#this is about her christmas travel plans to see my little brother

[missberrycake]

So, I know we all love the headcanon that Eddie moved in with Wayne when he was a teen or a pre-teen, be it because one or both parents died, chucked him out, are in prison, etc. But! I’ve been thinking about another option.

What if Wayne has been looking after Eddie since he was a toddler?

It all comes as a bit of a shock to Wayne who, in his early forties, had pretty much assumed he’d missed the boat on the whole ‘kids’ thing. And yet, here he is, taking in his baby nephew when his brother turns up on his doorstep one day.

When it starts, it’s only supposed to be for a short while. His brother’s wife is newly out of the picture (it’s a crying shame, Wayne had liked her, she’d stayed a gentle soul throughout) and he just needs some time to get himself sorted, right? But then a week turns into a month, turns into two months, turns into half a year and Wayne? Well, he gets attached to the kid, so sue him. 

Because little Eddie is a rambunctious boy. He’s full of gummy smiles and bubbling laughter and Wayne runs himself in circles trying to stop him from toddling into sharp corners and sockets and yards of rope. The two of them are well suited, it seems, and Wayne takes to settling Eddie on his knee in the evenings and going through the races for the next day in the paper.

Eddie chooses a winner more than once. 

Every day, when Wayne comes to pick him up from Julia’s two trailers over (he’s still got to work, something his brother hadn’t considered before he left, or maybe he didn’t care), Eddie greets him with his arms out, already chatting away with the handful of phrases that he knows. 

The boy’s hair is soft and his cheeks smooth and if Wayne gets a little sentimental when he tucks him into bed at night, then nobody else needs to know, do they?

He’s a sweet boy. He deserves someone to care for him. 

So when his brother turns up again with vague mutterings about there being some work for him down in Florida, Wayne’s chest aches. 

“What’s your plan for the littl'un?” he asks.

“Ed? Whad’ya mean?”

“I mean, have you got a place to stay lined up? Who’s gonna look after him while you’re working?”

“I’ll figure somethin’ out.”

He shrugs and Wayne feels something close to panic bubbling in his veins. When he suggests that perhaps his brother should travel ahead, get himself settled first before sending for Eddie, he doesn’t expect him to agree so readily. He can’t say he’s much surprised though. 

The entire exchange doesn’t take more than ten minutes and his brother doesn’t ask after Eddie once, doesn’t show any desire to see him, doesn’t even step inside the trailer—not one jot of fatherly affection shines through. 

It only occurs to Wayne that evening that perhaps this was the outcome his brother wanted. But, hell, it’s fine with him—he’ll let him think he’s winning. Wayne knows who’s got the real prize here. 

He doesn’t mention the visit to Eddie, the kid doesn’t need to know, too busy digging holes and collecting bugs. 

Just like he expected, his brother never sends for the boy. They get letters for the first few years, poorly wrapped and ill-thought through trinkets for the kid’s birthday and Christmas, but it’s not long until they fall by the wayside too. 

Once Eddie’s older, they have a conversation about it. Have to, really, when Eddie comes home from preschool and is full to the brim of questions, because apparently Peter Gillespie says that everyone has to have a mom and a dad, “and I know I have a mom because you’ve told me about her and I said that she’s not around and Mrs. Lang told Peter to be quiet but then I thought about it, but I don’t know, ‘cause you’re my dad, right? I know I don’t call you dad, but that’s what you are, isn’t it? Because what else would you be and Peter says I have to have one.”

It floors Wayne for a moment, but he recovers quickly. He leads Eddie to the couch where he sets him on his lap. For the next while the two of them look through all the pictures that Wayne can find of Eddie’s mom and Wayne’s brother. Wayne makes sure to hold him close and tells him it doesn’t matter that he’s ‘just’ his uncle, that he loves him as much as he would a kid of his own, that he’ll always be around to take care of him. And Eddie takes it all in his stride, in the way only children can. 

“So I can’t call you dad?” he asks.

Wayne lets out a long breath, rubs at his jaw. 

“It’s not that you can’t, kiddo, it’s just that I ain’t.“ 

Because it feels a little like stealing. What would happen, if one day his brother came back and found his kid calling Wayne ‘Dad’. If the boot were on the other foot, Wayne would be angry as all heck. And there was still time, wasn’t there? For his brother to see the error of his ways? Who was Wayne to keep all of that from Eddie? 

“Okay,” Eddie says quietly. “Uncle Wayne is still good.”

“Oh, it’s still good, is it?” Wayne crows and squeezes Eddie tight. “I’m sure glad I meet your high standards, your majesty.”

Eddie just giggles at that. He always giggles when Wayne puts on his voices. 

“And what would the esteemed gentleman like for dinner tonight, huh? The options are spaghetti hoops, spaghetti hoops, or - now let me think. Oh! Spaghetti hoops.”

The nail in the coffin comes one day in the summer of 1978, just before Eddie’s twelfth birthday. It’s been over eight years since his brother dropped him off in search of better things and sure, there have been some days where Wayne has been tearing his hair out, but through all of it he knows he made the right decision that day in the doorway of the trailer. He wouldn’t change Eddie for the world, and he knows by now that there are some out there that would, who would only see the difficult or the different in him, but isn’t that what being a parent is? Loving your kid no matter what? Seeing the good in them and helping them see it themselves?

When his brother slams the door shut on some car so shiny that Wayne wonders if it’s fresh out of the packet, he knows they’re in for some trouble. 

“Nice car, man,” Eddie whistles from where he’d been lounging on the plastic chairs out the front of the trailer. Clearly the sight of something so drenched in luxury in their neighbourhood makes it so that he just can’t help himself.

Wayne’s brother grunts in that way that he always did when they were younger, like he’d gotten away with something. 

Wayne just watches, then, as his brother nods at the book in Eddie’s hands. “A reader, are you?” he says, a joke in his voice. “What’s this? Always knew there were brains in the family somewhere.”

“It’s ‘Lord of the Rings’,” Eddie replies, uncertain. His gaze flicks to Wayne, who nods. Funny, that the kid was quiet now, he’d been ranting and raving to Wayne about that goddamn book every spare second of the week. “It’s got orcs and wizards and elves in and stuff.”

“Fairytales?” his brother scoffs. It grates on Wayne like a physical thing. “What you been doing to the boy, Wayne? Here.” He turns back to Eddie. “You know me, kid?”

Eddie shakes his head.

“I’m your old man! So you like cars, do you? Want to go for a spin in her?”

“You don’t have to Eddie. Not if you don’t want,” Wayne pipes up then. He knows his boy well enough that he can see the internal war going on behind his eyes. And, hell, it is a nice car. Eddie bites his lip and stares at Wayne, eyes wide, asking permission.

“‘Course he wants to.” And his brother is already walking back to the driver’s side door. He winks at Eddie. “Gotta lot of catching up to do, ain’t we?”

“Hold this for me?” Eddie asks and hands Wayne his book before jogging away.

There’s a sinking feeling in his stomach when Wayne watches the dust trail behind the car as it leaves the trailer park. He sits out on the porch all afternoon, eyes flashing towards the road every few minutes. It isn’t until almost dusk that it careens into the park once more. 

The passenger door slams violently and Eddie stomps towards him.

“He’s not my dad,” he splutters as he pushes his face against Wayne’s shoulder. Wayne can feel where his cheeks are hot and flushed.

Cradling the back of Eddie’s head with one hand, he mutters gently, “Yeah, son, I know.”

And how had he ever thought that man could be Eddie’s father? No, Eddie may still call him ‘Uncle Wayne’, but they’ve gone well beyond that and both of them know it.

Directing Eddie back inside the trailer, Wayne sends a small nod to his brother where the man is still lingering by his car door, looking faintly murderous. 

Let him try, he thinks. No one’s taking his boy from him now, come hell or high water.

[Yeah, I'm scouring the archives and trying to salvage as many headcanons as I can from my old deleted account, but let's just pretend this is brand new content.]

[sinofwriting]

So Many Reasons - Ollie Bearman

Words: 3,343 Summary: She honestly just wants to go to these two races to see her brother so he won’t complain about never seeing her anymore that is it. She has exams, an internship, and a job, she doesn’t have time for any of this. Note(s): Thank you V once again for commissioning the fic! I had a lot of fun writing it and may or may not have spent an hour researching different business degrees and universities and such. Reader is Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s older sister. Age gap of 3 years between her and Ollie. Not good family dynamics between her and Kimi and their father.

Masterlist | Support Me!

“Andrea, no.” Her voice is firm, perhaps harsh but she doesn’t care. She was tired, hungry, and had to stay up for at least another six hours. Her last red bull in her bag sounded better every second. “C’mon, sorella. It is my first F2 race. You can miss a few classes.” Her jaw clenches and she forces herself to take a deep breath. Thank god this was just a phone call. “No, Andrea. I can’t. I have exams.” “Ask for an extension.” “Andrea,” she snaps. “Does padre know you are asking me this?” His voice is quiet, “no.” She sighs, pushing away her work. “How is your school work going?” “It’s fine.” “And the sim?” “Good.”

It’s quiet between the two siblings.

“It’s been months since we last saw each other. Do you not miss me?” “We saw each other at Christmas.” She reminds him but softens. “Of course I do. But I’m busy. I can’t take a few days away to go to a race, at least not one that’s not in Europe.” She looks at her planner, at the days blocked out with different colors. Purple for exams, blue for classes, yellow for work, green for work and classes, the dreaded orange for when she had both exams and work. It was filled for days, weeks, and months. “I could maybe make it for Imola.” She’d have to talk to her professors, put in her time now for work, but she didn’t have any exams the day after his feature race. “Maybe even Monaco if you can get me a spare pass.” She shouldn’t go to Monaco, not with her final exams to obtain her MBA starting just the day after the race, but she didn’t have any work those days and she could always bring her books with her. “Really?” She smiles at the excitement in his voice. “Really. Are you sure you want your big sister around?” “Yes. It will be nice to have family in the paddock. Someone other than dad.” She hums, eyes widening as they catch the time. “Let me know about the passes for the different races, okay? As soon as you get them I’ll talk to my professors.” “I will.” “Bye Andrea.” “Bye.”

—

“Mr. Garcia?” She knocks on the door frame. “You asked to see me?” He smiles, beckoning her in. “Yes. Please sit.” He gestures at the chairs in front of his desk before quickly typing something. She sits down, smoothing the fabric of her skirt. “I wanted to talk to you about your plans after you get your MBA.” “I’d like to get a travel position or be able to work remotely half of the time. Then I think after ten years of doing that, I’d like to take a bigger account or two.” He hums, looking at her consideringly. “Why the travel position?” “I like traveling, going to different places, and when I went once before with Maria, I liked what she had to do.” “You're also good with languages.” “Yes.” “And the hybrid?” She fidgets a little. “The same reasons really as the travel position and I like the extended hours.” His lips twitch into a smile, “Maria hated remote.” She nods.

“She said you’d be suited for it.” Her leg that had started to bounce stops. He leans forward, “I’d like to keep you on. I know that your internship with Maria ends the first week of May. And that you’re only supposed to continue to work with us until August. But I’d like to offer you the remote position, starting June 20th.” She looks at him with a slight open mouth. “What,” she clears her throat. “What exactly would that look like?” He pushes forward a folder. “All of the details are in there, but there are two important things. There will only be a few days every month that require you in the office. Those days are always made known at least two weeks in advance, some as much as six months.” She nods. “The second is you will have strict deadlines. Miss two within a three month period and you will be on probation, meaning that for a time you will be spending at least eighty hours in office for the month, until your probation is up. Look over all the details and get back to me next week.” “Of course.” Taking the folder, she stares at it before standing. “Thank you, Mr. Garcia.” “Of course, Ms. Antonelli.”

—

“Andrea!” She calls, seeing him looking around. His head turns to look at her, a large grin taking over his face. “Sorella!” He calls, jogging over to her. “You made it.” She rolls her eyes, pushing him away when he tries to give her a hug. “I told you two weeks ago I’d make it to Imola. It’s not my fault, you don’t listen.” She touches her ears before giving him a quick hug. “How are you feeling?” “Good.” She hums, following him as he leads her to what she assumes is Prema’s space for this race.

The good was false that was more than clear to see, if she wasn’t his sister, she’d know just by looking at the F2 races so far. Round four with no podiums? Or pole position. Her brother was surely smarting. She wondered if it had hit him yet that he wasn’t the most talented driver in this series yet.

Entering the Prema garage she smiles when Rene immediately greets her.

“How are you?” “I’m good. Very good. How are you? How is Angelina?” “I am good, I’m sure you saw the Indycar news.” She nods, watching as Andrea starts talking to either a mechanic or an engineer. “I did. It sounds amazing.” “Very amazing. And Angelina, well,” He pauses, turning his head and calling her over.

“Oh, Y/N.” “Angelina.” She greets back, melting into the hug the older woman gives. “How are you doing?” “I’m doing good. And you are well?” “Of course, it is the season.” She smiles at her, knowing all too well how much everyone loved the motorsport season.

“Kimi!” Angelina calls and she has to stop herself from flinching at the use of his nickname. “You did not tell me that your sister was coming.” He shrugs, “She’s coming next race as well.” “You are coming to Monaco?” She shrugs, adjusting her purse. “It’s my last free time before my exams and Andrea asked when I was going to come.” Rene and Angelina share a look but before either can say anything, someone interrupts.

“Angelina, Dino and Antonio are wondering about the next shoot.” The older woman sighs, “And neither of them could get me themselves.” He shoots her a grin, and it’s the sight of his grin that makes her realize that this is Andrea’s teammate. “I volunteered.” Angelina shakes her head, muttering under her breath but leaves the small group.

“Ah, Ollie, this Y/N. Y/N, this is Ollie.” Rene introduces. She shakes his hand. “Nice to meet you.” “You as well. Are you new to the team?” “No.” She laughs, pulling her hand from his. “Just a guest for this race and next.” “Oh.” He looks at Rene questioningly, but the older man is already in conversation with other people. “I could give you a tour, if you’d like.” “You don’t need to do that.” He smiles, giving a small shrug with his shoulders. “I don’t mind.” “Don’t you have race prep?” She can see just behind him, Andrea talking to another two people, their heads all gathered around a tablet. “I finished mine already.” Her lips purse. “At least let me get you a coffee from Ferrari’s hospitality.” Her nose nearly wrinkles at the word coffee, but Ferrari… She wasn’t into motorsports by choice, but she was Italian. She knew the allure of Ferrari and more so now Charles Leclerc than the team itself better than anyone. “So, coffee?” He grins. She sighs but nods. “Just one though.” She doesn’t think she could stomach another one.

“You don’t like coffee do you?” He asks nearly twenty minutes later as she sips at the coffee he got her and she chooses not to think too hard about the money she tried to hand him that he refused. “No.” She laughs. “But you like Ferrari.” “I’m Italian, Ollie. I think I get kicked out of the country, especially this part if I don’t bleed rosso corsa.” “Yet your brother is a Mercedes junior.” She pauses, “My brother?” His eyebrows furrow. “I’m sorry, it’s just Kimi, he has a picture of you. I asked about it once, because I already knew what his girlfriend looked like.” “I didn’t know that.” She wondered when the picture was from. Not from this Christmas, that was for sure. Ollie stares at her for a few seconds, something dancing in his eyes before turning the conversation back around. “It is a bit funny isn’t it? An Italian choosing Mercedes, while an Englishman chooses Ferrari.” “A second Charles Leclerc in the making.” She muses, remembering an article that said it. He flushes red. “I wouldn’t say that.” She shrugs, “Then other people will for you.”

Her phone buzzing makes her look away and she rolls her eyes at the text from Andrea. “I have to go back, Andrea is looking for me. Thank you for the coffee.” He nods, standing with her. “No problem.” He then opens his mouth again, quickly closing it. She raises an eyebrow and he flushes a bit more. “Could I get your number?” “Ah.” She glances down at her phone, another text on the screen. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.” “Why not?” She can think of a million reasons. “It’s just not a good idea.” She settles on. “What if I want it as a friend?” She sends him a look and he grins. “I could do friends.” She shakes her head, “I need to go. Thank you again.” “Anytime.”

—

“You're at a race.” “Padre.” She greets, watching the screens as the sprint race goes into its fifth lap. “Andrea asked me to come.” “You don’t like races.” Her lips thin. “No, I don’t. But he wanted to see me, I made time.” “Have you made time for the interview I want scheduled?” “No.” He starts to say her name and she shakes her head. “No, padre. I’m here for Andrea, to see him. Just like I will be for Monaco, that is it. I have no interest in working for you.” “For the family.” “Or that.” He sighs.

Crossing her arms over her chest, she winces at the way Andrea gets overtaken, can already imagine the way he’ll beat himself up over it if he doesn’t regain the position, especially with the way Ollie is in P2, no battle in sight, as he more than comfortably keeps the place.

An arm wraps around her shoulders and she easily goes into her fathers side. “I miss my little girl.” She bites back on the words that want to crawl from her throat. “Love you too.”

—

“So,” she startles at the sound of a voice and the owner of it grins. “You don’t like coffee.” “Hello, Ollie.” “Hi.” He greets back. “You don’t like coffee.” He repeats. “I don’t like coffee.” She can’t help but smile at the way he grins at her responding to him. “What about,” he pauses looking around, before leaning closer and lowering his voice. “Red bull?” “I’m listening.”

She has to stop herself from giggling as Ollie leads her through Ferrari’s garage. She really shouldn’t be here. And not just because she shouldn’t even be at the race.

Stopping in front of a door, she watches as Ollie knocks, sending her a grin as he does.

“Hello?” The voice is a little confused. “Ollie! Come in, come in.” And Ollie grabs her hand, intertwining their fingers as he pulls her into the room with him. “Hi Charles.” Her eyes widen at the name and she quickly schools her expression though neither are looking at her. “What are you doing here?” Ollie grins at the older man. “I wanted to introduce you to someone and raid your fridge.” Charles rolls his eyes. “At least you don’t ask permission anymore.”

The tease makes her stiffen, this was a lot more than she felt she should be seeing or hearing.

“No, I learned.” Ollie laughs and then he’s tugging her closer. “Charles, this is Y/N.” A bit of tension leaves her when he doesn’t say her last name. “Y/N, this is Charles.” “Bonjour.” She greets, keeping her free hand firmly by her side as she wiggles her fingers in Ollie’s hand, but he just brushes his thumb over her knuckles. Charles’ eyes brighten at the greeting. “Bonjour. Est-ce un accent italien que j'entends?” (“Hello. Is that an Italian accent I hear?”) “Oui. Je suis italienne et je vis actuellement en France.” (“Yes. I am Italian currently living in France.) His grin widens. “Oh, très bien. Votre français est bon.” (“Oh, very nice. Your French is good.”) She ducks her head. “Merci.” (“Thank you.”)

“I didn’t know you spoke French.” Ollie says. She gives him a look. It should make his smile falter a little, but it only grows. “An Italian living in France. A bit uncommon, no?” Charles asks, handing her then Ollie a Red Bull. Before grabbing one for himself. “I study there.” “What are you studying?” Ollie asks, “Ki,” he stops himself. “Andrea never said.” Her eyes narrow at the catch, wondering why exactly he did it. “Accounting. And I’m not surprised. If it’s not something racing related, my brother has no interest.” Charles laughs. “I think Lorenzo and you would get along well. Having siblings that live and breath racing while you don’t.” “Maybe.” “Are you close to getting your degree?” “I am actually. My final exams start Monday.” “And you came to the Monaco Grand Prix?” Charles’ eyes are wide. “Yes.” “My goodness.” He looks at Ollie, winking at him. “This one is a keeper.” “Oh,” she says, feeling blood rush to her cheeks and Ollie is turning pink. “We aren’t.” He shrugs, taking a drink of his red bull. “Maybe not yet.” His eyes then fall to their still intertwined fingers and she gives another tug to Ollie’s hand, expecting him now to let go, but he doesn’t. “No, not yet.”

—

“What race are you coming to next?” Her hand tingles at the sound of Ollie’s voice. “I’m not.” “What?” She turns to face him. “Andrea wanted me at the first race of the season, but I couldn’t make it, so I said I’d come to these two.” She doesn’t mention that the want of her coming was because he apparently missed her. She had her doubts about that, especially after this weekend. “You don’t think he’ll ask you to come again?” She looks around, seeing no one nearby, she sighs. “Even if he did, I wouldn’t come. I love my brother, but not on race weekends, not during the season. I’ve seen you more than him.” Ollie’s face that had looked shocked, turns to understanding. “I’m sorry. I had no idea.” She shrugs. “He’s busy.” Ollie looks like he wants to argue, but he doesn’t.

Instead he leans a bit closer, “so, could I get your number now?” She laughs, shaking her head. “No. Still not happening.” “Oh, c’mon. I won today. This is the one thing I want as the Monaco F2 feature race winner.” She shakes her head. “Maybe, if you actually wanted it as a friend. I’d say yes.” “And why can’t we be more than friends?” He’s closer now somehow and she has to swallow around the lump in her throat. “Ollie,” Her name spills from his lips in a gentle sigh as he leans ever closer. “We can’t.” She whispers, hand against his chest, holding him place. “Why? Give me one good reason why.”

He’s guiding her backwards, down the short hallway and into a room that’s thankfully empty, the door shutting behind him.

“One good reason.” “You’re Andrea’s teammate.” “For nine more weekends.” She lets out a shaky breath, watching as his tongue darts out to wet his lips. “I’m busy with school and work.” “You have final exams this week, which you’ll pass. And I’m busy with work as well.” “You're younger than me. I’m twenty-two, you just turned nineteen.” He shrugs, her eyes following the strong line of shoulders with the movement. “I’m an adult. And I like you.” “Ollie.” She breathes. He’s closer than ever before, their lips nearly brushing. “I’m still waiting.” Her eyes scan his face, his words full of confidence, his body too, but he’s flushed and his nervousness is easy to read. And she delivers the reason that has to make him see reason. Because she doesn’t know if he stays this close to her if she can stop herself from kissing him. “Your parents,” his throat bobs. “Would never approve.” He looks at her and she looks back, holding her breath, waiting for him to back away but he doesn’t, and god when does Ollie ever do things she expects. “They don’t need to.” He whispers and then he’s kissing her.

—

“What are you talking about?” “Andrea,” “No.” He stops her, shaking her head. “What do you mean, you are seeing Oliver?” He spits the name out. “Don’t, Andrea.” “NO!” His face is red and she’s reminded of the times when he wanted candy that she had and threw a fit over not getting it instead. “He is, he is,” he shakes his head. “I don’t even know what he is. He is my teammate, he works in motorsports, you hate motorsports.” She keeps quiet, watching as her brother processes the news. “He is younger than you, barely older than me. And you.” He shakes his head again. “Does padre know?” She scoffs, now shaking her head. “Does padre know? That’s all you care about isn’t it. If our father approves or not, if you knows what he thinks, because heaven forbid Kimi,” he flinches at the name. “You think for yourself.” “That is not.” “Don’t.” She cuts him off. “Yes, he knows. Don’t worry he disapproves as well. So, you don’t have to think for yourself again.”

She stares at her younger brother, knowing that this is her fault, but she can’t, she still doesn’t have it in her to deal with it, not today. “I will talk to you sometime, Andrea.”

—

“Your fans are lovely.” Ollie makes a humming sound, half asleep. She pauses her scrolling on twitter, unable to stop herself from liking the picture of Charles’ dog in his own personal little car. “Your fans. Very creative as well. They can’t call me a gold digger, but a fame seeker? Well, if the shoe fits.” “They what?” He sounds so much more awake, it makes her laugh. “It’s just hate, Ollie. I’m an old woman praying on the young. Apparently I’m like Piquet.” “Ew.” And she can picture his nose wrinkling. “You know you aren’t though right?” “An old woman?” She jokes. “A predator.” She softens, turning in his arms, so that they are chest to chest. “I know.” “I mean, really if anything I was.” “You were very insistent.” He flushes. “Only a little.” She nods, pressing a kiss to his jaw. “Only a little.”

