#when they visit they bring each other a luggage's worth of gifts

[snackugaki]

tmnt au hanfu edition

[pipinas-sketchbook]

Collection B

For my second collection, I wanted to explore the idea of heirlooms, and what is allowed in that category. What is the difference between a "hand-me-down" and an heirloom? Both are passed down between generations and often hold emotional value. Is the simple fact that my grandmother's blanket isn't worth much money what deems it unworthy of the title of heirloom? It seems like the distinction of heirloom and hand-me-down lies in class above all, and with this project I wanted to deconstruct this concept and blur the lines of the "heirloom" category.

When choosing my items, I wanted to bring some items that fit more easily in the traditional idea of what an heirloom is (like my grandmother's pearls or my dad's childhood gold ring), and some that stray outside of that box (i.e. a hand-me-down bandana from my cousin, an old broken book from my aunt, a gift from my friend) to contrast each other.

image description: an old brown leather suitcase

For the container, I chose the suitcase that my grandfather travelled from Greece to Canada with in the 60s when he immigrated here. It is one of my most important heirlooms, but to many an old scuffed up leather bag is not precious enough to earn the title of heirloom. I think this container introduces the themes I wanted to work with very well: inter-generational objects, connection to my family's past, class, and displacement.

image description: all the items of my collection. In no particular order: a scarf that used to belong to my mother, an old broken copy of alice in wonderland from my aunt, a vase with a greek myth depicted on it from my (paternal) grandmother, a shoe that used to belong to another aunt, a coin purse gifted from my mother that I remember fighting with my sister over, a planter in the shape of two hands as if they are offering something gifted from an old friend, a hand-me-down bandana from my older cousin I got 10+ years ago, a pearl necklace from my (maternal) grandmother I got for graduating high school, a lesbian pride coloured necklace from a friend, a horse chestnut my little cousin gave to me (she collects them), a thrifted sweater my older brother gave me, and a blanket from my (maternal) grandmother.

When unboxing my objects, I noticed a theme that I hadn't really planned on exploring: my identity and relationship to my culture as a grandchild of immigrants. While I was placing items, there seemed to be a naturally developing contrast between objects that connect back to my family history and/or Greek ancestry, and the objects that represent me as an individual. Because of the two generations separating me from the country my family comes from, I often feel disconnected from the culture that my grandparents come from. I can barely hold a conversation in their mother tongue and when I visit my grandmother's village, I feel like a tourist in my own home. I think holding onto the objects tied to my grandparents and their culture (ring, luggage, vase, pearls) is a way of feeling closer to them. But I can't help but notice how these pieces are in conflict with the other pieces; most notably, the contrast between the two necklaces. One is a pearl necklace given to me as a high school graduation gift from my grandmother, very reminiscent of traditional femininity, and only worn twice in the four years I've had it. The other is a lesbian pride necklace my friend gifted me, it's the first pride piece I've ever owned and it's so worn in that the paint is chipping off the beads. Both of these items represent a sense of pride. The pearls are the pride of my grandmother for graduating high school (something she never had the chance to do) and the necklace is my own pride in my identity. As much as I love them both, they clash with each other: the former representing a traditional side of my family's culture, coming from a country I still can't even get married in if I wanted to, and the latter representing a part of my identity I wear proudly every day. It is trying to hold onto a part of my identity that belongs to a traditional culture while embracing a part of me that same culture rejects.

image description: notes I took after getting home from class late Tuesday night

As for the presentation, I liked presenting to just one person because it felt more intimate. It was a bit uncomfortable because of the intimacy of showing my prized possessions to someone I met two weeks ago but I enjoyed the experience. I particularly liked waiting in the other room with my classmates, I feel like I got to know my peers better and was able to connect with them in unexpected ways.

All in all the project was interesting and the mode of presentation was fun.

[comorbidfascination]

Bone-a-Fied Lover

full fic list here

The Sawyers hardly ever saw their dad's side of the family, but the Hewitts were always nice. When Luda Mae comes down for a visit, she brings a long time family friend.

warnings: mentions of cannibalism

I'm essentially using the first movie as a baseline and adding in elements from the second, as those are the only tcm movies I've seen anything from. Also Nubbins isn't dead because I like the fanon dynamic between him and ChopTop.

You had heard the Sawyers mentioned once in a while, but you never really expected to meet them. You had known Luda Mae Hewitt for years, since she offered to babysit you as a child. Typically, her brother would drive her across the state to visit family for the holidays, but Charlie was getting older too, and Thomas didn't like to leave town much. You had often told Luda you would take her, but she was too stubborn to accept help; Charlie only got roped into it because he owed her favors.

"I keep tellin' you kid, it ain't because she don't wanna trouble ya, it's 'cause nobody wants to stop and letcha pick up roadkill." He always waited until no one else was in the room to give you a piece of his mind. "She only changed her mind this time 'cause you wore her down."

"Charlie, you were in the room when she asked me. Luda wants to bring the twins their belated birthday gifts and I need to get out of the house." You didn't even look at him as you stuffed more clothes into an old suitcase.

You could feel his eyes on you for a long moment. "Lost your job and now you're out toting my sister around Texas 'cause you've got nothin' better to do."

Rolling your eyes, you kept moving around the room you'd been staying in at the Hewitt house, choosing which of your art supplies to bring along. The trip was meant to take a few days, and Luda had told you about the similar works made of bones by the Sawyers. "Maybe I am. Maybe I'll steal her away and none of you will ever see her again." You sneered at each other across the room.

A knock on the wall sounded downstairs and Luda's voice followed it, "You ready dear?"

"Down in a minute!" You clapped the case shut and pushed past Charlie to join her at the front door. Thomas was with her, stoic as ever, sitting at the kitchen table. He silently insisted on carrying all of the luggage to your car, and you relented since you knew he'd never listen to protest. You settled into the driver's seat and waited for Luda to take the passenger seat before waving everyone off. As soon as the tires hit a straight road, she was telling you stories about the trouble she and her cousin Drayton used to get up to as kids.

When the old farmhouse trundled into view, you whistled at the size of it. "Now that's a home worth living in!"

"See, I toldja not to worry 'bout findin' space for us, dear. They've got at least two guest rooms to my knowin'."

You parked the car and extended your arm so you could lead her inside. At the sound of guests, an older man opened the door with a too-wide smile. "There ya are Luda, let's get everybody settled." He didn't sound all that excited, but he seemed like more of a pragmatic type anyway. The muffled crash and yelling inside the house was a welcome distraction as the man, who must have been Drayton, ignored you.

Three men closer to your age came tramping down the stairs, two of them practically chasing the other, though he was much more physically imposing. Your assumptions were soon corroborated when the eldest brother shouted for Nubbins and ChopTop to quit running Bubba around the house so he could bring the suitcases in. The twins' hooting and hollering dimmed to an onslaught of words directed at their cousin. You sighed and walked back outside to grab your bag, hoping you'd be allowed to carry it yourself this time.

A garbled sentence drew your attention back to Bubba, who followed you to the car dutifully. You tried for a sympathetic smile. "Hey, it's nice to meet you. I can get mine and that one's hers." He nodded and looked at you expectantly through the eye-holes of a homemade mask, prompting you to apologize and give him your name. You had a feeling Bubba might be the only brother that wouldn't give you a headache by the end of this trip.

Everyone else had dispersed from the front hall by the time the two of you were back inside, so he showed you to the room you would be staying in. It was upstairs, right across from his, where as Luda's was downstairs so she wouldn't have to worry about her knees. The placement of occupied bedrooms seemed a little strange to you, with each brother as far from each other as possible except for the twins, who shared a bathroom. More than anything, you were glad you were put with the most quiet member of the family, since you didn't like to be distracted from your work. Bubba had turned to leave, but lingered in the doorway when he saw what you were pulling out of your bag. Animal bones of all shapes and sizes fell from the canvas in neat packages, and you unwrapped one to show him. "Raccoon femur. Pretty cool, right?"

Bubba squealed and flapped his hands, hurrying down the stairs and looking back a few times to make sure you were still following. He brought you to a room covered in bones, many of which looked to be human. A chicken suspended in a cage squawked a greeting as you gasped and smiled brightly up at him. "Oh my god, this is amazing!" He babbled more quietly, looking a little embarrassed. "Which one of you made all these decorations? I especially like this one." You pointed at a wind-chime made from what you thought might be finger bones. He couldn't look at you, but patted his chest. "No need to be shy, Bubba," You laughed, "You did a great job."

A voice called for everyone to wash up for dinner, and you let him lead you to the dining room where the twins were already seated and arguing. He pulled out a chair for you next to his, which made your face heat up just a bit. ChopTop immediately started teasing Bubba, but before you could get a word in edgewise, Luda walked in with a plate piled high with steak. You set it on the table for her and got up to help, but Bubba put a hand on your shoulder to stop you. Rolling your eyes with a smile, you let him take your place to get away from his brothers a little longer.

As you expected, Chop went in on you instead. "You been hidin' away with Junior this whole time? Makes ya wonder what y'all were doin' all by yer lonesomes."

Unfortunately for you both, Charlie had prepared you for random bouts of derision. "Aw, are you jealous?"

Both twins went red in the face, though Nubbins was laughing himself into resembling a cherry tomato. Drayton shouted for him to shut his mouth, but that just made him wheeze harder. ChopTop smacked his brother on the arm, and you just settled back into your chair to wait for dinner to be served.

You had been warned that mealtimes would be an "eventful" affair, but the boys seemed to be on their best behavior whenever Luda was around. She had always been the type to command a room, despite her sweet disposition; when she talked, you listened. "When's the last time y'all had visitors, Dray?"

He cleared his throat, eyeing you as your knife cut cleanly through the meat. "Maybe a week ago. Been savin' the best cuts for your visit, though."

"Well aren't you thoughtful. It's been a while since we had somebody come through, but we've been gettin' by on what we've got. Poor Tommy's been antsy, but I figure he'll have caught one or two by the time we get back."

You nodded along, fully aware of both family's eating habits. As long as you weren't on the menu, it was fairly easy to ignore. "Keep gettin' real skinny ones, though. They make better jerky than anything else."

The room let out a breath of relief and you glanced at Bubba, who was bouncing a little in his seat. Smiling to yourself, you half-listened to Luda go on talking just to fill the silence. You chuckled under your breath when it began to sound like she was advertising how nice and helpful you were around the house. "Such a sweetheart, but there ain't a mess in the world this one can ignore. Always pickin' up after everybody even when I say it ain't necessary." She gave you a wry smile, which you returned with a good-natured shrug.

"I think we could use somebody like that around here, if I'm honest." Drayton didn't realize the mistake he'd just made, and neither did you, but Luda jumped on it.

"Well all the jobs have been goin' and I bet y'all could let her stay in exchange for pickin' up or somethin' like that." Her voice was carefully nonchalant, but you recognized that tone. She knew you had a problem and figured she'd solve it, regardless of what anybody else thought of the idea.

You kept your eyes on your plate, eating without pause so you wouldn't have to share an opinion on the matter. Drayton made a thoughtful noise, but the twins started talking over one another, saying they were tired of seeing the same faces everyday and wanted you to stay longer. You and Bubba were the only ones outside of the conversation, but you could see the way his leg had tensed up under the table next to you. It was awful to think you'd made him uncomfortable, even by proxy, so you glanced up at him to gauge his expression. It was hard to tell with the mask on, but he seemed nervous, almost. You gently tapped your elbow against his to get him to look at you, tilting your head to ask if he was okay. Bubba whimpered quietly, rubbing your arms together with a small, but reassuring smile.

"I think we could make that work; always need more hands on deck, after all. We can come up with somethin' a little more structured tomorrow, whaddya say?" Drayton looked at Luda, then you, as you both nodded. She seemed more excited, but then again she wasn't the one getting handed a full time job that might end up unpaid.

As you settled into bed that night with a full stomach, you wondered again why Bubba had looked so nervous at the thought of you staying longer than a few days. His room was only a couple steps away, but you didn't want to bother him. Your bag sat half-opened on the floor, and you figured you might as well unpack to get your mind off of those furrowed brows and pouty lips. Clothes were folded neatly in the drawers, toiletries arranged on the attached bathroom's counter, and the packages of bones sat unwrapped at the foot of the bed. You lingered on these, organizing and regrouping them a few times until you were satisfied enough to line them up on top of the dresser. You knew you were stalling, just unsure of what for. You jumped at a loud snore from across the hall, then shook your head and laughed at yourself for being startled. It wasn't long before the ebb and flow of Bubba's snoring faded into white noise and you were drifting off to sleep.

With the morning came another round of thundering footsteps and shouted conversations. The smell of sausage wafted up the stairs as you got ready to face the day. By the time you joined the breakfast table, only Chop was absent. Bubba giggled happily when you chose the same seat to his left, and you smiled back, glad his mood was lighter after some rest. It only took a moment to realize that Drayton and Nubbins were arguing over who had to go wake up ChopTop, so you sighed and stood up. "Where's his room?" Bubba squeaked and pointed down the hall, so you left the other men hollering and went to go get him.

Knocking on the door, you called for him to wake up, answered only with a groan. "Chop, they won't quit yelling until you show up, just cover your bits and come on." You got a cackle in response and counted it as a win.

He walked in wrapped in a blanket and probably nothing else almost as soon as you sat down again. Ignoring them all, you tucked into your sausage and eggs. Drayton tried arguing with him instead, but you were already sick of it. "He's here, ain't he? Eat your breakfast."

The twins laughed, even Bubba giggled some more, but Luda just sipped her tea smugly. You were beginning to think she had asked you to come along just to herd cats. She was lucky you had a big appetite and got along with Bubba well enough to stay. There really wasn't much to do back home without a job to keep you busy, and she was right about your cleaning habit, so it wasn't hard to convince you. As long as you could keep your bone collection and go through theirs, you'd be happy as a clam. It was a little bittersweet to think that Luda would be leaving the next day, though. You'd miss her.

Later, Bubba knocked on your door. He stood sheepishly in the hall until you invited him in, wearing a mask you hadn't seen before. "Is that a new one? Looks real pretty." He squealed, covering his mouth quickly to muffle it, but you put your hand on his arm and tried to meet his eyes. "I mean it, Bubs. You look pretty regardless, but I like the colors you used for the makeup."

He buried his face in his hands, and you let him get away with it that time. Chuckling to yourself, you sat on the bed next to him with some of your art supplies to continue a necklace made from possum teeth. He peered over at the work in progress, babbling quietly by your ear. You began to explain the process out loud to him, describing the way you cleaned and prepared the materials as you strung each tooth between beads. He was a good listener, pointing to pieces he wanted you to talk about more. After you tied the last knot, Bubba tugged your sleeve so you'd stand up with him. He took you back down to the room filled with bones, gesturing to some of the furniture he had made.

"I don't really make stuff that big, but I do more than jewelry, if that's what you're asking." He pointed to himself, the bench behind him, then to you. You nodded, smiling at how eager he was to share a hobby with you. "Yeah, I'd love to work on something like this with you. Maybe that can be part of my job here."

He stammered a little, hurrying to bring you into the living room where Drayton and Luda were watching a talk show. They both looked up when you walked in, and Luda waved you over to sit with her on the sofa. When Bubba didn't move, you whispered, "C'mon, we can all fit."

Drayton coughed and took a swig of water from a chipped mason jar. "Think you'd be up to cleanin' this place? Can't exactly spare to pay ya, but you'll get the same room you're in and three meals a day."

"Sure. If I could, I'd like to organize that bone room, but I know the rest of the house needs to take priority. I can cook pretty well too, if you aren't feelin' like it." You pulled your legs up onto the sofa, accidentally putting one halfway into Bubba's lap. You adjusted and turned back to the eldest. "I make things with found objects like what you've got in there, used to sell some of my stuff at the farmer's market. Bubba already offered to show me how to make furniture."

Drayton eyed his baby brother for a little too long before responding. "Sounds like a deal to me."

When you glanced at Bubba, he was blushing so hard he was crimson down to the collar. Concerned, you put a hand on his knee, but he avoided your gaze. You noticed that he didn't do anything to shake off your hand, so you kept it there as the talk show host introduced a new guest.

Wandering back into the kitchen, you passed a window showing the twins walking back to the house through an overgrown garden. You had always wanted your own place to grow vegetables and herbs. Struck with an idea, you met them at the back door. "Hey you two, I've got a challenge for you." Just as you expected, they both perked up at the opportunity to best the other at something. You went out to one of the raised beds and tugged up a weed. "I'm about to make a batch of cookies, and the one with the most weeds pulled up by the time I'm done gets first dibs. They've gotta be completely uprooted though, not just snapped off."

Nubbins didn't even agree, just ran off to start with Chop at his heels, shouting at him for trying to get a head start. You laughed and went back inside to find what ingredients were available. Really, you hadn't even meant to bake anything until you realized they'd need an incentive. It was a bit of a mess, but you figured you might as well get started on your new job. It wasn't easy to find a single thing in that kitchen, but after you piled everything in your way onto the table in the middle of the room, you could at least get to what you wanted. You stared at the mountain of expired ingredients and sighed, wishing you could make industrial trash bags and a label maker appear out of thin air. With the counters clear, you started on the cookies so you could clean while they baked. People tried to poke their heads in a couple times while you worked, but you shooed them away as best you could. Thankfully, only Drayton commented on the state of the room, while Luda and Bubba just wanted to help. You sent them for trash bags and continued going through the endless supply of cans and yellowed tupperware.

"I know you want to help, honey. I'll be fine."

Bubba did not like the answer to his questioning whine. He sat on the floor with you and picked up one of the cans in the pile closest to him. Unsure what you were looking for on each one, he made the same noise.

You showed him the expiration date. "If it's more than a few days past the date, it needs to be thrown out. Can't be eating stuff that's gone bad or it'll make us sick."

He shrugged and started transferring the pile into bags. You were almost certain that Drayton hardly ever used but a few things in the cupboards, so you gave him a pass for not knowing. It was like no one had gone through the pantry since moving in, and you sighed as you began to pull things off the shelves at random to check the dates. By the time the cookies were done, the room looked like more of a mess than it had to begin with, but you were keenly aware of how much work had gone into trashing the place. You set them on the counter to cool and mentioned the weeding competition to Bubba as he walked in from throwing some bags into the big trash can outside. He giggled and closed the oven door for you.

From the back door, you called out to the twins, "All done, lemme see!"

ChopTop was closer, so you joined him first. "Been countin' 'em as I go. Got forty-two!"

His brother shot up from the dirt with a whoop. "Fifty!"

"Looks like you get first pick from the batch, Nubbins." Chop trailed behind you both with a grumble. "There's plenty to go around, don't worry." Bubba handed you a spatula and a plate as you re-entered, making you smile. "Thanks, honey. Now, there's enough for everybody in the house to have two, but Nubbins get to choose his first and gets to eat however many are left if somebody doesn't want theirs."

Drayton and Luda had apparently been called in, as they were lingering by the table as you spoke. Bubba handed you more plates as you let everyone choose, saving yourself for last. You had earned both cookies and only Luda left one for the winner. Nubbins snatched it up from the tray without waiting for you to give it to him, chomping down messily while sending a shit-eating grin to his twin.

When everybody had their fill, only Bubba stayed in the kitchen with you. He babbled cheerily as you both settled back onto the floor. The cans had been finished, but there was still boxes and cleaning supplies from under the sink you didn't fully trust. You brushed some hair out of his eyes, making him turn to face you. "I'm glad you wanted to stay with me, Bubs. It's nice just spending time with you." He forced himself to keep looking at you, though you could tell he wanted to hide from the attention again. "I'm kinda excited to keep living here with you. The other boys are fine, but I guess you just make me happy to be here."

Bubba surged forward, pulling you onto his lap so he could breathlessly whimper his thanks into your neck. Surprised at his boldness, but not bothered in the slightest, you wrapped your arms around him with a gentle squeeze. Footsteps sounded in the hall, and he squeaked, picking you up and leaving the kitchen quickly. You had no idea where he was going, but it was easy to tell he didn't want anyone to ruin the moment by coming in and teasing you both. Giggling into his shoulder, you clung to his broad frame as he tromped up the stairs, making you bounce a little in his arms. Being so close to him was exhilarating, especially with such an unthinking display of strength; he had no idea what he was doing to you. You were the one turning red now, burying your face in his plush chest just to feel more of him. Once in his room, Bubba tried to set you down, but you didn't let go. Instead, you tugged at his shirt so he'd follow you further up the bed. He kicked his shoes off and did as you wanted, flopping with his head on your stomach while you sat up against the headboard. You carded your fingers through the hair of the mask, wishing you could feel what was underneath.

"Sweetie?" You didn't want to rush the question. Bubba lifted his head expectantly, toothy smile making your heart melt even more. "I know you might not be ready yet, but whenever you are, I'd love to see what you look like under the mask."

He made a short, high pitched noise that made you regret asking at all. But then he glanced at the closed door and took your hand to cover your eyes with it. A quiet rustling was all you could hear, but then his head was back on your stomach and your other hand was guided to his hair like he had known exactly what you wanted.

"I won't look, Bubs, I promise. I'm just going to take my hand off, okay?" He burbled complacently so you put both hands on him, petting his hair and rubbing at his shoulder. "Every bit of you is so soft." He hummed and shifted your shirt up so he could rest his bare face on your stomach. You gasped at the sudden burst of cold followed by the now familiar weight, but didn't push him away.

"God, I wanna kiss you." You tensed immediately, realizing you had said that last part out loud. Bubba, however, made a sweet little happy noise and pressed a chaste kiss to your tummy. You didn't say anything else, afraid of slipping up again somehow. He squeezed your love handles, giving each a kiss, then pulled your shirt back down. The bed creaked as he sat up in front of you, and it was only a minute before he was covering your eyes with his hand so he could pull away to let you know when to open them. Blinking at the light, you smiled at the soft look on his face, which was once again covered by the mask. He took your hand and kissed the palm, closing your fingers around it. "I'll keep this one for you." Your voice was a whisper, not wanting the moment to end. You took his hand and repeated the gesture, hoping this wouldn't be the last time you'd see this side of him.

