#but there is only so much music one can listen to in a workday before you want to break your speakers

[luveline]

do you have anything more from office frenemies with james? i just read it and i loved it so much

yes! love u ty

—you and James don’t get along until you kind of, sort of do. fem!reader, 1.5k

James listens to the most obnoxious playlist in the mornings. There’s about a fifteen minute window between when he arrives and when the workday officially starts, which coincides exactly with your window. He often gets the same elevator ride, walks a pace beside you, and decides whether he’s going to let the ‘lady’ go first through the door depending on the day. 

That morning, he’d opened the door widely, grinned at you with music blaring loud enough to make a normal person deaf from his earphones, and let you pass. Then he pretended to stick his foot out to trip you up, pulling it back at the last second. 

Jerk, you think, angry even now as he tucks himself into his desk, his earphones still ridiculously loud. He actually, genuinely, is going to get hearing damage. You’re not being bitter. Human ears aren’t meant for that. 

You click onto the workplace Outlook and open a tab on your desktop. How loudly can you listen to music? you google. A few articles appear straight away that fit your purpose —you drag them each into an empty email. Then, smiling to yourself, you find an article on the negative effects of workplace noise pollution and how this sort of selfishness can affect your coworkers’ mental health and add that at the very top. 

To: [email protected] 

Hi James, 

please find attached a few articles I felt might be important for you to read.

Worst, 

Your unhappy adjacent desk. 

You know he’s received it when he laughs loudly, turning down his music with a few quick clicks on his phone. 

An email comes through to your inbox shortly after.

Hi bestie, 

I’m so so sorry for the noise. Please find attached a few articles I, in turn, felt you might enjoy. 

Best, 

James Potter :) 

He’s attached an irksome variation of articles. Why music can help you get ready for the day. Ten ways workplace friendships are important. Can you really find your soulmate at work? 

You open your personal messaging system. You tend not to use it with James, but this morning he’s winding you up. 

I could report you to HR for that last one, you send. 

He replies quickly. You try very hard not to look up at him from over your desktop. I didn’t mean me. 

You’ll be deaf by thirty. 

Jealous you don’t have such great taste in music? 

Jealous of everyone in the annex. 

Want a cup of coffee?

You meet his gaze finally over the computer, find him already looking at you. You shake your head scornfully. In what world would you ever want him to make you a coffee? He’s never actually offered to make you one before, to be fair, but he’s awful to you so what are you supposed to think? He’ll probably poison it. 

He stands to leave. Remus, the other accountant to complete your trio, arrives while he’s gone with his boyfriend Sirius in tow. They’re also James’ best friends, unfortunately. It makes for some awkwardness. 

“Where is he?” Remus asks you, in the midst of a quick goodbye kiss before Sirius makes his way to his desk further down the office. 

You nibble your lip and give a dispassionate shrug. You hate talking about James. You hate his stupid mess of hair, his reading glasses, his lips when he smiles crookedly and worse when he’s glaring at you. You hate the way he sighs as he clicks his neck, the quick lap he does every other hour complaining of tired legs, the genuine tenderness he shows you whenever you’re sick. You hate James. You don't like to think about him too much lest you get caught, a fish in a net.

Or a fish with a painful hook in its lip. 

“Ah, you’re here,” James says, two cups of coffee in his hand. 

You’re only a little heartbroken when he puts one on his desk and one on Remus’. Didn’t want one anyways. 

Remus grins as James comes up behind him for a rough hug and hair ruffle. “How was last night?” 

“I wish you’d come. Sirius spent all night trying to out drink Marl, you know he can’t, so I spent all night holding his hair out of his face. I wasn’t gonna talk to him this morning, but he was being very pathetic.” 

James laughs. You pretend you aren’t listening to them, pretend you don’t feel left out even if they have no reason to be your friend, clicking at random things on your screen and scrolling through spreadsheets long finished and filed. “You know I couldn’t come, Moony,” —no point starting on their awful nicknames— “what if she needed me?” 

You still. She? 

“James, there’s not much you can do,” Remus says gently. He’s a quiet, soft sort of man, but they’re all so loud about loving one another. “You have to let her… you know.” 

You feel them both looking at you, your gaze steadfast on your screen. 

“Try not to think about it,” Remus says. 

“I’ve been distracting myself,” James agrees. 

Oh, you think. Oh. I’m such a dick. 

“You could go home?” Remus says, putting his face in his hand. “I could cover you.” 

“It’s too much work.” 

“I know, but, you know, I’ll do half, and you’ll only have half to catch up on when you come back.” 

You’re not sure who she is, and you very much still don’t like James Potter, but you're not heartless. He sounds awfully upset, fragility to his voice and a foreign balling of his fist by his hip. “Um,” you say, clearing your throat weakly, “well, with me and Remus, we could cover for you.” 

James’ face is unreadable, looking down at you. “You’d cover for me?” he asks. 

“Your work isn’t exactly hard, James.” 

“But you’d do it?” 

“How long will you be off for?” 

James frowns. “Like, two days?” he says quietly. 

“That’s fine. We can do that,” you say, checking with Remus from around James hip. “Yeah?” 

“Of course,” Remus says quickly. 

James looks at you long and hard. “You’re not kidding?” 

“No, James. Not kidding. You’d do the same for me, right?” 

James leans down to hug you before you can stop him. His arms wrap around your shoulders, a perfectly amicable touch made up of sleeper muscle and the attractive smell of almond oil, nearly sweet, slightly woody. He laughs against your cheek as he pulls away, turning back to Remus for a similar hug. “Thank you. I’ll go tell Danny right now.” He beams at you. His relief is thick as honey, palpable in his warm tone. “Thank you.” 

You can’t look at him very long. 

The memory of his fingers linger, the weight of his arm behind your head. He excuses himself to go talk to your boss, and you and Remus sit in a semi-awkward silence, of which you’re wholly responsible. 

“His cat is dying,” Remus says eventually.

You wince. “Oh, no, really?” you ask. 

“He’s had her since we were kids. It’s really nice of you to do this.”

“I really do think he’d do it for me,” you interrupt. “I’m not, you know, cruel, because we don’t get on.” 

“I know. James knows that too.” 

You want to get defensive. Why does it matter if James knows? But Remus is too nice to argue with, and secretly, strangely, you’d wanted James to know you aren’t mean. You wouldn’t have sent him that email this morning if you’d known, and maybe this is apology enough for that. 

Still, it doesn’t feel right when James returns, gathering his suit jacket from the back of his chair. “Thank you guys, so much. I will bring you the most amazing desserts of all time as a thank you. I won’t even put your mug on the top shelf the next time I wash it,” James promises you. 

You bat aside the rage of knowing he’s the culprit and instead get out of your seat before he can leave. “Uh, James?” you ask. 

He raises his eyebrows. “Yeah?” 

You look at the floor by his shoes. “About earlier…”

James stands subtly between you and the bulk of the office. “You okay?” 

“I just– I’m sorry for complaining about your earphones. I wasn’t trying to be insensitive.” 

