#rf fanfiction

[shadyauthor]

"Could you possibly do a RF!Wally x male reader? 🥺 👉👈"

Request #1

☆

Rainbow Factory ! Wally x Male!Reader

Enjoy!♡

☆

☆

☆

☆

Working in the factory was draining, physically and mentally, especially since you got promoted to head assistant, now you had almost twice the workload and twice the migraine having to deal with your boss.

You had been working in this factory practically all your life, working hard since day one, you of all people of course deserved this promotion, right? Right, that's what you'd think, but it felt like a punishment. Your boss constantly took his anger out on you, you didn't have a single moment away from him and his constant tasks he put on you.

And the constant time you had to spend with him all day everyday did not help your crippling crush on him, seriously, who couldn't crush over him??? He was muscular, his hair was beautiful, his voice was so deep and smooth and it made your knees want to buckle each time he spoke to you, and his hands oh my god don't get me started on his hands- "What?" A deep voice spoke up, you shook your head from your thoughts, turning red as you realized you were staring directly at your bosses chest "yes sir?" You asked, hoping he didn't notice "You were staring at me, what do you want." He asked, looking over his glasses as he sat at his desk in front of yours, having been reviewing papers for something important.

Your face seemed to turn more red by the second, he took his glasses off before pinching the bridge of his nose. "Are you gonna answer me or are you going to sit there with your mouth open?" He said, he was clearly tired, both of you having to stay late after sending everyone home. "I- well- no sir..I don't need anything my apologies." You answered, not wanting to embarrass yourself more.

After working in silence for a moment longer, a loud sound broke the silence, a loud bang coming from outside of the office. Both you and Wally lifted your heads immediately, looking to the door, he groaned before getting up "I'll be right back." He said before walking out of the office door, you got up following silently, curious as to what the sound was.

You watched him approach the door on the side of the reception room, covered in dust and the doors label scratched off. You watched him open the door and take a step in, assuming he was gonna walk in you started to follow after him, not realizing he had stopped moving already you stumbled into him. Moments later all you could hear was his breathing, you couldn't see anything, the darkness of what was now clearly a semi-long closet encasing both of you like a blanket. You didn't even notice how you were practically laying on his back, you just felt how warm he was, his heavy breathing, how firm and soft his back felt, then you noticed how you were practically pinning him to the floor.

Your face red as you tried your best to crawl off of him without elbowing him or making things worse, "I- Boss I'm so sorry!" You mumbled out, pressing on his lower back for leverage getting up before you heard a pop and the man under you groaning, you stilled, not knowing what to do or if you just broke your bosses back, you really didn't wanna get fired after all you've done for him. "Do that again" he said in a muffled voice, you almost didn't hear him, but you had to make sure you heard him right "what did you say?" He was quiet for a moment before lifting his face to grumble out "Do. That. Again." He said, face completely red.

You were in the closet, straddling the back of your bosses waist on your knees, and he was asking you to basically massage his back, could today get any better?

You once again pressed on his back "No not like that, harder" so once again, you pressed on his lower back with your palms, this time pressing your weight on him, and once again you heard a crackle then a pop and a sigh of relief coming from the man under you. "Okay now get off of me before I give you unpaid suspension for two months" he growled out, you scoffed, annoyed he didn't even thank you, I mean it was an accident at first but he could've been appreciative just a little. But you obliged and shuffled off of him, sitting on your knees in front of the door not being able to get up with him still on the floor in your way.

He stood up, standing above you now. His hand reached your head, palming your scalp "Move. I can't reach the doorknob behind your giant head" you groaned, trying to get up but failing so before thinking you grabbed onto his waist to use as leverage to get up.

Both of you stilled as you realized what you had done, "soooo......" you had started, a complete nervous wreck at this point "The doorknob right?" But you were met with silence, you couldn't see his face in the darkness of the closet and you were terrified he was furious with you now.

But what came next is something that you'd think would only happen in your wildest dreams, he slammed you against the closet door, smashing his lips onto yours in the process. Your eyes widened as both of his hands held your waist, pulling you closer to him, a muffled gasp escaped your mouth before you melted into his surprisingly gentle kiss. Closing your eyes you leaned into him, slipping your arms under his and pressing your hands on his back, pulling him closer to you.

Both of you making a mess of a closet as he slid you from the door to the wall, kissing your lips before pulling away, a string of drool connecting your lips to his before you felt it being wiped away. You opened your eyes realizing he had opened the closet door and was already heading for his office, you wanted to stop him, to ask him what this means for you two, but you didn't.

"I'll pick you up at 6 PM sharp tomorrow night, don't be late, now go home and get some rest. I'll finish up here" he said before entering his office, locking it behind him so you couldn't go in and continue to work.

Your heart fluttered and you touched your lips with the tips of your fingers, questioning if anything was actually real, what just happened? Did you just score a date with your boss?? Yes. Yes!!

You left the closet, closing the door behind you and heading to the elevator to leave before realizing you left your keys in his office, actually, all of your belongings in his office.

You speed walked to his office, knocking on the door in hopes he'd open it "Sir I left my keys in there can I please come get them?" Silence. You knocked some more "Sir please I can't get home" You heard him start whistling as if he couldn't hear you at all. "BOSS PLEASE I NEED MY KEYS" You frowned, knocking on the door more aggressively now. All you got was a slight laugh in response.

God you love this man

☆

☆

☆

I hope you enjoy this, it took me an entire day </3

Thank you so much for your request, feel free to do it again (please)

Toodles!

[marigolddove]

I think I'm in love with RF!Wally Darling because he gives me ✨C E O✨ vibes, another favorite trope of mine...gonna need to add that to my list of Fics to write.

[satans-helper]

Reaching for Stardust - Part XVII

Read Looking for Space here / Playlists / Read RFS on wattpad or read previous parts here

Word Count: ~4000

Warnings: none:)

This chapter took me ages to write! But it ended up being quite a fun one. Hope you enjoy <3

---

“I can’t believe the boys actually wanted to go to a club,” I said from the passenger seat of Josh’s Jeep. Although it wasn’t a super long drive to get to the city and to see our kinsmen again, I was glad for the break in the harsh winter weather that made the journey smoother–instead of the ice-slicked and snow-covered roads we’d been struggling to get used to again, the highway was clear and dry, the snow kept to the sidelines. The woods lining the interstate were still coated in a seemingly perpetual layer of white which seemed to sparkle a bit with the rare and warm sunshine, the sky a wall of gentle blue and sparse clouds, the sunlight strong through the windshield. I was actually beginning to feel too warm with the heat from the vents and the sunshine licking my skin, bundled up with anticipation of the worst. You never knew when things might change. But underneath my coat, I was already in my “going out” outfit–a midnight blue sequined top with a deep v neckline that was slightly itchy on the inside but not enough for me to sacrifice it, a black skirt and matching sweater tights to complete it. Sequined black heels too, which made me notably taller than Josh, which he seemed to actually love. 

“It is a little surprising,” Josh agreed, also dressed in his New Year’s Eve celebration outfit–gray, almost silvery, pants and a matching jacket, a white shirt underneath, all topped off with a mixture of silver and gold jewelry. I figured we’d both be sparkling quite a lot throughout the night. “Then again,” he continued, turning down the heat after he saw me close one vent. “I think they’re always riding on the high of a much busier life these days. Going out to a whole myriad of places is more natural for them now.”

“Yeah, that’s true.” I looked out the window again, following the treeline with my eyes, imagining how much fun those three boys must have after their shows. Josh and I heard a lot about those nights, sure, but it would be so different to be a fly on the wall. Or to actually be there.  

“Jane didn’t wanna drive down with us?”

“She’s already there,” I said with a laugh, pulling out my phone to check again for texts from her, though I had a feeling there would be none. “She drove down yesterday.”

“Oh, they had a sleepover?”

“Yes. Imagine that.” Yup–no texts. I clicked my phone shut. “I’m assuming it all went well since she hasn’t texted me at all. Did Jake text you?”

Josh chuckled. “Nope. And why isn’t Bev joining us tonight?”

“She’s got another party to go to.”

Josh gave an exaggerated, offended scoff. “Would this other party be better than spending the night with us at a club called Pearl, drinking overpriced champagne and smoking all of Sam’s weed?”

I laughed. “I think she just doesn’t wanna hang out with Sam, honestly.”

I saw Josh’s lips twist a little. “Ouch.”

“No, no, it’s not like she hates him or anything,” I assured him. “I think she’s still attracted to him but knows he’s not interested anymore. So it’s easier for her to take a step back.”

“You think that or she told you that?”

“She told me. More or less.”

“Well,” Josh said, shifting in the driver’s seat. “That makes me a little sad. Bev is great. Is this going to make their places in the wedding awkward?”

“She assured me that it won’t,” I told him and, for once, I actually really wasn’t worried about it. “She’s hell-bent on finding some hottie at her party tonight and bringing them home.” 

“Oh, is that right? I hope she achieves her goal.”

I reached over to briefly toy with his earring. “What’s our goal tonight, Josh?” 

He giggled and swung his head to the side to evade my intentionally ticklish touch. “Our goal, my darling, is to get absolutely wasted and have the best time ever.”

“Which we will be doing again in like, two and a half weeks.” I shuddered, not from any slight chill in the car but from the anticipation. “At our wedding.” 

“So?”

I smiled, using Josh’s own smile at me to turn the nervous anticipatory energy into unbridled excitement. “So let’s do it.”

