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gothgleek · 2 months

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How Many Licks? (Just Bite It)

Angus Tully x fem!reader

Summary: You work at the University’s mail room sorting packages and trying to keep yourself from boredom. However- not that you would ever admit it out loud- you look forward to Thursday afternoons when Angus Tully stops by.

Based on my post Dominic Sessa looking like he bites people.

Word Count: 1,900+

Notes: She/her pronouns, Afab reader, Christmas mention, biting, cunnilingus, unprotected sex, unsafe sex, semi-public sex, sex at the workplace, overstimulation, quickies, reader being a brat, calling each other ‘slut’, everyone involved is over the age of 18

Notes: Huge thank you to my friend, Mera for helping me come up with what to call Angus because there is no way I’m moaning that name either fictionally or irl. It’s like moaning ‘Ulysses’ or ‘Cornelius.’ Please be nice as this is the first fanfic I’ve ever posted on Tumblr and first ever reader insert I’ve ever written. I tried being as neutral as possible when describing physical features but please let me know if there is anything that takes you out. Specifically I tried saying bite marks instead of bruises because not all skin tones bruise easily but I’m sure I missed some.

Comments, likes, and reblogs are appreciated 💕💕💕

Minors DNI

Your bright red stockings paired well with your wool black dress that hits you mid-thigh. You couldn’t see Angus from this angle, but you could feel his gaze rising up your legs and to the garter belt as you climbed the ladder. You knew he was a boob man but it was too cold for a v-neck dress. You put his package on the top shelf specifically so you could show off your legs when he arrived.

“Thanks, I got them Black Friday shopping.” You tell him, stepping down the ladder, his package on your hip. “Which is what I assume this is?” You shake the box in your hands. It’s not heavy but you can tell it’s packed to the brim.

“Hope so,” You hear him unwrap a lollipop and pop it in his mouth. You cringe as you hear him bite the lollipop.

You step off the ladder and tuck the box under your breasts, pushing them up more. “If you keep biting them, I’m going to start hiding them when you stop by.”

He smiles obnoxiously. “Then you would’ve hid them away by now.”

You roll your eyes, putting the box on the counter. “It’s disgusting.”

“No, it’s actually pretty tasty,” He smirked and took the used lollipop stick out of his mouth. “Wanna guess what flavor it is?” Angus sticks his artificially red tongue out.

“You’re such a slut.” You roll your eyes and shake your head.

---

The piles of new shipments kept the two of you hidden from the public eye as Angus got on his knees, pushing you against the wall. Your stockings had been quickly disposed of, tossed over his shoulder before you could say anything. His mouth was on your left knee, pressing a kiss as he opened your legs. One warm hand rests on your stomach, balancing himself.

He places a sloppy, open mouthed kiss on your inner thigh, above your knee. He licked upwards and bit down, sucking on the flesh between his teeth. He mirrors his actions on your left thigh. You hissed, knowing (and loving) that it would leave marks.

“You smell fucking amazing,” He says against your skin, his big brown eyes looking up at you. Motivated by your scent, Angus’s kisses get sloppier and while his bites are quicker, it is no less painful as he moves upward your legs. You glanced at the entrance to the office, double checking you could freely respond to his actions.

“God, you’re fucking soaked,” Angus said smirking, the cold air making your clit pulse. His thumb lightly moved over your lace covered pussy.

“Did you get jealous of the lollipop? The way I licked,” You jumped as his tongue touched your clit, the lace of your panties adding to the friction. “And bit?” His teeth graze against it.

“God, you’re such a dirty slut,” You tell him, only half teasing.

“And you’re a loud slut,” Angus teases and pushes your dress upwards. “Bite on this.”

You wordlessly accepted and clamp down on the polyester fabric. He slowly pulled down your red panties to show him your beautiful pussy. Since your lower half and most of your torso was visible, Angus greedily took in the sight of your bare stomach and underboob. He kisses your clit and spits on it. He traces his tongue over the sensitive nub and gives you slow, deliberate licks, creating a bigger mess between your thighs.

You let out muffled moans, your fingers tangled in his curly hair and grinding your hips for more friction. Angus once told you he would die a happy man if that meant being between your legs. Today is a good day to test that. You grip his hair, forcing his mouth to wrap around your clit, an action he responds to with a hum of approval. The vibrations make your hips roll and back arch. You can feel him laugh because he knows he has you where he wants you but you cannot care about that now. You hold his head there, pleading whimpers begging for more. Angus removes his hands from your pussy so he could grip your thighs for balance but makes no effort to loosen your grip.

Embarrassingly, it doesn’t take you long to reach your peak. Not when his mouth is making you feel so, so good. Your dress falls down as your mouth opens, a strangled cry echoing in the room, and your nails dig into his scalp as you cum. Angus keeps licking you as if you’re not melting around his mouth. As if your legs are not shaking in his hands from overstimulation. Eventually you cannot take it anymore and you have to push him away. Still, he licks up the mess you’ve created on your thighs before standing to face you with a satisfied smirk.

The intensity of your orgasm leaves you feeling dizzy so his hands stay on your hips as he rises. Though his face is painted with arrogance, Angus gently sits you on the table your boss reserved for processing packages. He lifts your dress over your head and tosses it to the side, impatiently but gently. Your nipples pebble because of the cold air and his lustful gaze.

Eyes never leaving yours, Angus unbuckles his belt and pulls his cock out. He pushed you against the table, kissing you at the same time. You wrap your arms around his neck as you taste his mouth- a combination of your pussy and his strawberry lollipop.

His hand gently pushed your thighs wider as his other hand slipped a finger between your entrance. His thumb gently rubbed your clit in exactly the way you taught him so you couldn’t help the moans that escaped your mouth. He slid another finger in and you gasped out a “Yes!” You rode his fingers, chasing your pleasure. Your moans ricocheting off the walls, not caring how slutty you acted.

But he cared.

Angus pulled away from your breast, not bothering to wipe away the string of spit connecting his lips to your breast. The hand on your thigh paused your movements and his fingers slowed.

“Tell me you’re my slut,” he smirked. You whined in response. “Come on, say it.”

He gently lays you back on the table and takes his shirt off. Angus turned around to see the clock on the wall ticking down the minutes until your boss came back from lunch.

“Tick tock.” He said, emphasizing each word with the tap of his cock on your entrance. “Tick, tock.”

You had no doubt he would elongate this. Last time you pushed your luck, you weren’t caught, but you didn’t you cum either. Angus had the biggest shit eating grin when he came in the following day and you begged him to fuck you.

But you still weren’t going to give him the satisfaction.

And he knew that.

“How does it feel to be a slut?” He murmured against your ear. Angus buried his face in the crook of your neck, biting down and pulling satisfied moans out of your mouth. “To be my slut?”

“I’m not your slut,” You protested between your moans.

He stopped biting your neck to simply nip at it, moving downwards to your breasts. Your trembling fingers grabbed at the curls on the back of his head, encouraging him. Agnus took a nipple into his hot mouth causing your left hand to dig into his shoulder and your right hand to pull his hair. Angus let out a muffled moan of pleasure and sucked on your nipple harder. There was tension building in your stomach but you couldn’t release it until you were around him.

“Say it,” Angus said as he alternated between your breasts. “Say it and I’ll fuck you.”

“Fine! I’m a slut!” You cried. “I’m your slut! Now please! Fuck me!”

Angus chuckled and slid into you. You instinctively wrapped your legs around him, pulling him closer. His eyes fluttered as he felt your heat surround his cock. He stared down at you as he found his rhythm. his fingers finding your clit again. Angus’s fingers moved in the same rhythm as his hips.He moved his hips faster, forcing your back to arch off the desk. Moaning, you clenched around his cock.

Angus kept his pace but his mouth suctioned around your breast as his tongue swirled around your nipple faster. The hand not on your clit reached over to grab your other breast, rolling the nipple between his thumb and forefinger.

“Keep going…” You whined, almost begging. The tension was reaching its peak. “So… close…”

Hearing you cry out, Angus pulled away from your beast and watched you fall apart.

He tried to fuck you through your orgasm but he couldn’t help but he wasn’t far behind you. Not when pleasure washed over your face. Not when you squeezed him like that. Not when your voice echoed like that in the small room. With a stuttering groan, Angus came inside your pussy while biting your shoulder.

Your legs loosened around his waist as your body relaxed but your pussy still clenched around his twitching cock, taking every drop of him. Angus’s body relaxed and his mouth loosened its grip on your shoulder. But you can feel his teeth scraping against your tender skin. He pressed gentle, open mouth kisses against your neck as he pulled out of you. You whimpered as he did that, already missing him inside you.

Tiredly and lazily, he kissed his way down your body until he got to his knees again. Angus spread your legs again, watching his cum dripping out of you and pooling on the table. You felt his mouth cover your pussy once again. Though tired, you couldn’t help but arch your back a little when you felt his tongue lap at your sensitive pussy, cleaning you. Angus pulled away before you could cum, though you are thankful he did as your body was not ready to accept another orgasm.

He helped you to your feet and kissed you gently on the mouth. You returned the kiss, leaning against him for balance. However, your orgasms still left you a little tired so you had to break the kiss to retain your balance. Not that Angus minded, he still kissed you, this time peppering them on your neck. Your hands loosely held his neck before you noticed the clock.

“Unless you have a turtleneck for me in that package, don’t you dare leave another hickey on my neck,” You told him as your wits came back to you and he laughed against your skin. He kissed your neck and went to his package on the counter.

“As a matter of fact,” He said, tearing it open and digging around, not caring he was still naked. “I do.”

He pulled out a knit black sweater with a thick, folded turtleneck. You accepted it and marveled at how soft it was.

“For me?” Your eyes were wide.

“Yeah, well, you always complain it’s cold down here, ” Angus shrugged nonchalantly but you could see color rising to his cheeks.

“Plus you know,” He brushed your hair off your shoulder. “It’ll hide those bite marks I left behind.”

You look down at your body to see a map of bite marks and bruises identical to his mouth and fingers. You snatched your new sweater from his hands and threw it on.

#angus tully #angus tully x reader #angus tully imagine #angus tully smut #the holdovers #smut #fanfic #reader insert #mine

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kokorose · 4 months

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Christmas with you

Mick Schumacher x Kpop!gf

face claim: Sana Minatozaki (k-pop group Twice)

In a world where K-pop idols could publicly date and not get canceled.

Yn's username translates to YnBunny in Korean and Mick calls her Hase which is Bunny in German.

Google Translated Korean and German.

Pics from Pintrest

Allkpop posted

liked by YnYn, Ynstreasure, ynoncetwice3, YnTail, and 16,498 others.

Dispatch: Twice's Yn seen at Incheon International Airport. Sources say that Yn was seen boarding a flight to Switzerland. JYP Entertainment has not put out a statement as to why the Twice member was headed to Switzerland, we will update you once we get any news.

comments:

YnYn: why's Yn headed to Switzerland?? @JYPEnteraiment we need answers!?!?

username: She's so pretty.

Ynstreasure: @JYPEntertainment????

YnToki Posted to her story

YnToki: Mein Mäus (my mouse)

MickSchumacher: ❤❤

YnToki: ❤️

EstebanOcon: 👀👀

Nayeonyny: 마음에 드는 사람 (Cuties)

momo:😊

MickSchumacher posted

liked by EstebanOcon, LanceStroll18, SebastianVettel, lewishamilton, YnToki, and 2,728,289 others

MickSchumacher: mein kleiner Schneehase (my little snow bunny)

comments:

username: Mick still soft launching???

username: Mick its been 3 months, who is she?!?!

EstebanOcon: 😳😳😳

SebastianVettel: She's a nice girl Mick.

username: Sebastian met her?!?!

lewishamilton: 👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽

username: ummmm, Yn in the likes????

username: you're being delulu babes

username: omg cute

YnToki posted

liked by MickSchumacher, momo, jennierubyjane, lalisa, GinaSchumacher , nayeonyny, and 2,378,389 others

YnToki: I don’t mind the cold because I’ve got you to keep me warm. 🐭

comments:

jennierubyjane: pretty girl 💕💕

lalisa: 💗

username: omg!! yn officially soft launched!!!

username: MICK IN THE LIKESSS!!!!

Username: not just Mick but Gina too!???

username: Mick Schumacher what are you doing here????

username: is that Mick in her pic????

MickSchumacher posted

liked by lewishamilton, lancestroll18, callumillot, estebanocon, YnToki, and 1,389,380 others

MickSchumacher: some snow, good food and even better company!

Comments:

Sebastian Vettel: if you guys have time, you should come visit!

Username: wait is that… yn?!?

Username: I swear to god that’s Yn!!!

ginaschumacher: my favorite couple!

EstebanOcon: 🤮 stop it’s too cute

Username: mick and Angie!!!

YnToki posted

Liked by MickSchumacher, GinaSchumacher, nayeonyny, momo, todayis_wendy, LewisHamilton, and 3,379,738 others

YnToki: puppies, kisses and Christmas cuddles!! I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and happy new years! 🎄🎄

And to my mäus, these last 3 months have been the greatest time of my life. I love you and can’t wait to spend many more Christmases with you! ❤️❤️

Tagged: my love

Comments:

MickSchumacher: I love you too Hase(bunny) ❤️

GinaSchumacher: YAY!!!!

Username: OMG ITS MICK!!!! SHE’S DATING MICK!!

Username: omg!!! THE MATCHING PICTURES!!

LewisHamilton: 🐰🐭

Momo: 💕💕💕💕

Username: omg the Christmas hard launch

AllKpop posted

Liked by username, username, username, and 250,893 others

AllKpop: Twice member YN reveals she’s dating Formula One team Mercedes-Petronas AMG reserve driver Mick Schumacher in latest instagram post!

JYP entertainment put out a statement saying that it was Yn’s personal life and she had informed them(the company) of said relationship back in September after the couple had begun dating. They ask that everyone respects the couples privacy.

Comments:

Username: omg

Username: awwww good for her!!

Username: ooooohhhh he’s kinda cute!

Username: what a beautiful couple they make!!

#f1 fanfic #f1 social media au #f1 #formula 1 #mick schumacher #esteban ocon #sebastian vettel #lewis hamilton #george russell #max verstappen #lance stroll #lando norris

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e-dubbc11 · 4 months

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The Perfect Gift

Photos are not mine. They are courtesy of Pinterest/Google.

Pairing: Billy Russo x F! Reader

Warnings: Mostly fluff, mentions of Billy’s childhood

Word Count: 2K-ish

Summary: Billy opens up a little more to you; he talks a little about Christmas at the group home and what he really wanted when he was a child.

A/N: Just a little thought I had…what would a young Billy Russo want for Christmas? I had hoped to have this out before Christmas but that didn’t happen obviously, but I hope you enjoy it anyway! ♥️🎄

As always, thank you for reading! I appreciate it so much and comments, reblogs are welcome and encouraged. Don’t be shy to tell me your favorite part. 💕💕 💕

Watching the snow gently float past the windows of the penthouse, you recalled your conversation with Billy a few nights ago.

After setting up the Christmas tree, the two of you were relaxing on the couch together with just the warm glow of the white tree lights illuminating the room.

Your legs were draped over his lap; he rubbed the fabric of your lounge pants in between his long slender fingers and you were lightly raking your nails against his scalp.

Two mugs of hot chocolate rested on the coffee table, cooling off because they were still too hot to drink. His mouth split into a childlike smile when he noticed you were making it. Billy loved chocolate, probably more than the average person which you thought was so cute.

