#ruya st claire

[accidental-spice]

🍁

Ruya St Claire or Jemma Simmons, your choice! :D

Oh, good request!!! Have a early morning Ruya (totally wearing her husband's flannel shirt)

Thanks for the ask!!

Autumn fanart ask game

[wanderingwolpertinger]

TSE Week 2023 Day 3: Favorite Panel

Runo from 17x29

“You’ll want the mitten”

@tseappreciationweek

[captaingondor]

The Invitation

Here is my TSE Secret Santa for @accidental-spice for the prompt "Noah and Ruya in college." enjoy!!

----------

Noah walked from the library side by side with Ruya, where they had been studying together for their end of semester exams. In truth, he would need to be doing some further studying after they parted. He had not gotten as much out of this session as he might have. Ruya's presence could be… distracting. When he was meant to be poring over notes, he kept sneaking glances at the furrow in her brow and purse in her lips as she concentrated on something she was reading, at her fingers slowly twirling a pencil between them, at a lock of hair sliding down from her shoulder and hanging in front of her eyes, begging to be pushed back into place. All the same, whether or not it had been ideal studying conditions, he considered it to be time well spent.

They were both bundled against the cold, hats pulled around their ears and the shoulders of their thick coats almost rubbing together as they walked. Ruya's mittened hands clutched the straps of the bag slung on her shoulder, and Noah's were shoved into his pockets, where they wouldn't betray him and try to reach for hers.

He wasn't sure he was ready to think about what that would mean.

"So," Ruya said, her voice somewhat muffled by her thick scarf, "do you have plans for Christmas break? Are you going home?" Ruya didn't know where "home" was for Noah, but she knew it wasn't particularly nearby. Enough that his traveling for break might be in question.

Noah shook his head. For the first few years of this whole arrangement, Bhatair had wanted to spend his Christmases with his family, meaning Thoth had been free to share his with his. But people had been begging Velvare to stay for some big to-do in Greenway, so maybe that would be nice for Avidan. Maybe. And that meant, of course, that Thoth would stuck out here being Bhatair. Maybe that would be nice for him, spending Christmas with Gudrun and Nathan and Delaney, instead of his own son. Noah couldn't exactly crash that party without raising a lot of questions. So no, he did not have any plans for Christmas. It wasn't as though he could travel home on his own.

"No you don't have plans or no you're not going home?" Ruya asked, when he gave no further elaboration.

"Both," Noah said, and shrugged. "I mean, I guess I'll go to a service, and… get a nice meal somewhere." If he could find somewhere that was open on Christmas. Maybe he'd just be eating in his room, all alone.

This was actually a bit depressing, now that he thought about it.

"You can't be spending Christmas alone!" Ruya protested, aghast.

"Ah, it's just how things worked out this year," Noah replied, trying to sound nonchalant, like this was not really a big deal and did not bother him even a little bit.

"No, no, that is not acceptable," Ruya said, prodding him in the shoulder with mittened fist m , for emphasis. Before Noah could ask what she expected him to do about it, she continued. "I'll have to tell my parents that we're inviting you over. They'd be thrilled to have you, I'm sure. No one should be alone on Christmas."

"I don't know," Noah said doubtfully, rubbing the back of his head, although the thought of his own lack of Christmas plans was sounding more and more dismal the more he thought about it. "I wouldn't want to intrude…"

"Nonsense! The more the merrier. What's Christmas spirit if it isn't shared?"

"I guess it's pretty miserable," Noah said, with the image in his mind of sitting alone next to a tiny, sad tree and a carefully wrapped present he wouldn't be able to get to Idony until well after the holiday.

"You see? Don't act like you don't want to celebrate with someone," Ruya said, and Noah had to admit that she had won. Now that he could no longer try not to think about it, he could no longer deny that he really, definitely, did not want to spend Christmas alone.

And spending it with Ruya, specifically, would definitely fill him with cheer appropriate to the holiday.

"Alright, yes - if your parents say it would be fine, I'll come over. I would be glad to." Ruya grinned and clapped her hands, or rather produced a soft thump from her mittens. Noah smiled and ducked his head, finding he was actually very excited by the invitation now that he had allowed himself to accept it. "Is it going to be a big crew?" That would make it a lot easier to fit one more person in, and he wouldn't have to feel like he was putting anyone out of their way.

Ruya shook her head. "Just us, a quiet little celebration. Hope that's alright."

"Of course," Noah said quickly.

"What's it usually like for you at home?"

Noah thought back to Christmases past in the overcrowded orphanage. "Chaotic." He smiled fondly. He would miss being with his family, but… "I don't think I'll mind having something a little more peaceful, for a change."

"Well, good, I don't think we can provide much chaos, if that's what you wanted. But we can provide a delicious dinner, and entirely too many cookies, and a warm fireplace."

It sounded heavenly. "And good company," Noah added, leaning over to knock Ruya's shoulder with his own.

"Something you'll be bringing along yourself, too," she replied, looking aside at him with a smile. Noah dared to wonder, then, if their study session had been exactly as productive for her as it had been for him. He watched her face, for just a little too long, before answering.

"Well… just let me know once you've talked to your parents." He came to a stop. They'd reached the point in their walk back where their paths would diverge. "Tell me where and when to show up, and I’ll be there."

Ruya half-turned to face him. "I will. And I know they'll say yes. They’ve heard a lot about you.”

Noah raised an eyebrow. “Good things, I hope?”

“Of course!” Ruya exclaimed, and giggled. “Great things, don't worry. We'd all love to have you. Um. So I'll see you later!" She waved and hurried off down the path. Noah held a hand up, watching her go.

-----

I'm not totally clear on the timeline of Noah's education, but I figure this happens sometime between the start of his time at college and Thoth's death. I don't feel confident enough in writing Ruya's parents, of whom we've barely seen anything, to write this actual Christmas dinner, but I hope the invitation is sweet enough on its own! Merry Christmas!

[sailforvalinor]

For the character ask bingo, how about Avidan, Apen, Noah, and Chara, if you like?

Ooooh okay!

Avidan:

Avidan is really trying to be my favorite character right now 😂😂. I almost gave him “they’ve never done anything wrong in their life,” but…I’d be lying. But I circled it in spirit. Also it would probably be more accurate to say I’d be afraid FOR him rather than OF him, lol.