-

Pearl lived up to its name which, in my own naivety, I hadn’t expected. Then again, I should have known that Sam especially would only go to a club he passionately approved of, which meant it wasn’t going to be a cesspool or anything even remotely close to “subpar.” Still, I hadn’t been prepared for the slick white light, the shimmering waves illuminating a glossy, excited crowd, hot, scantily clad bartenders and servers passing out colorful cocktails in slim glasses, and certainly not the very not Sam music, which was pulsating and electric. The sound felt like it was vibrating through my bones as the entire lot of us made it past the exceptionally well-dressed bouncer and headed toward the bar.

The place was packed despite it being early. It wasn’t even half past nine, yet a throng was caught up at the bar, some people leaning over the counter in desperation while some stood back, shoulders straight and taut, eyeing the bartenders with impatience and contempt.

“I’ve never been to a club where so many people were actually dressed up,” I noted to no one in particular while I surveyed the people squishing against our group. Even the people who didn’t look fancy were sparkly enough to make up for it. 

“How many clubs have you even been to, girlie?” Sam asked, a cheeky smile on his face while he stayed close to Danny, who was one of the people leaning over the bar. The two of them were dressed up–Sam was in silky, shiny creamy fabrics with a bold pop of red from his jacket, while Danny was in black and indigo. I could even see faint traces of black eyeliner around Danny’s long lashes–oh, how things had changed. 

“This makes two,” I told him, earnestly proud of that fact. 

Danny fell back into line with all of us and said, “It’s gonna be an eternity before we get drinks. Should you guys find us a table or something?”

“Yeah, what exactly are we doing here?” I asked, trying to peer past the crowd ahead of me for spare tables. There were people sitting on the edges of the club, but on free-standing stools, not tables, and with my strained leering I could see a dimly lit hallway that piqued my curiosity. I tugged on the sleeve of Sam’s jacket and asked, “What’s back there?”

“Actual tables,” he told me, giving Danny a shove to get him struggling for the bartender’s attention again. “There’s also a big patio out back.”

“There’s also another bar in there,” Jake said, tilting his head and looking at Sam with his eyebrows raised. “So why don’t we try that?”

“Tag team it,” Sam suggested, lifting his arms to gesture out at the hallway and back behind himself at the bar. “Us here, you back there.” 

“And WE will find all of us a table,” Josh added, linking his arm with mine. 

“My god,” I said, too quiet to be heard over the music while Josh and I navigated through the crowd, Jake and Jane just a few steps ahead of us. I raised the volume of my voice to say, “What do you think about this place?”

“I’m not sure yet,” Josh called back to me, pivoting to avoid being elbowed by a man shoving his way past us to, presumably, get to the bar. “Visually, I don’t dislike it. The music, however, I’m not sure about.” 

I wasn’t either. The fast beats that had been laced with electric pop sounds had been replaced with what sounded almost like strange, electronic remixes of goth metal songs. “It’s like whiplash,” I had to shout back to Josh. 

The dark hallway was lit with strings of fake pearls, all dripping from black wires that almost entirely disappeared into the walls, and then we were in an even larger room where there were indeed tables. I sighed with relief–the space was marginally quieter, though the same songs filtered in my eardrums, and the bar was entirely visible. I watched Jake take Jane’s hand and zig-zag through the other patrons to reach it as I cleared my throat, the air so full of so many different colognes and perfumes, smoke and sweat, everything dry and dank at once. 

With the volume of the music so loud, Josh and I resigned to sitting next to each other in mostly silence, primarily communicating with facial expressions and hand gestures–a sour face from me when a man in a pleather jacket and way too much Axe body spray walked by, which made Josh sniff after the man and laugh hard into my side. The wait for drinks continued, and Josh’s eyebrows lifted and his lips parted in awe while he pointed at two girls headed to the bar, one in a purple sequined mini dress and the other in a longer, flowy, glittery teal dress. 

“Matching!” Josh said, leaning against my shoulder to get right at my ear. “Kind of.”

I nodded, my eyes following the shift of those purple sequins until the girls disappeared into the sea of people, then caught a glimpse of red and black headed our way–Sam and Danny, respectively. 

“My fucking god,” Sam said loudly as soon as he was within six inches of our table. He set down a try of six shots that he’d been carefully cradling the entire way as Danny set down a separate tray holding four different cocktails. 

“It’s nice that they gave you trays,” I noted, tapping the one holding the shots which was all iridescent and cream colored. “So fancy.”

“You didn’t get Jake and Jane drinks?” Josh asked, scanning the tray of cocktails that all looked unfamiliar. “What are these anyway?”

“Different house cocktails,” Danny said, pointing at each one as he explained them. “This red one is called something like ‘Cherry Divine.’ I think it has amaretto in it.” He pointed at a bubbly, almost clear drink with a strawberry garnish in a shorter wine glass. “This one has champagne in it but I can’t remember what else.” 

Sam shoved those two at Josh and I, clearly ready to get on with it, and took the last two for himself and Danny. “Okay, yeah, drinks,” he said with a huff, running one hand through his hair. He picked up a shot for himself and gestured at the tray. “Let’s do shots already.”

“Wait, wait,” Danny said, laughing, and grabbed Sam’s arm. “We have to wait for Jake and Jane.” 

“There they are!” Josh said victoriously, standing up and waving an arm out at the pair headed toward us, another tray of shots in Jake’s hands and another tray of cocktails in Jane’s.

“Long wait,” Jake needlessly explained as he lifted the tray of shots over his head while shoving past a different couple going in the opposite direction. With a deep sigh, he set it down once he was finally at the table and Jane set her tray down in tandem, then they both looked incredulously over the four trays holding the copious amounts of alcohol.

“So are we gonna do all these shots right now?” Jane asked with a laugh, sitting down across from me, the silver and purple glitter in her fine, tulle-like top catching the light. 

Jake sat down next to her and finally Sam and Danny joined in their own chairs, the table bouncing a bit as Sam slid in too hard. “We really should,” he said, already reaching for two of the shots. He and Josh were actually the least sparkly and shiny of us all, with Jake taking a little note from Danny with his all-black ensemble. “I’m feeling fairly desperate for a cigarette now.”

“Me too,” Josh echoed, passing me a shot next. I sniffed the clear liquid, discovered it was tequila, and grimaced. Josh just laughed and said, “You’ll need one too after this, won’t you?”

Twelve shots down the hatch, two for each of us, most of us wincing with each one; we sipped our cocktails as chasers and sat there amongst the excitable crowd, all of us turning our heads one direction, then the next, to take in the atmosphere. 

New Years always felt strange. There was so much expectation, but for what? Josh and I tried–and succeeded, honestly–to make the best of it every time it came around. The harsh, dark, bitter cold winters ended up being no match for a rowdy night full of multiple bottles of champagne, loud music, card and board games and the inevitable midnight kiss which always led to sloppy, fun, giggly drunk sex. This year was the first in a couple years we’d gone out, although last year we had also ended the night with not just the two of us. 

Looking away from the strangers and back to all my friends–my new family–I began to wonder what next year’s celebration would look like. There had been a night recently where I’d been texting Danny, mostly about wedding stuff but also about band stuff, and the latter proved to be more interesting–I’d known how talented all the boys were and I’d seen their success grow more and more over time, but I hadn’t known just quite how serious it was becoming. Danny wouldn’t tell me details–he swore that he couldn't–but apparently big things were happening. Bigger than all the other big things that had happened. And with the sudden onset of a wicked buzz in my head from the shots and somehow downing half my cocktail without even realizing it, my mind lingered on the mystery and the trepidation that came along with it more than I cared for.

“Is anyone feeling daring enough to dance?” Josh asked, scanning each and every one of us with bright, mischievous eyes. 

“Can anyone dance to this?” Danny asked, tilting his head, eyes looking up. “I don’t even know what I’m hearing.”

“I’m gonna need a few more drinks before that happens,” Jane said, and I voiced my agreement.

“Patio?” Jake offered, gesturing to the vague backdrop where the patio must have been waiting, and was probably just as congested as the inside of the club.

“Are we really ready to risk losing our table?” I asked, though I wasn’t quite sure I wanted to stay in any longer once the music changed yet again. The bass was even louder than earlier, aggressive and juxtaposed by swooping, high-pitched vocals. Maybe later on they’d start playing more familiar tunes. I turned to Sam and asked, “You chose this club? May I ask why?”

“Okay, alright, the music absolutely sucks ass,” Sam agreed, lifting his cocktail. “But the drinks are good, it’s busy, it’s kind of cool. Sue me for wanting us all to do something different for the new year.” 

“No one’s gonna sue you, but I do really want to see you dance now,” I told him; Josh smiled and gave an enthusiastic nod while Jake snickered behind his drink. “You know, to make up for it.”

“I would also like to see you get down with these strange, terrible songs,” Danny chimed in, nudging Sam with his elbow. 

Sam roped an aggressively affectionate arm around Danny’s waist and brought their faces close together. “Only if you do it with me. You’re the one with all the moves.”

The patio out back was less crowded but still full of life, although most people had covered up their festive outfits in favor of jackets and coats to shield against the cold. Some brave girls didn’t cover up at all and I wondered how they were standing out there without, at the very least, shivering violently. 

The city street in front, mostly devoid of trees, sent wind hurtling back to us but the vague sort of tree-lined courtyard behind the fence–also covered with string lights of fake pearls and tiny, glittering white stars–shielded us a bit from the other wall of cold air. I wrapped my coat tighter around myself and Josh pressed himself to my side. My hand that was holding my drink was already becoming frigid and a little stiff; I went to put the other in my coat pocket but Josh grabbed it and held it, his hand warmer while he rubbed his thumb over my knuckles for a few seconds, then he let me go to fish for his cigarettes while Jake pulled out his own and Sam whipped out a joint.