He trusted you.

He trusted you with his heart and his body. Billy Russo had always been a very guarded man, he never let anyone in and he never let himself get attached to anyone. He had been afraid to but it was different with you.

The saying is “patience is a virtue.” You not only had the ability to wait but you waited calmly and didn’t give up on him when everyone else had. Pushing too hard would never get you anywhere; it was best for you to earn his trust by letting him talk whenever he was ready to.

You gently knocked on that door at times. Sometimes he would answer, other times he didn’t want to and that was ok. This was one of those times where he felt like talking.

“Ya know what I always wanted when I was young?” He had said.

Still scraping your nails against his scalp, you asked him, “What’s that, baby?”

Billy glanced down at his hands then turned to look at you. His endless brown eyes raked over you and he smiled slightly.

“A slingshot.” He said.

“One of the first years I was at the group home, they told us if we wrote a letter to Santa Claus, they would make sure it would get to him in time for Christmas. ‘What’s the ONE thing you really want?’ I remember them saying. Other kids asked for teddy bears, fire engines, or dolls but I really wanted a slingshot. I even remember promising to be really careful with it and not hurt anyone. But I still never got one…I figured either there was no Santa Claus or I didn’t behave enough because I watched every other kid get their teddy bear, fire engine, and dolls that they asked for but never what I wanted.”

Your heart broke for him. The dull ache in your chest persisted as you listened to him talk about that very painful memory. You pictured a very young Billy Russo, excited for Christmas morning and the one gift he wanted more than anything, the one thing he wished so hard for, only to be disappointed.

Regardless of whether or not it was a good idea to get a little boy a slingshot, you had a hard time picturing Billy being nothing but careful with it.

You know he would have treasured it and wouldn’t have done anything to have it taken away from him. But they never gave him that chance. Getting a hat or a baseball glove was nice but it wasn’t the same when everyone else got what they had asked for.

“I know it’s stupid…to hold onto something like that for all these years.” He had said.

With sad eyes and a warm smile, you cupped both of his cheeks and brushed his beard gently with your thumbs.

“It’s not stupid, my love.” You whispered, leaning in and pressing your lips to his.

The hot chocolate was finally cool enough to drink and he never mentioned it again. Billy changed the subject after that; he asked you what was your favorite Christmas gift you had ever received as a child.

A smile stretched across your face when you explained how much you loved snow globes but not your typical, run of the mill snow globes. The ones you love have black snow; they are more Halloween related than Christmas and when you were young, you found one while you were out shopping with your mother.

It had black snow and a haunted house inside. When you flipped the switch, the lights inside the house would flicker on and off.

You wanted it so badly.

She surprised you a couple months later by giving it to you for Christmas. She must have gone back to get it after you saw it in the store.

“One afternoon, I came home from school and the calendar on my desk was wet and my snow globe was gone. I put in on the top shelf of my desk. Well apparently, my younger brother wanted to see it and while trying to get it off of the top shelf, he dropped it and it broke. My mom cleaned it up before I got home and I was out a snow globe…the perfect snow globe in my eyes. I never did find another one.”

“I’m sorry, sweet girl.” He said with a warm smile.

“Ah, it’s ok…he was little. I totally get why he wanted to play with it…it was pretty awesome.” You said, with a little laugh.

“Well, I think we’ve bummed each other out enough today y/n, what about you?” He asked.

You nodded.

“Let’s go to bed, baby.” He said with a wink.

Billy took you by the hand and led you to the bedroom. He slept well that night, no nightmares and he held you extra close. Maybe sharing that memory was therapeutic for him. Whatever it was, you were happy he slept through the night.

And the only reason how you knew he slept through the night is because you did not. His story broke your heart and it occupied your mind all night long but you were going to make sure Billy would get the Christmas gift he’s always wanted.

Christmas Morning

Billy never missed an opportunity to spoil you and Christmas was no exception. The gifts he gave you were nothing short of amazing and he was very excited to give them to you. Dark chocolate from your favorite candy shop, and the sterling silver love knot earrings you had been eyeing at Tiffany and Co.

You thought it was so sweet he remembered; it had been months since you had seen them in the window. He made you breakfast and mimosa’s; it was such a perfect morning.

Then it was time to give Billy his gifts. You gave him a bottle of his favorite bourbon and put together a stocking with his name on it but you still had one more gift to give him.

“Thank you, sweet girl. I’m still not really use to receiving gifts.” Said Billy.

You stood up and walked over to the tree. “I still have one more left for you, handsome.”

Leaning over the back of the couch, you placed the gift in his lap, wrapped your arms around his neck and kissed him on the cheek. The bristles of his beard tickled your lips as you felt him smile against your kiss.

“What is this, y/n? You have given me plenty already.” He said.

Billy tore away the wrapping paper. He covered his eyes, then swept his fingers down his cheeks, and let his jaw drop. He couldn’t believe what he was holding in his hands…he finally had his very own slingshot.

“Do you like it, Billy?” You asked, after several moments of silence.

Billy’s dark chocolate eyes shined with unshed tears; he was speechless.

“You didn’t have to do this, baby.” He said with a slight hitch in his voice.

Billy turned his head slightly so he was looking into your eyes, a wide smile stretched across his face and he leaned closer until his lips met yours.

You pulled away slightly and replied, “Yes I did, my love.”

His lips tasted slightly like orange juice and he gazed at you like you had hung the stars in the sky. The excitement in Billy’s eyes were that of that little boy he once was that finally got what he had always wanted.

“I love you…so much.” He whispered.

“I love you too, Billy.” You said.

Billy gave you a sly smile. “I actually have one more gift for you too, sweet girl.”

“What?” You asked.

He stood up, walked over, and reached all the way toward the back of the tree and pulled out one last present.

“Billy…” You started to say.

The package felt a little heavy as you gently ripped open the wrapping paper. You opened the opaque black box and inside was the same exact snow globe your brother had broken; your favorite childhood Christmas present that you thought was gone forever was in your possession once again.

“Oh my god…Billy how did you? Where did you? How?” You asked, stuttering over your words in disbelief.

It was actually in front of you. The same purple and orange castle, the black snow, and the black base. You turned it over to flip the switch and watched as the lights inside flickered on and off.

“It took me a little while but I finally tracked one down. Hopefully, your brother won’t break this one.” He chuckled a little. “It’s the right one though?” Asked Billy.

A tear streaked down your cheek and dripped onto the glass ball in your hands.

“Yes, yes it is my love…but,” You said and hesitated.

“But what, beautiful? Why are you crying?” He asked.

“Well, now I don’t really wanna tell you because you’re gonna think it’s stupid.” You said.

Billy smiled that perfect smile at you.

“Just tell me, baby.” He said.

“Billy, you always get me the most wonderful presents. I just really wanted to ‘win’ Christmas this year. And you had to go and do this.” You said, moving a stray piece of his raven colored hair out of his eyes.

Billy laughed, closed the gap between your bodies and kissed you again.

“Well you know how competitive I am, y/n. And how I like things to be perfect, especially for you.” He said with a wink. “And you did win, my love. I have everything I’ve ever wanted. I have you and now I have a slingshot.”

He swiped away the tears from your cheeks with his thumbs. You wanted nothing more than to just hold him for the rest of the day but you knew he wanted to play with his new toy.

“Thank you for my snow globe, Billy. This was the best kind of surprise.” You said.

Billy kept glancing over at his slingshot, aching to test it out.

“You wanna test out your new toy, don’t you.” You said with a warm smile.

He nodded with an evil smirk on his face.

A Christmas Story was playing on tv so you decided to recite a line from the movie.

“Ok, well don’t shoot any animals or birds.” You said with a laugh.

He replied with the second part of that movie quote. “Except the Bumpus’s dogs, right baby?”

You kissed him again and replied. “You really do get me, Mr. Russo…in every way.”

Billy Russo’s childhood was stolen from him. He grew up with nothing, no family and no possessions. Most of his friends from the group home turned to crime when they got older and it very well could have happened to Billy too, but it didn’t.

He had become successful and slowly but surely, he was learning to navigate his own feelings. Billy learned how to love and accept love shown toward him because of how patient you were with him.

Patience really is a virtue and you would try like hell to be as patient as humanly possible for the man you love because he really was worth it…and so much more.

Tag List: @wheresthesunshinesblog @rafaelakelley @idaoftheburningmind @snowkestrel @fakehappy27 @music-indie-tv @fictional-hooman @kayhi808 @munsonownsmyass @gijos @celestialams @k-marzolf @nutmeg17 @rosaleenablack @vaguekayla @qu1etwolf @danzer8705 @fireeyes-on-teller-dixon-grimes

Others that might enjoy: @itwasthereaminuteago @fluffyprettykitty @jvanilly @imagine-a-fictional-boyfriend @russosafehaven @mrsbillyrusso

If you’d like to be added (or removed from) my tag list(s) for the ever so handsome Billy Russo, just let me know and thank you again for reading! 💕💕💕 If I tagged you but you didn’t want to be, just let me know and I’ll never do it again.

#billy russo #billy russo x reader #billy russo fanfic #billy russo imagine #billy russo x female reader #billy russo x you #billy russo x y/n

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wasawattpadkid · 1 year

Note

hello!! i hope ur having an amazing day :)) i just wanted to say that i absolutely LOVE housewife. & the way you write is amazing! i turned on your notifications so ik when u update. anyways im not sure if your requests are open or not but if they are could you possibly write a fluff with billy x reader? i was thinking something where billy takes the reader to an amusement park or fair, comforts them when theyre scared of the rides or rollercoasters and wins them prizes and stuff? maybe even have one of those cute cliche endings on a ferris wheel. thank you so much!! <3

I had fun writing this! I hope you like it 💕

Scaredy Cat

Paring: Billy Loomis x fem!reader

Warnings: cursing

"What do you want to do now?" Billy asked as he swug your hand in his. "Ooh you want to ride the teacups?" You pointed to the ride littered with children. He couldn't help but laugh. "That's the ride you can spin however fast you want right?" You nodded looking up at him. "I will make it my goal to make you sick." You went ahead and marked that ride off the list. The bag of cotton candy you had moments ago did not like his plan. "You really are the fun police." He looked at the ground with a laugh.

With the dark sky you could easily pick out the carousel spinning in the distance. Like a dog seeing a squirrel you pulled on his arm taking off. "Jesus!" He shouted trying to keep up. "Come on babe!" You laughed. Once you made it to the ride he smacked your ass for the senseless running you made him do. "Watch it Loomis there's children around. You'll get us kicked out." You teased. "I'm not getting on that." He pointed towards the spinning horses. With a pout you tried to convince him. "Please."

With a straight face he stared at you obviously unamused. "Fine. You ride this with me I'll ride whatever you want me to." Now that was a compromise. "We're going on that next." He turned you towards the biggest rollercoaster you'd ever seen. Suddenly you regretted your previous words. "We don't have to ride the carousel." He smiled pulling you to the short queue. "Nice try."

The ride attendant checked your wristband before letting you on the ride. She looked displeased at you both. "We're the oldest people on here." Billy said seeing the parents watch their kids from the sides of the ride. "But we're young at heart." He wanted to gag at the cheesy line. "Help me up." You ordered as you tried to throw your leg over the tall horse. "Really?" He shook his head picking you up. Once you were seated you responded. "Yes really. Now get on." He gazed at the vacant horse beside yours and shook his head. "Not happening."

"I'm not riding that rollercoaster unless you get on that horse. Plus I think cowboys are kinda hot." You shrugged trying to get him to let loose for once. He threw his leg over the horse right before the ride started. You giggled at the display. "I hope you piss yourself on that rollercoaster." He spat as he looked around the spinning scenery. "I love you too shit head." You blew the boy a kiss before closing your eyes. The overused carnival music was nostalgic putting a fond sense of security in your head.

Billy watched as you smiled. It'd been awhile since he'd seen you so genuinely happy. You laughed like a child on Christmas. He would ride the carousel a million times over if you looked this beautiful each time it started. You opened your eyes catching your boyfriend staring. "What?" You asked over the loud music. "Nothing." He said with a smile. The ride was short lived as it slowly came to a halt letting everyone off.

"You ready?" Billy asked an evil grin on his face. You held onto his arm as you both walked. "No." The closer you got to the ride the more intimating it became. You could hear the screams from riders a mile away. "You're seriously scared aren't you?" He laughed. You didn't understand how he could be so calm about a ride that could easily kill you both. "I don't see how you aren't." He shrugged as you slowly made your way to the front of the line.

"Make sure your legs and arms stay in the cart at all times. Any lost items will not be retrieved so if you think it'll fall leave it out now." The ride attendant spoke as he checked all the seat belts. Your hand squeezed Billy's knowing you couldn't back out now. He leaned over pressing a kiss to your temple. "We're not going to die. If we do atleast you died wearing something cute." You shot him a look. "You always know just what to say." Sarcasm dripped from your words. "Have fun." The operator said letting the ride slowly begin.

"Why'd we have to sit up front?" You asked him as people behind you cheered. "What do you mean? These are the best seats." Billy loved seeing you scared because you always ran to him for comfort. It was one of the best feelings in the world to him. The cart climbed the hill at such a slowly rate that by the time you reached the top you were ready to get off. "You ready?" He asked just seconds before the drop. "Fuck you!" You shouted as the cart plummeted. Billy laughed quickly being shut up by the speed of the ride. After a minute you started to really enjoy it. You held up your hands with the rest of the people noticing your boyfriend gripping the bar across your lap.

"Raise your hands!" You yelled hoping he could hear you. "Shut the fuck up!" He responded as you realized he was terrified. You laughed so hard you thought you were going to die and to Billy's displeasure you didn't stop even though the ride did. "You should have seen your face!" You held your stomach as tears fell from your eyes. "It's not even funny my back is killing me." He complained trying to blame his reaction on something else. "We should go again." You said laughing even harder at his expression. A coughing fit began making Billy smile. "Karma's a bitch."

"And so are you." You said through several coughs. Once you calmed down both of you headed towards the carnival games. "You going to win me something?" You asked as he looked the place over. "Which one do you want?" You pointed towards the little frog stuffed animal. Billy was surprised you didn't pick the biggest thing they had. "Okay here's some money I want you to walk up and start playing I'll be back." You furrowed your eyebrows in confusion. "Where are you going?" He waved you off disappearing in the crowd. You walked up the worker playing a game by yourself as you were told.

After a game or two you realized how rigged the game was. As you tossed another ring you saw Billy steal that little stuffed animal behind the carnival worker. "Tough break." The man said as you lost yet again. Billy held the toy behind his back as if you didn't catch him. You walked over to him a smile big on his face. "One frog for the beautiful lady." You took it from him trying to figure out if you should scold him. "You could've got caught." He kissed your lips before taking your hand in his. "But I didn't." He was right about that. "Well what are we doing next, and don't say the rollercoaster."

You clicked your tounge. "Damn there goes my plans." He shook his head before he saw the ferris wheel. "How about we ride the ferris wheel and then we'll head home?" Considering the stink he raised over the carousel you didn't think he'd want to ride that. "Really? You want to ride the ferris wheel?" His free hand found it's way into his pocket. "You can't go to an amusement park and not ride the ferris wheel." That was partially true but Billy knew the real reason he wanted to go. "Well lets go. Try not to get too scared on this one okay?" You teased as he rolled his eyes.