“I know we talked about it before, but are you okay with everything?” “Yes. I mean, it hurts that Andrea is still not okay with it but my father’s opinion has not mattered to me in a long time. And no matter what the media and fans were never going to give us peace, so I made my peace with that as well. Besides, your parents are okay with it.” “They love you.” “Our friends are understanding.” “They are.” “And you aren’t about to dedicate any more podiums to me.” He grins at her and dread starts to form in her stomach. “Ollie…” “About that last one.” “Ollie!”

@crashingwavesofeuphoria @poppyflower-22 @racingheartsposts @gemofthenight @peachiicherries @lpab @hiireadstuff @iloveyou3000morgan @boiohboii @bibliosaurous @skepvids @elliegrey2803

[tip-top-cloud-surfer]

Merry Ex-Mas - Rooster

Pairing: Rooster / Fem!Navy Officer!Reader

Word Count: 2.3k

This work, all my works, and my entire blog are 18+ Only

Warnings: Cheating/Infidelity (Not Between Reader and Rooster); Friends to Lovers; Romantic/Sexual Tension; Implied Sexual Content/Suggestive Content; Light Angst; Use of “You,” No Y/N

Summary: After surprising your boyfriend doesn’t go as planned, you spend Christmas with Rooster.

Master List

It was Christmas Eve morning and the house that you shared with Fritz, Phoenix, and Rooster was growing emptier by the hour. Phoenix left the night before, after you all got off work, to head to her brother’s house to spend the holidays there. Fritz left at the ass crack of dawn to drive almost half the day to be home with his family for a few days.

And you were getting ready to surprise your boyfriend for Christmas.

He told you that he was spending Christmas with some friends and because you knew his AirBnB password, you could see where he was staying. And after not seeing each other for five months, you knew that you needed to put in an effort to see him for the holidays. The two of you had been having a lot of fights lately and you were hoping that a Christmas together would help patch things up a little.

“You’re leaving soon too?” you asked Rooster, pulling on your coat.

“Yeah, probably in like two hours,” Rooster stated quietly, sitting at the kitchen island as you packed some snacks for your drive. He struggled to hide his disapproval of your choice as he glanced out the window for a moment. “You’re all packed up?”

“Yeah, I’ll get gas on the way to the highway and then I’ll just drive straight there,” you replied, glancing up to see Rooster’s expression as he turned to face you again. Sighing, you turned away from him. “Don’t give me that look.”

“I just don’t want you to drive all that way and be disappointed, that’s all.”

“I’ll be fine,” you insisted, gathering your last few things.

Bradley and your boyfriend didn’t get along. Actually, none of your friends really got along with your boyfriend. Granted, you complained about him a lot, but unlike the rest of your friends, Bradley didn’t even make an effort to try and get along with your boyfriend. The two of them just avoided each other whenever your boyfriend visited.

Rooster walked you out to your car, carrying your bag for you. You took it from him and moved to put it in the trunk. When you came walking around the car, he opened your door for you. Giving him a quick hug and smile, you slipped into your car.

“I’ll see you in a few days,” you promised him.

“Safe travels,” he returned quietly.

“You too.”

Rooster stood on the front steps of the house as you backed up. Once you were gone from his view, he headed back inside. Even though he told everyone that he had plans with people ‘from back home,’ Rooster was planning on celebrating the holiday alone.

As he pretty much had since he was eighteen, if he had it off.

So, he was just going to bake some cookies like he used to with his mom, watch some movies, and catch up on sleep. He didn’t tell anyone because he assumed that they’d try to drag him along with them and Bradley didn’t want to interrupt their holidays with their families. He didn’t want the pity.

He was just going to have a quiet holiday by himself. And he was okay with that.

~~~~~

You finally spotted the house. But you were a bit confused to only see one car in the driveway since your boyfriend listed off a bunch of names of people that were coming.

Parking behind your boyfriend’s car, you carefully shut the door and walked towards the house. Testing the door, you found that it was unlocked and let yourself inside. The sound of music quickly hit your ears and made you pause. You glanced around the rather fancy AirBnB when you noticed a pair of heeled boots that clearly belonged to a woman.

Frowning, you walked deeper into the house, keeping your steps light. You turned the corner and noticed the bedroom door ajar. Slowly cracking it open, you stood, shocked, when you saw your boyfriend and some woman that you’d never seen before fucking on the bed.

You stepped back from the door, your heart racing as you processed the image. But once you got over the initial shock, you jumped into action.

You started in the kitchen and stole the wine that they brought. Heading back outside, you stowed the wine in your car before you walked over to your boyfriend’s car. You let air out of his tires, not enough to be too obvious, but enough to cause problems—you wanted to drag that punishment out a bit more.

You walked back into the house and returned to the kitchen. Filling a bowl with ice cold water, you carried it to the bedroom. Opening the door as the music hid your footsteps, you tossed the water onto them, causing them to scream out in shock. Scrambling around, your boyfriend’s face noticeably paled when he saw you standing there.

“Baby—” he started, causing you to chuck the plastic bowl at him.

“Surprise,” you called sarcastically. Turning to the woman he was with, you added, “Nice meeting you. Have a wonderful Christmas with him.”

You turned on your heel and stormed out as your ex-boyfriend got to his feet. He pulled on his sweatpants and ran out after you, leaving the other woman alone in the bedroom, but you were in no mood to listen to him.

“It’s not my fault,” he stated, earning a scoff from you in return.

“You just accidentally lied to me, brought another woman up here by mistake, and then your dick just magically fell into her vagina? Do you really think I’m that fucking stupid?” you growled, turning to face him.

“You’re always working. And I love you and I cared about our relationship, but I was lonely.”

“Why didn’t you just break up with me? Why didn’t you grow a pair of balls and tell me that you were feeling that way?”

“I didn’t want to be the dick who broke up with you right before Christmas.”

“Oh, so you decided to be the dick who cheated on me right before Christmas instead?” you countered, raising your voice more.

“How do I know that you didn’t do the same? You’re literally living with a guy who’d fuck you if you let him,” your ex-boyfriend snapped back before adding, “Actually, are you fucking him? That would explain a hell of a lot to me.”

“You know what, have a great fucking life,” you replied, turning and heading out of the house. “I’m fucking done.” Reaching for the door handle, you yanked it open and sent one last glare back at him. “Merry fucking Christmas, dickhead.”

Getting into your car, you quickly backed down the driveway. You didn’t let the tears fall until you were on the highway.

It was already pitch black when you returned home, but it wasn’t too late. You could probably just make yourself a quick dinner and then soak in a bath by yourself and decompress. Unlocking the door, you dragged your bag inside and kicked off your shoes, not bothering to be quiet because you assumed that you were alone.

Bradley, who was still home, heard the noise and assumed that someone broke in. Sliding off his bed, he reached for his baseball bat. He held it aloft as he slowly crept out of his bedroom and down the stairs to confront the intruders.

You were lost in your own world, looking through the fridge. The bottle of wine that you stole from your ex was already open on the counter and you contemplated drinking all of it tonight. Closing the door to the fridge, you turned and screamed bloody murder when you spotted Bradley standing there with a baseball bat.

“What the fuck!?” you both shouted at the same time.

You dropped the container that you grabbed and jumped back. Bradley, quickly realizing that it was you, dropped the bat and let out a breath of relief. You held a hand to your heart and leaned back against the cabinet behind you, slowly sliding down to sit on the floor.

“What are you doing here?” you both asked at the same time.

“You were supposed to leave after me,” you stated quietly, causing Bradley to wince.

“Yeah, uh . . . plans changed.”

“Did you have plans in the first place?” you asked him softly.

“. . . No.”

You nodded slowly without any judgment. You simply pulled your knees up to your chest and leaned back against the cabinets. Bradley noted the redness to your eyes and the subtle sniffle and tear stains on your cheeks before slowly walking over to you. Sitting down beside you, he reached up and grabbed the plate on the countertop.

“Cookie for your thoughts?” he offered, causing you to laugh softly.

“You bake?” you asked, picking up a sugar cookie.

“Only around Christmas,” he replied, putting the plate back. He stared at you for a moment before asking, “You want to talk about it?”

“You were right,” you stated, taking a bite of the cookie. Looking down, you chewed slowly. “I found him in bed with another woman.”

“That son of a bitch.” Bradley turned to you with a softer expression. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. You didn’t cheat on me,” you replied bitterly, taking another bite of your cookie.

“What did you do?”

“I let the air out of his tires and dumped water on him and her when they were in bed. And I stole their wine,” you added with a laugh. “It’s about the little things.”

“Did he say anything to you?”

“He said that I worked too much and he felt lonely, both of which are perfectly fine, but I would have rather just preferred that he break up with me. And then when I told him that, he accused me of cheating on him.”

“With who?”

“You,” you answered honestly, turning back to him.

“Me?” he replied quietly.

“Yeah. He said you hated him.”

“That’s accurate, especially now,” Rooster agreed, nodding slowly. “Still, I’m sorry that you had to put up with that bullshit. You deserve better than that.”

“Yeah,” you responded softly, staring into Rooster’s big brown eyes. “I do.” The two of you stared at each other for a long moment before you added, “Do you think you can get the fire started?”

~~~~~

Tossing memories of your ex into the fire that Bradley started in the fireplace for you, you smiled over at Rooster as he started to play a song on the piano. He turned to you with a matching smile, pressing his fingers down on the keys.

“Old photos roasting on an open fire,” Bradley sang jokingly, causing you to crack up. “Black smoke nipping at your nose.”

“Just a little bit,” you defended yourself. “And we have the fire extinguisher.”

“I was the one who brought it in,” Bradley reminded you, causing you to turn away with a smile. “And I’m trying to concentrate.”

“Sorry,” you teased, tossing another photo onto the fire. “Please, continue.”

Bradley sang another verse as you finished up with your reminders. Simply standing in front of the fire, you reached for your wine and savored the moment.

“Although it’s been said many times, many ways, Merry Christmas,” Rooster sang, locking eyes with you again, “to you.” He finished the chord before slowly removing his fingers from the keys. With a softer look in his eyes, he added, “Merry Christmas.”

“Merry Christmas, Bradley.”

The two of you continued to hold your shared stare as you slowly walked over to the piano. Bradley stared up at you as you stepped up beside him. He turned in his seat a bit, almost inviting you in. He didn’t make a move to reach for you, letting you dictate what happened, but he didn’t pull away when you slowly leaned down and pressed a kiss to his lips.