No one else around us cared about what we were doing or who we were–while I shared that American Spirit with Josh, I wondered to myself if Jake, Sam and Danny were reveling in their anonymity. Someday, they might not have much of it. But tonight, we were all strangers to the rest of the club-goers, just another posse looking for a good time and to ring in the new year with lights, glitter, alcohol, smoke and that excitement that some people like to say only comes once a year. Meanwhile, I was sure I felt those butterflies, the anticipation, the bundle of buzzing sparks every day with my sweetheart, who stayed close to my side and whose fingers brushed against mine each time we passed the cigarette back and forth. 

We smoked; we drank; we danced. Danny really did have the moves, I was reminded of again–I hadn’t seen any of the boys dance in so long that I couldn’t stop laughing with pure delight when Danny was the first to get out on the dance floor and force himself to jive with the music. I watched Sam watching him, then he swept out to meet his best friend and long, gangly limbs moved alongside Danny’s more built ones; it didn’t take long for Jane to pull Jake along by the hand, giggling enough for him to laugh too, and Josh and I watched them all until the song changed. Then he was doing the same thing–grabbing my hand and yanking me into the crowd, into the circle of our very best companions, while the clocks around the Eastern time zone ticked minute by minute into the night, while everyone forgot all the bad things that had happened in the past twelve months.

Pearl had their own ball to gradually drop in the last minute of the night and, of course, it looked like a huge, shiny, opalescent pearl. It twirled in the air, sparkling in the lights from the extra layer of jewels and sequins coating it, as some people kept dancing, ignoring it, some kept dancing while watching it with their heads tilted up and fixed in the same direction, while some people stopped entirely to focus their full attention on it. It was a mixed bag in our group–Sam and Danny kept dancing as if the ball didn’t exist. Jane and Jake swayed together slowly, side by side, watching the molasses-slow drop, as if the music was something gentle and light. Josh gathered me in his arms and swayed us together too, my back pressed to his front, and I had a hunch we were both imagining the giant fake pearl as the moon outside–the moon that would ascend, not fall, on both, on all, of us in just a few more nights. 

Despite the club being more or less a total mass of strangers, most people all chimed in together for the final ten second countdown of the ball drop. Sam and Danny did too, which prompted the rest of our group to join, all of us so drunk and stoned that every second of camaraderie felt like part of a huge, profound mission. In a way, I think it was–getting through any year was a feat every person should celebrate. 

I felt an excited sort of trembling in my bones, my eyes wide and too clear given the amount I’d drank as I followed the descent of that opalescent orb hanging overhead like it really was the moon. The moon displaced, an artificial but still significant moon that had been created just for us, for all of us who danced, laughed and consumed beneath it. 

When the chanting of counting became a roar of nearly synchronized cheers, before Josh spun me around, I saw Sam grab the sides of Danny’s face and pull him into a shocking, searing kiss. My own laugh in response at what I’d witnessed caught in my throat, a hand flying up to my mouth; I saw a flash of dark hair that I knew was Jake going in to kiss Jane, then Josh was in front of me as my mind went dizzy for a moment. But when he pressed us back flush together, facing each other this time, and his mouth met mine. I blinked into velvet darkness and felt like we were the only two people in the universe for a brief, blissful moment.

-

“So…” I began, slurring the single word, while Josh and I were undressing in Danny’s room. Now even more unsurprisingly, he and Sam had volunteered to share Sam’s room and leave us in Danny’s, and I had saved this juicy gossip until Josh and I were alone. It hadn’t seemed like the best thing to bring up with all six of us crammed into an uber on the way back to the boy’s house, although even in the dark confines of that SUV, Sam and Danny hadn’t hidden touches of their hands and the pressing together of their thighs. 

“So..?” Josh countered with a sly smile at me not having finished my thought. He stumbled as he tried to take his pants off, helplessly hopping around on one foot until he careened over to prop himself up with the edge of Danny’s bed. 

“So,” I began again emphatically, raising my eyebrows at Josh while I unzipped my skirt. “Did you see what Sam and Danny did when the ball dropped?”

“I caught a glimpse,” Josh replied with a chuckle, then a grunt of effort as he struggled to kick his pants all the way off. “Given how things have been going for a while, can’t say I’m surprised. Anyway, who doesn't want to kiss Danny?”

I laughed and nodded. “Totally, right? But yeah, not surprised, just surprised to see it, I think.” Standing in just my bra, tights and underwear, I grabbed my overnight bag to rummage through. The pajamas I’d packed felt luxuriously soft, comforting and inviting against my fingers, the electric energy of our celebration night dwindling into the usual drunken sleepiness.

“Everyone’s pairing off!” Josh said with a dramatic flair of his voice and a dramatic whipping off of his shirt to the floor. “What are we going to do?”

I laughed, tossing him his own pajamas from his bag. “Who do you think will get married next?” 

“I can’t even think about that.” Josh stripped down to nothing at the same time I did. “I almost didn’t remember you and I were getting married until just now.” 

I let out a loud laugh while the soft cotton brushed over my chilled skin. “You’re a little liar. I’ve thought about it a lot tonight, actually,” I told him, looking away from his nude form to find my travel toothbrush. “It was a really enchanting night. I didn’t expect it–not with the music and the club being, like, what it was.”

“It was a great night,” Josh agreed, achieving a little more balance while he got his PJ pants on. “Now it’s a new year–what are we gonna do with it?”

I paused at the bedroom door, toothbrush in hand, head and heart thumping: “We’re gonna get married and we’re gonna have the time of our lives.”

---

Tagging:

@sparrowofrhiannon @starbuggie @lightsofthe-living-gvf @sanguinebats @gvfrry @clairesjointshurt @bizzielisteningtogreta @jjwasneverhere @gvfrry

If you’d like to be tagged in any of my fics, you can go here or DM me :)

[durotoswrites]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Rune Factory (Video Games), Rune Factory 5 Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Alice/Reinhard (Rune Factory) Characters: Alice (Rune Factory), Reinhard (Rune Factory) Additional Tags: Romance, Pining, Mutual Pining Summary:

As Reinhard joins Alice for the Seaside Lights Festival, he can't help but notice how increasingly... dangerous Alice has become to him.

Hehe, it’s finally complete!  I hope y’all enjoy! <3

[journalofimprobablethings]

Some Babel thoughts and ruminations below, under the cut because spoilers!

(basically: what might have happened if [REDACTED] had been there, at the end?)

I can't help wondering what would have happened if Ramy had survived.

If Letty had hesitated, if Robin had gotten to her sooner, if somehow that bullet missed its mark and the world didn't break in that moment.

What might have happened then?

They still would have been caught and taken to Oxford Castle, Sterling Jones would still have tortured Robin (and would he have known to use Ramy's life as the threat to try to get Robin to talk? Would Robin have broken differently, if it was Ramy he was trying to save?). Griffin still would have rescued them from the cells, and the confrontation with Sterling would still have happened.

Would Ramy being there have made any difference? Would Ramy and Robin together have been able to carry Griffin between them, all of them hidden behind the wúxíng bar's spell? Would they have been able to save Griffin? or would his story still have ended there, in that bloody conclusion to a tale we never get to know?

And assuming they still ended up at Griffin's safehouse, would their next actions have changed? Would that fact that there were three of them now, not just two, that they were a little less bowed by grief, changed what they decided to do?

Robin would be less broken, but he would still have just lost a brother, lost a whole new community that he didn't even have time to really get to know. And Ramy--Ramy would fill the place where Robin's grief for him would have been with rage and betrayal and fire, a conviction that now, at last, something needed to be done. That Griffin was right, and now that Griffin was gone, that the others were gone, they were the only ones left who could do anything.

I think, even if Ramy were there, it was always going to end at Babel.

Ramy does the talking, when they take the tower. He's always been the best of them at public speaking, the most charming. How much difference does that make? Do more decide to stay? or does the fact that these words are coming from a brown man--someone who many of them will never see their equal--negate the effect?

(Ramy might have wanted to keep all the scholars hostage, but perhaps this less completely hopeless version of Robin sides with Victoire this time, and they decide to let those who do not wish to help them go.)

Victoire still shoots Professor Playfair. For Anthony.

Once they're in the strike, the debates over how to handle it are more complicated, with three of them. Victoire is Victoire: she wants to see Babel burn, but she also wants them to survive. All three of them. Ramy is Ramy: relieved to be able to give up the pretense, to drop the act he's had to put on for so many years. They have the power, finally, to make things happen, to make the country listen to them. When he finds out about the resonance rods, he wants to pull as many of them as they can. Victoire persuades him that they have to take it slow, to let the effects be felt, before they do more.

And Robin? Where does Robin fall, if Ramy is still alive by his side, if he is grieving Griffin and the loss of Hermes but is not so irrevocably driven to despair?

When he finds the maintenance log entry for Westminster Bridge, is he grimly delighted at the message it will send? Or does he hesitate, until Ramy persuades him that it is what needs to be done, that "this is how we make them listen, Birdie. This is how we win."

When Letty comes to give the ultimatum, does she find it harder to look them in the eyes, when the man she thought she loved is standing with the others against her, instead of a ghost floating between them?

And in the end, when it comes down to the final decision to destroy the tower--do Ramy and Robin decide to stay, or do they go?

They could decide to go back to Calcutta, where Robin can meet Ramy's parents, and they can try to rebuild Griffin's lost connections, to continue the work of Hermes from afar

But Ramy has never been one to run away. Even on that first night when the Balliol boys tried to intimidate him, he had been ready to fight. Ramy, when faced with this decision, as much as it might scare him, as much as he might wish there were a way that he and Robin could walk away from this--I think Ramy would choose to stay. And Robin--this version of him may be less ready to die, less ready to let it all end, but he still has watched parts of his world crumble in the last few days, and if Ramy is staying, there is no way that Robin will leave him behind.