Billy held your hand helping you into the cart. "Thank you." You said as he shuffled in after you. His arm laid on the metal behind you letting you lay your head on his shoulder. "I really have had fun today." He chewed on his lip trying to play down the sense of pride he felt. "I'm glad." You looked out at the lights pointing at different things. "Tell me that doesn't look like a penis!" You pointed towards one of the rides as Billy laughed. "Your ability to ruin a sweet moment never fails to amuse me." The cart stopped at the top letting you get a view of everything around you. "Sweet moment?" You asked before Billy cupped your jaw pulling you into a kiss.

He could feel the big smile on your face as you kissed him back. It was cliche but he knew you'd appreciate the gesture. "I love you." He said looking into your eyes. It was the kinda stuff that was in movies. "And you're right that does look like a penis." You gasped at his words. "I told you!" You both laughed at each other. It was a great day even though Billy found out he was scared of rollercoasters. He was just happy he got to spend the day with you.

#scream #billy loomis #ghostface #scream 1996 #scream fanfic #ask #billy loomis x reader #ghostface x reader #billy loomis ghostface #billy loomis masterlist #billy loomis smut #billy loomis fluff #billy loomis imagine #billy loomis x female reader #ghostface x female reader #ghostface fluff #ghostface x fem!reader

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ramzawrites · 1 year

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Christmas Kiss - Donatello x Reader

FEM

Pairings: Donatello x Reader

Characters included: Donatello, Leonardo, Raphael, Michelangelo, April, Shelldon

Warnings: n/a

Series: A request!

Summary: Y/N is helping Donnie with the lights for christmas since the family was so nice to invite them over for the holidays. Unbenkownst to the two the rest of the family is using this to finally set the two up via mistletoe.

Request: Hello Ram! 💕

Can I request a long Christmas fluff oneshot with prompts: “Look up, there’s mistletoe!” from Mikey, “Um, D-donnie? You k-know what that means, r-right?” and [An unexpected kiss that shocks the one receiving it.] about Rottmnt Donnie getting caught under the mistletoe with shy!fem!human!reader together at his home? Hint#1: This mistletoe idea was Mikey, Leo, Raph, Splinter, April and Shelldon's matchmaking plan! 😂 Hint#2: Shelldon who holds a mistletoe because he is so very mischievous matchmaker robot, haha. 😂 I live for flustered Rottmnt Donnie! 💘 Please??

~🍓 (she)

Word count: 2780

Authors Note: I'm sorry this is so late but I've been busier than I thought I would be around this time but I still wanted to finish this request and post it. I know it's like a full month after the holiday season but I hope you will still enjoy this.

Y/N did not have anything planned for this holiday season and she was loving it. Her parents were living a few states over and decided to finally travel around for the holiday season since for their last wedding anniversary the family got together to gift them a vacation. The rest of the family was either too far away or decided to do their own thing as well and seeing how all her roommates were off to visit their own families for their respective holidays, Y/N had the small apartment for herself.

She didn’t need to decorate, she didn’t need to plan out a dinner with her family. No, she was just planning on sitting in her room with some microwavable food and watching one of her favorite shows on her laptop. The most stressful part would just be the phone calls on Christmas day but those would go over fast.

Now when her friends, aka the four turtle mutants and April, heard about this they were absolutely aghast. Some more than others. Apparently, they couldn’t allow Y/N being alone on Christmas Eve and promptly invited her over for the day. They even roped her into coming over every now and again to help with decorating, baking cookies and the like.

And while Y/N tended to get stressed out when it comes to social interaction, she actually enjoyed the time with them.

Everyone seemed to have their own job. Mikey took care of the food for the holidays, Raph and April were the ones looking for a Christmas tree, Splinter went into the Hidden City to deal with any kind of shopping, Leo took care of most of the decoration while Donnie helped him when it came to the lights and even the music. Though the others kept looking over his music choices just to be sure.

Since out of all the people Y/N got along with Donnie the best, he immediately assigned her to lights duty alongside him. He also might have used this as an excuse to start teaching Y/N about simple electronics and the like. Y/N once said that she would love to be able to actually talk with him about his inventions but just didn’t have the knowledge. Now he sometimes took the chance to begin teaching her things.

And Y/N has really been trying her best to follow along which Donnie noticed and appreciated hence why she was allowed to go into his lab with his permission when he wasn’t in the lair. Usually this would only happen when the group needed some technical back up during missions.

This usually ended up with Y/N hurriedly working on Donnie’s computer while Donnie’s AI Shelldon told her what to do. This was also the reason why Y/N and Shelldon were pretty much besties at this point. So much so that Shelldon would sometimes ignore Donnie’s orders to do some fun things with Y/N when she was around. During his rebellious phase he even snuck over to Y/N’s apartment to complain to her about Donnie.

The phrase “Y/N would let me do this.” Was sometimes heard thrown through Donnie’s lab ever since then.

This coupled with the simple fact that the shy Y/N but was the most comfortable with Donnie and since he himself acted more like a father towards Shelldon, the others would joke that the two were divorced and Shelldon was their child. The bot loves playing into it so much so that he was moaning about not having two Christmases when the others invited Y/N over for the holidays.

Y/N laughed as she wrapped the last bit of the lights around the tree that Raph brought in together with April, Shelldon hovered around her head, obscuring her vision “Shell, please, I can’t see where I’m putting the lights down like that. Besides if you get so close some of the pine leaves or the cable might get tangled up in your rotor blades.”

He did indeed fly to the side but not before bumping his little head against Y/N’s cheek “Don’t worry, dude. I, like, totally know what I’m doing.”

“Oh, that is straight up a lie, Shelldon.” Donnie hissed. He was sitting on a beanbag and was currently hastily repairing a cable with electrical tape that Shelldon accidentally ripped by tangling it up in his blades.

“That is in the past, bruh. I know better now.” The bot only replied as he slowly flew over to Y/N’s now free arms. She immediately caught him knowing this behavior of him pretty well by now. Frankly he loved being a bit more rebellious when Y/N was around and hanging around her since he knew that Donnie wouldn’t be outright mad at her.

And Y/N very much knew she was being used as a human shield but didn’t mind it too much. She loved the little guy after all. She might be shy and isn’t one to immediately shoot back a sarcastic comment, but she is content with teasing Donnie a bit by helping Shelldon.

Donnie just sighed “You are lucky that you only destroyed the outer layer and not actually the wire inside and be glad that your rotor blades didn’t get destroyed as well, then again, I would have been more disappointed in myself if a simple flimsy cable would destroy them.”

While Donnie spoke Shelldon leaned more against Y/N, she wasn’t sure if he just did it for show or if he actually enjoyed the contact. She knew he is a sentient AI but how far all of this went she had no idea.

When the robot didn’t respond Donnie turned around to see him snuggled up in Y/N arms. She would have expected a snarky comment from him but instead he looked almost amused. Maybe the holiday season was getting even to very matter-of-factly mutant.

Y/N couldn’t help but blush as he just kept staring at her and Shelldon with a raised drawn-on eyebrow and a soft smile.

He seemed to catch on himself that he was staring, he cleared his throat and walked towards the nearest wall to hang the recently repaired cable with the lights up.

“Okay, lazy bones, these are the last of the lights.”

Y/N might be shy, but she was at this point good friends with Donnie which meant she couldn’t let the insult stand like this “Lazy bones? Shell and I put on all the lights on the tree. We were the ones working while you were sitting comfortably on the beanbag.”

He let out an annoyed, yet clearly sarcastic, huff “Scoff! Backtalk from you? Shelldon is a bad influence on you, Y/N.”

Of course, Shelldon had to immediately roll his eyes “Sure. Anyway, if all the lights are up, do you want me to get the others to take a look?”

Donnie nodded as he took another look at the cables, checking if everything was connected correctly “Yes, that would be very much appreciated. I’m sure they want to see how this all turned on as well.”

Y/N let go of the little drone so he could fly off and call the others to the living room where the three have been working. It didn’t take long for the rest of the family to come sauntering into the room and take a look around to see the, turned off, lights all around them.

Mikey was carrying a plate with some decorated cookies, he walked around and happily pressed one into everyone’s hands. Y/N had to giggle when she saw that the cookie that she was holding was decorated with her own face. The cookie had blushing cheeks to properly show off how she tended to be around everyone. Looking over at Donnie’s cookie she could see his had pulled down thick eyebrows while still sporting a big smile. It made him look like some kind of evil scientist and honestly that tracked.

“May someone turn off the lights!” Donnie pointed into the air theatrically before biting into his cookie. Y/N just shily begun nibbling on her cookie. It was a good cookie! It was! She just felt a bit on edge seeing how everyone filed in to see what Donnie, Shelldon and, of course, she herself worked on.

Speaking of Shelldon, he was nowhere to be seen. Weird, Y/N was sure he would have loved to see the lights. Then again he has been up for a while maybe he took the time since the job was done to recharge?

“Turning the lights off!” Raphael exclaimed happily and did just that. Y/N instinctively stepped a bit closer to Donnie even though she knew there would be light in a few seconds anyway.

There was a soft click as suddenly the room was bathed in a soft festive light. Multicolored lights shone bright and illuminated the room. There were a few oohs and aahs as the family spun around to take a look how all the lights wrapped around the room and filled the room with its lights.

The tree, albeit without any decoration besides the lights yet, looked especially nice. It was then that Y/N realized that she was beginning to get into the whole festive mood as well. Her eyes wide open as she took everything in. She was excited. Excited to hang out with her second family.

“Now that’s what I’m talking about! Good job you guys!” April complimented their work.

Mikey was practically bouncing “Oh! I’m so excited! This looks already great if we add more decoration this will look fantastic!”

“And I already have plenty of ideas!” Leo added proudly.

“Yeah, you three did an awesome job.” Raph smiled as he took another moment to stare at the tree he worked so hard with April to bring into the sewers.

Donnie softly laid his hand on Y/N’s shoulder, which spooked her for a second, and addressed his family “Of course we did! After all Y/N and I here have fantastic eyes for aesthetics!”

Leo couldn’t help himself as he let out a snort “Y/N, maybe. You? Eh.”

This earned him a hard stare from Donnie and surprisingly Leo backed down, maybe he felt more charitable due to the season “Alright, alright. You do know what you are doing… sometimes. Good job, Don. You too, Y/N, of course.”

Y/N could only nod to that, happy that the family didn’t hate the work she put into all of this. Almost if Donnie could read her mind or sense her worries he squeezed her shoulder once more before letting go. Almost as if to say “See? All good.” But maybe she was reading too much into this simple interaction.

Suddenly Mikey began to giggle for no apparent reason but when Leo, Raph and April also sported mischievous grins suddenly Y/N thought that she must be missing something vital. Or they were laughing because of her, for some reason. Did she have something on her face?

Donnie turned around but saw nothing, looking confused at his family “Okay, why are you all looking like that?”

Mikey pointed up towards the ceiling “Someone already started with the decorations. Look, a mistletoe.”

Both Donnie and Y/N followed Mikey’s finger and looked up. What they saw was Shelldon who had a mistletoe strapped to his body.

Donnie let out a surprised squawk and jumped to the left, pulling Y/N along but Shelldon just followed along.

It was quiet but Y/N could hear how Leo sputtered out a silent “Wow, rude.” Towards his twin’s action.

No one dared to say anything. Y/N just kept staring at her hands as she kneaded them nervously. Her face felt like it was on fire, and she did not want to look at Donnie. Or rather she wished Donnie wouldn’t see her while her face was probably a good few shade darker.

A mistletoe. A tradition she hadn’t even thought about. Was this planned? Surely someone must have put it on Shelldon to begin with but why would anyone do that? Oh god they were all just looking at them. Can she run away? It’s not like the thought of kissing Donnie is gross or anything, in fact maybe her mind had wandered to this here and there, but this was a lot right now.

Did they somehow find out she had a crush on the purple genius? Was she too obvious? Hey wouldn’t it be funny if right now Hypnoptamus decided to pull something stupid and activate the brothers villain alarm thing? Honestly, if that would happen right now Y/N would personally thank him.

Finally, Y/N dared to look towards her best friend. He stood stock still. His eyes also downcast towards his hands. He was blushing? Y/N could tell he tried his best to scowl but hanging around him for so long she could tell it was more to save his bad boy persona than anything.

The way he mirrored the pose Y/N was just in she had to think that he must be going through something similar in his mind, like she just had. But that would mean that he might actually-

He suddenly turned to look at her. The way he looked so unsure. So self-conscious. It didn’t fit him.

It’s rare she saw him like this. Usually only when the two hung out late into the night and the two began talking about their personal issues.

“So, uh, a mistle-mistletoe. It’s a, uh, you kn-know what th-that means?” In that moment Y/N could have kicked herself. Of course, he would know! She wanted to lighten up the mood but then said this for some reason. Stupid! Stupid, stupid, stupid!

When Donnie didn’t react. Not even a flinch, a bat of his eyes, Y/N wanted to apologize. Maybe just give his cheek a peck and the family would have to be satisfied with this. The peck alone would be agonizing for Y/N but if it would mean the two could get out of this awkward standstill, she was ready to sacrifice herself like that. Donnie really looked like he was about to pass out.

Just as she made her mind up to do just that, to apologize Donnie finally moved. In a blink of an eye, he surged forward and pressed his lips against hers.

It felt like Y/N’s heart exploded in her chest. Donnie held onto Y/N’s arms tentatively more to probably ground himself rather than to hold her in place. She was sure that if she wanted, she could get out of his hold easily. But she didn’t.

The kiss probably only lasted a few seconds but it felt ten times more than that. She could feel the tremble in Donnie’s hands on her arms, his eyes pressed close and eyebrows pulled together while Y/N couldn’t help but stare.

When he let go and moved a step back, he turned to his dumbstruck family, apparently they didn’t think this would happen even if they might have set this up, and in a very shaky voice he turned to Shelldon “I will have a word with you later, mister.”

Y/N couldn’t help but move her fingers up to ghost over her own lips where Donnie just was moments before. Did that just happen? This wasn’t some weird dream, right? It happened all so fast.

Donnie returned his attention to his family “Happy now? Shoo you all. You have things to do, no?”

Thank Mikey for having the emotional intelligence of the family, he was the one who indeed shooed everyone away even while April and Leo had their mouths wide open and tried to fight against him. Raph simply picked the two up though and they left the room. Shelldon left as well, probably thought that if he stayed Donnie would start reprimanding him then and there.

Donnie turned to Y/N who was still standing around as if she was in a daze “Are you- Um, I just, my brothers were and uh, I just wanted them to- I’m sorry.”

But Y/N shook her head “It’s…” she tried to look for a more eloquent word that might calm him down but couldn’t land on anything better besides “fine.”

Donnie looked incredulously at her “It… is?” He was still blushing and in that moment the word cute popped inside Y/N’s head.

She nodded “I’m happy.” She said while letting out a deep breath of air. As if trying to release any tension she had in her body. She couldn’t help to chuckle out of pure euphoria, her crush just kissed her “I’m happy.” She exclaimed more confidently.

Donnie was just as nervous, but the tension seemed to slowly leave his body as well and he released a hearty chuckle “I am too.”