“You weren’t insensitive,” he says, “I was being obnoxious. Don’t worry about it, okay?” 

“I–” You hate yourself for all your stammering. “Hope whatever is wrong, that you’re okay. I’ll cover for you for the week if you need me to.” 

“Please stop feeling sorry for me. It looks weird on you. I much prefer you when you’re frowning, you get these super deep wrinkles in your forehead that I just love.” 

You turn away without looking up. “I’m gonna input all your sales information wrong.” 

“And I’m gonna bring you the best donut you’ve ever tasted to say thanks, sweetheart.” 

#james potter #james potter x reader #james potter x fem!reader #james potter x y/n #james potter x you #james potter fic #james potter fluff #james potter blurb #james potter drabble #james potter imagine #james potter fanfic #james potter fanfiction #james potter scenario #james potter oneshot #the marauders #marauders era #marauders

[tinyhockey]

be my fire in the cold - winter exchange 2k23

well this is something eh? i went into this hoping to get up the courage to write my first hockey fic and ended up writing about 9.3k words of christmas fluff. who'd have thought!

big thank you first and foremost to @antoineroussel for organizing this exchange! thanks to my beta readers @hockeytwinx @neuroweird and @thewonderzebra, and to @2manytabsopen @jostystyles and @teex for help with characterization.

and lastly, but most importantly: thank you to @lifeofpriya for giving me such wonderful inspiration and answering each and every one of my probably very annoying questions! from your magical winter exchange elf, i hope you enjoy! 💖

quick note that this is an OC fic and an AU. have fun reading!

“Santa, tell me if you're really there…”

Priya hummed to herself as she sent off another email, unconsciously nodding her head to the sound of Ariana Grande belting through her airpods. She’d had her Christmas playlist practically on loop over the past six days, as if determined to broadcast as much holiday spirit as possible directly into her ears. She didn’t think anyone could really blame her for that, though. There were only so many days out of the year where it was socially acceptable to blast Santa-themed music. It only made sense to make the most of them.

Besides, it had been a slow morning at the office. Priya had been hired as an intern (paid, thank-you-very-much) back in October, and she had quickly learned that there was no such thing as an average workday. Sometimes she found herself rushing around running errands for every person who passed her desk; thankfully, most of them were friendly, with a few exceptions she preferred not to dwell on. Other times, like today, she had to stop herself from browsing skincare websites or looking up last night’s baseball highlights. Thankfully, she’d found that her long hair typically hid her earbuds, meaning she could listen to audiobooks or k-pop albums to make the time go by faster. Unfortunately, they were sometimes too good at soundproofing.

“Don't make me fall in love again if he won't be here next year…”

“Priya!”

She jolted at the sudden call, eyes darting up, only to see her manager standing before her desk, a wry smile on his face. She quickly reached over to pause the music on her phone, tucking her hair behind her ears as she removed her airpods.

“Sorry, Dougie,” she smiled sheepishly. “I’m working, I swear.”

“Sure you are,” he teased, letting out a laugh. 

“No, seriously! I just sent off some emails. I just figured, you know…” Priya shrugged. 

“It’s fine,” Dougie shook his head fondly. “You’re fine. I’m sure you can get your work done while you listen to carols.” 

“Maybe I’ll be better with some Christmas music,” Priya responded. “Almost everything is.”

Dougie’s smile grew. “I’m actually glad you said that.”

Priya was halfway to matching his expression, only to suddenly take notice of the bright red folder in his hands. She quirked an eyebrow upwards in suspicion. “Should I be worried?”

“Oh, yeah. Extremely.” After a second, he clarified, “I’m kidding.”

“I figured.” Priya nodded towards the folder. “What’s in there?”

“Oh, right! So.” He leaned forward across her desk, as if he were entrusting her with some great mission. “Every year, we have this big company holiday party towards the end of December. There’s always music, and it gets catered with all this awesome food. One year, they even had an open bar. Now that was a fun time.”

“It sounds like it,” Priya laughed, eyes still trained on the folder. “So is this an invitation, or…”

“Oh. No. Well, kind of,” he laughed. “See, the last couple years, it’s always been planned by the same two people. But one just retired, and one’s out on maternity leave. So…”

“You entrust it to the intern,” Priya finished, tutting in fake disapproval, though her smile was clear even as she shook her head. 

“It won’t just be you. Not that I don’t think you could pull it off alone.” Dougie passed over the folder. “Tom and Linda left all the major stuff in there. Who to call if you have questions about the space, which caterers they usually hire, all that stuff.”

Priya flipped through the folder as Dougie spoke, running her finger down the pages. The photos of the ballroom showed a large but intimate space, with dim lighting and velvet curtains. It would be nice to hang some string lights over the windows, she thought. And they could set up some tables there, and maybe a photo booth if the budget allowed…

“Does that sound good?”

Priya glanced up from the folder, lips already curved into a smile. “Yeah, no, of course. Absolutely. It’ll be fun.”

“Great!” Dougie smiled back. There seemed to be something slightly more to it than just a happy sort of relief, but Priya couldn’t quite pin it down. 

He took out his phone, firing off a few emails. “You have anything going on at 4:30 today?”

“Not that I know of,” Priya shrugged. “Why?”

“I’ll book off one of the smaller conference rooms for you guys, then. You can get started on the planning. Normally we have it on the Friday before Christmas, so that gives you about two weeks or so.” Dougie smiled as he slipped his phone back into his pocket. “I look forward to it.”

He had already taken a step away when a question popped into Priya’s mind. “Dougie!” she called. “Who else am I working with?”

“Didn’t I just tell you?” he chuckled. “One of the other interns, from tech support. You might know him.”

No. No, no, no, please, no, anyone but-

“You’ve met Nico, right?”

Damnit.

“Uh, yeah, I think. Once or twice.” Priya fidgeted with the corner of the folder, hoping she’d kept her face in a neutral enough expression.

“Cool. Glad you two know each other,” Dougie smiled, that same strange tinge to his grin as before. “You guys will be great together, I’m sure.”

She smiled tightly. “Can’t wait.”

Priya waited until Dougie’s footsteps sounded far enough away, letting out a groan as she dropped her head onto her desk. Of course. Of everyone in the entire company, it had to be Nico.

She hadn’t started off disliking him. In fact, she’d almost thought he was cute. Alright, fine, she’d thought he was incredibly cute. When she’d seen him at the intern orientation, she’d been the first to come up to him and try to introduce herself. Instead, all she’d found herself met with was a dark look and a curt reply. She’d tried sitting with him at lunch, asking him about himself, even bringing in coffee for him. Every time, the same sullen stare, the same short sentences. She’d won over almost everyone else in the office. Nico was her one exception. 

Every so often, Priya still caught him staring at her. Across the cafeteria, in company meetings — she’d turn her head, and catch him just turning his away. She couldn’t figure out exactly what she’d done to irritate him so much. At this point, she wasn’t sure finding out would make the difference.