Apen:

The only differences between me and Apen are that I’m a girl and I’m not Catholic. Oh, and I don’t hate libraries. Also the “why do they look like that” is about his hair, I know he’s trying to look respectable but it looked way cooler longer.

Noah:

What I mean by “they work better as part of a dynamic” is that I think Noah character-wise works best when he has another character for his grumpiness to bounce off of/be challenged by (hence why his dynamic with Idony and Chara is so great. I cannot WAIT to see more of him with Ruya.)

Would I marry Noah St. Claire (if he were not already married, obviously)? That is…an excellent question. I’d probably be too scared of him, honestly 😅

And lastly, Chara:

I don’t have a ton to say about Chara—Chara is Chara! She’s great! And she and Enel are absolutely adorable ☺️

[ao3feed-fitzsimmons]

Christmas Ficlets

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/4zhM9W2

by kanerallels

A collection of prompt-inspired Christmas ficlets requested on Tumblr, from 2021 onward

Words: 4970, Chapters: 19/?, Language: English

Fandoms: Six of Crows Series - Leigh Bardugo, The Silver Eye (Webcomic), Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Star Wars: Rebels, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types, Star Wars Legends: Thrawn Trilogy - Timothy Zahn, The Mandalorian (TV), Lethal Weapon (TV)

Rating: General Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: F/M, Gen

Characters: Kaz Brekker, Inej Ghafa, Jesper Fahey, Noah St. Claire, Ruya St. Claire, Alphonso "Mack" Mackenzie, Yo Yo Rodriguez, Ezra Bridger, Sabine Wren, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Satine Kryze, Kanan Jarrus, Hera Syndulla, Phil Coulson, Melinda May, Leo Fitz, Mara Jade, Luke Skywalker, Din Djarin, Grogu | Baby Yoda, Molly Hendricks, Martin Riggs, Other Character Tags to Be Added

Relationships: Kaz Brekker/Inej Ghafa, Noah St. Claire/Ruya St. Claire, Alphonso "Mack" Mackenzie/Yo Yo Rodriguez, Ezra Bridger & Sabine Wren, Ezra Bridger/Sabine Wren, Obi-Wan Kenobi/Satine Kryze, Kanan Jarrus/Hera Syndulla, Phil Coulson/Melinda May, Leo Fitz/Jemma Simmons, Mara Jade/Luke Skywalker, Din Djarin & Grogu | Baby Yoda, Molly Hendricks/Martin Riggs

Additional Tags: Christmas, Christmas Ficlets, Mistletoe, Christmas Lights, Hot Chocolate, Christmas Cookies, Literally All The Christmas-y Stuff, Christmas Fluff, Christmas Presents, This Is Pretty Much All Really Short Fluffy Ficlets, With Maybe One Sad Ficlet, Snowball Fight, song inspired fics

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/4zhM9W2

[effiethebookworm]

TSE Appreciation Week Day 4!

Hi! Wow, it’s already Day Four. Tempus Fugit. Today’s story was recently unearthed from Levantine Archives. It’s from the journal of Ezra Damir, royal guard to Princess Delaney Hollingsworth, and later, husband to Queen Delaney Damir-Hollingsworth. I hope you find it enlightening!

This portion of the journal of Ezra Damir, the future husband of Queen Delaney Hollingsworth, has recently been rediscovered in the Royal Levantine Archives. Historians may note the presence of certain notable persons as 'side characters,' the cursed man as Sir Noah St. Claire, (who journied on the Novalog with King Apen Shephard, Queen Berlyne Shephard, Former King Enel Alvarado, neé Hollingsworth, Chara Alvarado, and the others) and his wife as Lady Ruya St. Claire. Other portions of the journal may be read in the Royal Levantine Archives. Public browsings are on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays.

He caught my eye as soon as he walked in. He looked familiar somehow.

“Ez?” He looked like... No. “Cris-”

“Ezra?” She poked me in the shoulder. “Are you in there?”

“Oh!” I snapped out of my daze. “Forgive me, my princess.”

“Were you saying something, Ez?” she said. I smiled. She had finally omitted the 'just call me Delaney' that usually followed.

“No. Just someone here for Syllor's.”

“Better get to it, then.” She winked at me. No, it had just been a blink. The eye-patch made it hard to tell sometimes. Anyway, why would the princess of Levant wink at a guard? She pivoted on her artificial foot and grasped her cane more firmly by the head and pulled at her hair so that it completely covered the right side of her face. She put her hand over her heart and started reciting the now-familiar words. Her soft, humming voice sounded kind as she spoke to the cursed man.

“Welcome. I am continuing the tradition of my father. Please step forward and I will break your curse.”

The man stepped towards her tentatively, and she rested her hand on his forehead. He closed his eyes as she broke the curse. I smiled. Another poor man that the princess generously helped. She moved her hand back, and he opened his eyes wide. She smiled gently.

“Thank you for-” The man interrupted.

“It didn't work.” Her eyes widened. “What?” The man ran his hands through his hair, frenzied.

“I know what it felt like- when your father would break Syllor's Curse, you've changed nothing.”

I stepped forward to support Delaney. She tried again, putting a claw of three fingers over her heart and resting it on the forehead of the man. I could see hopelessness in her turquoise eyes.

“N-Nothing.”

Delaney frowned. “I'm not sure that- that I believe you. After all, the others today-”

“They might not have it as bad as I do. They might just be paranoid and just imagined Syllor's Curse to begin with, and convinced themselves it's gone. Or they wanted an excuse to meet royalty. Either way, you know how to break it or you don't.”

I could see her panicking.

I can't lose you to the fear, I thought. Not again.

The man started to step towards Delaney. I grabbed his arm and pulled him away, but he started screaming.

“Putting aside all the lives destroyed by Syllor's Curse on a day-to-day basis, it would only take one Dolan descendant to take over the world again. And what are you doing about it?”

I could hear Delaney suck in her breath. Although I couldn't see her, I knew her eyes had changed from a brilliant aquamarine to a searing crimson. The man looked down at his shoulder and started shaking.