#rottmnt #rottmnt x reader #reader insert #donatello x reader #rottmnt donnie #rottmnt donnie x reader #rottmnt donatello x reader #tmnt #tmnt reader insert #ramza writes #b1u3butt3rf1yanim3cart00ngirl22 #🍓-anon #🍓anon

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oogaboogasphincter · 1 year

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Make My Wish Come True | Joel Miller x f!reader

a hidden crush, a secret admirer and a blind date for a present? talk about a love flurry for your christmas forecast! your best friend joel miller might know more than he’s letting on.

word count/rating/warnings - 6600+ // MATURE 18+ ONLY: jackson era!joel, friends to lovers (more like idiots to lovers lol), swearing, food and eating mention, one gun mention, very little talk about infected, bodies, etc., tommy, maria and ellie mentions/appearances, lots of anxiety talk but the good kind, everyone is painfully sarcastic in tlou ‘verse, kissing, choking mention, allusions to sex

a/n - @laureliciousdefinition is my wonderful giftee for the @pedrostories secret santa event! i had soooo much fun writing this and truly got carried away haha, i've never written something this complex. this was also my first time writing joel, i hope i did him justice <3 and i hope i fulfilled your wish lauren! 💕 i left the ending sort of open so the audience can take creative liberty as to what happens next, but i have no qualms against writing a spicy part two hehe 🤭

“A blind date? Really, Tommy?”

It’s early in the afternoon on Christmas Day. Outside your quaint little house in Jackson, the sun - chopped into severe angles from the distant Teton mountain peaks - shines bright against the snow banks. Black-capped chickadee songs float through the crisp air, chirps and mews from elk echo across the great planes of frozen land that comprise your new home - and Tommy is standing across from you in your living room, dumping an unexpected and unwelcome present on you on the cheerful day.

“Come on, practically the whole town’s pitched in to bring it together!” He would’ve never made it as a salesman in the pre-outbreak world. Relying solely on weak persuasion and guilting the customer? A pink slip would’ve found its way into his hands within the first week.

“Even Joel chipped in?” you ask incredulously. Joel’s been your best friend since your first day in Jackson. After being dragged to the town pub by none other than Tommy in an effort to acclimate you to the community, you spotted Joel as soon as you walked in; stood in the corner, keeping to himself. The soft smile hidden under his thick facial hair told you he found alone time pleasant, but when it grew to twice its size when you introduced yourself, you vowed to never come unstuck from his side like velcro.

You knew your best friend - Joel loved you, but he would never approve of setting you up like this. You can’t really put your finger on any specific reasoning as to why, you just know in your gut he wouldn’t.

“Yes,” his younger brother states bluntly. Tommy was never good at lying either.

“Look, it’ll be fun! We made it all nice for ya, you don’t have to worry about anything besides being... approachable,” he looks at you with a playful accusatory glint in his eyes. One reason you and Joel get along so great is because you’re two of the few - if not only - people in Jackson that don’t focus on finding love; Well, at least you don’t express it outwardly. Since forming your close bond with the old grump, you’ve wondered to yourself numerous times how deep what you two have swims into those blurry lines that separate platonic and romantic relationships. You definitely haven’t gotten lost in your thoughts day after day pondering how far you want your relationship with Joel to go either. Nope, sleepless nights imagining what it would be like to stand up on your tiptoes during one of his tight hugs, leaning up and finally planting a kiss on his lips couldn’t be more unfamiliar to you.

“We all gotta get wrangled up at some point. Hey - it might be your secret admirer! At least this way we can start to narrow down the options,” he attempts to convince you again, and this time he’s a little more successful than before. For the past few weeks there’s been someone in town vying for your heart. You’ve come back from patrols to find warm servings of food on your back porch. You’ve been awoken from your sleep by gentle melodies coming from outside, down on the street and drifting up to your bedroom. Most recently you set out for the stables for your scheduled patrol only to be stopped by a plate of chocolate crinkle cookies at your feet, and turned away from your horse as someone had volunteered to cover your shift.

“I don’t know. They seem like a ghost, I doubt they’d admit it to my fave if they’re already putting all this effort into being sneaky,” you reason.

The food and treats that have been left on your doorstep are served on no identifiable dishware, left without a note. The musician plays under the cloak of darkness, choosing to not use their voice and let their acoustic instrument do the talking. All this covert attention would have spooked you, but after having Joel taste test the food to make sure no one was trying to poison you, you began to see the romance in it. You grew relieved to find dinner already made for you when you tiredly slugged back to your house, optimistic to hear what lullaby you would fall asleep to that night. And you would never turn down getting excused from patrol.

“Well, you got me there...” Tommy sighs. Ever the matchmaker, he’s irritated this stealthy admirer has been able to sneak around right under his nose anonymously. He can’t officially pair you up with John Doe.

“Your date’s already at the cabin,” he circles back, not letting you get out of the measly slab of romance he was able to piece together.

“What?!”

“I came from his house. I knew if I came to you first you’d up and vanish into the mountains by the time I told him about it.”

You groan exaggeratedly, annoyed at his accurate prediction. Being around Joel so much, Tommy learned too much about you for your liking sometimes.

You’re not ungrateful for this surprise, in fact you find it really cute and thoughtful. But it’s just not you. With Joel, and this secret admirer - you can barely sort your feelings out for your own sake, let alone for anyone else involved! And now there might be a third interest in the mix, thanks Tommy.

“So you rudely sprang this on him just like you’re doing to me?” you say with your arms crossed. Who is this other poor soul that’s been ensnared in this trap?

“That’s kind of a weird way to say ‘I’ll go on this date, Tommy’, but yes,” he tilts his nose in the air, far too proud of bugging not one, but two people today.

“I don’t want to do this, just so you know,” you grumble, staring him down, trying to get him to crack. But the longer you glare, the more giddy his stature becomes, his smile widening until his teeth show maliciously.

You crumble in defeat, “Where is this? You said something about a cabin?”

He claps his hands together, enthusiastic to explain, “Yeah, it ain’t the lodge. It ain’t really a cabin neither, just sounds better than an old withered shed we found tucked away in a corner of the woods,” he finishes with a laugh.

“Sounds lovely,” raising your eyebrows in mocking bewilderment. You’re now sort of excited to seize this new opportunity, but will hide your feelings from Tommy if it’s the last thing you do.

“Hey, we dressed it up for you two sons of bitches. Just take the main trail east, follow the stream for a bit, until you get to that great big aspen with the gash in its trunk. Take a left where the trail divides there and follow it for a bit. Ellie will show you the rest of the way.”

Your jaw drops, “Ellie’s in on this?! Oh, when I see her-”

“When you see her you’ll politely follow her, is what you’ll do,” Tommy chides. You can take momentary despise on her all you want, and though Ellie was glad to be a part of this scheme, the man in front of you holds most of the blame; it was his original idea.

“Fine,” you surrender. You guess he really did recruit other people from town to orchestrate this plot.

With all your might you ignore the bemused sounds coming from Tommy as you lace your boots up and shrug on your jacket, grabbing your keys and going to the door. He follows behind you on your way out and chirps, “What, you’re not gonna take any gifts? Try to lube him up?”

Your face scrunches, “First of all, gross way to say that. And second, hell no. Me being there should be plenty.”

“’Atta girl,” he pats you on the shoulder.

Once you’re both out, you lock your door, then turn on your heel and look at him directly in the eyes so he knows you’re not messing around, “I’m going to get Maria to smack you for me for this.”

To your demise he huffs out a laugh, pluming into a white cloud in the frigid air, “Oh, she’s looking forward to this just as much as I am.”

“Screw you both!” you yell over your shoulder, jokingly. As you trudge through the snowy streets to get to the stables and begin your journey to your objectionable present, you don’t look back when Tommy bids you an annoyingly joyous farewell, “Merry Christmas!”

-🎄-

Earlier

"Tommy, I can't do this," Joel accosts his perpetually-meddling younger brother.

The Miller brothers, Maria, Ellie and yourself had gathered at Joel's house this Christmas morning to exchange presents, and upon seeing his brother lingering as everyone said their goodbyes, Joel suspected Tommy was going to let some cat out of a bag. Never in a million years, given how close the brothers have been for their entire lives, would Joel think Tommy would have the gall to suggest a blind date, let alone "gift" one to him.

"Joel, we both know you've taken on much more terrifying things with a brave face. Talking to the woman you love is what gets your tail tucked between your legs?" Tommy nags his eternal bachelor of a brother, watching Joel's scarred hands clutch and release the neck of his guitar with an anxious, cyclical grip. As far as he was concerned, he was doing Joel a favor by planting you two in the middle of nowhere, alone, granting him romantic pretext to work with.

"Like you weren't shaking in your cowboy boots when you started talking to Maria," Joel fires back. Tommy was irritatingly correct, but Joel wasn't going to take the full charge when they were guilty of the same crime.

"I never said I wasn't. That's just a part of love, Joel, you know that. What happened to the casanova that could charm the pants off about the whole population of Texas?"

Joels scoffs loudly, rolling his eyes. Sure, he allowed flirtation to bud and sometimes blossom if he was lucky, when the world wasn't falling apart at the seams, but he wasn't that good. He just had gotten more action than Tommy, something the younger brother refused to acknowledge for what it was. Besides, Joel was never too focused on love; it was nice when it was there, but not as important as other aspects of life: family, for one. However, he's seriously considering rearranging his priorities given Tommy's current behavior.

"That was a long time ago," Joel reasons, truthfully, "This is... different. She's different." He struggles with his words, scrambled by adoration overtaking his heart, and he's fully hypnotized when your face comes into his mind. Your breathtaking eyes that he just wants to fall into; your cute nose whose tip gets frigid in the wintery air that he wants to kiss warm; your soft cheeks he wants to cup with his rough hands and marvel at the difference in texture; and your lips, oh, your lips.....

"Goddamn, you really are in love," Tommy jests, receiving a halfhearted glare from underneath Joel's lashes as he leans his guitar against his couch and crosses his arms over his chest, broadened with an odd mixture of pride and insecurity. Proud of his loving commitment to you, nervous that his true feelings are being perceived by others for the first time after what feels like decades of being a statue.

Okay, it's 99% nerves - he's just trying to seem like the same-old unyielding Joel and doesn't know what to do with his hands so he shoves them under his armpits.

"You're not helping," he cocks an eyebrow at Tommy.

"Alright, alright, just- I was going to say be yourself but that's horrible advice given..." Tommy gestures to Joel's stiff form, earning another hardened stare.

"Okay!" Tommy stands from his chair, putting his hands up in surrender. Dear lord, if convincing Joel is this hard, how much of a fight will you put up? He restarts, "What can go wrong? You'll get there before her; I came to you first because I figured I'd do you a favor by letting you set your stuff up, obsessively run through your conversations in your head, get a lay of the land - you know, you and your anxiety and all that."

"Thank you, Tommy," Joel guesses it's a sweet gesture given the troublesome context, "But..." he trails off, stress still coursing through his veins. There are so many unknowns...

"There'll be overlapping patrols the whole time you're there so no having to fight off infected, you got your six string, your coffee and cookies, it'll only be the two of you...?" Tommy looks at Joel expectantly, waiting for the lines of his face to turn up in hope. But Joel's eyes keep to the box of extra chocolate crinkles he watched you taste on your way to the stables a few days ago, unknowing of the second surprise of pardoned work he had arranged for you.

Tommy attempts again, putting a diverting inflection in his voice, "We tried to make it cozy."

Joel can't help the smile that cracks across his face, growing wider as he imagines what you would be thinking if you were in the room right now, "We're not the romantic type."

Tommy counters with a pointed, sarcastic attack, "Who are you talking about? The man who quite literally serenaded his woman in the moonlight and the woman who near broke down in tears of joy over it the next day at breakfast, or some other heartless souls?"

"Would you stop being smart and listen to me?" Joel's patience has run out. He wants to do this, so badly wants to admit to you his infatuation and present his heart on a silver platter for your taking - but there's some undercurrent of trepidation he can't seem to shake.

Tommy's heart sinks as he watches his brother's arms unfold to hang between his legs, gaze lowering to his boots, dejected. Even if Joel can't go on the date, Tommy won't stop trying to help him navigate these feelings, now that he's gotten lucky enough to have caught them, "You worried she won't reciprocate?"

Joel contemplates the gentle question, taking a few moments to make sure he's got everything straight in his head, "I'm afraid she'll think differently of me when she finds out I'm the one who's been doing all this nonsense," he waves his hand unceremoniously in the air, referring to his secret admirer antics.

"It ain't nonsense. And you've seen her face when she finds your little presents; she loves 'em."

It's true. Joel's caught you humming while doing your work around town the tunes he's played for you under the starry night sky, seared into his brain the picture of you giddy with delight at both the idea and flavor of the food he's left after he "taste tested" it - did you really think he would eat, or let you even think about eating, something a stranger made in the world you live in now?

"Do you think she won't love you back?" Tommy drops the final question. Potent, but essential in answering.

Joel knew maybe you didn't love him in a romantic way. But confidently he knew from the way you sought out his company every single day, the way you hugged him a little tighter when he would leave or just get back from patrols, the way you looked at him... you loved him dearly.

"She already loves me."

"Then what're you afraid of?"

-🎄-

Present

Joel paces the rickety floorboards of the battered shed, restlessly awaiting your arrival. It probably has only been a few minutes since he got here, but his mind has written, doubled back, erased some, rewritten and ran through enough possible conversations with you to last eons. After fatefully agreeing to Tommy's blind date scheme, Joel traced the path his brother directed him to take and was greeted with what seemed to be nothing but a mountain of snow and densely packed aspens. Only by rounding the giant snow drift was the "cabin" revealed, and oh what an improper name. Joel smirked at the poor state of the structure, but observed his brother's logic for choosing it - it was virtually undetectable.

The door took a few well-muscled pulls to open, and after completing an initial sweep to make sure no bandits had discovered this perfect hideout, Joel shook his head at the decor. Bundles of mistletoe line every inch of the miraculously sturdy ceiling beams, making almost the entirety of the singular room a kiss zone. There is a red and green plaid couch in the center, which Joel thought would look atrocious in any other setting, but looks sort of pleasantly festive against the stripped wood interior. Its upholstery has noticeable signs of age, the colors faded to muted maroon and evergreen, but other than that it looks decent - spectacularly holding no stains of carnage after all these years.

As Joel wondered how it survived, he took in the few candles placed around the room, a matchbook sitting next to each one. With the "cabin" (that name will never not be funny) battered by the wind and snow, some of the paneling has warped, leaving microscopic seams to the outside. The winds blustered so fierce, the frost snuck through these cracks, creating an icebox. Joel went around and lit the candles, taking delight in the complementary scents; must've been Maria.

As pinecone and lime, peppermint bark and red velvet began to drift through the air and warm the cabin up - maybe the flames are a placebo effect because Joel is still shivering his balls off - he arranged the items he's brought. He set his guitar up against the arm of the couch, his box of cookies on one of the cushions, his thermos tucked away into his bicep like a stress ball. And then he was faced with the insurmountable, maddening, parasitic task of waiting. He paces back and forth past the door, ears pricked for any semblance of noise disturbance coming from outside. Nothing but howling wind so far, once in a while the pittering of snowflakes adding to the encapsulating drift trick him into thinking he hears hooves, hooves carrying you. But no, so he goes back to pacing.

He makes himself dizzy, sprinting through possibilities of what might happen. He plants his feet steady, hands balancing himself over the back of the couch, trying to fight his nausea. He pins the blame on the sickeningly sweet smell of the candles, but even for his stomach's sake he can't convince himself of something that stupid. You've seen her a million times, he reasons, what's so different this time? You're her best friend, she loves you, she doesn't know, you don't have to follow through with the plan if you don't want to, just pretend like this is all some ridiculous joke. She doesn't know. She doesn't know. She. Doesn't. Know.