Do they speak of it, then, that terrifying electricity between them?

Or do they leave it be, unspoken?

If Ramy had lived, it might not have swayed events from their course; from the outside, it might look like nothing had changed at all.

But even if the tower still came down in the end, even if they both stayed--if Ramy had lived, at least Robin's world would not have ended, not that way. At least, at the end, they wouldn't have been alone.

[kindlystrawberry]

Chapters: 9/10 Fandom: Rune Factory 4 Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Arthur/Frey (Rune Factory) Characters: Arthur (Rune Factory), Frey (Rune Factory), Arthur's mother, Nancy (Rune Factory), Margaret (Rune Factory), Blossom (Rune Factory), Porcoline De Sainte-Coquille, Villagers of Selphia, Rune Factory 4 Ensemble Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, colorblind soulmates, Minor Original Character(s), Spoilers, Character Study, Alcohol, Fluff, Light Angst, Backstory, Mutual Pining, Developing Relationship, Love Confessions, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Cuddling & Snuggling, Background Doug/Dylas, Background Margaret/Forte, Angst with a Happy Ending, Marriage Event, Hurt/Comfort, POV Multiple, Mostly Arthur POV but still!

Summary:

“However, some people,” his mother continues, drawing Arthur out of his thoughts, “spend their entire lives without meeting their soulmate. And plenty marry just fine without needing to meet them, and without seeing in color. You shouldn’t worry about it.”

A/N: Chapter 9 is done! Thank you to everyone who’s been patient!

[shoot-i-messed-up]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: The Poppy War Series - R. F. Kuang Rating: Not Rated Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con Relationships: Chen Kitay & Fang Runin, Fang Runin & Sring Venka Characters: Fang Runin, Sring Venka, Chen Kitay Additional Tags: Past Rape/Non-con, Rape Aftermath, Angst, Angst and Feels, Canon Compliant, I mean you can imagine this as being canon compliant except it's this ONE scene that's different, Writing Exercise, spoilers for the first book but NONE for the other two bc I haven't read them yet, Character Study, as in a character study of how Rin might react to Venka being raped, and then studying how Venka might otherwise act in the aftermath of said rape Summary:

“We found Venka with…” Kitay cleared his throat. His skin flushed a little. “She was found at—at a relaxation house.”

A relaxation house. A relaxation house. All the relief that Rin felt at knowing yet another one of her classmates was alive dissipated, leaving her with a mounting horror. And for this to happen to Venka. Venka—with her lovely fair skin and an uptight arrogance and perfect Sineguardian accent—she was supposed to be above that. People like her weren’t supposed to be touched by war, much less touched like—like that.

Rin thought of herself, those short years ago, and her absolute terror of some well-off old man trying to fuck her on their wedding night. How naive she’d been. There were fates much worse than that.

Or, a writing exercise: a rewrite of the scene in which Rin visits Venka after the latter was raped by enemy soldiers.

[niseiri]

“Oh, Birdie.” Ramy wrapped a hand around his arm, the touch so gentle yet enough to make him shudder, rubbing his skin with his thumb. “There was nothing you could’ve done. You don’t have anything to apologize for.” He murmured. “Nothing at all.” That’s not true, Robin wanted to argue. But there was something in Ramy’s gaze, something so tender that made him pause. A reprieve, like being pulled back for air before he could drown underwater.

or: after the fall of Babel, two lovers reunite

[goats-r-cute888]

Rune Factory 5 - Alice/Priscilla - Gotcha Covered

This work was to fulfill a prompt on Ao3, and it features the Alice/Priscilla pairing. I hope you enjoy!

EDIT (7/5/23): I have also added the story here if you don't feel like accessing Ao3.

Rating: General

Archive Warning(s): No Archive Warnings Apply

Category(ies): F/F

Fandom(s): Rune Factory 5

Relationship(s): Alice/Priscilla

Character(s): Alice, Priscilla, Lucy, Scarlett

Additional Tag(s): Alternate Universe, AU, Coffee Shop Alternate Universe, Coffee Shop AU, College, University, Comfort, Rain

Language: English

Summary: After having some hot chocolate at a coffee shop, Priscilla waits for the bus back to her dorm room, when she realizes she forgot her umbrella. Luckily, someone has her covered.

Start Author’s Note: This is a Coffee Shop AU in a modern-day setting.

Gotcha Covered

-Priscilla-

It was cold and rainy – basically, the opposite kind of day that Priscilla typically enjoyed.

That was the reason she had decided to go to The Silo today. She’d been hounded by her best friend Lucy about visiting the coffee shop. The hyperactive girl hardly needed the additional caffeine in her diet, but Lucy still visited the place almost daily, despite it being somewhat out of the way.

Even though there were plenty of similar establishments near their university that Priscilla herself had frequented, Lucy swore that The Silo had the best of everything. Especially their hot chocolate.

Priscilla had a severe sweet-tooth, which some would say bordered on obsession. Priscilla thought it odd to ride the bus from their dorm to visit The Silo, only to have to ride back to make it to their first class in the morning. Nonetheless, her friend’s persistence eventually won out, and Priscilla decided to try the place out.

“Brr! It’s so chilly today.” Priscilla shuffled over to the bus stop, eyeing the bench. Rubbing her hands together and blowing on them, she hurried over and claimed a seat. She pulled her phone out of her coat pocket and texted Lucy that she was on her way back. A few moments later, she received a confirmation from her roommate, saying that she’d meet Priscilla at the bus stop in front of their dorm.

Priscilla pocketed her phone quickly, not wanting the cold droplets to collect on the screen. When Lucy had finally convinced her to go, the roommate had quickly realized that she had forgotten to finish up a homework assignment that was due today. Priscilla wasn’t surprised, but she did think it odd that Lucy had insisted that she go to The Silo without her.

Priscilla had assured her friend that she could wait, but with the back and forth of transportation, it would most likely make them either late to class, or feel rushed at The Silo, which wasn’t the first-time experience Lucy wanted her to have.

Which was why Priscilla sat on the bench alone, hoping that the bus would arrive sooner rather than later. She had checked the time on her phone earlier, and as long as the bus arrived when it was scheduled to, she shouldn’t have any problem making it to class.

Really feeling the rain, which was falling at an increasingly faster rate, Priscilla rummaged through her purse, feeling for her umbrella. She felt everything else – wallet, room key, make-up, a calculator for her math classes – but not her umbrella.

“Drat!” she cursed to herself. She must have left it at The Silo. She’d been so distracted making it to the bus stop in time that she must’ve forgotten it on the table.

She weighed her options. She would probably have enough time to run back and fetch it, but what if the bus happened to be early? If she missed this one, she would definitely be late, which, though not a big deal for many, was a big deal for her. She would rather die than have to feel the entire class’s eyes on her as she slowly slinked over to her seat. Her professor was nice, but they tended to make jokes, so she was sure that they’d make a comment at her expense.

So, she decided to just wait it out. Hopefully, The Silo would hold onto it for her, and she could come back tomorrow with Lucy to pick it up.

The rain was starting to soak into her hair, the pink strands sticking to her face. As she breathed more heat onto her hands, she noticed that the breath itself was visible. It was late autumn, which was why she was wearing a coat. However, it didn’t have a hood, so she was unable to cover her head, which was starting to get uncomfortably damp.

“Whew! I made it.” The sudden voice caused Priscilla to jump and look up towards to source. All she saw was pink.

“Um, hello?”

The stranger must have realized that Priscilla couldn’t seem them past the umbrella. “Oh! Sorry about that! I was just so excited that I caught up to you.” The stranger’s voice was bright and warm, the complete opposite of the current weather. They moved the umbrella slightly so that they could sit next to her, both of them being protected from the rain.

“C-Caught up to me?” Had this person been stalking her? She hadn’t felt anyone’s eyes on her, but she had been somewhat distracted making it back to the bus stop. She met the stranger’s eyes, which were a vibrant green.

“Yeah! I mean, Scarlett noticed that you had forgotten your umbrella at The Silo, so I ran over to catch up to you. I guessed you were headed for the bus, and turns out I was right! Lucky, huh?” The stranger laughed, and now that Priscilla realized where this person was from, she calmed down a bit.

She looked closer at the stranger, and took in the rest of her. Her hair was blonde, and was partially covered by a pink cap that was so dark, some might consider it red. She had a matching apron, with a white t-shirt and black pants. Definitely a barista.

“Thank you very much for… returning my umbrella.” Priscilla reached out a hand to take it so that the other woman could leave, but the barista moved her hand away before she could.

“Of course! But please, let me hold it for you, at least until your bus comes.” The woman smiled at her. It was so bright and cheerful that Priscilla couldn’t help smiling back.

“Okay. Thank you.”

“Ah, I should probably introduce myself.” The woman laid her free hand on her chest. “I’m Alice! I’m a barista at The Silo. Scarlett is my coworker, and she was the one who served you.”

Ah. So that’s who this Scarlett was. She remembered a woman with serious red eyes and light blue hair tied back into a ponytail. Her uniform had been the same as Alice’s, though instead of pink, it had been green. Maybe to denote a rank or seniority?

“She had her hands full, so she ordered– er, told me to get this back to you.” Alice chuckled, her cheeks a light pink.

“Well, Alice, thank you for taking the time to deliver this to me. I’m very grateful.” She felt like she was saying ‘thank you’ too much, but she couldn’t think of what else to say. Lucy was usually by her side, and she tended to be the active communicator either between themselves or with other people.

Alice nodded. Her blush deepened as she looked up and down at Priscilla, her green eyes roaming. Priscilla felt her own face redden as the two said nothing.