Sighing, Priya propped up the folder on her desk, studying its festive red color as she put her airpods back in. There wasn’t any going back on it now. She’d already agreed. Dougie was her manager, and she didn’t want to let him down. Maybe, she thought, starting her playlist back up, it would end up being fun. Maybe Nico wouldn’t glower at her too much, and the whole thing would go off without a hitch.

It’s Christmas, she thought, letting out a breath as she went to check her inbox. Miracles happen all the time.

⋆⁺₊⋆ ❄ ⁺₊⋆ ❄ ₊⁺ ⋆

4:30 found Priya sitting in the conference room, alternating between looking through the window of the door and her phone clock. Once or twice she considered messaging Dougie, just to ensure she hadn’t misheard him on the meeting time. To be fair, she was sure tech support was always busy, and something might have come up. With Nico, however…

It took another ten minutes for the door to finally open. Priya glanced up from the red party folder on the table, watching as Nico walked in. He barely even seemed to notice her, eyes glued to his phone screen as he typed something.

Seizing the opportunity to take a quick breath, Priya forced herself to smile in his direction. “Hey.” Nico didn’t respond even as he sat down in one of the free chairs, crossing one leg over the other. His eyes remained trained on his phone, seeming to be reading something before going back to typing. To her surprise, she thought she could almost see the hint of a smile on his face. 

Clearing her throat, Priya sat up in her chair, straightening her back. “So, um, looks like we’re working together, right?”

Nico was silent until he finished his typing, putting his phone face-up on the table. “Yes,” he responded, dark eyes seeming to study her — judge her, even. “Dougie gave you the folder.”

“Yeah. Yeah, um, he did.” She nodded, a tight smile returning to her face as she flipped it open. “I already called the venue owners, and we’re all set for the Friday night before Christmas. I didn’t want to do anything else before I asked you, but I did look up a few ideas, and I think-” Priya went to hand over some of the ideas she’d printed photos of, only to see Nico back on his phone, typing something. She frowned, voice trailing off into silence.

Nico finished typing, glancing up again. “You can keep talking. What ideas?” Priya took a breath, passing the papers across the table. “I looked up some holiday decorations, and I thought the Christmas tree made out of balloons was super cute. And then-”

“You can’t have a tree made out of balloons.”

Priya raised her eyebrows. “I’m sorry?”

“That’s silly. We could get a real tree for the same as it could cost for all of those balloons,” Nico rebutted, passing that page back across to her.

She frowned, looking back down at the photo. “I mean, maybe. But a lot of people are going to have trees at home, you know? And it’s easier to take down balloons than it is to get rid of a big tree. Plus, you’d get pine needles everywhere.”

Nico huffed out a sigh, shaking his head as he flipped through her other pages.

Priya felt her shoulders slump, softly biting down on her bottom lip. “Okay. Maybe it’s a little much for, like, just starting out.” She went back into the folder, taking out a blank sheet of notebook paper. “What about, like, a color scheme? Just so we have an idea in mind. I kind of like the traditional, like, red and green, but we could also try some sort of blue and white wintery colors. Or silver and gold, but that could look kind of dark in the ballroom, unless we got some lights. Oh, what about-”

She cut herself off as she looked up at Nico. Once again, his eyes were trained on his phone screen, as if she’d never said anything at all. Worst of all, there was a smile on his face, like the whole thing was amusing him.

Priya felt her mouth tighten into a line. Impulsively she snatched the papers from in front of him, quickly stuffing them into the folder.

“What are you doing?” 

She looked up, only to see Nico looking at her. He had the nerve to seem confused. 

“I’m going home,” she responded, gripping tightly to the folder as she stood, taking the long way around the table just so she didn’t have to step around him.

“You’re what?” Nico stood, following Priya as she left the room and began walking towards her desk. “Why? I was listening.”

“No, you weren’t!” she retorted sharply, finally turning around to face him. “I’m trying to get your opinions on this, because we’re supposed to be working together. Both of us. But instead you’re ignoring me, you just keep — texting your girlfriend, or whatever it is you’re doing.”

“I’m not texting my girlfriend,” Nico responded, his arms crossed across his chest.

“Then whoever it is! That’s not the point!” Priya groaned, running an exasperated hand through her hair. “The point is, I came here with ideas, and a checklist, and wanting to actually make this work. You show up late, which, fine, maybe you had something else to do, but then you turn down my ideas and you don’t even listen to me!”

“I told you, I was listening.”

“Were you? What was I just talking about, before I left?”

Nico opened his mouth, only for it to slowly shut. At the very least, he had the decency to look guilty over it.

“See? Exactly.” Priya sighed, beginning to walk backwards away from him. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll just… take care of everything.”

“But-”

“You won’t get in trouble. I’ll tell Dougie you had something come up.” She turned around, not wanting to hear any excuses he would somehow come up with. “It’s totally fine.”

“Priya...”

She didn’t turn back, walking back towards her desk, noting a lack of footsteps behind her. 

Well, she thought. Maybe Christmas miracles are in short supply this year.

⋆⁺₊⋆ ❄ ⁺₊⋆ ❄ ₊⁺ ⋆

The next afternoon found Priya bursting through the office doors, trying to speed-walk as fast as possible to her desk. Her class had gone on fifteen minutes longer than usual, meaning she’d had to book it to the office the moment her professor had finally dismissed them. It certainly didn’t help her bad mood. 

Not that she was in a bad mood. She was totally fine. Chipper, even. She definitely hadn’t spent yesterday evening on the phone to her best friend Jack, ranting about how immensely frustrating a certain coworker of theirs was in between mouthfuls of leftover pasta. And she surely hadn’t been awake until three in the morning, trying to brainstorm ideas on how to throw a company holiday party so unbelievably kick-ass that it made said coworker feel like a fool for not helping out. That was for someone who hadn’t put the entire situation behind them. Like Priya had.

Priya turned the corner, brushing some wayward hair out of her face, only to stop in her tracks. There, pacing in front of her desk, dark eyes trained on the floor, was Nico.

“What are you doing?” Priya asked before she could stop herself.

Nico’s head jerked up as he halted his pacing, as if he’d been so lost in thought he hadn’t sensed her approach. “Oh. Um. Priya. Hi.”

“Hi,” Priya responded, trying to keep her voice even. (Not that there was any reason for it not to be. Because she wasn’t frustrated. At least, Nico didn’t need to know that she was.) “Any reason why you’re burning a line into the carpet?”

“Why I’m… what?” Nico asked, brow furrowed.

Priya sighed, crossing her arms. “Why are you at my desk? Don’t you have, like, computers to fix or something?”

“No. I mean, yes, I do, but…” Nico huffed out a breath, squaring his shoulders. “I wanted to apologize.”

Priya blinked over at him, trying to process the other’s words. “You what?”

“For yesterday. What happened.”

Letting out another sigh, Priya shook her head slightly. “It’s fine. Don’t worry about it,” she muttered, moving past Nico to begin unpacking her bag.

“No, I-“

“If Dougie put you up to this, I’ll talk to him about it. I told him it wasn’t your fault.”