[bukojuiice]

What happens when the bakusquad babysits Katsuki’s daughter? (Dad! Katsuki Bakugo x Mom! Reader) Headcanons + One-shot

ೃ pairing: (dad! katsuki bakugo x mom! reader)

ೃ  warnings: none

ೃ genre: fluff overload, parent fic/hcs

ೃ word count: 5,141 words

ೃ 1/4 of @bukojuiice’s 800 followers special!

ೃ  my nav  →  my mha writing masterlist  → my katsuki bakugo x reader smau

ೃ   A  sequel in the form of headcanons + one-shot to my dad! Bakugo fic “like the soul of honey” I recommend reading that first before going through this! Don’t worry if you don’t want to though! Both are standalone and not really connected with each other. 

ೃ   This was originally just going to be headcanons, but I didn’t want to keep writing it in hcs style halfway through so be treated to both headcanons + a one-shot instead! as you can tell already, this was so so much fun to write and i felt so soft after writing this uwu

ೃ  shoutout to two of my loves @sparkykatsuki for coming up with this idea!  I just knew i had to do it bc i love bakusquad sm!! they give me such a serotonin boost and I find it really fun writing about them!! Thank you for having such big brain energy and for conspiring this concept franz!  And to @chibishae34​ bc i know she loves baby fics as much as I do HSHSHSH

ೃ   your daughter’s name is hikari which means light. bakugo thought of that name because light is essentially a part of his quirk and hikari is a part of him.

ೃ  please do reblog if you enjoyed!! (feel free to add tags too because i love reading them and my heart swells with happiness when people love my work!) ♡

—  Hikari is blessed with the best uncles and aunts she could ever ask for!!

—  Both Bakusquad and Dekusquad take turns in helping you and Katsuki get your well deserved rest and relaxation at least once a month ever since Hikari turned 6 as... she became quite the feisty girl. Too feisty to handle actually.

—  She was energetic and playful 24/7. And so, it was hard to keep up with her energy most of the time.

—  She still remained kind and obedient yet she was also an absolute bundle of joy who would just run around the house, play with her toys, and go on roleplaying adventures with you and Katsuki. She had absolutely no idea how much she would tire you and Katsuki, however, and sometimes she would go on for hours and hours just running around the house and interacting with everything she sees.

—  She had an inquisitive mind, and although you always encourage her to be smart and be intrigued with everything, she tends to question almost everything she lays her eyes on and you end up having to come up with a witty and a very childlike answer for her to understand.

—  A good example of this is when she asked you ever so innocently about where babies come from and your husband was ABOUT TO TAKE HER QUESTION LITERALLY and give her the science talk about sexual reproduction. When the two of you agreed to only give her that talk when she turns 8 as she might not even entirely understand it in the first place.

—  “Mommy, Daddy, where do babies come from?”

—  “I guess it’s time for the talk.” Bakugo shrugs, remarking sternly. He takes his daughter’s little hand in his and bringing her to the living room. “You see, Hikari, babies come from the wo-”

—  “Storks!” You cut Bakugo off before he could say another word, nudging him on the elbow. “Hikari-chan, the babies are brought down to this world by the white and strong birds in the sky!” You whisper the last bits of information to her ear. “The storks told me that once you get older, they’ll tell you the secret of where they actually pick up the babies.”

—  “Really!?” She says in disbelief, her eyes gleaming in excitement. “YAY! YAY! YAY! I can’t wait!” She goes back to running around the house looking for even more things to ask about and you breathe a sigh of relief as soon as she leaves.

—  Although it was nice that you are able to bond as a family, it does get pretty tiring sometimes. Of course your weariness is worth the risk if it’s just to see Hikari smile.

— Especially since you and Bakugo were both pro-heroes (although you mostly do stand by pro hero work meaning you work from home almost all the time.) You found it much more enriching if both you and bakugo are guiding her and working together to create a loving and supportive family for Hikari.

— Both of your respective friend groups, whomst you remained close to ever since high school, noticed how the both of you looked tremendously exhausted and looked like you were in dire need to have 9 cups of coffee every time you would meet up with each other in between your pro hero duties.

—  And so both squads came into an agreement, that they would help the two of you out by giving you a 48 hour day off every month to do whatever the heck married couples do as they would babysit Hikari and have fun.

—  This was also a great way to get closer with their niece even if they dote on her so much already.  As you and Bakugo are the first persons in your friend groups who got married and have a child together.

—  This month, the Bakusquad is in charge of taking care of Hikari and just from the fact that Kirishima, Kaminari, Mina and Sero are going to babysit your daughter alone, you know it’s going to be chaotic.

—  Things didn’t go swimmingly last time (literally), as only Kirisihima and Kaminari were the only ones available the last time they came to babysit. They took Hikari to a community pool, and she came back with a missing tooth and some scratches on her legs from playing too much. Katsuki was NOT pleased and you had to restrain your husband from trying to obliterate his best friends even if Hikari had little to no injuries and it was normal for kids her age to have these things happens to them at least once in their childhood.

—  With your assurance and the look that was on Hikari’s face and how she would not shut up about how she loved spending time with Uncle Eijiro and Uncle Denki, Katsuki eventually let it slide and just gave his friends the usual “Katsuki Bakugo treatment” where he acts cold and angry at them, paired with his easily irritated and idgaf attitude.

—  This month however, was going to be different because Mina and Sero are finally joining along and making sure that Hikari has the best weekend since they weren’t able to babysit last time.

—  Hikari loved her Aunt Mina because she would braid her hair and style her with different cute outfits that only Mina, with her love for fashion and all things girly and pink could attempt to do and end up doing perfectly. She also taught Hikari all the dances to disney songs and nursery rhymes she knows how to do so far. Hikari affectionately refers to her Aunt Pinkie whenever Mina isn’t around.

—  Kirishima, who was the most frequent to visit the 3 of you, out of all of the Bakusquad, considers Hikari as his new #1 best friend. Dethroning and kicking her very own father from that spot. Hikari is a much more gentle and sweet version of her explosive father, and so Eijiro is able to interact and play with Hikari because he already knows Bakugo and his mannerisms very well. Hikari calls him Uncle Sharkie and she always asks her dad about how he and Kirishima became such good friends. To which Katsuki would reply with, “It’s a long story princess.”

—  Kaminari was the fun uncle. He always gave off those vibes ever since high school anyway. Giving Hikari candy behind Katsuki’s back (although you made sure Kaminari didn’t give her any that were tooth rotting sweet ones) Buying her ice cream whenever he came to drop by, and bringing her to the nearby playground amongst many other things. He spoils her a lot (in a good way) and Hikari calls her the fun “sparkie” uncle.

— Then, there was Sero. He retained his love for Spiderman since he was a kid, and he was able to pass that on to Hikari. His way of playing with her was cute since Sero is super tall, he would let Hikari ride on his shoulders, trying to imitate airplane noises as they would “fly” around the house. He gifted Hikari some child-friendly comic books for you and Katsuki to read to her before. bed. Although she never fails to say that the best heroes are her mommy and daddy. She calls Sero her Uncle Spidey.  

—  Uncle Sharkie, Uncle Sparkie, Aunt Pinkie, and Uncle Spidey. The Holy Quaternity.

(One-shot starts below this!)

“AUNT MINA! UNCLE EIJIRO! UNCLE DENKI! UNCLE SEROOO!” Hikari rushes to the door as soon as she hears the doorbell ring, she jumps into Eijiro’s arms and the red-haired pro hero twirls her around. The rest of the Bakusquad forms a circle around her, and can’t help but look at her adoringly.

“How’s my little ball of sunshine!?” Mina squeezes Hikari’s cheekies, earning giggles from the little girl. “I’m fine Aunt Mina! I mished chu!” She begins to talk in a cute accent as she just can’t contain her excitement.

“Hikari-chan! Do you still remember our little handshake?” Sero kneels down to the little girl’s height, offering her his hand. The little girl nods, shakes it and their thumbs twiddle together, as if they were thumb wrestling. They do a few more quirky hand shakes and then end it with a bang by saying “BOOM!” Sparks suddenly fly out from Hikari’s hands, her aunt and uncles coo since noticing how much her quirk has developed ever since they started babysitting.

“Okay you two!” Mina turns to you and Katsuki, as she had noticed you had some distinct luggage packed for a quick hot spring getaway, she practically pushes the two of you out of the door when Katsuki stops in his tracks, turning to his friends.

He glares at them and points his fingers to his eyes in a “I’m watching you” type of gesture. “Not one single scratch on her or all of you are dead to me.”

Kaminari laughs, patting his friend on the back, “We gotchu buddy. Your little ball of sunshine is safe in our hands. She’ll have the best time with us!”

Hikari quickly runs to you and Katsuki, giving you both a tight hug. “We love you Hikari. We’ll just be gone for two days oki? Your uncles and your aunt here will keep you safe this weekend alright? We love you!” You peck her lightly on the cheek, a pout forming on your daughter’s face.

“I’ll miss you Mommy. Daddy.” She doesn’t let go, hugging the two of you even tighter. “I loaf you! See you soon!”

“Be a good girl okay Hikari?” Katsuki kneels down to meet his daughter’s eyes, orbs that were as passionate as his, planting a kiss on her forehead. “We’ll miss you kiddo.”

You could hear Kaminari and Sero silently snicker in the background since they still can’t wrap their head around the fact that their friend could become so soft when in front of his child as opposed to his usual rough demeanor he shows to everyone else.

Katsuki wraps his arm around your waist, holding you tightly, with you dragging along the luggage that the two of you were going to bring on this trip. You bid your final goodbyes with ease and relief, knowing that your daughter will be in “safe hands” the entire weekend.

“We’re going to have so much fun!” Mina squeezes Hikari and the rest of the  Bakusquad into a hug. “What do you want to do first Hikari-chan?”

“Oh! Um! I don’t know if I should ask this b-but..” The blonde little girl hides her hands in her pockets, her feet tapping the floor. “I actually want to know how Mommy and Daddy met! Not the marry or the lovey thing! Just how they met and fell in love!”

“Hikari-chan!! You’re so cuteeeeeeee!” Kaminari begins to weep crocodile tears, pulling Hikari into another hug. “If that’s what you want to do for today, then we’ll gladly tell the story of how your mom and dad met!”

The Bakusquad formed and sat in a circle on the floor. Hikari was sitting on Mina’s lap as the latter braided her hair into what was called a Fishtail braid. Kirishima, with the help of Sato, baked some chocolate chip cookies a few days ago for all of them to snack on while they babysit Hikari.

Sero clears his voice and begins the story. “Your mom and your dad met each other in High School. Along with all of us and your Uncle Izuku, Uncle Tenya, Uncle Shoto, Aunt Ochaco, Aunt Tsuyu-” He continues to recall the names of all the other people Hikari know and love. “They were total opposites actually.”

“O-opposithes?” Hikari tilts her head, a puzzled look on her face as she tries to process what her Uncle Sero had just said. “D-does that mean that Daddy didn’t like Mommy?”

“It’s not like that Hikari-chan. Don’t worry.” Kirishima saves Sero from making the little girl misinterpret what he had just said, nudging his raven-haired friend in the arm. “It’s just that your dad was hot-headed and angry all the time, but he fell in love with your mom because she was sweet, patient and understanding!” Kirishima reiterates, a soft look on his face, looking back on the sweet sentimental memories of high school. “They were perfect for each other!”

“Oh! So daddy was angy all the time? Since mommy is really nice she told Daddy to be nice and they fell in love!?”

Mina giggles, continuing to style Hikari’s hair. “Yes Hikari-chan. That’s exactly what happened! You’re so good!”

“I am!?” Yay!” She claps her hands together, a wide smile present on her face, she was becoming more and more intrigued. “Tell me more please!”

“Well...” Kaminari continued where Kirishima had left off, “Your mom and dad got closer because they got teamed up to fight our pro hero teacher for our exam! They fought and they had a hard time talking to each other but they passed the exam in the end! It was hard at first. Your dad kept on telling us that he didn’t like your mom in a lovey way but we kept on pushing him until he accidentally said that he liked her! Your mommy heard what he said and then she told him that she liked him too!”

“F-fight? I thought Daddy only fights bad guys...” Her voice begins to crack as if she was about to cry. The Bakusquad were about to speak up and explain but failed to because as soon as Mina was done braiding her hair, Hikari immediately stands up and bows politely to the four adults. “I’m going to play with Mr. Rilakkuma for a while. See you later!” She grabs a cookie from the plate and rushes into her room, locking the door behind her.

“See you later Hikari-chan!” Kaminari waves cluelessly, not realizing what he had just said that prompted Hikari to leave the room in the first place. Mina stands up on her knees, shooting him a glare and flicking his forehead, “Did you not realize what you just did!?”

“Ahh what did I do!?” He rubs the spot on his forehead that Mina had just hit, and looks at his two other friends for a clue as to why they were ganging up with him.

“I guess Chargedolt will always be Chargedolt.” Sero shrugs, shaking his head in disappointment.. “Hikari misinterpreted what you said. She thinks that Bakubro used to fight (Y/N) like she’s a villain or something back when we were in High School.”

“WAIT! OBJECTION! SHE MISINTERPRETED YOUR STORY FIRST-”

“Guys. Guys. There’s nothing we can do about it. Both of you slipped, so let’s give Hikari-chan some space first then talk to her later.” Kirishima cuts Kaminari off before he and Sero would start an argument,  which would prompt Hikari to further think more negative thoughts.

“(Y/N) said that Hikari-chan’s been liking Tonkotsu Ramen recently, so I think it’s best if all of us help out in cooking her favorite comfort food to cheer her up.” Mina sighs deeply, crossing her arms. She heads straight to the kitchen without uttering another word, the three other guys follow suit.

After several hours, it was finally night time and time for dinner! At the orders of Mina, Sero and Kaminari came to pick up Hikari from her room.

Sero knocked softly. “Hikari-chan? It’s time for dinner!”

“We cooked your favoriteee Tonkatsu Ramen!” Kaminari added in a playful voice.

No reply.

“Hikari-chan?” Sero knocks again, a bit louder this time. He then turns to Denki and whispers, “Maybe she’s asleep?”

Before the two men were to retreat and go back to the living room, the door to the little girl’s room was unlocked with a long click, as if there was hesitance..

Denki quickly turns the knob to be surprised at the sight of Hikari... packing her clothes into a cute backpack?

“Hikari-chan! W-what are you doing?” Kaminari runs to her, trying to stop her from folding her clothes.

“I’m going to go see Mommy and Daddy! I’ll go take a bus and find them!” She wipes the tears streaking down her cheeks, sniffing her nose while attempting to stuff her teddy bear inside her backpack. “Daddy took Mommy so that they’re going to fight aren’t they!? I don’t want that!”

“No no no no no Hikari. It’s not like that!” Kaminari wipes the little girl’s tears with a handkerchief, he gestures Sero to call Kirishima and Mina whilst he tries to comfort the girl. “Your dad took your mom out because today is their lovey anniversary! It wasn’t because they were going to fight!”

“Ah! Owkay!” Hikari suddenly raises her head, taking the handkerchief from Denki and wiping her tears.  “Can I visit Daddy and Mommy then!?”

“O-oh well...”

“Of course we can go Hikari-chan!” Kirishima barges in, Sero and Mina close behind him. “Let’s surprise them!”

“Yay! Surprising them! I love surprises!” The little girl jumps up and down in her place. “What time do we go!? What time do we goooo!?”

“After dinner you little cutie.” Mina smiles at the younger Bakugo’s sudden shift in mood. “We cooked your favorite Tonkotsu Ramen!”

“AH! TONKOTSU RAMEN TONKOTSU RAMEN!” Hikari wiggles her arms, slightly pushing the adults out of the way and runs out of her room, Sero catches up to her, only to find her sitting properly on the dining table. “I’m ready to eat now! Just waiting for all of you!” She shouts from outside.

“She’s absolutely fricking adorable.” Kaminari remarks. “But Kiri.. are you serious? We’re actually going all the way to a prefecture and bring her to her parents? Isn’t our job supposed to be keeping her here while they rest and relax in the onsen?”

“W-well... It’s not like we can do anything about it right?” Eijiro shrugs off Denki’s concern, holding on to a stress ball that Hikari had in her room. “She’ll be moping around and going back to overthinking about what her parents are doing right now. We’ll take her there and besides, once we do get there, (Y/N) and Bakugo already had a day’s worth of rest. And I think it’s time for us to take Hikari on a road trip and have fun with her!”

“Uncle Eijiro.. Aunt Mina... Uncle Denki... what’s taking you so long?” Hikari yawns and rubs her eyes, still holding on to her chopsticks. “The ramen is going to get cold...”

“Oh no! It is!?” Mina reacts quickly, taking Hikari’s hand and leading her to the table. “Let’s get there before Elsa makes it even colder!”

“NOOOOOO!! Elsa’s going to do that!? Whyyyyyy!?”

“Let’s just hope that this isn’t a repeat of what happened when we took her to the community pool.” Kaminari shakes his head, recalling the past event. “Bakugo almost killed us if it weren’t for (Y/N).”

“I don’t think it will. Besides, Sero and Mina will be with us, so the more the merrier!”

Oh and the merrier it was.

“HAKUNA MATATA! WHAT A WONDERFUL PHRASE!” Bakusquad along with Hikari, sing in unison. Bopping along to the iconic song from Lion King.

“IT MEANS NO WORRIES! FOR THE REST OF YOUR DAYS!” Hikari belts out, the others clapping along to her singing, doing their best to hype her up

Kirishima was singing Timone’s lines, Kaminari was singing Pumba’s, Sero and Mina were the background vocals and and Hikari was singing Simba’s lines.

It was 6 am in the morning and they were finally on the road and on the way to a Hot Springs Resort in Chiba Prefecture, where you and Bakugo were staying in for the weekend.

Kirishima was driving the SUV that he immediately bought when he got his first Pro Hero paycheck, Denki was riding shotgun, and Hikari was seated at the middle squeezed in by both Mina and Sero.

Disney Songs were set to be played for the entire morning to tire out Hikari and so that she can sleep peacefully and rid Bakusquad of the slight annoyance they will receive when she asks “Are we there yet?” every 2 minutes.

Denki had unfortunately messed up the spotify playlist that Jiro had given him, and the piano opening of A Thousand Miles begins to play.

“OMG IT’S OUR SQUAD SONG!” Mina’s eyes lit up as soon as the well-known piano keys blared out from the speakers. “MAKING MY WAY DOWNTOWN, WALKING FAST, FACES PASS AND I’M HOMEBOUND!”

The iconic part before the chorus begins to play and the boys sing along, “AND I NEED YOU! AND I MISS YOUUU!” They shake their shoulders to the beat, and Hikari giggles along.

“CAUSE YOU KNOW I’D WALK A THOUSAND MILES IF I CAN JUST SEE YOU TONIGHTTTTT.” Bakusquad sings dramatically in unison, raising their hands up high and just vibing to the beat.

“Hikari-chan! You should totally hear your dad sing this! He loves this song!” Mina turns to the little girl who continued to laugh at how chaotic her aunt and uncles were being. “Really!? I want to learn it then so that Mommy and Daddy would know that I can be a singer too!”

The song ends and yet everyone else was still vibing. After the current song, the hype and the energy has died down and Hikari is fast asleep on Mina’s lap and her feet were lying on a pillow that was placed on Sero’s lap.

“She really is a spitting image of both (Y/N) and Bakugo. They’re really great parents.” said Sero, who wanted to break the silence and keep the atmosphere lively.

“My mind is still shook over the fact that Bakubro would turn so soft every time he’s in the same room as his daughter. It’s a complete 180 on his personality, and I really wanna tease him about it when we finally get the chance.” Kaminari interjects. “Do you think Bakugo would get mad when we arrive there?”

“Trust me on this guys.” Kirishima says casually, stepping on the gas pedal, as they go up the highway. “Bakugo won’t. In fact, I think both he and (Y/N) would be delighted to see their daughter travel for 180 miles just because of a misunderstanding.”

♡

“Suki-kun... do you think I should call up Mina to ask how Hikari’s doing?” You reach for your phone on the bedside table. “It’s 6 AM maybe Hikari forgot to drink her gummmy vitamins-”

“She’s going to be fine.” Katsuki murmurs in his bedhead voice, turning to your side of the bed to spoon you and nestle his head on your neck. “I trust Kirishima and the others.”

“This is surprising. You’re very casual about this now. What happened to your skepticism? Weren’t you too worried about how they were going to babysit Hikari after the pool incident?”

“To hell with that. If Hikari loves them, and they love her back just as much, might as well just roll with it. They’re my friends anyway and it’s better than Ilda scolding her for eating 4 M&Ms at 9 in the evening.”

You chuckle, holding his hands that were wrapped around your waist. “That’s harsh but you got a point. Although Hikari loves my friends and yours equally, they do think of Hikari as a little Bakugo so, they’re able to connect with her more.”

“What time do the private mixed gender hot springs open up again?” He grumbles suggestively and you giggle. “They open at 9 am. Should I reserve that time slot?”

“You should.” He growls but before you could even reply, he falls back to sleep.

♡

“WE’RE HERE!” Kirishima announces, waking Kaminari, Mina and Sero up from their sleep.

“W-what if this isn’t the right onsen?” Denki yawns, looking around to take in the view.

“I asked (Y/N) last night where they were staying. This is the place! She even gave me their room number for some reason.” Mina stretches her arms then pats Hikari on the forehead lightly. “Hikari we’re here...”