Instead of calming himself down, he makes his heart ache more. He's been lying to you. Going behind your back, slinking around unbeknownst to you, fibbing right to your cute little face as you look up at him with all the trust in the world. He puts his fist to his mouth and clutches his stomach with the other, trying to slow his body and take some deep breaths. His efforts are for naught when he hears Ellie's voice carried in the wind.

"Shit," he gasps to himself, pressing his ear to the door to listen.

"You'll never guess! Have fun!"

"Okay, thanks, stay safe!" your cheerful lilt swirls in his heart like the snowflakes outside. Oh no.

He heaves through his teeth, putting his gloved hand to his forehead. It slips from the amount of perspiration, so he takes his gloves off, followed by his winter coat. He lays both on the back of the couch, deciding to keep his flannel sleeves rolled down so you don't notice his tacky skin. Now he wishes he were cold, as this doesn't help one bit. He pats his face dry, replaying Ellie's words: you'll never guess what?

He'll think about it later. Maybe. He doesn't know. He smooths his shirt, closes his eyes and breathes as evenly as he possibly can while he hears your boots crunching closer and closer to the door. Just say hi, he instructs himself, just say hi.

It takes you a few shoves to open the door too. Joel would help, but he can't move from where his feet are cemented to the floor. After you get it cracked, the barrel of a gun peeks inside, followed by your searching eyes. You had the same idea of bandits as he did.

When your wary eyes meet Joel's, all caution melts into disbelief. What the fuck is this, Tommy? you think.

Your best friend sighs, a little haggardly you notice, before he greets you, "Well, well, well."

You put your weapon away in your coat, stepping inside and closing the door to this definitely-not-a-cabin. You smirk at Joel, but heightening candle flames guide your attention up to the ceiling, where bundles of mistletoe are hung. You sneer, "He isn't very subtle, is he?"

Joel clicks his tongue, "Nope. And I bet that was indeed a Tommy touch."

"So you were fed the same blind date story that I was?" you walk around the room, taking in the rest of the place. It surely lives up to the picture that Tommy painted for you, but it isn't so bad. Not when you're here with Joel.

"Yep," Joel looks down at his boots, scratching the back of his neck, a nervous tic of his you've come to find sort of endearing. But why is he nervous?

Please don't notice I'm nervous, he stops as soon as he realizes the hint he's giving you.

"They really couldn't just get you some more sandpaper, or carving tools? Or me some peace and quiet?" you ponder, turning back to him. It's not that this seems all that horrible now, but more like a lot of effort for minimal payoff. This is what had Tommy, Maria and Ellie so doubled over in giggles?

"It looks like we got plenty of that here," Joel smiles at you, tight-lipped, but it stirs up warmth in your belly nonetheless. He's right - wicks sizzling and snow dancing are the only sounds you hear. You mirror his expression, and try to relax a little in hopes he'll become less tense. Maybe he's cold? Why'd he take his jacket off, it's cold as fuck in here.

His chest puffs with a breath before he speaks, "Since we already came all the way out here, we might as well make the most of it."

Your smile builds, reaching your chilly cheeks, "Okay."

Okay, this might actually be the best Christmas gift ever. All alone in the forest, for whatever length of time you want, with nothing to focus on other than Joel? You have to think of a way to thank Tommy without giving him any more ideas.

"I missed you anyways," you go to give him a hug, desperate to bury your face in his strong pectorals, but his hands reach for your coat on your shoulders before you can step into an embrace.

You turn around, letting him slide it off you as you coo over your shoulder, "Ooh, how chivalrous."

He hums, amused, wanting to keep his hands on you, pulsing your muscles between his palms, rubbing your cold skin back to warm, chasing away shivering aches from your bones. To your dismay he doesn't, but you two never shy away from getting cuddly, especially recently due to the season. Maybe you can get cozy on the couch.

"Make yourself at home," Joel gestures to the piece of furniture, which now that you're taking a closer look at it, you see how old it seems to be. You'd cuddle with Joel outside on the frozen ground if you had to, so this plaid relic won't be an issue.

"Thanks," you chuckle, taking a seat. Only two cushions, that means we'll be closer to each other, nice!

"I brewed some of the coffee you gave me this mornin', you want some?" he asks, uncapping his thermos. Your Christmas gift to him was a bag of whole coffee beans from his favorite coffee shop chain he used to frequent. Ever since you had your first coffee conversation with him years ago, he continuously cites that when you grind them fresh it's "so much better". You tease him for the line all the time, but it's one of the many quirks of his that you find irresistibly adorable.

"No, it's your present, not mine!" you remind him. Although his offer was a monumental one; Joel is territorial over and protective of his coffee like a grizzly bear. So much so, you're the only member of such an exclusive club, after Ellie tried a sip and proceeded to spit it out.

"Have you tried it yet?" you ask, watching his careful hands fill the cap. No steam rises from the surface - iced, just how you like it. You try not to get mesmerized by the way his long fingers grip the makeshift cup, bounding off into your fantasy land where those same fingers are wrapped around your own, your quivering thighs, your neck...

His timbre knocks you out of your trance as he comes over and takes the seat next to you, "No, but-"

Everything happens at once: Joel sits down on the couch; there's a bizarre cracking sound that fills the room; the two of you share a worrisome glance; you both go tumbling back as the sofa's legs give way. With the couch now sitting on its back, your legs are in the air and you're staring at the mistletoed ceiling. Laughter strikes through you like lightning and only gets more thunderous when you look over at Joel, blinking slowly, trying to avoid getting spilt coffee in his eyes. His grin grows exponentially, as do his uncontrollable cackles ruminating from deep in his chest, while he lies in place, literally soaking in the experience.

"Goddamnit," he grunts through a smile, setting his empty cup down.

"Oh my god, are you okay?" you lean over him, having difficulty seeing him through the tears squeezing out of your eyes.

"Yeah," his tongue darts out and licks his drenched mustache, "Mmm, good roast, thank you."

"You're welcome," you guffaw, pulling your shirt sleeve taut over your hand, your lip between your teeth and patting the liquid off his face - thank heavens he wasn't in the mood for hot today. Your sleeve will dry in time, much like his shirt will have to do too. You're violently struck with the thought of him taking it off, putting his hairy chest on display for you to ogle at in the romantic candlelight. You hope he can't feel the aroused heat radiating from your cheeks by how close you are as you finish cleaning him up.

Just kiss her, Joel's brain yells at himself while his eyes rake over your beautifully concentrated face, take the opportunity while it's inches away from your reach.

He can't do that to you though, spring something so brash on you out of nowhere. He's not Tommy.

In no time you right the couch together, sitting with your backs against one arm each, legs stretched out and intertwined, weighting it to the floor. Joel pours himself a refill, putting on a show of being overly cautious, which makes you giggle.

"At least I'll smell good," he grumbles up at you from under his lashes. You wish you could appreciate his joke more, but his saturated shirt clinging to his muscles is tormenting your sanity...

"You always smell good," you spit out without your brain's permission. You hurriedly pivot, trying to quash the minute uptick of his brows, "Um, so how have you been? Patrols easy?"

Good, that's a regular, sane question, you congratulate yourself. You haven't seen him for more than a few minutes at a time for the better part of a week, both your duties ramping up as the entire town wanted to have everything taken care of and then some for the holidays.

"Yeah, for the most part. Clickers are like most pests, they retreat when it gets too cold. It's the bandits that get desperate, lookin' for shelter, that you gotta watch out for. I don't want to jinx it but there's only been two individuals that we came across, died of natural causes. Nothin' to worry about."

Throughout his speech he's been running the tip of his finger around the rim of his cup, embarrassed that you're staring. If only he knew.

"How've you been, my little busy bee baker?"

His nickname engorges your heart, pumping praise through your veins. The part you fixate on is "my". You're his.

"On my feet. Thankfully I've only been baking like crazy, someone's been picking up my patrols for me."

"Oh?" Joel puts his best acting mask on. If he could steel through your unintended interrogations before, he can evade you for just a little bit longer.

"Yeah, I get to the stables on my scheduled days and they tell me to go back home, that someone's volunteered to take over my shifts. I wish I knew who they were so I could thank them, I wouldn't have been able to make all of my cookies without their help." Your Christmas present to everyone was personal boxes of homemade cookies. Crafting cookie boxes was one of your favorite things to do before the outbreak, so you thought you'd spread some nostalgic holiday cheer this year.

"Well I'm sure they got their due compensation by way of some of the extras you left over at the church hall."

He was a good boy - he only ate what was in his box and left the extras for the town. He really needs to get that lemon cookie recipe from you though, or better yet, truly indulge himself and ask you to come over and bake them yourself - it wouldn't be a complete lie if he told you he wouldn't be able to make them the same; he can't tell a teaspoon from a tablespoon.

"I hope so."

You and Joel sit and chat for a while, exchanging pleasantries about the weather, anecdotes about your days; topics that sound like they're utilized as a pillow for awkward conversation, but your energy flows gracefully with Joel's, like always.

Bringing it up again like it's the joke you know it to be, unaware of the effect it has on Joel's heart rate, you inquire, "So what were your tactics to seduce your date?"

He pauses for a moment, passing it off as a shared laugh with you and not a dive into an anxiety-riddled black hole before answering, "Reel her in with my natural charm, of course."

"Of course," you nod.

"Maybe crack some jokes, you know, because I'm a funny guy."

"Hilarious. Did you take a look at one of Ellie's joke books?" Joel had told you about the first of her findings, now she has amassed quite an impressive collection.

"No."

"Ugh, talk about missed opportunity! There are some good ones in there."

"Well I figured I wanted my lady to fall in love with me, not the book, so I'd tell them from the heart," he looks directly into your eyes, not wanting to give you any inclination that he might be harboring some unseen lovestruck magma beneath his rocky exterior.

"Oh, how romantic!" you tease.

"And then I brought this," he fishes his guitar from behind himself, stretching back with a groan, "Figured I could strum a song or two and see how she'd like it."

At the incredibly rare occurrence - thank you but still fuck you Tommy - you leap, "I'm your arranged audience, lemme hear!"

Joel sets the guitar in his lap, picking a familiar tune from the chords before he can stop himself. As the notes gather into a song, you come to anticipate the next strums, guessing correctly every time. You've heard this before, but where.... And then you remember. The night where it was so fucking cold you pitied your Romeo who was buried somewhere in the snow beneath your window, braving the temperatures to lull you asleep. What a weird coincidence.

It is a festive song that was immensely popular pre-outbreak, so it's not as strange of a fluke as you first thought. You sit and stare, admiring Joel's fingers dancing, his eyes glued to the instrument to watch what he's doing. You both know he could play blind, but thankfully you breeze over this extraneous, damning piece of evidence, for if you were to look in his eyes, you would see the admirer within.

Fading out, he pats the body with a concluding thump, "Do you think I would've swept her off her feet?"

You shrug, not keen to feed another Miller's ego today, "Maybe, if you had sung."

"Nah, that's reserved for at least date five."

"Ohhh okay," you chuckle. Not a romantic my ass, Joel.

He turns the tables, "What were your plans to woo your partner?"

"Um... well I wasn't going to put much effort in because... I-I already have feelings for someone in particular, and I figured he would never agree to something like this," you stammer, honestly, staring at the certain someone in question.

Confidence is injected back into Joel's face on a bright wave of intrigue, "You've got a crush?! And didn't tell me, your best friend?"

He sits up straight, eyes wide and mouth agape in a smile, messing with you, "Your reaction is exactly why I didn't tell you, dork."

"So you weren't even going to try with them? Oof, that's cold," he playfully scolds you.

"Looks who's talking, Mister Iceberg."

He ends his taunting at that. You certainly aren't wrong.

A few comfortably quiet moments pass, then you shiver with a laugh, "I actually am cold."

His beard scrunches in a smile, favoring his jacket to yours and tucking it over your shoulders, running a hand over your bicep once, twice, before reluctantly retracting it to his lap. You wish you could steal it; you'd bite past the tough material and sleep with it if it meant you could snuggle into his residual heat, the worn-in scent of fir sap, wood shavings, black coffee.

He whacks the primal, possessive urge inside him down like a mole, his blood stirring just looking at you in his clothes. He'll dream of you dressed both in more of them and less of them tonight.

The candles in the room have burned a substantial amount of their wax, the sun still shining bright but from a narrower angle behind the clouds continuously dropping snow. Maintaining the front that you're angry at Tommy for this is going to be near impossible to accomplish. You can already see yourself wishing on the stars next year for this very same gift.

Okay, maybe with a more comfortable sitting arrangement. While the tumble was funny and allowed you to get close to Joel, your back is killing you. You can't imagine what Joel's must feel like right now. Later tonight, when you've returned to town and after having dinner with him and Ellie, you'll direct him to lay down on his bed - like after any other intense patrol - and work the knots out of his spine.

"I'm happy we're here," you blurt. Suppressing your delight is useless.

Joel relieves some of the pressure in his heart, "Me too."

Goddamn that drawl brings you to your knees. Sure, it makes your stomach fill with butterflies every time he opens his mouth, but sometimes it mercilessly shoves you onto your back. You rally yourself and press forward boldly, "I'm happy you're here."

His expression doesn't move, sending a shallow ripple of alarm through you. He seems a bit off, usually he gives you a smile or something.

Holy fuck, his brain shouts, holy fuck, holy fuck, holy fuck, holy fuck.

"I, um, brought some cookies too," he chokes out. He's about to reveal his big, stinking secret, and while it won't be quite verbal, that somehow makes it ten times more anxiety-inducing. Clawing talons of fear in his throat tempt him to take you by the shoulders and just scream 'I love you!'

Shit, you thought. Was what I said really that bad? You helplessly try to stick the bandaid back on the wound while Joel is preparing to rip it off.

"Wow, you were really going all out," you reference all the stops he had planned for his hypothetical date. Lucky son of a bitch.

"Yeah," he shrugs, trying to keep the tin steady in his clammy hands, "Would you like one?"

"Sure. Are they mine and you were going to pawn them off as yours?"

Your cute joke goes right over Joel's head as he pries the lid off, swallowing thickly and holding it aside so you can reach in and grab a chocolate crinkle. Never would he think of a cookie being sadistic, but his disconcerted soul is claiming otherwise.

Like the shattered powdered sugar coating, your conviction cracks. No way this is a coincidence.

You look up to Joel to find his side profile suspended in worry. You feel the gears in your head turn and he swears he hears them moving at a frightening speed, "Di-did you make these?"

"Mmhm," his throat is tight. He's made of marble, holding the tin open, unmoving. He knows you know and you know he knows you know.

A handful of silent beats pass, regrettably dangling him in suspense, but you're completely dumbfounded, "Why didn't you say anything?"

"I- I was afraid. Still am," he puts lamely in his opinion, bravely in yours.

"Don't be," you assure gently, placing a hand on his rigid forearm. Like an ax, you snap him free of immobility, pushing the incriminating tin away.

He layers his hand over yours, rubbing his thumb across your knuckles and back again, calming himself more so than you, "You know me, you know I have a hard time expressing my... emotions."

He snarls the last word like having a heart that beats is something to be ashamed of. You do know him, and flirtatiously retort, "Sure didn't seem like you had a hard time expressing them outside my bedroom window at midnight, sneaking around my house in the morning, rigging the patrol schedule behind my back..."

