#to present me a nice hand knit scarf

[sarasa-cat]

Me: refreshing email every 5 minutes to see if my much deserved gift to myself has cleared the hold up at customs inspection.

[boydykepdf]

worst thing in the world when ur love language is gifts & ur favorite people don’t care abt receiving small presents & trinkets…i understand those cats that leave dead animals on doorsteps we r living the same lifestyle

[mncxbe]

bsd men and what they do for christmas

𝑫𝒂𝒛𝒂𝒊, 𝑪𝒉𝒖𝒖𝒚𝒂, 𝑭𝒖𝒌𝒖𝒄𝒉𝒊, 𝑺𝒊𝒈𝒎𝒂 𝒙 𝒇𝒆𝒎!𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒆𝒓

𝑮𝒆𝒏𝒓𝒆: sfw/nsfw/ severe brainrot♡

𝑫𝒂𝒛𝒂𝒊 𐙚 ‧₊˚ ⋅

can I just start by saying that this man has never celebrated Christmas properly so he's so excited to spend time with you

Dazai prefers to keep things simple: homemade dinner and then watching a movie

you're supposed to open the presents in the morning but he isn't patient enough. the moment he sees them under the tree you so kindly decorated a few days ago he has the biggest smile on his face

"come on bella you don't seriously want to wait until morning. how could you do this to me? you know how curious I am"

you end up opening the gifts that night. he's gonna loves whatever you get him really but his heart literally melts if you knit him a scarf or write him a letter. dazai's a sucker for self-made gifts

the only appropriate way to show his gratitude is to bend you over and fuck you nice and slow, your face mushed in the cushy pillows on your shared bed as he takes you from behind

"there you go pretty girl. my, my I'm starting to think this pretty pussy of yours is my favourite gift so far"

you can bet he wears a santa hat

𝑪𝒉𝒖𝒖𝒚𝒂 𐙚 ‧₊˚ ⋅

he'd take you out to the most expensive restaurant in town for a proper meal

after that, if you find a rink that's open on Christmas eve he takes you ice skating (totally not an excuse for him to hold your hand)

once you get home you cuddle on the couch while watching a generic movie like Home Alone. it's always the classics I'm telling you

he has a fireplace!!! and insists on opening the gifts next to it

among other stuff, he gets you Christmas themed lingerie and makes you wear it in bed. cuz after all, you're the best gift he could ask for

forget about baking him sweets, the only dessert he wants is your pretty cunt. he's gonna eat you out for what seems like hours, making you cum on his tongue at least two or three times before he even thinks about fucking you

"shiit baby you look so pretty like this. you like it when I spoil you rotten don't ya? I bet you do- oh fuck yea cum f'me doll"

𝑭𝒖𝒌𝒖𝒄𝒉𝒊 𐙚 ‧₊˚ ⋅

hubby's busy even on holidays

he probably has to attend some obnoxious event and ofc you go as his plus one

he's gonna spend all evening sulking and complaining about how idiotic the whole party is

by the time you two get home he's too exhaused to do anything but you may be able to bribe him to stay awake for an hour or two with some gingerbread

can I just say he'd probably get you the nicest gifts? i'm 100% sure he has a good salary so he can afford whatever you want. expensive jewelery or skincare? sure, no problem. a stack of books with those pretty decorative covers? fine again

he probably gets a bit tipsy on mulled wine so be prepared to hear a silly yet lengthy love confession before bed

falls asleep before midnight but he's gonna make up for it in the morning if you catch my drift

𝑺𝒊𝒈𝒎𝒂 𐙚 ‧₊˚ ⋅

sweet baby's so anxious at first

he's never celebrated christmas before so he doesn't really know what to do. this whole idea is so new to him but he can't deny he loves spending time with you decorating the house

Sigma wants to try any tradition you may have; baking winter themed cookies, making crackers, watching a movie marathon

when it comes to gifts he doesn't really know what to get you so he ends up buying multiple things he thinks you'd like and he's so happy when you tell him you like them

cuddles cuddles cuddles all evening under a cushy blanket with a mug of hot chocolate in your hands

he'd look so cute wearing one of those reindeer headbands

if it's snowing, take him slow dancing in the snow or on a walk around town. he's gonna love the pretty christmas lights

[rogueddie]

Steve realizes that he's been spending too much time with the kids families when he gets home, realizing that he'd bought supplies for knitting. It's something that Claudia and, recently, Joyce have been getting into. They would rope Steve into joining them whenever he time there.

But it's nice. He likes knitting. He likes the repetitively and how easy it is to simply... stop. Stop worrying, stop pacing, stop thinking. Stop being so afraid.

It's hard to be scared of beasts in the walls when he looks down and finds a badly knitted sock in his lap. It looks too silly.

The longer he spends on it though, the better he gets. It's not long until he's knitting things nice enough that he feels confident enough to wear them outside the house. And no one bats an eye.

Robin even steals some of his scarves- until she learns that he knit them and then she starts making demands. Which he's happy to fulfil. Seeing her light up when he hands her the scarf and gloves, in the exactly color and pattern she'd asked for, is more than worth it.

That Christmas, his new knitting skills save the day. He had to set himself a very strict budget for the presents. He's trying to save as much as he can, with Robin and Eddie, so they can move into a little house they have their eyes on.

He blows the entire budget on the kids.

So, with the help of Robin, he tries to think of the best things to knit for the adults.

Robin asks him to make them matching scarves and gloves. She knows that Nancy, Jonathan and Argyle will want matching things too, which solves what to get them. As well as Joyce and Hopper- though, Steve isn't sure how those will go down.

The other parents are easy. He's spoken to them, been in their homes enough, to know the patterns and colors they favor.

By the time he finishes knitting everyone their things... he's still not sure what to knit for Eddie. All he has is the black yarn he got and some of the maroon and dark green left over from the other projects.

"He'll be happy you got him anything at all," Robin teases. "You know that. You just want it to be perfect because-"

"He's my friend! Ok? I just want to get him something nice for Christmas."

"And that's all there is to it?"

"Yes!"

"Mhm," Robin smirks, slowly walking backwards towards the door, raising an eyebrow at him. "I totally believe you."

Even though Robin hadn't been any help with thinking of any good ideas, he's sure that he's only thinking of worse ones without her. It doesn't help that, the longer he sits and tries to think, the more ideas they came up with together he forgets.

In the end, he settles for a gothic version of a Christmas sweater. He tries to make it as detailed as he can- knitting in snowflakes and zig zags, the hellfire devil head instead of a reindeer and little Christmas trees along the bottom hem.

He shoves it into the little Christmas bag he got for it, taping the top shut before he can doubt himself. He tucks it away, pointedly avoiding so much as glancing at it.

It's a relief when, a few days later, Christmas comes around.

Most of them bounce between the Wheelers and the Byers homes. The kids all spend most of the day at the Wheelers, gathering all their presents with them. Dustin helps Steve bring the presents from him, Robin and Claudia inside.

He stops at the Byers, where most of the adults are gathered. Joyce and Nancy both try to convince him to change his mind, to stay for dinner, as he drops their presents off. But, as he reminds them, he promised Robin he'd spend Christmas dinner with her.

She's sat on the trailer steps with Eddie when Steve pulls up.

"You're late!" Eddie yells as Steve opens the trunk, grabbing the last three presents. "Have you no consideration for the peasants?!"

"Shut up," Steve says, rolling his eyes. He gently kicks him. "Move."

Eddie throws himself off the steps, onto the floor. "Ah! Rob, he's bullying me!"

"Good." Robin stands up, opening the door and waving Steve inside. She raises an eyebrow at Eddie. "Get up, I'm hungry."

"Fine!" Eddie says, scrambling to his feet. "You're all so mean to me."

Wayne clears his throat. He's stood by the kitchen, leaning with his arms crossed, watching them with an amused grin. "You kids ready to eat now or do you want to do presents first?"

"Food," they all say in sync.

The dinner is amazing, something Steve and Robin both keep telling Wayne. Whenever the conversation pauses, they have a little kick-fight on who gets to speak up that time.

Wayne jokingly asks Eddie why he's never so complimentary about his cooking, which earns him an eye roll.

"You don't need the ego boost, old man."

Wayne gets him in a loose headlock when he stands up, ruffling his hair, before quickly grabbing the plates that Steve tries to collect.