The barista finally met her gaze once more, and her smile widened. “Tell me if I’m barking up the wrong tree here, but you’re really pretty. Especially with that rainswept look you’ve got going on.”

Oh! So that’s why she’d been staring. To be honest, Priscilla herself had been staring a bit, but she had thought it was just because this woman was so energetic, that it was hard to look away.

Maybe it had been for another reason?

 “Th-Thank you. You’re… pretty too.” Priscilla looked away. Had the bus shown up yet?

She heard Alice laugh. “Why thank you! I try.” Priscilla looked back. “Though, it’s hard to look attractive when I’m wearing a barista uniform.”

“N-Nonsense, you look attractive!” Realizing what she had just said, Priscilla’s eyes widened. “I-I mean, you look pretty regardless of what you’re wearing.”

Priscilla sat there, wishing that the bus would not only arrive, but run her over after such a blatant verbal misstep. Alice was just being nice, a barista serving her customer, but Priscilla had been so flattered that she’d said too much.

Alice watched her, her smile melting into one of… contentment? Good, maybe she hadn’t really noticed how she’d said she was attractive. Maybe she’d thought it was just reiterating that the barista uniform didn’t detract from her appearance, rather than an admittance of… something more.

“Hey, don’t worry so much. I asked if I was barking up the wrong tree for a reason.” Alice gently placed her free hand on Priscilla’s, rubbing her thumb across the backs of her fingers. “I think you’re attractive too. I should have been more straightforward. My uh… ‘game’ could use some work, or so I’ve been told.” Her voice had turned to an annoyed mutter at the end. Huh. Sounds like her friends had teased her about it.

The feel of a warm hand on hers, as well as Alice’s self-deprecating response, made Priscilla’s chest flutter in a bubbly sort of way. Before she knew it, she was giggling. “Your ‘game’ seems perfectly adequate to me. I’m just… not great around people, so I find it hard to pick up cues sometimes.”

“I see. Well, that’s good. I knew you had to have some sort of flaw, since you’re so beautiful and kind. It wouldn’t be fair to have it all!” Alice laughed, squeezing her hand.

“You seem to be very unfair if that’s the case,” Priscilla responded. She surprised herself with how smooth that had come out.

Alice’s eyes widened. “Pretty, kind, and flirty? I think I just hit the jackpot!” She moved her hand off of Priscilla’s, and reached into her apron pocket. She pulled out her phone and unlocked it. “If it’s not too much to ask, could I get your number? I’d love to talk with you more, maybe over a cup of…?”

“Hot chocolate.” Priscilla filled in the blank for her. A small smile formed on her face. “Sure.” She reached out and took Alice’s phone, entering her contact information into it.

She handed it back, and saw Alice’s eyes scan over the screen. “Priscilla…” she sounded out the name. She almost purred it, and Priscilla felt her heartbeat quicken slightly. “I’ll remember that.”

The two stared at each other, until Priscilla noticed Alice look over her head. “Great timing!” Priscilla turned her gaze towards what Alice was staring at, and saw that the bus was slowly pulling up to the curb.

Alice handed Priscilla her umbrella. “I’ll text you later, ‘kay?” She winked.

Priscilla swallowed thickly, practically forcing a response out of her throat. “O-Okay.”

She stood up, closing the umbrella as she walked up to the bus, its doors slowly opening. As she climbed the steps and got situated into a seat, she looked out the window to see Alice looking at her. The barista waved, and Priscilla gave a small wave back.

As the bus drove away from the curb, Priscilla watched as Alice turned and made her way back to, presumably, The Silo.

Sighing contentedly, Priscilla leaned back into her seat, and closed her eyes.

End Author’s Note: I haven’t really written a character that just comes out and says they’re attracted to someone, so this was fun to write. Hope you enjoyed!

[runefactorynonsense]

I am potentially in 6 artistic Secret Santa events this year, three on Tumblr, three via Discord. And I couldn't be happier ❄️❄️🎅

[magic-biscuit]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Rune Factory (Video Games), Rune Factory 5 Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Characters: Lucas (Rune Factory), Ares (Rune Factory), Terrable (Rune Factory) Additional Tags: Friendship, Rune Factory 5 Spoilers, Kinda, Spoilers for Rune Factory 4 Summary:

He was quick to rush over to Ares' side. His skin was as pale as death itself yet he still drew breath. That alone was enough to almost send Lucas bursting into relieved tears. It was only a thin thread, yet it was there. That was all Lucas needed.

As gentle as one would cradle a newborn Lucas lifted Ares up in his arms. He turned his eyes towards the sky as the last streak of light left.

Lucas had a mistake to fix and he had to do it tonight.

[emmystar]

Chapters: 1 (Oneshot)

Game: Rune Factory 2

Ship: Kyle x Julia

Characters: Julia, Kyle, Rosalind, Dorothy, Roy

Any warnings?: Nope! Just cute fluff

I sometimes like to write fanfics so I figured I’d post ‘em on Ao3! I only ever write fluff or short stories ^^

[satans-helper]

Reaching for Stardust - Part XIX

Read Looking for Space here / Playlists / Read RFS on wattpad or read previous parts here

Word Count: ~4500

Warnings: sexy time;)

So sorry this is late. I kept fretting over this chapter because we're at the end, and a large part of me really doesn't want to end this but I also know that time has come. It took me so long to come up with an idea for a sequel, which so many people had asked for, then spent so much time planning this story, so much time writing, but it never felt quite like how it felt when I had been writing LFS. Not feeling the same, not getting much hits on this series and very minimal feedback ultimately made me feel like I may have even made a mistake by meddling in something that was so good on its own. Suffice to say, it looks like, as it stands now, the next chapter after this will be the final one. Thank you so much to all of you who have been reading along <3

---

“Ready, honey?” my dad asked me as he approached my side, quite dapper in his suit and tie, while my mother walked ahead, leading the way. The boys and girls were behind, blocking my view of Josh in the middle. Although I already had a succinct idea of what his wedding suit looked like, I was eager to see it in the flesh and on him, the beautiful boy who could wear anything and shine as bright as all the stars in the sky because he himself sparkled so vividly. 

I linked my arm with my dad’s. “I think so,” I told him, trembling a bit in my heels. “It’s just doing all this with so many people watching that freaks me out.” 

He patted my arm. “This is your day, and Josh’s too. Pretend we’re not here.”

I laughed a little, shifting my weight from one foot to the other. “That’s hard to do. But I told Josh I would try.”

“No ring bearer?” my dad noted, and I followed his eyes outward again.

With a chuckle, I said, “It’s Sam.”

My dad laughed a little too. “Oh.”

Only a few more moments, those brief seconds of heart-pounding anticipation, went by before my dad and I were stepping down the aisle. I felt unsteady on my feet, inclined to fall right over onto the wooden floor that my heels clacked so loud in my ears over if it hadn’t been for my dad keeping me upright and walking. 

I looked up first, gazing briefly at the glittering paper stars and moons that hung from the ceiling, at the lights that cast a warm glow over everyone and everything, willing myself to block out the “everyone” except for Josh. With a shuddering breath, I looked back down and ahead, my eyes searching for him. He wasn’t hard to find. In his royal blue crushed velvet suit jacket, gold jewelry and the rhinestones around his eyes, my beloved Starshine stood out amongst everyone else. 

Josh’s eyes widened and glittered when he looked at me, his gaze roaming from my face then down the length of my body. I hoped he liked the dress, the color of it matching the sky I saw in my mind whenever I thought of him, the material as gentle and sweet as his touch, the delicateness of it true to his affection for me. Another step forward and his gaze traveled up again to meet mine–I thought it was just the light at first, and the rhinestones, but then I saw that they were wet with tears. That revelation made me realize my own eyes had already been the same, tears welling and threatening to ruin my makeup. Then he erupted into a huge, silent smile, white teeth shining, the little gap between his two front teeth the next thing I found myself focusing on. 

How I loved that smile, those teeth, those perfect lips, and my chest heaved when he mouthed “hi” at me, his brow tense as if he were trying to pull back the tears in his eyes. 

I mouthed the same word back, trembling once more. My dad squeezed my arm and patted my hand before we parted, leaving me standing in front of Josh, who quickly took my hands in his own. 

From there, I felt and saw only him; my hearing drifted to and from the officiant, in and out of the words spoken that weren’t exactly our own but that mirrored our feelings, our devotion, our eternal love. But I heard very clearly when that stopped and our time came. The vows. The open declaration that everyone would hear, most wouldn’t remember, that shook my anxiety alive once again.

I had decided to go first during our planning. Clearing my throat as discreetly as I could, my hands shook slightly as I took the piece of paper I’d prepared from the officiant. I’d memorized almost all of it but I glanced down at it anyway, trying to blink back the tears that were still hanging out on the rims of my eyes. Looking back up, I met Josh’s eyes–the only person who needed to hear the words.

“Joshua,” was my simple beginning, and just hearing his formal name made him blush and smile sweetly in front of me. “My beloved,” I added, smiling back, my heartbeat stirring then slowing a bit when I returned my eyes to the paper. “The second you entered my life, you changed it and you changed it for the better. In my heart, it really didn’t take long before I knew I couldn’t live life without you.” Looking up again, Josh was smiling wider, infectious; I smiled even more in turn, the words coming out more freely, stronger: “I hope from here on out, forever and always, I can remind you that you are the sun, the stars, the moon and the entire universe. You’re my entire universe.” With a laugh, I reached for one of his hands to hold once more and went off script for the last sentence: “And I love you so much sometimes I don’t know what to do with myself besides tell you that.”

