel” He glanced at the silver tendrils that had lay in sad heaps at the bottom of the table legs, then leaned forward and grabbed the piece that dangled over the back of the couch, twisting it between his hands. Race, who had finally found the perfect spot, pressed the snowflake to the wall and turned around and snatched the tinsel from Albert’s hands, placing it around his neck, and brought his hand up dramatically over his heart. “Why do you hate my decorations?” Albert scrunched his face up.

“I don’t hate them, actually I’m kind of impressed with the amount of snowflakes that you made, but they just need to be moved around a little bit. Seriously, I was only gone for an hour and a half, how did you get so many snowflakes done?” Race shrugged.

“Talent.” Albert smiled.

“You are very talented.” Race curtsied.

“Why thank you.”

“But can I pretty please fix up the lights and tinsel? It’s starting to annoy me now.” Race sighed and nodded reluctantly. “Okay. But snowflakes are off limits!”

“Deal!” Albert walked over to the dining table and grabbed a chair and placed it against the wall. He grabbed one end of the lights and stood up on the chair, moving them up to the top of the wall. Race had taken another chair and was working on the lights on the other side, copying Albert’s movements, and soon enough the lights were hung perfectly. While Race worked on the ones on the cabinet, Albert swiped up the stacks of tinsel. “This stuff has to go.” Race turned to him in shock. “What? Why!? It’s so pretty and shiny!”

“It’s also messy and tacky.” Race dropped the bundle of lights on the TV cabinet.

“Tacky?! How dare you!” Albert rolled his eyes.

“It’s shiny plastic that falls apart at the drop of a hat and is a pain in the ass to clean up, what’s there to like?” Race moved towards him and gestured to the tinsel still hanging around his neck.

“Uh, it makes for a gorgeous scarf?” he tossed a loose end over his shoulder with a flourish.

“At least six pieces just fell from that,” he pointed to the floor. “it’s messy.” Race looked down and slowly moved his foot over the shredded plastic littering the floor. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Albert looked away, trying, and failing, not to smile.

“Well, a scarf isn’t good enough I’m afraid, it’s still gotta go.”

“No, no, no, no, no wait! I’ll think of something! Gimme a second.”

“Alright.” Albert shrugged and picked up the last roll of lights and got to work on untangling them.  They stayed in silence for a while, it was only when Albert was halfway through unravelling the lights that anyone spoke. “I’ve got a reason.” Before Albert could realise what was going on, the tinsel from around Race’s neck was thrown over his head and secured around his waist. “Wh-” There was a tug on the tinsel and Albert stumbled forward as Race pulled him into a soft kiss.  They broke apart and Race gave a sweet smile, while Albert blinked himself back to reality. “… Yeah, we can keep the tinsel.”

[ill-try-to-write-maybe]

Hot Chocolate

(I know, creative right?) Jdjdjdjskdf okay im back, ive decided that im gonna try and be consistent with these. So this is Dec. 2nd's one (also written at 2 am cause i have no time management skills, and is also late) and is just as bad as the first. Also the spacing/paragraphing got a little messed up again. Enjoy :p

Winter had always been Davey’s favourite time of year. For him, nothing could beat curling up by the fireplace, cocooned in blankets, and a hot chocolate in hand. But this winter was gonna be better than any other winter he’d had, because this year, he was spending it with his boyfriend, Jack Kelly. And there they were now, bundled up together on the couch, TV playing in the background while Jack played with his hair. They stayed like that for some time, just enjoying each other’s company, drinking in the moment. Speaking of drinking, Davey had been dying for one of the classic winter drinks, hot chocolate. He stretched his legs out, yawning as he did so, and brought their intertwined hands up so he could place a kiss on the back of Jack’s knuckles. “I was thinking of making a hot chocolate, you want one?” Jack sat up, moving his head from Davey’s shoulder.

“Oh, I can make one for the both of us.”

“You sure? I don’t mind doing it, really.”

“No, I got this don’t worry.” He squeezed Davey’s hand “I’ll only be a minute.” Davey nodded.

“Call me if you need anything.” Jack stood up, tucking the blanket they were sharing tightly around Davey, and moved towards the kitchen. “Will do.”