Hallucinations, I thought, only come with the most serious cases of Syllor's Curse. A woman standing at the entrance of the throne room shrieked, “Noah, stop!” I couldn't hear all of what she said next, but I heard “Let me through!... husband... talk him down!” He kicked the other guard holding him, and I tightened my grip on his arm. He grabbed the guard's spear and started stabbing more guards. I focused on keeping my grip, and out of the corner of my eye, I noticed the woman, probably the man's wife, break through the guards restraining her and rush to his side. Before she could get to him, though, he pushed her backwards, hard, with the handle of the spear. He fell to the ground and started clawing furiously at the air. The woman ran to his side and knelt down next to him.

“Noah?” She started stroking his hair. “Noah, it's me. I'm here now.” He was shaking so hard, but he managed to get up onto his knees. Four guards, including me, were restraining him. I noticed with a start that Delaney was on her hands and knees and struggling to get up. Several guards were lying on the ground. The man had stabbed them all. Delaney inched closer to the man, and her hands started glowing the same crimson as her eyes. She tried to heal him three times in a row.

“Come on...”

Blood was running down his face.

“Please...”

She was crying now, and she reached out for a fourth time. But I grabbed her hand.

“Del.” I hadn't called her that since we were children playing in the palace gardens, before the attack that took her leg and eye and left all the horrible scars, the scars inside and out. She stared right at me, into my soul. Tears were running down the left side of her face. We looked at each other for a long moment and I stupidly forgot about the man. He took advantage of my distraction and bit my hand. It was so deep a bite, it is still trickling blood while I write this hours later. I screamed. He lunged forward, but I, his wife, and two other guards barely managed to keep hold of him as he pulled towards Delaney. Blood from my hand was dripping out of his mouth, mixing with spit, sweat and tears and dripping onto the throne room floor. She must have heard something, because she yelled “Stop!” right as an arrow embedded itself into the man's chest. His wife screamed as he slumped to the floor.

It's him, I thought. I had forgotten he was there. Delaney stood up painfully. The man was lying on the ground with his wife quietly sobbing over his barely-breathing body. Guards were lying injured, some dead, all over the throne room floor. I looked over to the throne where Imperator Nathan, Delaney's brother, sat with bow in hand, the string still quivering.

“Well, I guess everyone can go home now.”

[kanerallels]

Congratulicitations on your eleventy-first follower, vod'ika!!!!!!!

For the writing asks: Runo for four hundre-- whoops sorry I went Jeporady for a minute there.

Runo + Modern AU + Imagine your OTP for six hundred, plz.

My pleasure, vod!!!

Pairing: Noah St. Claire x Ruya Lewis

Word count: 1,274

Warnings/tags: Rated G (for the giant crush Noah just got)

With the benefit of hindsight, Noah thought, the whole thing had been very badly thought out.

He’d been in class, pretending to listen to his incredibly boring teacher, and doodling in his notebook. Which was for school, obviously. If anyone looked inside, that’s what they would see. School stuff. Not drawings. However, if anyone tried to look, he’d cram one of his textbooks down their throat.

Anyways, he’d been in the middle of that when a student to his left asked a question. For whatever reason, Noah had glanced over at them, and his heart had nearly jumped out of his chest. It was a girl, around his age. She had reddish brown hair, with blonde highlights along the tips, light brown skin, and a look of curiosity in her eyes that Noah liked the look of.

He wasn’t saying that she was drop dead gorgeous, but he definitely wasn’t not saying that.

As the professor kept talking, Noah surreptitiously flipped to a new page in his notebook and started drawing, keeping his gaze on the girl. She had her chin propped on one hand as she listened, the other holding a pencil that she tapped against her desk to a rhythm Noah could swear he recognized. There was something about the slight smile she wore that was totally entrancing, and Noah concentrated fiercely on getting it right, his pencil moving quickly.

Finally, he had a rough sketch of her completed on the page in front of him-- and just in time. The bell signifying the end of the class rang, and Noah got to his feet, closing his notebook and wondering how he was supposed to survive a few more hours of monotony.

He took a step forward, and crashed straight into the girl, who’d just leapt to her feet. Both of their books and notebooks went flying, and she let out a gasp. “Oh-- I’m sorry, I didn’t see you--”

“You’re good, it’s on me,” Noah assured her, quickly scrambling to pick up some of the books she’d dropped and wondering what on earth was up with him today. Usually, he’d just shoot the perpetrator a glare, pick up his stuff, and keep moving. And yet, he found himself handing the girl her a few notebooks as she shot him a quick smile.

The smile was enough to make his heart rate double, and he stood stock still as the girl shoved her books and notebooks into her bag and headed for the door. Finally, Noah shook himself out of his daze and glanced down at his notebook, which he was still holding.

Except that he wasn’t. In his hand was the spiral bound green notebook that he used for actual notes. It also looked nothing like the brown leather book he carried with him everywhere. What-- how-- Noah flashed back to a few minutes earlier, when he’d handed a few notebooks to the girl, completely unaware of his actions.

And one of them had been his. Which had a sketch of her in it.

Oh, CRAP. Indulging in a few more venomous curses, Noah bolted out of the classroom, barely stopping to scoop up his books before he raced down the hall, scanning for any sign of the girl.

To his relief, he finally spotted her heading out of the building, probably towards her next class. Which is nowhere near mine, Noah realized with a groan. Well, he was failing math anyways. May as well double down and skip class to avoid a lifetime of embarrassment. He headed after the girl, wondering how the heck he was supposed to broach this conversation.

At first, she didn’t seem to notice him behind her. This did not last long, because Noah was neither short nor remotely subtle, and he’d cultivated his “mess with me and you will regret it” vibes too long to give them up for a little bit of embarrassing subterfuge. She glanced back at him at one point, and Noah instantly pretended to be absorbed in one of his textbooks without really reading a word of the text, loitering next to the wall.

After a few seconds, he peeked over the top, and she was still there, hands on her hips, an unamused expression on her face. “Why are you following me?” she asked.

“...I’m not?”

“This isn’t the way to your class, because I’d know if I’d seen you there before,” she said. “Also, you’re reading that textbook upside down.”