"No, no, no. You kids get started opening your presents, I've got these."

Robin drags him along, into the living room, by the collar of his polo when he tries to offer help. Eddie helps, grabbing his forearm. Steve grumbles the whole time, folding his arms when they push him down, onto the sofa.

"Ladies first," Eddie throws a present at Robin, nearly hitting her in the face. He grins widely when she flips him off.

He insists that, once Robin opens all of her presents, Steve has to open his. Then Wayne. And, once they've all opened theirs, Eddie claps his hands together at the remaining presents.

"Perfect. All for me." He grins, grabbing Steves first. He almost rips the bag with how hard he pulls at the tape.

"We have scissors," Robin waves them at him.

He bats them away, digging the sweater out of the bag. "Oooh, gothic Christmas, very-" he stops when he turns it over, staring at the front for a moment. "Is... is this, like, custom made?"

"Yeah, sort of," Steve says, shrugging. He offers a smile when Eddie looks up at him, looking almost... awed.

"He made it himself," Robin says. "He's gotten into knitting."

"You knit this? Yourself? Stevie, what the hell! This is amazing!" He quickly shrugs off his jacket so he can put the sweater on. "I'm never taking this off. Fuck, I could kiss you."

"Save it for the bedroom," Wayne quickly says, holding a hand up. "Some of us here don't want to see all that PDA."

Robin snickers. "Yeah, have some decency for the rest of us."

"Ha ha," Eddie deadpans. "You're both hilarious."

"Seriously though, son," Wayne puts a hand on his shoulder. "You know I'll support and love you no matter what, but I'd hate to see you and a girl getting like that just as much."

"What?" Eddie frowns, confused. "What are you talking about?"

Wayne glances between him and Steve. "You and your boy."

"Holy shit," Robin whispers. "I knew it wasn't just me."

"I'm, uh..." Steve eventually speaks up, once it's clear that Eddie isn't going to say anything, simply continuing to gape at Wayne. "I'm not his boy."

"What?" Wayne turns to Eddie with narrowed eyes. "You ain't asked him out yet? How many dates have you been on and you still ain't-"

"We're not dating," Eddie hisses. "I've told you this, like, seventy times!"

"This is amazing," Robin whispers, eyes darting between the two as they continue arguing back and forth. "Stevie, you owe me money."

Steve groans, slouching as low as he can, covering his red face with both hands.

[minimomoe]

Love Bites pt. 3

Nothing harder than being a girl on her birthday.

Baker Fem Reader x Toji Fushiguro. (mafia au)

word ct: 15.1k, 11 Chapters

Chapters: I. II. III. IV. V. VI. VII. VIII. IX. X. XI.

Preview: Toji nods so you busy yourself with a new task, and when you both sit down you gush over your presents as Toji’s ears flame red, and he covers his growing smile by drinking more chocolate...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Chapter Three: Mint Chocolate Chip

“Shit, I forgot his book,” you curse and rush back outside. Luckily you parked your car close enough to the bakery that it wasn’t a far walk, but the bad news was that the snow was picking up and sticking to any exposed skin. You fumble with the ring of keys, muttering angrily to yourself for not clearing it out already. You rush inside to grab the wrapped book sitting in the cramped office space and double check the rest of the bakery before slowly backing out. 

Just as you turn around to open the clear door, you see Toji holding onto the door handle and jump back in surprise. 

“I didn’t think I would see you today! I can whip you up something really quick if you’d like.”

Toji steps in and closes the door behind him, dusting off the snow on his shoulders before meeting his gaze with you. He takes in your appearance, the melting snowflakes caught in your hair, your slightly fogged up glasses, the carefully wrapped present you held in your hand. The gingerbread wrapping paper crinkles softly as you nervously squeeze it and wait for Toji to talk. 

“I’m not here for that. Happy birthday,” he says, and holds out a rather large gift bag that bulged at the sides. Your eyes widen at the offer, and you look back up at Toji whose face was, as always, expressionless. You scuffle to put your gift on a table for customers and gingerly take the bag from Toji, as if you were afraid that he would take it back. 

“For me? Really?”

Toji stiffly nods and shakes the bag a little for you to take it out of his hand. You giddily take the bag and set it on the table, pulling out the decorative paper on top to see the expensive gift at the bottom. You slowly pull out a deep mauve scarf that was thick in material and impossibly soft. You ran your hand over the fabric and felt your eyes pricking from emotion. You took another look in the bag and saw that there were knitted gloves the same color at the bottom, along with fuzzy white earmuffs and a matching beanie. You shoot a glance at Toji who has his hands stuffed in his coat.

“Toji… Thank you. Thank you so much,” you tap the corners of your eyes to catch the tears before they fall. Toji steps closer to you until he stands right in front of you, grabbing the scarf off of the table and slowly wraps it around your neck. The bakery is a lot colder now that the ovens and lights aren't on, but the thick wool is the perfect shield from the weather. 

“It’s not a lot but this color looks nice on you. You always wear purple,” Toji drops his hands and you immediately miss his proximity.

“It’s perfect. I love it.” You dig your chin into the scarf and take a deep breath in. You don't know if it’s because Toji is standing so close or because the gift itself has stayed around him so long, but you catch a whiff of his cologne and try to steady yourself. 

“Would you.. would you like to share some hot chocolate with me? I’m about to leave but I’d like to have a cup before I go.” 

Toji nods so you busy yourself with a new task, and when you both sit down you gush over your presents as Toji’s ears flame red, and he covers his growing smile by drinking more chocolate. He peers down into the cup and raises a brow.

“Oh it’s mint hot chocolate. I like it better than the normal one,” you explain. 

“I like it too.” 

You bite your lip to keep from smiling like an idiot, and before you know it you have shared two cups of chocolate with Toji before you finally force yourself to leave, and he walks you to your car to send you off. 

~~ 

“I brought you a new book I think you’d like,” You say and sit beside the hospital bed. “I wrapped it up but you know I’m horrible at keeping secrets. I’ll try not to spoil it for you.” 

You brush the hair of your brother and look up at the monitor. The rhythmic beeps of his heart is the only thing showing, and when you look down at his face she can see the ventilator cloudy from his breathing. 

“I read a new book this month. It was called We Are the Ants by Shaun Hutchinson. Horribly sad, but it made me hopeful at the end. We are truly just ants in the grand scheme of things,” you mutter. 

You take your hand off of his face and hold them in your lap. “And I have a new crush. Or at least I think I like him. I think he likes me. He got me this scarf,” you tug at your gift then sigh.

“I miss you, Ezra. This is hard. Really hard without you, or mom, or dad, but I’m trying. I really want you to wake up so you can meet him, and tell me if I’m making a mistake or not. That’s my one birthday wish.” 

You wipe away the tears that fell down your face but didn’t bother after a few minutes. You cry quietly in the corner, right beside your brother, until you fall asleep breathing in the scent of your new scarf. 

Chapters: I. II. III. IV. V. VI. VII. VIII. IX. X. XI.

[angel-of-the-moons]

How would Poe react if you sewed something for him? 👉👈 idk what, something nice or something silly. I think he'd appreciate it and I feel like he might be someone who's always giving gifts to ppl and no one thinks to get him anything.

Made With Love

Poe Dameron x Reader

TW/CW: None! Fluff!

A/N: As someone who sews a lot (sometimes by hand when I need to calm down) this is something I'd totally do askbdlsh

💫💫💫💫💫💫💫💫💫💫

You cursed as the needle slipped and pricked your finger, bright blood welling up in a tiny pinprick before you squeezed what your boyfriend designated your "blood-sponge".

It was just a spare chunk of fabric you sterilized every time you began sewing, because stabbing yourself with the thin little metal slivers was always inevitable. You had more callouses from hand-stitching and embroidering than you did working on fixing consoles and electronics.

You were an analyst, not just the person who repaired the much-needed tech for the Resistance.

A battle analyst, statistical analyst, a "tech jockey" some called you--but many simply knew you as Poe's "partner in crime" as you oversaw many of his flight missions and dogfights.

You tied off the last stitch and held the fabric up to the light.