Okay, okay, this is fine. It’s fine! Everything’s fine, don’t panic. The second Jack reached the kitchen, he let out a breath he didn’t know he had been holding. Why? What made him volunteer to do this? Davey already offered to make it himself, why couldn’t he have just accepted the offer? He took a deep breath to calm himself. He’d be fine. He could do this, hot chocolate couldn’t be too hard to make, right? He shook out his hands, okay, first things first, he needed a mug. He knew where those were. He walked over to one of the top cupboards and pulled out two mugs. Cool, this is good, that’s one thing he could check off his list. Next thing, cocoa powder, that’ll be in the pantry probably. Jack flung open the doors to the pantry, maybe a little too aggressively, and scanned the shelves for it. Nothing. He looked again, still nothing. That wasn’t good. He closed his eyes for a second then opened them and looked one more time, looking slowly and carefully. Oh. There it was. Staring him in the face the entire time. Okay cool, crisis averted. He gave himself a silent fist pump for his success. Yeah, he could totally do this.

Davey stared at the drink that Jack had placed down in front of him. At least it was vaguely hot chocolatey looking. He was aware of Jack watching him keenly, and he smiled up at him. “Thanks, babe! Everything go okay?” Jack nodded and grinned back, twisting the handle of his own mug between his fingers. “It was fine.” Davey picked up his own mug, it was only mildly warm. He raised it to his lips and took a drink. Wow. That wasn’t what he’d been expecting. The cocoa hadn’t properly dissolved and small clumps of it floated around the lukewarm milk like tiny powdery icebergs. Davey definitely hadn’t expected it to be salty, but there was no denying it. Jack twisted the mug handle faster. “How is it?” He sounded apprehensive. Davey took a second to think about it. “It’s alright,” he spoke slowly. “Definitely not the worst I’ve ever had.”

“Really? That was- that’s actually a lot better than what I thought.” Jack smiled and took a sip of his own drink. Only to immediately spit it back out, coughing and sputtering. Davey stood up, concerned. “You okay?” he asked as Jack continued to cough.

“No!” he gasped. “I just poisoned the both of us!” Davey chuckled. “How did you even manage to keep that down!?” Jack pressed.

“Really, it wasn’t that bad!”

“Wasn’t that bad!?”

“Well, it was pretty bad, was this your first time making hot chocolate?” Jack rolled his eyes god naturedly. “Is it really that obvious?”

“You could’ve asked me to help.” Jack shrugged.

“I didn’t want to bother you.” Davey shook his head.

“How about I teach you how to actually make hot chocolate? It’ll help us wash this taste out of mouths.”

“I’d love that.” Davey smiled and grabbed his cup, leading Jack back into the kitchen.

Jack stood over the kitchen sink, mugs held out in front of him. “Goodbye, worst hot chocolate on Earth.” He tipped the cups dramatically down the sink. “I won’t miss you.” He whispered as the contents swirled down the drain. Davey boiled water as he watched his boyfriend, smiling at his antics. Jack walked over, drying off the empty mugs. “So, how do we do this?” Davey clapped his hands together. “Alright! So we start by boiling some water and putting some cocoa powder in our mugs.” Jack nodded.

“Okay. Boil water, cocoa in mugs. Go it.” He turned to the mugs, and picked up the cocoa, putting a spoonful in each mug. “Great!” Davey smiled. “Now we put a teaspoon of sugar in.” Jack sighed.

“I’m assuming that’s next to the salt?” Davey smirked.

“How could you have possibly guessed?” Jack stuck his tongue out at him as he placed the sugar into the mugs. “They’re pretty much the same thing!” He said defensively.

“Sure they are.”

“They are!”

“Of course.” Davey grinned and Jack rolled his eyes.

“What’s the next step?”

“Pour the water into the mugs and stir them ‘til everything has dissolved.” As Jack began to pour the water, Davey turned to the fridge and grabbed the milk. He filled up the first mug as Jack turned to the second one. After both the mugs were full of proper hot chocolate, they were placed into the microwave and Davey grabbed a packet out of the pantry. “And the last step,” he said dangling the bag in front of Jack. “is to add marshmallows.” Jack grinned and pulled Davey into a hug.

“Thanks for this.” He murmured. “It’s really nice.” Davey buried his head in Jack’s shoulder.

“Don’t worry about it.” He pressed a kiss to his shoulder. The microwave beeped, Jack untangled himself from Davey and grabbed the hot chocolate, holding them out to Davey who sprinkled a few marshmallows into the cup.

They brought their hot chocolate into the living room where they curled back up together, sipping quietly. “How does it taste this time?” Jack asked after a while. Davey smiled.

“I think this the best hot chocolate I’ve ever had.” He rested his head on Jack’s shoulder. Jack beamed. “Well the real credit goes to you, thanks again for teaching me.”