“Priya-”

“Listen, it’s totally fine,” Priya continued as she took out her lunch bag. “I’ll take care of everything. You don’t have to worry-”

“Can I just talk for a second?” Nico interjected. Priya’s eyes flickered up, only to be met with a look of desperation she didn’t think she’d ever seen on the other. Her mouth shut before she could say anything else. 

Nico let out a sigh, running a hand through his hair. “Sorry. I — Dougie didn’t talk to me. I came by myself.”

Priya’s eyebrows lifted slightly, but she kept silent. 

“It wasn’t right of me to ignore you like that,” Nico continued, his deep brown eyes soft as they met hers. “You came in with all of these ideas, and I just shot yours down. And then I ignored you while you were trying to help. It was rude. You deserve better than that. So. I’m sorry.”

Priya’s face softened as Nico spoke. She’d never heard the other sound so genuine. “Oh,” she murmured. “Th-thank you for apologizing. I appreciate it. It’s, um, it’s totally fine.”

“Thank you for being understanding,” he countered, the barest hint of a smile crossing his face. 

“No, I mean, I get it,” she let out a breath, taking a seat at her desk. “Some people just don’t, like, get into the season. Not everyone likes Christmas.”

“I like Christmas,” Nico spoke up quickly, hands slipping into his pockets. “It’s just…” He sighed. “It’s hard, sometimes. To get into the, what is it called? Holiday spirit?”

Priya hummed in confirmation, keeping her lips pressed together as she studied Nico’s face. “Do you genuinely want to help?”

“What’s that?” Nico questioned.

“Do you really want to help me out with the party? Like, you don’t just want to apologize and pretend nothing happened. You actually want to plan it together.”

Nico nodded, looking deadly serious, as if the task at hand was a thesis paper and not some office holiday gathering. “Yes. I actually do.”

Ignoring the strange twinge in her chest at his expression, Priya grabbed a sticky note and pen, scrawling down her phone number. “Do you work weekends?”

“No. Sometimes I have practice on Saturdays, but always early in the morning. Otherwise, I’m not busy.”

“Fantastic. Sunday then.” She scribbled down an address, handing over the sticky note. “Meet me there at 10?”

Nico studied the note, nodding firmly. “Okay. I’ll be there.” He smiled, holding out his pinky. “Promise.”

Priya stared at his offered hand for a moment before it clicked. She reached over, linking their pinky fingers together. 

Nico gave her one last smile before walking off, still studying the note as he disappeared around the corner.

“Huh,” Priya hummed, shrugging slightly as she went to set up her laptop. It wasn’t until a few minutes had gone by that she realized she was still smiling.

⋆⁺₊⋆ ❄ ⁺₊⋆ ❄ ₊⁺ ⋆

Sunday morning came faster than Priya had expected, and she soon found herself sitting by one of the large windows in Woodland Coffee. The cafe was decked out in holiday cheer - there were stockings hung over the cozy fireplace, paper snowflakes dangling from the ceiling, and soft piano covers of Christmas songs playing over the speakers. Still, Priya’s focus kept drifting back and forth between the front door and her phone, its clock reading 9:59. 

Maybe this was all a set up, Priya thought to herself, sighing quietly as she began to scroll Instagram. Maybe he thought it would be funny to get my hopes up again, and then —

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of rapidly approaching footsteps. She glanced up, only to see Nico rushing over to the table, cheeks pink from the cold.

“Hi,” he managed out, catching his breath as he unwound his scarf. “I hope you weren’t waiting too long. There was an accident on the main road, so I had to go around all these back streets, and I’m still not really used to the area —” 

“Hey,” Priya interrupted, holding up her hand. “It’s fine. It’s, like, 10:01. You’re not late.” 

Nico sighed in relief, smiling as he took off his hat, shaking out his hair. “This place is cute,” he commented, glancing around at all the decorations. “I don’t think I’ve been here before.”

“It’s my go-to,” Priya told him. “They’re a godsend around finals.”

“I’ll bet. What do you usually order?”

“Depends on the time of year. But their peppermint mocha is amazing.”

“Peppermint mocha, got it. Be right back.” Nico smiled, draping his jacket over the back of his chair before heading up to the counter. Priya found herself smiling back, pulling the red folder out of her bag.

Soon enough Nico returned, cautiously carrying two white mugs with red trim. “Here,” he nodded, lowering one of them in front of Priya’s seat. “Peppermint mocha, right?”

Priya’s eyes widened slightly. “I, um, yeah. You didn’t have to do that.”

“I know,” Nico shrugged, taking a seat across from her, a soft smile on his face. He took a small sip of his drink, humming to himself.

“Good?” she asked, smiling.

“Mm. Very good,” he nodded. He took another sip before he sat up straighter, going to root through his backpack. “So, um, I did look up a couple things…” Nico pulled out a manila folder, opening it on the table, only for a few dozen clippings to come spilling out. “Or, um, more than a few,” he admitted, cheeks slightly pink.

“Whoa,” Priya let out a laugh, though she met his eyes to make sure he knew it wasn’t a mocking one. “That’s… wow. This’ll be great to work off.”

Nico smiled back, gesturing towards her folder. “But I want to see yours too. I liked some of the pictures you had. The ones with the string lights over the windows?”

“Oh, uh…” Priya flipped through the pages quickly, taking out one to place on the table. “This one, you mean?”

“Yeah, that one,” Nico said. “But I was thinking, maybe we could make them white lights instead? It would look good with whatever colors we used.”

Priya looked over the photo, slowly nodding. “Yeah. I like that. Plus it’s sort of dark in there, from what I can tell, so it might be best to have the brightest ones possible.”

“Speaking of the room. I was looking over some of the photos, and I think…” Nico took out the page he was referring to, pointing to the picture. “We could put the tables downstairs, and maybe use the second floor for something else. I don’t know what, though.”

“I was thinking maybe a photo booth?” Priya suggested, her eyes suddenly lighting up. “Or, oh my god, what if we got one of the managers to dress up as Santa?”

Nico let out a laugh, dimples showing through as he threw his head back. “Yes. We have to,” he insisted, getting out a pen to scribble down the idea. “And we can get Dougie to be an elf, because he’s so tall.” 

Priya found herself laughing along with Nico. “I don’t know if there’s a pair of tights in the world that would fit him.”

“Oh, we’ll find some,” Nico grinned cheekily.

The hours flew by quickly after that. By the time the clock struck noon, the two had planned out the decorations, the entertainment, the food and drink, and everything they had to do in the next few weeks to get everything done. In truth, they probably could have wrapped up faster if they’d kept their focus entirely on the party. But Nico kept interjecting with jokes and questions about her, and, well, Priya would be rude if she didn’t respond in kind.

“So I know you like to read and listen to music,” Nico hummed with a smile, drinking from his third mocha of the day. “Do you like any sports?”

“Oh, yeah,” Priya nodded. “Baseball, football and hockey.”

“I love hockey,” Nico grinned. 