Poe's last scarf had gotten torn to tatters in a cantina brawl; so, the next time you were planetside, you hit a local market and scored some nice fabric to knit him a new one. It was a wonderful pass-time for you, especially if you were stressed out. The repetitive motion of seeing and embroidering soothed your mind enough to relax. Once, Poe had even caught you passed out with a half-patched shirt clutched in your hands, your head lolled back on your chair, the angle making you snore loudly.

Poe actually had BB-8 snap a holo of it. He still says it's his favorite holo he has of you--completely relaxed and at peace. (Although the pain in your neck was awful when he picked you up and laid you in his bunk.)

The scarf you had made Poe this time had the Resistance emblem embroidered in bright colors to match his flight suit, as well as a tiny BB-8 next to it.

Just then, the voice of one of the air traffic monitors buzzes through your comm; "Hey, tech jockey. Your boyfriend's squad is back. If you high-tail it now, you'll be able to make it to the hangar before they land."

You grin and jump to your feet, folding the scarf and stuffing it in one of your deep back pockets as you made a mad scamper, scrambling to lace your boots back up to make your way to the hangar.

💫💫💫💫💫💫💫💫💫

"Poe!" You giggle excitedly, shouting across the hangar as the mechanics carefully extract BB-8 from Poe's X-Wing.

Poe turns to you with a grin, spreading his arms wide as you throw yourself into them; his thick limbs wrapping around you in a tight hug, picking you up and spinning you around with a very nice welcome-home kiss. May have had a bit too much tongue on his part, but you were just happy to have him back and be in his arms once more.

BB-8 trills at you as he sets you down nudging your leg affectionately, and you reach down to pat the little mech's cranium. "Awww, hey lil buddy! I missed you too!"

Poe grins again and slips an arm around your waist, his dark eyes glimmering mischievously. "So... How's the best analyst in the Resistance been doing since your handsome boyfriend has been doing suuuuper important scout work, eh?"

You roll your eyes and snort. "The usual, you goof. I've actually had a bit more downtime, lately. General Organa actually smacked me on the head and told me to go and get some rest when I overworked myself."

"Oooh, not surprised there. She's scary when you don't do what she says." He snickers, kissing your cheek again. "Anything else?"

You gasp, remembering your present, and fish it out of your fatigues. Poe tilts his head curiously at you, then, as you pull out the scarf.

"Here! I finished it today!" You chirp proudly.

Poe takes the scarf with his eyebrows raised high, holding it up to examine it. He grins when he spots the little bits of embroidery you did for him; BB-8 beeping happily and bumping into your shins affectionately when he spots his likeness in the fabric.

"Do you like it?"

"Like it?" He says, his brow furrowing and his lips pursing tightly. At his expression, you feel a lump of anxiety well up in your throat.

It is quickly quashed when he grins once more, his eyes lighting up as he slips the scarf over his head and hangs it from his neck, flicking the edge over his shoulder and striking a dramatic pose.

"How's it look? C'mon, tell me. Does it bring out my eyes?" He said, waggling his eyebrows. "I bet I can use it as a disguise!"

You clap your hands and laugh, "Poe... How would that even work?! People can still see your face!"

He pulls up the edge of the scarf and covers up the lower half of his face and nose, but you can still see his lips peek out from the fringe.

"Not if I hold it like this!" He says.

You roll your eyes and shove his shoulder playfully, "You're not funny, Flyboy."

"Heyyy! I'm adorable." He argues humorously, wagging his eyebrows once again. "And handsome, and talented, and--"

BB-8 cuts him off with a dismissive trill, tweeting as his antennae bob.

"You're right." You nod at the little astromech. "He is full of himself, too."

Poe clutched his proverbial pearls, gasping in offense at the two of you.

"Ow! Whose side are you on?!"

[woso-dreamzzz]

Squish thoughts I had earlier that I thought you should know about:

Squish is very affectionate with family and loves curling up in front of the fire between Emma and Frida because it makes her feel so loved especially if they're watching a little farm show because then she can cuddle and watch cute little farm animals

She had to wear mittens for so long because of her hypothermia as a baby and never really outgrew it because no outfit in winter is complete without her mittens, a bobble hat and a thick knitted scarf

Jordan the dog once fought with another dog at the park because they freaked Squish out and nearly attacked her

Emma's family used to give Squish all their hand me downs clothes and knitted things but they didn't fit for months and months because Squish was so tiny as a baby because she was premature so absolutely everything was massive and hung off her body

Sometimes Squish comes to stay with Frida in London. It doesn't happen too often but it happens a few time a season and they spend most of their days together, being all soft and sappy at home and they definitely cosleep. It's kept a secret from Emma because she'll be jealous if she knew

Squish is a rare sighting at Arsenal when there isn't games so it's always very sweet to see her there and everyone loves it because she always comes with baked goods and little hand made presents

Frida has a feature wall of Squish pictures at her apartment because she really misses her kid and under the feature wall is a shelf full of Squish photo albums

Fans also don't see a lot of Squish at Arsenal but they always makes sure to give Frida little gifts for Squish like flower crowns and clothes and woven baskets but Squish's favourite was the pair of expensive walking boots that feel so nice and comfy on her feet

Squish grows up to be a paramedic with a search and rescue team with a dog partner for tracking and she is very comfortable dangling on the side of cliffs in just her harness and Emma and Frida forever find it amazing just how calm and composed she can be

Unlike Bebita, who is the rough and tumble kind of outdoorsy, Squish is the soft and careful kind of outdoorsy and just likes sitting in a field and taking it all in with the sound of birds and insects and the wind in the trees

Emma probably reads poetry to her before bird and says goodnight to each of her soft toys individually before letting Jordan the dog curl up under Squish's sheets with her so they can fall asleep together

[crow-stars]

❝WARMTH IN HAND❞

❦ summary; it's always cold, but how can such a gesture be so warm?

♪the characters in this story; idia shroud, gn!reader

✎word count; 984

☛the author's notes; apologises if this feels a bit awkward. i was getting a bit of that vibe, so please tell me if that's present here!

☪look at the catalogue?

Ignihyde has always been one of the colder dorms. Not because of its environment (there were literal fires burning brightly just outside the dorm), but more so because of how much tech that was in the dorm. As most would know, high functioning computers are prone to overheating if not cooled properly and, since most of Ignihyde has such computers, the AC in the dorm is always turned up high. 

Because of this, there have been multiple instances where you’re left shivering in the dorm while visiting Idia, teeth even chattering together on some occasions. He never seemed to give the temperature much thought, whether because he’s adapted to the cold or because his hair is made out of fire, it was up to a coin toss.

You’ve always seemed to manage, somehow, sometimes using one of Idia’s jackets or using Ortho as your portable heater. Multiple times, though, you do ask Idia if he’s cold when the biting freeze is a bit too much and he responds with an indifferent shrug. This doesn’t mean that you ignore the barely there shivers that wrack his body.

So, you’ve taken to knitting while hanging out with Idia, needles clacking together as you work. There were a few instances where Idia would turn in his swivel chair and question the reason behind the noise he kept hearing through his headphones. 

Holding up the mess of yarn and needles made him quick to understand and turn back around, feigning disinterest and calling it a ‘boring hobby’ before going back to his grinding. This only made you chuckle and continue knitting, Ortho sitting next to you and watching with great interest (and warming you up as well).

“Hey.” You raise your head hearing Idia’s call, seeing him pull his headphones down and rest them on his neck. “You’re still doing that boring task?” 

You smile with a small sigh, shifting a bit and tugging Idia’s jacket closer to your body. “It’s not boring, it’s fun!” 

Idia almost rolls his eyes and only sighs. “On a scale of one to ten, knitting is a mega zero.”

“Oh, shut up! You’re dying on screen right now.”

“W-Wha-?!” He’s quick to snap his head back to the screen, panic seizing him when seeing the red tinted screen. “Gah!”

It’s amusing to see the housewarden scrambling, giggling as Idia tries to salvage his character’s life. This gives you ample time to continue your little project, although a bit slower than before, lips pursed in thought as Idia’s panicked rambling serves as your background noise. You hope that, when you’re finished with this, it’ll go over well. 

It takes a few more weeks to finally finish what you were working on, messing up a few times and having to redo one of the rows or having to get more yarn from Sam’s. 

