#ta winter wonderland

[kwoojii]

to thaw a heart of ice

[hallous]

dance

[naarwhall]

Little something for TA Winter Wonderland, I chose the prompt ‘Chilly’ ^_^

[terraquadreams]

RULES 🎄

❄ use #TA Winter Wonderland or tag us so we can reblog! ❄ post any time between the December 15th-17th (for all days, only one day, etc.) ❄ submissions are meant to be quick! drabbles and sketches are encouraged. But polished work is welcomed! ❄ NS/FW allowed but please tag! ❄ any gender/sexuality representation of TA is welcomed! ❄ have fun! and remember to support your fellow TA fans 💙🧡

[noirsfantasy]

On the sixth day of Christmas...

𝔐𝔦𝔰𝔱𝔩𝔢𝔱𝔬𝔢 𝔐𝔞𝔡𝔫𝔢𝔰𝔰

𝔭𝔞𝔦𝔯𝔦𝔫𝔤 ➛ Gregory Eddie x Black!Fem Reader

𝔯𝔞𝔱𝔦𝔫𝔥 ➛ Fluff

𝔴𝔬𝔯𝔡 𝔠𝔬𝔲𝔫𝔱 ➛968

𝔰𝔶𝔫𝔬𝔭𝔰𝔦𝔰 ➛ It’s Christmas time, but you felt that there was something missing. It was festive enough. You wanted to do something that would blow your boyfriend’s mind away. So you hid mistletoe in every corner you could reach, and even in some you couldn’t. This is definitely gonna spice some things up.

𝔞/𝔫 ➛ Y’all, let me tell you. Gregory Eddie? He’s so fine and I don’t know what it is about awkward men, but it’s so fun to mess with them. I feel like when I was writing this, some might think y/n is modeled after Janine. But I assure you, that is not the case. Honestly, I feel like, if he were in the real world, his girlfriend would be something like this. It really would be so cute. But yeah, just keep in mind that y/n is a bit on the shorter side. It’s up to you how short😌 Enjoy!

12 Days of Christmas Masterlist

The festive spirit fills the air as I scurry around our home, determined to turn it into a winter wonderland. I've put up lights and every decoration I could find. But my true masterpiece is the rows upon rows of mistletoe. There isn't a single spot without mistletoe somewhere near it. And, despite my short stature, I even managed to get them in the high spots. Of course, as a finishing touch, I placed the final sprig right on top of my head. Brilliant!

One might wonder, why do I need this much mistletoe? But I've got a plan in place. As I stand back to admire my handiwork, I can't help but grin with anticipation. Gregory Eddie, my lovable and slightly clueless boyfriend, is about to walk into the ultimate Christmas surprise. And I'll finally be able to get what I've been longing for. Endless kisses.

I hear the front door creak open and I can barely contain my excitement. I'm currently in the kitchen, having just put some cookies in the oven, but I wait to hear Greg's reaction.

"Um, Y/N?" He calls, setting his bag down by the door as he takes in the appearance of our apartment. "Why does it look like Christmas threw up in here?" I giggle and make my way over to the door, attacking him with a hug.

"Oh, you know, just spreading some holiday cheer! And, uh, just hoping for some mistletoe magic." I say with a mischievous smile as I point to the mistletoe on top of my head. He looks at me with confusion.

"Mistletoe magic?" I nod, deciding it's time to reveal my secret weapon, needing to step up my game to get him to realize. I pull out another hidden mistletoe from behind my back and hold it above my head.

"Ta-da! Now, according to my brilliant plan, you have to give me a kiss." I say, matter of factly. Greg stares at me for a moment, before bursting out laughing at my plan. However, he can't resist my charm either, so he leans down and gives me a sweet kiss. I smile into the kiss, doing a small victory dance when he pulls away.

"So, is this going to happen every time we walk under mistletoe?" He chuckles as I nod enthusiastically. "You and your mistletoe antics, Y/N. You're something else." He leans down for another kiss, this one deeper than before, "I love you, crazy."

"I love you, too!" I reply with a bright look in my eyes. Greg lifts me up into his arms and carries me to the couch, sitting down and pulling me into his lap.

Surrounded by the glow of Christmas lights, Greg eyes the strategically placed mistletoe with a bemused smile. "So, how many of these did you put up?" He asks me. I shrug my shoulders, counting on my fingers and pretending to ponder.

"Well, let's see... I lost count after twenty. But I just figured that more mistletoe equals more kisses."

"You know you don't need to set traps like this to get me to kiss you right?" He tells me, his thumbs drawing circles on my hips.

"I knowww, but at least, this way, it's more festive!" I give him a cute smile as I explain my reasoning. Greg can't help but grin at my adorable face. He pulls me close, pecking my lips.