“Really?” she smiled, taking a sip of her own drink. “Do you play or just watch?”

“Oh, no, I play for my college. I used to play football too.”

“You did? You don’t seem the type,” Priya commented.

“Why — oh, you mean American football. No, um, soccer. They call it football in Switzerland.”

Priya raised her eyebrows. “I never knew you were from Switzerland.”

Nico laughed. “The accent didn’t give it away?” 

“I’m not sure I’ve ever heard a Swiss accent before yours,” Priya countered with a smile. 

“That’s fair,” he chuckled, leaning back in his seat. “But yes. Born and raised.” 

Nico’s face seemed to grow almost forlorn as he spoke, eyes growing distant. Priya’s brow furrowed.

“Do you-”

“So-”

The two of them laughed, Nico shaking his head.

“You go.”

“No, you go,” Priya prompted, taking another sip of her mocha.

“Just… you said that you like to read,” Nico murmured, fidgeting with a stray pen. “If I was… looking for a book, to get for someone. What would you think?”

Priya thought the question over, putting a hand under her chin. “That’s a hard one. It depends on what they’re interested in. Nonfiction, or the classics, or mysteries.”

“What about you?” Nico asked, draining the last of his coffee cup.

“I mean, I’ve always loved Jane Austen,” Priya told him. “Something about her writing just makes me feel… hopeful, I guess. Like love like that can really exist.” She blushed, setting down her cup. “I bet that sounds silly.”

Nico made a noise of disagreement, his dark eyes studying her. “I don’t think it does,” he told her. “I think it’s nice. To think that way.”

Priya smiled shyly, taking a final sip from her mug. “Thanks.”

“Of course,” Nico smiled back, glancing down at his phone to check the time. “Oh, wow, it’s the middle of the afternoon. I should get going. But, um —” He stood, pulling on his coat. “You work all day on Tuesday, right?”

“No, Wednesdays and Fridays,” Priya offered, going to pack up her own belongings. 

“Okay, Wednesday then. On our lunch break. We can go out and grab some supplies?” Nico offered, putting away his folder. “Ask Dougie if we can steal a company credit card?”

Priya snickered, shaking her head. “I doubt that’ll happen. But, yeah, that sounds fun.” She was surprised at how much she genuinely meant it.

“Great.” Nico tore off a scrap of paper, writing something down and handing it over to Priya. “I’ll come by your desk at noon. Promise,” Nico smiled. He held out his pinky finger. This time, Priya knew to hook it with her own. 

“See you then!” Nico called as he left. He stopped right outside, then turned around, waving through the glass doors with a goofy grin.

Priya let out a laugh, waving back at him. As he walked off, she glanced down at the paper, finding a phone number with a smiley face drawn next to it. Though she didn’t know it, her own smile grew to match it.

⋆⁺₊⋆ ❄ ⁺₊⋆ ❄ ₊⁺ ⋆

“What’s the difference between these?” Nico called, his brow furrowed in confusion.

Priya glanced up from her checklist, rolling the shopping cart over to where Nico was standing. Thankfully the aisles weren’t too full, given it was noon on a weekday. “Between what?”

“These,” he repeated, showing her two boxes of string lights. “They look the same.”

Priya studied the packaging, pointing to the one in Nico’s left hand. “I think this one is more of a warm white, like, tan almost. This one is cooler, almost blue.”

Nico looked between both packages, frowning as he did so. “I still don’t see a difference,” he admitted.

Priya giggled, taking a few boxes of the cooler lights and putting them into the cart, checking off the box on her list. “Okay, so that’s all set… I think all we need is the candy for the dessert table and we’ll be good to go.”

She’d come up with the idea when Jack had approached her, asking if he could bring something to represent Hanukkah to the holiday party. “I’m a horrible cook, but I’ve made jelly donuts a couple times and haven’t burned down the whole kitchen,” Jack had told her with a laugh. Something had clicked, and she’d quickly fired off a message to Nico, asking what he thought. Thankfully, he loved it.

Thus far, they’d had five sign-ups to bring homemade desserts — mini pies, gingerbread bars, peppermint bark fudge, snickerdoodles and Jack’s jelly donuts. Priya had already bought the ingredients for chocolate chip cookies, though she wasn’t sure if eight dozen was too few.

She snapped out of her worries when she suddenly recognized Nico humming along to the store radio, making her laugh. “You like Mariah Carey?”

“Hmm? Oh,” Nico laughed sheepishly as they strolled through the store. “Yeah. I’m not a huge fan of Christmas music, but… I like this song. I like that it’s more about wishing for someone rather than something.”

“That’s sweet,” Priya smiled at him, heart fluttering slightly (though she couldn’t quite place why).

She thought over Nico’s words as they walked down the crafts aisle, glancing around at the crayons and construction paper. Suddenly she gasped, stopping in her tracks.

“What?” Nico asked, turning around with a worried expression.

“I just had an idea,” she rushed out, going to grab a pile of forest green construction paper. “What if we made a wishing tree? Like, we made a tree out of construction paper and hung it up on the wall, and we made little paper ornaments. And people could come over and write their holiday wishes on them, and hang them up on the tree?”

Nico froze for a moment, letting out a soft laugh. “You just came up with that?”

“Yeah,” Priya nodded, shoulders lowering as she looked over at him. “I — is it -”

“It’s brilliant,” Nico reassured her, eyes sparkling. “Beyond brilliant. I’m just — I’m surprised you came up with that so fast. But, yes. Definitely. We should.” He went to grab red and white construction paper, along with some colorful markers. “You’re really good at this.”

Priya blushed, shrugging slightly. “I mean, you gave me the idea.”

“I think Mariah Carey came up with it to begin with,” Nico joked, putting their supplies into the cart. “We should send her a thank-you gift.”

Priya laughed, walking alongside Nico as he took over cart-pushing duties. “Speaking of gifts, have you bought all of yours yet? I’m still trying to figure out what to get my parents.”

Nico didn’t reply. Priya looked over, only to see his jaw tightened, the same forlorn expression on his face from when they’d talked about his home at the coffee shop.

“Oh, does — does your family not do gifts?”

“No, they… they do,” Nico told her, voice low. “Just… they’re all back home. My family, I mean. They’re all in Switzerland. So it would… it would take a while for any gifts to get to them.”

“Oh.” Priya stuffed her hands into her jacket pockets. “Well, I mean, you can give them the next time you visit, right? A late gift is still a gift.”

“I don’t know when that will be,” Nico admitted. “Plane tickets are expensive. And there’s still work, and school… it’s hard to find time to talk to anyone back home, let alone go and see them.”

“Yeah,” Priya nodded, biting her inner lip. It makes sense why he wasn’t into planning this, she thought, with everyone far away. “So, um… when you are home, for Christmas. What’s it like? In Switzerland? Is it much different from here?”

“I’ve only celebrated Christmas here once, and it was just with a few friends from the team,” Nico told her with a slight shrug. “But at home, we don’t set up the tree early like you guys do sometimes. The parents decorate it the night before Christmas Eve, and in the morning you come downstairs and see it. They used to tell us the elves did it.” He let out a laugh. “And then we usually have ham and raclette. Like, melty cheese, with potatoes. And my mom will make spitzbuben.”