He rested a hand on your cheek, matching your passion, and happily accepting you onto his lap.

~~~~~

There was a layer of frost on the sliding door on Christmas morning. The fire burned itself out the night before, but there was still a warmth that lingered in the room, even though the embers had lost their glow. While there were stockings hung up on the mantle, there was a collection of four socks—two pairs—on the rug. Accompanied by two pairs of pants, a sweater, a tank top, a bra, two pairs of underwear, and a partridge in a pear tree. On a tee shirt anyways.

Slowly coming out of your deep sleep, you cuddled further into Bradley’s chest. He was still asleep with his arm draped over your waist and his head resting on a pillow. He had thrown a thick blanket over the two of you the night before and you pulled it up and over your shoulders. You started to drift off to sleep again, but when you felt Bradley’s hand start to travel up and down your back in a soothing pattern, you picked your head up.

“Morning,” he greeted you, causing you to smile.

“Merry Christmas.”

“Merry Christmas,” he returned, wrapping his arm just a little tighter around you. “How’d you sleep?”

“Great. You’re really warm,” you mused, resting your head on his chest again. “What time is it?”

“Doesn’t matter, it’s Christmas.”

“Good point.” Sitting up, you offered Bradley a soft kiss in greeting. Pulling back, you held yourself up as Bradley’s smile grew. “So, what do you normally do, first thing on Christmas morning?”

“Unwrap presents of course.”

You pulled the blanket back over you as Bradley teased it down. Offering him a jokingly sharp look, you laid down against his chest.

“Make me breakfast first.”

“I can make us waffles,” Bradley offered, causing you to hum in agreement. “With strawberries.” You literally moaned as he added, “with whipped cream and maple syrup.”

“If you make me that, I’ll give you your present early,” you offered, pulling Bradley in for another kiss that he eagerly returned.

[pulisicsgirl]

christmas on my own - mason mount

summary: when Y/N finds herself spending Christmas alone for the first time in her life, a chance encounter with Mason may prove to be just the cure she needed for her holiday blues

pairing: Mason Mount x reader

word count: 6.3k

warnings/tags: semi-established relationship, the tiniest bit of angst at the beginning but overwhelming fluff for the rest of it, Christmas celebrations, awkward encounters with meeting the family for the first time

requested: no

notes: surprise!! Please ignore the fact that it's been three months since I last posted a fic. Life has been coming at me pretty fast this year, and it's made it incredibly difficult for me to find the time or motivation to write. But I've been thinking about and planning this one since almost October, so I wanted to be sure I was able to put this out as a little Christmas gift for you all!! Thank you for being so patient with my inconsistent posting schedule this year, and I hope you're all able to enjoy some time with your loved ones this holiday season! Also I know that Mila is still a baby, but for the sake of the fic, please pretend she's a toddler Merry Christmas to all of you, my loves!!

You blew hot air into your clenched fists in an attempt to warm them as you stood in the small Manchester café. The biting cold of the outdoors was still making your fingertips ache as you lingered near the counter, long after you had finished placing your order and paying.

You briefly surveyed the somewhat empty café, admiring the glowing lights and cheerful decorations that the owners had put out for the holiday season. A few sets of what you assumed to be grandparents and their grandchildren were also waiting alongside you, some of the children pressing their faces up against the glass display case as they relayed which pastries and treats they wanted to take home with them.

Today was the first Christmas that you had ever spent alone, and seeing the families happy and smiling together made your heart ache a bit, longing for your childhood when the season still felt magical and joyous.

To say that it had stung when your parents told you they would be travelling to spend the holiday with your brother would be an understatement. It had been unexpected, and they had only given you a little less than a week’s notice, meaning that as you were expected to work both the day before and after Christmas, you didn’t have enough time to make arrangements to go on the trip with them. You knew that your parents missed your brother as he had moved away a couple of years ago, and you understood why they would want to go see him and his wife that he had recently married. But it was hard to get left behind to spend the holiday that’s all about being together and giving to one another alone.

So now, on the afternoon of Christmas, you found yourself standing in a small bakery in Manchester, the very one that your family would always stop by on Christmas Day to get a few smalls treats to take back home after you had opened all of your gifts.

You had spent the morning at home, watching a couple Christmas films to try to put yourself in a festive mood and generally just feeling sorry for yourself. You had tried your best not to just mope about all day, but it proved difficult. By the time the afternoon rolled around, you decided that it just didn’t feel right to not make your annual trip to the bakery, even if it would be by yourself this year. So you had dragged yourself out of bed, put on a nice sweater and some black leggings and styled your hair a bit in the hopes of making yourself feel better, and decided to walk to the bakery in order to get a bit of fresh air.

You were lost in your own thoughts, fantasizing about the sweet taste of the coffee and pastry that would surely be coming your way soon when the bell above the entrance rang out. Your eyes naturally jumped over to the door to see where the noise was coming from, and your stomach sank to your feet when you saw who had stepped in.

It was Mason.

You and Mason had been going out for the last few weeks—not long enough to put an official label on it, but long enough that the two of you had gotten to know each other better and knew that you were both serious about this.

You had no idea what he was doing at the small bakery, but the last thing you wanted was for him to find out how pitiful you were, spending Christmas at home, alone on your couch.

Your hand darted up, scratching the side of your head in an attempt to hide your face from him as he approached the register only 10 feet away from you. Hoping that was enough to make sure he wouldn’t see you, your heart began to race as you realized that the worker would be calling out your name when your order was ready, and there would surely be no escape then.

You were beginning to contemplate the possibility of just leaving without the items you had paid for when his soft voice cut through your thoughts, thwarting any plans you’d had to run.

“Y/N?” he asked sweetly, and you could hear the smile in his voice. “Fancy seeing you here! Happy Christmas!”

You glanced up at him, his eyes bright as you tried to feign surprise at the sight of him.

“Mason, hi!” He drew you into a quick embrace, his scent surrounding you almost immediately. “Happy Christmas!” you mumbled into his chest before he released you.

“W-What are you doing here?” you rushed to ask, hoping to avoid any questions about your holiday celebrations.

“I’m actually on my way back home from training,” he spoke, scratching the back of his neck.

“Training? On Christmas?” you exclaimed. “That’s cruel!”

He laughed shortly, nodding along as he spoke. “I know, but we actually have a match tomorrow, so they couldn’t afford us a day off, unfortunately.” He shrugged, seeming like his cheery mood hadn’t been too phased by the interruption from his job. “But anyway, my family all came to mine for the holidays, and my nieces insisted I bring back a treat for them when I came home. I remembered you had mentioned this place, so I thought I should give it a try.”

Your heart fluttered at his mention of your conversation from a couple weeks ago. You had told him about the tradition in passing on a date when he had asked about how you and your family usually celebrated Christmas, and the fact that he had even remembered that detail meant the world to you.

“Oh, that’s so lovely that they were all still able to come up to celebrate with you,” you smiled at him.

“Yeah, they all arrived yesterday, and we did stockings this morning, but I’m sure my nieces are itching for me to get home so they can open the rest of their presents.”

Your chest felt warm at the way he always spoke about his family—especially his young nieces. Anyone could see from a mile off that he loved them all dearly.

“Are they going to be able to stay long?”

“They’ll be here for a couple of days, actually! Gonna be able to go to the game tomorrow as well, so I’m really excited to be able to have them there.” His grin spread nearly from ear to ear, the crinkles by his eyes becoming more pronounced. “But what about you? I’m assuming you’re here picking up the traditional Christmas pastries?”

Your heart sank, trying to find a way around the fact that you were alone for the holidays. You didn’t want him to pity you or to feel bad for expressing his joy over having his family with him. “Well, actually, I—um—”

“Y/N!” one of the bakery’s employees called out, placing a small to-go cup of coffee and a single, wrapped pastry on the counter. Your head dipped low, you walked over to the counter, picking up your order and quietly thanking the employee before you turned to walk back over to Mason. The look of confusion was unmistakable on his face as he looked at the single pastry in your hands, rather than the bulk order of treats that you had told him about weeks prior.

“My… parents actually went to visit my brother for the holidays,” you spoke quietly, having to force each word of your admission out. “So the order’s just for me today.” You forced a smile onto your face, hoping he wouldn’t see through the façade.

“Don’t tell me you’ve been on your own today,” Mason spoke, and you rushed to assure him that you were fine.

“I mean, yeah, but it’s—”

“Y/N, there’s no use in that. We have plenty of food and space at mine! You should’ve said something!”

“I—what?” His response caught you completely off-guard, not at all what you had expected him to say.

“Come over! We’d love to have you!” A huge smile spread across his face as he spoke to you. “There’s no reason for you to spend the holidays alone.”

“Mason, I couldn’t,” you immediately began trying to track back, but he didn’t seem at all discouraged by your protest. “I wouldn’t want to impose, and—”

“You’re not imposing, I’m inviting you,” he stated, matter-of-factly, as if it was just a simple matter. “My family would love to have you, and my nieces will be overjoyed to have someone new around!”

You were stumbling over your words, unable to fight against his persistence. “But… But I…”

“Look, we don’t have to say anything about us at all,” Mason said, sensing your resolve crumbling bit by bit. “You don’t have to meet my family as the girl that I’m dating, I’ll just introduce you as a friend. It’ll be completely fine.”

You bit your lip as you searched his face for any sign of hesitation. You couldn’t deny that the idea of joining in his family’s festivities did lift your spirits a little bit. The idea of being gathered around a Christmas tree and watching everyone opening gifts, maybe wrapped up in a warm blanket as you shared laughs with the others.

The final nail in the coffin for you was thinking about going back to your dreary apartment with the half-hearted decorations and spending the rest of the day by yourself.

“Please?” Mason pleaded with you one last time, his eyebrows raised as he gave you his best puppy dog eyes to convince you.

“You’re sure no one will mind?”

“I’m positive. My mum would be more upset with me if she found out I knew you were spending Christmas alone and didn’t bring you home.” The grin resumed its place on his lips as soon as you agreed, Mason bouncing slightly on his toes in giddy excitement.

Just at that moment, a voice rang out, calling Mason’s name, signaling that his order was ready to go. He quickly moved to the counter, scooping up the rather large box of pastries and holding it in one hand while he grabbed yours with the other and nearly dragged you out of the door of the bakery. You couldn’t help the giggle that slipped from your lips at his almost child-like glee at your agreement to join his family for the rest of their Christmas celebrations.

“Alright, you want to just follow me there?” he asked as the two of you strode into the parking lot. You had been to his place once before for a movie night, but he wanted to be certain you got there safely and didn’t lose your way.

“I actually walked here from my apartment, so would you mind if I just rode with you?” you asked sheepishly.

“Of course, love.” The pet name slipped out without him even thinking about it as he led you to the passenger side of his car, opening the door for you. Testing his luck a bit, Mason pressed a quick kiss to the top of your head as you stepped past him to get into the car, and you felt the heat rushing into your cheeks as he closed the door behind you.

He popped in the driver’s seat, starting the engine and turning the radio onto some station playing nonstop Christmas music, and the two of you were off, heading in the direction of his home.

You were thankful that his house was a little while away as it gave you time to collect yourself before walking into a room full of Mason’s closest family members. You thanked your lucky stars that you had gotten to urge to dress at least a little bit nice before leaving your apartment that morning so that you’d be presentable for meeting them.

After all, even if he introduced you to them as his friend this time around, if things with Mason went the way you hoped they would, you’d be seeing them many times again in the future, and you wanted to make a good first impression. 

The drive to his house was comfortable. The moments of silence were peaceful and never tense. The two of you caught up a bit since you hadn’t seen each other for a few days, and you tried your best not to think too hard about the nerve-wracking evening ahead of you. Mason kept glancing over at your bouncing knee—he could tell that you were nervous, and you could tell that he was fighting the urge to hold your hand.

So, in a moment of bravery, you reached over, bringing his free hand into your lap and intertwining your fingers. You couldn’t help the way your heart fluttered at the slight blush that crept up his cheeks and over the bridge of his nose as he began stroking his thumb across your knuckles, back and forth in a soothing motion.

Sooner than you were prepared for, Mason turned into the long driveway that wound back to his house, and you swallowed a nervous lump as his house came into view.

“You’re sure this is okay?” you asked as he put the car in park and turned off the engine, still somewhat nervous about intruding on their family holiday.

“Y/N, it’s fine,” Mason held your face in both of his hands for a moment, trying to reassure you to the best of his ability. “My mum loves hosting new people, so she’s gonna be super excited when I bring you in there!”

Something about the way he said that made your ears perk up. “Wait, Mason—Mason!” you exclaimed as he quickly got out of the driver’s seat. You threw open your door, leaping to your feet despite the fact that Mason was on his way around to your side to open the door for you. “Did you not at least text them to let them know I was coming with you?” you asked, exasperated.

Mason shrugged as if he didn’t see what the big deal was, shaking his head ‘no.’

“Mason! I can’t just—”

He cut you off by pressing his finger to your lips, gently shushing you. “Hey, trust me,” he looked intensely into your eyes. “It’s okay,” he said slowly.

Your shoulders slumped slightly, resigning yourself to him as you whispered a soft “okay.”

He tapped the tip of your nose and a quiet giggle escaped from your lips. You hated and loved how this boy could turn you into complete mush in mere moments. It made you feel so giddy but also so vulnerable at the same time, and it was a feeling you were still getting used to.

He held onto the car door, letting you step out from behind it before closing it and gestured for you to head toward his front door once he had retrieved the box of pastries from his back seat. He reassured you of his presence just behind you with his hand placed gently on the small of your back.

You hesitated at the front door, letting out a shuddery breath.

“Hey, it’s no biggie. Don’t freak yourself out, okay?” Mason spoke as if he had been able to read your mind, sneaking one final kiss to your forehead before stepping toward the door and reaching for the doorknob. Even though you hadn’t been seeing each other for very long, you noticed how Mason couldn’t seem to help himself from those small touches—the little gestures of reassurance like the forehead kisses, a hand on your back, and gentle touch on your knee—and it kind of surprised you how much they settled you, as you had never been big on copious amounts of physical touch in your past relationships.

Mason stepped through the doorway into his home, and you followed behind him, doing your best to still your racing heart.

It was only seconds after the sound of the door opening could be heard within the house that you hear the sound of tiny feet slapping on the floor, heading in your direction. Moments later, two little girls rounded the corner and came bolting toward you and Mason as he closed the door behind the two of you, the air filled with their squeals and giggles.

“Uncle Masey! Uncle Masey!” they screamed, wrapping their arms around each of his legs. Mason immediately matched their energy, clearly just as excited to be coming home to them as he squeezed them close to his body with his free hand. You took the box of pastries from him so that he could bend down, scooping them both up in his arms and pressing kisses all over their faces. The girls giggled and screamed as he told them how much he had missed them between kisses.

Mason finally pulled back after one final, dramatic kiss that had the older of the two wiping at her cheek and she laughed at him. If you had thought the way Mason spoke about his nieces was sweet, it was nothing compared to the way he acted around them.

“Summer, Mila, this is Y/N,” Mason spoke once the girls’ giggles had quieted.

“Is she your wife?” the older girl asked, and your mouth dropped open in shock.

Mason, clearly amused by her question, threw his head back and laughed. “No, Summer. Y/N is just my friend.”

“Oh, okay,” Summer shrugged, quickly moving on from the conversation, wiggling so that Mason would set her back on the floor. Immediately she took off, running out of sight and Mason followed behind her with Mila still in his arms.

Voices could be heard coming from the kitchen, and you remained just behind Mason as you followed him, hoping that his body would shield you from the rest of his family.

When you found the others, you first saw Summer crawling up into one of the tall chairs at the kitchen bar, surrounded by numerous others. Perfectly-shaped gingerbread cookies lined the countertop, placed on sheets of wax paper, and bags of differently-colored icing were strewn around the countertop, along with various shapes and sizes of sprinkles. Cheerful Christmas music was ringing out through the room, and a warm feeling spread through your chest at the sight of it all.

Several of Mason’s family members greeted him as soon as the three of you entered the spacious kitchen, happy to see him back home from training.

Mason wasted no time in bringing you around to his side with a gentle hand between your shoulders before he let his hand fall to his side, not wanting to make you feel self-conscious in front of his family.

“Guys, this is my friend, Y/N,” Mason smiled at you reassuringly. “She’s gonna be joining us for the rest of the day.”

His introduction irked you slightly, wanting to give more of an explanation for why you were crashing their holiday when Summer piped up from where she was very focused on decorating her gingerbread man. “And she’s not Uncle Masey’s wife.”

A chorus of laughs rang through the room, and you felt your cheeks heat up, forcing a laugh to try to play off the fact that you felt like you were about to pee your pants.

A woman who you could only assume was Mason’s mother wiped her hands off on a dish towel, walking in your direction with open arms.

“Oh, it’s so lovely to meet you, Y/N! I’m Debbie—Mason’s mum,” she spoke, confirming your guess. Mason quickly snatched the box of pastries from you so your hands were free and Debbie pulled you into a tight embrace—it was one of those hugs where you felt every muscle in your body relax a bit, and immediately you felt a little bit more settled in the unfamiliar environment.

“Thank you so much for having me.” You felt a bit silly, thanking her for being willing to do something she hadn’t even really agreed to in the first place.

“No, no, it’s nothing!” Debbie pulled back from the hug, waving her hand at you before she led you further into the kitchen, beginning to introduce you to everyone.  You met Mason’s father, Tony, who had greeted you with the same warm embrace that Debbie had, and then she introduced you to Mason’s brother, Lewis, and his sister Jaz and her husband before repeating the young girls’ names to you. Everyone had greeted you cheerfully, not even blinking an eye at the fact that Mason had brought a stranger home to join their Christmas celebration.

It wasn’t long before Debbie had you set up with your own sheet of wax paper and a cookie to decorate. You caught Mason’s eye, a sweet smile on his face and a twinkle in his eye that said I told you so.

You were surprised at how easy it was to settle in with Mason’s family. You had never been someone that was good at meeting new people, and it typically took you a while to warm up to them. But Mason’s family wasted no time in treating you as one of their own, and it almost felt natural to be there with them within minutes.

Playful banter was exchanged, Summer and Mila were shouting for everyone to look at their sprinkle-covered cookies, and everyone was laughing. Mason settled into his spot next to you, nudging you gently with his shoulder.

Mason’s family asked a little bit about yourself, but they kept the questions light, and you were thankful that they didn’t try to dig into why Mason had brought you home.

Once all the cookies had been decorated, the girls began shouting that it was time to open presents and Jaz had to wrestle them into wiping their hands and faces clean of icing before they took off, sprinting in the direction of the living room.

Once everyone had settled in the living room, some on the couch, some sitting on the floor, Tony donned a large Santa hat and beard before he began to distribute the gifts that were under and around the tree. You had kicked your shoes off by the door and tucked your legs up under you as you settled into the cushions next to Mason, a respectable amount of space still between you as you still didn’t really know how to handle yourselves around his family.

Each person opened their presents as Tony handed them out, one by one, and everyone ooh-ed and ahh-ed as each gift was uncovered. Debbie and Jaz were taking lots of photos of everyone as they tore into their gifts. Your heart swelled at the thoughtful gifts that were exchanged. It became quickly apparent that remembering small details about the things people said was something that Mason had gotten from his family.

Mason kept silently checking in on you, glancing over to make sure you doing okay. You could feel his gaze on the side of your face, glancing over and making eye contact with him before shooting him an assuring smile.

By the time all of the presents were open and the wrapping paper and ribbons had been collected and put into trash bags, it was nearing dinner time and Debbie disappeared back into the kitchen to put the finishing touches on the food. You sprang to your feet, naturally wanting to help her as a thank you for having you as a guest (despite her insistence that you didn’t need to), and Jaz joined the two of you soon after.

Conversation flowed naturally between the three of you, and you felt completely at ease talking with them as you worked to finish the finals bits of the Christmas dinner, most of it having been prepared before and very little needing to be done to finish it.

The fated question finally came up as the three of you were carrying everything to the table.

“So, Y/N, I don’t mean to pry, but I’ve got to ask.” Your heart leapt immediately at Debbie’s words. “Are you and Mason only friends, or is there something more going on there?”

You pondered for a moment how to answer her question. At the beginning of the day, you would never have dreamed of admitting the nature of your relationship with Mason to his mother. But now, after the time you had spent with him, you settled on telling her the truth. You knew you were serious about the budding relationship between the two of you, and you knew he was, too. Though you hadn’t officially put any labels on it, having decided to take things slow, you had started being more open about it with your circle of friends.

“Well, I… we’ve… gone on a few dates,” you started, and a pleased smile took over Debbie’s face. “We’re taking things slow, but he’s been an absolute gentleman and he’s been nothing short of amazing to me.”

Debbie beamed with pride at your words. “Well, I didn’t raise him to be anything less than that, so I’m glad to hear it.”

“We haven’t been going out for very long, and I really wasn’t planning on crashing your family’s Christmas today,” you felt the need to explain yourself, now that you were putting all of your cards on the table. “My family… they actually are out of town visiting my brother this holiday season, and I happened to run into Mason at the bakery this afternoon. As soon as he found out I was spending Christmas on my own, he insisted I come back here with him, and he was not taking no for an answer,” you chuckled at the recent memory.

“Oh, love,” Debbie’s face held a slight pout as she instantly read the sadness that you tried to hide over not spending the holiday with your family. She pulled you into another of her amazing hugs, placing a quick kiss on your cheek as she drew away. “Well I speak for everyone when I say we’ve loved having you here with us.”

Your mind flashed back to how unphased everyone had been by your arrival. “Does Mason do this a lot? Picking up strays for the holidays?” you tried to play off your question with a laugh, momentarily wondering if you were just another girl on a long list.

Debbie shook her head. “No, he’s never done anything like this before. And he’s certainly never brought a girl home for something like this,” she spoke, calming your nerves. You had felt a bit silly for asking in the first place, but her words soothed your fleeting insecurities. “But hopefully we can look forward to having you at many Christmases in the future,” she beamed, patting your cheek before she wandered back into the kitchen and refraining from prying any further.

You blew out a long breath that you didn’t even realize you had been holding, trying to wrap your head around the conversation you had just had—with a woman you had only met a few hours ago. And it wasn’t just some normal thing for Mason to bring girls home during the holidays, but everyone had just been that welcoming to you, despite showing up without warning. Your chest felt full, swelling with love for Mason and his family.

Debbie called the others to the table to eat, and you wandered in the direction of the living room, hoping to catch Mason for a moment before you joined the others. The rest of his family filtered out of the room, leaving you and Mason alone for the first time in the last few hours.

“You doing okay?” Mason asked, and you wordlessly wrapped your arms around him, burying your face in his chest and holding onto him tighter than you ever had before. Caught a bit off-guard by the affection, Mason wrapped his arms gently around your body, running his fingers up and down your spine.

His heart sank when you pulled your head back to look at him, arms still wrapped around his torso, and he saw the tears welling in your eyes.

“What happened, love?! Did someone say something—”

“Thank you,” you whispered, your lower lip trembling.

“For what, love?” Mason cradled your cheek in one of his hands, swiping his thumb under your eye to wipe away a tear. You noticed that he used the pet name more frequently when he was concerned.

“For bringing me here. For introducing me to your family. They’re amazing, Mason.”

A look of relief and adoration washed over Mason’s face and he smiled at you, leaning down to press his forehead to yours. “I’m so glad you came.”

“Me, too,” you let your eyes slip closed, allowing yourself to take a moment to yourselves and let your heart settle a bit.

“You know your mom asked me about us?” you broke the silence after a few seconds.

“Yeah?” he pulled back to look at your face, trying to gauge your reaction. “And what did you tell her?”

“The truth,” you gently shrugged your shoulders. “That we’ve gone out a few times and we’re taking things pretty slow, but that I think I’ll probably keep you around.”

“Yeah?” he grinned, and you nodded in response.

“Come on, we should probably head in there before Summer comes looking,” you pulled back, wiping away any stray tears with the sleeve of your sweater, hoping that no one would be able to tell how emotional you had just gotten.

The two of you joined the others at the table, taking your place between Mason and Summer after she had insisted you sit beside her, much to Mason’s fake offense. The food was incredible, as it had been a while since you’d had a big home-cooked meal like this, and you were sure to let Debbie know how much you enjoyed it. When everyone’s plates were empty, everyone took part in the freshly-decorated cookies and Mason and Lewis cleared the dishes, being sure to push you, Debbie, and Jaz toward the living room before any of you tried to help.

You were just returning from a quick trip to the bathroom when the boys walked back in from the kitchen, and you noticed everyone settling back down on the couch.

“We always watch a Christmas film after dinner, but I can take you home if you’re ready to leave,” Mason explained to you.

You thought over the offer for a moment, deciding you weren’t really ready to part from Mason and his family just yet.

“I mean… I wouldn’t mind sticking around a little while longer—unless you guys were wanting it to be just a family thing,” you rushed to add, not wanting to overstay your welcome.

Your words were met with immediate protest from the rest of Mason’s family, each of them insisting that you stay, and Mason smiled down at you. “Yeah, what they said.”

You giggled, letting him lead you around to sit next to him on the couch, allowing yourself to sit a bit closer to him than you had earlier that afternoon.

Tony even offered for you to pick the film, but as soon as Summer had shouted her desire to watch Elf, you were all agreed.

Mason threw a fluffy blanket over both of your legs as the movie’s opening scene played. “Is this okay?” he whispered, trying not to draw anyone else’s attention and you nodded in return.

You tucked your legs under your body, allowing your knee to rest slightly on his thigh and your shoulder to lean onto his, now feeling more comfortable showing some affection around Mason’s family.