It’s a bit messy, a few crooked stitches here and there, some of the colors look a bit off, and it’s abnormally long, but it’s still a nice scarf. Ortho praises how it looks and it does give you a boost of confidence, but you’re still nervous. 

Three knocks on the door and Idia’s yelling “it’s open!” have you entering his room, finding the third year in his chair as usual, nimble fingers flying across his keyboard almost effortlessly as he maneuvered his character across the screen. 

You watch him play for a bit, seeing him being clearly engrossed with what was happening on screen and his headphones being firmly secured on his head. After a few silent minutes pass, you decide to make your presence known. 

With the scarf, you hold one end of the accessory in one hand and prepare yourself, a gleeful smirk curled on your lips as you imagine Idia’s reaction. You then use a bit of momentum to swing the scarf over the back of the chair and tug back a bit.

“Hrk! A-Ah!” Idia whips around, a pout on his lips at such an abrupt greeting. It only makes you giggle, grinning widely. “Wh-What the heck is wrong with you?!”

You only hold the scarf up, still smiling ever so widely. “Surprise~”

Idia huffs at you, tugging his headphones off. “What was up with that sneak attack?! You caught me while I was vulnerable.”

“I wasn’t that bad. Now hold still for a bit.”

Idia narrows his eyes a bit, though letting you lean in closer. You manage to wrap the scarf around Idia’s neck, although he still sulks at your sudden greeting. Once the cloth is around his neck, Idia raises a hand to the knitted wear, thumb running over the yarn slowly and trying not to catch on any gaps that he finds. 

“Why are you giving me this?”

You smile, bursting with excitement and the fact that he didn’t immediately express dislike of the gift. “Well, it gets cold in Ignihyde. I thought I could give you something to keep warm, y’know.” You shrug a bit, trying to relax your stiff posture with little success. 

Idia brings his hand back to the scarf, letting himself feel the yarn against his pale skin. At least he was finally able to realize what you were doing all those other times in his room. He didn’t exactly hate it. And it was made by you, after who knows how many weeks of work. It was... It was nice. He burrows his face a bit into the scarf, citrine eyes averting from your form anxiously waiting for his words. 

“I guess...” A small huff from Idia, feeling his cheeks warm with embarrassment. “I guess I can take this. It's got plus fifty warmth.”

You guess that’s good enough. You smile brightly and Idia thinks that smile is warmer than any scarf you could ever give.

The next time you visit, Idia’s wearing the scarf, lower half of his face burrowed into the yarn as he plays.

[sendarya]

My cozy holiday short fic. Enjoy!

The Note

The first thing Crowley became aware of was a loud ticking sound. The next was light. He opened his eyes and a barrage of glittery twinkles assaulted him.

“Wassat?” He mumbled sleepily, blinking and squinting behind his glasses.

A blur of white, beige, and teal came into view as his eyes continued to adjust.

“Mr. Crowley!” exclaimed the blur, before sharpening into the figure of Muriel. 

He frowned and cocked his head at the lights as the heaviness of sleep slid from him. Focusing properly, he could see there was a thin, scraggly tree covered in bits of paper under the mass of twinkles. “What’s all this?” he asked in a confused tone.

Muriel looked puzzled for a moment “What? Oh this” Their confusion quickly transformed into excitement.  “It’s called a Christmas tree? Some people came into the shop the other day, and they were all talking about something called Christmas! Of course, I didn’t sell them any books, just like you told me, Mr Crowley”. 

“Just Crowley” he interrupted, but remained sprawled in the chair he’d been napping in for the last few months. “And I know what Christmas is, I'm just wondering what it's doing in here”. He glanced all around where even more bits of paper and ribbon hung, seemingly at random, throughout the shop. 

“Oh, right, sorry. Um, Crowley. So, I was saying, they were talking about Christmas, and I remembered seeing that word in a book upstairs. Mr. Fell has a whole section on how to celebrate something called “holidays””, they made little quotes with their fingers, bobbing their head from side to side enthusiastically. Crowley transferred his gaze back to the chaos around the tree, and spotted 3 small parcels wrapped in brown paper and string sitting neatly under the scrawny greenery. He pushed down the urge to order it to be a bit less rangy. “Erm” he said, frowning in the direction of the tree “and what’re those?”

“Ah, you see, those are presents? It’s just something humans do.” Muriel flapped their hands a little and shuffled nervously over to the tree to pick up the smallest of the parcels. They turned, beaming. "This one’s for you.”

He frowned down at the little package they were holding out, making no move to take it. “Presents,” he repeated flatly. He tried to ignore the offering, “who are the other two for, then?” They continued holding the package, wiggling a little. 

 “Yes well, those are for Maggie and Nina? Because they’ve been ever so nice to me, while you were …” the smile vanished for an instant. “Resting”, they finished quickly, giving him a worried look. Then the smile was back as if it had never left. “And I thought this “present” might help cheer you up!” They bent over a little, and set it carefully on his lap when he continued to make no move to take it. They took a hesitant step back, then hurried off to one of the back rooms. 

He frowned down at the package in confusion. A moment later, Muriel returned with a glass of wine and a steaming cup of tea. They held the wine glass out to him, a hopeful expression on their face. “Just woke up” he half protested, but accepted the wine nonetheless. “You don’t drink tea.” He commented as they sat in a chair opposite him. 

“Um, no, but I do like to look at it, and do you know, it has a lovely smell.” They closed their eyes, their smile becoming more relaxed as they inhaled the steam. Then they opened their eyes again and gave him a timid, almost expectant look. “Well done” he said, but the sarcasm was lost on them. They beamed again and nodded to the package still in his lap.“You're supposed to open it? That’s what humans do with presents, they open them.”  

He sighed and drained his glass and set it on the side table, where Aziraphale used to set his tea….Quickly shutting off that train of thought, he unfolded the brown paper. Muriel sat forward eagerly as a long, thin, knitted scarf rolled out. It was a bright and cheery red, with silvery tassels. “Well, erm ” he tried to organize his thoughts, but they stayed stubbornly scattered. 

“It’s a scarf, like the one you have, but red! You like red don’t you, Mr., ah, Crowley?”  They quickly set aside the untouched tea and picked up the scarf, making as if to put it on him. “Hey now” he pushed his head further back into the chair, and took the scarf back. For a moment he wasn’t sure what to do with it, but they were looking at him with pure excitement, just like….no, better not think about that either. With a sigh he put it over his head, flipped it into a loose knot, then gave them something closer to a grimace than a smile. 

Muriel was practically glowing with enthusiasm. Suddenly, he remembered a bit about Christmas. “Well” he said “I suppose I should give you…” he patted his pockets absently, not expecting to find anything, when he felt more than heard the crinkle of paper in his left jacket pocket. He pulled it out, now completely bewildered. A creamy piece of parchment faced him, neatly folded, with just a letter C on the front, done in a lovely flourish. Suddenly, his hands were trembling, and he forgot all about Muriel, the scraggly tree, and the scarf. He fumbled open the paper and read:

“Dearest Crowley,

I trust this missive finds you well, and not too terribly distressed.

I'm afraid I haven't been entirely honest with you, though I do hope you understand my reasons, now that I'm permitted to explain.

You see, when Agnes Nutter's Nice and Accurate prophecies came into my possession some years ago, as I'm certain you'll remember, I found a prophecy relating to me, and my hot cocoa going cold, if you can believe it. I was quite taken aback at first, but intrigued, I read on. To my amazement, there seemed to be a second prophecy concerning me.

Past the endyng, shouldst my rede to thee be headed, I see but oon thyng. Yf my second bodements doon turn to ash, thanne must thee, Pryncipality, keep closed thy mouth, until the tyme comes to leave that whiche thou cherishes, say yea to that which thou woudst say nay, and nay to that which thou woudst say yea.

As I’m certain you are well aware, prophecy is notoriously difficult to interpret, but it seems that I am destined to abandon the bookshop at some point. I am writing this note in the unlikely event that I am forced to leave without explanation. I don’t know how I will get this note to you, in that most unlikely occurrence. Perhaps I will just slip it into your pocket, my good fellow, with you none the wiser! You’ve always said I was terrible at magic, but I will never retire the act completely! 

Your dearest friend,

Aziraphale”

“Mr. Crowley, um, are you alright?” Muriel's voice broke through the haze. Without looking up, he refolded the parchment and replaced it, very carefully, back into his left jacket pocket.