"Maybe next time, instead of hanging mistletoe, you could wrap yourself in tinsel and wait in a present box for me." He suggests jokingly. I smirk and raise an eyebrow.

"Don't tempt me now." Greg chuckles, kissing me on the cheek.

"You're such a mischievous little monster, you know that? Even when I think I have you all figured out, you always come up with some new devious plan to make me fall in love with you even more."

"What can I say? I am a woman of many talents." I say with a casual shrug. Greg grins back at me.

“That you are… That you are. Do you think you’ll still be pranking me when we’re old and gray?” He raises an eyebrow and sighs, “Who am I kidding… Of course you will be.” I laugh loudly at that.

"I mean, come on, it's obvious this is only the beginning." I give him a playful nudge as I lean forward and wrap my arms around his neck. Greg laughs along with me, pulling me closer.

"And I wouldn't have it any other way. I love you, Y/N, with your pranks and your silliness and your mistletoe and everything about you." I kiss him longingly, enjoying the soft feeling of his lips against mine, even if I've felt it a million times.

"I love you too, Greg... even when you're a little slow to figure out my pranks." I tease causing Greg to laugh again. I pull him in for an exaggerated kiss. It's playful at first, but then it transforms into a deep passionate kiss that causes me to blush. Just when things are getting good, I hear the ding of the oven, signaling that my baking is finished. We break the kiss and I sigh heavily, sliding off of Greg's lap and standing up.

"I need to go get those before they burn," I announce and he stands up, a cheeky grin on his face.

"It's okay, babe, you go get those, I'm gonna go to the bathroom real quick. Then we can get back to the program." He wiggles his eyebrows and I laugh as I nod, heading into the kitchen. As I remove the cookies from the oven and turn it off, I hear Greg from the bathroom.

"REALLY, Y/N?? IN THE DAMN TOILET?!" He shouts, causing me to burst out into laughter. I forgot I left that there.

[cloudcountry]

ok my seasonal tumblr time is up so heres a general life update:

i have been genshin free for half a year now, and twst and pjsk free for a full year now. the gacha game curse is being lifted guys

i deleted quotev for the most part and then reactivated it cus i’m nosy lolol

i have an ao3 fic thats doing pretty good… its anonymous so L good luck finding it

directed my drama club’s winter performance :3

my prom got moved from the aquarium and i was so mad now its being held at a slightly less cool museum

DON’T DIRECT A HIGH SCHOOL PLAY AS A HIGH SCHOOLER IT RUINED MY LIFE

i entered the talking phase w a guy three separate times its so embarrassing guys

my drama club’s spring production is going to be alice in wonderland

AP statistics is my mortal enemy

i’ve been touring colleges! excited for that

uhhh thats it for now i love men

see you in spring,,,, aries season,,,,,

fuck yeah gacha games are evil (i grinded for months to get azul birthday card and now i have 137 pulls for him oops)

i forget quotev exists for months and then log back on only to fuck off again i feel u

its ok i wasnt going to try to find it dw :3

HELL YEAH BOYBOSSING

you got to almost sorta kinda have prom in an AQUARIUM??? I WISH!!!!!

MY IRL FRIEND DIRECTED ONE AND SHE CRUMBLED

omg. xol rizz. ive been single for one year officially ^^

ALIEC INW ODNERLAND FOAMS TA THE MOUTH

AP STATISTICS SUCK S ASS I FEEKL YOU

TOURING COLLEGES IS SO MUCH FUN it made me so nervous though ahsgdhasgd

i love men too <3

SEE YOU IN SPRING

[emeraldtied]

➤ 40 & Random | Accepting

↳ @champiionic asked: ❛  are you thinking what i'm thinking?  ❜ From Sonic!

{➹} – SNOW COVERED THE ENTIRETY of Green Hill that time of year, ironically ruining the zone's namesake and making it look far more like a winter wonderland. But with the new season, the change of weather, came a certain stillness. A peace even. There were no tourists, the outdoor market was closed with the exception of a few stragglers and it left only the residents and their families to mull around.

Which also meant that the hills near the small family's house were empty, leaving them and Sonic the only ones out there that day. A couple sleds, a few cardboard boxes and inner tubes were the plan for the day, and in no time at all Lyra had taken to jumping on a tube and sliding down the hill with a screech of joy. Quickly followed by the mongoose, it left the two hedgehogs at the top. Alone with their ideas; and never let it be said that sometimes they didn't think exactly alike.

One glance to the waiting sleds, resting side by side, and it was little wonder what the look Arrow sent his brother meant. Sometimes his daredevil ways really took over.

"First one t' fall off loses." And just like that he hopped on of the plastic plaything, not unlike a snowboard and pushed off. As he passed the other he wiggled his fingers in a 'ta-ta' motion. "See you at the bottom!"