The movie played on, and your heart soared listening to Summer and Mila giggle and clap their hands at their favorite bits. You felt at home there with Mason and his family, all cozied up in his living room on the night of Christmas as if it was the most natural thing in the world. Your heart swelled with the love that you already felt for all of them, and though you knew it was still a bit soon, you couldn’t wait to get to know them and get to spend more time with them as your relationship with Mason developed.

As comfortable as you were and with all of the lights in the house turned off for the movie, you didn’t even realize your eyes were slipping closed until you jolted awake, recognizing the scene on the TV as one that was near to the end of the movie. Mason must have felt the sudden movement from where your head was resting on his shoulder, and he took your hand in his, running his thumbs over your knuckles to calm you, the same way he had done in the car earlier that day.

You nestled your head further into his shoulder, savoring the last few moments you had with Mason and his family before the movie ended.

It was over sooner than you would have liked, and everyone sat up from where they had sunk into the couch cushions, stretching and yawning. It was clear that everyone was exhausted from the day’s festivities. You rubbed the sleep from your eyes, noticing Jaz and her husband quietly scooping up the girls from where they, too, had fallen asleep, and carried them down the hallway, seemingly to put them to bed.

“You ready to go home?” Mason asked you quietly as everyone began to rise from the couch. You nodded. “Okay, let me go grab my keys and we can head out.”

“Oh, Mason, I can just call an Uber or something, I don’t want to take you away from your family—”

“Absolutely not,” he cut you off. “You think I’m gonna let some stranger come pick you up and drive your back to your apartment?” You grinned at him, unable to find the words to answer him. “Yeah, that’s what I thought.” His voice held an air of playful sarcasm.

Slowly, the two of you made your way to the front entrance. Everyone bade you goodbye as you made to leave. Debbie was sure to get a couple more hugs in before you left, insisting that you come around the next time they were up to visit, and you promised that you would.

Before long, you found yourself sitting in Mason’s car once again as he backed out into the street and set out on the route to your apartment. You were leaning across the center console of his car, leaning your head on his shoulder, and holding his free hand in yours.

You were feeling especially affectionate after the day you had, full of love for him and his family. The drive was silent as you listened to the music softly playing from his radio, no words needed to communicate to each other how you were feeling.

Before long, Mason pulled into the parking lot of your apartment complex and insisted upon walking you up to your door, like the gentleman he always was.

As you reached your door, you turned to face him, giggling at the cliché of it all as you wrapped your arms around his torso. He pulled you in close to him, holding you tightly as he beamed down at you.

“Was your Christmas okay, then? Even though you didn’t get to spend it the way you usually do?”

“Mason, it was wonderful,” you smiled up at him, feeling like there were no words that would do justice for how the day had made you feel. “It was better than I ever could have imagined. Thank you for bringing me home with you today. I was honestly feeling awful after spending the morning by myself and this was the best Christmas miracle I could’ve ever dreamed up.”

Mason squeezed you a little tighter, pleased that his impulsive decision at the bakery to invite you to his home had worked out. “I’m so glad you were there. I’m so glad you got to meet them.”

“I am, too. And I’m glad I got to share this day with you.” Your heart felt like it was overflowing, and you could barely hold yourself together.

You snaked one of your hands around the back of Mason’s neck, threading your fingers into his hair and pulling him down to join your lips in a long but gentle kiss. It was the first one you had shared all day, as Mason had been waiting for you to initiate it first, but you couldn’t refrain from indulging yourself any longer. This was surely your favorite kiss that the two of you had shared, even more so than your first. It was so full of unspoken passion and love, and it left your head spinning when you finally pulled apart for air, foreheads still pressed together.

Mason couldn’t help but press two more quick pecks on your lips before finally pulling back to look at you. The two of you just smiled at each other for a moment, and you studied Mason’s features as you stood there.

“Goodnight, Y/N,” Mason whispered, breaking the silence.

“Goodnight, Mason,” you replied. “Thank you for everything today.” Mason’s only response was a firm kiss on your forehead before he unwound his arms from your body, taking a couple of steps backward as he began heading back to his car.

You watched him walk down the hallway, glancing back at you with a wave before he rounded the corner, and you entered your apartment.

Closing your eyes and leaning against the closed door, you smiled to yourself. You may not have known Mason for long, but already, you were certain that this boy meant the absolute world to you, and his family had found their place securely in your heart.

tag list: @landoslover @thoseboysinblue @lovelynikol16 @swimmingismywholelife @masonsrem @brasiliangp @neverinadream @lizzypotter14 @notsoattractivearenti @chilwellspulisic @mm-vii @captainpulisic

[spidybaby]

Omg can I please have some fluff like Kylian and reader visit his parents house for the weekend and it makes Ethan really happy to see reader because she’s his bestie, when they get there Ethan takes her away from Kylian and he gets jealous they spend over 3 hours together and then reader comes back to Kylian in his childhood bedroom where they watch movies and have cuddles💕

"Can you say it again?"

"Blueberry."

You laugh, making him repeat words in english. You love the way his accent sounds, loving the way he pronounces the words.

"I love it." You laugh, squishing his hand. "Don't forget to call your dad."

You were driving to his mother's house. He planned this weekend exclusively for his family and you two to be together.

Since the beginning of the season, he has had so much stress, making him crave some family time.

His mother and brother lived remotely close to his house. Sometimes, even spend nights with him.

But this season, everything changed, Ethan was practicing with the first team, but he was traveling with the second team a lot, and his mom was busy with his foundation. Making the time very much tighter for them.

Fayza went to Bondy. She wanted to get some paperwork and some things ready to sell the house. The thing that made Kylian sad.

His mother's house was the first thing he ever bought with his hard earned money. He wanted his parents to have their own home. So he gifted them the house.

His mom kept the house during the divorce, so it was hers now. Kylian didn't have a say because, as he says, it was theirs and not his.

Before the divorce of his parents, they all used to live there. Even their older brother and Melissa.

But when he moved from Monaco to Paris, Jires went to Turkey and Wilfried to another place closer to Paris. The house felt different.

Melissa and the kids stayed there with Ethan and Fayza. But to him, it was still weird not having his father with them.

"Oui, mon amour."

He was in charge of the music, being the passenger princess he was, refusing to only sit and relax. So he took the dj job.

The call was quick, Wilfried and him exchanged some words and then hang up.

"I want some waffles with whipped cream." He says, stomach roaring.

"Well, you could have had it, but you refused to eat."

"I wasn't hungry. You knew that."

"Maybe because you chose to wake up like ten minutes before leaving."

He pouts, not answering, but his facial expression was enough of an answer.

"We are almost there, bébé." You say pointing at the GPS. "And knowing your brother, he's probably waiting for us."

"Correction, he's waiting for you."

Ethan and you have an amazing relationship. He sees you as an older sister he can trust. Always stealing you and making you two do all sorts of things while visiting.

"He is." You sigh, turning your head to him quickly. "It's not my fault your family loves me more than you."

He scoffed, rolling his eyes. He knows you're joking. He actually loves how close you're with his family.

He never met someone who was so perfect with his parents, brothers, and even extended family.

The drive continues for another twenty minutes. Thankfully, the roads were pretty empty, making the drive a fast one.

"Look, we're here." You smile, squishing his arm. "Ready to have an amazing weekend?"

He nods, smiling like a kid on Christmas day. "Oui, I'm so happy."

He helped you with the bags, asking you to go onside and announce yourself, but two little laughs beat you at that.

"Y/n" Lana yells, she throw herself at you.

"Bonjour, mon petit fille." You spin her around. Kissing her cheeks.

You look for her brother, noticing he is in Kylian arms. He's welcoming his uncle. "Bonjour, Isayah."

You got closer to them, kissing his cheek just like you did with Lana. Making him laugh.

Fayza was standing at the front door. The scene was adorable to her. She can easily picture you and kylian in a few years with your own children.

Living in a house with a big garden, she thought about it maybe a little too much. But she can't be blamed. After all, Kylian was the one who described how he pictures your life together.

"Bonjour, my babies." She says, catching your attention. "Come here, let me help you."

She hugs you tightly, repeating the actions with her son. She took Isayah from Kylian arms, following you to the living room of the house.

"Melissa, hello." You say happily, she has become a close friend for you. Always counting on her for everything.

"We literally saw each other like three days ago." She laughs, hugging you.

"She's obsessed with you, that's why."

"You're just jealous, kyky."

He rolled his eyes for the second time, going upstairs to leave the bags and to wake Ethan up.

"How was your exams?" Fayza asks, curious about your life.

"It was good, I think I did a good job."

"You did, don't doubt about yourself." She says, kissing your cheek.

She was like a mom to you, always caring and loving you since you met her. She was extra special to you, knowing you were there to stay since the beginning.

You can hear kylian laughing from the second floor, probably doing something to Ethan or laughing at some joke.

"Boys." Fayza shakes her head. "Come help me, sweet. I can guess Kylian didn't eat breakfast."

"You know your son." You laugh, walking with her to the kitchen where she was cutting some fruits and making waffles.

You chat with her and Melissa, who joined you. Kylian and Ethan were in the living room chatting with their dad.

Wilfried and Kylian were messing with Ethan. He recently changed his style, so he felt a little more confident than usual, which Ky loved.

"Let's eat everybody." You call.

Wilfried shared some stories about his most recent trip, Melissa worked with Kylian, so her stories weren't new for the family.

Ky told them about the next matches, feeling like his stories were kind of repetitive, but you enjoyed them.

The way he was very into creating new ways and opportunities for him and the team to score and win.

"But the news here is, this mademoisell right here." He pats your knee. "Is going to be a valedictorian again."

They all got so excited at the news, Fayza and Wilfried telling you how proud they're of their "daughter."

As the day continues, you spend the rest of the morning helping Ky and Wilfried to prepare the meat and veggies for the barbecue.

It was Ethan the one with the idea of making a big family barbecue and everybody agreed with him.

"After this, you and I are going to play some fifa. This time, you're not beating me." Ethan lightly pushed you, making you laugh.

"Yes, and I want to know about that girl you texted me about." You whisper in his ear, making him blush at the thought of his crush.

"Deal, but first a fifa game."

After lunch, Lana and Isayah wanted you to join them on the pool. Wanting to play with you and their uncle like always.

"Oh, mon bébés." You say sadly, you wanted to swim with them but also you promised Ethan days before to have a chat with him. "As soon as I finish with Uncle Ethan, I'll be here, okay?"

Kylian pouts more than they do. You send him a kiss while you walk inside the house.

Ethan and you have an amazing relationship. He trusted you with his life. Sometimes, when Kylian was away and couldn't get a hold of him, you were there for him. Ready to help.

When it comes to girls, you're his go-to person. Maybe because he knows how much Kylian is a master with the football but not that much in the dating area.

"Okay, pause pause pause." You laugh at him, pushing you in order to make you lose the goal. "You, young man, own me a story."

"I own you anything, woman." He laughs, imitating your tone.

"C'mon, tell me, did she like the roses?"

"She did." He smiles. "Thank you so much for helping me. I don't know what I would do without you here."

"Probably be the best at fifa." You say, making both laugh at that. "But don't worry, E. I'm here for anything you need."

The fifa game took hours, hours Kylian didn't got to spend with you. Hours he was pouting like a child.

He's sitting on the couch hearing the laughs and screams you and Ethan are making. Feeling left out.

He knows feeling like this is dumb, but he's been so busy lately that even spending time with you was a bit difficult.

He helped his parents with picking up the plates, washing them and even helped Melissa with the kids.

And still not you.

"Bonjour, Monsieur Mbappe." You say in this funny accent. He was in his old childhood bed, a single one. He looked so big for the bed.

He turns to the wall, feeling left out and being jealous. "Go play fifa."

"Yeah, it was fun, I had to pick your player." You tease. "But maybe I should have picked Olivier. He's faster."

He turns back to you, eyes narrowed and pout. "Did you just call me slow?"

"You're such a baby, come here, mon amour." You throw yourself on top of him. He hugged you like a koala bear. "God, you're crushing me."

"Good, so you don't go."

"What if we moved and watch something?"

He thinks about it for a few seconds, making you squeak. "Can we watch that scary movie I like?"

"If I say yes, would you let me breathe?"

He laughs, softening the hug, making you sigh and breathe deeply. "Can you get some popcorn?"

You nod, getting up from the bed. But first, leaning down to kiss him on the cheek. "Some soda too?"

"You're making me break my diet." He laughs. Kissing your lips.

"Good, once in a while." You return the kiss.

Going down to the kitchen, you notice that Fayza is there, sitting at the kitchen island with a book in her hands.

"Hi, I thought you were asleep by now."

"No, Ky wants to see a movie, and he's kinda grumpy from all the attention everyone is getting from me. Everyone but him."

"Well, he's a man. They always want more but never know how to ask." She laughs, winking at you.

You laugh with her, making a little chat while the popcorn is getting ready at the microwave.

"I'm gonna miss this house. I feel like it was yesterday when Kylian brought me here to meet you."

"Oui, so many memories. But I think it is time for us to move on."

You nod, thinking about the amazing memories you shared with Kylian and his family there.

You place the popcorn in a bowl, grabbing two sodas and leaving Fayza and her book alone.

The movie was good, it has a scary factor. But your mind was still roaming through the memories.

You scratch lightly Kylian arms, something you do when you're cuddling while watching a move or a show.

He's focused on the movie and the popcorn. Not noticing how you're so lost into nothing.

"I wish we could stay longer. I know this is not my family home, but this place has something that I love."

"I get it, I feel like a part of me hurts from thinking about letting this go."

You stayed quiet for a while, trying to focus on a little bit of what's left from the movie. Kylian, on the other hand, got lost into his thoughts, he loved this place.

He wanted to make this a vacation home, to bring his kids to the place where he grew up, where the people supported him.

He wanted to save his childhood house. He wanted his, well, your kids to be able to hear the stories you created there, to be able to feel the magic you two feel there.

He takes the remote, turning the TV off, making you protest. "I have an idea."

"We're not pranking anyone, Ky."

"No, that's not it." He gets up. "Well, that's a good idea, you can't deny."

"No." You laugh.

His hands found yours, intertwining them and looking at you in the eyes. "Let's buy the house."

"What?" You say, taken aback by the sudden proposition.

"Oui, we can use the house for weekend getaways, we can use it for vacations. For special occasions."

"But I thought."

"I know what I said." He interrupts you. "But I can't deny that there's a special something, and in the near future, I want to create more memories with you here. I can't wait for our kids to enjoy this place like we did."

"Oh, bébé." You let his hands go to press your palms to his cheeks, kissing him slowly. Feeling all the emotions. "We have to talk to your mom about it."

"Can you believe that? If she says yes, this will be our first house together."

"This will be your house, Kyky." You laugh, even tho he always told you that what was his was yours, this was different from a t-shirt, this is a whole house.

"No, bébé. This will be ours."

[fortunapre]

𝐒𝐔𝐌𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐘𖧞 once a year, your family visits your holiday home for christmas break, which also happens to be the one time you see your childhood enemy, Oscar. (Ongoing)

𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐍𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒𖧞 16+ (suggestive), fluff, first-time-writing-on-here-so-beware, female reader, i think that’s all. Use of Y/N (as little as possible), swearing

𝐏𝐀𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆𖧞 oscar piastri x fem!reader

𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐃 𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐓𖧞 (scene 1) 1.1k 𖧞 planning on a couple posts so a lot upcoming.

𝐀/𝐍𖧞 this IS my first fic and post on here, so if the writing is mediocre that’s why. Hate comments will not be tolerated (obv). Also, I’m planning on this being a multi-post fic so word count will grow. Enjoy!

𝐖𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐀𝐟𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐬 𖧞 scene i 𖧞 (𝐎𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐚 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫)

“Hairless Hugh Jackman or Skinny Henry Cavill?”

My head rested against the cold window of the car, my eyes closed. I was tired and bored, but the game of ‘this or that’ being played next to me, kept my mind awake. I wouldn’t admit it but my siblings' answers and conversations could actually be entertaining. Now being a prime example.

I considered the question more deeply than I probably should have. “Hairless Hugh takes away everything good about him, so obviously Henry.” I answered with my eyes still closed and head against the window.

“Ew, no,” My sister replied. “Henry’s body in the Superman movies are, like, all that I live for. I couldn’t care less about Hugh Jackman.” She laughed and scrunched her nose like she was picturing both options. I just smiled, acknowledging her answer before opening my eyes to stare at the passing trees out of the window.

My forehead was cold from the temperature outside but I was too awestruck by the view: white covered trees and mountains stretched for miles. The winter season cloaked the entire outdoors and snow sparked in the little sunlight. I couldn’t wait until we reached the cabin.

My sister and brother, twins, were only a year younger than me, so their experiences with Christmas break are similar to mine.

Every year, my family travels to Canada and stays in our winter cabin over Christmas Break. Safe to say, I have been waiting for Christmas break to start since July. It’s the only time of year I feel at peace without the commotion of work and stress.

And I guess the view’s nice too.

We had been driving for hours in a tightly packed minivan, and past a group of trees, I spotted a small town, meaning we were close to our destination. Next to me, I felt my sister shift and basically lie on top of me to get a look out of the window. I grumbled and tried to push her off since her elbow was digging in my side but she was unrelenting.

“Wow, look at this!” She spoke to my brother who was sitting two seats away from me. He had his own window and looked just as mesmerized as I was. No matter how many times we visit, the scenery would never be anything but gorgeous.

The tires of the minivan crunched as we pulled onto the gravel driveway of the cabin. Immediately, my family began piling out and grabbing everything we packed, which was a lot. I walked through the large door of the cabin with very little visibility because of the mound of blankets and bags I was carrying. I started heading straight towards my bedroom before I knocked into someone without looking and everything fell from my arms. I gasped and started muttering about how they should have moved out of the way, fully expecting the person I bumped into to be one of my siblings but as I looked up I saw who I actually bumped into and immediately shut up.

“Oh, it’s just you.” I deadpanned. I stood up straight and quit trying to pick up my stuff, resting a hand on my hip at the person in front of me.

Oscar Piastri. As in the son of the family that stayed in the cabin with us every summer.

Nicole and Chris Piastri, his parents, were my parents’ best friends since highschool. But, when we moved to America and they stayed in Australia, the only time we ever see the Piastri family is over Christmas Break.

Earlier, when I was talking about how much I adore the cabin, I forgot about this information. I take back what I said. Christmas Break is not a break of peace. Instead, its weeks of torture and stress as i barely survive around Mr. Annoying, himself: Oscar Piastri.

What’s annoying about him isn’t that he’s loud or obnoxious- it’s the very opposite.

Ever since we were little, when our families lived a block away from each other, Oscar barely reacted to anything. Most adults or kids our age loved his calm exterior and how ‘mature he was for his age,’ meanwhile I was constantly regarded as a ‘trouble child.’

I was jealous. Of Course I was jealous. Oscar got praised for years and I was pushed away and given a sucker to stay away.

What was the worst, however, was how Oscar acted around me. To others he was a saint, but around me, he made sure to agonize me any chance he got. He would push me off of the swing and then when adults would ask what happened he would pretend like I fell and he was helping me up.

Asshole.

Anyways, now I only have to see him once a year, but those few weeks in December make me want to rip my hair out and run away with a hairless Hugh Jackman.

When I saw who I bumped into, my excited smile was replaced with what felt like a snarl. Oscar stood in front of me, a stupid sirk on his lips, probably having ran into me on purpose.

“Y/n. Didn’t see you there.” He said, a sly smirk still present. He was wearing an orange hoodie, no doubt merch of his. Because, did I mention, Perfect-Piastri also happens to be a Formula-fucking-One Mclaren Racing driver.

Yeah…

So, another thing he holds above me.

“Yeah sure you didn’t” I mutter while moving to shove everything back into my arms. But as I picked up one thing, another fell and instead of noticing my struggle and helping, Oscar just stood there. However, once my parents barreled through the door, arms just as full as mine was, so in order to look helpful, Oscar bent down to carry the heaviest bag.

“Oh! Oscar,” my mom noticed him. “We had no idea you guys had arrived yet.” She had a warm smile on her lips, genuinely happy to see him. “We were hoping to get here first and start cooking dinner.”

She motioned towards my dad who held the bags of groceries we had bought before heading here. In the bags were cans of yams and frozen veggies, indicating their plans.

“Oh, no worries.” Oscar replies, with a matching smile. “My mom started cooking already. We would definitely be happy to enjoy your cooking tomorrow, though. I really am a sucker for your candied yams.”

I watched the scene unfold and rolled my eyes.

Oscar turned back towards me with an amused look and started walking away towards my room, my bag in hand. I shut my eyes tightly, and looked up, praying that I wouldn't go insane this month before following him up the stairs.

(SCENE ii) click here

pinterest-piece 𖧞 𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐟𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐬 𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐡𝐢𝐜

[kueble]

I Just Need You By My Side, Cause I'm Warmer in the Winter With You

Another very self-indulgent Christmas fic.

Teen. Warnings: Mentions of torture. 5,600 words.

Ghost/Soap

---

“Shouldn’t you be packing up?” Ghost asks him from where he leans against his doorway. Soap shrugs and sets down the pencil in his hand. He’s been sketching for about an hour now, trying to wind down at the end of a hectic day. Everyone on base is giddy at the thought of going home for the holidays, and the energy is almost overwhelming..

“Sorry, but you’ll have to get used to my ugly mug around here. I know you’re one of the only ones here most Christmases, but I don’t have anywhere else to be this year,” he explains, hoping years of interrogation techniques pay off and Ghost doesn’t call him on the lie. Though it’s partially true, since there’s nowhere he’d rather be then in the barracks with him.

“Don’t you usually have a big family celebration? Remember you rambling about nieces and nephews and being forced into midnight mass by your mother,” Ghost asks, eyes narrowing behind the black balaclava he’s chosen to wear today.

“Glad to know you actually listen to me when I shoot my mouth off,” he laughs out.

“Never miss a word, Johnny,” Ghost tells him evenly.

“So any other year, yeah I'd be home, but things are out of sorts this year with my sisters traveling to their husband’s families, and me Ma and Pa planned a little trip of their own,” he says. Sure, the little trip was right down the road to his brother’s house where everyone would be gathered like every other year, but no need for Ghost to know that.

Last year it was excruciating to leave Ghost on the tarmac, saying goodbyes as everyone else went home to their families. He doesn’t know much, but it’s clear Ghost no longer has anyone waiting for him back at home. They’d all joked about him haunting the base, probably maskless with the skeleton crew left behind and any other puns they could come up with. Still, there was a bleakness in Ghost’s eyes that he never wanted to see again.

Thankfully he’s never been able to hide his feelings from his parents, especially his mother, and she didn’t even bat an eye when he told her his plans. She’d said something cheesy about the magic of the season bringing them closer together, which he’d quickly scoffed off. He wasn’t doing this with any ulterior motives in place. It was a simple fact that his best friend shouldn’t be alone over the long holiday break they were lucky enough to get two years in a row.

If he happens to be completely ass over tits in love with him, he’s smart enough to keep it to himself.

“Guess it could be nice to have some company, even yours,” Ghost teases with a snort. Soap rolls his eyes, but he’s smirking still.

“Do you cook anything for it or rely on the mess hall for Christmas dinner?” he asks, already planning how to make things nicer for him. They may be stuck on a mostly empty base, but there’s no reason why he can’t make it as comfortable as possible.

“Sometimes I make a pot of soup for the week, but nothing special for the day itself. Tend to keep to myself,” he says softly. And that just won’t do.

“Happy to help sample anything you cook, but since I burn water, I’ll order us something nice from town. It shouldn’t be too late for a small catering order. You like lasagna?” he asks, already thinking of the perfect little Italian place near here.

“Wouldn’t say no to it, but there’s no need to get fancy over me,” Ghost mumbles. It only makes Soap more determined to bring a little Christmas magic into his life this year.

“I’ll take care of dinner and you just bring the good company,” he says to settle it. He’ll place an order first thing in the morning, already planning to buy way more food than they need. Ghost deserves to be spoiled, and leftovers are a rare commodity around here.

“Not sure I’ll contribute much in that regard, but yeah, I can show up,” he agrees.

“No one else I’d rather spend the day with. Honestly,” Soap admits, but Ghost just huffs at him.

“Piss off, Johnny,” he says with a laugh. Before he can figure out a response, the man is already gone. It may just be the hardest thing he’s ever done, but he’s damned sure going to make sure Ghost knows how much Soap likes being around him, especially now. Likes, not loves, because he has a feeling that’s something he’ll take to his grave. Being around him will just have to do for now.

—

The poster fell off the wall for the three thousandth time, and Soap barely managed to keep himself in check. Price would have his head if he blew up the base, but it’s getting more and more likely. It’s a stupid thing, really, just a fake Christmas tree by a fireplace, but he bought it to cheer up their rec room. He grumbles under his breath, reciting every swear he knows and probably inventing some new ones along the way.

“Problems, Sergeant?” Ghost asks from his spot on the couch. There’s a hint of laughter on the edges of his voice, and Soap spins around to glare at him.

“There is in fact,” he spits out before taking a couple of deep breaths to calm himself down. No use in pissing off the man he’s trying to decorate for. “These walls are apparently covered in fifty some years of filth, and I can’t get the damn tape to stick. Seriously, it’s like teflon and I’m actually afraid to think about what could be coating this wall right now.”

“This that important to you?” Ghost asks, head tilted like he’s studying him.

“Aye,” Soap sighs out. “Just wanted to brighten up the room a bit. We can’t have a real tree, and I’ve been banned from open flames on base, but I thought this stupid fucking poster might work. Wanna sneak off base and burn it with me? Might raise my spirits.”

“How about I fix it instead,” Ghost says, standing up to stomp over to the wall.

“You’re more than welcome to try, but not even sure duct tape will hold the damn thing at this point,” he says, scowling at the wall. Seriously, he was going to beg Price to get the room deep cleaned as soon as he was back on base. Can’t be safe.

Ghost shrugs before bumping him out of the way with his hip. He holds the poster with one hand and reaches into the back of his jeans with the other. The knife he pulls out is on the small side, but it does the job when he stabs it through the poster and into the wall. Nodding proudly, he slides another knife out of his sleeve and buries it in the other top corner. The final blade is tucked in his boot, and he takes a few steps back before flinging it at the wall.