The little girl slowly opens her eyes, sitting up, then looks out the window.

“HOT SPRINGS! ONSEN!” She hastily tidies up her backpack and gets down the car as soon as Sero opens the door.

“Hikari-chan! Wait for us first!” Sero runs after her, making sure she doesn’t get too far.

“It’s 9 AM... I wonder if those two lovebirds are awake already.” Kaminari looks at the watch on his wrist, as he brings down their stuff from the trunk of the car.

“I looked this place up last night. It’s a family friendly hot springs resort, but it’s famed for it’s private mixed gender onsen. I wonder why though...” Mina mused, helping Denki out with bringing their stuff down.

Kirishima gets out of the car and bobs his head up as soon as he heard what Mina had said. He looks at Kaminari trying to tell him something through his stare. The mustard-haired man’s eyes widened when he realized why Kirishima was looking at him, then he turns to Mina who finally realizes what the mixed gender onsen meant.

“Oh.”

They enter the beautiful and lush resort, spotting Sero and Hikari who were sitting near the reception area, waiting for their reservation and for the rooms to be confirmed.

“Can’t believe we had to pay double the price for a standard room.” Kaminari pouts, whispering to Kirishima as the red-haired man hands him over the credit cards of each of his friends and then he hands it over to the concierge. He notices how excited Hikari looked and couldn’t help but smile.

As soon as the reservation was confirmed, Bakusquad and Hikari were able to check in immediately. Mina takes Hikari to her room while the three other boys were sharing their room with each other.

“Hikari before you can surprise your parents, you have to wear this Yukata first okay?” Mina helps fasten the bath robe on Hikari, but the little girl can’t help but be energetic and start dancing in her place. “Have you memorized the A Thousand Miles chorus already to sing to your mommy and daddy?”

“I have!”

Mina takes Hikari outside, the other boys were already out too and were wearing their bath robes.

“I saw (Y/N) enter this onsen. Maybe that’s where she and Bakugo are in? Should we take Hikari there?” Kaminari asks his three other friends, sipping on a fruit-flavored ramune, and handing one to Hikari.

“Yes please! I want to see Mommy and Daddy as soon as possible and then surprise them!” She sips on her ramune, looking at her aunt and uncles pleadingly, begging them to bring her there.

♡

“I could have sworn I heard Kaminari-kun’s voice outside.” You tell Katsuki, closing the screen door to the open air bath. You were holding a plate full of sliced Watermelon. Your robe was still on and you wanted to eat something first before getting in.

“Tch. Probably just your imagination.” Bakugo breathes a sigh of relief, slipping in further in the hot water. “I could get used to something like this every month.”

“Oh really?” You raise your eyebrow, and lick your lips. “Could you get used to-”

“If I could fall into the sky, do you think time would pass us ByYYY?”

You jolt up at the sweet and all too familiar voice that was echoing from the outside. Before you could even react properly, someone knocks on the door to reveal...

“Mommy! Daddy!”

“Hikari!?”

She jumps to you and pulls you into a tight hug. “I missed you so much! I thought you and Daddy were fighting that’s why you left!”

“Fighting!?” You look back and forth to Bakusquad then to your daughter. “Of course not! Why would we-”

“Uncle Sewo and Uncle Denki told me that you guys would always fight when you were in school! That’s why I thought that-”

“They did... what?” Bakugo’s tone becomes slightly irritated at the mention of Kaminari and Hanta’s name. The Bakusquad were about to face death and the consequences until...

“Oh! But! They also taught me a song today! It’s called A Thousand Miles! They said it was Daddy’s favorite!” She then turns to her father with such admiration in her eyes as she begins to sing the chorus. “Cause you know I’d walk a thousand miles just to see youuu~”

“Nice one sunshine. Did you learn that for me?” He gestures Hikari to approach him, ruffling her hair as she kneels down to peck him on the cheek. “I did!”

“It’s your favorite song! So, I also traveled a thousand miles to see you and Mommy!”

“Not necessarily a thousand miles, dear. But you’re close enough! You still traveled to see us! Yay!” You clap at the genius remark your daughter had made. You turn to the Bakusquad, nodding your head at them and smile. “Thank you for taking care of Hikari and bringing her here just because she wanted to. We’ll see you later at lunch?”

“Of course! Of course!” Mina waves goodbye, a tired but loving smile formed on her face. “We had a fun time with Hikari and we just couldn’t help but bring her here. But, you have Kiri to thank for all of this though!”

“No, I shouldn’t get all of the credit. This is a Bakusquad group effort, if Kaminari and Sero didn’t slip and if Hikari didn’t misunderstand their words, then we wouldn’t be here in the first place.” Kirishima cuts Mina off in a respectful way. He claps his hands together and pulls your other friends out of the room. “See ya guys later!”

“Thanks guys.” Bakugo nods generously to his friends. It was something he didn’t always do, but when he does, well, it’s worth seeing.

“Bye Uncle Sharkie, Aunt Pinkie, Uncle Sparkie and Uncle Spidey!” Hikari waves goodbye jovially, not realizing that she just called them the affectionate nicknames that she’s too embarrassed to say in front of them.

The four laugh at the little girl’s slip-up and they leave the hot springs in good spirits.

After that wonderful weekend, you explained to Hikari about why you’re taking a rest every month in the first place. She didn’t quite get the concept at first but after a little bit more of explaining, she came up with the idea that the two of you get four rest days in a month. One weekend just for you and Katsuki then the other weekend is for the three of you and if any of the Bakusquad or Dekusquad would want to come along.

It was the perfect agreement and if Hikari was going to grow up in an environment where she had the best aunts and uncles in the universe, then she’s going to grow up to be a great kid. Just like the adults in her life once were.

The End.

[pearl-blue-musings]

Perchance to Meet Final

Hi everyone!!

It’s finally here!! I decided to give you all an early birthday gift with this last installment. I want to thank everyone who liked, commented, and reblogged this story it truly means so much to me! This story is kinda my baby on this blog and I hope I did it justice. I’m excited for the future yall! And thank you for being on this journey with me!