“Spitzbuben,” she repeated with a slight laugh. “I like that word.”

“It’s like, um… jam cookies,” Nico told her after a moment’s thought. “They’re always so good.”

Priya’s face lit up as she nudged Nico’s arm. “You should make them for the party!”

“Me?” Nico asked, eyes widening. “Oh, no, I — I’m terrible at making food.”

“I can help you out,” she told him. “Ask your mom for the recipe. You can come over when I’m making the chocolate chip ones. Tackle them together.”

Nico’s smile slowly grew as he nodded. “Okay. If you’re sure.”

“I’m sure,” Priya smiled back, her chest hit with that same strange feeling as earlier. Shaking her head slightly to reset herself, she cleared her throat. “So, when do you give the gifts?”

“Oh, um, not… not on actual Christmas,” Nico told her, running a hand through his hair as they approached the food section. “Samichlaus — that’s what we call Santa. He comes on the 6th of December.”

“Really?” Priya asked. She was about to turn down the candy aisle when a realization hit her, making her stop in her tracks.

“Priya?” Nico asked, voice suddenly filled with concern. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” she answered after a moment. “Yeah, I… I’m really sorry.”

“Why are you sorry?” Nico questioned, hands in his jean pockets. “You didn’t do anything wrong.”

“No, I…” she sighed. “December 6th. That was the day we met, right? I mean… when we had our first meeting. About the party.”

Nico nodded slightly, face still reading confusion.

“You — I was so mad because you weren’t paying attention to me,” Priya sighed, guilt pooling in her stomach. “But you… you were probably texting your family, right?”

Nico was silent as she spoke, slowly nodding again. “Yeah. Yeah, my… my family was sending me messages. And some of my friends from back home.”

“God, Nico,” Priya whispered, letting out a sigh. “You could have said something. I would have understood.”

“I thought it was silly,” Nico confessed after a moment. “To be sad about missing something so… childish.”

“It’s not silly if it means something to you,” Priya told him, placing a hand on his upper arm. “I should have asked.”

Nico nodded slightly, meeting her eyes. “I should have said something. Or at least, not been so much of a jerk to you.”

“You weren’t a jerk-”

“No, I was. I didn’t — I took my feelings out on you. I didn’t want to even think about Christmas, and you had all these great ideas, and you were so happy about it… it wasn’t right of me to act how I did. I’m sorry.”

“I’m sorry too,” Priya sighed, slowly lowering her arm to wrap around her waist. 

“You don’t have to be,” Nico told her, this time raising his hand to pat her shoulder. “It’s okay. You’ve done so much. And your ideas are incredible.”

Priya let out a shy laugh. “I try.”

“I’m glad you do,” Nico smiled, patting her shoulder once more before turning back to the cart. “Come on. We can get some candy for the drive home too.”

Priya smiled back. “Well, I mean, if you insist.”

“I do,” Nico grinned, the two of them making their way down the aisle.

⋆⁺₊⋆ ❄ ⁺₊⋆ ❄ ₊⁺ ⋆

Priya tightened her jacket around herself, shivering as she stepped out of the grocery store into the blustery air. When she’d gone shopping for supplies for her and Nico’s baking session, she’d thought a dozen eggs would be enough for the chocolate chip and Swiss Jam cookies. What she hadn’t counted on was burning the first batch of chocolate chip, then struggling with separating the yolk from the white for the spitzbuben, then Nico tripping and dropping two of the eggs onto the kitchen floor.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to get them?” Nico had asked, trying to mop up the splattered mess. “I feel bad sending you out into the cold.”

“It’s fine. There’s a store, like, two blocks from here. It won’t take me long,” Priya promised him, giggling internally at the kicked-puppy look of guilt he wore. “Just make sure the ones in the oven now don’t get burnt.” 

Now that Priya was thinking it over, it probably wasn’t the smartest idea to leave someone she’d only known for a few weeks alone in her apartment.  Particularly not someone who, before they’d started planning together, she’d been sure held some sort of personal vendetta against her. But things had changed. Nico was still quiet at times, but always in a way she could tell was considerate of the world around him. His eyes held the same intensity, but it no longer scared her away. There were still those instances of strange fluttering in her chest from time to time, but Priya refused to focus on those. Not while there was still so much to do before the party.

As Priya pressed the call button to cross the street, she suddenly noticed a collection of bright lights to her left. A row of booths had been set up along the sidewalk in a miniature Christmas market, with a dozen or so shoppers meandering between the string-lit tents. She could see some children stepping away from one with paper cups of hot chocolate and cider.

Priya glanced down at her phone to check the time, shrugging slightly. Though she’d gotten almost all her holiday shopping done, it couldn’t hurt to poke around. Besides, if nothing else, maybe she could bring Nico back some hot drinks to share.

She ducked her head entering the first tent, seeing it filled with fuzzy scarves and gloves. Reaching her free hand up to stroke the fabrics, mindful of her grocery bag, she walked further in, seeing a collection of multicolored, handknit beanies. They reminded her of Nico, she thought with a slight laugh. He’d worn the same black winter hat every time she’d seen him the past month. 

Maybe he could use a new one, she thought. Would he like the red, or — 

Priya paused in surprise at herself, pulling her hand back from the display. She hadn’t been planning on buying Nico a gift. They weren’t close like that — or were they now? They’d spent almost every day together since their shopping trip, sitting at the same lunch table and working on crafting the wish tree display. But that was just because of the party, wasn’t it? Once it had passed, they wouldn’t be attached to each other like they were now. Then again, more often than not their conversations had drifted away from planning, to music and sports and funny stories from each others’ pasts. She didn’t want that part to end. She — she liked Nico.

Biting her lip, head still spinning from the revelation, Priya turned away from the hat display, instead studying a glass display table of different jewelry. Her eyes scanned over the different earrings and bracelets, only to stop once they caught sight of a necklace. Hanging from black cord was a small gold-colored coin, two intertwining flowers etched into the metal.

“You like it?” 

Priya’s head jerked up, only to meet a smiling older woman in a purple headscarf. “It’s edelweiss.”

“Edelweiss?” Priya repeated, eyes returning to the necklace. 

“Yes. A flower that grows in the Alps,” the woman told her. “Very popular in those countries. Austria, Romania, Switzerland.”

Priya’s heart jolted in her chest, studying the coin, the way the flowers’ stems wrapped around one another.

“How — how much?”

A few minutes later, Priya carefully opened the front door of her apartment, two large cups of hot chocolate in hand.

“There you are,” Nico sighed, relief clear on his face as he made his way to the front door. “I was about to call you. Did you get caught up in something?”

“Just thought I’d stop for these,” Priya shrugged, handing over one of the cups to him. 

“Oh, wow. Thanks,” Nico smiled at her, his dimples clear as he took the grocery bag as well. “You’re the best.”