It lands perfectly in the bottom center of the poster, and Soap chubs up in his sweats at the display of skill.

“Guess that works, too,” he murmurs, actively avoiding Ghost’s gaze. No need to show off how fucking gone on him he is, and he knows there’s hearts in his eyes right now. He’s bound to be suspicious just based on how desperate Soap is to make things perfect, to give him a better Christmas than year past, and he should try better to keep his feelings hidden. Not looking to get his heart broken over the holidays.

“Anything for you, Johnny,” Ghost tells him as he strides back to the couch and picks up his book again. Soap can feel his cheeks heating up and blurts out some half-assed excuse before making a tactful retreat.

—

He debates waiting until morning, but Soap is too curious about the package in his hands to wait that long. His box of gifts from his family arrived today, but he didn’t bother unpacking it until after dinner. Everything was neatly labeled - or scribbled by his nieces and nephews - with his name except for one.

To Ghost, From Ma MacTavish. Open Immediately.

Not one to disobey his mother, Soap raps on Ghost’s door and hopes this isn’t something too embarrassing. Lord knows his entire family is annoying enough already over his little crush, and he doesn’t need his mother stepping in to help him. There’s a rustling from behind the door before it’s swung open by a brooding Ghost. Anyone else might not see how moody he is, but Soap can tell just by studying his eyes.

“What do ya need?” he asks, voice cracking from disuse.

“Got a special delivery for you and instructions for you to open it right away,” Soap informs him, holding up the package like the peace offering that it is. Ghost eyes it suspiciously but steps aside and lets him into the room. While he’d love a chance to look around, Soap keeps his focus on Ghost out of respect for his privacy. He knows just letting him into the room was a big step for the other man.

“Your mum sent this?” Ghost asks as he takes the parcel from him. Soap nods and smiles warmly as Ghost’s eyes widen. “Better not keep her waiting then,” Ghost mutters before sitting on the edge of his bed. The package looks huge, even in his large hands, and Soap really wonders what it could be.

He tears the paper at the seams, carefully working a finger down the edge of it. It’s gentle in a way that hints of Christmases past and perhaps being yelled at to keep the wrapping for next year. Soap’s grandma used to do that and iron out each crease to save money.

When Ghost finally removes the paper, soap breathes a sigh of relief at seeing the present isn’t anything to worry about. Trust his mother to try and take care of someone she’s never met. Ghost holds up the blanket, blinking slowly at it. Soap supposes he isn’t used to getting many gifts, especially not something handmade. The blanket itself is a mix of blank and white granny squares, no doubt crocheted with love by his mother. Everyone in their house has at least one of these piled at the foot of their bed, and his heart warms at the thought of Ghost having one on his.

“She made it?” he asks in a whisper, and Soap wants to cry about it. There’s no reason a gift should put him in such a state of awe, and he vows right then and there to spoil him as much as he’s allowed to under the guise of friendship.

“You’re looking at a Ma MacTavish special right there. Everyone in the family has one, and it looks like she thinks highly of you,” he confirms.

“Never even met me.”

“Well, I suppose I’ve entertained her with a tale of two of the man who saved my life so many times. Besides, how else do you think she’d know the perfect color scheme for an emo bastard like yourself,” He says in an attempt to lighten the mood. The corners of Ghost’s eyes crinkle up, and he knows there’s a smile beneath the mask.

“You’ll have to thank her for me. No, wait! I’ll get a thank you note together for the next time you send mail home. That alright?” he asks almost timidly, which isn’t an emotion Soap’s sure he’s ever shown before.

“She’ll love that. Sorry to barge in on you so late at night, but I’m glad I did. Should probably be heading to bed, though,” Johnny says with a pout. Dreams of being asked to stay, to tuck himself against Ghost under that very blanket flash through his mind and he has to get out of here quickly before he shows his hand.

“Me too. Night, Johnny,” Ghost says, and he understands it for the dismissal that it is. The last thing he sees as he ducks out the door is Ghost spreading the blanket across the top of his bed and smoothing it out. He’ll have to send his mother a thank you note as well.

—

There is absolutely no reason for them to be in Soap’s room instead of the rec room, but he wasn’t about to say no when Ghost suggested it. Currently they are sitting on his bed - which is way too small for two grown ass men - with their backs against the wall and his laptop propped on top of their thighs. Ghost is a constant warm presence at his side, and he’s pretty sure he would be completely lost if he hadn’t seen this movie so many times.

They each have a glass of their preferred poison in hand, and Ghost has his mask tucked up over his nose while he purses his lips at the screen in front of them. He is so fucking stunning with the light from the laptop highlighting the planes of his face, and Soap would be weak in the knees were he standing. Not that Soap is abusing his trust just to watch him more than the movie. Absolutely not. Still, the sight of Simon’s sharp jawline is a rare one and he can’t seem to stop staring. He longs to scrap his teeth over the scar that curves around it and has to hold himself back from scooting even closer to him.

“I don’t get it,” Ghost says, breaking him out of his dangerous thoughts.

“How so?” he asks, eyes already turned back to the screen to see what part of the movie they’ve reached. Nearly done at this point, but the silly plot has been a fun distraction. They don’t often get downtime, time totally free of responsibilities, and he hopes he can go without this once everything is back to normal.

“This just seems so improbable. His family forgot to bring him to the airport and they don’t have a single family friend they can call in the meantime? The police are actively searching for these two assholes and yet a child is the only one who manages to take them down? Gotta admit some of these traps are pretty awesome, though,” Ghost rambles out.

“One, I can’t believe you’ve made it this far in life without watching this. Two, this film is a masterpiece because it makes you suspend reality. Three, I’m pretty sure this is why I ended up in demolitions anyway. Do you know how many things I blew up after seeing this? I thought my Pa was going to murder me just as an example for my brothers and sisters. One time I rigged a frying pan to hit my brother in the face and it broke his fucking nose,” Soap says, unable to hold in his laughter. “Pretty sure he was about to pack me off and make me Nan deal with me, but my Ma couldn’t let her baby go.”

“You’re a real piece of work, Johnny,” Ghost tells him softly. He brings his glass up to his mouth, and Soap watches him swallow slowly, desperately trying to remind himself how they’re friends and nothing more. “Glad it brought you to me, though.”

“Yeah,” he breathes out, heart pounding in his chest.

But then they fall into an easy silence, and he’s forced to turn back to the movie. They both finish their drinks as the plot winds down, and he’s about to offer another when Ghost grabs his wrist to stop him from standing up. He looks down, worried that he’s overstepped somehow, and the tightness in Ghost’s clenched jaw startles him.

“We’ve had a good week, yeah?” Ghost asks quietly.

“Loved every second of it,” Soap blurts out before he can stop himself.

“Might not love this so much,” Ghost says with a sigh. “I’ve…I’ve never been this close with anyone, barely even shared this with Price, but I’d like to give you some sort of explanation for why I keep to myself at Christmas. If you’ll listen, that is.”

“Ghost, I will always be here, no matter what you want to tell me. Thank you for trusting me so much, but are you sure you want to do this while we’re drinking?” he has to ask, needs to be sure his friend won’t regret this come morning.

“You think I just keep bourbon and scotch on hand? That’s kinda the reason why I brought it with me. I’ve wanted to talk to you for a while now, but I needed a little courage to do it. Just, just don’t say anything until I’m done, ok? If you do I might not be able to finish,” he warns him, his voice barely more than a whisper.

Sensing how important this is, Soap sets both their glasses on his bedside table and closes the laptop. His desk lamp is on, so they’re not totally in the dark. He knows rumors of Ghost’s past, has heard a bunch of shit about his time in captivity, but every scrap of information is dear to him. He longs to know the man beside him better than he knows himself. He leans back against the wall and angles his body towards Ghost before saying, “Course. I got you.”

“When I was little, the only person I cared about was my mum. She kept me safe, kept my dad and brother away from me the best she could. I know now that my brother was only doing what he could to avoid my dad’s rage, but it still hurt back then. I won’t lie, I had a real shitty childhood and ran into the service as soon as I could. After that, things started improving. I came back home, kicked my sorry excuse for a father out of the house, and got my brother off of drugs. Hell, I stood beside him as he married the love of his life, and I wouldn’t give that up for anything, but the memories threaten to crush me sometimes.”

He trails off and palms the back of his head, chewing at his lower lip. Soap stays silent, unwilling to break his promise even though Ghost looked on the verge of falling apart. They sit there for a long moment while he regroups and continues his story. Soap longs to reach out, to offer some sort of physical comfort, but he knows better than to act on it. Simon doesn’t enjoy being touched on a good day, and he’d absolutely hate it while letting himself be this vulnerable.

“Things were going well until I got betrayed and snagged by Roba. Fuck, Johnny,” he breaks off, swallowing thickly before pressing his fingers to his mouth. “It was bad. I won’t go into details, but you can only be tortured for so long before you start to doubt yourself, start to go mad instead of trying to fight it. I have no fucking clue how I managed to survive after being left for dead, but I eventually made it back home.”

Ghost shifts his legs, twitching as he picks at the fabric of his sweats. He takes a few deep breaths and stares ahead at the wall, shoulders tense as he continues. “They died on Christmas, and it was all my fault. Roba still had his hooks in me, and couldn't let me go since I escaped with my life. One more betrayal led me back to my mum’s house that only hours before had been full of celebration and Christmas cheer. When I got there, the whole house was up in flames. The fire was so hot, but I had to save them. Only it was too late, because they were lying dead near the doorway. They even put a bullet through the forehead of my nephew. He was so small, so fragile, and I couldn’t even save him.”

He falls quiet, and it seems like he’s finished. Soap knew it was bad, but wasn’t expecting something so tragic. He wasn’t sure what to say, so he just lays a hand on Ghost’s shoulder and squeeze it gently, deciding to risk the touch at this point. It seems to shatter something inside of him and he slumps over to lean on Soap’s shoulder.

“The men involved?” he asks quietly.

“Killed them all. Didn’t bring back my family, though. So yeah, Christmas fucking sucks, but at least I’m not alone this year. Didn’t know it would be easier with you here, but you always manage to help me stay calm. Should have expected it,” he says. His voice is tinged with exhaustion, and Soap knows he’s worn himself out.

“Thank you for trusting me with this. I, it’s, well it’s fucked up that you had to experience that. I know nothing I say can help make it much better, and I’m honestly not sure how you managed to get through it, but I’m grateful you did. I can’t imagine being here without you,” Soap says after a long moment. He knew Ghost has a shitty past, had heard about him digging himself out of his own grave, but this is a whole new level of horrible. If it happened to him, he can’t say he would still be here to talk about it.

“Price helped a lot. Pushed me through it and then kept me around,” Ghost says, turning to stare at the wall. Soap isn’t sure what he can offer at this point, but he has the feeling Ghost might not want to be alone after unloading all of this.

“Stay with me?” he asks, watching as Ghost’s shoulders rise up. He still isn’t looking at him, so he keeps talking. “I mean, you don’t have to, but I can’t imagine wanting to be by myself after such an intense conversation. Would feel bad if I let you go back to your room, really.”

“Contrary to popular belief, I don’t actually sleep with the mask on,” Ghost says with a chuckle. And ok, he can work with that.

“So let me freshen up and get myself ready for bed. You can go after me, and I’ll just sleep on my side. I can keep my eyes shut, give you your privacy,” he suggests. Ghost finally turns to look at him, and there’s a telltale hint of red around his eyes. If Soap was still religious, he’d offer up a prayer that the other man agrees. He clearly needs comforting tonight.

“Yeah, ok,” Ghost mumbles. “Gonna change into my sleep stuff, though. I’ll get ready in my room and be back in a few.”

He practically leaps out of the bed, and Soap hopes he holds true to his word. He goes through his nightly routine on autopilot, not even aware of it until he’s crawling into his bed. He leaves the side of the covers up and turns onto his side to face the wall. It’s only just catching up to him that he invited Ghost into his bed, but tonight isn’t about him. He’d be offering the same closeness to Gaz if he shared something as horrific as Ghost just did.

If anything, this only proves how amazingly strong Ghost is. He had to reinvent himself twice, the second time with no one to support him. They’ve all seen and done some really horrendous things in the name of queen and country, but he can’t fathom coming home to find the burning bodies of his family at his feet.

He’s yanked out of his spiraling thoughts by the sound of the door opening and shutting. The clunk of Ghost setting down his boots seems impossibly loud in the silence, and he holds his breath waiting for Ghost to come to bed. He hears the muffled sound of Ghost removing his mask and setting it on the bedside table and fights the urge to turn around and look at his gorgeous face. He’s here as a friend tonight, and his feelings don’t matter right now.

The bed dips behind him, and the covers shift as Ghost settles in behind him. There’s an awkward few seconds where they both shuffle around trying to figure out how two large men can fit in such a small bed, but then Ghost sighs and rolls onto his side to frame Soap from behind. He slings an arm across Soap’s hips and presses his nose against the nape of Soap’s neck. The last thing he hears as he drifts off is a soft, “Thank you, Johnny.”

—

Unsurprisingly, Ghost is gone when he wakes up. The bed is still warm, though, so he knows he spent the whole night. He wishes he could have woken him up with a Merry Christmas, but understands his need for time to himself. Chris, last night had been a lot. Hopefully he can still provide a little holiday cheer tonight, but even if they eat in silence he’ll have a great time. Every second spent at Ghost’s side is a better gift than anything he could ever fine underneath the tree.

He spends the morning in the gym, working out his frustrations. Life wasn’t fair, but it has been exceedingly rotten towards Ghost. He knows there isn’t anything he can do to change his past, but he’ll damn sure be here for his future. It feels like they crossed a line last night, but he’s not sure which one. Nothing romantic happened, but he feels closer to Ghost than anyone before. He’s willing to bet Ghost hasn’t opened up this much to many people, probably just Price, and he’s ashamed at how giddy that makes him feel.

They might not ever be together, but they’ll always be solid.

After lunch and a long, self-indulgent shower it’s easy to keep himself busy by running through last minute preparations. They hadn’t said anything about exchanging gifts, but Soap kept finding the perfect things for him.He knows Ghost will love the aged bourbon, even though it hurt his Scottish heart to buy it. There’s also a new knife that came highly recommended by their armorer and a deck of cards with holographic skulls on them. Wrapping was never his strong suit, but he managed to slap some paper onto his gifts. Sure, it looked like they were wrapped by a small child, but it’s the thought that counts, right?

He just finishes heating up the catering he picked up the day before and is about to text Ghost to hurry up and join him when his phone goes off. It’s an incoming FaceTime from his mother, and he decides there’s plenty of time to take it before Ghost swings by. He’s been missing his family all day, but they promised to call at some point.

“Ma! Happy Christmas!” he shouts, laughing as his entire family tries to crowd into the camera view.

“You’ll each get a turn, back off,” his mother says, already throwing elbows at his siblings and their kids. His dad stands next to her, silent as always but with a huge smile on his face. He lifts his glass in cheers, and Johnny waves back in response.

“We’re about to eat dinner, but It’s good to see you all. Make sure everyone gets hugs from me, even though I’m not with you this year. And pass out my presents! Make sure the kids know how much Uncle John spoils them. I want photographic evidence!” he says, laughing as one of his nieces tries to jump into the view again. His dad picks her up and wanders off, no doubt about to bribe her into behaving with cookies.

“I hope staying away is worth it,” his mother says, but she doesn’t look mad, just nosy. She’s been on him for months to bring his boy home, no matter how much he tells her they aren’t dating. Ghost is one hundred percent his boy, though, even if he hasn’t realized it yet.

“It’s worth every second away from you all,” he answers honestly, “I’ll be home as soon as we get more downtime, but you know why I have to be here. Thanks for understanding.”

“Anything for my baby,” his mom says, snorting when he scowls at her.

“You ever going to stop calling me that?” he asks, knowing full well she never will. He isn’t mad, not really, just likes to give her grief about it.

“If you didn’t want to be my baby, you’d have been born higher up the chain,” she tells him with a smirk.

“We can argue about it later. Let me get dinner on the table and then we’ll chat again later, yeah? We can pass around the phone so all the kids can show me everything they got,” he suggests, and his mom nods in response.

“Go feed your boy,” she tells him and ends the call before he can quip back at her.

“Not my boy,” he mumbles to the empty room.

But then someone clears their throat from behind him, and his heart sinks into his chest. Fuck. He spins around with a fake smile on his face to find Ghost standing there with his arms crossed.

“I’m assuming you heard all of that?” he asks with a grimace.

“You lied about your family not being together,” Ghost says, though he knows it’s a question.

“Aye, I did. And I don’t feel bad about it. I couldn’t leave you here alone again. Like it or not, I’m here for you,” he says with a sharp nod. He’s already gearing for a fight, ready to be stubborn as hell about it, but what Ghost says next throws him off his game.

“Because I’m your boy,” he asks, and Johnny can hear the fucking smirk in his voice. He has a plain balaclava on today, which is as dressed down as Ghost seems to get.

“Don’t suppose you’d be willing to let that one go? We can forget about it,” he offers quietly. Because who is he to keep dreaming, right? He’s been dropping hints for at least a year now, and Ghost hasn’t taken the bait. He teeter-totters between thinking the man returns his feelings to thinking he barely tolerates him. Regardless, he meant what he said and he’ll be standing by his side as long as Ghost lets him.

“And if I don’t want to forget it? What if I wanted to be your boy? Though I’d prefer man, if we’re being honest here,” Ghost says, and he freezes while his brain catches up.

“You fucking with me?” he asks, just because he needs to know, needs to be sure before he makes a fool of himself. Well, more of a fool than he already has.

“No, but we could fool around later if dinner goes well,” Ghost tells him, laughing as he reaches up and pulls the mask off. He tosses it onto the table, barely missing the salad bowl.

And fuck, he’s a bonnie lad. Soap can’t even speak, just stands there staring at him, eyes trailing over every exposed inch of his face, committing it to memory in case this is the last time he sees it for a while. “You’re stunning,” he whispers in awe. Then he has the pleasure of watching Ghost’s face darken, the apples of his cheeks turning pink and making the freckles dotting them stand out even more.

“Shut up,” he murmurs before stepping closer. “But yeah, I’m all in if you want this too. Want me. I’m sick of wasting time. Maybe next year we can be with your family instead of me keeping you stuck on base.”

“I want you more than I’ve ever wanted anything in my entire life,” he says truthfully. “And I’d rather be stuck here every single year if you prefer it. But you heard my Ma. She wants you home with me.”

“Let’s make sure we make it to next Christmas, then,” he jokes, but there’s a hint of worry in his tone.

“Never letting go of you now,” Soap warns him with a laugh. Ghost chuckles and moves in so close the toes of their boots touch.

“Hard to let go if you haven’t even touched me yet,” he points out. And fuck if his smirk isn’t as lovely as Soap had imagined. It’s crooked, a scar bisecting the left side, but it’s perfect to him.

“Better fix that. Can I kiss you, Ghost?” he asks softly.

“Simon. Call me Simon when we’re alone,” he says breathily, and Soap knows how out of his comfort zone he is right now.

“Simon, can I kiss you? Please?” he asks and Simon just nods at him.

And so he does. He cups Simon’s cheeks, brushing a thumb across the constellation of freckles there, and leans in to press their mouths together. It seems almost anticlimactic after all their flirting, but the feel of Simon’s chapped lips against his is one of the best things he’s ever experienced. He can almost feel the tension leave both their bodies as they melt into each other. He keeps things light, pulls back before thinking better and darting back for another quick kiss.

Kissing Simon isn’t a burst of fireworks, but it’s like coming home which is even more perfect.

“Would now be a good time to tell you I’m really fucking in love with you?” he asks teasingly.

“Only if I can say the same,” Simon says, chuckling as he palms the back of Johnny’s head and drags him into another kiss.

And if they stand there kissing in the middle of the rundown rec room, lost in each other long after their dinner has gone cold, it’s no one's business but their own.

[wndaswife]

Damnnnn, you should write Lizzie more often! And on that note, how about:

83. “you have no idea how much i want you"

elizabeth olsen & fem!reader

tags: smut, a little bit of angst in my opinion <//3, dubcon, mentions of somnophilia, fingering, praise, power bottom!elizabeth olsen. MINORS DNI.

word count: 1517

a/n: lizzie's boyfriend in this fic is noooot robbie, it's just some random man. i love the two of them n would never write them apart, even in fiction!!!

It was the week before Christmas, and the only time all of you could meet over dinner before everyone had plans, whether it be going back to families from hometowns, travelling, or shooting for an upcoming film for the next several months.

Dinner was being held at Elizabeth’s house. You were attending with your brother who’d been dating the actress for the past few months. You’d never seen the house before save one hasty moment when you came inside after an afternoon spent amongst your friends and brother at the backyard pool when Lizzie ushered you in to change out of your bikini and into dry clothes.

Your brother was adamant about being presentable, for it was the night he’d ask his girlfriend to move into a new place with him. It was a huge step for their relationship, though you were unaware how things were going between them as you scarcely saw Lizzie.

She’d always been sweet to you, offering for you to stay for dinner when you were around or to sleep over in one of her guest rooms the night before day plans with your brother. You took it as her trying to get close to her boyfriend’s little sister, which you empathised with. But plans with her always fell through. Nevertheless, seeing her at family events was always nice.

You were wearing something simple, a black dress and a knit red cardigan. Your hair was tied up into a bun, loop earrings and natural makeup pulling it together. Feeling a bit daring, you wore a dark red lip. The car drive to Lizzie’s place was filled with your brother’s instructions- don’t mention anything about his plans; be cool; act natural; be nice to her. He mentioned that she was particularly excited to have you over and even asked him what your favourite dishes were.

Upon arrival, you found that her house wasn’t decorated very much besides a string of vivid white lights that wrapped around the bushes in front of her house under the kitchen windowsill. When your brother knocked on the front door, his girlfriend opened it within several seconds with a wide smile. It was decorated in more detail inside. Pretty ribbons and strings of evergreen lined the trim of some ceilings. Soft Christmas music played from the living room, a warm yellow tint coming over the entire house.

Lizzie’s eyes found you first but your brother stepped in for a hug and her face was shrouded by his shoulder. Hands came up to hug him back and you stepped into the front foyer, slipping past the couple. Your brother rounded his girlfriend and she closed the front door, flattening down her shirt as she turned to you.

“Y/N,” she breathed out as if relieved. “How are you? It’s been so long.”

You parted your lips to speak before another knock came at the front door. Lizzie looked at you helplessly for a moment until you smiled in understanding and left to follow your brother into the kitchen. Green eyes followed you until another knock echoed through the front foyer and Elizabeth finally turned to open the door. You heard the sounds of her greeting her guests behind you as you helped your brother set the table with the meal the two of you made.

The rest of the night was filled with you catching the stares of your brother’s girlfriend in the corner of your eye as dinner progressed.

Then finally, “Liz, there’s something I want to ask you.”

From the couch in the living room, you heard her turn off the sink tap to listen to her boyfriend.

You willed yourself not to listen to their conversation. You knew it was a sensitive topic, and a major step of their relationship. You tried your best to listen to the conversations of your brother’s friends, trying to pretend you cared about vegan meatballs and summer irrigation. Lizzie seemed to get along great with her friends, but you couldn’t imagine her fitting into a group like that. It was only when you heard your brother’s muffled speech become louder and Lizzie’s quickening padding of her feet as she sped through the hallway to the living room that you figured the offer to live together wasn’t taken positively.

A gust of air blew against your side and the rest of the guests looked up to the figure behind you.

“Come. Now,” Lizzie snapped and she took your wrist with her hand, dragging you up from the couch and pulling you with her. Not a word was uttered to her friends, leaving them stupefied behind you.

Before you could even question what she was doing, you were being forced through the living room, up the stairs, and down a hallway of doors. Suddenly, you were being pushed against the final door of the hallway, the breath being knocked out of you.

“You have no idea how much I want you,” Lizzie whispered as she buried her face in your neck and kissed up your skin. Her pants blew hot down your neck as her breath quickened.

You tried pushing her away, but she took your wrist and brought your hand to her breast, making you grope her harshly. She moaned out, her forehead pressed against your shoulder. “E-Elizabeth, stop,” you pleaded, trying to push her away from you but only ending up groping her rougher. She only moaned louder, forcing you to abandon the hope of pushing her off, and instead raising your hand to her mouth and silencing her.

Her hips began grinding down against yours, evidence of the obvious pressure that started forming beyond her lacy panties. “Don’t pretend…” she groaned out and lifted her head from your shoulder to pant against your cheek, “like you don’t want this.”

A hand rounded around to your ass and Lizzie squeezed harshly. “Pinch my nipples. Go on, do it,” she urged.

Miraculously, you found enough sense in you to form words. “But my brother- your boyfriend! And I’m his sister, and you’re moving in together-”

Lizzie pulled you from the door and turned the doorknob before she pushed you in. For a moment, she parted from you as you stumbled backwards while she flicked the room light on and shut the door behind her. “I’m not doing anything with him,” she replied. Like a predator to its prey, she wrapped her arms around you again and walked you deeper into the room.

It was only when the back of your knees hit the edge of a bed and you fell back down onto it that you realised you were in her bedroom.

She started pressing kisses all over your face as she pushed you up her bed, forcing you to catch up to her speed helplessly while you crawled backwards.

“I want you…” Lizzie panted.

Another kiss to your cheek.

“… To fuck me.”

Another to your chin.

“I want your fingers in my pussy.”

She took your hand and tucked it past the waistband of her pants where your fingers met her damp panties. “So good,” she groaned. Lizzie began bouncing on your fingers, her hand wrapped tightly around your wrist in order to buck the heel of your hand up into her clit. Her eyes opened and when her viridescent eyes met your own, she smiled. “We broke up, princess. Now, you’re all mine.”

Perhaps the words elicited something in you, for your fingers lifted up and pressed into her clothed hole. She stifled a squeal in response. Hurriedly, she zipped her pants down and pulled her panties to the side, quickly drenching your digits in her juices as she began humping your hand.

“I only ever dated him to see you,” she forced herself to speak through the white-hot waves of pleasure running through her. “But you never came for meals I invited you to, never slept over. Gods, how terribly I just wanted to run my tongue through your pretty little pussy when you fell asleep in my backyard that afternoon. And how simple it would’ve been, to pull that skimpy bikini to the side and see that puffy cunt.”

Lizzie leaned down to kiss your lips. “My beautiful girl. Let me see you,” she said and straightened to pull the collar of your dress down, then your bra to each respective side so your tits were exposed. Her lips immediately wrapped around one of your nipples, nipping at your bud occasionally while she moaned as you began to extend your fingers through her velvet walls.