Pairing: Aizawa Shouta x fem!reader

Enjoy the last chapter!

~~~~~~~~

The dim lights of the bookstore provide appropriate background for the employees closing up. Kona and (Y/n), now co-owners, are closing up for the night after a successful day of handling demanding children, strange grandmothers, and eager 20 somethings looking for a new hangout. It was long and tiring but incredible.

After the two of them finish writing up and closing the books and organizing the store for the next day, Kona heads up with (Y/n) into her apartment.

“Just so you don’t forget,” Kona starts, “you’re taking a few days off this upcoming week right?”

(Y/n) nods as they enter the apartment. Right by the door are a couple of suitcases and boxes and the pair pick them up and head back down to the storefront. “Yes Kona I didn’t forget. I’m just staying with Shota for a little bit.”

“And you need half of your life with you because?”

“Oh hush,” she chides, “I’m just moving some of my stuff into his place! Even though he lives at the school…”

Kona chuckles as they load up his car, “right, right. Whatever you say.” She sticks her tongue out at him as she shuts the car trunk. (Y/n) then slides into the passenger seat and she and Kona are on their way to the dorms at U.A.

After a bit of driving, they’re driving past the gate after security let them through. The young woman feels her anxiety skyrocket as things start to connect. This is her first time somewhat moving in with someone, her first time really meeting his students, and the first time she’ll meet his coworkers and learn more about his job. It’s exhilarating but frightening.

Kona looks over to her and places a hand on hers. “Hey, you’re gonna be safe here, otherwise I wouldn’t have allowed it.”

She snickers at him and starts to calm down. Upon entering the grounds, she sees heights alliance and is in awe of the tall buildings and the beauty surrounding them. She never realized just how big the campus was and now seeing it up close is how Shouta described it doesn’t do it justice.

And speaking of Shouta, there he stands right where he said he would be. Her lips upturn naturally at him and she can’t help but smile at her man. He’s hers, and she’s his. His hands are in his pockets as per usual as he sees you pull up, signature snarky grin on his face. When she opens the door, he takes her hand and pulls her into a hug.

“Hey.”

“Hey.”

He kisses her then, softly and wraps his arms around her waist not entirely caring who could potentially catch them. Most of his students should be in their dorms and Aizawa had a feeling he’s going to be introducing her to a lot of his coworkers tonight.

“Let me take your luggage for you,” he whispers in her ear and walks to the back of the car. Once he opens it, he stares at her in a deadpan. “Did you really pack all this stuff?”

“I mean, yes? Who knows how long I’ll stay here or if an accident happens. And besides I’ll need extra clothes just in case.”

He scoffs as he picks up your luggage and sees Kona carrying your extra box. “Is this your way of saying you want to move in together?”

That causes (Y/n) to visibly straighten. She had considered it, but maybe now is the right time to talk about it? “I mean, maybe? I’ve been thinking heavily about it. Is that okay?”

He holds her hand and brings it up to his lips and kisses the back of it. “Of course kitty cat,” he whispers huskily, “I’d love to move in with you at some point.”

Unfortunately, this act of intimacy wasn’t missed by wandering eyes. Upon walking up to the faculty dorm, two pairs of eyes were peering by the door in eager anticipation. Blue and green eyes look between themselves and matching sinister grins greet the couple.

“’Zawa she’s here!”

“This is her? She’s gorgeous! How could you keep her away from us for so long?”

“Well I met her first, Nemuri.”

“You don’t have to rub it in, Mic!”

Hearing the two friends banter makes Aizawa roll his eyes and holds onto (Y/n) tighter as they walk past the troublesome twosome. “Hey,” Nemuri steps in front of the couple, “I’m Midnight! But my friends call me Nemuri and I think you and I are going to be great friends!”

The sapphire eyed woman sticks out her hand toward (Y/n) and the latter takes it and smiles at her. Midnight squeals and takes her away from Aizawa, skillfully sneaking in a “I’ll take her to see some of the other teachers,” and the two of them were gone. Aizawa rolls his eyes again, something he figures he’ll be doing a lot of over the next few days, and asks Present Mic to pick up the slack.

The blond man walks with the always tired man and sparks conversation. “You must really love her, huh?”

Shouta hums and nods as they approach his room. The two men put her belongings down and then head back out to the common room. His eyes soften as he sees Nemuri introducing (Y/n) to some of the teachers that weren’t dealing with students freaking out about the festival tomorrow. The large and beautiful smile on her face makes everything they’ve waited for and been through worth it.

“Yeah Hizashi, I really do.”

*************

It had been years since the bookstore owner had set foot on a school campus, let alone for a school festival. Seeing the school at night was one thing, but seeing it in the day time is something else. The courtyard was dressed and set with tents, balloons, stalls and more. Her eyes lit up with childlike joy, but she wasn’t going there just yet. She had to meet her festival touring partner. (Y/n) walks down toward the front of the school and is greeted by a black car and outstep two people. One with a blinding smile, and the other dressed adorably.

“You’re Miss (Y/n) right? I’m Mirio! And I’m sure you already know Eri-chan here.”

She can’t help but smile at the energy the third year exuded. Shouta had told her that he had lost his quirk in the battle, but he is incredibly strong to be here right now smiling. The attachment he has to Eri is one you don’t miss. “It’s nice to meet you Mirio! Eri has told me so much about you.”

He smiles back at her and the three of them walk toward the school. Eri holds onto both of their hands as they walk through the festival. Eri is the first to speak up. “When will I see Midoriya? He’s performing soon right?”

Midoriya?

“Yes he is! And that’s where we’re headed. Do you want to be up front with me or sit in the back near Aizawa-senpai?”

Eri ponders Mirio’s question looking between both adults and then answers, “I wanna see Midoriya up close!”

Her response makes (Y/n) giggle and nod. The three of them speed walk toward the gym where class 1-A is having their music show. Once the trio reaches the gym, Aizawa spots (Y/n) and motions her over, letting Eri and Mirio to find a spot close to the front. The stoic man stands at the back, taking in the large crowd in front of him as he waits for his partner to join him. He does his best to avoid the stares and whispers of students about his class and about the strange woman that was allowed to come onto school grounds.

The entire performance is mesmerizing! Her eyes were blown wide the whole time; she knew they were incredible but to even put on a festival performance like this as first years? Her high school could never compete! To her right, Aizawa watched her in silent amusement at her childlike wonder at his students. He thinks to himself that this was the right way for her to see his students as just students and not victims of tragedy. He wanted the whole school to see it. And he knew his class would do just that.

Once that was over, the couple walked out into the gym lobby and waited for the large crowd to disperse. As they waited, (Y/n)’s mind began to drift off. This is his world and he’s openly sharing it with her. Although schedules had prevented the two of them from truly immersing into each others worlds, it’s nice for it to finally happen. The content woman hadn’t noticed the small smile that graced her features, but Aizawa had caught it. With how close they were, he reaches out his pinky to connect with hers for that little bit of intimacy they could do in public. The touch alone sends electric shocks through her body, finding out the man next to her does enjoy small acts of intimacy like this.

With the students moved on to the next thing, Aizawa leads them into the gym where his students are cleaning up. He spots Eri and Mirio talking with one of his troublemakers and his heart almost stops. He hears a gasp from beside him, most likely in recognition of what he saw.

“Eri,” she starts as happy tears form in her eye creases, “she’s smiling.”

The moment is short lived when Mineta interrupts the trio and begs them to clean up faster. As they finish cleaning up, Aizawa calls his class to his attention. He congratulates them on a job well done gives them their well earned praise. The class is excited but can’t help but keep sparing glances at the beautiful stranger next to their sensei. The only one who knows but is already nervous at the potential questions.

Aizawa lets his students go and is already heading toward the exit before they can bombard him with annoying questions. (Y/n) does her best to stifle her laughs because she can feel the questions lingering in the air as they leave his students confused. She can already hear the questions from different voices asking about who she is to their sensei and if they’ll see her more often. The noise fades when the couple walks outside to the rest of the festival to visit different vendors and stalls. Her ears pick up on something that surprises her is that there’s a fashion show? This school has everything.

She feels a tug on her pinky and looks up to meet unmoving eyes. Shouta directs them to a shaded and covered area that upon first glance, can’t be seen by passersby. He pulls her into the trees, checks for any onlookers, and places a sudden yet passionate kiss on her lips. She leans into his body, wrapping her arms around his neck to bring him closer to her. Their lips move and mesh like the waves crashing upon the shore, natural and effortless. When they pull apart, he places his forehead on hers and intertwines their fingers. “I’ve been wanting to do that all morning,” he breathes over her lips.

A giggle escapes her lips as she pecks his lips in happiness. She wants to deepen the kiss, but knows that Eri is waiting for them. She pulls at his arm for them to rejoin the festival and he huffs, disappointedly. Noticing this, she pulls him close to her mouth in order for her to whisper, “and we can continue this later where we can be as loud as we want, Sir.” She winks and skips toward Eri and Mirio who seemed to be looking for her.

Aizawa is usually a very stoic and composed man, but hearing her whisper that made him not leave the shaded area for a couple of minutes.

*************

The sunset over the edge of campus lit up the sky in beautiful oranges and purples. The festival went off without a hitch and it seemed that Eri had the time of her life. And so did (Y/n). The young girl was taken to the third year dorms to hang out with them and give Aizawa some much deserved alone time. He had finished chatting with Shinsou, his new mentee, while (Y/n) refreshed herself in the ladies’ room. Upon her return, she has to do a double take because she’s certain she’s seeing double. Two pairs of eyes turn to her as she slowly approaches.

“Oh Shinsou, this is (Y/n). You’ll see her from time to time.”

She waves at the lavender haired student and he lifts his eyebrows to acknowledge her. Looking at how close they are he speaks up, “Girlfriend?”

“Yeah.”

“Hm. Well I’ll see you tomorrow sensei and sensei’s girlfriend.”

(Y/n)’s mouth still hung open at the exchange that she was part of but also wasn’t part of. Shouta waves off Shinsou and starts walking in the opposite direction with her. Regaining her composure, she questions the man walking beside her. “So you’re just going around calling me your girlfriend when you haven’t even asked me?”

Aizawa turns his head toward her with his eyebrows furrowed. “I thought we established that back at the hospital.”

She laughs loudly as they approach the stairs leading to the roof. “All you did was tell that student I’m your girlfriend. You never asked me.”

All he does is hum and lead the woman up the stairs and to the rooftop where he had spent many hours before in his youth. With the moon starting to rise, he knew the fireworks commemorating the end of the festival would start soon and he wanted them to have the best view. Once the door is opened, she’s left stunned at the view. With the fire pits below them leaving little flakes and smoke to float into the sky as it transitions from purple to a deep blue.

“Shouta, this view is incredible.”

The awestruck woman doesn’t notice the change in demeanor of the pro-hero beside her as they walk further out onto the roof. Aizawa wants to capture this moment forever, just seeing her in this light on top of a place he can almost call home with fireworks about to start. He checks the time and then walks behind her and wraps his arms around her waist, resting his head on her shoulder.

“Be my girlfriend. Again.”

“That was more of a demand.”

“I’m only gonna ask once.”

She chuckles at his stubbornness and turns her head to kiss his cheek. “See that wasn’t so hard? All you had to do was ask.” He rolls his eyes and holds her tighter as they sway to the music playing in their heads. Maybe it’s the music from the night they met or the music from his student’s performance. The fireworks begin to light up the sky in front of them, decorating the dark night with an array of bright colors.

The show continues as the couple still sways to their own rhythm. Minutes later the show ends and applause can be heard from down below. The couple completely content with each other and the atmosphere they have created ignore the world around them. Aizawa is the first to break the mood by turning his girlfriend around so they’re face to face.

“The night we met, I almost didn’t go out with my friends.” His confession earns an eyebrow raise and a look of realization from his other half in front him. He takes her hand in his and brings it to his lips, grasping her palm and kissing the top of her hand.

“But I’m glad I got the chance to meet you and fall in love with you.” She hadn’t noticed it until it was too late. He was down one knee, at the place that has been a huge part of his life, eyes full of love and adoration for the future despite the trials and tribulations they may endure. He wants nothing more than for her to be part of his life forever.

“Will you marry me?”

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

Thank yall so much! Taglist: @kiribaku-queen @shinsouskitten @shinsotired @cupcake-rogue @prk-pyo @therealwalmartjesus @maat-the-prescriptive

[hydrangeahug]

Solodeus Week Day 2!

Road Trip | Cooking

Ao3

Note: it's only day two and I'm already going insane </3 fun

"Let's go on a road trip!" He said. "It'll be fun!" He said. But they have been spending exactly 3 hours in the kitchen and not a single one on the road, all because Solomon decided that they would need something to eat for the trip.

Asmodeus was leaning against Purgatory Hall's kitchen counter while Solomon was cooking something that even god would refuse to lay his eyes on if he was held hostage. "Solomonnn… let's just get something from a restaurant when we find one… we could've been on our way for three HOURS now!!" Asmodeus said, while looking at the abomination that Solomon considered 'fine cuisine'.

"Yes but nothing tastes as good as homemade food, does it?" That would be true if it wasn't for the fact that they were talking about Solomon's cooking. If Asmo would have to put even just a small bite of whatever that weird purple…thing… that Solomon was preparing then he would not survive to see the beach that Solomon had promised him alive…

Asmo was tired, and they hadn't even spent a single second on the road yet… "What's the fun in a road trip if you don't even try anything that the places you're driving through have to offer?? Come onnnn, I want to sunbathe on that beach you promised me..."

Solomon turned around to give Asmo a quick forehead kiss. "I'll just put everything into some tupperware and then we can leave, okay? Just a few more minutes and we can go, and if you help me I promise I'll give you a massage tonight, deal?" Oh how Asmodeus hated the way that Solomon knew exactly what to do and say to make him do nearly anything… "If you pay for my next spa day on top of that it's a deal."

"Alright, alright, deal."

And after a few more minutes - that definitely felt more like hours- in the kitchen and another 30 minute check on their luggage, they were now finally in their car.

"So the plan is: we go from here…" Solomon pointed to their current location, which was Purgatory Hall, and slowly moved his finger to their first stop. "...to the Devildom Planetarium, it also has a shopping district that we can go to before they open, if you'd like."

The Devildom Planetarium was at the moment talked about everywhere, they had rebuilt a few weeks ago and today was their opening ceremony. They had a human world, a celestial realm and a devildom section. It wasn't the traditional planetarium that people knew, but a planetarium where you can look at the stars of each world and also simulate what it would look like if different planets, stars, or meteorites crashed into each other. They also had a star related restaurant inside that everyone in the Devildom has been talking about. Asmodeus wanted to get there specifically for the star themed food, while Solomon was more curious about the stars and the simulations.

"Oh of course I'd like that! We could go to this hotel afterwards, right? It will take some time before we arrive at the next location, so a break in between would be important." Asmodeus put his finger on the location of the hotel to show Solomon the rough location of where it was. It wasn't very far from the Planetarium so they wouldn't have to drive very long. The Planetarium opened quite late and they would probably spend a while inside so it was good to make sure they wouldn't need to drive for long until they can rest.

"Hmm, good idea. And then we drive for around 12 more hours until we get to the beach. We could take a few breaks in between to check out stores or other interesting places too. Then maybe get to a nice restaurant and hotel for the night and then the next few days are spent at the beach. Sounds good?" Solomon showed the way they had to drive to get there once more before putting down the map and taking Asmo's hand.

"Sounds great!"

It didn't take too long until they arrived at the Planetarium, it was still too early for the opening ceremony though, so they decided to look at a few stores before going back.

There were a few clothing stores, an antique store that Solomon wanted to visit and a restaurant. They had food packed but not only did Asmo not want to smell whatever it was that Solomon made ever again, it also would get him sick, which is the worst thing to happen on a road trip and not something Asmo was looking forward to. "Hey we haven't eaten anything yet, want to go to that restaurant over there?"

"Sure, I've been getting quite hungry anyway. But would you mind going in alone and getting something for both of us? I'll join you as quickly as I can."

Asmo was confused, did he forget something in the car? "Of course but… is everything okay? Did you forget something in the car?"

"Something of the sorts. I just need a few minutes, I promise." Solomon gave Asmo a quick kiss before walking back. Maybe he forgot his wallet? He knew that Asmo could pay too… there was no reason for him to rush back like that. But Asmo decided to ask him about it once he's back and made his way towards the restaurant.

The smell inside the restaurant was amazing, a refreshing change from their morning "cooking". Asmo was brought to a table at one of their windows. The view from his table wasn't towards the street, but towards a small river. It was very pretty, it even had a seating area, maybe they could take a break there after going to the Planetarium? Ah… but maybe it would be too dark then… a pity.

A few minutes went by, a waiter had already brought the menu and a drink for Asmo, yet Solomon was nowhere to be seen. Asmodeus looked towards the door each time he heard it open but the smile on his face dropped the moment that he realised that it once again, wasn't Solomon.

Asmo watched the river outside while he was uncomfortably waiting for Solomon to get back, the fear that he just left slowly creeping into Asmo's mind.

Footsteps made their way towards his seat but Asmodeus just assumed it to be a waiter or a new guest making their way past, until a hand gently held Asmo's eyes closed with a quiet "boo" sound gracing his neck. "I'm sorry that it took me so long, I promise I'll make up for it later." and then a gentle kiss was given to his neck by the same man who had let him wait for way too long for Asmodeus' patience.

"What took you so long…? I was about to go search for you, you know…" Asmodeus said while bringing his eyes towards Solomon who was now sitting on the other side of the desk with his eyes searching for what Asmo assumed to be a waiter. 

"I saw an ingredient that I needed urgently for a potion. But… as it turns out, the 'ingredient' just ended up being a fake plant." Adorable, Asmo thought. Solomon was a good liar usually but right now the slight red decorating the tip of his ears gave him away beautifully. He was curious as to why Solomon was lying but he didn't mean to pry, hoping that Solomon would tell him on his own eventually.

The rest of the day went by well, the Planetarium was more beautiful than either of them expected and it was more than worth the drive there to be one of the first people to get inside after the renovations. Solomon and Asmo made their way to the restaurant that they were at earlier but instead of going in together, Solomon had asked Asmodeus to wait outside.

It was odd. Solomon kept quite a lot of secrets from everyone and Asmodeus was usually fine with it, but today he was acting weird. Asmodeus didn't like it but before he could dwell on it more, a waiter had already held the door open for him.

"Please come in, we apologise for having you wait, I will now lead you to your table if that would be alright."

And so they went inside, but the moment Asmodeus had set foot inside he felt something being off. There was no one in the restaurant. Was it almost closed? Did they spend too long in the Planetarium? Where was Solomon?

Then Asmodeus looked outside, beautiful fireflies flying around the area that he had previously found so pretty, and in between those fireflies stood a desk that was quite nicely decorated with Solomon standing right in front of it.

Oh what did the wizard plan this time, Asmo thought while making his way towards the table outside.

"So, is this a good apology for making you wait so long today?" Solomon said while making his way towards Asmodeus, who was now standing below the night sky full of fireflies.

"Solomon, what…?" But his lips were already caught in a gentle kiss before Asmodeus had any chance of finding the words that had now fully disappeared from his mind.

"Close your eyes for a moment, please." Solomon quietly said against Asmo's lips and he had no will to refuse Solomon when he was looking at him with so much adoration, so he closed them.

Asmo could hear a box being opened and he was about to open his eyes when he suddenly felt cold metal against his delicate neck. He could feel Solomon fidget with the cold chain until he seemed to have finished. Solomon walked back and gave a quick kiss to the tip of Asmo's nose before telling him to open his eyes.

Asmodeus did so and immediately reached for what was hanging around his neck. It was a necklace and a quite pretty one at that. It looked expensive, Asmo wondered how he got it without him noticing and that's when it hit him. So that was why he was so late!

"Do you like it?" Solomon said while taking Asmo's hands into his. "I saw it in a window when we arrived and it reminded me of you. I was worried it would be sold if I had left it there until we were back from the Planetarium."

"Sol… thank you, I love it." And this time it was Asmodeus initiating a kiss, oh how much he loved Solomon. Asmo knew he had to somehow repay him for this beautiful gift during their trip, but for now, all he was able to concentrate on was the man who was shining so brightly under the fireflies' pretty glow.

[ilove-cedricdiggory]

REMUS LUPIN AND THE PROFESSOR

Pt. 1 ❤️

She sat her belongings in the compartment she sat in every year on her way to Hogwarts, only many years ago. The very compartment across from the exact one the Maurauders used to sit in. Many times in those train rides had she heard the laughter of the four boys, the excitement of James, the planning of pranks from Sirius, the simple agreement of Peter, and the occasional scalding from Remus.

She hadn't expected herself to ever be back on this train, especially not to begin her first year teaching at the school. While she loved Hogwarts with a passion, she hadn't expected Sprout to ever retire, especially not when Rylee could fill in for her. But when she had seen the ad in the paper requesting a previous Hufflepuff to send in their application for the head of house, she felt like she might at least try.

Attending Hogwarts was always something she remembered fondly, for she had been met with students that she was still friends with today. Some in each houses, which most people now adays didn't seem to understand. From what Rylee could tell, houses didn't really mingle outside of their houses. But, in her life, her best friend was a Slytherin, she had many friends in Ravenclaw, and just a few in Gryffindor, but even then, Gryffindor students really did believe their house was one meant to be written down before any of the others. Not all, but there were quite a few that always believed it. Quite like most purebloods believing they were worth more than any life, especially that of Muggles.

Rylee was on the train a week before the students would be arriving. She didn't have to be, but she figured she needed to arrive early to unpack and relearn the layout of Hogwarts only, this time as a professor. She had already begun trying to remember the names of her old professors, hoping to see a few of them still lurking the hallways.

As the train pulled into the station, Rylee waved her wand and watched as her luggage lifted into the air and followed her without a whisper of a word spoken. As her foot stepped onto the hard flooring of the station, Rylee was met with the familiar face of Hagrid.

"Rylee! There yer are! I was startin' to think you weren comin!" She laughed at Hagrid, shaking her head at the taller man.

"Of course I was coming! If anyone has the choice to come back here, who on earth would pass it up?" She smiled at the grounds keeper, walking with him back to the castle where she greeted the faces of McGonagall and Filtwick. "There you are! I'll show you where your room is now, it really is quite different when you're not a professor." Minerva gently assisted the younger woman to her housing, reassuring her that Filtch would bring her things up soon enough.

~ A week later ~ ~ Rylee's POV ~

I got dressed and walked down to the great hall, sitting down in my respective seat before the students had arrived. I had spoken to Minerva, who has now told me to call her that 11 times sense I've been here, a few times about who all would be coming on train. She told me a bit about most of the returning teachers, but didn't want to go too much into detail about the new DADA teacher, saying she thought it would be best for us both to meet each other here for the first time.

Soon, everyone but the first years had filed into the dining hall, Minerva preparing the first years for what was to come. There were three chairs yet to be filled, Snape, Dumbledore, and the new teacher, but soon the teachers door opened and I heard the steps of who I assumed were the three. I had to fight my instinct to look at the three as soon as they walked in, knowing this meant the first years were coming in soon.

Just as I anticipated, as soon as Dumbledore sat in his chair, the doors opened and the frightened first years followed the older woman into the room and up to the front of the hall. Soon, each student was called and the sorting house placed on their head, calling out their new family. While I cheered for each student, every Hufflepuff student called received a harder clap than the others. It's okay to be a little biased sometimes.

After each student was sorted, Dumbledore stood, silencing the hall. "Welcome, welcome to a new year here at Hogwarts. This year, I am pleased to announce that there are three new teachers this year. First, taking over the Care of Magical Creatures, we have our grounds keeper, Rubeus Hagrid." The hall erupted in cheers, causing Hagrid to stand and blush. "Next, next.." Dumbledore raised his hand to cause the clapping to cease. "We have the new Defence against the dark arts teacher, Remus Lupin." I spit out the water in my mouth, thankful not many realized my reaction to the new teacher.

I glanced down the table, and there he was. Waving ever so slightly at the students was my - well, not mine anymore, but Remus Lupin. I quickly tore my eyes away from his seat, not needing the extra stress of him catching me staring at him like he did so many times when we were students in these very walls.

"And finally, our last teacher. While I regret to inform many of you, our very own Professor Sprout had decided to retire after last year. This meant we were required to, not only, find a new professor for Herbology, but to also find a new Head of House for Hufflepuff. Meaning, I am very pleased to introduce Professor Smith, our new Head of Hufflepuff house. I am wanting her to speak a few words, especially to our Hufflepuff students." My eyes widened at this, not anticipating having to speak in front of all the students in the great hall, but, nonetheless, stood and walked where Dumbledore stood.