“My pleasure.” He placed a small kiss on the underside of Jack’s jaw, and they sat there together for a while in a comfortable silence, just enjoying being together. Yeah, this was definitely the best winter Davey had had.

[ill-try-to-write-maybe]

November

Hi! This is the first piece of writing I've shared cause i wanted to participate in the writing thing created by @suddenly-im-respecsable i know this is like almost 2 days late so sorry about that. Also sorry for any spelling and grammar mistakes and the spacing/paragraphing that's kinda messed up :p

The sky was stormy grey with air that was crisp and cold and blew in large blustery gales that chilled to the bone. Jack Kelly pushed himself against the large glass door that stood between him and warmth, he was cursing himself for not bringing a thicker jumper, not that he’d ever admit he was cold, but god, it was cold. The door cracked open and he practically tumbled into the foyer, sighing in relief as the wall of warm air hit him. Making sure the door was closed properly behind him, he began the climb up the stairs, warming his hands inside his sleeves. As Jack approached his apartment door, he fumbled for the key, fingers still frozen solid. His evasive key stayed buried the bottom of his pocket, slowly annoying him, his patience already worn thin by the cold (it wasn’t even December yet!), but then he heard it. A sound that he had been dreading the whole day. Mariah Carey’s ‘All I Want For Christmas Is You’.  Jack sighed, pulling his hand from his pocket and instead pinched the bridge of his nose. Race was home. Opting not to dig through his endless pockets again, he pounded on the door and waited for his roommate to answer, bracing himself for what was to come. Don’t get him wrong, Jack was all for a little holiday cheer, and loved to listen to the carollers down on the streets below, but after listening to Race sing along to the same song for almost a week now, the opening notes sent pure terror into his soul. Race opened the door and the music got louder. Jack had to resist the urge to block his ears. It had started with Race singing quietly a week ago, and even Jack joined in, but that slowly built up to singing louder and louder, then eventually adding the backing track and ruining the song for Jack permanently. Race stood there, singing into a half empty pack of oreos “I won’t even wish for snow! And I-"

“No. No! Not again!” Jack pushed the door open wider and barged past Race desperate to get to his room and try to drown the noise out with headphones and literally any other song. As he speed walked past the lounge room he caught sight of another person, he backed up and saw Albert sitting rigid in the couch staring blankly at the wall across from him. “Four... Four… and a half hours.” Albert’s gaze was unwavering, “He has been playing this on loop… for four and a half hours.” Jack nodded sympathetically.

“I know, I know. There’s nothing we can do but wait for him to get bored.” Albert turned to him.

“But it’s the middle of November…” he whispered.

“I know… I’ve tried to get him to stop for the last week, but nothing works.” Jack sighed, “He can’t keep this up for too much longer.” As if on cue, the music got louder. Albert whimpered. Jack took that as his cue to leave.

It was now 6:42 pm, three and a bit hours since Jack had gotten home, and the music hadn’t stopped. Jack was surprised they hadn’t been kicked out of the apartment by now. Albert left shortly after the fifth hour and Jack wished he could do the same. He even ordered a pizza for himself just to get away from the music for a few minutes. What would it take to make Race stop? Jack was willing to do anything at this point. As he was considering maybe selling soul to make the music end, there was a knock at the door. “I’ll get it!” he hollered, already sprinting out of his bedroom door. He bolted down the hallway and skid to a stop at the door. He flung it open and there stood Elmer, wide eyed and with the same hazy look Jack and now Albert had. “Please.” Elmer said. “Please change it.”

“I’ve been trying-“

“It needs to stop. That song has been playing for the last week-“

“I know! I’m living in the same apartment as him! At least you’re down the hall!”

“That doesn’t make it any better! It has wormed its way into my head. I can’t go anywhere without hearing it! It’s bad enough that I hear it almost all day, but when I try to sleep and all I can hear is that damn song, I need it to end! It’s November!”

“I know what month it is!” the door was pulled open wider and Race stuck his head around the side of it.

“Oh hey Elmer! What can we do for ya?” he smiled. Elmer turned to him eyes wide and pleading.

“The music. Please, I can’t take it anymore. I can’t hear myself think, I can’t sleep, I can’t go anywhere without hearing it in my head.”

“Oh!” Race smiled. “Not a problem, why didn’t you tell me sooner?” Jack narrowed his eyes.

“Wh-"

“Thank you! Thank you so much!” Elmer gave a tired smile and walked off down the hall.