Your brother, under the impression that he had truly upset his ex-girlfriend enough that she holed herself up in her bedroom while she cried against your shoulder, walked the dinner guests out apologetically. He texted you to let him know when you needed a ride back home and left the house, dejected and anxious.

For the first time, you did take up Lizzie’s offer for you to stay over after several orgasms. The two of you slept in her bedroom, bare sweaty bodies entangled as your head laid against your girlfriend’s soft breasts.

[bangtanhoneys]

Bora's First Christmas

(photo credit to: travel-stained.com)

The Kim/Chu household was a little bit different than normal households in Seoul, South Korea. While most Koreans didn’t go all out for Christmas, Grace grew up in England with an English mother and Korean father so she had all the full experience of Christmas. Even in Germany, they went all out. 

So that tradition continued when they moved back to Korea, when Grace joined the boys in the dorm for the first time, when they moved to their subsequent dorms and into her own home and finally the home she shared with Seokjin and their eight-month-old daughter. 

Bora was crawling up a storm and had nearly started to form words, nearly getting there but not quite making it. The lights on the Christmas tree always caught her attention and her small fingers played with the baubles that she could just about reach but her father always swooped in before she could pull it off. 

It was like having a second Min-ji at times. The cat had calmed down since his first Christmas, having knocked down the tree and everything with it. The more it appeared, the more he grew bored of it until he liked to sleep underneath it so his long tail could swish at the lights. 

“My Bora, are you ready for your first Christmas?” Seokjin asked, adjusting his grasp so he was more comfortable holding the eight-month-old. Her fingers reached up and grabbed hold of his nose, giving it a squeeze which made her laugh. “I’ll take that as a yes.”

“Come here you little rascal, I hadn’t finished putting on your shoes,” Grace sighed as she finally spotted where her daughter was. “Don’t you want to see the Seoul Lantern Festival? That should tire you out.”

It was a little struggle to get shoes on and to get her wrapped up in a coat with some gloves and a little hat but as long as she was in her father’s arms, she was quiet and content. After a 15 minute drive and a 10 minute search for a parking space, the couple with their daughter were walking along the Cheonggyecheon Stream. 

They were masked up, hats on, and no distinct tags that shouted they were part of BTS. No bodyguards to give it all a way - just a young family enjoying what Seoul had to offer for Christmas. 

“At least she’s enjoying herself,” Grace chuckled from where she was resting her head against Seokjin’s arm, their daughter still in his grasp. Bora’s tiny eyes were taking it all in but every now and then she would close them, have a five second nap then they would pop open when there was a new sound. 

“Just wait until everyone arrives for Christmas, she won’t know what to do then,” Seokjin grinned. They had planned a not-so-traditional Christmas dinner with both sets of parents, Seokjin’s brother and his wife with their two sons and the rest of Bangtan. All boys forgoing any schedules or events to spend time with Bora, to experience her first Christmas with them. 

Jungkook had already made plans to take over his room again on Christmas Eve, having bought everyone matching pyjamas (a photo which would later be uploaded to social media and spread like wildfire over how cute it was). 

“Come on,” Seokjin groaned and adjusted the now heavy child. “Let’s get this tuckered out one home and get wrapping presents.”

“I think your more excited than you let on,” Grace chuckled as she reached over to adjust the hat that kept sliding off.

“Excited to see my daughter’s first Christmas? You must be kidding. I want to see Jungkook’s face when he realises he got a lump of coal.”

[daisyblog]

Teddy

Our Story Masterlist Summary: Harry surprises YN with a new little addition to their family. Warning: swearing

Harry was hoping he could have surprised YN for Christmas, but with everything going on and travelling between London, Cheshire and Doncaster, it just wasn't possible. So on a cold wintery morning in late January, Harry travels across London with Jeff to pick up the new little addition. After chatting with the seller, who Harry had met before with his mother, and her explaining a few things to them about the pup that had grown since the last time Harry had seen him, they were on their way back to Harry and YN's home in London to surprise her.

The little black pup, who was sleeping soundly, was laying in Harry's arms as Jeff drove. Harry tickled the pup's little head as he smiled down at him.

"She's going to freak out isn't she?" Jeff asked, as he glanced over at his friend.

Harry let out a chuckle "Yeh..she's been talking about getting a dog for ages but it just never seemed like the right time..but I think she could do with a little friend"

"You really are a soppy fucker aren't you?" Jeff teased.

"You call it soppy I call it romantic Jeffrey" Harry argued with a proud grin on his lips.

"So I'm guessing this little guy is gonna join us for the tour then" Jeff assumed, as he pulled into the driveway.

"Opening act I heard" Harry joked.

As Harry and Jeff had planned, Harry walked through the door first and his manager followed him with the pup in his arms. YN was sat on the stool at their kitchen counter, working on some the designs for the new business project, and another way of keeping her mind busy.

"Babe?" Harry shouted into the house as he entered, to hear YN shout back 'kitchen'. Walking towards the kitchen, Harry couldn't keep the little smirk off his face.

"Hey..how was the meeting?" YN asked, after Harry greeted her with a peck to the lips. "Hi Jeff" she greeted, before continuing to work the pencil against the paper, until she took another glance at him "Is that a fookin' puppy?" her grin shining through.

Jeff looked down at the pug "Uh no...I think it's a giraffe" he sarcastically replied, making Harry chuckle "Of course it's a puppy you fucking melon". YN and Jeff had a very unique friendship, it was very rare you would see them both having a serious conversation, it was constant witty remarks, jokes and sarcastic comments. And of course, YN was known for her bold personality and not shying away from saying exactly what she thought.

"Oi..who you calling a melon..cheeky fucker" YN playfully scolded whilst giving the pup a stroke on his head "I can get you fired yah know" Harry watched the scnce in front of him, almost like a game of tennis, just waiting to see which one would back down first.

"I'm sure you can darling..but who's going to look after your dog on tour?" YN's eyes widened, mouth opening and closing.

"Fook off!" YN eye's darted to Harry "You're lying"

"All ours baby" Harry smiled, watching Jeff pass the little pug over so YN could hold him. The whole thing made his heart melt, the way YN cradled him in her arms and tickled his little nose.

"I can't believe it" YN smiled and walked over to where Harry stood, placing her hand behind his neck to pull him to her lips. As their lips moved together, she muttered a thank you baby.

Jeff interrupted the couple, continuing to tease the Yorkshire girl "On that note..I'm gonna go before I see any tongue movement" to which YN stuck up her finger to him. Like brother, like sister - Harry thought as he pulled YN into his arms to hold her from behind.

"Bye Jeff" Harry shook his head at his girl and friend.

"Bye lovebirds"

Once Jeff had left, Harry turned so he could see the puppy still in YN's arms. "So you're happy then?"

"More than 'appy" YN smiled up at him "You're the best..you know that?"

"Oh stop..you're feeding my ego" he joked.

"What shall we name him?"

"Uh..that's up to you..name him whatever you want love"

YN looked down at the sleeping pup, names running through her mind, until she spoke "Teddy"

"Teddy..I love it" Harry complimented "Welcome home little Ted"

YN couldn't wait to FaceTime both their families to show them little Teddy. So after popping out to the shops to pick up everything the little pup needed, bed, blankets, food and of course, YN couldn't resist the sage green colour and lead.

The couple were sat on the sofa, Teddy cuddled on YN's lap, and YN's phone leaning against the ornament on the coffee table in front of them as they waited for Louis to answer. After a few rings..

"'ello Tiny..you alright?" Louis greeted "Whot the fook is that on your lap?"

"Meet Teddy" YN smiled as she lifted him so Louis could see him better.

"He's yours?"

"Yeh..Harry went to pick him today and surprised me with him"

"Fookin' 'ell Styles...you really do set the bar high don't you for every other boyfriend in the world" Louis teased.

Harry grinned as he shrugged his shoulders "Anything to see her smile"

"Well I'll pop over tomorrow to see him"

Next, they called Gemma, who picked up immediately when she saw her future sister-in-law's name.

"Hi loves" Gemma's grin was seen on the screen.

"We want you to meet someone" Harry spoke.

YN lifted Teddy up, and a big 'awwww' was heard through the speaker.

"Meet Teddy" YN told Gemma.

"I want him" Gemma confessed and she brought herself closer to the screen "I guess this is as close as I'm going to be to being an Auntie for a while?"

"Yeh..sorry Gem..I've got a clothing line to sort" YN laughed.

"When can I see my little nephew then?"

"Gem you literally live twenty minutes away" Harry stated with a chuckle and running his fingers through his hair.

"True...you need to show Mum"

"Mum already knew..she helped me buy him" Harry admitted "You know how much she loves animals..I thought at first she wasn't going to let me keep him when we went to see them"

YN's heart melted at the thought of Harry and Anne going to choose their puppy. They really had the best relationship, one that reminded her of Louis and their Mum, one she hoped for if she were to have children one day.

And last they called the Tomlinson sisters, a very chaotic call compared to the others. The four girls argued about who was going to hold the phone and then they bickered about who was going to hold Teddy first. It was safe to say Teddy was very much loved!

・・・・

liked by lottietomlinson, harrystyles, and 875,467,931 others

yntomlinson Welcome to the family Teddy💙 View all 19,316 comments

1dfan9 OMG TEDDY! 😍

YNfan He's so cute! Love his name xx

harryfan3 YN we need photos of Harry and Teddy plssssss

annetwist Precious little baby 😍💙

gemmastyles I'm officially a dog-Auntie 😎

jefezoff Should have named him Melon! ⌙ yntomlinson Leave my baby alone Jeffrey 

mitchrowland Bring the little dude to the studio ⌙ yntomlinson Only if you let me play One Direction songs ⌙ mitchrowland You do anyway? ⌙ harryfan5 YN is the biggest 1D fan, she's one of us 💞

lottietomlinson Cutest baby boy 😍 I'm in love

Tag List: (let me know if you would like to be added) @pansexualwitchwhoneedstherapy @harrys-flower @platinumbarbie143 @frickin-bats @harrysbbyh0ney fanfictioncafe lilfreakjez jerseygirlinca iamahallucinationnn @chronicallybubbly @goldensunflowe-r  @walkingintheheartbreaksatellite @kaverichauhan @peterholland04 @panicattheuc @indierockgirrl hittiesontour

[agnoscoveteris-vestigiaflammae]

Now that I'm all caught up with Doctor Who, here is an update on my (extremely long) Doctor Who Theory Masterpost I made last week !! As I am writing this, there are mere minutes to go before the premiere of the series finale, though I won't be seeing it until it's on BBC in 19 hours lol so hopefully no spoilers !!

So I'm still a firm believer that the *Colour* *Weekday* (or vice versa) or just *Shade of Red* naming convention for several characters was intentional, even if it's just a red herring. If you don't know what I mean, here are some examples

Ruby Sunday

Mundi Flynn (Monday Red) in episode 3

Marti Bridges (Tuesday Red) (Also a direct reference to Mars, ie. Pyramids of Mars, Sutekh, Osirans, etc.) in episode 4

Cooper Mercy (Red Wednesday) in episode 5

Rogue (anagram of Rouge = Red) in episode 6

Poppy in episode 1

Rose in episode 7

Cherry Sunday

While I still think that these names and their associations with ancient deities add to the theme of ‘The Pantheon' and all-powerful beings, and that this kind of repetitive naming convention is reminiscent of a dream-like logic or storytelling convention centred around Ruby, which could play into everyone’s TV show/fairytale/dream theories, I now also think with hindsight that the Red aspect of the names could just be a sneaky reference to Mars as the Red Planet and its associations with Sutekh.

I mentioned how due to her surname, Ruby would be aligned with the Roman God Sol Invictus, but now knowing that we're working with Egyptian mythology, it's more likely that she is aligned with the sun god Ra or the god of the sky, sun, and light, Horus. While both are plausible, my bets are on the latter for a few main reasons.

Horus' was the child of Isis, the goddess of love, magic, fertility, and healing, and the god Osiris, who was killed by Seth (Sutekh), the god of death and darkness, and then resurrected by Isis to conceive Horus. While pregnant with Horus, Isis fled to the marshes of the Nile Delta where she hid her child from Seth because she knew he wanted to kill him to maintain his place on the throne. Horus' birth is commonly accepted to have occurred on the 25th of December. Is this story starting to sound familiar? Could baby Ruby have been left in that snowy churchyard in the early hours of Christmas day because her mother was trying to hide her away amongst humanity and protect her from Sutekh?

In Pyramids of Mars, it is Horus, Sutekh's brother, who attempts to put a stop to Sutekh's evil plan with the Eye of Horus, could this also be related to the object that the Doctor and Ruby have to obtain from the nameless planet?

While Sutekh is the god of death and darkness, Horus is the god of light. Could Ruby be a messiah-like figure created in direct opposition to Sutekh with the sole purpose of destroying him when the time comes?

Isis is commonly associated with the Egyptian FLOOD myth which tells that when Osiris was killed, the Nile spilled over with the tears of Isis's grief. Now, we are aware that Mrs Flood is a widow, that she's always hiding herself away and that she is aware of Sutekh and his power... Could she be Isis in disguise secretly watching over her own child, waiting for the moment they can come together to try to defeat him?

One reason I think these theories are unlikely is that after being revealed as a god or at least some kind of god-human hybrid, I don't think it's likely that Ruby would continue to travel with the doctor, as she is speculated to do in series 15/2. but who knows! that sure would make things interesting.

In regards to the Trickster theory, I was Delighted to even get a trickster as ‘the god of traps’ mention last episode, but with all the talk about traps in UNIT HQ and the references I mentioned in my previous post, I wouldn’t be surprised if he does make a little cameo in this episode, or if he returns in S15/2. Also still not letting go of the Trickster being trapped in the ocean x ‘The War between the Land and the Sea’ x Mrs FLOOD theories idc idc. 

Okay finally here’s some more quickfire bananas theories I’m throwing at the red string board

Susan cameo 

Ruby has a perception filter that conceals either her true form or something that has attached itself to her but it cuts out at 73 Yards and that’s why everyone ran from her

The Doctor uses Rogue’s ring in defeating Sutekh

Mrs Flood (Mrs F) is Susan

Jenny is Ruby’s mother/Ruby is Susan’s mother/Kate is Ruby’s mother/Ruby is her own mother (i really dont wanna believe this one cause its boring)

Mrs Flood is connected to The Flood from The Waters of Mars

Rogue is Horus - ship shaped like a falcon

Finishing this with seven hours to go until I see the finale!! Still haven’t seen any spoilers but from the official teasers I saw and the fact that the episode is only 50 minutes, I highly doubt anything this lore-heavy could happen lol. thank u for reading and indulging me doctor who besties <3 see u on the other side

[iqueenlost]

Part 3/5 of my Andreil fake dating au

Check Part 1 Part 2

Buckle up guys!

@dreamerthinker @folkit @lalalaets @julesghouls98 @tesadoraofphaedra @objectifymecaptain @holyshitthatsilegal @ourshadowstars @bumpingbees @madrasiiuvu @lillyndra @themundanemudperson

---------

In anticipation of the date he planned to take Andrew Neil didn't have a good night of sleep. Too much energy coursing through his body begging to be let out. So as soon as the sun began to peek on the horizon Neil got up and went on a run, hoping that it would make him less jumpy until Andrew was ready to get up. He planned to let him sleep in and rest from all the long nights he pulled in the last month. 

 After running almost the double of miles he usually did in the mornings and still having not wasted half of his energy, he stopped at the cat cafe to kill time until it was close enough to a reasonable hour to get Andrew out of bed. When it was almost nine he began to make his way back to the apartment after buying Andrew his favorite heart attack-inducing concoction.

The apartment was silent and dark and Andrew was still asleep when he stumbled in a few minutes later, so he busied himself with showering and having breakfast. He had just put on some music at a low volume and was scrolling through his social media for a while, checking what his friends and students were up to when his phone rang. 

“Shit, shit, shit.” Neil chanted while trying to pick up the call or just turn off the damn sound before Andrew woke up with all the noise. 

Uncle Stuart's name read on the screen. “Why are you calling so early?” Neil asked when he finally picked it up.

“Oh, I thought I would check on you. As I always do. On every Saturday. It’s not like you don't wake before sunrise anyway.” He said, sarcasm dripping from his rasping voice.

“Andrew’s sleeping,” Neil said in a hushed tone, as if he spoke in a normal volume Andrew would wake up, even though his room was on the far end of the corridor and the farthest from the kitchen.

“Are you in his bed perhaps?” Stuart wondered.

“What?” Neil squeaked, heat tracking down his neck. Just what the heck was Stuart thinking? “Of course not.”

“Of course,” He repeated dully. “Then it doesn't have any relevance.”

Neil clicked his tongue, his finger tapping on the counter in annoyance. “Good to know you’re still an arse.”

“It’s genetic, as you may know.”

That seemed in fact to be the case, Neil couldn't count the times he had relished in being difficult just for the sake of being difficult, and Stuart was one of his preferred victims. 

“I hate you,” Neil said, without any heat in his tone.

From the other side, Stuart sighed and Neil heard a door opening and closing.

“So you have said, multiple times. It’s almost like being back in time.”

“Did you want anything or just be a pain in the ass?” He asked as he crossed his arms, a frown settling between his brows.

“A little respect would be good.”

“Sorry, we’re out of those.” He smirked.

Stuart sighed and Neil's smirk transformed into a full-fledged smile.

“Anyway, Lisa wants to know if you are coming for Christmas.”

Lisa was Uncle Stuart’s platonic life partner, they have been living together since Neil’s senior year. They had met when Stuart traveled to Australia for a work conference and instantly hit it off. They were the closest thing to soulmates Neil had ever seen and the fact that they didn't need to have a sexual relationship to be happy together had once been a comfort to Neil.

“Christmas’ still weeks away.” Neil voiced in doubt.

“You know her and her infatuation with the damn holiday.” Neil could almost see the frown on Stuart's face from his tone. For all his grouchiness about Christmas, or any other holiday for that matter, he always went along with whatever Lisa wanted to do.

“Tell her I have to check with Andrew.”

Andrew used to go to England with Neil instead of spending the holiday with his brother, as Aaron spent Christmas with Katelyn's family. It had started before Nick moved back from Germany with Eric, so it was convenient for Andrew to make the trip down to Germany and spend the New Year with them. The last two years though since Nick had come back Andrew opted for not going and Neil had been a little less excited to visit Stuart and spent weeks away from him.

“You do know you can come without him, right? It’s you she wants to fawn over, not him.”

“I know–”

“Your codependency is getting worse and worse,” Stuart interrupted. “And you haven’t even won him over yet”

“I’m hanging up,” Neil announced, suddenly annoyed with the conversation.

He heard Stuart clicking his tongue as he complained. “It’s like you don’t even respect me anymore.”

“Never really did, it shouldn’t be a surprise.” Neil sassed back.

“Bog off, you prat.” He said, hanging up himself and Neil laughed.

Sometimes he really missed Stuart, even though when Stuart chose to go back to England in Neil’s sophomore year of college Neil had felt like he was gaining freedom. Stuart tended to worry and hover too much about him after they found their foot in their relationship and became closer. It had taken some time but by the time Neil was seventeen he and Uncle Stuart had developed a special bond. Neil was grateful Stuart had chosen to take him instead of dropping him in the foster system, even though he had to uproot his life in England to take care of him. Neil knew he would not have the life he had now had Stuart made a different choice back then. He would never have met Andrew or his other friends. He couldn't imagine the path his life would have taken then.

He got up to put his plate on the sink when Andrew’s voice came from behind him, making him jump a little. “You Uncle?”

Neil turned back smiling brightly at him. “You up! I thought you would sleep in today.”

“Uhm.” Andrew hummed before going for the coffee machine.

“I brought you coffee.” Neil pointed to the to-go cup on the counter. “Or should I call it dessert?” He grinned.

Andrew made a gimme gesture opening and closing his hand. He looked soft, having just woken up, with hair sticking up in all directions, eyes only half open and a sleep line running down his left cheek.

Neil could feel that he was smiling as he observed the softness on Andrew’s face and marveled at the domesticity of their life. A few years ago when they met –when Neil had just moved to Palmetto and started his sophomore year– if someone had told him he would fall in love with Andrew he would’ve laughed hard at them. At that time Neil could see no light in sight. Even one year after the trial his father’s shadow still blocked every little speck of light from reaching him and the fact that his mother cast him aside and fled their nightmare without him was still an oozing infected wound in his chest, impeding him from ever thinking of trusting someone again. To this day he still didn't know where she was and deep down he hoped she would never return, there was some hurt that time couldn’t heal.

He felt the smile on his face slip away at the prick of pain that shot to his heart. Andrew took a step in Neil's direction, gaze locked on him as he placed his now empty cup on the counter beside Neil “What is wrong?” He asked in a concerned tone that no one but Neil would have been able to perceive.

There it was again, Andrew's superpower was his ability to read Neil's microexpression. “Nothing, just thinking.” Neil smiled sadly. “About how time flies, it seems like it was yesterday you were threatening to kick me down the school’s roof.”

That’s where they met for the first time. Neil hiding from everyone and his hurt and Andrew skipping a class he thought was dreadful to smoke on the roof.

Andrew's nose wrinkled. “Don't get sentimental on me.”

“Oh, you know me. Love to reminisce.” Neil smiled wide at him. “Breakfast?” He changed the subject as he walked to the fridge. “We need to go grocery shopping sometime soon, can you on Monday? I have classes only in the morning.”

“Dick Dylan gave me a three-day leave, so I’m back only on Thursday.”

Dick Dylan, who was actually named Richard Dylan O'Connell, was what Andrew called his boss, the district attorney. They had started on the wrong foot when Andrew first got the job but although they now had a decent work relationship the nickname stuck.

“That's good,” Neil said. “Scrambled eggs?” He asked, already taking the egg carton out and looking back to see Andrews nod.

They worked together like a well-oiled machine to make Andrew’s breakfast as Neil had already eaten. Afterwards, they moved it plus armfuls of snacks and Andrew’s favorite flavor of ice cream to the living room to watch TV for the next few hours.

Neil dropped to the couch and put his feet on the coffee table getting comfortable. “What are we watching?” He asked as he turned the TV on with the remote. To his delight, Andrew chose to sit right beside him instead of moving to the end of the couch.

“Anime,” was Andrew's response so Neil chose a random anime from the most watched list from their streaming platform.

That was how they spent most weekends that Andrew didn't have to work. Jumping from show to show until they found something binge-worthy that led to hours in front of the TV. But today Neil had a plan. First, he had to flirt with Andrew and then convince him to go on a date. So, even though he felt like a teenager, halfway through the second episode of the bloody ghost horror anime they had landed on he stretched his arms out and put it on the backrest of the couch being careful to not touch Andrew as he gauged at his reaction.

Neil’s heart said goodbye to life when Andrew glanced at him for a minute before adjusting his position so he was now leaning a little into Neil’s arm, almost cuddling. He had to remind himself that he had been this close to Andrew before and that just because he was feeling different about it, it didn’t necessarily mean Andrew did as well.

Over the years Andrew had become more and more comfortable with touch. He still had days where he couldn't stand the feeling of someone close to him let alone putting their hands on his body, but there were days where he accepted a pat on the shoulder from Aaron or hugs from Nicky, Renee, and Bee. Neil was in another whole category, Neil was the only person Andrew ever let lay down next to him without moving away.

Sometimes Neil felt guilty, Andrew trusted him enough to let his guard down with him yet every time he did Neil thought about touching him or kissing him. Someday Neil felt dirty that he would even think of that while knowing everything Andrew went through, that he would even think of that when Andrew had no idea what he was imagining in his messed up mind. Although he would never hurt Andrew and he always asked if Andrew was okay when he touched him, he still felt guilty.

He tried telling himself that it was different. He loved Andrew, always had and always would, his feelings for him went above just lust or sexual attraction. He was pretty sure he only desired Andrew because he loved him. So he asked every time he wanted to take and never took what Andrew couldn't give him. That’s why he needed to confess, to see if Andrew also wanted him. Whatever Andrew wanted he would give without a second thought even if what he wanted was for Neil to go away.

“Can I touch your hair?” He asked when the credits of the episode rolled up. When Andrew looked up at him blankly he spoke again. “Yes or no, Andrew?”

“Yes.” Andrew breathed, voice so small and unlike his unapologetic and monotone way of speaking. As if he also felt the pent-up tension in the air. As if he also was bracing himself for what it all could mean. Neil asked himself if it was possible that Andrew finally caught up to what was really going on here.

Time seemed to slow down and the air between them crackled with electricity as Neil moved the arm around Andrew’s shoulder so he could slip his fingers into Andrew’s soft hair. Neil felt Andrew shudder when his fingernails scratched very lightly at his scalp. The whole time Andrew’s eyes never strayed from Neil’s. His intense golden eyes pierced through Neil as if reading Neil’s soul and figuring out all his secrets. After years of being invisible and overlooked, being known had an addictive thrill to it.

The loud opening music from the anime startled them out of the moment they were having and Andrew's gaze moved back to the TV, where it stayed glued to the screen. Neil bit down on his lower lip to avoid laughing out loud but his finger never stopped moving, feeling up and down the length of the locks on the top of Andrew’s head.

They watched two more episodes while Neil continued fondling Andrew’s hair before Neil finally proposed the idea to Andrew. “We’re going out today.” He said, barely containing his enthusiasm. “On a date.”

“Why would we?” Andrew asked, looking extremely cozy in his nest of blankets and cushions and head now fully placed on Neil’s shoulder. He had to turn his head to look up at Neil’s eyes. Their faces were close enough that if Neil bent his head a little their lips would touch.

“Because our friends are coming for dinner and we have to act like a couple so we should do coupley things,  like a date.” He said innocently, even when his mind supplied him with the memory of Allison telling him that the two of them already acted like a married couple.

But that wasn’t relevant now, today he would blow Andrew’s mind with an unforgettable date that would ruin all other dates for Andrew, making him completely captivated by only Neil and no one else. Then his only choice would be to date Neil. Bold statement, Neil was aware of it, but what he lacked in experience he made up in determination.

“That doesn't make any sense, and they’re your friends.” Andrew rebutted, sadly moving away from Neil's embrace.

“Renee’s coming,” He pointed out.  “And she’s been your friend and sparring buddy long before I even joined the group.”

“I still see no correlation,” Andrew stated seriously and a small smile blossomed on Neil’s lips. Renee was the only one Andrew never denied being friends with. It was cute actually, the bond between them.

“We’re going," Neil insisted, hitting Andrew with the best puppy eyes he could muster. “We can have breakfast food for lunch or a dessert feast, just like when we were in college.”

Andrew looked at him in silence before sighing. “You're paying.”

“Of course.” Neil grinned. “What kind of date would I be if I didn’t? I let you know I was raised right.”

He hadn’t and Andrew knew that but what was important was that he had a whole plan thought out, starting with lunch at a nice bistro that had opened recently and looked really good when he passed it on the way to work. It was right next to a used bookstore that was obscure enough that it would probably be almost empty and allow them to browse for books in peace after lunch. Then they would walk to a roller rink, where Neil would teach Andrew how to roller skate. It would be the perfect opportunity to get close and touch him without making Andrew uncomfortable. It was also a good opportunity to get Andrew to maybe kiss him. It was going to be perfect and by the end of the day, Andrew and him would be a true couple.

— — —