I cleared my throat, looking out at the students before me. "Hello, I am Professor Smith, the new Head of Hufflepuff house and teacher of Herbology. What I wish to say, is this. While I know many of students look down on Hufflepuff, considering them to be the lowest house, the scraps of it all. But I stand before each and every one of you, a proud Hufflepuff myself and say this. Hufflepuff's are as smart as Ravenclaws, having scored higher grades than many of them. They are braver than some Gryffindors, fighting for who and what they believe in. They are also more ambitious than some Slytherin, not afraid to fight for their own path. The thing that separates Hufflepuff students from any other house, is that we are fiercely loyal, extremely dedicated to those we consider our friends and family, but above all, we stand beside anyone with unwavering loyalty. With every step you take from this moment forward, I hope each and every one of you remember this. I am beyond excited for each class I have with all of you and wish an amazing year for us all."

I smiled as I walked back to my seat, regrettably looking straight into the eyes of the man I loved for years, seeing the man I nursed back to health many of times, looking back at me. I quickly shook my head, glancing down at my feet, scolding myself for letting him get to me the same way he did so many times when we were children.

After the lovely feast, I watched the students leave the hall, following their prefects. I stood myself, beyond ready to get to my own space to sort out my head, write to my best friend, and attempt to fall into a sleep that wasn't filled of the eyes of the man that hurt me beyond belief when I never expected them to. As I slowly walked back to my room, I heard the quickened footsteps behind me, knowing they could only belong to one other person, I quickly muttered the password to my own secret holder, slipped into the small space, and thanked it for shutting before he had enough time to really see exactly where it was.

I stared at the entrance to my room for a minute or two before accepting that the man hadn't figured out it's hiding space or my password. Honestly, if anyone could figure out my password, it would be him and my best friend, Becca. She had to be written to - right this minute.

Becca,

I am so sorry it's taken me a day to reply to your last owl, you know how much I hate keeping you waiting - not like you could say the same.

I am all settled in my space, and yes, you will be more than welcome here whenever you like, of course you would.

I must tell you though, the new DADA professor I was telling you about, the one Minerva wouldn't tell me about, I learned tonight that he, of all people, is Remus. I don't know what to do Becca. I haven't seen him sense the day we all left, the day he left me. I think he followed me to my housing, but couldn't quite figure out where the door is to come in. But he is here. He sat a few seats away from me at dinner tonight, watched me as I gave a speech, and let his eyes follow me until the rest of dinner was through.

What do I do now? Do you think I should talk to Dumbledore about this? Do you think he would even understand? Oh, who am I kidding, its Dumbledore. Out of all the headmasters we ever heard about, he was the only one who seemed to understand that we were children, young adults now, and even enjoyed his own student drama from time to time. I just, I don't know what can be done. It's not like I can quit - I love this job already. It hasn't even been the first day of classes and I already feel like I am home again. I've missed these walls more than I thought I did, and now, knowing he is here, I miss the memories of these walls too.

Oh please help me. Please tell me what to do. I am not sure how I will survive this year with him without you, much like I hardly did when we were the students.

I miss you incredibly already. Either way, please come visit me soon. I'm sure all our old professors would be more than happy to see you - and you could come spit a few more things at Snape, for old times sake.

Please get back to me soon.

Rylee

I set my note aside, knowing I should wait until morning before I send out Remulis. Out of all things, I had to name my owl after him? It was a gift from him, what felt like ages ago, but there were many times I wish I could change his name. One thing I knew about my owl - he was just as headstrong as the come.

Either way, it would all take time. Time I wasn't sure I had before I saw him again.

As soon as the letter was written for my best friend, I changed into my night gown, moving to my bed to lay down.

Ten minutes....twenty minutes....forty-five minutes.....two hours...

Time ticked away as I was left with herself staring up at her roof, frustration filling my veins. I tried every muggle trick in the book, not wanting to accidentally give myself a strong sleeping potion and sleep through my first classes.

My feet hit the floor as I stood, wrapping my fluffy robe around my shoulders, thankful that it went all the way down to my ankles. I walked to the entrance of my room, exiting it slowly and smiling at the quiet hallways.

I was more than thankful that I could wonder around the hallways at night now, always understanding why it was forbidden to the students and never breaking the rules, even though the boys had that mischievous Maurauders map.

Taking small, quiet steps with my glowing wand, I kept my ears open for any students who broke the rules on the first day of classes. But, instead, I was soon met with the glowing wand of Snape's.

"Rylee, I thought you were a student." I laughed softly at the man in front of me, him sounding just the same he did when we were students. "Nope, trying to keep my eyes out for a few though." I was pleased when he moved to walk by my side, glad he figured out that, although my friendship lied with the boys he was picked on so many times, I tried to keep, not only my nose out of it, but their noses too.

I hated that they picked on Snape, no matter who he was or how he acted, he was still a person. If Snape ever tried to pick on any of my boys, it would be a different story. I wasn't sure the man he was today, as I hadn't felt we were close enough to talk after we both finished school, but I hoped he hadn't turned out to be a negative man.

"I was surprised to hear you were back, although, out of all the Hufflepuff's that graced these walls, you were the only one I could bare to handle." His slight compliment made my lips raise. When we were kids, I knew he had such a thing for Lily, but the few times he had stepped out of line due to his affections, I had stood up for my friend, but also for the dark man he was then. I hated that Snape was so in love with a woman I knew could never return his affections and tried many of times to convince him to move on from the girl.

"Well, I was surprised that I had been accepted. I loved Sprout and have no idea how Dumbledore thinks I could ever live up to her expectations." Snape chuckled at that, causing me to furrow my eyebrows. "Why the chuckle?" I whispered, my pride a little hurt.

"Like I said, Rylee, out of every Hufflepuff I have ever come into contact with, you were the only one I ever truly thought filled every aspect of Hufflepuff. When I think of the house, I feel like you could replace the badger as their representation. If anyone could fill in the shoes of Sprout, even make them better, it'll be you." The words of affirmation coming from Snape might have surprised anyone else, but they didn't me.

The sweet way I heard him talk to Lily so many times had rubbed off on his own conversations with me. I never wanted to make him feel like I thought it was weird he warmed up to me when we were younger so I never pointed it out. Now, it was just a usual thing when it came to me. But, if he knew exactly how much I felt into Hufflepuff, I feel like his look on me might change a bit because of the small rule-breaking I found myself fall into due to the Maurauders.

"I saw how Lupin looked at you during dinner, did he manage to catch up to you after?" Severus speaking about Lupin in a way did surprise me. Although his kindness branched out to me through our own conversations as kids, it never did grow to the boys. This was the nicest I had ever heard him speak Remus' name.

"I think it's about time for me to turn in, Severus." I turned around, didn't say another word, I figured I left him speechless, but the last thing I needed to get back into was the story of Lupin, especially with Snape. He had told me countless of times that the last thing I needed was to find myself in a relationship with Remus, and if he found out he was right, I was sure he would have a few choice words - with me and definitely with Remus himself.

[writers-hes]

late christmas.

i love christmas and i love angst. please enjoy!  to those who read five years, thank you so much for liking and reblogging it! if you haven’t read it yet, check it out here. 

also, don’t forget to stream adore you! if you did, what are your thoughts about it? i absolutely love it and i’m currently writing a fic about it. i suppose you just have to wait and see! 

WARNING: unedited + swearing

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in which you and harry flew to new york to spend christmas together but it seemed like christmas wouldn’t be as magical as you thought it would be.

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you were excited for the holidays. you always were because in your family, it was a big deal. your father would put up the christmas tree, your mother would bake your favourite christmas-themed sugar cookies, and you and your older brother would help out in the over-all christmas preparation. you absolutely loved christmas as it was the only time of the year that you weren’t stressed. finals were done, you’re home with your family, and everything just felt like they were in the right place. christmas always meant family time.

that’s why your family was shocked when you told them that you would spend your christmas with harryi n his new york penthouse. they agreed, however. ever since you and harry met for the first time, you were inseparable. you spent thanksgiving together and even hosted a halloween dinner in his london home. 

there you were, in harry’s new york penthouse. all alone. you set up the tree alone, decorated the tree alone, and hung the christmas star, alone. you were starting to regret coming here all the way from the uk. you’d rather do all these with your family and friends back home but harry insisted. “think of it as the first of our many holidays together, love!” he said. together, he said but he was out with his friends. it’s been two weeks since you arrived in new york and it’s been two weeks since you and harry had a proper talk. on your first night here, you made love. the next day, he was gone. that was what happened and that’s what’s always happening—him coming home late or when he was sure you were sleeping and then leaving early in the morning. you barely saw each other even though this was supposed to be your ‘alone’ time—away from your families and friends. 

honest to god, it was starting to get to you. tonight was christmas eve and he was nowhere to be seen. you’ve been texting him but there was only sickening ‘read’ receipts that showed up on your phone. 

love: harry where are you

love: harry where have you been

love: harry come home, it’s christmas

love: harry please talk to me

love: did i do something wrong?? 

you also left a few voicemails in his phone. you hated it. you hated being lonely on a christmas eve but you had no choice. it was your first time in new york and you found it scary. 

“harry? please come home…it’s christmas eve and i wanted to spend it with you,” you said on the voicemail. “please. did i do something wrong? we can talk about it if you want, just come home. i—i prepared dinner,” beep.

you sighed, looking at the simple christmas dinner you prepared for you and your boyfriend. tears were welling up your eyes as you stored the dinner in some old tuppeware. you laughed lightly, seeing that anne was probably the one who convinced harry to get some tupperware. “it’s always nice to store the left overs in containers. that way, whenever you decided to eat it, it’s always fresh.” she said during your halloween dinner. 

you couldn’t help it. you missed harry and quite frankly, he treated you like shit. you wiped away the tears that escaped from your tear ducts. you had to leave and you wanted to leave. you opened up your phone to text harry again. 

love: i’m just going out. text me once you’re on the way home. 😊 

h: i’m not coming home. i’m spending christmas eve with my friend. 

your heart broke. you pressed his name and waited for him to answer.

“hello?” harry asked from the other phone. 

“what do you mean you’re spending christmas eve with your friend?” 

“can you stop being so clingy? it’s just rob. he asked me if i wanted to eat dinner with his family and i said yeah,” 

“you told me you’d spend christmas with me harry! it’s been two weeks and i barely even talked to you! isn’t the reason why i flew to new york is to spend christmas with you? and i barely see you. you don’t reply to my messages and never answered my calls. i spent two weeks trying my best to make this christmas just like home. i set up the tree alone and cooked you your favourite dinner and you’re telling me that you’re not coming? what’s the fucking point of me coming here if i’m alone? you know what? fuck you, harry. i’m staying somewhere else. i’m going home,” you raged. by the time you told him you were going home, a sob escaped your body. it alarmed harry how affected you were and he was guilty. you ended the call and made a beeline to harry’s bedroom. sobbing, you packed up your things and went to the building’s ground floor. there, you hailed a cab. you needed to get away from harry’s building. 

“please take me to the cheapest hotel in the area,” you told the taxi driver. you only had the allowance that your parents gave you for the trip and money that you saved over the year. you were a college student for god’s sake, where are you going to get the money that you do not have? you were silently sobbing in the backseat and you knew that the driver was getting uncomfortable. you phone kept on vibrating inside your coat pocket and you ignored it. you knew that harry was blowing up your phone. you soon arrived at a building and paid the taxi driver his fee, even adding a little tip for working during the holidays. you hauled your big luggage from the back of the cab. you thanked the driver and made your way to the hotel. 

“hi, do you have any vacant rooms?” you asked the reception. it was the night before christmas in new york—you were hoping to have at least some place to stay. 

“hello, ma’am. i’m sorry but we’re fully booked,” the tall receptionist said. he smiled sadly at you. 

“well—do you, uh, know any place that has any vacancy at all? i’m not picky, please,” you begged. this holiday quickly turned into a nightmare and all you wanted to do was go home. tears were welling up your eyes and you knew that the receptionist was looking at you with pity. 

“i’m sorry. i’m afraid all hotels in this area are fully booked,” he said. you nodded and mumbled a string of thanks and apologies for being annoying. the receptionist said it was okay. you exited the hotel and was on the streets of new york, freezing. you had your big luggage beside you and you were looking for places that you could possibly stay in. you looked around and saw a coffee shop that was full but you were sure that they had a table for you. you hauled your big luggage and huffed. you made a beeline towards the cafe and scanned the room. there was a table right beside the big window wall. you sat on the vacant table. a waiter asked you what you wanted for a drink and you told him you wanted wine. you weren’t sure if they served wine but anything that could make your forget about the douchebag of a boyfriend is enough. he nodded and gave you a menu, telling you that he’d be back in a few minutes with your drinks. you scanned the menu and saw that they had truffle gnocchi. it was a little expensive and you were out of budget but you didn’t care. you were devastated. a few minutes in and you ordered your plate. 

you were drinking your wine when you saw a girl, who was about to enter her twenties, discretely trying to take a picture of you. you ignored her and looked at your phone. you turned it on only to see harry’s name all over the screen. it’s been two hours and he still couldn’t contact you. 

“fuck!” harry shouted inside is new york penthouse. he was mad at himself for being such an asshole on what was supposed to be a romantic getaway. he left a handful of voicemails and texts but nothing seemed to be enough to make you come back to him. he looked around the place and only then did he realise that you set up a beautiful christmas tree. he also spotted a few gift boxes from you to him and to his family. his eyes lingered on the boxes for a second and then looked at how his staircase had christmas lights on. there was even a little santa claus at the top of the staircase. he went to the kitchen and saw that you even made the table a little fancy. he opened the fridge to see containers of untouched food that was supposed to be for the both of you. it warmed his heart how you managed to pull off his favourite meal. he also noticed a little pitcher of chilled sangria to match the meal. he also saw how you stocked up his fridge with junk food because you planned to just stay in during the christmas day, catching up on your favourite show, brooklyn 99. he even promised you that you would visit where the infamous 99th precinct. it wasn’t a real station but you found out from the internet that it was the 78th station near sixth station and barclay’s avenue. you were so excited to take a handful of pictures to post on your instagram—even bringing a ‘gina knows best’ hoodie that you bought. 

you’ve been staying at the cafe for awhile now and you knew that the waiter was starting to get agitated. he’s been passing by your table, giving you looks as there was a queue outside. you sighed sadly and paid for the bill. you left the cafe only to find out that it was colder than it was hours before. the cold air nipped you skin and you were shivering. you walked for a few more blocks until. everything in new york seemed full. you were contemplating on whether or not you should go back to harry’s and swallow your pride. you knew that it wasn’t that far from where you were. in the end, you decided that, it was worth it to swallow your pride and be safe instead of possibly freezing to death in the cold winter of new york. 

so, you hailed a cab and told the taxi driver where you needed to go. 

you arrived at the tall building where his penthouse was located an hours later, thanks to the traffic. you went straight to the elevator and hoped to god that he wasn’t there. you arrived at his apartment and opened the door. it seemed as if he already went home but the space looked so empty. you left your luggage beside the doorway and laid on the couch. you were so drained, you didn’t even bother to remove the coat that was exposed to the pollution of new york. 

you were half-awake when harry entered the door, dishelved. he’s been looking for you around manhattan, driving in his range rover. he was removing his outside shoes (a trait he got from you) when he saw your figure laying on the couch. he immediately ran towards you. 

“oh my god, i’m so glad you’re okay. i’m—bloody hell, i’m so fucking sorry for leaving you like that,” he rambled. he held your face in between his hands, noticing how cold your cheeks were. “i know you’re mad at me right now but is it okay if make a brew? just wanna make you feel warmer, love,” you nodded and he rushed to the kitchen where he stayed and boiled water. he took out his tea container and rummaged through the choices to look for your favourite tea, raspberry and vanilla. it took a few minutes for the electric kettle to boil the water. he poured the water and added milk and sugar, just the way you liked it. 

he carefully rushed to you and laid your tea on the coffee table. you drank from it and mumbled a soft ‘thank you’. 

“i’m so sorry, y/n. i’ve been such an asshole to you,” he started. 

“yeah…why did you leave me here though? if you didn’t want to spend time with me, why did you make me come down here?” you asked. it was one thing that harry loved about you. you were always frank and straightforward with your thoughts. 

“it’s just that…i don’t know. i’ve been so stressed lately. i didn’t want to take it out on you so i left. i’m so sorry, love,” 

“what were you so stressed about, harry? you know i’d always be here with you,” you asked. he was still kneeling in front of you, as if praying for god to forgive him. 

“i—“ he looked like a fish opening and closing his mouth. how could he possibly say that your father didn’t approve of him when harry asked him if he could marry you? how could he possibly say that your dad never liked him? how could he possibly say that to you—who always thought that the most important opinion belonged to your father? it’s been more than a year since you started dating and he was pretty sure that he wanted to marry you someday. 

“you couldn’t even tell me. it’s okay, you know? but leaving me here, all alone, in a foreign city—i felt so lonely. i just—did i do anything wrong?” 

“no, baby. it was…something else. it’s something else that i’ve been trying to ignore and fix but i couldn’t fix it. no, i’m not cheating on you or anything,” he reassured before continuing, knowing that you were paranoid about boyfriends who were not loyal because all your exes seemed to cheat on you and then blame you for their own doing. “i’m just stressed and pressured. i don’t know how to make it right. please, please. please, forgive me. please don’t leave. i love you. i promise i’ll stay with you just—don’t leave me, please.” he begged. 

“i’m not leaving, harry.” you told him. you knew that he was paranoid about girlfriends who seemed to leave him after a minor inconvenience and you know that it wasn’t his fault, even though the media portrayed him to be this man who never seemed to last in a relationship. harry seemed to calm down at your words but he still couldn’t stop the apologies that spilled from his mouth. “look, i don’t know what it is you’re struggling with right now, love. but whatever it is, i’m sure everything would be okay, yeah?” you told him. he nodded at that. the sadness that worked its way up to you seemed to go away. tonight, your only mission was to make harry feel better. and even if you didn’t know what was bothering him, you had to make sure that he felt good. “how about i reheat the meal that we have and tomorrow, we could stay in?” you asked him. 

“i’ll do it. i’ve been a shit boyfriend to you. please, let me do it, love.” he mumbled. you nodded. he brought his face closer to yours and you were kissing. it felt so good—it’s been two weeks, anyway. the loneliness that you felt and the stress that he was under was gone. it was you and him and him and you. 

perhaps, christmas wasn’t as bad as it seemed to be at all. christmas just started a little late. 

[bandrbear]

A Kagari Christmas

This story is for @1mrhyde. I hope you all enjoy this fluffy Christmas tale where Akko brings Diana with her to Japan to have Christmas with Akko’s family.

The plane engines drone on, making a perfect amount of white noise for Diana to think without much distraction. The plane ride is mostly smooth with the occasional bump which pulls Diana out of her own head. She looks to her right and smiles softly, seeing Akko slumped against her, resting her head on Diana’s shoulder. Diana kissed the top of Akko’s head and gently intertwines their hands. Diana looks forward once more, her eyes focusing on the ‘Fasten Seat Belt’ sign. She caresses the back of Akko’s hand with her thumb while her mind begins to wander once more, to their trip and destination.

Akko had been ecstatic when her parents green-lit her idea of inviting her girlfriend out to Japan to celebrate Christmas with their family. Akko had practically throw the door to their bedroom off its hinges when she burst into it to ask Diana if she wanted to join her and her family for Christmas. Diana had almost fallen over from the sudden bursting in of Akko, but she did end up accepting the offer before scolding Akko about proper etiquette of knocking and not ripping doors off their hinges. Akko barely listened because she was just too excited to have Diana joining her for Christmas. She was already making plans on things for them to do together. Diana stopped lecturing Akko and glared at her when Diana realized Akko was daydreaming and not listening. She shook her head and walked up to Akko, wrapping her arms around her waist and lifting her up. This caught Akko’s attention. She smiled down at Diana and leaned in for a kiss. Before Akko could kiss her, Diana slammed her down on her bed, causing Akko to shriek and become stunned on her back. Diana climbed on top of her and held her down, giving her a look that Akko could not decipher. Akko gulped and smiled uneasily up at Diana. She ended up receiving the same lecture once more, this time she paid attention to her hot girlfriend on top of her. 

The day of the flight Akko was way too energetic, bouncing around their apartment like a puppy about to be taken on a walk. Diana watched with bemusement, wondering how she had so much energy, especially for them just visiting Japan together. Diana managed to wrangle Akko and made her get dressed in comfortable clothes for the flight. They made their way to the airport and boarded their flight to Japan, all the while Akko was vibrating from excitement and blinding people with her smile. She ended up wearing herself out an hour into the flight. Akko ended up falling asleep against Diana with her head on Diana’s shoulder, her hair cascading over her face. Diana drifted off in thought about the upcoming days, how would Akko’s family be, would she be allowed to snuggle with Akko at night? She just couldn’t stop thinking about these super important questions, they only became more stressful the closer they got to their destination. 

Soon enough they land and take a taxi to the train station and then a train to Akko’s hometown. Akko had calmed down now that they had made it to Japan. She smiled brightly and hugged Diana’s arm tightly. Diana slid her fingers between Akko’s and held her hand while they linked arms and waited for their train stop. Akko’s father picked them up from the train station with a huge smile. He shook Diana’s hand vigorously and then pulled her into a tight hug. He was super happy to meet her and he was glad that they were happy together. Diana got a little flustered by all the energetic greetings and well wishes by just this one man. Meeting the rest of the family was going to be crazy. Good thing she was in love with Akko, it made it all worth it. 

As they drive to Akko’s parents home, Akko and her father chat and catch up since the last time they talked on the phone, which was two days previous. Diana sat in the back and listens to them talk in their native tongue together. She closes her eyes and rests, letting the sound of her sweet Akko’s voice put her to sleep. 

Diana gets awoken by a pair of soft lips on hers. Her eyes flutter open to see a smiling Akko leaning into the car just to kiss Diana awake. “We are here sleepy head. Come on, I already unpacked the car, now I can properly introduce you to my mom.” Akko takes Diana’s hand and drags her out of the car and into the cozy home. They remove their shoes and Akko drags Diana by her hand to the kitchen where a short lady is cooking. “Okkasan, this is Diana!” Akko says loudly to her mother's back. Okkasan turns around and smiles brightly at the two of them. She walks forward and pulls both girls into a warm hug.

“So nice to meet you, Diana. I hope my Akko hasn’t caused you too much grief.” Akko groans and Diana giggles. Diana reaches her arm around Akko’s waist and squeezes her while they get embraced by Akko’s mother.

“She can be tough sometimes, but overall she is manageable.” Diana smiles over Akko’s mother’s shoulder as Akko whines again.

“Hey no fair. You both can’t team up on me like thaaatttttt.” This makes Akko’s mother burst out in a hearty laugh and Diana giggle some more. Akko pouts and sulks in the dual grasp of Diana and her Okkasan. Okkasan lets them go and kisses them both on the forehead. 

“Alright you two, go unpack in Akko’s room and why don’t you two jump into what I’ve laid on your futon Akko.” Akko nods, still pouting, and takes Diana’s hand, leading her to their luggage and then to her room. Diana follows, smirking at Akko as she leads them, all shy and embarrassed, to her room. 

As they enter the room Diana puts her suitcase down and turns Akko around to face her. “What's the matter cutie pie?” Diana asks, smirking still. “I thought you liked it when I teased you.” Akko’s eyes widen and she goes bright red.

“Keep your voice down.” Akko whimpers back, feeling even more embarrassed. Diana’s smirk grows as she slowly walks closer to a bright red Akko. Diana cups Akko’s chin and gently pushes her back until Akko falls onto her futon. Diana slowly kneels down to straddle a very flustered Akko.

“Oh my sweet Akko, you are very red, maybe I should call your Okkasan in here to see.” Diana bites her lower lip as Akko’s eyes grow huge. She shakes her head furiously and squeezes her eyes shut. Diana giggles and leans down to gently kiss Akko. When Akko leans into the kiss, Diana backs off and kisses Akko’s nose. Akko’s eyes flutter open and she pouts at Diana. “After all this teasing and you won’t even kiss me properly.” Diana smirks and leans in close.