Priya let out a shy laugh. She glanced up towards Nico, watching as he walked back into the kitchen and ran a hand through his dark hair. He really is handsome, she thought. And sweet. And passionate. And —

“Priya?” Nico called, making her snap out of her thoughts. “You okay?”

“Yep! Yeah, sorry. Give me one second,” she smiled over at him. She turned to hang up her coat by the door, taking just a moment to reach into her pocket, running her fingers over the small crimson gift box. 

Not tonight, she thought. But soon. Probably. Maybe.

Taking a deep breath, Priya turned back towards Nico, smiling wide. “Okay. Let’s do this.”

⋆⁺₊⋆ ❄ ⁺₊⋆ ❄ ₊⁺ ⋆

The date of the Christmas party finally arrived. Priya had spent most of the day setting up the ballroom with Nico, securing the decorations and making sure the caterers had everything they needed. A few times she’d glanced over at Nico, a confession she wasn’t sure how to phrase on the top of her tongue, but she’d always swallowed it back. If she was going to completely embarrass herself in front of a cute boy, she was going to do it right. 

After a well-deserved nap, Priya had gotten to work preparing herself for the party. Instead of her usual uniform of sweatpants and a hoodie, she’d decided on one of her nicest outfits: a knee-length, deep green sparkly dress with long sleeves, paired with silver flats. She’d done her hair in a low bun, securing it with a velvet green bow, romantic tresses framing her face. She kept her makeup basic, but made sure to use her favorite red lipstick, double checking to make sure none had gotten on her teeth.

Priya did a spin in front of her bedroom mirror, smiling at herself. It wasn’t too often she got a chance to dress up — a fact she was largely grateful for — but it was still fun when the moment came.

Grabbing her handbag, her eyes drifted over to the burgundy jewelry box, still sitting atop her dresser. Was it even a good idea to give it? Would it be overstepping? What if he thought it was cheesy? What if it made him miss home even more? What if —

A knock on the door made Priya’s head jolt up, brow furrowed. She hadn’t been expecting anyone. Before she could think better of it, she grabbed the box, shoving it into her bag.

“Coming!” she called, making her way down the hallway to open the front door.

Standing there, in a deep red shirt and black tie, was Nico. “Hi,” he managed out, his voice sounding shyer than Priya could ever remember it. 

“Hi,” Priya responded, her voice soft to match his.

Nico looked Priya up and down, his cheeks pale pink. “You, um… you look beautiful.”

Priya’s own cheeks flushed. “Thank you,” she smiled shyly. “You look nice too. Very handsome.”

“Thanks.” Nico bit his lip, moving his hands from behind his back, handing out a bouquet of white and red flowers. “I… these are for you.”

Priya felt her heart leap as she took the bouquet, inhaling the sweet aroma. “Garden roses,” she whispered, meeting his eyes. “I love them. How did you know?”

“I, um, I might’ve asked Jack,” Nico admitted, scratching the back of his neck sheepishly. “Just… you’ve been so great with everything, and… I wanted to thank you.”

Priya smiled, stepping forward to pull Nico into a hug. She could feel him tense in surprise for a moment, only to wrap his arms around her waist, chin resting on her shoulder. He smelled like warmth, and cinnamon, and the slightest bit of pine. She could already imagine herself getting addicted.

“Thank you,” Priya murmured into his shirt, closing her eyes for a moment. “You’re… you’re wonderful. Really.”

“I try,” Nico let out a soft laugh.

After a few seconds too long, Priya forced herself to pull away, shyly laughing. “I’ll, um, I’ll go put these in water.”

“Yeah,” Nico nodded, clearing his throat. “Yeah, no worries.”

Priya had gotten only a few steps away when a thought hit her, making her turn to face him. “What are you doing here, anyway? I thought you’d be at the party.”

“I am. I mean, I’m going. I just thought, maybe I could drive you. If you don’t have other plans.”

Priya smiled softly. “Yeah. Yeah, no, I’d love that.” She put the flowers onto the kitchen counter, making her way back to the doorway. “Jack said he’d drive me home, but I’ll just tell him to meet me there.”

“You sure?” Nico raised his eyebrows worriedly. “You don’t have to. I mean — I should have asked you first —”

“Nico. It’s fine,” Priya reassured him. “I want to go with you.”

Nico’s smile practically lit up her insides as he nodded. “Okay. If you’re sure.” He offered his arm, putting on a slightly goofy formal voice. “Shall we, my lady?”

“We shall, good sir,” she giggled, taking his arm as they made their way outside.

⋆⁺₊⋆ ❄ ⁺₊⋆ ❄ ₊⁺ ⋆

Even though she’d spent most of the day setting up for the party, Priya still found herself unprepared by how beautiful the ballroom had ended up. From her spot on the second floor balcony, she could watch the string lights glow, illuminating the smiling faces of the people below. She spied one of the tech heads, Miles, dressed up in a full Santa suit, taking photos with the marketing team. The playlist she and Nico had crafted was playing softly through the speakers, adding a pleasant hum to the whole scene. Somehow, everything had worked out.

Priya gazed over the crowd, only for her eyes to stop on a familiar face. Nico smiled at her from his place near the dessert table, motioning her down. She grinned back, nodding quickly as she made her way downstairs, carefully maneuvering around the guests.

“Hey,” she smiled, nudging Nico with her elbow. 

“Hey.” Nico let out a soft sigh, glancing around at the crowd. “We pulled it off.”

“I know,” Priya sighed with him. “Is it weird to say I’m proud of us?”

Nico glanced over, shaking his head slightly. “I don’t think it’s weird. Not at all.”

Priya’s eyes softened as she nudged him again. “Then I am. I’m proud of us. And you.”

“Me?” Nico laughed in disbelief.

“Yeah, you. I know it wasn’t the easiest thing for you, but… you really stepped up. I couldn’t have done any of this without you.”

“Well, I couldn’t have even gotten started without you,” Nico pointed out. “So. I’m proud of you, too.”

Their eyes met, the rest of the world seeming a distant blur.

“Nico-”

“Hey-”

They both laughed.

“You first,” Nico gestured towards her.

“No, no, it’s fine. You go,” she nodded.

“Just, I have to head out pretty soon,” Nico admitted, scratching the back of his head. 

Priya frowned slightly. “Oh. Do you want me to come with you?”

“No, no, stay and have fun. You’ve earned it,” Nico assured her, patting her shoulder. “I just wanted to let you know. Jack said he could drive you back, right? So you won’t be walking in the cold?”

“Yeah,” Priya nodded after a moment. “Yeah, no, I’ll just have to go find him.”

“Okay.” Nico smiled. A few seconds of silence passed between them. Priya bit her cheek, feeling her heart begin to pound in her chest.

Without warning, Nico stepped forward, pulling her into a tight hug. Priya closed her eyes, wrapping her arms around him, letting out a deep sigh. 

Eventually they pulled apart, Nico’s smile seeming to have a tinge of melancholy to it. “See you around,” he nodded.