Timidly, Muriel asked “Did you like the present?”

He looked at her for the first time since he woke up. “It was the best damned present ever.” Then he smiled and chuckled with a little snort while he slithered up out of the chair. “Where’d you stash the wine?” he called over his shoulder, and sauntered into the back without waiting for an answer.

[blushyeleven]

Hey! So this is my Christmas fic! Im so sorry it’s bad but it was really rushed. But nonetheless have an amazing Christmas!

Characters: lee!y/n, ler!wednesday, ler! enid (Bianca, Xavier, Ajax and yoko at the end!)

Warnings: tickles

𝑻𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒐𝒏 𝒐𝒇 𝒈𝒊𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈

your eyelids flung opened. Your eyes became more apparent to the light as you fondly rubbed them. Christmas. It was Christmas!!! What time was it?! You questioned as you reached for your phone, switching it on. 10:43.

You looked beside you to see enid and wednesday look up “oh hey! Your awake! Merry Christmas!!” Enid excitedly said and she came running over to you before launching into a hug. “Morning” Wednesday said, as mellow as ever. Even though it was Christmas.. some things never change. You hugged enid back before smiling and saying “merry Christmas!” And standing up from your bed before skipping over to Wednesday. You didn’t expect a hug but to your surprise she stood up and half-heartedly put an arm around your waist. Your smile beamed at her “wow! I get a half hug, somebody must be in a good mood today, for once!” You jokingly commented “oh please, I just felt like showing gratitude to you, I know you have been excited about today especially. Although I will never understand why” she commented before retracting her arm. You and enid both just giggled at her

“Presents!!” Enid enthusiastically stated. “You guys haven’t opened your presents?” You questioned “enid insisted we waiting for you” Wednesday replied. Enids jaw dropped “but you said-“ she was cut of by a death stare being delivered by Wednesday “never mind!” She widened her eyes before smiling at you. “Okayy..” you raised a brow before handing Wednesday and enid their perfectly wrapped presents.

Enid wasted no time before clawing into the wrapping paper,shredding it into little peices that elegantly fell to the floor. Inside she found a new nail varnish and a pink candle. “Oh my god! I love it! Thankyou so much y/n!” she exclaimed and she then threw her arms around you again.Grasping you into a bear hug. “Ofcourse!” You said wrapping your arms back around her before you both let go and you could see the excitement lit in her eyes.

You then looked over at Wednesday, seeing her tearing the wrapping paper. You cross your fingers, hoping she likes it. Once she ripped a big enough hole she pulled out a black metal necklace with a deep purple, crystal charm hanging from the necklace. You saw her eyes widen slightly, seeming impressed as she held it in her hand and inspected it. “It’s nice, thankyou y/n” she said looking up at you. Your worried expression faded into a smile. If that sentence came from anybody else you would be skeptical, doubting if they meant it. But because it came from Wednesday you were buzzing. “Ofcourse!”

Enid then practically shoved your gift into your arms, watching you i inquisitively open it. It was a white, hand knitted, scarf? You looked confused, you wasn’t quite sure what it was but either way you were still grateful. Enid saw your puzzled face and enlightened you with “it’s a snood! Your now matching with me and Wednesday!” Your then smiled before saying “oh! I see! Thankyou so much!” Before placing it gently on your bed.

“Right, what are our plans for-“ you were cut off by Wednesday. “We’re not done” she said. Stretching her arm out, handing you a gift bag. Your eyes lit up and your lips curved into a smile “but you said you weren’t doing gifts” you remarked seeing advert your eye contact, looking at the floor “don’t mention it.” She quickly replied so you thought better then to drag it on.

Her deep black pupils followed your fingers as you opened the bag, lifting out a silver necklace with a heart locket dangling from it with your initial on it. You opened your mouth slightly before opening the locket to see a picture that enid had taken of you and Wednesday. Your smile stretched across your face “I- W-wednesday, I love it!” You Stuttered, finding it difficult to form any words. “Your welcome” she said in her slightly lighter tone. “I helped choose it!” Enid butted in as you smiled further, still being mesmerised by the gift. “I can help you put it on!” Enid mentioned and she held her hand out to which you placed the necklace in and she skipped behind you, securing the necklace to your neck before spinning around you again to see how you looked. You jokingly began to pose as Wednesday half smiled and enid excitedly clapped.

“Right, plans for today?” You questioned. “We can go meet everybody later, but for now we can just chill in our dorm?” Enid suggested to which you and Wednesday both reluctantly agreed. You decided to put on some comfy clothes to make yourself more presentable. So you picked up a pair of joggers and a jumper before walking to the bathroom to get dressed.

Once you exited you had the great idea of Modeling your snood to Enid and Wednesday. So you carefully picked it up from you bed and tying it around you head. After you wrapped it a few times you found yourself becoming tangled in it, unable to get it off from your head. “Uhm help” you said, muffled through the cotton.

Enid started laughing seeing you stuck and you couldn’t see but Wednesday smirked, clearly amused. After enid had finished her laughing fit she skipped over to help you with Wednesday shortly behind

“Arms up!” Enid said as you followed her very straight forward orders. You then realised your arms go and. that’s when you felt a graze of fingers against your armpit. Presumably an accident but nonetheless you still let out a muffled squeal before jumping back

“Oh I’m sorry! Did I hurt you?” Enid empathised as Wednesday was just standing, watching, extremely entertained. “No.. im okay!” you reassured with your arms still in the air. “Okay okay” enid replied as she began trying to fix your rather embarrassing mess. But once again you felt her fingers graze against your armpits and this time you let out a quite giggle before inching back

“What’s so funny?” Enid questioned still trying to unravel you. “N-Nothing” you stuttered before being freed by enid. But although you were free from the snood you weren’t free from the questions

“So what was that all about, did I scare you or something?” Enid raised a brow, puzzled “nope, honestly I’m fine!” You tried to say. That’s when Wednesday walked over “it seemed to be when Enid touched your armpi- oh, oh I see, ticklish?” Wednesday mischievously smirked “what? I’m lost!” Enid whined before Wednesday was still smirking while moving closer to you. Your face fading into a deeper red

“Well, she seemed to either giggle or jump whenever you touched her armpit so that leads me to believe she’s sensitive” wednesday stated causing you to shuffle in your place uncomfortably “sensit- oh! that’s adorable” enid said smiling at you.

“I don’t know what you guys are taking about” you said defensively. There was no way they just found out your secret. thoughts swarmed to your brain, desperately trying to find a solution. You saw how evil Wednesday was with tickling. Recently you had witness her wreck enid past years because enid had started blasting pop music. That couldn’t be you.

“Well I did just explain it to you” Wednesday said, still smirking. “Alow me to demonstrate what I mean!” She added before jabbing her black painted fingernails into your sides. Again, causing you to react with a squeal before jumping back “see” she said smugly.

“Nononononono, come on! It’s Christmas, it’s the season of giving!” You said backing up but they both stepped closer. “Exactly! So we’re giving you tickles!” Enid remarked before rapidly squeezing your sides. You fell back on your bed erupting into bright, bubbly giggles. Wednesday then decided to crawl on top of you. Sitting on your waistline before scribbling her trimmed nails across your stomach and enid sat next to you, poking at your sides.

You then exploded into loud heaps of helpless laughter “BAHAHHAHAHAHAH NOHO GEHEHET OOHOFFF!!” You complained, attempting to squirm. “I don’t think I will, consider this an extra Christmas gift” Wednesday teased “WEHEHEL DOHOES THIS OHONE COME WIHITH A REHECIET!” You shrieked, flailing about. “Hey! Don’t be rude!” Enid warned before using her wolf claws to scratch at your armpits “BAHAHAHAHAHAAH I CAHAHHAHHANNTT!!” You screamed as they just continued to mercilessly tickle you. They both didn’t plan on stopping any time soon so whether you liked it or not, you were going to be tickled past tears. it’s not like you were kicking up a fuss about it, or complaining. In fact you secretly enjoyed it. But there was no way you would ever admit that to anybody. Wednesday started to wiggled her fingers against your ribs. Evilly Smirking at your current state. “Come on, it’s just a bit of tickling there’s no need to be so dramatic” Wednesday snarkily commented. You felt a little heat rise to your cheeks after she said the dreaded t word. “And your going all pink!!” Enid observed, poking your cheek before working her way down to your knees. Squeezing at them. You then kicked out your legs while desperately trying to grab Wednesdays torturous hands. But her finger were to quick for you. Everytime you tried to grab her hands she would inch them further down your tummy. Closer and closer to your belly button. Causing your laughter to increase an octave with ever inch. Wednesday took note of this before teasingly swirling her finger around the rim of to ur belly button seeing you explode into hysterics “NOOHOHOOHOHHOHOHO OKAHAHHAHAY NOHOHOHOOT THEHEHEHHEHEREE!!!!” You pleaded. Although Wednesday wasn’t in the mood for showing any mercy. So she quickly and Methodicaly began scratching at your belly button, causing you to squeal, scream and thrash about. Meanwhile enid was going to town on your knees. Latching onto them and squeezing, before spidering her fingers just under them. You were just laying there. In a laughing fit with the overpowering tickly sensations buzzing through your whole body.