“Huh?” Noah looked at it, and realized that it was, in fact, upside down. “Uh… I like to do that?”

“Not convincing. Tell me what you’re doing or I’ll call security.”

“Whoa, whoa-- please don’t do that.” Sticking the textbook under his arm, Noah braced himself, then said, “You have my sketchbook.”

The girl’s eyebrow shot up. “What?”

“When I bumped into you earlier, I accidentally handed you my notebook with your stuff,” Noah said, praying no one else was hearing this conversation.

Frowning, the girl asked, “Then why didn’t you ask for it back?”

“Um. Reasons.” He saw her skeptical expression and sighed. “There’s… maybe kinda a picture in there that I didn’t exactly want y-- anyone to see.”

The hostility in her expression faded, and the girl started digging through her bookbag, saying, “Okay. But I’m definitely looking.”

“What?” Alarm flooded through Noah. “Why?”

“I want to make sure you’re not just some creeper who’s using this as a dumb excuse,” she explained, which made sense. “And I’m also very curious.”

This could go well. “Maybe don’t--” Noah started, but she’d found his sketchbook and flipped it open to the most recent page before he could finish his sentence.

Her eyes widened in surprise, and for a moment she didn’t speak. Noah was desperately trying to figure out what to say when she said, “This is… really good.”

Hmm. Unexpected, Noah thought. “Thanks?” he said cautiously.

“I mean, it’s a little weird that you started drawing me when you don’t even know me,” she said, handing him back the notebook. “But I’m gonna choose to be complimented.”

Exhaling, Noah tucked the notebook under his arm, and shot her a quick smile. “Well, there’s one way to fix that,” he said. “I’m Noah St. Claire.”

Returning his smile, the girl said, “Ruya Lewis.”

Noah felt his heart beat a little faster at the smile, and managed to keep his expression nonchalant. “Nice to meet you, Ruya,” he said.

“You, too,” Ruya told him. “Although I have to ask-- do you meet every girl you know by stalking them after you’ve drawn them?”

“Well, you didn’t exactly give me much of a choice when it came to drawing you,” Noah said, feeling his grin turn into a smirk. “Not with that Mona Lisa smile of yours.”

Ruya’s eyes widened again, and to Noah’s delight, she turned slightly red. “Okay, charmer,” she said, grinning. “Why don’t you let me get to class, and I’ll talk to you later.”

“How do you plan on finding me?” Noah protested.

“Oh, it’ll be easy. Everyone knows about the infamous Noah St. Claire, who got suspended in the first week of college because he punched out a professor,” Ruya said, smirking.

Whoops. He’d honestly forgotten about that. “Don’t let my reputation scare you off,” Noah told her, and she laughed.

“Duly noted. Uh, you should probably get going-- aren’t you late for class?”

Noah glanced at his watch and discovered that he was, in fact, nearly late. “Worth it,” he said, flashing her a grin, and then bolted down the hallway as fast as his feet could carry him, hearing Ruya’s laugh behind him.

[americandemigod]

Y'all! You should go read The Silver Eye by Laura Hollingsworth! She's an amazing artist, and the storyline is just *chef's kiss*

She works really hard on the comic and even has some extra things too, like a patreon account with bonus content, giveaways, a yearly calendar, an Etsy site, spotify playlists for the characters, and currently there's a secret santa even going on and it seems to be really fun. I'm planning on joining it next year :3

www.thesilvereye.com

[rithmeres]

TSE appreciation week Day 2: Summer

[toomanystoryideas]

my Runo fic for Day 1 of TSE Appreciation Week 2019!!  pls go check it out lol kudos and comments are to me what bacon is to Noah :D

Prompt: Spring

@tseappreciationweek

[accidental-spice]

My TSE Secret Santa contribution, for @o-lei-o-lai-o-lord !

The prompt was "Idony and Ruya prepare for the St. Claire's first Christmas all together (sisterly bonding and picking on Noah ensues)"

Hope you you like it, and Merry Christmas!!

[wanderingwolpertinger]

TSE Week 2023

Day 4: topaz

Ruya in a topaz-y dress

(Alcohol marker and ink pen)

@tseappreciationweek

[idratherdreamofjune]

TSE Secret Santa graphic for @captaingondor! ^^

This graphic and piece of fic are for the prompt “Runo on a sleigh ride”

“I can’t believe those stitches took so long - and how did Enel manage to cut himself with a toothbrush?!” Noah groaned. He pulled his boots off, then hugged Ruya again. “Is that spicy hot chocolate I smell?”

She smiled up at him. “Yes, but you’ll have to wait, because I have a surprise.”

“Oh really?” A loud knock sounded on the front door, and Noah frowned. “If Enel’s burst his stitches I’ll just take the whole arm off!”

But when Ruya opened the door it was Joe, standing on their porch in a strangely elegant red suit and top hat. “Hello, sir and madam,” he said with a grin. “Your sleigh awaits. Please bundle up, and bring a warm beverage.”

***

As they sped through the forest, snow sprayed up from under the horses’ hooves. The only sound was the runners of the sleigh sighing over the snow - Ruya knew Noah would prefer the peace of the woods to the usual sleigh bells. A deer bounded across the trail and disappeared behind them. Noah and Ruya snuggled side by side under the warm blankets as evening gradually fell.

“Ruya, you knew exactly what I needed,” Noah said, and gave her a slightly frosty kiss on the nose.

[bunniesbearsbumblebees]

The tse characters are playing on a bouquet! Well, some of them, anyways...

Somehow Apen got stuck in the vase, and Berlyne is not going to help him get out. Noah and Ruya are being lovey-dovey on the bow.  Delaney is sliding down the stems. Eating a candy cane, Enel is sitting on the vase. On the other side, Velvare is barely holding on, and Melete is taking her time helping him. Avidan is grumpily sitting on a Zinnia. Chara is waving. While Marcus is hanging on for dear life, Idony is skipping from one flower to another.

I read somewhere that Goldenrod was Encouragement, and that Zinnias were reminders not to forget absent friends. And I threw in roses for good measure.