“Have a good night bud!” Race called after him before closing the door. Jack stood there in shock. That’s all it took? Really!? “What’s the matter Jacky-boy? You frozen to the spot or something?” Jack blinked. “Are you still hungry?” Race pressed, “I can cook you up something if you really want. Actually, you look a little pale, are you feeling sick?” Jack shook himself out of his stupor.

“No… I’m just gonna head to bed, maybe listen to some music. See ya in the morning.” Race shrugged. “Alright, good night.” Jack turned and made his way back to his room both annoyed that that was all it took for Race to stop, and thankful that it was finally over. He lay in bed listening to some calming music and trying to get some sleep, but he couldn’t. There was a voice in the back of his head that started to pester him. He screwed his eyes up. No. he thought. Please not another one. But ten minutes had passed and the voice wouldn’t leave him alone, so against his better judgement, he rolled over and changed the song. ‘Baby It’s Cold Outside’. He lay back and closed his eyes and felt his body relax as the song filled the quiet room. About halfway through the song, there was a knock on Jack’s door and Race cracked it open. “Hey, I brought you some water.” Jack sat up as Race walked over and took the glass from his hands. “Thanks.” Race shrugged.

“You looked like you’d seen a ghost, can’t have you getting sick on me.” Jack put the glass on the nightstand. “I’m feeling a little better now, Thanks Race.”

“Don’t worry about it. G’night” He walked over to the door. Then turned back and cocked his head. “Really Jack?” he asked. “Christmas songs? It’s only November.” He smiled and closed the door as the pillow Jack threw at his head bounced harmlessly off the doorframe.

[klaineharmony]

Christmas in the City (Holiday Newsies), Ch. 1

December 1: Singing holiday songs

I decided to make the prompts from @suddenly-im-respecsable into holiday snippets in my Sweet Summer Music ‘verse. For those not familiar, Katherine is an arts and culture reporter for the New York Times, and Sarah is the second-chair cellist for the Boston Symphony Orchestra. 

Katherine exited security at Logan International Airport - finally - and scanned the crowd of people waiting for their loved ones. She spotted Sarah’s chestnut hair and waved a hand. Sarah caught sight of her as well, and her face lit up in a beaming smile as she waved back. Katherine worked her way through the crowd, rolling her suitcase behind her until she was standing in front of Sarah.

“Hi,” Sarah greeted her, still with that happy smile that Kath swore rivaled the sun. “I’m so glad you’re here.”

“I’m so glad I’m here, too,” Kath said, smiling back, and  before Sarah could respond, Kath leaned in and kissed her.

Time stopped for a moment as Sarah kissed her back, slow and gently, and when Kath pulled away Sarah’s cheeks were a lovely shade of pink. 

“I’ve missed you, Kath,” Sarah admitted. “It’s - Halloween was amazing, but I’ve missed you so much.” 

“I know,” Kath said, cupping her cheek. “Me, too. Phone calls and Skype are wonderful, but they aren’t the same as being able to exist in your space with you.”

Sarah shook her head. “It isn’t.” Her face brightened again as she had a thought. “I brought you something.” 

She raised the hand that hand been down by her side and slightly behind her, and it was holding a gorgeous bouquet of dark red roses, holly, and spruce twigs, with a few pine cones tucked in. Katherine gasped.

“Oh, Sarah, they’re beautiful.”

“Not as beautiful as you are,” Sarah said softly, and it was Katherine’s turn to blush. “Come on. Give me your suitcase, and we’ll go home.”

Katherine cheerfully traded the suitcase for the flowers, and the two women found a taxi to take them to Sarah’s apartment. Sarah had a one-bedroom studio in a brownstone in Southie, and Katherine adored it. 

Once Sarah had given the taxi driver her address and they were underway, she turned to Kath again. “I have one more surprise for you. I got  you a seat to the Holiday Pops show tonight, so that you can see me play.”

Katherine squealed and attacked Sarah in a hug, and Sarah shrieked and then laughed at her enthusiasm.

“Sarah! You know I’ve never been to the Holiday Pops! This is amazing!”

Sarah tried to catch her breath through her laughter. “I know. Why do you think I wanted to make sure you were there?”

“Best - Chanukah - present - ever,” Katherine declared, planting kisses on Sarah’s nose and cheeks before ending with a kiss on her lips.

Sarah was still chuckling. “You do know that Chanukah ended this past Monday, and it’s Friday?”

“It still counts!” Kath said. “I wasn’t here, after all. I’m here now.”

“Yes, you are,” Sarah said with a soft smile. She kept Katherine’s hand in hers for the rest of the ride.