“Oh? Is that want you want? A real kiss?” Diana asks softly, her breath ghosting over Akko’s lips. Akko nods a little, her red eyes staring at Diana’s lips, which were so close, yet just too far. “Well I guess that you’ve been a good enough girl today.” Akko blushes some more before Diana finally gives her the kiss she was craving. Akko sucks on Diana’s lower lip and slips her hands under Diana’s shirt to wrap around Diana’s lower back. Diana and Akko deepen their kiss, enjoying each others warmth and presence. As the kiss ends, Diana sits up and looks down at a happy Akko beneath her. “All better?” she asks, making Akko nod vigorously in return. “Good.”

“So should we unpack and see what Okkasan wants us to wear to dinner?” Akko asks meekly from under Diana. Diana nods and taps Akko’s nose lovingly before getting off of her and pulling her suitcase over to the futon. 

They unpack and find the gift from Okkasan, matching kimonos for both girls to wear to dinner. Diana lifts her eyebrow at the sight and looks at Akko. “You are going to need to help me get this on.” This time Akko smirks.

“Well then you better listen carefully to everything I tell you to do.” Diana glares at a cocky Akko who’s smirk only grows. “Now strip sexy.” Diana blushes as Akko bites her lower lip and gestures for Diana to strip. Diana groans and strips down to her underwear, painfully aware of Akko’s eyes taking in as much as she could. Akko then walked up with a juban and makes Diana put it on. Then Akko makes sure Diana has on socks before helping her into the kimono and tying a koshi himo belt around her waist. Akko smiles and kisses Diana’s nose before starting to get dressed herself, keeping her clothes on and putting the juban over them. Diana’s mouth falls open and glares at Akko as she finishes getting dressed.

“Do you mean to tell me that I could have kept my clothes on?” Diana asks furiously. Akko giggles and shrugs.

“Maybe don’t tease your host so much. Plus I wanted a show.” Akko sticks her tongue out at Diana and hurries out of the room before Diana can get her. Diana grumbles and doesn’t dare remove the nicely done up kimono to put more clothes on. Diana struggles to walk gracefully after her sneaky girlfriend. She goes back to the kitchen to find Akko talking casually with her parents, helping them finish making dinner. Everyone stops and looks over at Diana who suddenly feels very shy in the kimono and as the center of attention. Akko smiles brightly at her, while Okkasan and Otousan smile at her adoringly. Diana slowly smiles at them, feeling at home with these wonderful parents of Akko’s who seem to see her as their own daughter as well, which warmed Diana’s heart so much. 

With dinner finished they all sat down and began to chat for a little, talking about how Akko and Diana are managing on their own as 20 year old young adults, to Akko wanting a puppy and Diana sighing from having to have this conversation yet again, to things Akko wants to do with Diana while in Japan. 

Diana pitches in to the conversation whenever she can, for the most part Akko blabbers on quickly, making it hard for everyone to keep up with what she has planned. As Akko talks, the others eat and listen. Diana really enjoys Okkasan’s cooking and seeing the way Akko’s parents look at their daughter. It warms Diana’s heart to see that Akko has such a loving family to support her. Diana also loves that they seem to share that love for her, even though Akko and Diana are only dating at the moment, the love for her is still there. Diana begins to reminisce, thinking of her mother and how she always felt love from her, all the way to the end. 

Diana sighs softly and slowly creeps her hand over Akko’s thigh, wanting to hold her hand but unable to catch it as it is swung around excitedly while Akko keeps on going. Diana smiles as Akko keeps gesticulating and somehow eating while finding even more to talk about. Diana doesn’t know how Okkasan and Otousan manage to deal with this crazy ball of energy, she had to of been even more energetic as a child. 

Akko begins to wind down, having exhausted herself. Her hand finds Diana’s on her thigh, so she intertwines their fingers under the table. Diana squeezes her hand and they finish dinner holding each others hands. 

Akko and Diana help clean up after dinner, scrubbing plates and dishes together, staying close enough to feel each others warmth. When dinner is finished Okkasan releases them to do as they please as Otousan and her were going to bed. Akko and Diana say goodnight and head to bed as well, they had had a long day of traveling and felt drained. 

They retire to Akko’s bedroom, where Akko sighs happily before she falls face first onto her futon. She spreads her arms and legs out, letting her hair become a spread out mess as she lands. Diana giggles softly and watches, shaking her head at her goofy girlfriends antics. Akko rolls over and smiles up at Diana. “You have a beautiful laugh, have I ever told you that.” Diana’s smile brightens at the comment, her eyes meeting Akko’s.

“And you are simply, an amazingly beautiful girl.” Akko blushes and smiles brightly in return. She giggles and pats the spot next to her, wanting Diana to join her. Diana shakes her head and slowly begins to undo her belt, tossing it to the side and opening up her kimono before shrugging it off. In just a thin juban Diana sinks to her knees, straddling Akko on the futon. Akko squeaks and becomes almost as red as her eyes. Diana cocks her head to the side and smirks, “What's the matter darling, you made me undress even more earlier.” Diana leans down and cups Akko’s chin, rubbing her thumb over Akko’s lips. She leans in and kisses Akko gingerly, taking her time, enjoying those soft lips and the eager pressure of Akko pushing up against her body. Diana smiles into the kiss and melts down on top of Akko, letting their bodies meld together. Akko whimpers softly, unable to contain herself as Diana half teases her. Akko’s hands slip between their bodies to find the overlap of the juban, sliding her hands under the thin fabric to slip around Diana’s bare waist. 

Diana nips Akko’s lip and sits up ever so slightly. “How about we get ready for bed and snuggle some more,” she said, knowing full well she got Akko all riled up. Akko whines indignantly, she couldn’t believe Diana had just proposed stopping the make out session for cuddles, not that she hated cuddling, she loved it, but Diana was just being mean now. 

“What about what we were doing, I was really getting into it.” Akko says, pouting heavily at Diana. Diana giggles and leans in to whisper into Akko’s ear.

“You better believe that I want to unwrap you, my little present, and have some fun, but we will not do such a thing in your parents' house while they are here. But you should also know that I am going to tease you until you are permanently this cute shade of red.” Diana nips Akko’s ear, causing Akko to yelp softly, blush deeply once more and shudder. Diana giggles and slowly sits up to unmount a very flustered Akko. Diana unwraps the juban and changes into her pajamas, making sure Akko was watching every step of the way. She then climbs back onto the futon next to Akko. “Aren’t you going to get ready for bed sweetness? I’m ready to snuggle with you and go to sleep.” 

Akko whimpers once more and slowly climbs off the futon and heads to the bathroom to change into clean clothes, coming out in fresh underwear because she forgot to grab pajamas. She hides something behind her back and upon seeing it Diana smirks at an embarrassed Akko, who hides the undergarments in her hamper. Akko hears a click and looks up at Diana with wide eyes, seeing Diana snap a few more pictures of her in her underwear. “Payback is fun, and sexy.” Diana teases, making Akko run red faced into the bathroom to finish changing. Diana lays back down and inspects her new pictures until Akko shyly slinks out of the bathroom and joins her on the futon.

Diana turns on her side and pulls Akko into her embrace. Akko tucks her head into Diana’s chest and closes her eyes. Diana strokes Akko’s hair and runs her fingers up and down Akko’s back. “I love you Akko,” Diana coos, kissing the top of Akko’s head and closing her own eyes. 

“I love you too.” Akko mumbles softly, still trying to get over what just happened. They fall asleep in each others arms, Diana stroking an embarrassed Akko, and Akko holding Diana tight, their legs intertwined. 

Diana wakes up on Christmas morning with a damp spot on her chest. She looks down to see a drooling Akko still nestled against her. Her thin shirt was no match for Akko’s drooling face. Diana shakes her head and begins to stroke Akko’s arm, slowly coaxing her from her deep sleep. “Merry Christmas Akko.” Diana whispers softly to Akko as she begins to stir. Akko groans softly and hugs Diana, nuzzling into her favorite spot, Diana’s chest. Diana smiles and runs her fingers through Akko’s hair lovingly, trying to untangle the brown mess. After a few minutes of this Akko finally stretches and looks up at Diana. 

“Morning beautiful.” She says sleepily, making Diana smile sweetly and kiss Akko on the lips. Akko smiles and rolls onto her back to stretch again, pushing her arms and legs up and down, arching her back to release the tiredness from her body. Diana pushes herself up onto her elbow to watch the display of cuteness next to her. Akko lays back down with her shirt scrunched up, showing off her belly. Diana leans over and kisses Akko’s belly button before getting up to stretch herself and head to the bathroom. Akko smiles and lays on her back, trying her hardest to convince herself to get out of bed. Her reason comes from a sing song voice calling for her in the bathroom. 

“Akko how do I use this thing?” Diana calls out, a hint of sleepiness in her voice. Akko giggles and gets up to help Diana figure out the bathroom.

Thirty minutes later both exit the room washed and dressed for the Christmas festivities. Okkasan was cooking breakfast while Otousan was out picking up Akko’s Obaasan and Ojiisan. The two lovebirds help with making breakfast, finishing it just as Akko’s father and grandparents arrived. Akko pulls Diana away from table setup to introduce her to her Obaasan first. The lovely old lady pulls them both into a tight hug, squeezing the air out of Diana’s lungs while Akko giggles happily. Next Akko’s Ojiisan firmly shakes Diana’s hand and finds her grip perfectly firm. He smiles at her and hugs Akko, who pulls Diana into his hug with her. Diana laughs and joins in on the warm hug. 

Diana still could not believe how wonderful Akko’s family was, and just how much they shared their love with her. 

Everyone heads toward the table for breakfast, except Diana, who grabs Akko’s hand and holds her back for a second. “Thank you for bringing me. I love it here and your family is just amazing. I can see where you got all of your good qualities.” Diana hugs Akko from behind and pecks her cheek. Akko leans her cheek into the kiss and smiles happily. 

“I’m glad I could involve you. Now let's eat, I am really hungry.” Diana laughs and rolls her eyes, letting Akko go so they could sit and eat. Obaasan begins by asking Akko the same questions Okkasan had asked the night before, making Akko launch into her long winded stories about their life in England and their plans. Diana smiles and listens patiently, slipping her hand over to Akko’s thigh again. This time Akko only uses one arm to gesture wildly and the other takes Diana’s hand in return. 

Diana and Akko hold hands until breakfast is finished. They separate while they help clean up and sit down to open presents. Akko sits in Diana’s lap, having added a bow to her head, which made everyone laugh. Diana asked permission to unwrap her ‘really heavy’ gift first. Everyone but Akko laughed heartily at the joke before giving her permission to open the first gift. Diana took the bow off of Akko’s head and kissed her on the lips. Akko cheered up and forgot about the joke, kissing her back. 

They begin opening presents, Akko continues to sit in Diana’s lap with Diana’s arms wrapped around her waist. Okkasan looks over at the cute couple and asks, “Diana? What is your family up to this Christmas?”

Diana grimaces and Akko look over her shoulder at her love. Diana looks over at Okkasan and gives a half smile. “Well, both my parents passed away when I was little. My aunt raised me, poorly, she wasn’t too fond of me. We are still on barely talking terms, so I have no idea what they are up to.” Everyone looks at Diana with sympathy.

“I am very sorry to hear that dear. You are welcome here anytime, and if you wish, you can call us if you need someone to talk to, about the crazy child you live with, or any problem.” Okkasan offers with a warm smile. Diana’s heart is greatly warmed from the offer. Only Akko seems to feel upset with the offer. 

“What do you mean ‘crazy child’? That’s not fair.” Akko pouts, crossing her arms and slumping in Diana's lap. Diana looks at her pouting girlfriend and kisses her cheek, nuzzling into Akko’s neck.

“We love you Akko, but you are a crazy child,” Diana coos into Akko’s neck. Akko huffs and frowns at her giggling family. 

“Well Diana, do you have any happy childhood memories, to remember your family?” Okkasan asks. Diana looks over and smiles softly, nodding against Akko’s shoulder. 

“Yes. I have many good memories. Playing with my mother, riding horses with her, snuggling with my parents in front of a fire. And actually, one of my favorite memories was going to the Shiny Chariot show, the one Akko also happened to be at. We found out a few years ago that we were both fans and went to the same show.” Akko smiles, thinking of her own memories from back then. Akko clasps her hand over Diana’s as they held Akko across her midriff. 

“Oh my. What a sweet coincidence. Akko sure was crazy about that Chariot girl. She would dress up as her all the time, pretending to do magic, running around wildly and yelling spells at everyone. I sure hope you did not trouble your parents that much.” Okkasan laughs at the memories of her wild child. Akko was not nearly as amused.

Diana shakes her head and stifles a giggle against Akko’s shoulder. “No, thankfully I was not as crazy. But I did collect the special card and energetically play pretend based around Shiny Chariot. My parents liked watching my magic shows, cheering me on, wanting an encore. They really were great.” She slumps against Akko and smiles more, remembering all her happy childhood memories. She was glad she could share them with her new family. One just as good as her parents, just as supportive and loving. 

[magicbyhalves]

Shantae, Uncle Mimic, Bolo, Sky, and Rottytops were loading the last of their luggage onto the airship back to Scuttle Town.

“For a first vacation, that sure was a doozy...” Shantae said, shoving a particularly heavy bag into place.

Mimic nodded. “I know you had a bit of a rough start, but I’d say it was worth all the trouble in the end, wouldn’t you?”

Shantae smiled and nodded. Then the sound of approaching footsteps drifted to her ears, and she turned to see who was coming over. All of the other Half-Genies had shown up, and she ran over to them - the rest of the luggage would be fine without her, surely. “Hey, everyone!”

Harmony smiled - an easy and gentle expression on her face, like always. “Hello, Shantae. We heard you were leaving, and thought we’d see you off.”

“Aw, thanks! I’m going to miss you all a lot, y’know.”

There was a squeak from the back of the crowd of Half-Genies, and the Lobster Siren poked her head out from behind the group.

“Wha- of course that means you, too!”

The Lobster Siren’s tail thumped against the floor, and she quickly looked the other way as a huge smile broke out over her face.

“We also wanted to give you this, before you go.” Harmony had been keeping her hands behind her back, and now she brought them forward, presenting Shantae with a tied-off bag. “There’s a little something from each of us - it’s the least we can do after everything you’ve done for us.”

“Aw... you guys didn’t have to do this...!” Shantae carefully took the bag from Harmony, trying not to jostle the contents too much. “Uh... should I open this now, or...”

“If you like.” Harmony kept her cool expression, but Vera and Plink seemed unable to contain their excitement about whatever their gifts were. Zapple, by contrast, looked somewhat nervous.

The first thing Shantae pulled out of the bag was a necklace - it looked familiar, and Shantae realized she was looking at Vera’s lucky amulet as she inspected it more closely. The other three Fusion Stones she’d found on her journey had been affixed to the chain, and they gleamed brilliantly in the light.

“In case you ever need to borrow someone’s magic again. It’ll be easier if you have those stones on hand,” Vera said, smiling.

“Are you sure it’s okay if I have this?”

“Of course!”

Shantae kept digging. There was... a surprising amount of food in the bag. She pulled out a stack of melba toast from somewhere in its depths. “Um...”

“Oh, that’s from me,” Plink piped up. “I’ve heard airship food tastes kind of funny, so I wanted to make sure you had something tasty to bring with you! Your blue-haired friend over there is going to be especially grateful, trust me.” She winked, and one of her eyeball-shaped hair ties did too.

Shanate couldn’t believe she hadn’t noticed they’d been copying Plink’s expressions this whole time. “Right... well, I’ll make sure it doesn’t go to waste!” She carefully re-placed the stack of melba toast and resumed pawing through the bag. The next thing she grabbed was a sealed envelope.

“It’s an invitation. I know it’s a little too formal, but... if you ever come back to Armor Town, you can get some, uh, real armor. Instead of armor like what they made for your friend.” The normally-confident Zapple was fumbling her speech quite a bit. “... or you could just come to visit m- the island. If you want.” Her pointed ears were about as bright as her outfit, pointing towards the ground, and nervous little sparks flared up around her feet as she spoke.

Shantae was surprised to catch herself regarding the whole thing as cute. She dismissed the thought for the moment - it seemed like something to mull over on the flight back home. “Y’know what, I think I’d like that. Coming back when the island isn’t under attack sounds nice!”

Zapple let out a sigh of relief as her invitation was slipped back into the bag.

There was only one gift left, and Shantae knew what it was immediately as her hand closed around it. All the same, she grabbed the worn-out scrapbook and pulled it out to confirm, looking from it to Harmony.

“I... I can’t accept this!”

Harmony chuckled warmly. “It’s only fair that you get a chance to learn from that book as I did.” As she spoke, an odd, ghostly light grew visible, hovering at her side. “And I’ll always have my mother to guide me, scrapbook or no scrapbook. Please, keep it.”

The Lobster Siren let out an abrupt squeak, charged forward, and flung her arms around Shantae in a hug, her tail wrapping around the Half-Genie’s legs like she didn’t want her to leave. Zapple let out a shocked gasp, then ran forward to hug Shantae as well. Soon, all of the other Half-Genies joined in, too, erupting into a chorus of well-wishes and goodbyes.

Rotty snickered. “Someone’s popular.”

“You jealous?” Sky asked, a smug smirk on her face.

“Uh... why would I be?”

“That’s your girlfriend they’re all throwing themselves at.”

“And? Shantae’s very loveable.” Rotty huffed and crossed her arms. “Don’t project your insecurities onto me, feathers.”

Sky’s face flushed. “How dare you?!” She dove at Rotty, clearly intent on starting a fight. Rotty retaliated by swatting right back, grinning hugely, and soon they were scuffling.

“Aw, c’mon, don’t fight...” Bolo sighed, trying to get between them. He received several smacks for his troubles, and wisely backed away from the ensuing ball of violence.

Shantae, still trapped in the Half-Genie hug pile, let out a sigh, equal parts exasperated and fond.

[queenmylovely]

Joyeux Noël

Summary: Gwilym lee x fem!reader. Will this perfect Parisian vacation with Gwil ever come to an end?

Word Count: 2.9k

Warnings: fluff, angst, cussing, Rick Steves and Marie Antoinette are mentioned

A/N: This is my gift for @local-troubled-writer for @dtfrogertaylor Thank God It’s Christmas event 🎄 I’m so anxious/excited for you to read this, and I hope you enjoy it! This is my first time writing for Gwil, and although there’s not a ton of dialogue and stuff, I hope his loving nature really came through in the story! I hope you all like it, and any feedback including likes, replies, reblogs and asks are greatly appreciated! Especially replies, messages, and asks are super helpful for my writing ‘cause I get to hear what you think! Remember to check out all the awesome stuff everyone’s creating for tgic!!

Masterlist 

(from left: Champs-Élysées, Palace of Versailles, Eiffel Tower, Gwil, Parisian Christmas market possibly at Notre Dame, Arc de Triomphe, & gardens at the Palace of Versailles) 

🌲🌲🌲

Going to Paris during the Christmas season had been a dream of yours for a while. It was always shown as so pretty during the holidays in movies and on TV, and there was no lack of influencers and celebrities in your Instagram feed posting amazing pictures of themselves there over the years. So, when Gwilym told you that he had the entire month of December free and that he wanted to take you somewhere before going to spend Christmas with your family, you immediately suggested Paris. Luckily, Gwilym thought it was a great idea and agreed right away. The two of you booked for the 15th through the 21st, making sure to pack well for the weather, but leave enough room in your suitcases for any souvenirs or gifts you would bring back.

The lead-up to the trip was filled with excitement, and the night before the flight, you could hardly sleep. As Gwilym tried to fall asleep, you kept waking him up for different little things that you should pack or that you were excited for in Paris. Every time he would remind you that “you have indeed already packed that,” or that “yes it is all very exciting,” but quickly tried going back to sleep. Finally, you settled down and fell asleep after he held you in his arms tight enough so that you couldn’t get up and check on your suitcase and had no choice but to fall asleep with him.

The flight was of course early and very long, but neither you nor Gwil were able to fall asleep on the plane. You hoped that you wouldn’t end up being too jet-lagged when you first got to Paris. After a layover or two, the plane landed in Paris at 8:00pm local time. The two of you got a cab to the airbnb you were staying at and immediately crashed in the bed. Which meant that you woke up promptly at 5:00am, much earlier than either of you would’ve, but it did mean you got to go have fresh, warm bread at an actual French bakery, an experience totally worth the lack of sleep.

While you had researched and suggested a bunch of places you wanted to go to while in Paris, Gwil, ever the planner, had been the one to make it into an itinerary. So, you were on a strict schedule each day. The first day was exploratory since you were staying in the 8th arr., about a block away from the Champs-Élysées. You walked up and down the famous avenue, stopping in chic boutiques, visiting the Champs-Élysées Garden, stopping in cafés when you got hungry or wanted a hot drink, and finishing the day out at the Arc de Triomphe. The entire lane leading up to it had been strung with lights that gave it the perfect atmosphere for the holiday season and made for some great photo opportunities too.

_____

The next three days were spent going to different Christmas markets, including Le Village de Noël at Les Halles, Abbesses Christmas Market at Montmartre, and the Villages de Noël at Champs de Mars and La Défense. All of them were similar, but each one had something unique that you hadn’t seen at any of the previous ones, and every one had its own special atmosphere that couldn’t be replicated.  

Your fifth day there was spent almost entirely at the Louvre. Normally, an entire day at an art museum might’ve become a little boring, but Gwilym seemed to know a little something about every exhibit and display you went to and managed to keep things interesting the entire time. It wasn’t until more than halfway through the museum that he let it slip that he had listened to all of Rick Steves’, of Rick Steves’ Europe fame, audios about the museum on the plane ride over. It was still pretty impressive that he had managed to retain all of that information and deliver it interestingly, but he said that as an actor it had been a breeze.

For your last stop before going back to the apartment, you went to the Eiffel Tower, feeling the magic of Paris and the holiday season wash over you.

The sixth day started with a fantastic brunch at a nice restaurant and then you went shopping, trying to find the more hidden locally-owned shops off the beaten path. You went back to the airbnb with many bags, successful in finding gifts for everyone on your list. Then, you got all dressed up because you had booked tickets to see a production of The Nutcracker Ballet. You had dinner at a fancy restaurant and then went to the performance. The dancers were amazing, as were the lights, music, and sets that made the whole thing a magical experience and the perfect cap to your week in Paris.

The two of you went to bed early on that last day, ready to get up in time to pack up, have a quick breakfast, and make it to the airport with plenty of time before your flight. It had been an amazing week, but you were excited to go back home to see your family. That is, until you woke up the next morning to a message from your airline stating that all flights out of Paris were canceled due to an inversion that covered the entire city and trapped the fog in the air so there was zero visibility for pilots during take off and landing. There was no word on when the airports would be open again because it all depended on the weather.

“Oh my gosh, Gwil, what are we going to do?” you asked him after reading the message to him off your phone.

“I don’t know, darling. Maybe it will just be closed one day and we can fly out tomorrow,” Gwilym replied hopefully. “I’ll reach out to the airbnb host and ask if we can extend our accommodations. You should call your family and let them know what’s going on.”

Gwil walked to the other room so that you could make your call without interference. You called your mom and let her know the situation, and that you would keep her apprised of any updates. She told you to make the most of your extra day in Paris and not to worry too much about the flights. You would get home eventually, and no one was going to hold the weather against you. After thanking her and telling her to tell the family that you love them, you hung up, and went to join Gwilym in the other room.

“What’d your mum say?” he asked as you walked in.

You joined him on the couch and leaned your head on his shoulder, “She just said that they understand and it’s not my fault. She told me not to worry too much and just try to enjoy another day in Paris.”

“She’s a smart one, your mother,” Gwil commented and you nodded.

“What about our host?” you asked.

“Well there’s good news and there’s bad news. The bad news is that they already have people booked for later today. But the good news is that they have another place in the area, and they’re going to give us a discount, you know, in the holiday spirit,” he told you, rubbing his hand up and down your arm soothingly.

“That is mostly good news. Well, should we get up and pack our stuff? Isn’t check out in an hour?” you suggested, moving to stand up.

Before you could stand fully, Gwil pulled you back down, hugging you closer to him, “Just five more minutes of relaxing on the couch, and then we’ll get up, yeah?”

“Fine, but just five minutes,” you acquiesced, settling back into him.

True to your word, after the five minutes were up, you made Gwil get up with you and pack up all of your things. Luckily, it only took about half an hour, giving you plenty of time to do some last minute tidying up of the place. The two of you left and immediately went to the new airbnb, not wanting to have to carry your luggage around the city.

As soon as you got in the door, you noticed that this apartment had been decorated all-out for Christmas. The last one hadn’t been, for unknown reasons, but it felt good to at least be in a decorated apartment so close to Christmas. It had lights everywhere, little Santa figurines, garland, and even a medium-sized fake tree that was decked out with more lights and ornaments.

Once you set down your things in the bedroom though, you got another notification on your phone from the airport.

“Shit!” you cursed after reading it.

“What’s wrong?” Gwil called from the other room, jogging lightly to see what was up.

“The airport is officially closed for the next two days, and there are warnings past that. We’re stuck here for sure until at least the night of the 23rd,” you explained, feeling your voice getting shaky with worry and stress.

“Hey, hey, it’s okay,” Gwil said, pulling you into a comforting hug. “I’m sure it’ll all work out.”

“I just-- just really want to spend Christmas with my family and you all together. It’s not going to be the same without all of them. No offense,” you added quickly, not wanting to make him feel unappreciated.

“None taken, love,” he said with a laugh. “I know you’re very close with your family. I’m looking forward to spending the holiday with them too.”

Gwil just held and comforted you for a bit and then he spoke up, “I’ve just had an idea. You know how we wanted to go to the Palace of Versailles but it didn’t fit in the schedule? Since we know we’ll be here all day, why don’t we take the train out there tomorrow?”

“That sounds perfect. You always know how to cheer me up,” you responded, pulling back from the hug and going on your tip-toes to give him a sweet kiss.