[hexes-and-os]

PLEASE DON’T ANSWER THIS UNTIL CHRISTMAS

Sun is not here to see Hex’s face light up at the decorations, at the presents, at the veritable winter wonderland outside… Even still, Hex’s world is brightened…

I want ta see Mama aga-n.

[meidnightrain]

SNOW PHOTOSHOOT - march 7th

SUMMARY: in which you have a snowball fight with march in the winter wastelands of belobog

WARNINGS: reader is gn, pure fluff, can be interpreted as platonic or romantic

NOTES: ta-da! my submission for ecrin de litterature’s joyeux noël event!

the icy winds of belobog howled around you, biting into the layers of your clothing as you attempted to recreate the pictures that MARCH 7TH had lost. her determined pursuit to restore those memories led you both to the very spot where they were first taken. taken in front of a calyx, said landmark, stood resilient against the winter chill.

"right, here! i remember this calyx being here!" her voice cut through the frigid air as she enthusiastically waved her camera in the direction of the familiar sight. her eyes gleamed with determination, a stark contrast to the winter landscape that surrounded you.

you joined her side, memories of your first encounter with this frozen planet flooding back. the initial harshness of the winter air had now become a familiar embrace, and belobog felt more like a second home—a celestial haven, if only the vast expanse of stars wasn't where your true allegiance lay.

posing as you had before, you recreated the photograph, the camera's shutter echoing in the quiet snowy plains. however, as she scrolled through the saved photos on her hard drive, a seed of boredom took root in your mind, prompting you to deviate from the task at hand.

with a mischievous spark in your eyes, you scooped up a handful of pristine snow, swiftly shaping it into a compact snowball. without warning, you hurled it at her, calling out, "think fast!"

the snowball connected with unerring accuracy, colliding with her face and threatening to compromise her grip on the precious lifebane camera. in her attempt to save both her equipment and dignity, an inadvertent press of a button led to the deletion of all the painstakingly restored photos.

"i’m sorry…" you offered a sincere apology, the realization of your playful antics sinking in.

the silence that followed hung thick in the frigid air. MARCH 7TH, her bangs concealing the top part of her face, stared at her camera in quiet contemplation. a sense of guilt washed over you at the realisation of what you had done.

just as you were about to apologize again, her gaze shot up from her camera, a sudden, murderous intensity transforming her eyes into icy orbs. without warning, she raised her bow, pointing it defiantly at the sky and releasing an arrow into the air.

"you want a fight, huh? i’ll give you one!" she declared with a fierce determination that sent a shiver down your spine.

before you could react, ice of her own creation began to rain down upon you. desperation fueled your attempts to dodge the frozen bunnies hurtling towards you. just when you thought you had evaded the last of her wintry assault, a snowball found its mark, hitting you square in the face—the very spot you had targeted earlier.

“i win," she declared triumphantly, sticking her tongue out playfully as she snapped a photo of your shocked expression.

in that moment, the tension dissolved into laughter, and the two of you descended into a playful snowball fight, the vast snowy plains transforming into your battlefield. you lunged at her camera, MARCH 7TH retaliated with snowballs, and the frozen landscape bore witness to the spirited battle between the both of you who had found warmth in the cold embrace of belobog’s winter wonderland.

© AVENTURINTUS 2023. DO NOT COPY, REPOST, SHARE, TRANSLATE OR REUPLOAD MY WORKS ONTO ANY OTHER SITE WITHOUT MY PERMISSION

[yukikorogashi]

❛ i don’t think we’ve met, i’m [the Winter King]. ❜ to Itsuki from Winter King

🐝  *  ―  𝐅𝐈𝐑𝐒𝐓 𝐌𝐄𝐄𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐒𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐑𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐒.  

WITH A SHAKE OF HER HEAD,the little child of both earth and ice would grin lightly back at the RULER OF WINTER himself. Nearly reaching right up to shake his hand in greeting, only to change her mind and bow her head to him instead. And while she would normally take any chance to CURTSY when she could, Itsuki could already feel her feet slipping just a little from the icy grounds beneath them. And so thought it'd wise to refrain from doing so... for now.

"Naw... 's a first time meetin' between us, yer HIGHNY-NESS!" While she knew of DAIMYOS who had the ability to wield the element of ice (Besides her, of course), never before had she actually met a KING that actually ruled over it.

There was something about him that was just so welcoming, friendly-- daresay, even WARM about him then... that she couldn't help but already feel almost... right at home here. And it was like something out of one's loveliest of dreams, when it came to what a stunning WINTER WONDERLAND this place actually was! If paradise was the freezing cold, this would most likely be it!

"M' name's Itsuki, 's real nice ta meetcha!"