They didn’t stop untill they heard the door open

Surely enough it was bianca, yoko, xavier and ajax walking through “merry Christmas!” They said in unison as Wednesday and enid crawled of you to stand up and say hello.

You were still laying on the bed with a flushed face, watery eyes and still, quite giggles lingered in your voice

“Is y/n okay? What did you guys do?” Bianca asked clearly concerned. “Don’t worry, they was just receiving one of their Christmas gifts” Wednesday said with a hint of mischief in her tone

“Do we even wanna kn-“ Xavier mentioned before being interrupted by enid “tickles” she said and smiled causing your obvious blush to increase.

Eventually, you stood up from your bed and walked over to greet them with your hair slightly messed up, still watery eyes and extremely red cheeks “hey guys!” You said standing next to Wednesday

“Remind me never to get onto enids or Wednesdays bad side” bianca said causing everybody to smile, even Wednesday. (It was a Christmas miracle)

[invisibleraven]

Haunted Holidays

December 20: Coming Home <-AO3 link!

Emily looked glumly at the boxes before her-she used to love Christmas, once upon a time. Did up the whole house the day after Thanksgiving, started her baking soon after. It was always a joyous time.

She can recall her first Christmas with Mitch, the two of them dancing to Nat King Cole playing on the turntable with only the tree lights to guide them. The year that Luke was nearly four, his big hazel eyes peeking over the counter in amazement as she made butter, sugar, and flour transform into cookies. How she caught him trying to scale the closet in an attempt to find presents the year he was seven.

The joy on his face when she gifted him the guitar the next year.

That was when everything changed. Music became an obsession, consuming Luke’s every waking moment. He was good, there was no arguing that, but Emily missed him helping her bake, or untangling her yarn as she knitted him another beanie.

She missed her son, but she had no idea how much worse it would get.

It was the year he was seventeen-long limbed and voice deep. She had found his grades-all low to failing. When she confronted him, he admitted to having dropped out. Who needed school when he was going to be a famous rock star?

It had been a horrible fight, harsh words that stung her heart to hear, even more vitriol spilling from her lips as Luke packed a bag and left.

He hadn’t been back since. And he never would be, since that July the police came to tell her that he little boy was dead.

That had been twenty five years ago.

Since then, the joy of the season had vanished for Emily. It was hard to decorate the tree with ornaments Luke had made as a child. To hang her and Mitch’s stockings but leave Luke’s in the box. To put aside the pang of the unopened presents still sitting in his room, even though she ached to put them under the tree. Like he would waltz in the door after band practice to open them.

It hurt a little less this year though. That nice Julie girl had given them Luke’s song-an apology and lament for her and what had been broken between them. She had come back a few times, to bring them cookies most recently, and had left with a new scarf wound around her neck.

She struck Emily as the kind of girl that Luke would be into; pretty, musical, kind. Though Luke had told her before he left that he liked everyone, and didn’t see anything wrong with that.

Emily wished she had taken the time to validate him then. To let him know she didn’t care who he loved, or how many people he chose to be with, as long as he was safe and happy. But she would never get the chance.

“Okay hun?” Mitch asked, hugging her from behind.

She hummed. “It’s still hard.”

“We don’t have to-“

She shook her head. “I don’t want to skip Christmas, I just wish…”

“I know,” he whispered, kissing the side of her head. “Let’s get started okay?”

He had already put the outside lights up, though neither of them had bothered turning them on, despite Christmas being less than a week away. They slowly put up everything-the garland, the wreaths, the Nativity.

“Remember when Luke used to play with the shepherds alongside his Ninja Turtles?” Mitch reminisced. “Or the time he replaced the baby Jesus with a Lego figure?”

Emily chuckled, “Oh yes, we got so mad-though Karen Mercer told me Alex used to do the same thing.”

“Have you spoken to them lately?” Mitch asked.

Emily shook her head. “I sent them a card, but that’s all. I don’t expect to get one in return-you know what they were like.”

“And Evelyn?”

“Sent a card to the forwarding address she gave me, but it got returned to sender, so who knows where the Peters are now,” Emily replied, running her finger along the edge of a photo of the boys, all smiling and twinkling eyes.

Soon all that was left was the tree, and Mitch squeezed her hand-it had always been Luke’s favourite thing to trim it. Insisting he could put the star on the top of his dad helped. Then being able to do it himself, with pride. That last year he was alive he hadn’t bothered to help, off at one gig or practice or another.

They had replaced the tree since then, a nice pre-lit thing that was a little smaller than their older one, but that was fine with Emily. With only the two of them they didn’t need a big tree.

She was about to start trimming when a ring of the doorbell sounded through their home. “Carollers or charity?” Mitch bet with an arch of his eyebrows.

“That or the Farris lady wants a cup of sugar again,” Emily replied. “I’ll get it.”

Only when she opened the door, it wasn’t any of those. There, looking just like the day he left, was Luke.

“Hey Ma, Merry Christmas.” He was holding hands with Julie…and was that Reggie? “Can we come in?”

[doobnnoob-tf2]

Maybe some winter or Christmas themed fluff? SniperSpy, whole team, doesn't matter. I just think some fluff might be nice hehe. - Shy Anon

The rec room was loud with chatter and the sounds of wrapping paper being torn open. Most stood round the much-too-large and obnoxiously decorated Smissmas tree, handing gifts to one another or sipping on hot drinks that'd been prepared just for this event. Laughter filled the air as gag gifts were revealed, frustrated sighs at the overdone ways of wrapping some presents, the occasional gasp of excitement over something one of them had been dying for was revealed.

Sniper sat towards the back, watching the madness with a smile on his face. He wasn't jumping at the idea of huddling up around a questionably stable tree with many sharp and glass ornaments while everyone was diving for gifts nestled underneath. He decided he'd wait, and if anyone wanted to bring him one of his gifts he'd be happy to open it.

And that's exactly what happened.

"Ahem."

Sniper looked up over the back of the couch. "Well hey you. Not gonna go jump into the fray?"

"No, I'm not quite interested in whatever potential brawl may break out." Spy rounded the couch, holding a rather long and very neatly wrapped gift. He leaned it against Sniper as he sat down close next to him. "For you."

"I'd assume." Sniper sat up a bit more, reaching over to grab a present off the floor next to him. "And this one's for you." He smiled as he plopped it down onto the man's lap. "G'wan, you go first."

Spy smirked softly. "If you insist." And with careful precision, he very delicately and neatly started to tear the tape, folding it all back. He got enjoyment over Sniper's frustrated sighs.

"C'mon, luv, just tear the damn thing already."

"Oh but you did such a wonderful job on this!" Spy teased, laughing at the unamused stare leveled at him as he continued to take his sweet time. Under all of it was a hefty box, slightly overfilled but contents still covered. Whatever inside had a bit of give to it if he squeezed it. Sniper looked positively anxious. Spy moved the lid to the couch next to him and..

What greeted him made him pause. He stared for a moment, confused, and then carefully removed the burgundy knitted scarf with his class emblem stitched into one end. Inspecting the work that went into each placement, he almost missed the sweater underneath. A deeper shade of red that complimented the scarf well, almost black, again with his emblem stitched delicately onto the front. It looked professionally made, the materials used for each stage of it were a very expensive quality.

"Where on earth did you find someone to make these?"