“It is my most solemn duty,” he said with a mock serious face before breaking into a grin and laughing. You joined his laughter, feeling much happier and more relieved than when the day started.

The rest of the day was spent doing a quick grocery shop to get supplies for the next two days and then on a walk to get acquainted with the different neighborhood you were staying in. It was called Ternes and was just outside of the Champs-Élysées, and as such was a bit more residential and less busy. There were still lots of cafés, shops, and people around though.

The next morning, you took an early train to the Palace of Versailles. The grounds themselves were gorgeous covered in snow. Not to mention the actual palace. Growing up, you had read a princess book about Marie Antoinette, and it was wild to see where she had actually lived. Each of the rooms was so decadently ornamented with the finest fabrics, furniture, and paintings. It was like stepping into a painting or history book, it was almost a surreal experience to see it all. This time, it was you explaining things about Marie Antoinette’s life to Gwilym, with his rapt attention.

The train ride back was sleepy and relaxed. The two of you had an early night, falling asleep cuddled up under the blankets.

The next morning, the morning of the 23rd, there was yet another update from the airport: no flights until Christmas day. The news left you a bit of a wreck, and you spent a tearful hour being comforted by Gwil. You facetimed your family to tell them once you had collected yourself and they offered love and promises that the holidays weren’t completely ruined and that you would all see each other soon.

After the call, Gwil suggested that you take a nice, hot, long bath in the tub that the apartment had in its ensuite. As luck would have it, your wonderful hosts had provided a couple different bath salts, bubble bath, and even a bath bomb for free use. Gwilym ran the bath for you and told you to get in and relax while he went to pick up all the food the two of you would need for the next two and a half days. He wanted to stock up a bit since most places would close early on Christmas Eve and not be open at all on Christmas.

You got in the bath and let the hot but not too hot water and pleasing scents wash the stress right out of your body. It was like a big detox of all of the negative feelings that had been pervading your mind. By the time Gwilym was back, you were practically falling asleep in the bath, but his yell of “Honey, I’m home!” pulled you from your doze. You got out of the tub and dried off, pulling on a silk robe you packed with you, and by the time you made it into the kitchen, Gwil had already unpacked and put away all of the groceries.

“I could’ve helped you with those, you know. We have an equitable relationship,” you said with a smile, greeting him with a kiss.

“I know, but I thought the sooner those got put away, the sooner we could move onto… other things,” he said with a sly smile, holding you close to him in his arms.

“Yeah? What other things?” you asked coyly.

“Mmm, well I guess I’ll just have to show you,” he responded, slowly undoing the tie to your robe.

“I guess you will,” you said, letting your robe fall open and then grabbing his hand and leading him into the bedroom, giggling along with him.

_____

Waking up on Christmas Eve tangled up with Gwil in a comfy bed wasn’t a bad way to wake up. The day’s itinerary was mainly to drink hot chocolate and watch Christmas movies on Netflix, some of which you watched in French with English subtitles since there weren’t enough English ones to get through the whole day. There were food breaks every now and then, but most of the day included some snacking. For dinner, the two of you did your best to recreate the fondue you had had at that fancy restaurant. It didn’t quite melt smoothly, but it was still tasty enough to eat enough to feel a little sick.

With all of the yummy food and warmth and cosiness that you two had conjured up over the course of the day, you ended up falling into a food coma around 9:00pm and passed out for the rest of the night.

The Christmas morning wake-up was something different. You woke slowly, first with your nose, as weird as that seems. In your dream, you could smell your brother’s cinnamon rolls baking, but as you woke up, you realized that couldn’t be true. But the smell was still there. You were in Gwil’s warm embrace, but you could actually smell the cinnamon rolls. Your eyes opened slowly to see Gwilym looking down at you with a soft smile.

“Morning, darling,” he said, kissing your forehead lightly.

“Morning,” you said quietly, your voice still not quite awake. “Is that-- what am I smelling?”

Gwil chuckled in response and then answered, “I may have gotten the recipe for cinnamon rolls from your brother. They’re in the oven now.”

“What? How? When?” you asked confusedly.

He laughed for real this time, “Well, when you took your bath, I called your brother back and got the recipe from him. It took some convincing, but he agreed that it would make you happy so he finally sent it to me. Then I bought everything while you were in the bath and put it all away before you could see it. I was planning on staying up late to make them last night, but since you fell asleep at 9:00, I was able to be in bed by 10:30, so thanks for that. Then I got up about half an hour ago and put them in the oven. Does that answer all of your questions?”

“I guess it does. All except for one,” you replied.

“Oh, what’s that?” Gwil asked genuinely surprised.

“How did I get so lucky to be with a guy as amazing as you?” you said with a grin before capturing his lips with yours.

Once he pulled back from the kiss, he said, “Alright, shall we go check on those cinnamon rolls?”

The morning was wonderfully lazy, filled with eating the warm cinnamon rolls, warm cups of tea, and a little gift exchange. Both of you had picked up little things for each other in the Christmas markets. You had gotten Gwil a leather bound notebook with a French filigree designed burned onto it. He had gotten you a delicate necklace with a fleur-de-lis pendant, France’s crown’s symbol.

Right after you finished giving each other your gifts, you got one last update from the airport. This time, it actually made you smile because it said that you were booked for a flight in three hours. The two of you packed up quickly and headed to the airport. The atmosphere in the airport was one of relief since everyone was going to reach their destinations soon. Everyone was much kinder than usual and luggage check then security was a breeze compared to normal. In no time, you were seated together on the plane.

Gwil took your hand in his and said to you excitedly, “Just think, in less than 24 hours, we’ll be celebrating the holidays with your family!”

You grinned along with him. You couldn’t wait.

🌲🌲🌲

Permanent Taglist: @drowseoftaylor @caborhapch​ @riseetothesun​

If you would like to be added to a taglist, just send me a message or ask!

[niallismymuse]

Chapter 3

Tessa spent the days leading up to the camping trip working as hard as she possibly could. She needed to finish the projects she had already started, because if she left without completing them, a tight knot of anxiety would squeeze her chest until she couldn’t focus on anything but the work that needed to be finished. It would ruin her trip.

She ignored the roommate problem entirely; it was something to worry about after the trip, purely because she didn’t have enough time to interview applicants until she was home anyway. And even if she did, she didn’t want a practical stranger living in here when she was gone.

It had nothing to do with the still-cold silence between her and Jess. Nothing at all.

She had texted the group chat and informed them that Niall was coming. Melody had been excited, and Ryan had cheered simply for more testosterone. Lyrica had seemed excited too; apparently Niall knew how to throw down some alcohol, which was mostly what they did on this trip.

Jess hadn’t said a word.

And it was fine. Whatever. The Christmas gift would remain unopened and at her apartment, for now at least.

She kept in constant contact with Niall over text, telling him what he should bring and informing him that he would have to share a bedroom with Ryan. He seemed excited. It’s been a while since I’ve done something as spontaneous as this, one of his texts read.

This wasn’t that spontaneous – he had a couple days to prepare – but she understood what he meant. It was hard to uproot your system when it was work, and mostly just that. Sometimes at parties, she didn’t know what to do with herself, like she had forgotten how to act after hours of being on the computer.

Well, usually she drank some tequila in those situations and got over it quickly enough. Tessa loved to dance; she wondered, briefly, if Niall would dance with her at the cabin. While she hadn’t been an avid listener, she knew enough about his One Direction days; he hadn’t been much of a dancer then.

She could throw it down, though. Maybe that would be enough for the both of them.

Tessa sighed and took her headphones off, before rubbing at her tired face with her hands. She was going to work herself to death. And ever since having Niall over the other night, she felt like her work hadn’t been quality. Her mind was moving in lopsided circles, like a flat bicycle tire. Work. Niall. Work. Niall. Was this video even worth her time? Did Niall like her as a friend or did he like her like her? Did this concept make sense, and would it translate onscreen? Would Niall have a good time at the cabin?

Eventually, she had to stop and take a break from everything – the video she was working on, and her own brain. Tessa tossed her mouse aside and pushed herself up from her desk, rubbing at her temples and closing her eyes. She exhaled slowly, feeling her shoulders slump as she let all of her anxiety filter out of her. Maybe she needed to go to a yoga class, or something similar, and stretch it out.

As she was weighing the pros and cons of heading to the local gym to see if she could catch a class, her phone rang. Curious, she picked it up and bit her lip when she saw who was calling. It was her mother.

With more apprehension than she was willing to admit, Tessa accepted the call and lifted the phone to her ear. “Hello?”

“Oh, so now you answer me. You’ve been avoiding me for days, and you better have a good reason for it.”

She barely restrained herself from rolling her eyes. Tessa loved her mom, she really did, but she was often overbearing and some people (like her husband) would even say that she has controlling tendencies. She hadn’t spoken to her since before the pictures of her and Niall had blown up on the Internet, though Maria Jenkins had tried her best to change that. She had been calling every day.

Tessa decided to go with something somewhat close to the truth. “I haven’t really felt up to talking to people, Mom.”

Her mother changed tactics immediately. “Aw, sweet girl, I can’t even imagine the stress you’ve been under, especially with what’s been in the news.” She paused, giving Tessa a chance to chime in with exactly what had been in the news, but continued when she remained silent. “But you can always talk to me, and you can always come home for a little bit. We’ll take care of you and get you right on track.”

Maria had been trying to get her back home since Tessa had left to attend college, years ago. She had never anticipated that her only child would want to leave the nest so soon, and she took any chance she could to remind Tessa that she could always come home if anything was too hard, or if she was struggling.

Privately, Tessa was pretty sure that if she agreed and went home to stay for longer than a holiday, she would never leave again. She had a sneaking suspicion that her mother would try to find a way to keep her there forever – visiting while on breaks from college had been trying, at best. She nearly became a fugitive from her mother one winter break, sneaking out of windows at night just to get out of the house.

“I’m good, Mom, thanks. I’ve just been relaxing around the apartment.”

“Good, good.” There was a weighty pause, and then when her mother spoke again, she sounded almost concerned. “That man…he’s treating you good, right? In life and about this whole paparazzi situation?”

Tessa felt her eyes nearly well up. Of course, her mom was worried about her. She loved her, after all, and vice versa. “Oh, Mom, we’re not together…but he’s a very good friend to me, yes.”

She waited to hear how ‘friends don’t kiss each other’s cheeks like that, Tessa’, but her mother merely sighed instead. “Okay, my girl. I trust you. Just…call me, okay? I miss you. And if everything gets to be too much, you can always come home, even if it’s just for a day.”

Tessa hung up a few minutes later, after chatting about some lighter topics. She felt both better and worse. Better, because her mother did truly love her. Worse, because she was a shitty daughter.

With a sigh and a shake of her head, Tessa tried to put everything out of her mind. She grabbed her purse and her wallet and walked out of her apartment. If she hurried, she could make the 3:00 yoga class, and since she was already dressed in athleisure wear, she booked it out to her car.

Tessa just needed some time to think and to absorb.

✩✩✩

Suddenly, it was New Year’s Eve, and Tessa was packed and ready to go. She was just waiting for Niall to pick her up around noon, and then they would drive up to the Big Sur Campground.

They had decided yesterday to drive up together. She was a little nervous – the drive was on the long side, and there would be nothing to do but either talk or sit in silence. What if she said something awkward? What if she accidentally revealed she had been wondering if he liked her?

Tessa used to be the type of woman that would straight up tell someone if she liked them, but she referred to those times as her college years. She hadn’t done that since junior year of college, and anyway, that method had given her Bryan, an ex, who was a fucking loser.

Besides, she just…didn’t feel like Niall liked her back. He threw off so many different signals, it spun her mind around in circles. She didn’t know how to figure him out. All she knew was that she liked him, and that they were driving to the cabin together.

Someone knocked on her door. She didn’t have any more time for internal freakouts. Tessa took a deep breath and did what she did best – repressed everything until she had time to drink some wine and sort it out. She grabbed the straps of her duffel bag and opened the door. Niall was standing there, smiling down at her. “Hey, Tess.”

He nearly took her breath away. He was dressed in dark jeans and a neat, evergreen-colored, long-sleeved shirt. His hair was flat along the top of his head, with minimal styling. His eyes were shining. Niall was, quite honestly, the most beautiful man she had ever seen.

“Hey, Niall. Are you ready to go?”

“I should be asking you that,” he replied, amused, and pushed his hands down inside his pockets. “Are ya?”

“I am.” She smiled and pushed the door open further. “I’ve got my bag and everything.”

“Here, I’ll grab it for you.” Niall paused, holding his hand out – not trying to take her bag, but offering to carry it. She obliged him and handed him the straps. He blinked and adjusted his grip, feeling the weight of her bag. There was the distinct sound of glass clinking together, and his eyebrow shot up. “Is there alcohol in this bag, Miss?”

“Absolutely, Sir, for it is almost time to get lit. It will commence upon arrival.” Tessa replied with a formal air, and Niall burst out laughing. She smiled and stepped out of her apartment, shutting the door behind her and locking it, before setting her key inside her purse.

“This camping is sounding better and better.” Niall shook his head as he grinned like a child in a candy store. He then started off and led the way out of the building, choosing to take the stairs down rather than wait for the elevator. She didn’t mind, trotting along beside and slightly behind him – she was always cautious now walking down stairs, as she had been known to fall down them as a child.

“I prefer to call it glamping, myself.”

They walked out into the bright, but chilly Los Angeles morning. Tessa was grateful for the long-sleeved shirt she was wearing, since the wind had a bite to it, but Niall hardly blinked as he unlocked his Range Rover and popped the trunk, placing her luggage inside of it. He snapped it shut and then gestured towards the passenger seat. “After you, Tess.”

She clambered inside the car, feeling distinctly, for the first time, the acute difference in their lives. Yes, she made good money, but she was positive she couldn’t afford this car. Which was fine, because she dearly loved her own car, but still.

She knew he had money; he was a major popstar, of course, she would be blind not to see it in the little things (like the beautiful watch he wore, his shoes, etc.), but Niall never bragged. He was quite humble, actually. It was only in moments like this that she remembered that he was a step firmly above her financially.

This can only be as awkward as you let it be, Tessa reminded herself, so don’t. You’re not beneath him, in any way.

So, once more, she pushed it away and buckled herself before smiling gamely at the man sitting next to her in the driver’s side. “I’m glad you’re coming, Ni.” She had never used the nickname before, but it felt right.

Niall turned to face her and reached over and patted her on the knee before resting his hand lightly there. She felt her cheeks redden and bit down on her lip, but he merely squeezed her knee and murmured, “I’m glad too.”

He pulled his hand away and started the car; the engine rumbled on with a quiet purr, but Tessa was too busy gathering herself to comment on it. Niall plugged the address to the Big Sur Campground into his GPS and then smoothly reversed out of his parking space before pulling out of the lot and into the LA traffic. And thus, their trip began.

Tessa was silent for a few minutes, as she didn’t want to distract him – the traffic could be, and currently was, quite atrocious. But after a little while, Niall glanced over at her quickly and then back at the road. “Are ya comfortable? You’re awful quiet.”

“Oh! Yes, it’s really nice in here. I just didn’t want to distract you from driving.”

Niall chuckled. “Oh, the traffic doesn’t bother me. We’ll be out of here in no time.” Indeed, his fingers were loose on the steering wheel – there were no white knuckles, which she might have had if she were driving.

“How does this not bother you?” She asked, genuinely curious.

“If you think this is bad, you should see London’s traffic. I would say it’s a bit worse.”

“Damn.” She was impressed. “This is pretty shitty, too. And it’s only 12:15!”

“Well, it could be worse. We could be driving at five in the evening.”

After that, the nervous spell she had been under was broken, and they casually talked and laughed all the way out of LA. It only took about forty minutes.

“And now, five hours until we’re at the campground.” Tessa mentioned after glancing at the GPS on his phone, and then laughed.

“Want to listen to some music along the way? You choose.” Niall told her and gestured towards the stereo.

“I…don’t really listen to much music, really.”

Niall shot her an incredulous glance. “What the fuck? What do you mean you don’t listen to much music?”

Tessa made a face and shook her head. “I don’t spend a lot of time actively listening to it, I mean. I turn on the radio when I’m in the car, but besides that…”

“No Spotify or anything?”

She looked at him quickly. “If you’re worried about it, I’ve listened to all of your music, you know.”

Niall blushed, his cheeks going ruddy. “I…I wasn’t worried about that…I just…music is such an enjoyable experience, something everyone needs to relax or have fun with.”

Tessa couldn’t help it; she reached over and pinched his red cheek, making him scowl. “My favorite song is ‘You and Me’, by the way.”

His scowl softened. “Thanks,” Niall answered softly, his cheeks turning an even darker shade of red.

She could tell he was still a little embarrassed, and she was enjoying it, but she decided to lessen his suffering. “How about you play me some of your favorite songs, then?”

He cleared his throat and then nodded his head towards his cell phone. “Pull up Spotify, and you’ll see a Playlist titled ‘X’. Shuffle that one.”

Tessa did as she was instructed, and immediately a song by Fleetwood Mac popped up. She was familiar with the general tune of it but not the words, so she merely listened. Niall, however, immediately perked up and began to sing softly along, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel. She found herself entranced by his voice, by him, and couldn’t stop herself from watching him.

Niall was aware of her gaze on him; she could tell by the little smile that was lifting up the corner of his lips just slightly. But he didn’t stop singing along, and so she didn’t stop watching him, her smile appearing to match his.

Eventually, a song turned on that she knew, so Tessa belted it out as loud as she possibly could – though she was pretty sure Niall was trying to be louder, judging by his cackle of delight – and even started dancing, shimmying her shoulders and generally making a fool of herself. Niall was singing along or trying to; he was laughing so hard she wasn’t sure how he could sing, much less drive.

It was the most fun five hours she had spent in years. So fun, in fact, that she was almost disappointed when they pulled in to the campground and parked by the check-in building. Tessa ran inside and grabbed the parking pass that was provided upon arrival for guests. They were in Cabin F, the last in the first loop of cabins. As they drove down the dirt lane towards their cabin, she could see that it was actually quite secluded – there were trees surrounding it almost entirely, and it was about fifty feet away from the closest cabin.

Two other cars were already parked in the driveway, and a wave of apprehension hit Tessa right in the gut. Jess and Lyrica were already here – as were Ryan and Melody. She had figured that they would arrive before her and Niall, but seeing that they had…yes, it was apprehension she felt. About Jess, none of the others.

Jess hadn’t even spoken to her recently, not even through the group chat that they had all made to keep updated about the trip. Tessa wasn’t stupid – she had posed a direct question to Jess only once, and when that had gone unanswered, she had stopped trying. And now she was about to go on a camping trip with her.

She was going to need a lot of wine to get through this trip. Luckily, she had anticipated that, and all of the wine needed was currently in her bag, plus some.

And, yes, there were some clothes in there too.

Niall parked behind the other two vehicles, and Tessa immediately hopped out. Niall quickly followed suit, and together they took their luggage out of the back of his car. Right as they began to make their way up to the cabin, the front door flew open and Melody rushed outside, Ryan hot on her heels.

“Tessa!” Melody squealed, charging down the stairs and launching herself towards Tessa. She wrapped her in a tight hug, squealing all the while. “We’ve been waiting for you guys! Hi!” The last word was directed towards Niall, who took the whole scene in with a smile. Ryan, still up on the deck, mouthed ‘drunk’ and pointed sharply at Melody. Tessa was already well aware – she could smell the tequila on Melody’s breath.

“Wow!” Tessa replied cheerily, giving Melody a quick squeeze back. “You have had some drinks today lady, haven’t you?”

She saw as Lyrica and Jess came out onto the deck with Ryan. Lyrica waved. Jess did not.

“Well, we’ve been waiting for hoouuurrrrsss for you and Niall! And it’s 5 o’ clock, you know. The drinking hour.”

Tessa laughed. Niall had already met her friends before at that house party Lyrica had thrown back in June, but she thought it might be helpful to introduce him now. “Melody, this is Niall. Niall, this is my friend from college, Melody.” She smiled, and Melody immediately straightened up and plastered her best ‘professional’ smile on.

“It’s lovely to see you again, Melody,” Niall replied formerly, before tossing in a wink. Melody giggled, covering her mouth.

“And up there is Ryan, and well, you know Lyrica and Jess.” Tessa continued to smile, trying her best not to allow any tension to radiate through.

Lyrica started walking down the steps from the deck, and Jess followed, her hand entwined with her girlfriend’s. “Tessa, I’m so glad to see you! And you too, Niall.” Lyrica grinned and came over to hug her, Jess staying a few feet back. “We’ve missed you.”

Really? Tessa asked herself, but she hugged Lyrica back, because she loved her like a sister, and Lyrica was definitely the more mellow of the three of them, the peacemaker, and it was evident that she was trying to fill that role just now.

“Hey, Jess,” Tessa added after a moment, making eye contact with her best friend over Lyr’s shoulder.

Jess smiled and gave a little finger wave. “Hey Tessa, Niall. Nice to see you.” And there it was. There was no warmth in her voice when she said her name, no affection, nothing. But there was no coldness, either; just plain indifference, like she was an acquaintance just met instead of a best friend with over a decade of strong history.

She looked good, though. And when her eyes landed on Lyrica, they sparked with happiness. And despite their current issues, Tessa didn’t begrudge her that.

“Well, let’s get this party started! Get on in here!” Ryan charged down the front steps and took both her bag and Niall’s, grinning widely. “Niall, I hope you don’t mind man, but you and I will be bunking in the same room. Separate beds, of course. Tessa and Melody are sharing too, and obviously, our resident lovebirds have a room together too.” He gestured towards Lyr and Jess.

Tessa, of course, had already warned Niall of this, so he took it all in stride. He reached over and clapped Ryan heartily on the back. “Sounds good mate. Lead on.”

Ryan led the way inside. They entered into a living room, which had a small TV and a couch with some armchairs situated next to it. Just past the living room was the dining room table, already covered with wine and beer and all sorts of other alcoholic beverages. To the left of that room, and out of sight, was the kitchen. Two hallways led from the living room, and Ryan took the one on the left side. At the end were two doors right across from each other, and he deposited their bags outside their respective rooms. He then whirled around and clapped his hands together before rubbing them together. “Tessa, I’m assuming you brought some goodies for us?”

She smirked, and crouched down beside her bag, unzipping it in one fluid motion. Nestled inside were two bottles of wine, a bottle of tequila, and another of vodka. And beneath that, obviously, were her clothes, but no one cared about that.

Melody cheered, reached down into the bag and grabbing the wine. “Our Queen Tessa has brought us gifts!” She called and danced her way towards the dining room table down the hallway, which held all of the other alcohol that was brought.

Niall shook his head, looking both amused and delighted. “You got some good shit, Tess.” He reached down and grabbed the tequila, looking over it and turning it in his hands.

She grabbed the remaining bottle of vodka and lifted it high in the air, a queen ready to knight her warriors.

Niall looked at her steadily, waiting for her to speak.

She smiled. “It is time to get lit.”

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[gingerlexi2897]

When we go to Scotland as a family, we have one rule: we have to visit a castle every day and we have to sit in a pub every day. Thankfully, neither of these are very hard to find so we tend to do a pretty good job of following it. Since Itty and Erin are basically family at this point, we stuck to the rule and Erin would quite enthusiastically remind us of it about every 5 minutes.

The Saturday morning following Erin, Itty, and I’s adventure in Glasgow, we threw all of our laundry back into our backpacks, hauled our luggage back down the 4 flights of stairs, and took an UBER out to the airport where we collected our rental car. After a quick pit stop at Costco, (because why not?) we found ourselves heading north on the M90 towards Perth for a week of laughs, zero personal space, and of course, castles and pubs.

When Mum and I first visited Scotland back in the summer of 2014, we spent about a week in Perth and absolutely fell in love with the riverside city and the surrounding countryside. Since then, every time we have been back in the country, we have tried to at least drive through the town. It was here last summer that we met the Martins and the Crawfords after a Sunday church service at Tayside Christian Fellowship and first heard from them about camp in Hungary. So when it came to making our plans for this summer, we knew we wanted to be somewhere close to Perth and our friends there. Thanks to some help from the Crawfords, we were able to find a self-catering holiday let just up the hill from the River Tay and Perth, close enough to town yet far enough to feel like you were in the middle of nowhere.

The owners had converted what used to be an old stable block for Kinfauns Castle and turned them into 1 to 4 bedroom holiday cottages. When we originally made the plans and booked the cottage, we weren’t sure if Itty and Erin would be with us for this part of the trip, so we booked the two-bedroom and hoped for the best. If you’ve ever wondered how to fit 3 people in two single beds we would suggest pushing the two beds together, as well as being comfortable with zero personal space, having strong upper body strength to fight for your blanket, and oh bums to crack. It is genuinely a miracle that Erin, Itty, and I not only shared the two single beds but were squished into the backseat of a car for a week and didn’t want to kill each other. In fact, we only aggressively yelled when we decided to give running a try and I remembered a very important fact: I don’t run. 