@wintercrown ❤️💕

[ahgaselovegot7]

“Chúng ta vô cùng sáng suốt khi phân tích đoạn tình cảm của người khác. Nhưng lại lú lẫn trong chính tình yêu của chúng ta.” (Sưu tầm)

cre: hannavs999, craziigiirl,  ⌈ winter wonderland / wendy ⌋, Bhottest

edit by #rain

[kwoojii]

saw terra kissing santa clause :/

[mermaidinthecity]

Oh, I used to be fireside wrapped in your arms. Now I'm wrapped up in the thought of you gone. All my head, asking myself. Oh, boy what are you doing this Christmas? Are you with somebody new? I wonder if all of this distance is making you miss me too. I wonder if the holidays are ever gonna feel the same. And I wonder who's holding your hand. Guess I'm walking in a winter wonderland. I'm walking in a winter wonderland. Winter wonderland.

A Winter Wonderland by Tenille Arts

[entertainmentnerdly]

Winter wonderland already appearing at the tallest waterfall of the eastern US (Taughannock Falls, New York) [OC][3000x2000] via /r/EarthPorn https://ift.tt/2OqEG69

[blueberryrock]

I used the random title generator:

Queen Of The Sea

Queen of the Sea.

A/N a lot of ideas came to mind ngl, mainly one that had to do with Selkies, but this one stuck and stuck hard, but i hope you like it 💕💕

Dwarf tag: @clumsy-wonderland 💕

Rules, Requests, and More!

"I know it looks odd," Y/N begins quickly. "But please don't freak out."

Y/N was enjoying a nice swim, albeit a cold swim, but nice regardless. They were so close to keeping their secret a secret for the whole journey! Even during the battle in the rain and riding in the barrels, it all came crashing down because of a late-night swim.

"A-aren't you cold?" Y/N snorts softly at the golden-haired dwarf's question.

"You're worried about that and not the scales on my face nor the gills on my neck?" Y/N asks bewilderedly, watching Fíli move to sit at the edge of the dock.

"Maybe a little?" He sighs, his eyes trailing the line of small scales leading down to their collar bone, the cold lake water hiding everything below. "I knew something was awry with you, sneaking off for hours at night? But Gandalf told me not to worry, I assume he was in on it."

Y/N nods with a small sigh, pushing themselves farther out of the water to grab onto the edge of the dock. Using all their strength, Y/N pulls themselves their top half onto the dock, revealing swirling patches of scales on their ribs and chest. "Ah yes," Y/N turns to meet Fíli's gaze. "He was in fact, thought my water manipulation could be useful against a firedrake."

"Water manipulation?" Fíli asks with pure curiosity.

"I can show you," Y/N says with a small grin, shifting their weight on the dock. "If you help me out of course."

Jumping to his feet, Fíli stands in front of Y/N to grab their hands, with a strong grip, Fíli pulls them onto the dry dock, turning to make sure none of their tail is hanging off.....their tail...he can't help but stare at Y/N's bottom half. Like the scales on their torso, their tail has large swirls of dark blue and green down to the large fin shuddering at the chilly winter air.

Flipping onto the back, Y/N lets out a shuddering sigh, their eyes glance up at the golden-haired dwarf behind them. "Ready?" They say with a grin, earning a nod from Fíli, Y/N props themselves on their elbows before holding out a hand.

Fíli watched in amazement as small droplets of lake water begin to roll off of Y/N's scales and collect in the air. "Wow," Fíli exclaims as he watches the scales quickly revert back to skin, starting from Y/N's head to their feet.

"It is amazing is it not?" Y/N giggles, springing up to their feet. "My magic keeps my clothes nice and dry too!" They say before dropping the ball of water into the lake.

"It is indeed," he agrees, his eyes scanning their form before going back up to their face, finding Y/N's eyes crinkling with amusement a something else that he can't quite pin. Adoration maybe? It was something gentle that made his heart flutter. Quickly glancing away from their gaze, Fíli swallows hard before Y/N had asked him something.

"Where are the others?" Y/N quietly asks as their gaze turns to the distant mountain.

"The mountain," Fíli quickly replies. "Most of them are anyways, I decided to stay behind to help Kíli—"

Y/N's face falls at Fíli's words. "I knew something was wrong," Y/N interrupts, their hands balling into fists. "Agh! I should have checked him the second we got into town! By the seas, I am an idiot." Y/N exclaims, turning on their heel to quickly run down the dock towards where the others are.

"Y/N wait!" Fíli yelps, chasing after them down the dock. Damn them being fast on land, Fíli growls as he jogs only a few paces behind, stretching his hand out to grasp theirs, pulling Y/N to a stop.

"Let go," they say cooly, attempting to yank their hand free. "I must help your brother, that arrow was most likely poisoned and I wasted time for a stupid swim!"