[ao3feed-fitzsimmons]

Christmas Ficlets

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/RXUTMOB

by kanerallels

A collection of prompt-inspired Christmas ficlets requested on Tumblr, from 2021 onward

Words: 1332, Chapters: 8/?, Language: English

Fandoms: Six of Crows Series - Leigh Bardugo, The Silver Eye (Webcomic), Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV), Star Wars: Rebels, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types, Star Wars Legends: Thrawn Trilogy - Timothy Zahn, The Mandalorian (TV), Lethal Weapon (TV)

Rating: General Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: F/M, Gen

Characters: Kaz Brekker, Inej Ghafa, Jesper Fahey, Noah St. Claire, Ruya St. Claire, Alphonso "Mack" Mackenzie, Yo Yo Rodriguez, Ezra Bridger, Sabine Wren, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Satine Kryze, Kanan Jarrus, Hera Syndulla, Phil Coulson, Melinda May, Leo Fitz, Mara Jade, Luke Skywalker, Din Djarin, Grogu | Baby Yoda, Molly Hendricks, Martin Riggs, Other Character Tags to Be Added

Relationships: Kaz Brekker/Inej Ghafa, Noah St. Claire/Ruya St. Claire, Alphonso "Mack" Mackenzie/Yo Yo Rodriguez, Ezra Bridger & Sabine Wren, Ezra Bridger/Sabine Wren, Obi-Wan Kenobi/Satine Kryze, Kanan Jarrus/Hera Syndulla, Phil Coulson/Melinda May, Leo Fitz/Jemma Simmons, Mara Jade/Luke Skywalker, Din Djarin & Grogu | Baby Yoda, Molly Hendricks/Martin Riggs

Additional Tags: Christmas, Christmas Ficlets, Mistletoe, Christmas Lights, Hot Chocolate, Christmas Cookies, Literally All The Christmas-y Stuff, Christmas Fluff, Christmas Presents, This Is Pretty Much All Really Short Fluffy Ficlets, With Maybe One Sad Ficlet, Snowball Fight, song inspired fics

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/RXUTMOB

[effiethebookworm]

TSE Appreciation Week Day Two!

*tiny wave* Hi again! Just wanted to say thank you to all of the kind people who commented on/liked my fanfic for day one. Y’all are awesome. Anyhoo, on with the story! This one is called Tiny Hands, and I LOVED writing it. I hope you love reading it!!

Tiny Hands

“King Avidan! Where are you?” Avidan sighed. The reason that he had gone to hide in the head was so that people wouldn't notice that he was gone. They would see the door closed and think, Oh, the king is relieving himself. It sure worked for Eglon and Ehud in the Bible. Avidan stood up and opened the door. His manservant, Jer, stood in front of the door. His dark brown hair with a few traces of gray sat crisply on his head, and his uniform fit perfectly on his wiry frame.

“What is it, Jer?” Jer bowed deeply and said,

“I am so sorry, Your Majesty. I did not realize that you were...” Avidan blushed.

“I was done. What did you want to tell me?”

“We recently received a letter from your adviser. It requires an urgent response.”

“Thank you, Jer.” Avidan didn't know what he'd do without Jer. He probably would have died from exhaustion if it hadn't been for Jer, who always made sure that he ate and slept and occasionally took breaks. Jer was sort of like a father to him now, and easily old enough to be his father, if not grandfather. Since Velvare had forfeited his position of regent five years ago so that he could go home to his family in Levant, Avidan had been ruling Gallitan. He had an adviser, of course, because he was still underage, but after hearing the tragic story of how Velvare had left his family fourteen years ago, the kingdom unanimously voted to let Avidan take the crown at only seventeen. It had been almost constant stress since then, so he had escaped on a vacation to Levant. Jer insisted that he come along too. Avidan told his adviser that he wanted to visit his friend Enel, but he was really going to visit his cousin Noah. He had heard that Noah was married now, and wanted to see if it was true. Also, he just missed Noah. After all, they had been very close when Avidan was a child, and he hadn't seen Noah since before he had taken the crown. Avidan was back to his cabin now, and saw two birds on his desk. One was his, a raven that one of Velvare's friends had given him at his coronation. He could carry letters in his beak, and Avidan had named him Postmaster. Next to Postmaster was a dove with a small slip of paper between her talons. Is that...

“Pigeondove?” Avidan said with amazement. The bird perked up her head at hearing her name, and jumped up onto Avidan's shoulder. She nestled up against his ear, and made a small cooing noise.

“Nice to see you too, girl. What's your message?” Avidan murmured. Pigeondove hopped off of his shoulder and flapped over his open hands. She dropped the paper onto his hands, and flew up to his other shoulder. Avidan opened the paper, trembling with excitement.

Letter from I said you were coming. True? -N

Avidan and Noah had developed their own kind of code for letters by bird. Since Pigeondove could only carry small slips of paper, and Postmaster was still being trained up until quite recently, a message had to be quite short. This one meant something like I got a letter from Idony that said that you were coming to visit. Is that true? Love, Noah. Avidan pulled a piece of note paper out of his bag, ripped off a tiny slip, and scrawled: Yes. OK? -A. He gave the paper to Pigeondove and threw her out of his porthole window. She quickly disappeared over the waves. Suddenly, Avidan had an idea. He wrote on the rest of the paper, This is my bird Postmaster. Let him inspect you, and say “Noah” while he does. He can carry more than Pig, and is new. -A.

He shoved the paper into an envelope, gave it to Postmaster, and told him,

“Follow that bird. Her name is Pigeondove. Give the letter to the man. His name is Noah. Go.” Avidan had managed to train Postmaster to understand around 75 words. He was a very smart bird, and he flew out of the window. Avidan watched him grow smaller and smaller on the horizon, there was a green flash, and he disappeared. By now, Avidan had figured out that both Pigeondove and Postmaster had been magically enchanted. They had to be, how else could they fly thousands of miles in a single day? Avidan suddenly realized that he had forgotten about the letter from his adviser. He broke the seal and opened it.

Your Majesty,

The kingdom has now realized that you are gone. I have made an official announcement that you have gone to visit your childhood friend Enel Lanum in Bellingrath. I hope your journey is going as planned. Please give King Bhatair my greetings.

King Bhatair? Avidan was confused for a moment, but then remembered that Velvare had revealed his real name to be Bhatair Hollingsworth.