Your welcoming smile spreads to his face, "Why are you always right?" he grumbles.

"I have to balance you out somehow if we're a couple. Opposites attract, right?" you lean in, flicking your eyes from his hazel puddles to his mouth and back again. He reads the unmistakable cue and meets you, pressing his lips softly to yours.

On the second kiss, he molds his mouth to yours firmly, allowing a moan to reverberate up his throat. You sound one back as he pulls you forward, situating one thigh outside each of his so you're straddling his lap. Wrapping your arms around his neck and his around your waist, you lose all concept of time, your mouths dancing infinitely... before Joel abruptly breaks you apart.

"Hang on."

"What?" you pant.

"We ain't under any mistletoe," he muses, scooting you off the couch to directly under a bundle. Brushing your hair away to reveal your face, he gazes up at you in awe, his body finally at peace - but not for long, when you break out into a smile and him a sweat.

"You really are a funny guy, Joel Miller," you tease against his parted lips, feeling his confirmation vibrate your tongue as you go in for another kiss,

"Hilarious."

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simpforchuchu · 4 months

Text

Merry Christmas I Tsuji x y/n

For Kels <3 Merry Christmas Honey 🥺🥰🌸 @babyboybinbin

a/n: Hi I was your secret santa and wanted to write a fic for you 🫡 It is all fluffy and soft 😭 I hope you like it 🌸💕

Sorry for the grammer or spelling mistakes.English is not my main language so...

Thank you and love you 🥰 @

Warnings: none, just fluff

The young girl looked at the clothes she was wearing and smiled. She remembered that day again with her white skirt, cream colored t-shirt and long white coat.

For the first time, the princess of White Rascals would not spend Christmas evening with her brother and his friends. Even though Rocky didn't like this situation, he couldn't say no when he saw that she was so willing.

He knew her boyfriend, and although he didn't like the boy from Oya at first, he could see how much he loved his sister. And when he saw that he was not like the other Oya delinquents, that he was actually a very mature boy, he started to love him.

The most important thing to Rocky was his sister's happiness. And he could see how happy this tall boy made her.

While watching herself in the mirror, the young girl noticed her brother smiling at her from the door. She turned to him smiling.

“This will be the first Christmas evening I don't spend with you, I'm sorry.”

Rocky smiled and walked over to his sister and caressed her cheek.

“As much as I don't like it, I guess I should accept that you've grown up. Have a nice evening.”

Y/n smiled and wrapped her arms around her brother's waist.

“And tell that bastard that if he brings you back too late, there will be consequences.”

Although he trusted Tsuji, Rocky was a protective brother. And he couldn't prevent his tone from becoming serious as he said these.

Y/n nodded and smiled. Tsuji's gift was on the bed, and there were a few more bags next to the bedside table. She found the one for her brother in the bags and handed it to him.

Rocky smiled and took the gift from the young girl's hand. He leaned down, gave his sister a small kiss on her hair and opened the gift.

There were two photo frames in the package. One of them had an old photo of y/n and Rocky when she started elementary school. In the second frame, there was a picture made by the young girl. The same photo was sweetly drawn by her hand.

Rocky couldn't help but smile when he looked at the gifts in his hands. His eyes were burning, but he wasn't going to cry in front of her. He caressed the frame with his fingers and smiled.

“Beautiful , thank you kiddo.”

Y/n smiled and nodded. He held out the bags next to the bedside table.

“I bought small gifts for everyone, their names are written on them. Can you please give it to them for me?”

Rocky nodded. He took the bags in his hand. With one hand he pulled out a small gift package from his pocket and handed it to y/n.

“I'm not as creative as you, little one, but here's your gift.”

Y/n giggled and took the gift. A small jewelry box was found inside the package. Inside is an expensive pearl necklace.

She looked at the necklace with a smile. It was really elegant. She slowly took it in her hand and handed it to her brother.

“Can you help me put it on?”

Rocky smiled and put the necklace in the young girl's hand around her neck. Y/n was such an elegant and beautiful girl, the necklace looked amazing around her neck.

Y/n smiled and thanked him again. Rocky hugged her again then walked out of the room and y/n continued getting ready.

Tsuji was still busy cooking at home. He was trying to cook all the dishes he knew for her and wanted to set a wonderful table.

He took the meat out of the oven and placed it on the table. Since they were underage - and he was afraid Rocky would kill him - he put y/n's favorite juice on the table instead of drinking alcohol. Plates, forks, dishes… everything was ready. His parents weren't home and Tsuji couldn’t book place at an expensive restaurant. So he invited her to his house.

He looked at the large mirror next to the door. For today, he was wearing clothes that he thought looked good on him - because y/n said so. He braided his hair the same way it was when they first met.

He checked the candles on the table again and smiled when the doorbell rang.

His heart was beating so fast...

When he opened the door, he looked at the young girl's face, wrapped in her coat and covered with a scarf, and smiled.

“You must be so cold, come on in, baby.”

Y/n smiled and took off her boots, setting them aside. She took off her scarf and smiled widely.

"I miss you."

Tsuji smiled at the sweet voice of the young girl and leaned down and gave her a small kiss. Then he hugged her tightly.

“I've been waiting for this day for a long time. Let's have a great evening, baby.”

Y/n shook her head.

“My brother must really love you, but I still shouldn't go back too late.”

Tsuji chuckled and nodded. He pointed to the young girl's coat and when she took it off, he hung it on the hanger.

Tsuji always found her stunningly beautiful. But when he saw the clothes she was wearing he couldn't help but smile

"These…"

Y/n smiled. She was wearing the same clothes she had worn the day she first met him.

Tsuji and y/n had met at a music store a year ago, the day before Christmas. They were there that day to check out the new album of a singer they liked. They both reached for the last album at the same time and looked at each other in surprise. Tsuji pulled his hand away and smiled. Y/n shyly pulled her hand away and apologized.

The young boy knew that he did not have money to buy that album that day. He would save some money and come again. But there was only one copy left from the first print of the album. And he had let y/n have it.

They talked for a long time that day about the songs they loved. Koo was watching the two from afar and waiting to intervene if he sensed the slightest danger.

But Tsuji was a kind boy. Y/n didn't know he was from Oya. In fact, he didn't treat girls the same way he treated boys.

Tsuji couldn't understand what she had to do with white rascals when Koo came back and said they had to leave.

But he was brave. Maybe he was stupid. When he asked the young girl for her number, he didn't know that she would give it to him, but the young girl gave it without even hesitation.

And he and Koo had to look at each other for a while…

The young boy smiled as the memories came to his mind. Time was passing really fast.

“You are still so beautiful.”

Y/n smiled shyly and hugged the young boy around the waist. She buried her head in his chest and mumbled

"I am so hungry"

Tsuji laughed and caressed her hair

“I cooked a lot of food for you, I hope you like it.”

Tsuji chuckled as Y/n looked up in surprise.

"Yes I did"

The young girl looked really happy while eating the dishes. And she ate with appetite. Tsuji was watching her with a smile as she finished her plate and held her stomach.

“Babe, everything is delicious… Ahh, I love you”

The young boy laughed and shook his head.

“If you want to rest for a while, then we can continue eating again.”

Y/n shook her head sadly.

“I want to eat them all, because you made them for me.”

Tsuji smiled and stood up from his chair. The romantic dinner remained a pretty sweet moment. When he came in front of Y/n's chair, the young girl looked at her boyfriend, not knowing what will he do.

The young boy gently took his girlfriend in his arms and smiled

“I want to show you your gift”

Y/n wrapped her arms around the young boy's neck and smiled. She looked up and waited for him to kiss her, and when she got what she wanted, she grinned even bigger.

“I thought my gift was food”

Tsuji laughed and shook his head. He placed her on the sofa and sat next to her. He opened the laptop on the table in front of him and opened the file titled “for y/n.”

Y/n's heart was beating so fast she thought Tsuji could hear it. She hugged his arm and looked at the screen.

Tsuji clicked on a file, a sweet melody spread throughout the room. She knew that Tsuji loved making music. She guessed that he was singing a song for her. But what she didn't know was that he had written a song for her.

The young girl smiled with the unfamiliar but sweet words and the voice of her lover. She was surprised but she was listening to the song with a smile. Tsuji was watching her.

When the song ended, y/n had tears in her eyes. It was the most meaningful gift for her. She wanted to hug the young boy's arm tightly and hide her face.

Tsuji smiled and pulled her into his lap and hugged her tightly.

“I hope you like it baby.”

Y/n hugged the young boy tighter.

“It was the most beautiful thing I have ever heard in my life, you are so cruel, how will my heart be able to handle such sweetness?”

Tsuji chuckled and stroked her hair. He gently placed the young girl on the sofa and took out a small box from his pocket.

“I bought this too, just in case”

Y/n pursed her lips and sniffed. Tsuji laughed at her reaction and opened the box. There was a very sweet and elegant necklace inside.

The necklace was a chain necklace. She thought she could wear both of them together because they were not similar to her brother's.

“This is so beautiful… Tsuji… Why are you so perfect?”

Tsuji smiled and gave the young girl a kiss. He took out the necklace from the box, put it around the young girl's neck and placed another kiss on her hair.

“The most precious gifts from the two most precious people in my life. I'll take good care of them, baby, thank you."

Tsuji smiled and nodded. The happiness on his girlfriend's face made him happy too.

"My turn!" y/n shouted happily and got up from the couch and brought the package she left aside.

"I have two gifts too," Tsuji smiled.

“Open this first, my love.”

Tsuji laughed and nodded. When he opened the package, he saw the album they had wanted to buy that day. Y/n explained as she looked up with a smile.

“This album is from the first edition, it was not easy to find but I thought it would be meaningful”

Tsuji smiled and said a small thank you. He caressed the young girl's cheek and smiled.

“I can still remember every detail of that day, I fell in love with you at first sight”

Y/n smiled and held out the second gift. Tsuji gently opened the package and looked at the picture inside in surprise.

This was the picture of the moment they first met. It wasn't hard to understand that the two people in the drawing were y/n and tsuji. It depicted the moment when the two reached for the album and looked at each other.

The young boy knew that his girlfriend could draw. But this… This was really nice. Y/n smiled when he looked with tears in his eyes.

“Merry Christmas baby, I love you so much.”

#high and low #high and low tsuji #merry christmas

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tswaney17 · 1 year

Text

Little Lie

Here we are, the final part of my Family's First Christmas AU. This was the fic that created the entire AU. I know I originally wanted to try and get four parts out, but the last one just didn't come together like I had hoped. However, this also wraps up the story nicely. So, please enjoy. And happy holidays everyone! 🎄

Also, this was inspired by the song, I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Clause. 😘

Read the AU here: Daddy’s Snowball, Gingerbread Cookies

My fanfic account: @tswaney17fics

My ao3 account: tswaney17

Please let me know what you think about this update. I love getting your feedback. Constructive criticism is always welcome. 💕

Trigger warnings: tooth-decaying fluff.

Word Count: 3,194

Azriel stood with his arm around Elain’s waist, his chin propped on her shoulder, as they watched their son play with his two cousins. He wore a blue pair of Christmas pajamas, a matching red set on Cassian and Nesta’s daughter, Sutton, and a purple pair on Nyx, Rhys and Feyre’s son. His wife and her sisters bought them together, thinking they would look adorable in them, and he had to admit they were right.

The kids were adamantly conversing over whatever game they were playing. Frankly, Az couldn’t keep up with the rules, but he loved watching their imaginations flourish as they went along with whoever was leading. He was eternally grateful that both his niece and nephew took to Kaden, including him like he’d been with them for the entire five and a half years of his life.

He and Elain adopted Kaden over the summer, just weeks before his fifth birthday. Azriel had been worried that it would take time for Sutton and Nyx to welcome him. But the six and seven-year-old swept him into their shenanigans the first day they met and never looked back.

It was one of the reasons they all decided to spend Christmas up at Rhys’s parents’ cabin on the lake, the one he inherited when his parents and sister were abruptly taken from him in a car accident just ten years ago. Rhys had been only twenty at the time, in college when he got the call from the Sheriff’s office.

They had been on their way to visit him for the holidays, to visit all of them since Rhys’s mother and father took him and Cassian in as youngsters. Their car hit a patch of black ice and slammed into a tree, killing them all on impact.

Azriel will never forget Rhysand’s screams during that call. His sobs had Cassian and him lunging for their brother.

This time of year was always a struggle for his brother—another reason they were spending Christmas together. But now married and with a son of his own, he’d seen the change in him. For the first time in a long time, his brother was finally happy again.

When they arrived at the cabin, Az, Rhys, and Cass took their kids out to hunt for the perfect tree. It turned out that his niece, Sutton, had a particular eye and knew exactly which tree was perfect and which ones weren’t acceptable.

“She gets that from Nesta,” Cassian muttered, eyeing his daughter with so much affection, Az felt it, turning to look at his own son with that same love.

Two hours it took them to find a tree that Sutton approved of. They chopped it down and lugged it back to the cabin.

Exhausted, the brothers claimed the couches while their wives took over with their kids in decorating the tree, letting the little ones take the reins. The garland was a little lopsided, and parts of the branches were bare of ornaments, but it was utterly perfect in his eyes.

Cassian lifted Kaden to set the star on the top, his son giggling as his uncle hefted him into the air.

Azriel adored the sounds his son made. His laughs, his constant questions from that curious mind of his. There wasn’t anything he didn’t love about him.

He kissed the side of Elain’s head, murmuring, “I’ll be right back.”

She looked up at him with a raised brow. “Where are you going?”

“It’s a surprise,” he told her, shooting a playful grin. Squeezing her hip, Azriel slipped out the front door.

Truthfully, he was about to make a fool of himself and it was his brothers’ fault. They had suckered him into a bet and he lost. Which is how he found himself at the back of the car, pulling on a god-awful red suit, white wig and beard, and matching red hat.

They had never played Santa with the kids before, so he really had no idea what to expect. But fuck was this humiliating, especially knowing they were going to hold this over him for the rest of his life.

Azriel’s boots crunched in the snow as he made his way back to the house, peeking in through the window to see his beautiful wife, sitting on the floor with Kaden reclined in her lap reading the book, ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas. His niece and nephew picked a spot on either side of her, listening intently to her harmonious, story-telling voice.

He and Elain spoke about reading Kaden a new holiday book throughout the month of December. His son was a bit behind in his learning, given the home they took him from. He struggled in reading and was seeing a speech therapist to help him catch up from over four years of neglect. The therapist recommended constantly reading to him as one of the best ways to improve his reading comprehension. Additionally, hearing others speak would aid in his speech difficulties.

So, they purchased twenty-five books, wrapped them, and let Kaden open one a night since December first. He loved it, always snuggling into whichever of them was reading. It was a special bonding moment between them and their son.

Readjusting the small sack he had over his shoulder, Azriel took a deep breath and swung the door open. “Ho, ho, ho!” he bellowed, taking on that voice that was supposed to be Santa Claus. All heads swiveled to him. “Merry Christmas!”

He’d be lying if seeing the shock, and then morphing into utter joy on the three children’s faces didn’t make his heart melt and almost sway him to do this again. Almost.

“Santa!” they screamed, careening off Elain and rushing to him. They latched to his leg, tugging at those hideous red pants. “Hi, Santa!” they cheered, clutching at him.

He glanced at his wife, still sitting on the floor with a hand covering her mouth in an attempt to stifle her hysterics.