With his grip growing tighter, Fíli spins Y/N around to gently say, "he's fine...mostly..." Earning him a sharp look from Y/N, he takes in a sharp breath, smiling to himself as he breathes in their soft salty scent. "That elven maiden helped him," Fíli says, watching their shoulders sag in relief. "And with that, I noticed you'd left and I wanted to tell you the good news, but then I saw you ib the lake..."

"I'm sure that was quite the surprise," Y/N gently snorts, their hand shifting in his, heat creeps up his neck as he realizes that. Fíli sucks in a breath as Y/N squeezes his hand, the crinkle fron earlier returning to their eyes.

This time he can pinpoint what it is. Now it is only partly amusement, no doubt at the sight of his red face. But this time it was mostly something else, something just as warm as earlier, something like adoration.

Something like affection

Returning the squeeze with just as much feeling as Y/N did, he can see the heat rising to their cheeks. "I-I suppose we should get back then," Y/N squeaks.

"Aye we should," Fíli says with a smile, their hands not dropping from each other's as they walk.

[just-another-blog-of-fluff]

Familiar - Part 6

Word count: 3700

Warnings: None, just a lot of fluff

And the series continues! This one is from a prompt by a lovely anon asking for some Tom Hiddleston x reader snowball fighting ❄☃

I may have left things open for a part 7 for the holidays. You know. If anyone is interested. 😉 (I have another prompt about some Loki-themed Christmas pajamas that I could easily wrap into a part 7... 🤔)

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5

As the weather grew colder, your festive spirit grew along with it. You started to develop the familiar urge to bake cookies and decorate the apartment for the holidays. The streets were lined with houses and storefronts decked out in warm white lights and gold, red, and green decorations. Trees in the windows were adorned with sparkling bauble ornaments and silver and gold garland. You found yourself walking slower when you headed home from work just to enjoy the city lights for a bit longer.

The jolly fire in your belly only amplified when it began to snow. While it technically wasn’t winter just yet, the first snow typically came sometime in the middle of November. This year, it didn’t begin until the first week of December, and by then you were just itching to look out your window and see the soft white powder coating the ground outside. It didn’t disappoint – you got a few fluffy inches overnight and woke to find snowflakes fluttering around outside your window under an overcast gray sky. What better day than today to start your holiday decorating?

“You’re not gonna go full-on Hallmark movie on me this year, are you?”

Noelle hovered over your shoulder as you browsed through cookie recipes on the internet. You glanced up at her, taking a sip of your coffee.

“Don’t worry, Scrooge – I’ll keep the common area decorations to a respectable amount.” You smirked as her jaw dropped indignantly.

“Hey – it’s not that I don’t like the holidays, it’s just that I don’t want to drown in it in my living room.” She wandered over to the coffee pot, pouring herself a mug. “What’s your plan for the holiday with your famous lover, there?”

“He has a name, Noelle,” you scolded, rolling your eyes. “And, to answer your question, I’m not sure yet. We… haven’t really talked much about it.”

It was true – you’d been avoiding the subject so far, afraid of what the answer might be. You usually spent the holidays with your family back home, taking a week off between Christmas and New Year’s to go stay with them. You were really hoping to spend your holiday with Tom this year, but it would mean he would need to be ok with coming out to your hometown with you and meeting your family. Your entire family. It was a lot to ask of someone who you’d been with for just shy of half a year, especially someone as high profile as Tom. You knew your family would love him, but you were struggling to find your voice to ask him what he wanted to do.

“Well, you’ve still got a few weeks. But you might want to bring it up sooner rather than later. He’s got a very busy schedule,” Noelle advised, partly teasing but also partly serious. The two of you bantered often, but she really was one of your closest friends. She only wanted the best for you.

“I know. I know.” You sighed, closing your laptop, and getting up to wash your empty mug. “We’re meeting up today to do some shopping and decorating. Maybe I’ll talk to him then.”

“Sounds like the perfect time to bring it up. I gotta run – can’t be late for work again this week or Jerry will have my head. It better not be full on winter wonderland in here when I get home.”

“I’ll do my best. You know I have no self-control when it comes to holiday decorating.” Noelle shook her head, exiting through the door to the apartment. She popped her head back in for a moment.

“If you bake cookies, save some for me, alright?”

“You know I always do.”

“I knew I lived with you for a reason.” She grinned, retracting her head back through the doorway and shutting it behind her, leaving you to your thoughts.

The thought of talking to Tom about the holidays weighed on your mind all morning while you got ready for the day. You knew it was silly to be worried about it – Tom would most likely have no qualms with meeting your family, and even if he did, he certainly wouldn’t tell you. But deep down, you were scared of his answer. You were so excited at the possibility of spending the holidays together, and you weren’t sure your heart could take it if he said no.