"..well, ah.." Sniper cleared his throat and looked away to mutter. "I.. I did. My mum, she.. she liked knitting and she showed me how to do it and.. well.. I figured I'd.." He trailed off, slowly looking over at the look of bewilderment on Spy's face. "Is it that bad?"

"Heaven's no! Sniper, it's beautiful." Spy looked at his gift for him with a nervous furrow in his brow. Sniper's gift to him was handmade, for him, by him.

..Spy had gone out to find people to make his gift to Sniper. There was none of his own touch in either parts of his gift. It couldn't compare to the amount of time and effort had gone into this.

"How long did this take you?"

"Months. Kept messin' it up and I didn't wanna give you somethin' subpar. But also you didn't have many nights you were workin' late that I could slip away and do it. I was worried it wasn't gonna be ready in time."

Spy leaned over to cup one cheek to pull him in as he kissed the other hard. He smiled brightly. "I couldn't possibly find the words to thank you for this. It's wonderful."

Sniper smiled sheepishly. "Yeah, well.. you're welcome." He chuckled, and then looked over at the box he was given. "My turn?"

"..yes." He sounded unsure, but it was drowned out by paper being ripped loudly.

Sniper examined the crate as he laid it on his lap, finding the opening and lifting the lid. "Bloody hell, Spy!" His eyes lit up as he lifted the bow out of the box first, grinning from ear to ear as he ran his fingers along the intricate carvings down the limbs and around the grip. Every pass he made with his eyes, he spotted something new. It was too beautiful to even think of using.

He removed the quiver next. Real leather, hand stitched. The inside was spacious. It felt sturdy. His own class emblem was stamped into it towards the bottom. He looked over at Spy, the grin on his face never waning. "They're gorgeous! Where did you.."

"Overseas. It took some time to find the best people to make these. I refused to purchase from just anyone, you're worth more than that. But that was the hardest part. Once I placed the orders and gave my general ideas, it was simply waiting."

"Thank you.. christ, Spy, they're just.. gorgeous. Wish I'd put a little more into your scarf and sweater now."

"Hush. Sniper, you made these yourself. I paid other people to craft these for you. As far as I am concerned, your gift far outweighs mine."

"I'm content calling it even."

"I am not, but we will agree to disagree."

Sniper laughed and leaned in to give him a quick kiss. "Fine, fine." He leaned his forehead against his, the two looking at each other before slowly leaning in for another kiss. Only to be interrupted by..

"SHIT!" Scout tried to scramble away from the tree tipping over onto them, but the cord of lights was tangled around his ankle and only tugged it down onto everyone faster.

Sniper blinked twice before looking back at Spy. "..should we..?"

"No."

"Good call."

The pair stood up, collected their things, and promptly exited the room to avoid getting roped into clean-up.

[searchingforserendipity25]

Knit, Purl, Improvise | Dangeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves. ON AO3

For Lukani, as part of the Yuletide Exchange.

“You have dropped a stitch,” Xenk said helpfully, three days into their long scouting mission. 

“Honestly, and this is just a friendly suggestion, feel free to take it, piss off,” Edgin said. And then; “Shit, not the double stitch. I swear double stitches love to be dropped, they’re just dying for it. Where do I -”

“Right there.” 

Xenk shifted closer. The sunlight slanting through the firs and elms fell upon his cheeks with intent, as if it were perfectly aware and quite smug about its role in highlighting his beauty. Edgin stared - it was physically impossible not to stare, okay? Even Holga would have stared, and she was very much not into tall guys. 

Edgin cursed, fished out the lost stitch, and cursed again when it was clear he had to unravel a whole couple of rows to get it back into shape.

Xenk extended a hand. Long fingers, graceful wrists, calluses like - not like Holga, really. Fighter's hands; good hands. Edgin felt a normal amount, about them. "If I may -"

"Nay, you may not - nuh-huh! Get your hands off, mister. No needle-hogging here, thanks very much. If you wanted something to keep busy you should have brought it yourself, deal with it."

Xenk really was quite - well, not much taller than Edgin, but very present. Edgin was very aware of it, with the way they had sat together on the same cold boulder for hours now, peering down at the ravine below, and the cave where a band of traffickers were bound to show up, sooner or later. It looked like it was going to be a later situation.

Even Edgin found it pretty tasteless to make money off looting graves and selling the mummified corpses of ancient pixie chieftains to the highest bidder, though, and their sponsors paid decently, so he didn’t feel too bad about the bother.

Didn’t mean he hadn’t complained about it, but at least he had offered to share his egg sandwich with Xenk - that was nice, right? He was making nice, the way one made nice with an occasional coworker who did not make conversation and did not like egg sandwiches. Who, Edgin asked, did not like egg sandwiches? And he kept looking disapproving when Edgin stepped on the trails of ants that tried to make off with the crusts. No one made off with Edgin's crusts, only Holga and Kira were allowed to have his crusts.

"I am not needle-hogging," Xenk said, spacing out the vowels carefully. "I am not even touching your needles. Which I suspect, by that logics, makes you the needle-hogger here."

"Am not!"

"I merely wished to offer help where I may."

"Well, don't," Edgin snapped, and got busy tug-tug-tugging the yarn, unravelling his afternoon's work. "I am making a lovely scarf for my lovely daughter, and I am perfectly capable of making it myself."

Edgin sighed loudly. "Of course you knit. I bet you do great socks - fancy stuff, right? Marino shawls, and stuff. No, wait." Edgin narrowed his eyes, framed Xenk's face between his fingers like a pretentious portrait trying to get the sitter's measure. "You do lace knitting, don't you."

"The kindly farmers that took me in were often local champions at the local competition of threading thin shawls through rings," Xenk admitted.

"Flunk you," Edgin repeated, with feeling. Xenk's mouth tilted with a smile, just slightly. "Yeah, laugh it up, local father of one precocious kid edits out a few swear words, funny stuff. I'm doing just fine without a knitting advisory, thanks."

"There is no shame in taking aid when it is offered. Indeed, I was laid down for many moons abed with a wound, while in the care of a kindly family of farmers, when I first was taught the craft of knitting. And I must say," Xenk added, tilting his head in that disconcerting, insightful way that made the fine hairs to the back of Edgin's hair rise with not-unpleasant fright. "I am surprised at the techniques you apply. There are easier ways to undo this error than to start wholly anew."

Edgin bristled. The sun was in his eyes, now - the clouds kept chasing each other across the narrow strip of sky they could see from their spying place. Honestly, it was getting kind of chilly; but of course they couldn't start a fire, and like hell he was asking Xenk to cast a warming cantrip.

Xenk had cast a warming cantrip over their camping site every night so far, but it was the principle of the thing.

"So?"

Xenk considered him. Which was. Certainly an experience. Edgin would like it to be over as soon as possible, but, again: he could not quite look away.

"I believe you to be a man very fond of shortcuts."

"Why, Paladin Xenk, are you calling me a cheater? I am hurt," Edgin said a hand on his chest, nearly stabbed himself in the face, and turned down the needles in a dramatic movement, as if he really had meant to show he was back-stabbed levels of hurt. "Truly."

"I am merely pointing out. As a friendly suggestion. For what it counts, your scarf does look lovely."

Of course it did. Edgin had learned from his Gramps, all the wool-stuff sailors worked at in the quiet of the night, crammed together in miserable bunks by the swaying light of foul-smelling lanterns. Gramps made beautiful cardigans, thick, scratchy, wonderful shirts. So did Edgin.

"Hell yeah it is. Which you only get if you do things properly." Do it proper start to finish, my Ned, and only leave a mistake so the spirits know not to get funny ideas.

Thing was, wool was awfully expensive. Nothing you could make a living out of, really; or at least he'd never managed it. He imagined telling Xenk that, and bit back a shiver: how the hell did people even get through these long waits? How did people get to know each other, even. He had never felt the need to prove himself to Holga - or, well, he did, every day, otherwise he'd have let himself die a thousand times, he cared about her opinion more than anything and sort of built up his identity around her faith in him in a cute, a little codependent way, but. It was different with Xenk.

Whatever - dusk was setting. The ants were going nuts on the bit of crust he had left for them, well away from his blanket - Xenk ought to be happy about that, not that he cared. There were bigger things to worry about. Tonight would be the last one of their watch, he could tell; the air was shivering in the leaves, eager. His neck prickled. Start to finish, and enough mistakes for bad luck to pass through.