I do hope that you remember what we talked about before you left. Remember, you are the KING now. You are no longer just a prince who may gallivant

ant around as he pleases. You still have responsibility, even though you are on “vacation.”  You are now the face of Gallitan. Whatever you say or do reflects the character of the country, for better or worse. Oh, that reminds me, you should probably start looking for a candidate for queen. You are twenty-one years old, after all.

Sincerely,

Sir Kishon Fitzpeter

Avidan muttered an obscenity under his breath. Candidate for queen? Yes, Velvare got married when he was sixteen, but Velvare is not a good role model for life! Plus, I have a kingdom to rule, I don't have time for dating! Avidan slumped onto his bunk, internally screaming. He could not function. Life was too challenging. He checked his pocket watch. A quarter to ten. I could sleep now! He stood up and went to the door of his cabin.

“I AM TIRED! I AM GOING TO BED!” He yelled, to no one in particular. He laid on his bed, just bothering to change into his night-tunic, and fell asleep fairly quickly.

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He awoke with a start. He saw a black figure sitting on his chest, and almost screamed before he realized that it was Postmaster. He had a letter in his beak, and he dropped it onto Avidan's face. Avidan opened it.

Avidan,

Glad to hear that you have a bird now. Who did you get it from? I am really glad you're coming to visit!

Avidan was shocked. That sounds nothing like Noah.

I'm sorry I couldn't make it to your coronation, but Idony and Marcus told me all about it. I hope you're doing well and the ruling the kingdom isn't too taxing. Where are you in the Deadwaters? If you don't know, ask a sailor how many outposts you are from Cedulan Port. Hope to see you soon.

-Noah

PS. I have a family now. Can't wait for you to meet Ruya!

So the rumor was true. Avidan rolled out of bed and quietly crept up to the deck. The stars were brilliant, brighter than they ever were in Greenway with all its streetlamps. He walked over to the man at the helm. He was quite rotund, and had blond curls that fell into his eyes.

“Excuse me, sir, how many outposts are we from Cedulan Port?”

“Yi're King Avidan, ain't ye?” The sailor asked. He had a strange accent. “Well, I'd reckin 'bout a half, Yer Majisty. That'il take us 'bout foir dais.

“Thank you. What's your name?”

“Me, sir? Erialc. Haon Erialc.”

“Thank you, Haon.”

Avidan returned to his cabin, and quickly wrote a response to Noah.

Noah-

I got Postmaster from a man at my coronation. He had green eyes and brown hair. He told me that the  bird was trained to carry letters. Then he congratulated me, and disappeared into the crowd. The sailor said that we are half an outpost away, and it would be about four days.

-Avidan

He put the letter in the bird's beak, and went back to bed. About an hour and a half later, he was awakened by squawking. Postmaster was already back, and had a hastily folder paper in his beak. Avidan took it, and read.

Look for a windmill by the coast. That is ours. Stop the ship there. If you are about half an outpost away from the city, you are only a few hours away.

-Noah

Avidan jumped out of bed and quickly changed clothes into a simple tunic and linen pants. Jer made him pack mostly royal robes, but he hid more simple clothes under them. He ran out of the cabin and took the ladder two rungs at a time. On deck, a beautiful sunrise was starting.

“Haon?” Avidan yelled.

“Yessear?” Haon answered.

“Do you know if we've passed a large windmill yet?”

“Nosear. That'll come in abeaut twenty minits.”

“Will you stop the ship there?”

“Whatevear for, yer Highniss?”

“My cousin lives there. I wish to visit him.”

“Yer cousin is Noah St. Clar?” Avidan was surprised.

“Yes. How do you know him?”

“Nay, sir, I don't know heem, but 'is wife, Ruya Lewis. We used to be on a ship's crew together. She's a kind, kind woman. Very sweet, very gintle. You'll love'er, ever'one does. The capteen was a 'orrible man, but she made us all heppy.”

“That's good to hear.” Haon and Avidan stood on the deck in silence for a few minutes, watching the sun rise in a brilliant array of colors. Haon finally cleared his throat.

“Beggin' yer pardon, sir, but shouldn't ye get your bags ready to get off?” Avidan snapped out of his daze.

“Oh, yes. I suppose I should. Thank you, Haon.”

“Any time, sir.

Avidan rushed back down the ladder, and knocked on Jer's door.

“Come in.” Avidan walked in. Jer was writing in a small leather-bound book, but quickly turned around.

“Yes, King Avidan?”

“There's uh... been a small change of plans. We're getting off at a different port in a few minutes.”

“Oh dear.” Jer wrung his hands. “Has there been an assassination? An accident? A rebellion? Oh dear, maybe we should just turn back-”

“No, Jer. I just want to visit my cousin.”

“Oh. I suppose that's alright.” Jer's concern visibly diminished.

“Great. Get ready to land.” Avidan went back to his cabin, and threw everything into his bags. Postmaster flew up onto Avidan's shoulder, and he went up on deck. By the time he got up there, the windmill was in sight. He could see hills of farmland stretching on beyond the windmill. A few workers were in the fields, picking and planting and doing whatever farmers do. Avidan sure didn't know. He had only left Gallitan once, for Enel's wedding to a Gallitanian farmer's daughter. Enel would have become king, since his brother  committed suicide when he was captured by Cedulanian forces and his father forfeited, he was next in line. However, he and King Apen Shephard of Cedulan decided to get rid of the law that kept women from ruling Levantine countries, and Enel let his sister Delaney become queen of Bellingrath. Avidan respected Enel for this decision. I don't think that I would have the self-control to step down like that, although self-control is certainly not the word that most describes Enel Alvarado. As an show of how Enel had no plans to retake the thrown from his sister, he took his wife's last name, an unheard-of practice in Levant, though quite common in Preble.

“DROP ANCHOR!” Avidan heard from the helm.

Haon waddled over to him and announced, “We're 'ere, Yer 'ighness. You 'n yer sarvant will go out to share on a rowb't.”

“Thank you, Haon. You have been very helpful.”

Haon ducked his head and smiled bashfully.