Above all, this would be a huge step in your relationship. You hadn’t introduced your family to any guys you’d dated in years. The idea of bringing him home to meet them… it was exciting and terrifying at the same time. It meant there would be others invested in the relationship outside of the two of you. Other people in your life who would be heartbroken if things didn’t work out. It was a lot of pressure.

Your thoughts were interrupted when the buzzer to your apartment went off. You spoke into the intercom to say you’d be heading down before grabbing your winter coat off the coat rack by the door and sliding your arms into the sleeves as you walked out the door. Tom was waiting for you at the front door to the building. You let him wrap you in his arms, pressing a kiss to his lips.

“Where would you like to start?” he asked, taking your hand as you walked down the sidewalk into the city.

“There’s a cute little shop a few blocks away that sells a lot of really unique holiday decorations this time of year – I was thinking we could head there first, then swing by the grocery store for cookie ingredients.”

“Sounds lovely. Lead the way.”

You chatted casually as you walked, pointing out your favorite stores that decorated for the holidays. If he was overwhelmed by your festive mood, he didn’t say so. He asked you questions about what you liked so much about each storefront - whether you preferred warm white to bright white lights, green trees or colored trees, garland or tinsel… If he was only pretending to be interested, he was doing a damn good job of it.

The little holiday shop smelled heavenly of pine, illuminated softly with those warm white lights that, as you’d just finished explaining to Tom, were the superior type of holiday lights. You picked out a wreath to hang on the outside of the apartment door before making your way to the tree ornaments section.

“Oh, look at this – they have Marvel characters!” you giggled, pointing out the little Captain America ornament in the front of one of the shelves. “Do they have a Loki one?”

“If they do, I’m certain it looks nothing like me…”

“Oh wait, here it is!!” You picked up the tiny Loki figurine, holding it up beside Tom’s face. “I think it looks plenty like you!”

“Let me see it.” Tom took the ornament from your hand, scrutinizing the figure’s features. “It’s certainly not the worst depiction of Loki I’ve seen.”

“Oh, come on – don’t you want a little Loki ornament on my tree?” you asked teasingly. “It’d be like you’re always there in my apartment!”

“Charming, love. If you’d like it, I certainly won’t stop you.”

“It’s mine, then.” You brought your purchases to the front, scowling as Tom refused to allow you to pay for them, before heading out toward the grocery store.

The snow was picking up again on your way back to the apartment, heavy flakes dusting your hair and eyelashes. You put on your gloves to keep your hands warm against the chill winter air. Tom hadn’t brought any gloves of his own, but refused your offer to borrow yours, opting instead to stuff his hands in his coat pockets.

With your hand no longer laced in his, a rather mischievous idea sprang to mind. You trailed behind Tom just a bit as you walked, scooping a handful of snow off the sidewalk and molding it into a ball. You were nearly at your apartment now, only one building away, so it was now or never.

Pausing for just a moment to allow him to get a few feet ahead, you pulled your arm back and hurled the snowball at his back. Tom stopped short when the snowball exploded against his jacket, right between the shoulder blades. He spun around, jaw slightly slackened in surprise.

“Oh, you really want to start that?” he warned, his eyes narrowing with a mischievous grin.

“I believe I just did,” you quipped, quickly scooping up another handful of snow off the ground in preparation for his inevitable counterattack.

“Alright – you asked for it.” Tom swiftly crouched to pick up his own handful of snow, quickly forming a ball before chucking it straight toward you. You tried to duck, but you weren’t fast enough, and the snow slapped against the front of your shoulder.

“Oh, it’s on!” You threw your newly formed snowball at Tom, striking him in the stomach. Giggling, you ducked again as he threw another two snowballs at you, turning around so they’d strike you in the back.

“It isn’t fair that I’m doing this with my bare hands while you have gloves on,” he complained, rubbing his hands together for a moment to warm them as he dodged two more of your snowballs.

“I offered you my gloves! You said no!”

“That was before I knew you were planning to viciously attack me with snow!”

“Vicious?? That’s nothing! I’ll show you vicious!” You crouched on the ground, scooping up more snow and forming a loosely packed ball, chucking it at him before rapidly repeating the process. From your position on the ground, you could really only hit his legs, but it seemed to be plenty effective anyway as he shouted playful threats at you. “Surrender!”

“Never!” Another snowball sailed just over your head.

“You leave me no choice.” You grabbed a handful of snow, suddenly charging at him while he had his back turned to gather snow off the sidewalk behind him. Grabbing hold of the collar of his jacket, you shoved the handful of snow down his back. He yelped in surprise, jumping up and shaking the snow out of his coat.

“Alright! Alrihihight! I yield!” he protested, holding his hands up in surrender. “Next time you want to have a snowball fight, warn me so I can wear the proper attire, hmm?”

“Where would be the fun in that?” you teased, picking up your shopping bags from the sidewalk where you’d haphazardly dropped them. You grinned victoriously at Tom as you passed by him on your way into the apartment, with him heading in behind you.