The truth was that things started to deviate from the plan the moment Andrew and Neil arrived at the bistro. The trip there was good, they talked and listened to Andrew's emo rock road trip playlist, and Andrew even sang along to the lyrics with Neil.  But when they were just about to enter the bistro a voice called out for Neil. “Yo, Mr. Josten.” The boy –that Neil recognized as being Ajax– hurrying over to them said cheerily. “Yo, Mr. Josten’s friend.” He added nodding at Andrew.

Neil did not want to meet someone from school right now, in fact, it was the last thing that he wanted to happen that day.

“Ajax,” Neil said flatly, sending daggers Ajax’s way in the hope he would get the memo and scram.

The little shit grinned with an evil glint in his eyes. Neil was sure he got the memo and didn't leave just to annoy him. “Are you guys going in? Can I join you guys? I haven’t eaten yet and I’m hungry.” He circled his arms over his belly dramatically.

Andrew shrugged and went into the bistro. Ajax sent Neil a little wink before following him in. Neil pinched the bridge of his nose, a vein pulsing in his temple. What the hell? He was sure some entity in hell was laughing at him right now but in the end, Neil had no other choice but to enter the bistro following behind Ajax and Andrew.

Neil had passed this bistro numerous times and always thought it looked good from the outside.  As for the inside, the first thing he noticed when he entered was that the place was really nice, with warm light wood flooring, cushioned chairs and cabinets in a mint color, dark wood tables, and a lot of plants distributed throughout the space. The windows that faced the street went up almost to the ceiling and allowed in plenty of natural light. Neil didn’t know much about decor but he liked the homey feeling of this place.

Andrew chose a table with four chairs on the far end of the room beside one of the windows and Ajax sat down on the chair on Andrew's left, backing the rest of the restaurant, so Neil chose to sit on the chair directly in front of Andrew.

He turned to Ajax as soon as he was seated trying his best to not sound too grumpy. “What are you doing here?”

“My father was supposed to spend the day with me but he left halfway through brunch because Tara called and said Eli didn’t feel so good. It’s probably a lie because she doesn’t like him spending time with us. I mean, me specifically, I look too much like my mother for her liking. 

Neil never met or saw a photo of Ajax's mother, she’d died when Ajax was seven, and apparently, his dad burned everything she owned and every photo in a fit of grief-stricken anger –at least that's what Jason had info dumped on Neil at the beginning of the school year. It was a fact though that Ajax was very different from the rest of his blonde-haired, green-eyed family. Ajax's hair was a mess of oak brown curls on top of his head and his baby blue eyes always looked bright with amusement, even when he was feeling down. His sharp features were all angles and almost no softness, making him look like a mischievous elf.

He was shorter than Neil, about Andrew's height but Neil could tell he had some growing up to do. He was ready to bet that next year Ajax would go through a growth spurt and come back to school much taller than Neil, it was all in the hands and feet, that were disproportionately large for his small body.

Neil cleaned his throat not knowing the appropriate way of reacting. If this was about one of his friends he could shit-talk the other party to his heart's content but Ajax was his student. He couldn’t very well talk like that about his students' parents even though some of them deserved it, so he chose to change the subject. “Ajax, this is Andrew.”

Ajax turned to observe Andrew with sharp eyes. “You the guy that picked up Mr. Josten yesterday.”

“Very observant of you,” Andrew replied and Ajax narrowed his eyes trying to determine if Andrew was mocking him.

“How do you know Mr. Josten?”

“From high school.”

“Are you a teacher as well? Don't look like it.”

“From when he was in high school.” Andrew clarified. “And what does a teacher look like?”

“Wow! That's ages ago.” Neil did not appreciate the jab, he was 26, and that was hardly old. “ And I don't know, boring?” Ajax shrugged.

“Hey!” Neil exclaimed, offended. First old and now boring? He did not look boring, not at all.

Andrew smirked a little. “Well, thank you.”

“So…” The boy asked as he placed his elbow on the table. “What do you do?”

“Is this 20 questions?” Neil was close to having an aneurysm. He glared at Ajax, forgetting that he had sympathized with him a moment ago, and begged the boy to take a hint in his mind. “And if yes it should be me asking, as this is my date.

“This is a date? I couldn’t tell.” He directed big, innocent doe eyes at them.

“Do you enjoy annoying me?” By the glint in Ajax's eyes, Neil was pretty sure the answer was yes.

“I'm just surprised you're interested in dating.” He turned back to Andrew as he explained. “When the year had just started a few girls asked Mr. Josten if he had a girlfriend. When he said no they asked if he had a boyfriend e do you know what he said?” Ajax inclined over the tabletop in Andrew’s direction with an eager expression, as if confiding a secret.

“Do tell me,” Andrew said and Ajax paused, unsure if he was really interested in hearing the story. It was clear Andrew's monotone was confusing to him, but still, he wouldn’t pass the chance to make fun of Neil. Maybe Neil should be more distant with his students but he enjoyed being the favorite teacher even though the least-liked teacher more often than not was the one who taught math. He liked being a contradiction.

“He said he didn’t swing.” Ajax laughed. “Do you believe it? I could hear their hearts breaking”

“He’s been saying that for years.” 

“Why did you even agree to go on a date with him?” He pointed at Neil with his head as if he couldn't fathom why Andrew would want to.

“He accosted me while we watched anime,” Andrew replied and Ajax nodded in understanding. He was just about to say something else when the waitress reached their table to take their order.

“My name’s Jenny and I will be your waitress for today. What can I get you guys?” She asked in a cheerful way and with a pleasant smile. 

She turned slightly to Neil and presented him with the menu along with a bat of her eyes but Neil didn't give her a second look and immediately passed the menu on to Andrew, who arched a brow at the situation before taking it

“Can you order something for us?” He asked before looking at Ajax. “Ajax, can I talk to you for a minute?”

Neil then led Ajax to a corner of the bistro close to the entrance. “Ajax, I like you a lot, kid, but God help me if you don't go away I’ll make sure you don't graduate from high school forever. I’m trying to do something here.”

“Relax, Mr. Josten. I didn’t intend to really crash your date with Loverboy anyway, I was just having some fun getting under your skin.

“Good, bye then.” Neil turned to go back to his and Andrew’s table but Ajax spoke again. “Make sure to say only good things to Jason at the next teacher-parents meeting. No bullying stuff to be mentioned.”

Neil made a face but at Ajax’s arched eyebrow, he nodded. It would depend on what the other kids were doing to Ajax when the time came. He was always a liar at heart anyway, one more, one less wouldn't make a difference at this point, so he promised away.

When he returned to the table Andrew glanced up from the menu. “You didn't need to send him away. It’s not like this is a real date.”

It hurt a little that Andrew was shrugging off every one of Neil's hints and not seeing this as a real date. Neil didn't know if Andrew was just that oblivious or if this was his way of letting Neil down gently. Was he not being clear enough that he wanted to get in Andrew in his pants? Better yet, he wanted Andrew’s heart because his heart had beaten only for Andrew’s for years now.

Neil forced a laugh before saying. “Ajax is a great kid, but I’m not sure how to act when I meet students out of school. Besides, this is our test drive.”

“Test drive?” Andrew arched an eyebrow at that.

“Yes, if we convince everyone we meet that we are a couple we can convince our friends too.”

“That’s a flawed logic.” Andrew pointed out. “Our friends have known us for years. Those people don’t know how we usually act.”

Neil gave Andrew his brightest smile. “Our friends,” he emphasized. “Thought we were a couple for years.”

Andrew's eyes narrowed and he crossed his arm, leaning back on the chair as he observed Neil like he was the weirdest creature on the planet. “Then what is the point of today?”

“You’ll know soon enough. Now, what did you want to order? Are we doing breakfast at lunch, just dessert, or what?”

In the end, they did not order breakfast food but had pasta instead, along with half the dessert menu. When they were getting ready to leave another unpredictable situation arose. Their waitress, who Neil had not given much thought to during their time there, thought it was a good idea to hit on Neil when he was clearly on a date.

They were preparing to leave and Neil had waived to her so she could bring them their bill when she passed him a note with her phone number and a kiss mark to him instead. “Call me if you want to have fun sometime?” She drawled out in what Neil thought was an attempt at a sultry voice. A poor one at that, 0 out of 10. Not attractive at all.

He gave her a polite closed-lip smile before saying as he nodded his head at Andrew. “I don't think my boyfriend would like that very much.”

“Oh, I'm not jealous, your boy can come too.” She chuckled lightly at her own joke as her hand went up to Neil’s arms and stroked it. Neil faltered at her lack of senses before he tried to shrink away from her touch. Yeah, Neil would not be coming back to this restaurant. What was a pity, he’d liked the ambiance and the food had been really good but staff that didn't get boundaries was a turnoff.

 Andrew's face got dark the second the blonde waitress put her hands on Neil and he slammed his fist at the table, growling when the waitress looked back at him with wide eyes. She was trembling, Neil noticed.

“I suggest you keep your hands to yourself if you don’t want to lose it.” He threatened. His expression was so vicious that he looked like an avenging angel passing on due judgment to an insignificant mortal. That Neil could attest was a turn-on.

“We would like the check now,” Neil informed the spooked waitress, he couldn't even remember her name. “If she acts like this with everyone who comes here for a date she’s not getting much tips.” He said out loud when she went away at an admirable speed.

“Don’t act like you don’t have a mirror at home,” Andrew said evenly, the cold anger in his eyes slowly disappearing.

“Is that your way of saying you think I'm pretty?” Neil asked, batting his eyelashes at Andrew. “Well, thank you, love.”

“Let's get the fuck out of here before I get indigestion.” He changed the subject without denying it, which made Neil immensely happy.

— — — 

After leaving the bisto they moved to the bookstore next door, that part of the date unfolded like Neil expected at least. The bookstore was almost empty and they spent their time there browsing the shelves and reading while laying on one of the couches. In the end, Andrew brought six books and Neil found two books that looked interesting so wrote down the titles so he could buy the audiobooks, as he hardly had the patience for reading but liked hearing the stories while he was running or working out at the gym.

“What did you buy?” He asked Andrew when they walked out of the store.

“Two thrillers, one fantasy book, one horror comic, and two books about legal matters regarding child and family law.”

When they reached the parking lot they stopped by the Maserati so Andrew could throw in the paper bag with his new books before continuing to walk to their next location as it was close enough. Neil looked at Andrew's hand intensely until Andrew sighed and offered it up to him. Neil smiled softly and held Andrew’s hand.

“I thought you weren't interested in child and family law,” Neil commented.

“Bee offered me a job at her non-profit.” He said. “It would be a step down in terms of pay, but–” He cut himself with a sigh. Neil could tell he was feeling conflicted about it.

Andrew had told Neil about Betsy's non-profit. She had always been involved in some kind of charity but last year she had begun her own dedicated to helping abused kids and or parents. They offered free counseling and basic medical help, legal counsel, and shelter to those who found themself in need.

“Are you sure you want to work there?” Neil asked in concern and Andrew scowled at him. “I’m serious Andrew, this last month was difficult, with Georgie's case and everything. Working at Betsy’s non-profit would put you in constant contact with children in home situations like that.”

“It’s a good cause,” was all he said, eyes cast down so Neil wouldn't get a good read at them. But Neil knew how to read Andrew even if he was avoiding his eyes.

“I know, and I think the work she’s doing is admirable –Hell, I was a kid in a difficult home situation once– but you have to think what is best for you. Can you cope with it without it triggering you, or hurting you? It’s not the time to be altruistic at the expense of yourself. You taught me that.”

“It would be good if I were to foster in the future.” He uttered.

Neil was so shocked by that statement that he tripped on his feet and would have fallen if Andrew hadn't pulled him back by the grip he had on Neil’s hand.

Neil looked at Andrew with wide eyes, mouth hanging up. “You want to foster?” He gulped while he waited for Andrew to respond. This had never been something Andrew had remotely alluded to before.

“I thought about it. I don't know if I could with– with my record, but hell if I know. People of worse history have become foster parents before.”

“You would be great at it, I'm sure.” Neil squeezed his hand. “You have always been a caregiver.”

Andrew scoffed but said nothing more.

They walked in silence for a little before Neil spoke again, “I’m going to support you in whatever you decide, you know that, right?” Andrew hummed. “I meant it Andrew, I'm here and I'm never going away as long as you want me here.”

Andrew looked down at their hands clasped together before nodding. Neil directed him a smile, hoping it would convey everything he couldn't say yet. He even allowed himself to imagine a life where he and Andrew fostered or adopted together. He loved Stuart and was immensely grateful for him but the time he spent in his care wasn't what he could call home, even when Lisa had come along. And Neil desperately wanted it, deep down he knew he wanted the picket fence dream, and he wanted it with Andrew. That thought made him even more determined to end this date on a high note.

He had high hopes when he walked into their last location, the roller rink. The place was new, only about six months since its inauguration. He had heard about it from a few people and Allison and Renee had a date there that Alisson described as one of their best ones yet. Neil waggered it would be a good place for their date, with good activities to do together, good junk food, and good music. It had a few points that could be counted as a con. 

As soon as Neil walked in he was hit with the smell of buttered popcorn and cotton candy that brought Neil back to the time he skipped summer school class to go to the amusement park with Andrew before Andrew went on his university tour trip with Aaron and Katelyn. They were going to visit about six schools even though they most probably would go to USC. At that time he was about to begin his junior year, but he was determined to graduate early so he could join Andrew’s college the next year.

Neil, Aaron, Katelyn, Andrew, and Kevin had decided to spend the day there before they all left the next day. It would have been almost like a double date if it wasn't for Kevin. Back then he had spent half the time angry and jealous of Andrew and Kevin's relationship even though it was clear they were just friends. The second half was better as he convinced Andrew to slip away to go to a haunted house and lose the rest of them.

“Doesn't this remind you of that time we went to the amusement park?” He tugged at Andrew's hand, aiming a cheeky smile at him.

“The one you spent half the time arguing with Kevin.”

“What can I say, he was a pain in the ass back then.”

“This implies he isn't one now.” 

Neil rolled his eyes at that and pointed to the counter next to the entrance. “Do you want to get us the skates?”

Andrew shrugged but walked over to the counter fishing his wallet from his tight skinny jeans’ pocket. Neil observed him go and tried to calm down a bit, now he needed courage and mentally prepared for what he needed to do. He was going to ask if Andrew wanted to kiss him any moment now.

“Oh, Mr. Josten,” A voice called out for him and Neil sighed. Please God, not now, he pleaded, but when he turned a middle-aged woman stood in front of him. “ What a surprise to see you here.” 

“Because us teachers never leave the school,” Neil mumbled under his breath, annoyed to meet yet another person who knew him. Is it too much to ask people to pretend they don't know teachers when they see them in a social setting off-school?

“What did you say?” She asked, oblivious to his annoyance.

“Nothing, it’s good to see you, Mrs. Johnson. How is your husband? And Kate?”

“Good, good, just there, on the rink.” She pointed to the man in the red long-sleeve jersey who could barely stand up in the skates and the teenage girl who was trying to hold him up amid a laughing fit. “Too much of an adventure for me, you see. I could never.” She let out a high-pitched giggle that went straight to Neil’s brain and caused a headache to begin to form. “Is this a friend of yours?” She pointed at Andrew who had returned to Neil's side with their skates frowning in judgment.

Off work, Andrew was very different from his put-together work look. He was wearing black skinny jeans with rips on both knees, a tight black short-sleeved t-shirt, and black combat boots. The tattoos on his forearms peeked out from beneath his black armbands, a pop of red from one of the roses, the only color on him aside from the strands of mussed light blond hair he didn’t bother to comb that morning after Neil’s finger had made it even more of a mess. He had also put on his many earrings, plus the black eyebrow piercing that stood out so much more due to the contrast with his blonde brows.

“You could say that,” Neil paused dramatically. “We’re roommates.” He snickered a little, almost a giggle, and raised an eyebrow at her but Mrs. Johnson didn't get the joke. Not a fan of BL fiction apparently.

Andrew rolled his eyes at Neil’s antics and didn't bother even saying anything to Mrs. Johnson. “Here your death-on-wheels.” He said passing one of the patins to Neil.

Neil directed another fake smile at Mrs. Johnson, who still observed them confused. “It was great seeing you, Mrs. Johnson, but we’re going to adventure ourselves on the rink.” With that, he offered his hand to Andrew who after shrugging took it in his.

“Thank God you came back,” Neil said in a hushed tone. “It’s the second time we met someone I know from school today. We should have snuggled on the couch and watched TV instead, at least it would be just the two of us.”

Neil was beginning to develop a hatred for small towns. They encountered someone at every corner. They stopped briefly at the entrance of the rink to put on their skates before joining the crowd, Neil taking to it with graceful ease and Andrew unsteadily managing to balance himself.

“Remember me, why the hell did I agree to do this?” He grunted.

“Because you think I'm charming.” Neil was starting to believe it to be true as Andrew always went along with his crazy ideas. 

“You’ll be the death of me, Josten.” He grumbled and held tight to Neil’s forearms as his legs threatened to give out on him.

“Come on. Hold on to me and everything’ll be fine.”

“I hate you.”

“You know, you've been saying that for years and I believe it less and less.” Neil chuckled.

 “I’ll kill you in your sleep someday.” He threatened.

Neil’s brows went up and down in a suggestive way. “It would be easier if we shared a bed.”

“Not happening.” Andrew scoffed at Neil.

“Don't knock it till you try it,” Neil said, bringing Andrew closer to him. “Maybe sleeping with me is just what’s been missing from your life.” He whispered softly against Andrew’s hair.

“Can you shut up and keep us from falling and cracking our heads?” Andrew's voice came out rough and Neil's stomach made a cartwheel, a giddy smile rising in his face.

“Don’t worry if you fall I’ll catch you or fall with you. I’ve heard that falling together it's the best feeling.” Cheesy, Neil knew it but he couldn't stop now.

“What has got into you lately?” Andrew frowned and tried to move away to look at Neil’s face but when his skates started to slip and he almost lost balance he clanged to Neil again. “You have been talking nonsense all your life but this is a new level even for you”

“I have never been more aware of what I say, Andrew. Every little word I'm saying right now means something and I would appreciate it if you pieced it together. But now put your hand on my waist.”

“Sorry, what?”

“Come on, we’re dancing, now pull me close like you meant it. Hold tight to me, darling.” He winked.

“There are parents here.” Andrew declared flatly. “And I sure as hell am not dancing on these things.” he motioned to the rollers.

“So? It’s not like just because I’m a teacher I can’t have a personal life. If I want to dance in public with my boyfriend I can very well do that and screw what everyone else thinks. 

“But I’m not,” he said evenly. “Truly your boyfriend.”

“For now I’m saying you are. You can act like that whenever you want, you can even kiss me.”

“That’s not funny, Neil.” Andrew's face grew cold as he peered at Neil.

“I thought we had already established that I don't have a sense of humor.”

“This fact becomes more and more evident.” He said, before mumbling so low that Neil almost didn't catch what he said. “Just like you becoming more and more cruel.”

Neil faltered for a moment. He couldn't understand what Andrew meant so he asked, “What does that mean?”

“Nothing for you to know.” Andrew dismissed with a flick of his hand.

Neil pondered over it for a moment but came to no conclusion, so he just whirled them around the rink to the rhythm of a disco song avoiding the crazed teenagers that flew past them. Andrew's hands held tight to Neil in apprehension as if Neil was the only thing keeping him standing– which he pretty much was.

Neil was having the time of his life as he moved backward smiling the whole time. When they stopped in the center of the rink and a new song came on, Neil took the initiative to bend his head in Andrew's direction until their foreheads were touching, breath coming short at their proximity, and heart pounding in his chest. He was going to kiss Andrew now. It would be magic, he could already tell just by the way fireworks ignited on his stomach and his heart somersaulted out of his chest cavity. His palms became humid with sweat and his mouth dried out, but he was going to do it anyway. 

He leaned in, his mouth approaching Andrew’s until it was a hair away, and waited for Andrew to pull away. When he didn’t, Neil went for it. Just as their lips were about to touch Neil heard a loud whistle above the music and a cacophony of voice yelling. “Get it, Mr. Josten.”

His head snapped back to where six of his students were pillowed on top of one another on the bleaches at one side of the rink laughing and pointing at him. He looked back at Andrew to find him with a vacant gaze, blank face two shades paler than usual, looking as if he was going to be sick or pass out.

To be honest Neil didn't remember the last time he cried but right now he wanted to cry from sheer frustration, he was so close. He just wanted this day to be about him and Andrew. But instead, he encountered someone who knew him from school in every location he had planned. This was supposed to be the day he made Andrew his and instead, he now had his school kids making fun of them and ruining their first kiss before it even happened.

“Let’s go home.” He sighed, at least at home it was just the two of them, well that is until Allison and the other arrived for dinner.

They scurried away from the rink still hearing the chant of the noisy teenagers and Neil vowed to make the rest of their senior year hell. He would squish every little spark of joy from them with surprise tests and impossible-to-complete assignments until they cried and begged for mercy.

The walk and drive back home were silent, a gloomy cloud of self-doubt and loathing hovering above Neil’s head that grew bigger with each passing minute. Why wasn’t Andrew saying anything? Neil was sure he noticed what he was going to do on the rink. Andrew hadn’t pushed him away or given any indication that he didn’t want Neil to proceed and kiss him. But maybe he had just been too shocked to react, he had looked the closest to terrified Neil had ever seen him after the kid began to goad them to kiss.

Neil waited in agony until they reached their apartment and stopped in the middle of the living room before turning back to Andrew and questioning him. “Do you like me? Like, like-like me?” He said, immediately regretting it. Way to sound stupid on the most exhilarating and yet terrifying moment of his entire life.

Andrew blinked at him for one long, excruciating second before crossing his bulging arms. “What are we, twelve or something?”

Neil glared at him, a deep scowl on his face. “Stop deflecting Andrew, I need to know. I'm tired of waiting and waiting for you to piece it together.” His heart tumbled on a beat as he stepped closer to Andrew. He was going to do it, let it all out in the open. “I like you, Andrew, I’m head over heels for you.”

“Since when?” Andrew asked in an even voice and for the first time in their friendship Neil could not for the life of him read Andrew's face.

“I realized it on the day you left for your university touring trip. I still had two years until I could join you and the thought of not seeing you every day, even though you would be just a few hours away, terrified me. That was the sole reason why I applied to graduate early. But again when I think about it I guess I liked you way before that, I just didn't know what the feeling was at the time. Maybe even from the very first time I saw you. You just intrigued me so much”

“You’re ace, Neil.”

“That doesn't change what I feel for you. Asexuality is a spectrum, Andrew. It has always been you for me.”

Andrew said nothing, his eyes panning around the room at everything but Neil. If this was a cartoon smoke would be coming out of his head. He was malfunctioning.

 “Are you going to say something, I feel like I’m dying right now.” Neil’s voice cracked but Andrew still didn't look at him.

“I think this would be a bad idea.” Andrew started and Neil's heart broke in a million little pieces. His chest became a hallowed black hole and he felt panic slamming over him like a wave threatening to drown him and lead him into nothingness. 

This was a rejection. He put his heart on Andrew's hand and, even though he was sure Andrew would never purposely hurt him, he had just squeezed and crushed it until it no longer had any pulse. And the worst thing was that Neil himself broke their friendship ‒just like Andrew was breaking his heart‒ the moment he fell for his best friend. Now things would never be the same. It would be awkward and none of the easy understanding they had between them would be left, because right now Neil couldn't even look at Andrew without dying a little more inside.

He had hoped. But the thing about hope is that people are so enthralled by it that they forget its destructive power. And Neil hoped and then he forgot he was unlovable.

Andrew opened his mouth to say something else when the doorbell rang like the cry of a dying animal in the silence of their home.

----------

— Don't hate me guys —

— What do you all think is going to happen next? What does Andrew mean? —

— This one here was ambitious, by the end I had a 13 page document more than the last two part together. I spent so much time adding and editing stuff out. I cogitated splitting it in two parts to update earlier but decided not to. I think it turned out okay. Let me know what you guy think —

Check Part 4

[fensherohair]

The Marauders & The Metamorphic Witch Part 9

Words: 1.9k Warning: None although mentions of dating Pronouns: She/Her

Christmas was drawing closer; the many students seemed to be in a constant buzz of excitement. Many spoke about their plans, discussing if they would be going home for the holidays or staying within the walls of the castle. The castle itself had been decorated, and the great hall had several trees around the side, with a larger one behind the professor's area at the back of the hall, especially decorated by the professors. The candles floating in the hall had holly wrapped around the base, with snow falling from the cloud sky, hiding the arched ceiling. Even the grand staircase had been decorated. With tinsel lining the many moving staircases, some with sparkling baubles, too. The pictures had Christmas trees with them or something Christmas-related, and a few even singing Christmas songs. 

Of course, the common rooms hadn't escaped the Christmas makeover. Each had a tree in the corner near the fire. Decorated in the house colors with Hogwarts emblem baubles here and there. Other decorations had also appeared around each common area, seemingly overnight. The first-year students always seemed to be amazed, whereas the older ones grinned at the reminder Christmas was coming. Every now and again, mistletoe would appear in a doorway or above a random area where students gathered. However, the Scottish weather had likely already reminded them the holidays drew closer, with the thick snowfall beginning in November and seeming to be constant. Until the ice and snow created a winter wonderland out of the castle grounds, even the great lake had frozen over. 

"Are any of you staying here for Christmas?" asked Isolde, a soft smile gracing her lips as she remembered her parents informing both her and Allegra they would be staying at the castle this year. Their loving parents had finally got around to going on the romantic getaway they'd always talked about doing. Isolde had accepted it without much fuss, instead looking forward to exploring the castle when it was almost empty and getting to experience something new. Allegra, on the other hand, had written a harsh letter back to their parents, demanding they either change their plans or allow her to go to her favorite aunts for Christmas. Not surprisingly, they had refused, explaining it was too short of notice and the aunt would also be away with her own family. 

"I will be, same with my dear older brother," stated (Y/N), recalling her parents were going to travel the world this Christmas, visiting her uncle in Egypt and Grandpa in America. The plans had been in place for a while now, but the uncle wasn't one who they got to see often, even if he always wrote and sent gifts for special occasions. Plus, it had been some time since their father had seen his own dad and his side of the family. The visit there was long overdue. 

"I'll be going home, much-needed time with my sister Petunia," stated Lily, her bright smile dimming a little as she remembered how their once strong sisterly bond had faded in recent years. To the point that they barely spoke, and Petunia often ignored her. She had her own life now, friends that were normal rather than magical. "I'm hoping to fix our relationship; things haven't been the same since finding out I was a witch," commented the redhead, awkwardly moving her hair and brushing her fingers through it. She looked around the quiet dorm room, to her trunk that was already packed, and the presents sitting on top from three of the girls surrounding her. 