“Well, Sir, 't's not evry dee y'get to help the Keeng.” A loud horn sounded, and Avidan and Jer were helped into a large rowboat by a sailor. He tossed their luggage in, and then climbed in himself. They dropped into the water, and the sailor started rowing them to the shore. They were silent, listening to the plop, whish, plop, whish of the oars. Soon, they reached land. The sailor threw all of the luggage onto the shore. He bowed to Avidan, and Avidan nodded in thanks. The sailor started rowing back to the ship, but turned around after a few rows.

“Your Highness, Captain Haon told me to let you know that when you are ready to go, send him a message by bird? He said you would know what that means.” Avidan nodded. “Yes, I do. Thank you.” The sailor rowed away. Avidan and Jer grabbed their bags and turned towards the fields and mill.

“So, King Avidan, this is where Noah lives.”

“It is. And Jer, please drop the 'King.' Just Avidan would suit me better.” Jer winked.

“Alright, Just Avidan.” Avidan almost chuckled.

“I suppose that your cousin is working in the fields.” Jer wiped his forehead with his sleeve. It was already warm out, even though it was still fairly early, about two hours after sunrise. Avidan took a deep breath of sea air and freshly turned dirt.

“No, he's a doctor. I doubt that he would become a farmhand.”

They started walking towards the mill. As they got close, they saw a large sign hanging over the doors.

ST. CLAIRE FAMILY FARM

Maybe he is a farmer. Avidan wondered. Suddenly, a little girl with small blonde curls hurtled out of the door of the house behind the mill.

“You will never catch me, Evil Dragon!” A man ran out after her, roaring. He was carrying a little boy on his back.

“Forward, Dragon!” the boy yelled. He was holding a small sword. The little girl noticed Avidan and jogged over to him.

“Hello. What's your name?” she said. The man noticed Avidan a second later.

“Hey! Are you looking for a job-” the man stopped abruptly. “Avidan? Is that you?” “Noah?” Avidan said incredulously. The man standing before him looked nothing like how he remembered his cousin. The angry, scruffy man had transformed into a happy, well-groomed, kind-looking man with children clinging to him. Instead of stubble, he had a small beard. Instead of a bloody bandage covering his right forearm, a few deep scars were visible. Noah put the boy down and enveloped Avidan in a sweaty hug. Avidan was shocked. It had been months since anyone had hugged him, maybe longer. He wasn't sure what to do with his hands. Noah pulled away, and looked over Avidan from head to foot.

“Man, it's been a long time. You're twenty now, right?”

“Twenty-one.” Avidan said.

“Twenty-one. Man, it's been forever. Listen, I'm so sorry that we couldn't come to your coronation, Dan. Ah, we have so much to catch up on!” The little girl asked,

“Daddy, who's he?” Noah swooped her up onto his hip.

“Olive, this is Avidan. He's my cousin, which means he's your cousin once-removed.” He turned to Avidan. “Avidan, this is my daughter Olive.” Olive smiled. She had three missing teeth.

“I'm six and a half!”

“Nice.” Avidan smiled. He didn't really know how to talk to kids. Sure, he had been a kid himself once, but he had been unusually mature. An “old soul,” people called it.

Noah turned to his son.

“Laban, this is your cousin Avidan.” Laban stood up and walked over to Avidan. He firmly shook Avidan's hand.

“Nice to meet you, Avidan.” He said in a small, quiet voice. Avidan could hardly keep himself from laughing. This boy was no more than five, and he already acted like a businessman.

“Nice to meet you too, Laban.”

Noah smiled again. Avidan had never seen Noah smile this much in the twenty-one years he had known him, combined.

“Laban here is the reason why we couldn't come to your coronation. He was a week old, and it would have been too long of a journey. Ru didn't want to leave him, and I didn't want to leave her.” A look of confusion settled on Olive's face.

“Da, what's coronation?” “It's when someone becomes king or queen.” Olive's eyes widened. She dropped into a low curtsy.

“Your Highness.” Noah chuckled and shook his head.

“Olive, you've been reading too many fairy tales.” Olive rose, and asked,

“If you're a king, then where's your crown?”

“All my circlets are in my bags.” Just then, Avidan remembered Jer.

“Jer! This is my cousin Noah. Noah, this is my manservant Jer.”

They shook hands and exchanged pleasantries.

“C'mon, let's go inside so you can meet Ru.” Noah put his arm around Avidan's shoulders and led him inside a farmhouse next to the mill. As soon as Avidan stepped inside, he knew that it was a home. The smell of baking bread wafted through the air, along with the sound of laughter. There were messy drawings in wooden frames on the walls, along with beautiful paintings of the children, Noah and his wife in their wedding clothes, and a painting of Pigeondove that looked like it was done by the children. They went through a hall, and into the kitchen, where there was a woman singing softly to a baby while folding laundry. She turned around.

“Noah, where did you put the...” she noticed Avidan and stopped what she was doing.

“Hello. You must be Avidan. I'm Ruya.” She walked over and gave him a light embrace. “Please, have a seat. Would you like some bread?” Avidan realized that he was ravenously hungry.

“That would be very nice,” he replied. She walked over to the counter and started slicing a loaf. Avidan sat down at the kitchen table. Noah left the room and came back carrying a little girl.

“This is Ruth. She's three.” Her chocolate skin was in sharp contrast with the peach skin of her father and warm tan of her mother.

“Is she adopted?” Avidan asked, already knowing the answer. Ruya answered.

“Yes. Her mother was one of our patients, we're both doctors, you know, met in medical school. The mother died in childbirth, and we haven't been able to locate the father.” Ruth gurgled happily. Avidan noticed that her tongue stuck out a bit, and her eyes were a bit uneven. Practically reading his thoughts, Noah said,

“We think she has a brain disability. She can't speak yet, and she learned to walk, with help, only last month.” Almost defensively, Ruya said, “She learned to laugh at one and a half months, though. Babies usually laugh around four months, but Ruth does things on her own schedule.” Avidan walked over to Ruth. “Nice to meet you, Ruth. I'm Avidan.” Ruth smiled at him. He smiled back. That girl lives up to her name, Avidan thought. She can light up a room with joy. Noah sat Ruth down on a cushion, and picked up a baby from a blanket on the floor.

“This, Avidan, is your cousin Peter Avidan St. Claire.”