 I heard a sniff which made me look away and search for the cause; my sister was dabbing her eyes with her knuckles. She chuckled and waved me away when we made eye contact; I let out one quiet laugh and returned my focus to Josh, who had apparently forgone the use of notes completely, and my heart fluttered as wild as a bird’s wings when he said my name.

“You, darling, are the pearl of my world,” he went on, taking my other hand. “When I feel the heat of the sun, I feel your hand in mine.” With that, he gave my hands a squeeze. “When I feel the cold chill of winter I know I’ll be warm again soon with you by my side. You’re the sun, the light that brings me to life every single morning.” I smiled, feeling shy and more beautiful than I ever had before. “Every day for the rest of our lives I will tell you that we’re soulmates, because we are, and every day I will thank the heavens above that they brought us together.” His dark eyes were soft as he held my gaze, cheeks rosy and sweet. “There’s not a force in the universe that would ever tear us apart. I love you forever and always.” 

“I love you more,” I said quietly, not sure Josh could even hear it over the murmurs of praise and scattered but excited applause from our guests, but he smiled and shook his head, giving my hands another squeeze. 

“Samuel?” the officiant said, and hearing Sam’s formal name made me giggle. But Sam was graceful and composed as he presented our rings–Josh’s wedding band and my own, my engagement ring still shimmering on my finger. I was sure I’d never take either off. I watched closely as Josh slid the white gold band on, making my left hand complete; I felt his eyes on me as I did the same for him. Seeing the shiny, brilliant gold on his beautifully sculpted hand made me dizzy for a second, but his eyes meeting mine grounded me. 

I heard the next words more clearly–we were unified through it all. Married. Together forever, no matter what might happen. Then Josh was stepping closer, slowly, almost tentatively, but our first kiss as a married couple was anything but–it was no chaste, modest kiss. No, Josh’s lips were fierce and passionate, knocking the wind out of me, and I looped my arms around his shoulders to hold him closer, truly completely forgetting there was anyone but us there beneath the lights.

There was an uproar of applause–and loud cheering from our best man, groomsmen, maid of honor and bridesmaids–when the kiss happened, growing in volume when we broke apart and actually looked out at everyone for the first time. 

“Hey, hey,” Sam whispered, sidling up to me and nudging me with a pointy elbow. “Party time?”

I laughed, throwing my arms around him. “Dinner time, Sammy. Party time after, okay?” 

“Samuel, go to the bar,” Josh said, spinning his younger brother around. “And please get us some champagne.”

“Normally I’d refuse that demand,” Sam said, grinning and smoothing the lapel of his dove gray suit down. “But I guess since this is YOUR day.”

“That’s right,” Josh affirmed, patting him on the back before Sam drifted off to fulfill the request. 

“Congratulations,” Jake said, looking brilliant and beautiful in his maroon suit, silver jewelry complementing Josh’s gold. He pulled his twin into a long, tight hug, eyes closed for a moment before he opened them to look at me standing behind. “To both of you. Happy to be here.”

“You’re the best man,” I said as if he needed a reminder. 

“The BEST man,” Josh agreed, squeezing Jake even tighter for a second before stepping back, hands on his twin’s shoulders. “Thank you for being here.” I watched Josh’s focus flit over to Danny, who came over and took Josh in his arms next. “Daniel, my brother. You look incredibly dapper.”

“Thank you,” Danny replied, smiling, as gorgeous as any of them. I was worried that the cool, lavender-ish gray groomsmen suits might wash him and Sam out, but they’d chosen just the right side to keep their tan skin sharp and pretty, all of their jewelry shiny and drawing in the right amount of attention. Besides, those suits complemented the soft lilac and murky lavender of the bridal party.

“Are girls allowed in this little crowd?” Bev asked as she approached and my sister captured me in a hug while Jane met Jake’s side, who pressed a quick kiss to her temple. 

“Yes!” Sam answered from behind, approaching with two glasses of champagne in one hand, three in another. “But I need help getting more booze, if one of you ladies wants to assist.”

“On it,” Bev said dutifully, swishing away in her muted lavender dress.

After our group toast, Josh and I had our own duty to make our rounds with our various family members and other esteemed guests. We circled each table, giving hugs and thanks while we were lavished with compliments and well wishes. It was a bit of a blur, but Josh’s hand on my arm, that hand traveling to my waist, kept me both rooted in reality and swept up into the fantasy of it all. I felt like a fairytale princess in my fine blue dress that swirled around me as I moved, Josh’s blue suit the perfect companion, both of us looking like we shot straight down from the sky. 

“You look absolutely stunning,” Josh said quietly in my ear as we made our way to the next table, hand on my waist. “Utterly gorgeous and ethereal.”

“Thank you.” I wrapped my arm around his waist in return, feeling the softness of the crushed velvet beneath my palm. “So do you, my gorgeous little prince.”

“I don’t know why you were so nervous.” Josh gestured at the numerous guests we still had to speak with. “You’re a natural at this. So regal and graceful.”

I laughed loudly, unable to contain it. “You’re the only person who’s ever said that about me.”

“Well, it’s true,” Josh said, leaning in close to press a quick kiss to my cheek. “And I know you better than anyone.”

Finally there came a point where we were done mingling and we could sit down beneath the faux-night sky of the lodge, the paper, cardboard and light-up constellations and celestial bodies hanging overhead and creating a comfortable ambiance. 

After Jake and Kirsti’s equally lovely, charming and humorous speeches in our honor, we dug into our catered dinners and shared more champagne and wine. By the time I was done with my plate, I was sufficiently buzzed. Mostly from the alcohol, sure, but from joy and love and excitement too–I could feel those emotions unraveling, bursting even, deep inside me, making me warm and light. Josh’s smile was brighter than the sun he compared me to; his laughter rang through my ears like the prettiest song, and I kept looking down at our hands in their rings in near-disbelief that this wasn't all a fairytale.

I was a little unsteady on my feet again when it was time to cut the cake, but this time it was purely from booze, not nerves. No, thankfully my anxiety had entirely floated off into nothing with how purely joyous, exciting and electric the evening was–Josh and I just giggled, holding each other close, as we went up to the tiered treasure of pastry. Like the lodge, it was also even more beautiful than I’d seen in the final photo after our final tweaks to the flavor profile–perfectly smooth white frosting to match the snow outside, thinly sliced, caramelized pears and their sugared leaves on the top tier, the whole cake complete with the finest layer of white edible glitter to make it all shimmer.

“I like this tradition!” Josh said with a laugh as we clasped out hands over the hilt of the shiny silver knife. I laughed too, trying not to let it move my body too much so we didn’t destroy the cake; Josh guided us to the edge and we both pressed down, listening to more applause as the blade sliced through.

“Anything with knives,” I agreed too late, having been trying to retain my focus to say it any sooner. Josh nodded with another giggle and reached for the two forks that had been set for us instead; I carved out the first little bite, then he followed suit, and we fought more giggles while our arms crossed over one another’s and we brought those bites of cake into each other’s mouths.

“Fuck,” Josh said, glancing at the cake again. “This is good.”

“Really good,” I said, wishing we could steal more bites without tainting it for everyone else. But soon enough we got our full pieces, as did all of our friends and family, and the wildly delicious winter cake made the perfect cushioning for even more alcohol as dessert quickly segued into dancing. 

Beginning with our first dance, which sent a whirlwind of butterflies into my stomach yet again. But as the first guitar strums of “Annie’s Song” began and Josh’s hands gave my own a delicate squeeze while our eyes met, the butterflies fluttered off to leave me in a sense of calm that was entirely unexpected. 

Then again, I shouldn’t have expected anything else, I thought while Josh and I held each other close and moved with the music–there was nothing in the universe that could shake me up too badly to ever be calmed down again, not as long as Josh was a part of that universe. 

Dancing with everyone commenced–the beginning of the “party time” Sam had been so eager for. I was too, honestly, and after spending some additional time on the dance floor after our song, Josh and I sneaked out with our boys and girls to finally get stoned. 

We all huddled together during the trek through the snow, into the woods–the canopy of shimmering stars overhead became fractured as we moved deeper into the trees, but the moon was big and bright, helping us see in addition to the use of smartphone flashlights. Once we were tucked into a dark cove of coniferous trees, the flashlights turned off and the two lighters–one Sam’s and one Danny’s–flicked on, and soon smoke was swirling around all of us in the cold dark.

Talk of the food, the cake, the dancing, everyone’s outfits, the vows and everything else looped in slightly hushed tones through the woods we huddled in. Muffled giggles shared between our group eventually turned into somewhat raucous laughter that echoed through the darkness, and our shoulders bounced off one another’s with each rasping breath of chaos and delight. 

“You’re fucking married,” Sam said, nothing more than a lanky silhouette in front of me so I couldn’t be sure who that statement was directed at.

Josh replied first with, “Fuck yeah, I’m fucking married!” and another loud, delightful cackle. Then his arm snaked around my waist, pulling me in close. “We're fucking married.”

“We are.” I reciprocated with my arm around him too. “I finally married my little wood elf.”

“Oh my god, he totally is,” Bev said, passing one of the three mobilized joints over to my sister, who I was still surprised to see with us there but, as she’d told me, it was my “special day.”

The lights on the dance floor mingled with the lights from that canopy of faux-constellations and celestial bodies above, the whole reception room of the lodge as rowdy and as magical as any fairytale celebration. Though I was not normally one for too much dancing, I couldn’t deny the urge to dance like the drunken, high, lovesick fool I was with anyone who cared to join and for as long as my heels would allow me which was, much to my delight, much longer than I’d anticipated. Riveted and fueled by the splendor of our loved ones, the gorgeous moonlit night, the dark beauty of the lodge and the song in my heart, I was spurred onward and onward until the full crowd became a small group of stragglers.