You shrugged your jacket off and hung it on the coat rack, placing your purchases on the kitchen island to start setting up the cookie ingredients. Tom was surprisingly quiet for a few moments – you’d expected him to complain about the fact that you’d shoved snow down his shirt.

“Are you giving me the silent treatment, Tom?” you asked teasingly, turning around to look at him only to find he wasn’t there. “Uh, Tom? Where’d you go?”

“Right here, love.”

You nearly jumped at the proximity of his voice behind you, not realizing he’d walked around the kitchen island without you seeing him. He wrapped his arms around you from behind, and you leaned back into his embrace.

“I need you to help me with something.”

“Oh? And what’s that, your throwing aim?” you teased.

“No – I need you to help warm up my cold hands.”

Before your brain could process the implication of his request, he’d slid both hands beneath the hem of your shirt, pressing his ice-cold fingers into the bare skin of your belly. You shrieked, both from the cold and the ticklish sensation when his fingertips grazed gently against your skin.

“TOM IT’S SO COHOLD!!” you cried, twisting to escape his embrace but only succeeding in causing his hands to shift around on your belly, chilling more of your warm skin.

“I know it is. That’s why I need you to help warm them.”

“NOHO GET THEM OUT!”

“Mm, no, I think not. It’s only fair, considering you are the reason my hands are so cold in the first place.” He pressed his icy palms flat against your belly to increase the cold surface area. “Hmm. This isn’t working. Maybe if I move my hands around a bit to gather more warmth…” He wiggled his cold fingertips into the sensitive skin, and you doubled over with a shrill squeal. Somehow, the icy chill of his cold hands served to amplify the ticklish sensation, setting your nerves alight with every pass of his fingertips.

“TOHOHOM!!” Your knees buckled underneath you, sliding slowly to the floor as he followed you down.

“Darling, where are you going?” His hands slid around to your sides, crawling up to your ribs. You grabbed hold of his hands through your shirt, pushing them down and away from the spot you just knew he was aiming for.

“NOHO TOM DOHON’T YOU DAHAHARE!!”

“Don’t I dare what? Oh… you mean… this?” His fingers found his favorite tickle spot on the backs of your ribs, causing your laughter to become shrieky and desperate. His hands weren’t so cold now, at least, but god if it didn’t tickle SO badly.

“OK! O-OKAHAHAY!! YOU WIHIHIN!” You let out a giggly sigh of relief when he finally removed his hands from your ribs, slipping them back out from beneath the hem of your shirt and hugging you tight around the waist.

“Sorry, love – I couldn’t resist,” he whispered in your ear teasingly, kissing your cheek.

“Remind me never to start a snowball fight with you if you aren’t wearing gloves,” you groaned playfully. “Help me up, will you?”

“Certainly.” He stood, lifting you up off the floor with ease and setting you back on your feet. You turned around, poking a finger into his chest.

“I’m going to get you for that, Thomas,” you threatened, a bright grin on your face. He laughed, removing your hand from his chest to press a kiss to your knuckles.

“I imagine you’ll try.”

You scoffed, returning your attention to the cookie ingredients on the counter. You turned on some holiday music while Tom pulled your mixer off the top shelf of the cabinet for you (after the strainer incident, he wasn’t letting you climb on counters when he could easily get things for you), and you started mixing the butter and sugar. You measured and added the dry ingredients while Tom mixed up the cinnamon sugar coating for the cookies. Before long, the sugary, doughy smell was filling the kitchen.

“Uh… darling, did you forget something?” Tom asked suddenly.

“Huh? No, I don’t think so… I added the flour… mixed in the eggs…” You skimmed over the recipe, trying to figure out what he could be referring to. After a moment, he gently grasped your shoulders and turned you to face the oven. “What… oh. Aheh.”

“The last I checked, the oven needs to be on to actually bake the cookies,” Tom teased. You grinned sheepishly, programming the oven to preheat.

“Well, we’ve got a few extra minutes to get the cookie dough on the baking sheet,” you shrugged. “Here –“ You handed him a spoon, gesticulating to the mixing bowl. “Scoop some cookie dough onto that baking sheet, and I’ll work on this baking sheet here.”

“As you wish.”

You busied yourself placing even-sized dollops of dough on your sheet, spacing them evenly to allow space for them to spread as they baked. Halfway through, you glanced up to check on Tom’s progress, surprised to find there were only two dollops of dough on his sheet.

“What are you… hey!” Your eyes fell on a guilty-looking Tom, spoon halfway in his mouth. “I know the dough is delicious, but save some for baking, would you?”

“Apologies, darling – it’s just so good, I couldn’t help myself.”