Great. They were all against him.

Azriel returned his attention to the children. “Hello, Nyx, Sutton, and Kaden.” Their eyes glowed like they had seen magic for the first time. “Have you guys been good for your parents?”

Azriel shot said parents a glare. Cassian was grinning like a little shit, taking photos on his phone, and Rhys had his face buried in Feyre’s neck, trying to hold in his laughter.

They all were nodding vigorously. “We have!” Nyx shouted regaining his attention and making him chuckle.

“Well, since you all have been so good, I have something for each of you.” Pulling the sack off his shoulder, he reached in, calling out their names and handing them their present. When he got to Kaden’s, he knelt, holding it out for him. “And this one is yours, Kaden.”

His son’s eyes widened as he carefully took the present from him.

“Dad!” Nyx whipped toward his father. “Can we open these? Please?” he begged.

Rhys chuckled at his son’s pleading. “Yes, go ahead, son.”

All three kids tore into their wrapped packages, but Azriel only focused on Kaden, little hands ripping at the paper until he pulled out a new teddy bear. A small grin turned up his lips as he watched his son clutch the stuffed animal to his chest twisting toward Elain who had moved to stand next to him.

“Momma! Momma, look at my bear!” he exclaimed, showing her the toy. Kaden had a special love for soft, plush toys—his collection of stuffed animals growing, he swore, by the week.

She knelt next to him. “I see, my sweet boy. Did you tell Santa, thank you?” Her fingers brushed one of his rogue curls behind his ear.

Kaden looked back at him. “Tank you, Santa,” he said quietly, moving to wrap his little arms around Azriel’s neck.

It took every bit of his strength to not get choked up from the sweet hug, instead just placing a large palm on his son’s back. “You’re very welcome, Kaden,” he managed to get out.

Elain ruffled Kaden’s dark hair before she returned her attention to him. “Santa, do you want to help me get some cookies from the kitchen?”

At her knowing smile, he knew it wasn’t exactly a request. “Of course, my lady.”

She rolled her eyes, taking his offered hand to help her stand.

Azriel trailed after her into the kitchen.

Once alone, she turned to face him, mirth dancing in her dark eyes. “I feel like I need an explanation,” she giggled, running her hands down the sleeves of his coat.

Gods, that sound would one day be the death of him. Still, he grimaced, telling her, “I lost a bet with Cassian and Rhys.”

That had her brows shooting into her hairline. “You lost a bet?” she asked, disbelief in her voice. Very rarely did he lose at anything, his competitive nature getting the best of him and everyone else. “What was the bet on?”

“The snowball fight,” he groaned, sitting down in one of the chairs at the table.

Her furrowed brows indicated that she still didn’t understand. “You guys took the kids this year. Why were you betting?”

It was true—they had taken their little ones with them seeing as they now all had a child and they were old enough to play. “We teamed up with our kid, and I took a lot of snowballs to the chest to protect Kaden when he wasn’t paying attention.” Truth be told, Kaden was focusing more on making the perfect snowballs than trying to hit his cousins with them. Likely his fault for teaching him how to make them.

Her surprise melted into utter love. “You saved our son from snowballs?”

“Of course, I did! That’s my job. To protect him from the menace spawn that my brothers’ produced.”

Elain tipped her head back and laughed, her throat working with the movement. “That is your niece and nephew you’re talking about, you know,” she said, humor dancing in her deep eyes.

He shrugged. “Doesn’t make it any less true.” Yeah, he loved those kids like they were his own, but they were still his brothers’ children.

She shook her head in exasperation. “You’re a real hero, my love. And I’m sure over time, Kaden will develop your sneaky skills in vanquishing his cousins and uncles in the annual snowball fight.”

Fuck yeah, he would. He couldn’t keep losing to them and being put in these outrageous bets. Azriel looked up at his wife, grabbing her hand. “Come sit on Santa’s lap, El.”

Elain let him tug her until she perched herself on his thigh, sliding her fingers around his neck to tangle in the stupid wig. She gave him a mirthful look. “White is not your color, my love.”

He squeezed her hips in reprimand. “Is that your subtle way of telling me I can’t go grey?”

She laughed, kissing his cheek. “Just not yet,” Elain winked.

His fingers stroked at her skin, just under the hem of her shirt. “Now tell me,” he started, taking on that deep baritone he used for Santa, again. “Have you been a good girl this year?”

Dark eyes flared in delight and she wiggled on his lap, purposely rubbing herself against his cock and making him hiss. “I have been a very good girl,” she whispered, voice low. “Especially for my dear husband.” Elain twisted on his lap, reaching for a cabinet drawer and sliding it open to pull out a package. “In fact, I have a present for him. Would you mind delivering it for me?” she asked, smiling and handing him the box.

Azriel gave her a flat look. “I thought we said no presents.” It wasn’t a question. He and Elain had agreed fairly early on to forgo gift-giving to each other so they could focus their attention on Kaden’s first Christmas with them as a family.

But Elain simply waved a hand. “I didn’t technically buy you anything. So, it doesn’t count.”

“Semantics, my love,” he muttered, sighing as he took a gloved finger and slid it under the perfect wrapping. She always had crisp, clean, wrapping while his…well, at least his presents were wrapped. Carefully setting the paper aside, he thumbed open the box. What was inside had his heart stopping and restarting in his chest; the breath left his lungs. Because inside that box was a positive pregnancy test and a plain onesie that read, My Daddy loves me.

His eyes shot to hers, seeing her bottom lip trapped between her teeth and her eyes glistening with water. “El, love…Are you pregnant?” The emotion clogged his throat making it ache in a way he couldn’t describe.

A small dip of her chin had him closing the distance between them, kissing her so deeply, so sweetly, she sighed into his mouth. He cupped her face between his palms, thumbs wiping at the tears that rolled down her cheeks. Azriel felt his own sliding down his face. “We’re going to have a baby?” he breathed voice a bare whisper.

“Yes,” she confirmed.

That was all it took for him to sob into her neck, elated at this beautiful gift. They had been trying for a kid before they adopted Kaden, but when the opportunity to take him in fell into their laps, they held off on having a baby so they could get Kaden welcomed into their home and comfortable with them. They had only started trying again at the beginning of last month. “How far along are you?” he cried, placing his large hand on her lower belly protectively.

Elain had to sniff to answer. “About seven weeks now. I found out in early December and wanted to surprise you. It’s been a struggle to keep this a secret,” she admitted.

Which meant that she had gotten pregnant very quickly if his mental math was correct. His gaze met hers. “Gods, I love you so damn much, Elain. You’ve given me the greatest gift I could have ever dreamed about.” And then he was kissing her again, letting his tongue coax her mouth open for him to claim. He slid it along hers, stroking hers in a way that had her resituating herself to straddle his lap.

Her fingers dug into the wig he had on, holding him close.

So caught up in their little bubble, neither of them noticed a small set of feet enter the kitchen until they heard Kaden’s little scream, “Daddy! Momma’s kissing Santa Claus!”

They broke apart, whipping their heads toward the entryway where their son had raced back out to the rest of their family.

Elain clapped a hand over her mouth in horror, fear prominent in her brown irises.

Azriel blinked, muttering, “Our son’s a snitch.”

She slapped his shoulder, hissing, “It’s not funny, Azriel!”

He snickered. “It’s a little funny,” he mumbled, helping her off his lap so they could go find their son and offer him some explanation.

They rounded the corner and found that when Kaden couldn’t find his father, he went to the next best thing—Cassian and his long legs.

His brother had stood up at his nephew’s distressed scream and was now trying to comfort the child clutching his leg.

“Kaden, it’s okay, sweetheart,” Elain said, taking a step towards him. But he countered with a step of his own, shuffling further behind his uncle’s leg.

Azriel saw the pain, the devastation of that move ricochet on Elain’s face. It broke his heart to see her hurt like that. And when she turned pleading eyes on him, tears close to falling down her cheeks, he knew the charade was over. He nodded in understanding, looking back at his son. “Kaden.” His voice returned to its normal tone. “Hey, buddy, it’s me. It’s daddy,” he told him, pulling the beard off, followed by his hat and wig.

Kaden’s hazel and green eyes went wide as he stepped around Cassian’s leg. Confusion and astonishment warred in those irises. “You’re Santa?” he shrilled in disbelief.

He hated the idea of telling not just his son, but his niece and nephew, about Santa’s existence. They were all still so young, still innocent in that Christmas spirit. He refused to take that from them, so he told them a little white lie instead. Azriel knelt, holding out his hand for his son, shaking his head. “No, buddy. I’m not Santa. It’s Christmas Eve. What does Santa do on Christmas Eve?”

His voice was so small when he answered. “Takes pwesents to kids.”

He nodded. “That’s right, Kaden. Santa delivers presents to kids all over the world on Christmas Eve. He couldn’t come tonight because he was busy doing that. So, he asked me to fill in for him.” Azriel could see all three children eat up his words. One day they’d explain to him what the true meaning of Santa was, but not today.

“We’re sorry we upset you,” he added when Kaden took a small step away from his uncle and toward him.

And then another. Until he was running into his chest, clinging to him.

Azriel wasted no time in wrapping his strong arms around his son, lifting him off the ground to keep him close.

“All right, little ones,” Cassian announced, sensing the family needed a minute, and heaved his daughter onto his hip. “Time for bed or the real Santa won’t be coming to deliver your presents.” His wife followed his lead, as did Rhys and Feyre, taking Nyx with them.

He looked at Elain, seeing her face soaked with tears, and knew she needed to hold him as much as he did. More so, even. “Can you give momma some love too?” he murmured into Kaden’s soft hair.

Elain held out her hands, Kaden willingly going into her embrace, his little arms sliding around her neck as he buried his face into the crook where it met her shoulder. She let out a soft whimper, kissing the top of his head. “I love you, my sweet boy,” she whispered, threading her fingers in his hair to cradle the back of his head.

Azriel swept them both into his chest, holding them close.

A soft voice asked them, “Momma, can you finish our story?”

He glanced over his shoulder to the discarded book, releasing them to grab it from the floor.

“Of course, I can,” she told him, letting herself be escorted over to the large recliner.

Azriel took a seat, pulling Elain with Kaden onto his lap, and opened the book. His feet pushed on the ground, rocking them as Elain snuggled their son. Turning the pages for her, he let his wife’s lovely voice wash over them.

“‘Twas the night before Christmas, and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse…”