It was then, when things became quiet and tables were completely cleared, that the few of us who remained began to retire. Josh and I gave our last obligatory goodbyes to a small selection of folks, then the final people were our closest kinsfolk who, of course, insisted on one last night time smoke session out in the woods before everyone went off to their rooms.

Josh and I had the best room of them all–I knew as much even without seeing any others. Ours was luxuriously large, actually too large for just two people, with high ceilings and everything made of wood like the rest of the lodge; but it was its intimate, special beauty from the woodland world outside that made it the best. 

“Look at that moon,” Josh said softly from behind me, then I felt his arms circle around my body. We were standing in the frigid cold on our balcony, swathed in the shadows from the towering, dark trees and the infinite universe above it all–the countless sparkling, silver stars, the milky way somewhere out there beyond our vision, Andromeda’s beating heart in the sky an elusive yet constant reminder of how far we’d come and what we meant to one another. 

“For being only half illuminated, she sure is bright,” I said, relaxing in his arms, blinking up at the cosmos. With Josh wrapped around me, the winter air didn’t feel like a biting cold at all; on the contrary, I felt safe and warm in January’s thick, frosty darkness. 

“You know, I’ve been waiting all night to say certain things to just you,” Josh began, resting his chin on my shoulder, his words warm in my ear. “But now that we’re actually alone and I’m high and drunk and the sky looks like this, I don’t think any of the words I thought of can do my feelings justice.”

“That was a long sentence,” I said with a giggle, reaching a hand up to run through his curls. “My beautiful celestial poet. All of your words do everything justice as far as I’m concerned.”

“Well, it may be a bit gauche to use a cliche right now,” Josh went on, pressing his lips to the side of my neck. “But thank you for truly making me the happiest man on earth. Or rather, in the entire universe.”

The glow of the moon and the shimmer of the stars followed us back inside our room through the windows. Curtains drawn, we let the night sky act as our light while we carefully stripped out of our wedding clothes; only then did a chill run down my spine, but the sudden cold was quickly swept away as Josh pounced on me and wrangled me down onto the giant bed.

As he climbed over me, running his hands up my arms to hold them over my head, he said, “I do kind of wish you kept the dress on. But I imagine what we’re about to do would absolutely ruin it.”

I smiled up at him, enchanted by his long lashes fanned over those dark, gleaming eyes. “You really looked so good tonight, Josh. I mean, you always look good.” With my arms free, I brought my hands to his shoulders. “But…wow. Now I’m kind of wishing you kept the suit on.”

“I’m flattered. And yet–” Josh rolled onto his back and pulled me on top instead, both of us erupting into giggles. “This feels so much more right.” 

I properly straddled his hips, his hardness already sliding between my legs. “I’m inclined to agree.” 

We took our time with slow, deep kisses and languid touches over each other’s bodies. For all the changes over the years, the sense of comfort and security that being with Josh gave me stayed the same; actually, I thought as he rolled me back over and took the lead again, his hands spreading my legs and mine traveling down to his hips, that comfort and security had grown to be even more profound. Especially now that we were married, which felt like the beautiful bow to tie everything together–to tie us together in totality and finality. 

“My beautiful girl,” Josh said quietly while he slid his cock through my wetness, his teeth shining as he smiled. 

I gasped and clutched his biceps as he pushed his hips forward, sinking slowly inside. “My beautiful boy,” I said back, running one hand up his shoulder, his neck, to caress that truly gorgeous, enchanting face. Josh’s beauty elicited as much pleasure as feeling him did, just in a different way–I could look at that face forever. The fact that I was now guaranteed to look at him forever was one of the biggest blessings I could ever imagine. 

Josh’s hands squeezed my breasts as he leaned back, angling his hips up more while he thrust, and the just-right repeated thrusting of his cock inside me had me panting and whining quickly. I held onto his forearms, just about the only part of him I could adequately touch, and kept my hands wrapped around the sturdy yet soft security they kept me in. His whole body, really, was so reassuring to have in bed again, in that moonlight, in the fairytale lodge, in the whole, infinite universe that had, for whatever reason, been kind enough to bring us together. 

When I reached a hand out to try and urge him to come closer, he did–Josh gave one hard thrust as he surged his upper body back to me, planting his lips on mine in a searing kiss that muffled both of our moans. My fingers curled in his hair, keeping our mouths together, until I allowed one of them to slide down the nape of his neck, his shoulders, the center of his strong, silky back. He chuckled when I grabbed his ass; I hooked one leg around his hips and he turned away to let out a clear moan that rang through my ears like a melody. 

“You make the sexiest sounds,” I said, cradling the back of his head while I kissed and sucked on his neck in an effort to wring more of those sounds out of him. 

Josh let out what sounded akin to a purr as his hips moved faster, pounding against my inner thighs, his cock angled just right inside me; I made to slip one hand between us but Josh beat me to it, bringing his fingers to my clit. 

“Sweetheart,” Josh said quietly, voice raspy and so sexy that I whined and grabbed his ass harder. He pressed his forehead against mine, looking into my eyes. “I’m close.”

My back arching gradually with his fevered thrusts and the incessant stimulation of my clit, I was letting out my own stream of continual, desperate moans. His intense gaze, those beautiful eyes, stole any words that I was going to speak–instead, I tugged his hair to kiss his perfect lips again. Our tongues tangled and teeth nipped, and when I pressed a soft kiss to Josh’s jaw, his breath hitched before he moaned and sank as deep as possible into me, his hips slowing to a full stop.

Before I could say or do anything at all, Josh pulled out and slid down, settling down between my thighs. I gasped with surprise when his tongue lapped over my clit and two fingers slid inside me, curling and pumping, his eager moans vibrating through my center, up my spine. 

“Josh,” I whimpered, then moaned his name again, my eyes shut tight as the overwhelming pleasure rippled through me. My legs started to quiver on either side of his head which I reached down for, my fingers hooking in his curls again, and then I was seeing a different kind of night sky and canvas of stars behind my eyes. 

Breathing hard, my hands loosening my grasp on him, I looked down to see Josh lick his fingers clean. He kissed my knee before he shot back up, collapsing on top of me to kiss my lips before he rolled off and flopped down next to me. Immediately, he curled into my front, resting his face against my chest while he wrapped his arms around my shoulders. He let out a soft little grunt, then a huff as he rubbed his face against my skin, the tip of his nose brushing against my sternum, as if he was already getting ready to fall asleep.

“Joshua,” I said softly. He knew what I was going to say, and it’s not like I wanted to get up either, but best practices were always needed. 

“Just lie here for five minutes, love,” he replied, tightening his grasp around me including hooking his legs around my body. With how much muscle was wound in his, there was no way I could get out anyway. “That was amazing. Married sex is fucking fantastic.”

I chuckled and pet his hair, his shoulders. Almost fifteen ended up passing before I actually managed to get up. When I came back from the bathroom and pulled on shorts and a t-shirt, I saw Josh was actually fully asleep. I sat down on the bed next to him and just looked at him for a minute, stroking those long curls and the shaved side that was exposed with his profile, touching the gold hoop in his ear next, which made him stir just a little. 

I managed to pull the covers back just enough to cover about half of Josh without rousing him from his sleep; then I was crawling underneath them myself, nestling my body flush with his, reveling in the glowing warmth of his heat as the night outside grew colder. 

---

Tagging:

@sparrowofrhiannon @starbuggie @lightsofthe-living-gvf @sanguinebats @gvfrry @clairesjointshurt @bizzielisteningtogreta @jjwasneverhere @gvfrry

If you’d like to be tagged in any of my fics, you can go here or DM me :)

[durotoswrites]

Winter prompts! Hmmm... what about Decorating and Vishnal (and the rest of the butler squad if you feel inclined)

I see what you did there! I'll have you know I played some RF4 this week, hehe. Butler Squad, roll out! I had a lot of fun with this one. Thank you for the ask!

Winter Themed Prompts - Asks are open!

Vishnal wasn’t sure how many times he had attempted to hang the pine boughs, but the muscles in his arms were screaming from constantly adjusting the garland.

This is just part of of the job. A good butler should never complain about any sort of discomfort.

He furrowed his brow.

Power through – no one else is complaining.

He felt sweat roll into his eyes as he climbed down the ladder to observe his handiwork. After wiping his face carefully on his handkerchief (after all, a butler should be as pristine as his castle), he stared at the greenery, frowning and turning his head.

“What do you think, Clorica?”

She blinked rapidly, straightening her posture. “Oh? The garland? It looks fine to me,” she replied with a heavy yawn.

He tilted his head, biting his lip. “It’s not perfect.”

“It’s not going to be exactly symmetrical with natural branches, though. That’s part of what makes it so pretty.” She continued placing delicate glass ornaments in the large glass vase before her. It wasn’t long before she closed her eyes, her hands deftly placing the shiny baubles in various containers.

Vishnal was about to chide her for “resting her eyes” as she liked to call it, when a booming voice emerged from the hallway.

“Has Vishnal finally finished that doorway yet?” The scent of spiced tea preceded the head butler. Volkanon had been busy with his specialty brew, still donning a spotless apron.

Snapping to attention, he turned to face him. “Y-Yes, Sir!” He held his breath as his boss appraised his handiwork.

The pine boughs had been hung around the door frame carefully, and an elegant wreath adorned the door, complete with a stylish and lavish bow.

“Not bad, but do you intend on leaving the area above the door so bare? This is our special guest’s room we’re talking about.”

Vishnal felt his cheeks flame. “O-Of course, I’ll fix it right away!”

After much precise measuring and several trips up and down ladders, two matching bows were placed at the top corners of the door frame.