For the two Sundays that we spent in Perth, we attended Tayside Christian Fellowship and spent the afternoons with the team that had been at Camp with us. I think being back with our friends from Camp was something that we had been looking forward to since we had left Budapest the previous week. After lunch at Jim and Carolyn’s, we gathered our bags that they had so kindly brought back from Hungary with them, and set about the task of washing ALL of our stuff. It seems that the day the Scottish team flew back to Edinburgh, it had absolutely poured, soaking everyone’s bags. Unfortunately, ours, even though they were hard-sided had not managed to stay dry. For the first part of our week at the holiday cottage was spent with nearly every piece of clothing we had with us strewn out on every possible surface in an attempt to dry it. Thankfully in all of the loads of laundry we did, only one pair of red socks snuck into a load of whites, so with pink-tinted clothes we set about to achieve our goal of a castle and a pub a day.

You’ll be happy to know that we achieved our goal of a castle and pub a day. We spent hours wandering the halls and gardens of Glamis Castle, the childhood home of Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, Scone Palace, the crowning place of Scottish kings, and Blair Castle with its giant trees, amongst others. For us, it doesn’t really matter if it is an ornately decorated palace or ruins in a field, we love all castles equally. Just like we love all fuzzy Highland Cows equally. If you know me, you know I absolutely LOVE Highland Cows. From their wee legs to their fuzzy hair and everything in between. I may or may not have cried the first time I saw one in person 5 years ago. One of the things Erin and I discovered early into our friendship was our mutual love of cows, so one of the most important items on the list for Scotland was to see a Highland Cow. I wish I could share all of the pictures I took of her in the buildup to seeing these cows, but there simply isn’t enough room. It’s the little things in life that bring so much joy. Oh, and if you’re looking for gift ideas for either of us in the future, a fuzzy cow will do.

Mum, (and now Itty and Erin as well), are huge fans of the book and TV series Outlander, so when we found out that one of the towns used for filming wasn’t too far from us in Perth, we knew we had to go. Culross is this adorable, picturesque town with narrow cobblestone streets, ruins of an abbey, and a quintessential pub. It’s almost as if it has been entirely unaffected by life outside the city walls and it is just the same as it had been almost 400 years ago. Even though we blatantly ignored the menacing rain clouds on the horizon and ended up in the pouring rain, Culross was absolutely worth it.

While all of the touring was great, it was the evenings we spent with our friends that were the best part of the week. During the 7 days we stayed at the holiday let, we had the opportunity to see many of our friends who lived in the area and have them over to our little cottage either for dinner or just a drink afterwards. From silly jokes to discussions about theology or just local history, we covered it all. It really is the people that keep us coming back every chance we can get.

To more castles and pubs in the future,

Lexi

Songs for Scotland pt II:

Smack That – Akon, Eminem

Senorita – Camilla Cabello, Shawn Mendes

Lift Yourself – Kanye West

Sweet But Psycho –  Ava Max

Castles and Pubs When we go to Scotland as a family, we have one rule: we have to visit a castle every day and we have to sit in a pub every day.

[a-h-arts]

Beautiful I visited the Hermitage in September 2011 and was in awe of the splendor and beauty of this spectacular once palace. I wanted a book that would do justice to the beauty I experienced in walking through this museum, I wanted to share with my family not just the grandeur of this wonderful museum but I wanted them to see the exhibits as well. The books in the museum were beautiful but I just didn't have the extra weight allowed in my luggage (always a problem when I travel). I arrived back in the states and immediately went to Amazon.com to do some research....this book is every bit as beautiful as any in the actual museum and is exactly what I was looking for. This is a book to leave out and let others enjoy....I have a room full of art and museum books but this one is taking center stage. You won't be disappointed... Go to Amazon

Beautiful and Comprehensive This is a beautiful boxed set of two large volumes with wonderful photos and text. We purchased it as a keepsake after our trip to the Hermitage this past summer. We enjoyed looking through the books and rediscovering the masterpieces we saw in person. The box has a slight gold sheen to it that makes it look very luxurious and expensive. We've displayed it prominently in our living room. I would recommend it as a pre-trip purchase to help you decide what galleries you want to focus on during your visit to the Hermitage since it is a massive museum. It would be easy to miss an important masterpiece if you don't have a plan. Go to Amazon

I am trying to collect all painting books with this ... I am trying to collect all painting books with this kind quality. Each time in the travel tour, we never have enough time to go over the painting carefully in the museum(s), not mention to read the comments for the pictures. It is worth to keep this kind book for a life time. Whenever I have time, I can go back to read again. Go to Amazon

An excellent compilation of art and history of this world famous ... An excellent compilation of art and history of this world famous collection. Having been there and attempted to view the entire collection...too much to absorb in one short visit...this 2-volume set is jewel to read and reread after I have returned. Go to Amazon

This is a beautiful set, quite comprehensive in subject matter and exquisitely ... Bought it as a gift for a friend to commemorate his recent trip to Russia, and it was a huge success!! This is a beautiful set, quite comprehensive in subject matter and exquisitely finished. Go to Amazon

Great Set Of Books... Visited St, Petersburg in 2008 and spent two days going thru the Hermitage (need to take at least that much time) but didn't leave with any art books these books filled that void their big and heavy but are very comprehensive and have beautiful pictures of many of the paintings and sculptures I seen and photographed myself the rooms and palace are a work of art also just a beautiful experience if your going to see this museum or have already been there this is a great set of books to have to either bring back memories or give you an idea of what to expect on your visit. Go to Amazon

So glad I treated myself to this...... Beautiful and amazing. Excellent quality! Worth every penny. Almost like being there. Go to Amazon

I love it. Absolutely incredible......I love it. Go to Amazon

Five Stars High class beautiful books will recommend Five Stars Five Stars Good Book Set to Remember the Hermitage By It's fantastic the pictures are beautiful and discription is very apt Four Stars

[angryhausfrau-writes]

You Can’t Cross the Same River Twice - Chapter 6

Hawkeye and Trapper fall into a household routine over the next few weeks, based around their respective work schedules. They figure out things like which nights they each cook dinner, when to go grocery shopping, when Trapper goes to the gym - usually while Hawkeye sleeps the sleep of the blameless - and all the other little domestic tasks that come with sharing a home. Because for all that the Swamp was an absolute pit, now that they have a home - a real one - they want it to be well, homey.

They even make time for dates. Sometimes going out to the bar they'd gone to Hawkeye's first night in Boston where they can dance together somewhere other than their own living room. Sometimes they go out to the neighborhood bar to dance and flirt with women - the girls lovely and fun and sweet - and a necessary cover for two bachelors living together. And it's almost like foreplay. Attraction stretching and spooling out between them as they dance on opposite sides of the room, heated glances exchanged over their partners' heads. And when they come together at the end of the night, it's all the sweeter for having to wait for it.

Frankly, their sex life has been pretty fantastic all around. Ever since that first night they'd fucked - the night Hawkeye had taken a desperate, begging Trapper apart and then been taken in turn - it was like a dam had burst. Like Trapper realized he could have this - have Hawkeye - whenever he wanted. And he'd wanted a lot. Which was good because so had Hawkeye. So they've moved back into the sexual relationship they'd had in Korea - fun and hot and ravenous. But something is different. There's an added element of stability. Or a removal of the stress and the fear and the unfun kind of desperation. They have the time to just kiss and hold one another. The time to bring the intimacy and love of their friendship into the sack. And it turns out that's a really nice combination.

Hawkeye's life is domestic in a way he never thought he'd have, didn't know he'd wanted after Carlye walked out. But now that he's had a taste of it, he can't imagine going without. And he and Trapper haven't explicitly said what this is - maybe there isn't a word for it - but they've each made it clear that they're in this for the long haul.

--

The only thing that breaks their newly established routine is Trapper's daughters coming over for the weekend. Trapper only gets to see them once a month due to his weekend-heavy ER schedule. Hawkeye figures he ought to gracefully bow out so Trapper can have as much time with them as possible. Plus, he's still not one hundred percent comfortable around small children, despite having made progress in interacting with them as patients.

So that Saturday morning, Hawkeye moves enough of his stuff into the guestroom to make it look like he normally sleeps there. And it will feel strange to sleep alone - something he hasn't really done since before Korea, not if he's counting having tent mates - but it's only for the one night anyway. And he's finally gotten his luggage back from the army so he can keep some of the less viscerally sickening items - he hadn't even been able to look at the olive drab fatigues, just told Trapper to toss them before he tossed his cookies - in the guestroom permanently. Less work for future visits.

And Hawkeye pulls an extra Saturday shift at the clinic. It keeps him out from underfoot and they can always use the extra hands. He gets to take the cast off a very exuberant seven year old boy's arm - and learns all about his little league team and the home-stealing slide that caused it - for his troubles. And then it's dinner time and he heads home. Trapper had practically demanded his presence at the meal - and besides, he made a chocolate cake for the occasion and Hawkeye's not missing out on that.

Dinner is fine. Even fun. The girls are happy to talk about anything and everything under the sun. Trapper's conversational efforts amount to reminding the girls to eat their veggies. And Hawkeye just listens. Lets the chatter wash over him. It's almost soothing. The biggest problems these girls have are homework and schoolyard squabbles. Of course, these problems seem like direst threats - and Trapper treats them with all the seriousness of an unexploded hand grenade. But to Hawkeye, they're a reminder that there's still innocence in the world. And that's a balm to his very soul.

After dinner is when things get tricky. Hawkeye's knitting in the living room, his usual after dinner ritual, and Cathy is watching him with the same degree of focus as he'd watch the demonstration of a new surgical technique. She's sitting cross legged on the living room floor next to her abandoned book, looking up at him, eyes following the knitting needles like a tennis match.

"What are you doing?" her little voice pipes up.

Hawkeye leans in to mock whisper, "Knitting a sweater for your dad. Shhh! It's a surprise."

Trapper's at the dining room table, listening to Becky regale him with the story of the very gross but very neat frog dissection she got to watch in science class. And he's paying very close attention to her - even drawing out little diagrams to help Becky show off her new knowledge of amphibious internal organs - so Hawkeye knows he won't overhear. But it's still fun to see Cathy's face split into a wide, conspiratorial grin.

"A secret!"

He nods seriously.

"But why are you knitting? That's for old ladies." Her expression is derisive.

"Well, when I was in Korea, it got sooo cold that even the animals put on parkas." Cathy giggles. "Wool clothing was worth its weight in gold. So I learned how to make socks and scarves and hats just to keep myself warm. And the first things I made were pretty bad. The socks were just lumpy wool bags - even the snakes wouldn't wear them! But I got better and started giving them away as gifts."

Cathy still looks skeptical. "But you're not in Korea anymore."

If only he were so certain of that all the time.

"That's true. But I still like to make presents for my friends. And I think it's fun."

She's still looking at him intently.

"Do you want to learn?"

She considers the question and then nods with all the gravitas of a judge in court. So Hawkeye digs out his old needles from Korea and some fluffy pink yarn that he'd originally bought with Margaret in mind that ought to be easier for her to work with. And the needles are awkward in her small hands but he gets her started on a scarf - the easiest project, just rows of stitches back and forth. And Cathy seems to enjoy it, tongue sticking out in concentration as she counts stitches. She finishes a handful of rows before Trapper deems it bedtime and Hawkeye gives her a congratulatory handshake, acting as if she'd won some prestigious award. She's tickled pink by the game and Hawkeye thinks maybe this kid thing isn't so hard. He hadn't once seen her as anyone other than Cathy.

"Thanks for teaching Cathy how to knit," Trapper says after tucking the girls into bed. "She can be kinda difficult to keep interested in stuff that don't involve running around outside."

"No problem, I'm always glad to convert outsiders to the gory of homemade woolens! Besides, I had fun. She's a funny kid."

"Well, I'm glad you had a good time cuz your presence has been requested at the zoo tomorrow. If you think you're up to it."

"Yeah, I think I am. As long as I'm not intruding on your family time. You get little enough of that as it is."

"You are family, Hawkeye." Trapper's expression turns serious. "I know we ain't exactly talked about it, but I figure we'll be in each other's lives for a while and I don't wanna hide one part of my family from the other. Not more than I have to."

Hawkeye gets a little misty eyed, he's not ashamed to admit. "I'd love to go to the zoo with you tomorrow." He gives Trapper a hug. Because if he gave him anything else, he'd never stop giving. "Goodnight, Trap."

Trapper holds him back just as tightly. "Goodnight, Hawk."

And then they go sleep in separate bedrooms.

--

Trapper comes home from the gym to find Hawkeye awake and making the famous Pierce family French toast. It fills Trapper with an unspeakable joy that Hawkeye is willing to bring Trapper's family into his own like that. That Hawkeye feels the same way about being family as he does. And Trapper knows he's gotta go take a shower and get the girls up and ready for the day, but he can't wait for tonight when they can be together again and he can show Hawkeye just how much he appreciates it.

Half an hour later, syrup sticky and bouncing off the walls with a combination of sugar and excitement, Cathy and Becky practically drag him and Hawkeye out the door. And the zoo's crowded but a lot of fun. He's dragged along by Cathy who's pointing out the animals she likes the best - usually the biggest and bloodthirstiest but she's also taken a shine to the lizards in the reptile house. Meanwhile, Becky tells a very patient Hawkeye all about the animals at the zoo, reading from the signs and information cards at each enclosure. And Hawkeye tells her about Radar's collection of animals - started after Trapper left, so he enjoys hearing about it too - and the various surgeries and medical procedures he's done on them - in child appropriate terms, thank God. This prompts a whole new series of questions from Becky and Cathy about the inner workings of animals that Hawkeye seems to enjoy answering. Including things about rabbit ovaries that Trapper doesn't envy Louise having to field follow ups about.

And then it's time to go home so that Louise can come pick up the kids.

--

"You mean I can keep them?" Cathy looks up at Hawkeye, overjoyed.

"Sure, sweetheart. After the army lost all my luggage, I went out and bought all new stuff. Those knitting needles are extras. Besides, you still have your scarf on them."

She hugs him, tight enough to push all the air out of his lungs.

"Thanks, Uncle Hawkeye!"

And that. That gets him.

And so does Becky's "Bye, Uncle Hawkeye!" delivered almost carelessly as she runs out the door.

Like it's natural. Like he's family.

--

Hawkeye seems to be thinking about something pretty big, judging by how tense he's getting. They're lying in bed together after a vigorous and enjoyable reunion - one that had involved Hawkeye clutching desperately at the sheets as he gasped Trapper's name - but it appears that the afterglow is fading. And as good as the sex had been, Trapper doesn't figure it warrented this level of contemplation.

So after what he considers a reasonable interval, where Hawkeye just gets tenser and tenser, Trapper asks, "Something on your mind, Hawk?"

"Just thinking about family."

A pause.

"I still haven't seen my dad. It's been over a month and all I've done is send a few letters. Like he's a friend across the country instead of my own father, only two hours away."

A longer pause.

"I guess I'm feeling guilty because I've met your family now and I still haven't been up to see mine. But I don't know if I'm ready yet."

Trapper thinks about that a minute. "Well, I think you've done a bunch of stuff since getting back that you didn't feel ready for. And that's turned out ok."

Hawkeye laughs. "True, I've only had the one mental crisis. And I'm probably making this out to be a bigger deal than it is. He's my dad. He loves me no matter what."

Trapper figures Hawkeye's luckier than he knows if that's the case.

"I'll go up to see him next weekend. And if it's too much, I can come right back home the same day."

With that decided, Hawkeye snuggles further into Trapper. Mind quiet enough for him to sleep.

[mrs-hongs-blog]

Took Away The Pain

m e m b e r : Joshua Hong!!! g e n r e : fLUFFY!!11!!!1 w o r d c o u n t : 2k

i n t r o : SEVENTEEN has been busy preparing for their latest world tour Diamond Edge, and it’s starting to take a toll on your boyfriend’s body.

“Good job everyone, that’s all for today! Please go home and get ample rest before the next stop.” The 13 boys that were sweating profusely slowly dispersed from the practice to collect their luggage, they waved each other good bye and proceeded to go their own way, majority heading to the dorm while some returned to meet their family and Joshua was no exception.

Jeonghan and Joshua walked down the hallway of Pledis building and down to the basement carpark in silence. Ever since they landed 5 hours ago, they have been practicing non-stop and were exhausted out of their own minds. Joshua then broke the silence, “Need me to drop you off Han?” He said while fumbling to unlock his car. Jeonghan laughed at the clumsy boy and shook his head. “Thanks man, but my parents are coming with my little sister!” He said with a hint of excite. Joshua nodded his head gently.

“You should hurry home, your soulmate must be dying to see you.” Joshua’s eyes immediately smiled at the mention of you. How your eyes would light up whenever you saw him, how the corners of your beautiful lips was always up whenever he was around, even in your sleep, and how your cheeks would always be a tint of red whenever he was home from schedules.

And that’s why Joshua came to fall in love with you. You were so happy and optimistic and there was nothing that could ruin your day. You were his happy pill after a long day of schedule and training. You guys have been dating for a year after he arrived in Korea, back when you were working under Pledis as a Korean teacher and translator for new trainees who couldn’t speak Korean.

Joshua spoke Korean back in the US, but not that fluent. So he still took lessons with you, be it an excuse to see you or to actually learn. He was a fast learner and picked up the language fast, which is why he was put into SEVENTEEN early in his trainee days. He was also really fast in winning your heart over with his dad jokes, puns and acrostic poems. But what made you fall crazy in love with him was his kindness to anyone and everyone and his determination. You never ever saw him get angry, was always polite and gave his 120% during his training, even when he didn’t know if he could debut.

It’s been a little over 3 years since you guys started dating, but due to his visit to America, you guys couldn’t celebrate the 3rd Anniversary. In particular, it’s been 3 weeks since you last saw him and you only had him for 3 days. It was tough but nothing beats your love for him. Joshua felt bad missing the anniversary no matter how much you said it was okay so he kept sending you gifts, even from America. Today was no different, and he was about to surprise you again.

He alighted from his car in a small alleyway with lots of side shops and walked into the florist. “Sojung nuna! Jisoo here to pick up the flowers I ordered last week!” Her head popped out from a bunch of flowers and she smiled, “Hold on a minute! I’ll go get your flowers!” Sojung was his cousin from America that moved over to be a florist and he was his reliable source of surprising what he likes to call you, the most beautiful flower in his life.

“Here you go.” She passed him the huge bouquet of peonies and baby breaths, and as he was taking his wallet out, she stopped him. “On the house, you’ve worked hard the past 3 weeks. Go surprise her.” He nodded and thanked her, slipping a $100 note into the tip jar, knowing she would later reprimand him over the phone. He walked to his car and placed the bouquet of flowers next to him before he drove to the apartment you guys shared.

He pulled up infront of the loft that you two lovingly shared with your two golden retrievers and he took a good look at the house, grabbed the bouquet and unlocked the door. He opened the door to two excited pups begging for his love, “Hi there Bean and Dubbs!!!” He cooed before looking around for your presence. He spotted you in the kitchen cooking something, listening to your earpiece.

He smiled and put the flowers on the kitchen counter before back-hugging you, removing one side of the earpiece. “How’s my favourite girl doing?” You stood there frozen for a second when you heard his voice, before regaining consciousness and jumping on him. “Babe! When did you arrive? I MISSED YOU!” You did a little cheer while your two dogs barked at you two, making a ruckus.

Joshua smiled at your shining eyes and red cheeks, “A little while ago. I have a surprise for you.” Joshua moved aside to reveal the huge bouquet of your favourite flowers and you screamed again. “SHU! You shouldn’t have!” You said as you hugged the huge bouquet and squashed your face in it. He smiled widely, “I should’ve. It was worth it.” You turned to him to give him a long, loving kiss before pulling apart, forehead together, giggling.

“Where’s your luggage, I’ll go get it! I’ll run a bath for you! I’ll finish cooking dinner!” Joshua laughed at how you were trying to multi-task with your little body, running around with two huge pups following you around. He sure loves his little family of four. You then promptly ran out to bring his luggage in, dumping the laundry in the washing machine. Joshua watched as you ran around the house getting things done.

You ran into the bathroom to run the warm bath for him and fetched him a towel, pushing him into the bathroom. “I love you baby, thank you for this.” He said at the doorway of the toilet, kissing your cheek lightly. You smiled before shoving him in the bathroom, “I love you too, but you stink!” You laughed as he said a loud ‘HEY!” and you continue to prepare dinner.

After you guys were done with dinner, you guys collapsed on your bed in matching puppy pajamas, your two dogs flopping down on the floor next to you. “Good night baby, no more good night texts.” Joshua whispered, as he kissed your temple gently before snuggling you, You smiled lightly and said quietly under your breath, “Good night love.” before falling into a deep slumber.

Next morning, you were awakened by Joshua groaning loudly and your eyes shot open. He was clutching his arm before groaning again. “SHU! What’s wrong?” He moaned out, “My arm and back really hurts..” You checked the time, 9am. The clinic nearby was open and you immediately got dressed and brought Joshua to the car, driving him to the clinic.

The doctors couldn’t identify what was wrong with Joshua, so they prescribed him with painkillers and told him to check back again in a few days. You guys drove home and Joshua was groaning in pain on the couch. The dogs sat by him on the sofa, ears dropped down as though they knew he was in pain. You were saddened by the event and how it made Joshua so weak. He couldn’t stand or lay down properly because it would just hurt.

You brewed him some porridge and fed him his medicine, and he fell asleep shortly after. You called the members and their manager to inform them about the incident. The members and managers dropped by to visit while Joshua was asleep but none of them wanted to wake him up, even in his sleep, he looked like he was in so much pain.

You served the guests some snacks and tea before they left, leaving well wishes. Pledis called you and did say that if it gets worse, Joshua can get treatment at the hospital and not attend the next tour stop. But knowing Joshua, he would hate to do so. Joshua hated disappointing his fans, and would push himself to the limit. That’s how he always was, giving his 120%.

He woke up later in the evening to eat some food and take his painkillers again, before falling back into sleep, this time on the bed. You sat next to him after washing up and feeding the pups, you looked at his angelic face, eyebrows furrowed probably due to the pain and face scrunched. You looked at him with so much worry, and tears started to spill.

“Have you ever met someone you loved so much, that when they were in pain, you just wanted to take the pain away from them, even if it means that you will be in pain. Or just want to share a bit of the pain so that person can at least rest a bit better?”

You were crying, sobbing and in a load of tears. You hated it, how you couldn’t do anything to make Joshua’s pain lesser, or make him feel even a slight bit better. He was probably the most kind-hearted and nicest person you ever know, why did he have to suffer? You just cried and cried and cried, hoping something would make his pain lesser.

You sat next to him all night, and fell asleep on the bedside table. Joshua then woke up because Bean jumped on the bed to lick his face. He searched around for you before finding you, fast asleep on the floor, head propped on the bed, looking at him. He caressed your cheek before kissing your temple with all the strength he had.

It woke you up, and he got a shock. “I’m sorry, did I wake you up?” He looked at you, eyebrows furrowed, face obviously still in pain. You stared at him before breaking down again. He was confused but comforted you with all the strength he had left. “What’s wrong baby.. Please don’t cry, you know I hate seeing you like this.”

“I just feel, bad. I can’t do anything to help you feel at least a bit better and you’re suffering alone. I hate it. How I can’t share even a bit of pain with you. I’m sorry babe. You’re the most amazing boyfriend yet I can’t do even a single thing for you.” Joshua smiled at how pure your heart was. He was lucky to call you his.

“Hey.. Don’t cry. It’s not your fault, and I’m fine. You being here makes me feel better. You did do a lot for me love. You cooked food for me, fed me my meds, carried me around and even took care of the guests. You’re the amazing one.” Joshua whispered, probably because he was exhausted. You smiled at his words and jumped on top of him, hugging him tightly.

“Thank you for everything Jisoo ah.” The way you called him made his heart flutter, even after 3 years. “I love you babe.” You said before spamming kisses all over his face and neck. “I love you too babygirl.” He said with you squishing his cheeks, kissing him all over. He sat up, pinning you under him and now it was his turn to spam kisses all over you. Bean and Dubbs joined shortly after, rolling around the bed.

“Babe? Does it not hurt anymore?” You remembered, asking Joshua. He looked at his arm, and then cracking his neck. “I.. feel better. All of a sudden.” Joshua looked at himself in shock and you jumped on him. “MY BABY’S OKAY!” Joshua smiled and hugged you tightly. He was happy with where his life has come too, his small family of four and his amazing other half. He stopped you, pulled you apart to face him.

“It’s the power of your love. You did it babe. You took my pain away.” He said, smiling widely, his cat eyes prominent. You smiled and mumbled softly only he could hear, “It’s a power of OUR love.” You two then shared a sweet kiss before it was ruined by Dubbs putting his butt to Joshua’s face.