Avidan?

“You named him after me?”

“Yes.” Ruya said, while placing a plate with a small stack of bread before him. “Olive is Olive Idony, Laban is Laban Edwin, after my father, Ruth is Ruth Lorene, after my mother, and then there's little Peter Avidan.”

“But... why me?” Avidan was still shocked.

Ruya sat down next to him.

“I have no siblings, and Noah” she side-eyed Noah “refused to let his middle name be Thoth. So you were the next choice.”

“But I'm no-” Avidan started to choke on the lump in his throat, but quickly regained himself. “I'm not that important.” Suddenly all of the feelings that he had suppressed over the last five years, and his whole life, came flooding out. Shock, denial, anger, sadness, hurt, even hints of despair. He started crying and talking at the same time.

“Noah, I've always idolized you. You were my hero when I was little, always strong and brave, always helping me. I was so proud when you started telling me Velvare's secrets, and about the east. I felt like you and I were special secret-friends, and th-that we would always be best friends. Then Velvare had his accident, and he hugged Enel and ignored me, and I know that it was a trivial thing and he was sick, but it hurt so, so much. Then he started ignoring me and spending so much more time with Enel. Enel left, and then I learned that Velvare only adopted me for power, and that Enel was his real son. Then the war, and Velvare went back to his family, and I was king all of a sudden. Everyone trusted me so much, and I couldn't ever let them down, and it was too much and I just couldn't anymore but I kept going and going and- and I'm sorry I'm upset. I shouldn't be making such a big deal out of this.” Avidan put his head down on the counter, his body convulsing with silent sobs.

“Avidan, I am so sorry. I am sorry I put you through all that. If I hadn't told you about- If you hadn't known-” Noah stopped speaking, crying as well. Avidan raised his head.

“I'm sorry, Noah. I shouldn't have said anything.” Noah was sitting next to him now, with Ruya on Avidan's other side. They both had an arm on his back. Ruya's face was concerned, Noah's was twisted with guilt.

“No, Dan. It is not your fault. Velvare was a horrible person, and he hurt you. Not physically, but emotional hurt lasts longer. Trust me. I know.” Noah turned away. Ruya patted Avidan's back comfortingly.

“Avidan Leto, you are one of the most important people in my husband's life. He told me about you before he told me about his parents.” Avidan snorted.

“He won't tell you this, but he loves you. Almost as much as he loves Idony.” Avidan looked at Ruya. She was telling the truth. Noah turned back toward him.

“No, Ru's wrong. I will tell you. Avidan, I love you. You are, and always have been, like a brother to me. If you didn't know that yet, I am so sorry. Please forgive me.” Olive hopped up onto the table.

“Uncle Danny, you don't have to be sad. Mommy and Daddy and me and Laban and Ruth and Peter all love you and maybe Peter doesn't yet because he's too young but he will someday, I know it.” Olive scooted over to Avidan and wrapped her arms around his neck. (Author's note: I was listening to the Avidan Leto playlist while writing this, and Everybody Needs A Hug came on right as I started writing Olive's dialogue!)

Avidan was shocked. He had just met this child, and she already loved him? How was this possible? Practically answering his question, Ruya said,

“Avidan, you're family. We love you, and you are welcome to stay here as long as you want.”

Laban grabbed his leg from under the table, and Noah scooped up both Ruth and Peter and crouched next to Avidan.

“We're here for you, okay? Is there anything we can do for you?” Jer cleared his throat from the corner. Avidan had again forgotten about his presence.

“Avidan, I am also here to help you, whenever and wherever you need it.”

“Thank you, Noah, Jer, Ruya, Olive, Laban.” Avidan managed to choke out. “I think I'm a little better now.” They all stood there for a while, no one talking. Avidan felt like a huge hole had been filled in his soul. I have a family now. They are my family. Not Velvare, not Enel, not the country of Gallitan. The people in this house are my family. Two hands slipped into his, balled up on the table. He looked at them, and saw a tiny peach hand and a tiny chocolate hand in his large ones.

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The fields were beautiful, full of perfectly ripe black and red berries, small stalks of corn, huge onions ripe for the pulling, and almost every other fruit and vegetable imaginable. Avidan was having the time of his life working, actually working, at the farm. He was sweaty and tired and sore all over, but happy. Jer had protested when Avidan had first asked Noah, but in the evening when Avidan came back rosy-checked and hungry, Jer had bought some fabric to make him a set of laboring clothes. It turned out that Jer had been apprenticed to a tailor as a boy, and he was very good at sewing. Avidan had been working for eleven days now, and it was doing him a lot of good. His appetite was better, he slept more soundly, and he was more joyful. He had even made a few friends among the other workers. Sometimes Noah worked with him, although usually he was helping the kids. He home-schooled Olive and Laban while Ruya worked in town. She ran a small hospital with a few other doctors. They had inherited the farm from Ruya's parents when they died a few years ago. They used it as a sort of ministry, hiring beggars from all over the continent, paying them fare wages, and eventually, a small share in the farm. They sold much of the produce at the local market, and investing the extra money back into the farm instead of keeping it. In return, they had loyal workers, many friends, and an almost endless supply of fresh food.

BONG. The lunch gong sounded, and the workers started to the village. Avidan went the opposite direction, to the farmhouse, where the smell of stew beckoned him to the kitchen.

Noah stirred the stew, humming. He wore an apron with the word Da painted on it.

“Did Olive make you that apron?” Avidan said. Noah jumped.

“You startled me, Dan. Don't walk so quietly!” Noah chuckled.

Olive was sitting on the counter next to Noah.

“Hi Uncle Danny! Daddy's teaching me how to make stew. Do you wanna come help?”

“No thanks, Olive. I need to go wash up. Maybe next time, though.” Avidan headed for the stairs, and almost tripped over Laban, who was hurtling through the hallway, a tiny wooden wagon in each hand.

“Whoa, buddy! You're fast.” Laban smiled at him, but kept playing.

Avidan washed his hands and went back downstairs. Noah was serving the stew into bowls, and Olive was pouring iced tea into tin cups. Avidan watched them for a moment, taking in the beauty of the St. Claires' simple life.

The End.