Well, Edgin made mistakes aplenty, and the world liked Xenk better than most; between the two of them, they ought to be fine. 

"Your stitches are slipping again," Xenk noted.

"Brotherflunker," Edgin cursed, and bent down to work the needles with furious speed, the better to avoid Xenk's eyes, that tilted mouth.

[geraniumplant]

. ₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁ ℍ𝕒𝕡𝕡𝕪 ℕ𝕖𝕨 𝕐𝕖𝕒𝕣!! . ₊ ⊹ . ݁˖ . ݁

Hohoho! It's that time of year, friends! The man in red is here to give out some gifts.

...Oh, you thought I meant Santa? No, I'm talking about this handsome devil right here.

Vash pulls out a large bag of presents. "Let's get started!"

Of course, I have to mention my lovely band of Woowoos. ( @adventures-written, @curseisms, @nothinglikegod, @crosspunisher ) thank you boys for putting up with my Vash.

"Of course, you get a new pack of cigarettes!" Vash tosses them each their own as well as a knit sweater with a pattern of pine trees. "To keep you fellas warm." He picked them out himself. Vash reaches into the bag again & pulls out... a pair of red lace underwear?? "Ahhh-forget you saw that!!" He stuffs it back into the bag. "That's a present for later, eheheheh!"

"Oh! You'll like this!" The Wolfwoods are also given a bottle of bourbon. "Drink up, my guys! You mean the world to me!" ❤️ Because nothing says I love you like,

Next is my dear Meryl ( @adventures-written ). Vash hands her an oversized sweater; dark blue with polar bears. "This will keep you nice a warm. Thank you for always busting me out of trouble." A delicate kiss is planted on Meryl's cheek by Vash, followed by tickles down her sides. ❤️

Looks like there's a little something for my friendly Livio: ( @bone-pile-rp ) "This is a gift from both Wolfwood & I," Vash proudly states, placing a new leather hat onto Livio's head. "You look great! Hope you enjoy it, Buddy." ❤️

Now, we can't forget my fellow Vash brethren. DONUTS FOR ALL OF YOU!! ( @melpcmene, @surevive, @needlenxggin )

"You boys..." SNIFF! "...Have been through so much. We deserve it, yeah?"

@needlenxggin - Gets a matching red scarf & hat from big brother Spikey. "Don't get into too much trouble this year, little bro."

@surevive - Gets a golden pocket watch from Blondie. Engraved on the cover is an outline of a geranium. "I will chase you through time & space. Always." ~ reads the card. Blondie might seek out Hemlock later for a little alone time.

@melpcmene - This is from Wolfwood. The card reads, "Try to stay out of trouble, Needle Noggin. You can always count on me to find you & kick your ass." Aww! & there's a metal glasses case & lens wipe. Very fancy looking. He must have saved up quite a lot of money for you.

We can't forget my precious Hakkais! ( @shouga-nai, @melpcmene ) Vash digs around in his bag for their presents. "It's from Sanzo! It's a..." he stares. "A back scratcher."

"..."

"WHAT A THOUGHTFUL GIFT! It must mean something important, right?" Unknown to Vash, Sanzo worked very hard to find the perfect back scratcher. He tested many.

& let's not forget my lovely Gokus. ( @ofdraiocht, @worldly-diversity ) "Looks like Sanzo has left you a box of steamed dumplings. You boys must have been good this year." Vash chuckles. "Oh, & there seems to be a card attached. It reads, "'To Goku, these should last you for a few hours so don't even think about bugging me. With love, Sanzo.'" Vash may have added in the "with love" part.

"What beautiful fatherly-love." sniff!

Last but not least, lets give a shout-out to some awesome OCs!

@healingbrews - Is gifted a basket of goodies from none other than Vash. He'd never forget his Onee-san. Wolfwood gifts her a warm sweater dress. It's a nice burgundy color to match Hinoka's hair. Sanzo gives her another beaded protection bracelet. Not that she needs it, but you can never be too careful. Lastly is a present from Konzen. It's a vase of flowers from the Garden of Heaven. & there seems to be a nice little love poem written in his handwriting. Goku must have slipped that in there.

@strywoven - Verona is gifted a golden comb by her devoted Plant twins. A pattern of flowers & a deer is engraved on the handle. Kaen is gifted a hunter-green sweater with patterns of trees embroidered across its center. Vash may have dragged Nai along for them both to pick out the softest material to sew together. Only the best for their darling friend!

& that concludes our little gift-giving New Year post! I hope you all have a safe & happy new year!

-- Wolf & muses ❤️

[justsomeclintasha]

Day 13- Secret Santa

“This is impossible,” she grumbles, staring down yet another aisle of.. stuff. She runs a frustrated hand through her hair. “I’m going to kill Steve.”

“Okay, but he had good intentions.”

“So I shouldn’t kill him?”

“Well I mean.. I like him.”

“Yeah, me too,” she admits with a sigh. “I guess I’ll let him go another day.” Clint laughs, picking up a box of Christmas cookies. He studies them for a moment, then puts them in the cart. “We didn’t come shopping for you, and yet somehow the cart is full of snacks.”

“Some of them are yours!”

“One of them is mine. The other… twelve, are yours.” He shrugs, walking along to the next aisle. “I guess the idea of Secret Santa was nice, but what do you buy for-“ Abruptly, she stops, having run into the back of his shoulder.

“I’m a genius.”

“And you’d make a great roadblock.”

“Nat, what if you didn’t buy him something. What if you made it?” She hesitates, chewing on her bottom lip as she considers it. “I mean think about it. He can buy anything he wants. But a handmade gift is different. It’s special. It’s unique to you.”

“I like it. Help me pick a color?”

XXXXX

Natasha watches nervously as Tony pulls apart the wrapping paper. Despite his wealth, he opens the gift as though he’s never received one in his life. Maybe it shouldn’t surprise her, but it does.

Clint moves a little closer to her on the couch. The slight pressure of his arm against hers is comforting.

“Natasha, did you.. did you make this?” Eyes wide, he holds up the knitted scarf and hat. The yarn is soft and sleek in his fingers, a beautiful deep burgundy.

“Yeah. Hope you like it,” she adds with an unsure smile.

“Oh I love it. It’s gorgeous. Thank you.” He moves closer, wrapping her in a hug, and she feels the tension melt from her shoulders. “Pepper, come look at this. Come here. Can you believe Natasha made this? Isn’t that amazing? Feel how soft it is.” A bit embarrassed by the attention, she moves back to sit with Clint as Tony makes his rounds, showing off his gift.

“Looks like your present was a hit. I’m proud of you.”

“Thank you.”

“You want to take a break? There’s a fancy chocolate cake on the dessert table. We should probably try it and make sure it’s as delicious as it looks.”

“That sounds amazing. You really are a genius.”

[laventadorn]

i was kinda wondering how severus and harriet would spend holidays together once they moved in with each other...like christmas or thanksgiving, or...their birthdays? how do you think? i think they won't make big deal out of those days but still, it would be nice to see them being in their sort of festive mood! it would be lovely to see harriet making a bday cake for severus which comes out as total disaster lol

i imagine snape being like "what's the point of holidays" because he's just used to being alone and watching everyone else get together with family and stuff, so he usually associates them with a bitter outside-looking-in feeling, while at the same time genuinely not seeing the point because he's never had the experience. but once he's with harriet, suddenly there are all these people who are like "togetherness! festivities! presents! FOOD" and he gets dragged along and he's like "wtf? do i like this? i don't like these people. why has molly weasley knit me a scarf. why did luna lovegood hand me a drink (which i am not drinking)." and i go along with the headcanon that snape is secretly awkward and doesn't know how to act around people, which he covers up by being cold and off-putting, so he's sort of stuck off in a corner trying to pretend he doesn't care while wishing he wasn't there or was a different person who would actually know how to behave at these things or WANT to be social. then arthur weasley comes over and starts talking about spark plugs. snape does not care about spark plugs or even honestly know what the hell they are, but at least he's got something to do if he's pretending to listen. harriet's like "BLESS ARTHUR" because she kept trying to go rescue severus but getting waylaid by weasleys.