As his pregnant wife read and their son drifted to sleep in their arms, Azriel sent up a prayer of thanks to whoever was listening for giving him this beautiful moment—this perfect family. Something he never dreamed of having, but now that he did, would never let it go.

~~~~~~

Remember, sharing is caring! Please reblog if you liked the fic. It helps spread my work and I truly appreciate it. 💕

I’m not doing a tag list anymore because they’re really more trouble than they’re worth. For notifications, you can follow and subscribe to my fanfic account where I will be reblogging updates and snippets only. You can also find me on ao3.

My fanfic account: @tswaney17fics

My ao3 account: tswaney17

76 notes · View notes

wetcatspellcaster · 4 months

Note

Happy new year and Christmas!!! I hope you felt the love and you’re having a great time doing holiday things 💕

Latest chapter had me gagged, as usual (the Alaron beach one had me thinking Thoughts about the plural astarions) and An Honest Lie’s latest update — it really satisfied something in my heart that wanted more non sex intimacy for Astarion’s romance. Let the king sleep w his hot wizard gf Larian!! Or hold her hand!! Even if he doesn’t need to!!

(Though let’s be real, Astarion may make fun of a Tav for asking to hold hands or hug for a second)

I truly adore how you’re pacing both stories so far, I know you’ve mentioned your process isn’t super meticulously mapped out, but the story beats are woven together beautifully.

Thank you for sharing with us in 2023!! And for Rosalie, in all of her incarnations!! And the gothic trope content!!

Hey pal! Thank you so much! My holidays were pretty sedate tbh bc the weather was terrible the whole time, but it was cosy and still nice - spent time with my family, then hosted friends on NYE. I hope your holidays were a decent fun time as well, whatever form they might take!

Glad you enjoyed the fic updates. I find it so funny that I can't write sex and then Larian threw me a bone and was like "sexless act 2 romance for you" - thank you Larian, I appreciate the assist :') I'm currently finalising the next chapter of Honest Lie and I'm hopeful it will be soft

Thank you for the compliment on pacing! My outlines used to be chapter by chapter but that doesn't really work with the way I write on AO3 (read, wordcount bloat) so I now just settle for a bullet point list I try to hit.

Thank you so much for reading. I never thought this silly little OC would have meaning for everyone, so thanks for making sharing worthwhile more than anything, I suppose :D xx

#asks #lovely words from lovely people

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crowskulls-art-and-fandoms · 4 months

Text

Christmas at Tidmouth

(eyyy, I did it. First fic I've finished in a long time. Hope you enjoy it, happy holidays. 💕🎄🎁)

Christmas Eve on Sodor, and the Tidmouth household is bustling as the engineers prepare for a get together. Edward and James are working hard in the kitchen. Edward dipped a wooden spoon into the pot of stew, tasting it.

“Mm.. Not quite ready..”

He looks over and sees James pull the ham out of the oven, his nose scrunched up in discomfort as the heat of the oven hit his face. But he toughed it out. Pulling the dish out of the oven and setting it on the island counter, then he took the casserole and quickly put it in the oven after, closing the door before turning back to the counter and getting the aluminum foil to cover the ham so it stays warm for later. After that was done, he paused and sighed dramatically.

“Shouldn't we ask for some help from the others..?”

Edward asked, and James huffed.

“Nope, I don't trust any of them in this kitchen, and they have a ton of stuff they need to do to get the party ready. I just need everyone to stay out of the kitchen and out of my way-”

James added with a frustrated tone, but his expression softened when he heard Edward's little chuckle.

“What am I then?”

“The exception.”

James replied confidently, and slightly flirty, and he immediately calmed down. Edward’s smile grew warmly and he looked back to the stove. Straining a bit to reach the dishes on the back burners. The various vegetable options all looked great, almost ready. Then Edward stepped back and looked through the glass of the oven in front of him, multiple trays of Christmas cookies he had put in a bit ago. Right on time, the timer on his phone went off and it was time to take them out. He turned off the alarm then retrieved his oven mitts from the drawer. He opened the oven, stepping back a moment to avoid the wave of heat, then he leaned back in to get the trays.

“James, can you make sure there's some extra room on the counter for these?”

“Sure thing.”

And James moved any dish towels or dishes on the countertops, allowing Edward to take the cookie trays out of the oven and set them down. There were about five trays to make sure there's enough for everyone. James took up the counter space left so he could finish the salad bowl. Edward checked the stuff on the stove one more time to make sure it wasn't burning before he turned his attention to the hoard of freshly made cookies. There were multiple kinds; chocolate chip, oatmeal, nut, and Christmas decorated sugar cookies. Edward took a paper plate and began fanning the trays to cool them down faster so that he could plate them and put the trays away. It didn't take long for them to cool off enough to be moved. Edward got the ornate Christmas plates and placed the cookies very nicely on them, then he put the finished product in the dining room, on the designated dessert table with the other sweet dishes. He returned to the kitchen and went straight to the stove to turn off the burners, stirring the different pots then letting them sit to enhance the flavors. He leaned against the island with a sigh, taking the moment of calm to relax.

He glanced to the side when he noticed James coming out of the dining room, chocolate chip cookie in hand. Edward let out a soft chuckle.

“James, those are for later!”

He said light heartedly, James immediately smiling.

“C'mon, Eddie, you know I can't resist your cooking.”

He teased, meeting Edward on the other side of the island. He leaned his hip against it then broke the cookie in half, offering a piece to Edward. Edward accepted and gently took it from James' hand, taking a bite. He couldn't help but laugh a bit when he saw James eat the whole half in one bite, groaning softly with satisfaction.

“I swear, you're the best cook I know. Well.. Not better than my mom but still, heh. Might even be better than me.”

“Hehe, thank you, James. That's very sweet of you.”

Edward smiled, and James smirked.

“Well… Not as sweet as you..”

James purred, his smile widening when he noticed Edward's cheeks turn pink.

“Awe, James..”

Edward cooed and leaned closer to him, James warmly wrapped his arm around his waist.

“Merry Christmas, Edward..”

“Merry Christmas, James..”

The moment was quiet and comforting as the two stood together. Then they flinched as they were interrupted by a loud bang from the living room, and Gordon yelling.

“Thomas, we told you we need this furniture out of the way while we're getting stuff from the attic!!”

“Sorry, Gordon!”

Edward sighed.

“Oh boy…”

Meanwhile in the sitting room, Gordon and Henry were struggling a bit to keep balance with the large Christmas tree in their arms. Thomas and Nia rushed to try to move chairs out of their way so that they could get it down the stairs, Percy cleared a spot near the TV then moved so that they could set it down. Gordon grunted and stretched his arms when they finally had it in place. Emily was making her way down the stairs with her arms full of Christmas light rolls, Toby coming down behind her with the box of ornaments.

“Why do we always wait until Christmas Eve to put everything up?”

Toby asked.

“We never had the time because of work, so we've just gotten into the routine of doing it all on Christmas Eve before the party.”

Emily replied, handing Henry a roll of lights for him to hang up.

“Do we still need to do it all on Christmas Eve though? Our schedules are different now, we have the time to do it earlier.”

Gordon groaned as he plugged in the Christmas tree, its lights turning on and casting a beautiful glow around the room.

“It’s kind of fun! All of the hustle and bustle and doing everything together, it's like our own family tradition.”

Nia responded. Gordon couldn't help but smile.

“I guess you're right..”

Thomas and Nia pushed the chairs and sofa into the right places, moving the coffee table in correspondence, just in time for Gordon to sit down for a bit. Toby took up the job of putting the ornaments on the tree, Emily and Henry lining the lights on the stair railing and shelving, Henry lining the edges of the ceiling. James and Edward came into the living room after finishing up in the kitchen.

“Everything looks great in here!”

Edward beamed.

“Surprising, after hearing that ruckus a minute ago.”

James teased, Thomas rolling his eyes.

“Soooorry, we can't all be as perfect as you.”

Thomas snarked, but James just smirked.

“A shame, isn't it?”

He laughed a bit. Edward lightly elbowed him.

“Come on, no arguing, it's Christmas Eve.”

Edward stepped around the sofa and sat down, sighing softly. Gordon leaned back and relaxed, almost dozing off after a few minutes, until he jerked awake from sudden noise.

“I found the board games!”

Percy shouted from down the hall. Gordon just groaned and rubbed his eyes. Edward patted his shoulder comfortingly. Percy happily came into the room with a couple boxes in his arms. James cringed a bit.

“We really have that many board games..?”

“What's wrong with having a lot of board games?”

Percy sat the boxes down and sat on the floor, taking out every game and stacking them up next to him.

“Is it really necessary for a household to have like twenty board games??”

James pressed. Percy rolled his eyes.

“Twenty-three. And yes, it's good to have a lot of options, especially for the holidays!”

James just scoffed and smoothed his hair back.

“Sounds just foolish.”

“You sound just foolish.”

“I do not!”

Edward rubbed his temple as James and Percy bickered.

“James, can you start taking the food to the dining room, please?”

“No problem.”

James said with a suspicious smile.

“And don't eat all of the cookies!”

Edward yelled after him, hearing a groan of annoyance from James. Edward leaned back with a sigh, sweet silence once again. Then he opened his eyes and looked around, and smiled. The room sparkling with lights, the sounds of small chatter and decorations being hung up. And soon soft music started playing as Nia had put on one of the records. Edward loved this feeling, and it seemed Gordon did too as Edward caught him smiling a bit. Edward placed his hand on Gordon's.

“Y'know, every year you say you find Christmas irritating… Still think that..?”

Gordon was silent for a while, looking around, and he didn't notice how his expression warmed at the joyful sight. Especially seeing his little brother so happy. Edward just smiled and patted Gordon's shoulder.

“Merry Christmas, Gordon..”

He said softly, and Gordon looked at him.

“Merry Christmas.. Dad..”

Across the room, Nia was placing little figurine decorations on the shelves and hanging up the tinsel. Then she heard James call to her.

“Hey, Nia! Can you give me a hand with this?!”

“Sure thing, James!”

She finished up what she was doing then went to the kitchen to help James set everything up.

“Can you get the table set up?”

“No problem. Do you need any help with the food?”

“I got it for now. I'll let you know if I need help though.”

“Okay.”

Nia turned away, but James placed his hand on her shoulder.

“Hey.”

“Hm?”

James pulled her closer and rustled her hair.

“Merry Christmas, girly.”

He teased and Nia laughed.

“Hahah! Merry Christmas to you too, James.”

She leaned in and gave him a strong hug before they finally parted and got back to work. Nia retrieved the tablecloth, napkins and table decorations from the closet, placing everything perfectly. Her and James perfectly weaved between each other as he brought in the platters and she went to get the plates and utensils. The plates sat on their respective napkins, the silverware placed neatly. She double checked everything, crossing off her mental checklist, and stepped back with an accomplished sigh as she beholded her work. Then she caught sight of James trying to sneak into the chocolate cake.

“Get out of that!”

She ordered with a small laugh. James groaned and sat the glass dome back down.

“Come on, just one piece!”

“You have to wait until after dinner!”

James crossed his arms with a huff.

“I made half the damn dinner, I should get to have some dessert before it.”

He grumbled, and Nia nudged him playfully.

“Let's get you out of here before the sweets mysteriously disappear.”

She joked. Her and James left the dining room into the kitchen to prepare the beverages, the last thing to make and then everything for dinner is done and ready. Meanwhile in the sitting room, Gordon was still sitting on the couch, his joints getting the best of him as he groaned in pain. Edward tried to help a bit by soothingly squeezing his knee. Henry paused what he was doing as he saw Gordon's plight. He thought for a moment then quickly went upstairs, retrieving Gordon's arthritis medicine from his room then coming back downstairs. Edward noticed what Henry was doing and reached over to pick up the cup of water from the side table, holding it to Gordon. Soon Henry sat down on the other side next to Gordon.

“What are you two doing..?”

He asked, Henry sighed quietly.

“Your arthritis is flaring up, I can tell. You should take your meds.”

He said, and Gordon grumbled, begrudgingly taking the pill bottle from Henry's hand.

“Did you eat lunch?”

Edward asked. And Gordon's silence said everything. Edward's expression faltered.

“Gordon..”

“What?? I just wasn't hungry, it's not a big deal!”

Gordon rebutted, quickly taking his medication and taking a few swigs of water, sighing heavily afterwards. He tensed up a bit feeling a hand on his thigh, Henry's expression concerned but still affectionate.

“You'll eat a full meal tonight, right..?”

Gordon was hesitant, but his expression softened and he sighed.

“Yes..”

“Promise..?”

“... I promise..”

Henry smiled, and Edward smiled as well. Then his smile turned sly and he stood up.

“I'm going to see how Nia and James are doing.”

He said before walking around the sofa and into the kitchen, leaving Henry and Gordon on the couch. Gordon suddenly felt his cheeks warm and his shoulders tensed. He cleared his throat and Henry laughed quietly. He laid his arm on the back of the couch around Gordon, which only made him turn more red. Henry looked around the room, seeing Emily finish up the tree decorations while Toby was picking up and putting away the boxes. Thomas and Percy were sitting on the floor, both equally excited about all of the board game options, talking about the movies they could watch, good snacks to have. Henry couldn't help but smile as he watched them, and he noticed Gordon was smiling too. Henry chuckled softly and nuzzled against Gordon's hair.

“You look nice tonight…”

He murmured, Gordon shocked by the sudden compliment.

“O-oh- uh… Th-thank you..? Um… You look nice too..”

He awkwardly replied, trying to hide the grin on his face, but Henry saw right through it. Then he slowly removed himself and stood up, adjusting his sweater. Gordon looked at him with a questioning gaze.

“Can I show you something?”

“Uh.. Sure.”

Gordon stood up, grunting a bit, though his joint pain was fading a bit and he felt better than he did a minute ago. He followed Henry out of the living room to one of the hallways.

“What'd you want to show me?”

Gordon asked as Henry stopped and turned to him, gently taking his hands. He glanced upward, and Gordon followed his gaze. Turning bright red when he saw the mistletoe hanging above them. His gaze met Henry's again, Henry couldn't help but laugh a bit at the deer in headlights expression on Gordon's face. He brought one of his hands up and gently caressed Gordon's cheek, and Gordon relaxed a bit more, leaning into Henry's hand. Henry's expression warmed as he gazed in awe. Then he leaned in and planted a soft kiss on Gordon's forehead. The two slowly embraced, basking in each other's comfort. Henry didn't need a full kiss, this moment was more than enough for him. They decided to step away from the preparations for a bit, given they finished everything they needed to.

Back in the sitting room, Thomas and Percy placed all of the board games in a neat stack by the sofa for later. Percy went and got the coffee table decorations. Just a couple figurines and the candle display, placing them neatly, almost obsessively trying to make them symmetrical. He leaned back and squinted, trying to make sure it was right.

“Hey, Thomas, does this look right to you?”

“Does what look right?”

“The coffee table stuff, I'm trying to make it perfect.”

“Hmmm..”

Thomas examined it for a moment. Then he rearranged them a bit.

“Wh- what are you doing-?”

“There is such a thing as being too perfect. It shouldn't look so.. Static. More casual. See? Like this.”

He leaned back and held his hand towards it in presentation of the display. Percy looked at it for a moment and tilted his head curiously.

“Oh, you're right, that does look better.”

Percy looked around, seeing the decorations the others put up. He smiled, everything was just so beautiful. Then his expression fell once he remembered something, then he jumped up.

“The presents! We need to get the presents!”

“Oh, crap, you're right!”

Then the two rushed off down the hall to the big closet to retrieve the gift boxes. Toby couldn't help but laugh a bit and Emily shook her head lightheartedly.

“Told you they forgot.”

She said with a soft chuckle. Then Toby looked to her.

“Will Caitlin be coming tonight?”

He asked.

“No, she's in London with family for Christmas, we'll do something special together sometime this week though.”

Emily replied, helping Toby place ornaments on the tree where he couldn't quite reach.

“That's nice, hope you two have a good time.”

“Thank you, Toby. Suppose we'll just have the usual rowdy crowd coming over.”

“Heh, yeah, the twins always seem to get riled up during the holidays.”

Toby replied, he and Emily shared a small laugh at the memory of how excited the twins tend to get at the party, especially Donald. They always got super competitive with each other with the games, Douglas was always the one to hold more of a grudge when he lost. Regardless of who won any of the board games they'd always have a drinking contest after to determine the ‘real winner’. They'd always get equally hammered and it was always a random chance of who'd pass out first and be declared the loser. At least in recent years the drinking games have toned down a bit, now just to who can finish a certain amount of drinks in the shortest amount of time. Donald was the most frequent winner of this game, and Duck always seemed to say scandalous jokes about why that was. Regardless it was all in good fun. It was a good idea to keep Gordon away from the alcohol though, he always got really moody and whiny when he was drunk. Everyone can recall the times he'd fall asleep on the couch after drinking too much and waking up with a hangover that made him ten times as grumpy as he usually was. Admittedly for good reason.

Emily and Toby suddenly heard a crash from down the hall. It was silent for a moment before Percy called out.

“Can someone give us a hand-??”

Emily stepped away from the tree and headed down the hall, Toby stayed behind to clean up the trash and boxes to make sure there was a clear path while the three of them walked in with arm-fulls of presents. Percy made sure they were all organized and placed neatly so they could be easily picked up. Thomas got a bit distracted, shaking his presents to try to figure out what they were. Emily light heartedly smacked his arm.

“No looking until tomorrow, you know the rules.”

She said, and Thomas grumbled.

“Yeah yeah yeah, I know..”

He handed the boxes to Percy and pouted a bit, but smiled again when Emily gave him a hug.

“Okay, okay, I'm smiling, are you happy now?”

He teased and Emily laughed.

“Yes, yes I am. Merry Christmas. To both of you.”

“Merry Christmas, Emmy.”

Thomas replied, rustling her hair. Percy hadn't replied, and they saw it was because he was too focused on the sorting. Thomas poked his arm to get his attention.

“Huh? What? Oh- Merry Christmas to you too!”

He said, but his attention quickly returned to the gifts. Wasn't long until everything was placed just right, and Percy was very proud of his organization. Emily got up and helped Toby finish cleaning up the living room. And finally, everything was done. Edward, James, and Nia exited the kitchen, and Edward was in awe.

“Oh, everything is beautiful!”

He beamed. The lights, the decorations, the tree, everything was perfect. James just smiled at Edward's reaction. The holidays were beautiful and all, but the best part of it was Edward's excitement for it, especially Christmas. His smile and the way the lights sparkled in his eyes, it made James' heart swell with joy. Suppose that is the point of Christmas after all. Nia joined Percy and Thomas, and Gordon and Henry returned from down the hall. They were in awe of the decorations as well. They sat down on the couch, James went to the kitchen to get a drink, and Thomas, Nia, Percy, and Toby struck up some conversation. And it all seemed to be right on time as they heard the doorbell ring.

“I’ll get it!”

Edward said, walking away with a bit of a pep in his step. Before he even opened the door he heard familiar chatter behind it. And once he opened it, it was a more than welcome sight. Duck, Oliver, Toad, Donald, and Douglas. Donald was first to enter.

“The party's here!”

He announced. Douglas shook his head before following. Edward just chuckled. Oliver and Toad entered afterwards.

“Thanks so much for inviting us, Edward.”

Oliver said.

“Of course, it wouldn't be the same without all of you. You're a part of the family.”

“Awe, thanks, Edward!”

Toad commented. Afterwards Oliver and Toad walked down the hall to the sitting room, where the twins were already getting rowdy. Duck was certainly more calm, stepping through the door and out of the cold before dusting the snow off of their suit.

“They already said it but, thank you again for inviting us, Eddie. I always look forward to this time of year because of your amazing party.”

They said, them and Edward sharing a hug.

“Well, it isn't just me. Everyone pitched in. I really only did a fraction of it, heh.”

“In that case, I think it's safe to say that the Tidmouth household throws the best Christmas parties.”

Said Duck, and it only made Edward's smile grow. Duck gestures down the hall for them to walk.

“Shall we get to it?”

Edward nodded in response.

“Absolutely.”

And the two walked down the hall, joining the chaos already rising in the sitting room.

Routine chaos and joy that happens every year, during truly one of the best times ever for the Steam Team. Everyone getting together on the lovely snowy night, the house gorgeously decorated and the food made perfectly. With movies and games to last the entire night, and presents and fun still to be had the next day.

Christmas at Tidmouth was always a joyous time.

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