“Well, no more taste-testing – you’ve had quite enough,” you scolded teasingly, wagging your spoon in his face for emphasis. With a final warning look, you turned back to your own baking sheet.

Something in the back of your mind told you he wasn’t finished being mischievous. You slowly lifted your gaze, finding that he was doing exactly as you’d expected – licking more cookie dough off the spoon.

“Oh, you little sneak!” You dropped your spoon into the bowl and lunged for him, latching both hands onto his ribs and digging your fingers in, eliciting a surprised yelp.

“Hehehey!” Tom pushed at your hands, spoon still grasped in his hand as you fought to keep your hold on him. He reached one hand out toward your side, which you promptly dodged and side-stepped around behind him to wrap your arms around his waist, swiftly clawing into his belly.

“Uh-uh! You need to learn a lesson! And I still owe you payback!” you cried, somehow evading his hands as you scribbled into any ticklish spot you could reach in rapid succession. Finally dropping the spoon, he reached around behind himself to try to grab for your sides, but you took the opportunity to shoot your hands up under his arms, halting his attack attempt in favor of clamping his arms to his sides.

“Ahalright!! Darling plehehease!” he pleaded, making your heart skip.

“Did I just make you beg? I’ve never been so proud of myself!” you teased, easing up and sliding your hands back down to his sides to keep him giggling. He hooked his hands around yours, and you allowed him to push you away this time, grinning victoriously up at him as he turned around to face you.

“You’re just asking for it today, aren’t you, love?”

Before he could retaliate, the oven beeped to signal it was preheated, and you took over setting cookie dough on Tom’s baking sheet so he couldn’t keep sneaking more tastes before it was baked. At last, you slid the filled baking sheets in the oven and set the timer for ten minutes, taking a seat at the kitchen island to wait. Tom sat himself down beside you, looking at you with a smile.

You knew there was probably not going to be a better time to talk to him about your plans for the holidays. Noelle was still out at work, and you had nothing else to distract you while you waited for the cookies to finish baking. The upbeat melody of Winter Wonderland was playing softly in the background as the apartment began to fill with the warm smell of cinnamon cookies.

“You seem to have something on your mind.” Tom gave you a curious look, catching your gaze. “What’s going on in that pretty head of yours?”

“Oh… just thinking about the holidays this year.” You tried to sound casual, but your mind and heart were both racing as you tried to come up with the best way to discuss this. “I usually get to go see my family back home this time of year.”

“Well, aren’t you this year?” he asked.

“Yes… that’s the plan. At least, I think it is.” You looked down at your hands, playing absentmindedly with your fingers.

“You think it is?”

“Well…” You took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. “I just… wasn’t sure what your plans were for the holidays.”

“I see.” Tom appeared thoughtful, watching you carefully as you avoided his eye. “And… why might that be?”

“I was… kind of hoping that you might want to… celebrate the holidays with me. With… my family?” You lifted your gaze slightly to look up at him through your eyelashes, biting your bottom lip with nervousness. He smiled brightly, a rumbling laugh escaping his chest.

“Why do you seem so nervous, darling? Do you think I wouldn’t want to meet your family?” He reached over to grasp your hand in both of his. “I would love nothing more than to meet your family. I simply didn’t want to push you if you weren’t ready for that.”

“Really?” An involuntary smile tugged at your lips. “You don’t mind that it will be my whole family? Like… all of my family?”

“I don’t mind at all.”

“And you don’t mind that we’d be staying at my parents’ house?”

“Sounds wonderful.”

You squeezed his hand in yours, leaning forward to kiss him. “I love you. So much.”

“And I love you.” He pressed a kiss to your forehead just as the oven timer went off, grinning at you as you sprang up from the stool to retrieve the cookies from the oven. Carefully, you scooped the cookies onto a cooling rack, resisting the urge to take a bite of a molten hot cookie. “They smell delicious.”

“See? Wasn’t it worth actually baking them and not just eating all the batter?” you teased. “Now you just have to wait a few minutes for them to cool.”

“Hmm.” He stood, taking a few steps toward you. “I can think of a good way to spend those few minutes.”

“Tom… noho, don’t even…” You backed away as he advanced, wiggling his fingers in the air teasingly at you. “No, no, we’re even now!”

“As I recall, it was you who started the snowball fight, and it was you who got the last laugh. I believe that means it’s my turn.”

He lunged toward you suddenly, eliciting a shriek from your lips as you turned and ran down the hallway toward your room, hoping to close the door before he could get to you. He was one step too quick for you, his hand preventing the door from closing all the way while the other wrapped around your waist, scooping you off the ground into his arms and kneading his fingers into your ribs where his hand rested on your side. Your giggles filled the room as you swung your legs to try to escape his hold.

But you didn’t really want to. This was exactly where you wanted to be. And you just couldn’t wait to start making travel plans with Tom for the holidays.

Part 7