"Family Christmas for me. Three generations in one house," chuckled Marlene, recalling the chaos that happened every year, her brothers always excitable on Christmas morning, ready to rip into the gifts, her grandparents telling stories of the past, her parents, aunt, and uncles casting a few spells to help the day go easier and entertain the younger ones. Despite the screaming, terrible singing, and often embarrassing stories, it still ended up being another perfect Christmas, even if the adults did end up tipsy or outright drunk by the night's end. 

"At least I get rid of most of you and the boys," grumbled Allegra; the tension between the Smith Twins hadn't eased over the past month or so; if anything, it had gotten worse, to the point it was difficult for most to be around and the shared dorm had become almost unbearable. The two barely spoke to each other now and only stayed in the same place when there was no other choice, such as classes and the great hall. They did their best to stay away from each other when in the great hall and traveling between classes. Although Allegra still stayed close to the group, she often made rude comments. She acted as if she was the de facto leader, trying to control what everyone did and often shouting about the mischief and pranks being worthless. 

"Remus mentioned Sirius was staying in the castle this year," voiced Marlene, glancing over to (Y/N) sitting on her bunk holding her penguin plushy, an open box of Berty Bots on the trunk at the end of her bed. "Apparently, he had a falling out with his parents about something, so he chose to stay behind," she added, mindlessly braiding her blonde locks, almost laughing as (Y/N) seemed to miss why Sirius chose to hang around the castle rather than taking James up on his offer to go to the Potter's for the holidays. 

"He's a tosser, but he's somehow adorable at the same time," commented Lily, noticing the way (Y/N) looked around at the mention, still appearing oblivious to what almost everyone could clearly see. "Remus, too, is cute in a nervous way," laughed the auburn-haired girl, Isolde joining in, too. Marlene and (Y/N) looked at each other, the latter's cheeks heating up as if realizing what the girls were referring to, whereas (Y/N) looked on with confusion as if she didn't understand the direction the conversation had turned to. 

"How in the name of magic haven't you noticed?" asked Isolde, directing her question to (Y/N), who looked back with confusion sparkling in her (E/C) eyes. She shook her head as if to indicate she didn't understand the question asked. "Come on, James practically yelled from the astronomy tower weeks ago," she added as Marlene and Lily began to laugh a little more. Isolde tried to find a way to explain it to her clueless friend. 

"Sirius has a crush on you, (Y/N)," giggled Lily, blurting it out to save the awkward sidestepping Isolde was running at. "When James asked if Sirius had asked his girlfriend if she would brew the potion, he was referring to you," admitted Lily, finding the situation cute. How James, as gobby and annoying as he was, tried to help his best friend when it came to his school love life. "As I said, Sirius may be a toss pot, but you two would make a cute, mischievous couple," she added, as (Y/N)'s cheeks heated up at the realization, her eyes wide as she tried to hide behind the penguin plushy she held on to. 

"Hey, if Sirus and (Y/N) are the Cute Mischief Couple, does that make Marlene and Remus the parents of the group?" asked Isolde, turning her attention to Marlene in time to see her hide her burning cheeks behind her hands, before quickly hiding beneath the wooly blanket previously resting across her bed. "At least you two recognize there's something there, and again, you'd make an adorably cute couple," she added as if to soothe the embarrassment a little. Allegra merely rolled her eyes from her bunk, not appreciating the girly talk or the reminder of others having what she wanted. 

"And yet neither of you attended the winter dance together," voiced Allegra, pointing out Remus and Marlene didn't attend the dance together despite both recognizing there was a connection between them. Likewise, Sirius hadn't asked (Y/N) to be his date to the dance despite how obvious his crush on her was and how James and occasionally Remus pushed him to be truthful with himself and (Y/N). 

"I can't walk in a straight line without falling over; how do you suppose I dance without my superpower of clumsiness taking hold?" asked (Y/N), a small smile appearing on her lips as her eyes began to sparkle with mischief again. Lily chuckled again, likely imagining the scenario mentioned or something else had tickled her about the comment. "Not to mention Sirius didn't ask, neither did Remus ask Marlene," she added, pointing out that neither of the boys had gained the courage to ask either of them to attend the winter dance with them. Just as it became clear again, Allegra hadn't paid attention; if she had, then she would have been aware (Y/N) had spent that week in the hospital wing again after being hit by a bludger during Quidditch. Remus had as well due to his condition being particularly difficult that month. 

"Speaking of going on dates on all, Isolde, how was your date?" asked Marlene, turning the attention to Isolde, who looked like a deer caught in the headlights, her eyes wide as she began to pale at the realization she hadn't been as secretive as she thought she had been. Mentally, she questioned if one of them had seen her and her date at the Three Broomsticks or during their wander around the snowy Hogsmeade. 

"At least tell me, my brother dearest was a gentleman," spoke (Y/N), her grin turning gentle as she revealed she was aware of the date; she found it cute, as much as Isolde and the others found her imaginary relationship with Sirius cute. Isolde looked over to (Y/N) with almost horror, as if terrified that she already knew of the months-old relationship. "He told me weeks ago. Said that he didn't want things to be awkward or make the friendship weird," admitted (Y/N), recalling when Hunter had pulled her aside to ask her permission to date Isolde. (Y/N) Being herself, she had asked why he needed permission. Although she did promise she'd kick her brother's ass if he hurt one of her best friends. 

"See, this is why I say you Wolffe siblings are something to admire," laughed Lily, throwing a cushion at Isolde playfully. The brunette girl returned the favor soon after before breaking out in laughter. Marlene and (Y/N) glanced toward each other before hearing someone call their name from the common room. No doubt one of the boys. 

"That will be the boys with the presents," spoke Marlene before getting up to answer the call. A soft smile appeared on her lips as she saw James waiting below, Peter next to him, wondering why he'd been roped into helping with the gift delivery. In the hands of the scrawny boy was the small pile of presents intended for him from each of the girls, each wrapped to the best of the individual's ability. 

"You and Lily joining us on the train home tomorrow?" asked James, raising his voice slightly so Marlene could hear him over the chattering students crowding the common room, all of them getting ready to leave for the holidays. Knowing they had to be ready and at the station by noon the following day. 

"I will be; I'm not sure about Lil. You get Mason, though, and I think Regulus," confirmed Marlene, walking to the small spiraling staircase to join the pair of boys in the common room. She was thankful to be away from Allegra again but dreading returning to the tension-filled room. She didn't want to imagine what would happen over the holiday period, with both Smith Twins being stuck in the castle and still having to share a dorm. However, she had little doubt (Y/N), and Sirius could handle it or remove themself from any situation if needed. 

Series Masterlist

[television-overload]

[FIC PREVIEW]

2023 NCIS/Tiva Christmas!

Here's the first scene of my upcoming Christmas fic! I'm hoping to have it finished by Christmas, of course. Let me know if you want to be tagged! It will also be posted to AO3 (ContentsPriceless).

I'm actually gonna edit this to take out anything mentioning Ducky's funeral, now that we know they'll cover that this season, so you get an ultra-rare pre-editing peek 😅

I'm sure I'll write a tribute fic at some point, maybe a fix it if we don't get cameos or at least a hefty mention of Tony and Ziva .

“Daddy, Daddy! I can see the glaciers!” Tali announced excitedly, her face pressed up against the small airplane window.

Tony DiNozzo smiled and peeked over her head of wavy brown hair to catch a glimpse of the snow-covered Alaskan wilderness below. “You remember what you learned about glaciers in school?” he prompted.

“Uh-huh! They’re like frozen rivers that move down the mountains!”

“Something like that,” Tony chuckled. “You’d better sit down and buckle up, Tals, we’ll be landing soon.”

The nine-year-old obeyed, sitting back in her seat where her legs didn’t quite touch the ground—though the way she’d been growing lately, it wouldn’t be long.

“Can I have your phone to take pictures?” Tali asked once she was properly buckled, the seatbelt tightened by her father until he deemed it sufficient.

With an exaggerated sigh, Tony fished the device out of his back pocket and handed it over. “Don’t take too many, we need to save some space for pictures of all the other cool stuff we see.”

With his daughter occupied, Tony turned his attention to the woman sitting in the aisle seat beside him.

“Hey, you doing alright?” he asked in a low voice, placing a hand on her knee.

She had been shifting uncomfortably for the last hour or so of their flight, unable to get positioned in a way that took the pressure off her back. They had broken up their journey from Paris with a day’s respite in New York City, where they were able to catch up with some of Tony’s extended family. Tali, in particular, loved seeing the sights and stuffing her face with giant slices of pizza. But still, it put a lot of strain on Ziva’s body.

“I am starting to rethink what a good idea it was to travel so extensively while pregnant,” she spoke with a grimace, rubbing her rounded belly in comforting circles.

Tony hummed in sympathy, his fingers finding her lower back and massaging there as best as he could in such a confined space. She sighed in relief, her head falling against his shoulder and her eyes drooping shut.

“In our defense, when we planned this trip, we didn’t know you’d be five months pregnant,” he said softly with a teasing lilt to his voice.

It was true. They had almost given up on the prospect of having another child, promising that if it didn’t happen before Tali turned ten, they would stop trying. But finally, after years of negative tests, they got their positive, and Tony and Ziva were overjoyed. Tali, too, was looking forward to having a baby brother or sister. The high pitched squeal she had emitted when they first broke the news proved to them that she would be the best big sister a kid could ask for, and she had slept with a copy of the ultrasound in a frame beside her bed ever since.

But when they first started planning this trip almost a year ago, they had not planned on an additional passenger in utero, which definitely complicated things a little. After Gibbs visited them in Paris for the holidays the year prior, they knew they wanted to be with family. That had been the first time they’d seen him since Ziva had finally been reunited with Tony and Tali, and there was a lot of joy to go around. Tali had taken to calling him Grampa Gibbs, and in almost no time at all, they were like two peas in a pod.

“I can’t wait to see everyone,” Ziva murmured, a small smile pulling at her lips. “I hear Jimmy is bringing Agent Knight.”

“I’m glad,” Tony said, “it will be good for him to have her there, I think.”

Although the shape of their makeshift family had changed a lot over the years, love was still at the heart of it, that was the only thing that mattered. They’d met Jessica Knight only once, at Ducky’s funeral a few months back, but the consensus was that she was a great match for Jimmy, and she seemed to get along with Victoria too.

It had been a reunion of sorts with everyone coming to pay their respects to the beloved M.E., even Abby who sadly wouldn’t be able to make it to Alaska this Christmas. This year would be strange, without Ducky there to verbosely share stories of Christmases of old. His warm smile and even warmer hugs would be greatly missed by all who knew him.

After a few more minutes, a voice came over the speaker instructing passengers to take their seats for landing, and Tony pressed a kiss to Ziva’s temple.

“You hear that?” he said, his lips brushing against her hair, “Only a little bit longer, hon.”

-.-.-

... to be continued

Tag list: @benedettabeby @earanemith @happygirl-0408 @hopeless-nostalgic @indestinatus @loudlooks @nicolem194 @putthekettleon @slippery-soapbox @tivafanfic @tonysziva

[creativepawsworld]

Silence - Chapter 20

Pairing = Thomas Shelby x Reader

Summary = Anastasia get more than she bargained for going to the betting shop. But it helps her feel like she belongs. 

Warnings = Language, Gang Activity, Sexual Relations, Murder, Violence, Religion, Grammar, Mentions of Suicide

Word Count = 2362

Note = Finally we are getting into the good stuff and all will make sense in the next coming chapters. Thank you all so much for the comments, the hearts and the reblogs you have no idea how much it truly means. 

Putting the large sum of money back into my purse for what seemed like the hundredth time this year I finally had a plan for it. I should have followed in my brothers steps all those weeks ago and put a down payment on a place, or even used the money to rent a flat. 

Once my packing was complete I left the suitcase in my room, ready to collect later and made my way out into the street, the air seemingly cleaner when I inhaled but it was just my imagination. My mind was lulling me into a state of peace and happiness because freedom was finally within my reach.

Looking at the houses in front of me a cloud of doubt entered my mind once I realised I didn’t have the first clue about finding rentals. Biting the side of my lip, worry etched on my face as my feet started travelling to my newly found safe space or safe person. If anyone was to know how to get on the property market around Small Heath it would be the man that ran it.

The street of Watery Lane was quiet when I entered it, strange as it was lunchtime, one of the busiest times for the shop when men came from all walks of life to place what they hoped was a lucky bet on the races, each one hoping to win a little something before Christmas.

Approaching the black door, a car parked just down the street from the Shelby home captured my attention. It wasn’t their car as they always parked it off the street. Shrugging I twisted the gold door handle, stepping inside Tommy immediately catching my attention on the right, his two brothers flanked either side of him.

 His eyes widen at the sight of me, his jaw tight as he went to move forward towards me only to stop when I felt something metal and cold press against the back of my head. The person pointing the gun to my head ‘tsked’ at Tommy’s movements immediately halting him in place.

 “Tommy” I whispered afraid to move, scared to breathe as I heard the clicking sound of a gun being cocked.

 “S’arlight love, just look at me” Tommy spoke his voice holding a harshness but I knew it wasn’t for me but for the man that had the audacity of pointing a gun at his woman.

 Nodding, my tongue came out to moisten my lips as I stared into Tommy’s eyes, a strange calmness falling over me. My ears registered the buzzing of voices, negotiating whatever it was had caused the trouble to begin with.

 “She your women Shelby?” The man behind me laughed a dark laugh bringing me from the serene feeling that wash over me, for the shortest time I forgot where I was and what was happening. “Pretty, do you share?”

 “You will not touch her” Tommy growled back, a darkness taking over his eyes as he glared at the man over my shoulder. “Now let her go and we will finish this like men.”

 “Can't do that, she’s my ticket out of here, alive.” I could hear the smirk on his face as he reached up tugging the blonde hair that lay on my shoulder, his dirty fingers grazing my neck. I couldn't stop but flinch away from him but it only seemed to spur him on more. “Only Shelby allowed to touch you eh?” He asked wrapping a huge hand around my neck, pulling me closer to him.

 “I swear to fucking God. You let her go now and you can walk out of here with your balls” Tommy went to walk forward again, only this time the man removed the gun from the back of my head, pointing it at Tommy.

 “See I don't think you are in a position to make threats here Shelby” He summarise knowing he was right, there was nothing anyone could do. 

It was a standoff. 

“Take another step and you’ll be cleaning her pretty brains off your ceiling for weeks” The gun suddenly pointed at the side of my head as Tommy tried to sneak forward.

 “Alright, alright” Tommy repeated, handed raised to show he meant no threat. “No need for this to get violent eh? Your debt will be clear with us, we will pay your debt to Sabini but you have to let her go right now or the deal is off”

 “That’s what we wanted Russo, let her go.” Another man’s voice piped up, fear evident in his voice. 

 “You really care for her don't you. The great Thomas Shelby has fallen to his knees for a woman. Must be some great pussy” The arrogant pig Russo chuckled, the smell of his breathe turning my stomach.

 “Jesus Russo let her go and let's leave.” Another man pleaded with the man holding the gun, obviously fearing for his life.

 “Listen to you friend Russo, don’t make this worse for yourself” Arthur spoke up, an angry look on his face as he glared at the men in front of him. No doubt this had seriously rattled his cage, no one upstaged The Shelby’s in their own shop and got away with it.

 “Catch.” The man known as Russo spoke suddenly pushing me forward. I wasn’t expecting to be released so quickly. I tripped over my feet crashing forward into Tommy's awaiting arms with such a force that it knocked the both of us to the ground with a groan.

“Get after that bastard” Tommy yelled at Arthur and John who ran off not needing to be told twice. “You alright? Stace look at me, are you alright?” Nodding my head I rolled off him, my hands shaking as I kneeled next to him, Tommy getting up on his knees, holding my face in his hands as if he was inspecting damage.

 “You shouldn't have been here! Why did you come here?” He asked, a panic I have never heard in his voice before present.

 “You told me to, after I was finished with my parents, you told me to meet you here at the shop” I retort, eyes wide as the reality of what happened starts to hit me.

 My breathing starts to pick up and I feel myself going into a panic as the shaking in my hands becomes worse. Tommy noticing stands to his feet, helping me to my own, pulling me into his office, sitting me on the very chair I had sat on during our second encounter.

 “Fuck, you shouldn't have been here” He breathed, grabbing the two empty glasses and pouring two rather large servings of whiskey. Turning he handed me one encouraging me to drink as the tears began to fall, hard and fast.

 “So you've said” I muttered taking small sips, some of the amber liquid spilling from the sides of the glass due to the shaking of my hands.

 “God damn it Stace if something were to happened to you” He spoke more to himself than to me this time, taking the seat in front of me, resting a hand over his eyes as his index and middle finger rubbed at his forehead.

 “You wouldn't let that happen Tommy” I whispered, taking a slightly larger gulp of the liquid.

 “I had no control out there Anastasia, none. That could have went wrong.” He answered back immediately, sitting forward, his arms now resting on his knees.

 “But it didn't Tommy”

 “You can't come around here again. If that happens again…” He stated, nodding his head as he swallowed hard.

 “So what? I have to hide away now Tommy?” I asked sitting up a bit straighter gaining his attention. “I’ve hid all my life Thomas, protected from all this for so long it’s tiring. Its not what I want, not who I am. Not anymore”

 “It’s the safest thing for you Anastasia. Away from me, away from this family.”

 “And go back to my own?” I shout feeling angry that he was trying to dictate how to live my life much like my mother had done for years. “I’d kill myself before going back into that toxic household Thomas”

 “I’m not good for you” He spoke, standing to his feet, turning his back to me staring out the blinds to the betting shop floor where only mere moments ago he watched a man hold a gun to my head.

“I choose you Thomas Shelby, over everything I once knew, over my own family” I tell him shakily standing to my feet, placing the half empty glass of whiskey on his table. “And as fucking terrifying as it was having a gun pressed to my head. I felt at peace looking into your eyes.”

 “This isn’t the life you want Anastasia” He sighs turning to look at me, sympathy in his eyes as the internal battle he felt within himself began draining his energy.

 “It is if I’m with you” I whispered, standing in his space and placing my hands on his chest, running them up to rest on his shoulders.

 “Your insane” He breathed out a nervous laugh as his free hand brushed some hair from my face.

 “I have no doubt” I nodded reaching up placing a cautious kiss to his lips.

 Pulling away slightly I hoped he wouldn’t push me away as I stared into his eyes but he didn’t. He closed the distance between us placing what I could only describe as the most passionate.

 “Sorry to interrupt but Tommy…” John trailed off from the office door frame tilting his head to the main floor.

 “You stay here” Tommy instructed, index finger pointed as a warning as he left me standing alone.

 Biting my bottom lip, I rolled my eyes at his constant need to protect me. It was sweet, but something inside me didn’t like it. It was almost like part of me craved, the violence that came with being associated with the Peaky Blinders.

 Ignoring his order, I walked out seeing a man on the floor in front of the three brothers. Blood running from his eyebrow, nose and lips. He was hunched over in pain, pleading with the brothers for some mercy.

 “I thought I told you to stay in the office” Tommy’s fine figure stood in front of my line of vision, blocking my view. Looking into his eyes I saw a hint of annoyance at my complete disregard for his authority but also admiration.

 “Stop treating me like a doll Thomas”

 “John, Arthur get him out of here.” Tommy ordered not bothering to look at his brothers as he barked his orders. Instead he stood in front of me, waiting for me to challenge him, once again. 

 “What about Arthurs nose Tom?” John asked, looking between the two of us but only having an impressed smirk on his face for me.

 “Stay here” He ordered once more, stepping closer to me so I could see how much he truly meant it. “Clean Arthurs face for me. I’ll be back”

 “Fine” I huffed out, looking at the floor below me before looking up to Arthur who had stood next to Tommy, a hand on his shoulder as he whispered something in his ear. Blood drops, dripping from his nose and onto Tommy’s blazer, staining the grey material red. 

 “I’ll deal with it” Tommy nodded towards his brother, sparing one last glance at me before roughly grabbing the man on the floor, dragging him from the shop with his younger brother.

 "You alright?" Arthur asked nodding his head for me to follow him into the office, taking a seat in the chair Tommy just occupied moments ago. 

 "I should be asking you that" I tell him with a small smile. I was more nervous being in a room with Arthur Shelby alone that I had been with a gun held to my head. How messed up was that? 

 "Right. Bottom drawer on the left" Arthur commented, noticing I was looking for something to clean his face.

 "Thank you" I nodded going towards Tommy's desk and retrieving the first aid kit from the bottom drawer before pouring more whiskey into the glass I had been drinking from. "Here drink this"

 "You’re a star Ana" He smiled, his moustache moving as his lips twitched up. Simply nodding in response I poured some whiskey onto a bandage, ready to clean at his wounds.

 "Sorry" I muttered as he hissed, his head twitching away from me as I continued what could be considered an assault on his nose.

 "S'lright" Arthur grunted, his hand reaching out to stop me for a second so he could down the rest of his glass. "Bastard caught me off guard"

 "He definitely got you good" I nodded, examining the steady blood flow coming from the bridge of his nose. "This might need sutures Arthur"

 "Well your a tailor, stitch it"

 "I stitch clothes not skin Arthur"

 "It'll be fine, do your best" He nodded towards the small needle inside the box "Polly uses that stuff there, use that" He pointed towards what looked like polyester thread.

 "Maybe I should get Polly..."

 "I trust you Ana, part of this family aint ya? Now come on now fore I bleed out" He chuckled trying to settle my nerves. This was a man that beat my brother half to death and yet he was joking with me like we were best friends. 

 Not wanting to be told again, I threaded the needle with ease, pinching together the skin above and below the cut and pushing it together, applying the first suture. 

 "Okay, I think that should do it" I tell him after putting a fourth suture on and tying it off. Instantly he reached for the mirror inspecting my work as I held my breathe afraid of his response. 

 "Better than Pols ever done. You sure you haven't done this before?" He asks, shaking my head in response I started to clean away the bloody mess I had created before Tommy came back. 

 "I owe you a drink for this Ana, you're a good girl" Arthur nodded. “Our Tom’s a lucky man” 

  Taglist 

@shelbyteller @seleneshelby @forgottenpeakywriter @babayaga67 @sweetmilkshakeluminary @slutforcoffein 

[fundielicious-simblr]

🌲🍁🥧 Harvestfest 🌲🍁🥧

(Valentina's POV)(AN: These next few posts out to be LONG since there's so many kids)

This year we all made the trip to my parents house for Harvestfest, every year the family grows by a few that it's hard to believe that 10 years ago none of us were married and all 10 of us lived at home. 10 years later there's 6 of us married (with 2 on the road to marriage), and 16 grandchildren with a few more on the way! It's all proof of God's endless goodness and undeserved kindness in our lives! We decided to do an all grandkids picture so my parents can update the framed pictures they've got (and so my mum can have an updated picture to boast about all her grandbabies on Simbook 😂) Trying to get all the kids to stand still was definitely a massive effort, there were almost 15 of us standing behind the camera making noises and waving toys to keep their attention. The older kids did great at crowd control, we just had to move quick so no one started crying, because one crying child sets them all off and it would've been disaster.

My parents have been loving having all of us at home again, my mum has been prepping for the past week to have us descend on her house. She's in the last few years of homeschooling the twins, and once that's done then she'll be able to retire herself as a homeschool mum. Dad is still running his tech business, and when mum isn't homeschooling she's actively working on her music as she has commitments to teach at various music camps. Zachary missed Kelsey this Harvestfest, she had arrangements with her family but they'll be seeing each other soon after so he'll be travelling back to Brindleton Bay with us.

The Paulson Family: Carter (32) and Madelynn (29), with Lester (7), Fitzwilliam (2), and Alana (1)

Carter and his family are doing great! Carter continues to work for Willowcreek PD, there's been mention of him transferring out to move back to Newcrest but it's a decision that they're praying on right now. Madelynn is homeschooling Lester through a homeschool co-op, so the other two get to tag along and hang out with the other kids whilst their older brother learns. Little Alana definitely keeps the family on their toes, she's just like her cousins and loves a good runaround!

The Townsend Family: Aria (8), Valentina (29), Abbott (2), Adele (1), Eric (32), Ansel (7), with Asher (2) and Abigail (1) in the front

We're very thankful for each other and for our little (or not to little) family! I'm so thankful that the Lord has blessed us with a family that has filled our hearts and our home, Eric and I thank the Lord everyday for his blessings on us.

The Paulson Family: Alan (28), Tessa (23), Charity (3), Edgar (2), Jonathan (11m)

Alan and Tessa still live in San Myshuno and are raising their 3 beautiful children. Alan continues to work as a critic whilst Tessa stays home to watch the kids. Their family are always so encouraging in our various group chats, and they're always keeping us up to date with the on-goings of the pro-life ministry they work with. Tessa is always in Willowcreek to see her parents and her twin sister Tabitha (who is married to cousin Tanner), so the cousins (both 3rd and 4th generation) are always getting to see each other.

Celeste (27) and Reid (25) have much to be thankful for - they're engaged! Reid proposed a few days before Harvestfest and Celeste was overjoyed. The couple have already planned for a winter wedding before Christmas time, so Celeste has used the opportunity of having us all at home to immediately ask all of us sisters and as well as our sister-in-laws Madelynn and Tessa to be in her bridal party. Reid's parents video called our parents so they could greet the couple together when they got back to my parents house. Celeste is over the moon to be engaged and can hardly wait to be married!

The Crocker Family: Gregory (28), Kristyn (25), Kayla (2), and Wyatt (3m)

The highlight of the year for Kristyn and her family was when little Wyatt joined them! Kayla is enamoured by her little brother and the family thank the Lord for his safe arrival. Gregory continues to work as a lawyer with his father's firm, and Kristyn now has two kids to keep her occupied.

The Crawford Family: Tucker (26), Sabrina (25), and Campbell (1)

The Crawfords are ecstatic to be expecting to use another blessing from the Lord, Sabrina is almost in her second trimester and they're almost able to find out the baby's gender. By next easter they're going to have a new member of the family to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord in the spring! Sabrina said they'd announce baby's gender when we're next all together for Celeste's wedding. Little Campbell is such a smart little boy who is working towards gaining more skills, since they're around animals a lot he's great at recognition.

The Paulson Family: Jarrod (21), Madison (19), and Myles (1)

Jarrod and Madison announced to the family that they're also expecting - and its twins! They've recently found out and Madison already has the cutest little bump, little Myles doesn't understand yet but he's about to get a 2 for 1 deal on siblings and be a big brother two times over. Madison is going through the motions of a twin pregnancy, thankfully for her she's got me and my mother who have experienced multiple pregnancies more than once, with the way twins run in the family I'd be shocked if we didn't get any more twin pregnancies.