Clorica clapped her hands with delight. “Aw, how cute! It kinda resembles Frey’s hair, doesn’t it?”

He let out an audible gasp. “Oh, no! I’ll have to take it down, and…”

“Aw, I like it.” Clorica’s voice had a sad tone to it. “Although, it would look nice with some ornaments spread throughout, and maybe it could use something for a centerpiece?”

Clorica sleepily shuffled through a box and produced a ball of greenery adorned with white berries. “She’ll be sure to like this!”

Glancing at Clorica’s pristine handiwork, he had a feeling that Clorica’s taste was more refined than his own. Thanking her profusely, he climbed the ladder again, hanging the final adornment as Clorica helped him center it. Volkanon’s commanding request for them to try the tea (which both butlers knew would take longer than a mere sampling) left Vishnal scurrying to finish the work, dropping and shattering one of the ornaments in the process. Clorica promised to buy some time for him as she went to Volkanon.

Sweeping the mistake off of the floor, Vishnal silently berated himself.

It looks like I still have a long way before even becoming a semi-decent butler… Why can’t I stop screwing things up?

A delighted squeal caught his attention. He turned his head to see Frey staring at the hall, her mittened hands over her heart as her jaw dropped.

“Wow… this is gorgeous!”

A smile crossed his lips before he knew it; Frey’s excitement always gave him that effect. “It was a group effort, and I’m glad that you enjoy it!”

“Enjoy it? I love it!” She whirled around, taking in the sights, her long pigtails moving with her. “Ah, and my door! It’s so pretty!” She stood in the doorway, looking up at the ornaments.

Vishnal set his broom against the wall and wrung his hands, his heart pounding. “I’m so glad you like it, Princess.”

Her eyes traveled toward the centerpiece hanging above her and her face went scarlet. “You did this?”

“I had some suggestions, but I assembled it.”

She shyly looked down at her boots. “Thank you. I really like it. Um… if you’re available, will you wake me tomorrow morning?” She looked back up at the mistletoe ball, not meeting his gaze.

“Of course! You can count on me!” His cheeks hurt from grinning.

“Well, it’s been a long day. I think I’m going to turn in early and have a cup of hot tea.”

“Tea?!” Vishnal’s eyes widened as he remembered Clorica stalling for him. “Ah, I forgot that I’m supposed to meet with Volkanon. Have a good night, Princess, and sleep well.” He flashed her a smile as he hurried down the hallway.

Frey clung to the door frame, watching him leave. Her face flushed deeply, but the winter chill had nothing to do with it.

[welcomehomeincorrectquotes]

My version of the Rainbow Factory AU:

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

As a big fan of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic and the original Rainbow Factory songs and Grimdark fanfiction, I am intrigued with the concept of the Rainbow Factory!Wally AU.

The only issue I have is that I can't find any content for RF!Wally that has a story were Wally Darling feels like Wally Darling and where a Rainbow Factory would makes sense in the world of Welcome Home.

So I'm going to try doing it myself! Wish me luck...

This AU is subject to change with the more we learn about Welcome Home!

The AU starts off fairly normally, with the popular show Welcome Home getting cancelled for unknown reasons: this causes the neighbourhood to become vulnerable, and is attacked by the Void, which latches onto Home like a parasite, leeching off their lifeforce, causing the neighbourhood to decay and lose it's colour.

Due to his status as Home's resident and the main character of the show, Wally is the only other resident still conscious after the upheaval.

Home, now calling themself "Factory", tells Wally if he wants to save his friends and home, he will need invite ❄︎♒︎♏︎ ✌︎◆︎♎︎♓︎♏︎■︎♍︎♏︎ over to the neighbourhood and make them into "sacrifices". Wally doesn't understand what is going on or what the word "sacrifices" means, but trusts Home and follows their instructions.

He knows what "Sacrifices" means now.

Regardless, it works, and the Factory creates a beautiful rainbow that brings life and colour back into the neighbourhood.

Wally's beloved neighbours are a bit dazed, but otherwise completely fine. They don't even realise anything terrible happened.

Factory tells him that, unfortunately, this won't last forever; Wally must keep bringing in more sacrifices, keep making rainbows, otherwise the Neighbourhood will die.

Notes:

The Neighbours are blissfully unaware about what happens inside the Rainbow Factory, beyond that it makes rainbows (which drives Frank nuts because SCIENCE but whatever).

Working at the Factory has taken a monstrous toll on Wally's mental and physical health. He tries to act normal for his friends, but they've all noticed. They are all very worried him, especially Barnaby.

Factory is the Void, not Home.

Factory acts very manipulative and emotionally abusive towards Wally; peppering him with praise when following orders and cutting him off at the knees when he questions them.

Wally is psychically connected with Home, which lets Factory directly control the puppet at times.

What do you think? I'm open to any questions, suggestions and/or critiques and will make more if you're interested... eep...

[kindlystrawberry]

Kiss prompts! What about Doug/Dylas and #22 if you ship them.

50 TYPES OF KISSES! SEND IN A NUMBER AND A PAIRING (accepting!) 22. A kiss that is leading to more, but is interrupted by a third party A/N: Hello I am absolutely EONS late to this (like, YEARS?) but this got lost in my inbox somehow and it just completely slipped my memory. I am exceedingly sorry about that. Anyway, DylDoug is one of my biggest ships, and so I simply must try my hand at this.

There's laughter between them as they kiss.

It seeps into Dylas's clothes, his skin, his bones. It bubbles up from his lungs, or maybe from Doug's lungs, he's not completely sure. But it sits there, hovering, around their lips, their fondly crinkled eyes, their surreptitious crawl towards the staircase.

There's a party in the restaurant beneath them, all of Selphia gathered in festivities as the months have grown colder, and the new year draws closer-- it's mere minutes away now, probably barely even ten minutes, but at some point Doug had gotten a mischievous look in his eye. He had grabbed Dylas by the hand, asking for help with something upstairs (clearly as an excuse, even someone as socially-inept as Dylas could tell, though thankfully most of the people around them were too drunk to either notice or care), and pulled him towards the stairs.

Dylas couldn't refuse that bright smile, those twinkling silver eyes, even if he wanted to. Which he doesn't.

He particularly doesn't, now that they've made just over halfway up the steps, far enough that they're out of sight from the restaurant's crowd.

"What are we--" Dylas asks, but Doug cuts him off by turning around from where he stands two steps above him (making them near-equal height), dropping their joined hands, and instead grabbing Dylas's cheeks to pull him into a kiss.

A noise of surprise falls out from between Dylas's lips, until it turns into one of pleasure. He wraps his arms around Doug's waist, enjoying the rough feeling of the dwarf's coat texture beneath his palms as well as the lithe form of his back underneath.

The party noises in the background fade away-- the cheering, the chattering, none of it compares to the heartbeat roaring in Dylas's ears, to the warm of Doug's lips above him (above him, that is a weird feeling he's not used to, though also not opposed to), the callused skin of Doug's hands against him.

Doug pulls away, a bright flush to his cheeks and a happy look in his eyes. "You were looking a little tired. Thought I'd rescue you."

"My knight in shining armor," Dylas deadpans, though he knows the smile on his lips and the roll of his eyes are nothing but dripping with fondness. He can't help it, the way their love seeps into everything in his life, how it's turned everything he's ever known inside out like a purse full of change, and made everything better.

"Yeah yeah, I know," Doug replies, with a similarly fond roll of his own eyes. "I'm so brave. So gallant. Truly, you owe me a life debt."

"How'm'I gonna make it up t'you?" Dylas murmurs, lips hovering towards Doug's again, pulled in like gravity.

"I can think of a few ways..."

They kiss again, nearly feverish this time, and for a second their teeth clack together but it just makes them laugh again, makes them readjust the angle and go in further, stronger. Doug slips his hands below the collar of Dylas's coat (or at least as far as he can go, stupid layers) and the contact is electric.

Their kiss only gets deeper, Dylas pushing forward until he climbs up one more step, which in turn makes Doug stumble slightly and also climb up one step, determined not to give up the height advantage (competitive bastard, Dylas thinks, deeply in love with the man). Doug pulls back, panting, an excited edge to his rounded out eyes.

"Wanna... your room? No one there, we have..." he pulls Dylas's arm out from where it's wrapped around his waist, checks the watch there, then grins. "Eight minutes. Well, Seven minutes and 59 seconds, if we want to be there when the clock hits."

Dylas can't help but scoff, feeling the challenge seep into his voice. "You think eight minutes is enough time?"

Face turning an absolutely beautiful shade of red, Doug gapes at him, managing to look both competitive and horny at once. Then he grins, face still mere inches away from Dylas's, and is about to open his mouth to say some retort when they hear a voice loudly ring out from below them.

"Hey, where's Doug? Doug! We're starting an arm wrestling contest!" Kiel's voice calls, and from the sounds of it it seems like a large group of people are moving towards the staircase, very quickly.

Doug and Dylas-- with one last shared look of fondness and 'what can you do?' disappointment shared between them-- move apart from each other.

Dylas lets Doug scooch past him on the stairs, so that he can take them two at a time and meet the others at the landing just as they get there.

"Sorry!" Dylas can hear Doug say with a grin, even if he can't see it from this angle. "Dylas said he had some gloves for me upstairs. My fingers got cold. What's this about arm wrestling? You ready to fucking lose?"

Knowing an excuse thrown at him when he hears one (really, Dylas is getting so good at this whole 'social' thing), he climbs up the rest of the steps, grabs a pair of gloves from his drawer, and goes back to meet Doug in the restaurant, happy to know he's going to spend the first few minutes of this new year with the people he loves most.