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

Katherine clasped her hands together in her lap in excitement. Kath had gone to the New York Symphony during the holidays with her parents, but she was infinitely more excited about this -  she could get into the holiday spirit and watch her favorite beautiful cellist perform, which was frankly the best combination she could think of.

The house lights went down, and everyone clapped as conductor Keith Lockhart walked out onto the stage. The orchestra opened with a rousing rendition of “Sleigh Ride,” which was always a favorite. Katherine had a clear view of Sarah, who was with the other cellos to the right of the conductor, and while Sarah was extremely focused, she was also smiling and enjoying herself, as were many of her colleagues.  The audience applauded with cheers and enthusiasm when the orchestra finished. 

Conductor Lockhart acknowledged the applause, and gestured to the percussionists who were coming up front with bells. “Our next tune is going to be ‘Jingle Bells.’ We’ll play a verse by ourselves first, and then everyone can join in and sing.”

He set the orchestra going with a will, and then turned around again to bring in the audience, and Katherine felt her heart swell at the sound as she cheerfully sang along. All of the people here were creating a sense of togetherness, joining together to celebrate the holidays no matter what faith they followed, and there was a feeling of happiness and unity in the music that made Katherine warm down to her toes.

The orchestra kept going, leading the audience through “Frosty the Snowman,” “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” and “Santa Claus is Coming to Town.” The children in the audience were delighted with the familiar carols, and Katherine grinned as some of them made themselves very clearly heard in the chorus of voices.

The next set, which the orchestra played on its own, featured a variety of carols from around the world and from different faiths: “Riu Riu Chiu” and  “Hacian Belen va un borrico” from Spain, “Patapan” and “Touro Louro Louro!” from France, the “Boar’s Head Carol” and “Good King Wenceslas” from England, Handel’s “See, the Conqu’ring Hero Comes” and “S’Vivon” for Chanukah, and several more that the orchestra played with energy and sensitivity. 

There was a pause in the proceedings as three chairs were brought forward, and Katherine stifled a gasp with her hand as Sarah came forward with one of the string bassists and another musician who was holding a mandolin. Kath had been encouraging Sarah for months to showcase her skills as a soloist, but Sarah hadn’t said a word to her about this.   

From the stage, Sarah looked in Kath’s direction and smiled, and Katherine pressed her fingers to her lips, blowing her a tiny kiss.

The trio dove into a lovely combination of “The Wassail Song” and “All Through the Night,” and Katherine couldn’t take her eyes off Sarah. She loved seeing her girlfriend like this, completely caught up in the music and so vivacious with it.

The audience clearly loved the performance as well, for they burst into applause as the trio finished, and Katherine clapped until her hands hurt. 

The final songs for the show were sing-alongs as well, beautiful arrangements of “The Christmas Song” and “White Christmas” that once again made Kath feel warm and fuzzy. It was December 14th, and Boston already had several feet of snow that had blanketed everything in magical winter white. Sarah’s apartment was painfully bare except for her menorah from Chanukah, but Kath had ideas about how to fix that. Tomorrow after Sarah’s rehearsal she wanted to curl up in front of Sarah’s tiny gas fireplace with warm drinks and a fuzzy blanket, and cuddle Sarah for as long as she could get away with.

The applause went on for a long time after the orchestra finished, and Katherine waited patiently for her turn as people collected their belongings and filed up the aisles. She went out the side of the auditorium and toward the stage entrance, where Sarah had promised to meet her. Sure enough, Sarah appeared as Katherine was a few steps away from the stage door. 

Katherine flew to her, throwing her arms around her. “You did it!” she exclaimed. “You did it, and you didn’t tell me! You were amazing!” 

Sarah laughed. “Well, I wanted it to be a surprise,” she said. 

“Another surprise, as if you haven’t given me enough of them today!” Katherine retorted. “You were incredible, Sarah. I’m so proud!” 

Sarah blushed, but her smile was happy. “Thank you. It was a lot of fun, and it felt good to be out there. I haven’t played in a small group in a long time, and it’s such a wonderful feeling. I saw you out there, singing your heart out,” she added, and it was Kath’s turn to blush.

“I love singing holiday songs,” she admitted. “It might be silly, but I think there’s something so special about it.”

“I don’t think it’s silly,” Sarah disagreed. “It’s beautiful. I’ve always enjoyed it, too, and I think it’s part of why these holiday shows are some of my favorites to play.”

Katherine kissed her. “You are amazing, Sarah Jacobs. This has been the most wonderful day.”

Sarah nuzzled Kath’s nose with her own. “Happy holidays, Kath.”