“I — yeah. See you around,” she forced out, managing a smile. Priya let herself watch for just a moment as Nico made his way through the crowd. Then, straightening her shoulders, she turned around, beginning to search the room for Jack.

She found him not too far away, chatting with Dougie. “Hey, Prius!” Jack grinned, pulling her into a hug. “Did you have one of the donuts yet?”

“Not yet,” Priya admitted, laughing as she pulled apart. “But soon.”

“Amazing job with the party, Priya,” Dougie nodded.

Priya shrugged modestly. “It would’ve been better if we could have found you an elf costume that fit.”

“Wasn’t meant to be,” Dougie laughed, Jack chuckling along with him. “You know, I have to say, I wasn’t sure at first when Nico came to me asking to work with you. But you guys really came together.”

Priya’s eyes widened slightly. “He what?”

“Didn’t he tell you?” Dougie’s brow furrowed. “He came to me begging for me to put you on party planning with him. I knew you could handle it, but I always thought you two didn’t get along.”

“We didn’t,” Priya managed out, voice hitching. “Can you, um… will you excuse me a sec?”

Without waiting for an answer, Priya walked away, her head spinning. This whole time, she’d thought that she and Nico had been thrown together by some twist of fate, or that Dougie had wanted to minimize the tension between them. Nico had really asked for her? Why?

Priya was drawn out of her thoughts just enough to stare at the wishing tree she and Nico had assembled. It wasn’t too full yet, with only a few red and white baubles attached to the construction paper tree. Almost instantly, though, her eyes were drawn towards one particular ornament, with handwriting that felt all too familiar.

I wish I could tell her how I really feel.

Her heart stopped in her chest. Everything seemed to stop; the world became a blur. Before another thought crossed her mind, Priya found herself rushing out of the ballroom, hurrying as fast as she could towards the parking lot. Thankfully, there was still a figure standing outside of his car, wearing a familiar black winter hat.

“Nico!” Priya cried, running towards him. “Nico, wait!”

Nico turned around, brows drawn tightly together as he noticed her. “Priya? What are you doing out here? Can Jack not-”

“Be… be quiet for a second,” Priya told him, catching her breath as she finally approached the car.

“Priya, I don’t -”

“What did your wish mean?”

Nico’s brow furrowed further. “What wish?”

“The one you wrote on the tree,” Priya clarified, crossing her arms. “You said… you said you wish you could tell someone how you really feel. What does that mean?”

Nico’s eyes widened, a guilty expression taking over his face. “That — I — I didn’t think you would know that was mine.”

“I know your handwriting by now,” Priya pointed out. 

There was a beat of silence before she sighed.

“I don’t — I don’t get it. You hate me. Or you — you did hate me. Why-”

“I never hated you,” Nico murmured.

“Then why did you always stare me down? Why wouldn’t you just talk to me?”

He let out a soft sigh, staring down at the pavement. “I was scared,” he confessed. “You were so… so beautiful, and smart. And you just… you lit up the room every time you walked in. And I was just this… this boy who barely spoke English, and I was so afraid of saying the wrong thing.”

Priya’s face softened, her arms drifting down to her side. “Is that why you asked Dougie to work with me?”

Nico winced for a moment at having been found out, but slowly nodded. “I thought… it would be an excuse to get to know you better. And to spend more time with you. And I messed it up, because I was too in my own head. But you gave me a second chance, and…” He let out a sigh, running a hand through his hair as he glanced up to meet her eyes, his own dark and anxiety-filled. “I know it… it sounds foolish. But I thought…”

“Nico,” Priya whispered, stepping forward. Biting her lip, she quickly rustled through her bag, handing over the jewelry box.

Nico’s brow furrowed. “What… what is this?”

“It’s for you. For Christmas.”

Nico slowly removed the lid, carefully removing the necklace. “Edelweiss,” he whispered in awe, turning to look at her.

“I got it a few days ago,” Priya confessed, her cheeks pink. “I just… I thought of you. And I thought of… how sweet you are, and how supportive you’ve been, and how easy it is for you to make me laugh. And I-”

“Priya.”

Nico stepped forward, slowly closing the gap between them. Priya’s heart raced as he reached his hand up to cup her cheek. “Priya,” he repeated softly, before leaning in, closing the gap between their lips.

Priya felt her chest burst open, moving to wrap her arms around his neck. She’d never imagined a kiss in a freezing cold parking lot could feel so perfect.

Nico was smiling when he finally pulled away, his eyes sparkling. “Wow,” he let out a short laugh.

“Wow,” Priya repeated, a giggle rising in her throat. 

Nico leaned in once again, only to be interrupted by his phone vibrating in his pocket. “Damnit,” he cursed, quickly pulling it out. “That’ll be Jonas.”

“Jonas?” she asked, hands still on his shoulders. 

“My friend from Switzerland,” he told her. “I… after we talked about it, I went online and got a flight home. I’m leaving tonight.”

“Oh,” Priya gasped, her eyes wide. She pulled her hands away, shoving at him gently. “Oh my god, then, go, go! Don’t miss your flight!”

“Wait, wait,” Nico laughed, grabbing at her hands to hold them. “I have something for you first.”

“What?” Priya asked, a wide smile still on her face. 

“One second.” Nico quickly turned around, opening the back door of his car, pulling out a box wrapped in royal blue paper. “For you,” he offered with a smile.

“Nico,” Priya grinned. “You didn’t have to get me anything.” 

“I wanted to,” Nico countered. “Besides, you got me something.”

“But that was just something small, and you already got me flowers-”

“You’re going to make me miss my flight,” Nico teased, smirking.

Sighing, Priya carefully removed the paper, only to let out a gasp. “Is this… you got me the entire Jane Austen collection?”

“I noticed you didn’t have any on your shelves at your apartment,” he shrugged sheepishly. “And I… I got a set for myself too. Not as nice as those, but I thought… Maybe we could read them together. See what gives you, what was it… hope? For love?”

Priya’s heart fluttered as she placed the books on the hood of Nico’s car, throwing her arms around him again. “I love them. Thank you so much,” she whispered.

“Of course. And thank you. For everything,” Nico whispered back, turning his face so he could kiss her cheek.

The sound of a phone buzzing made them both groan, though they giggled as they pulled apart. 

“I really should get going,” Nico sighed, handing Priya back her book collection. “I fly back on the 2nd of January. Can we — can we talk then, maybe?”

“Yeah. Yeah, of course,” Priya smiled. “And I have your phone number, so I can FaceTime you. If you want.”

“I’ll always want to see you,” Nico admitted, smiling shyly.

Priya pulled Nico into another kiss, her hand venturing up to stroke a thumb over his cheek. “January 2nd,” she whispered as she pulled apart.

“January 2nd,” he nodded, holding out his pinky finger. She quickly looped hers with his, cheeks flushing red as he leaned down to kiss her knuckles.

“I’ll see you then,” Nico smiled. “Merry Christmas, Priya.”

“Merry Christmas, Nico.”

One more hug, one more kiss, and then he was off, car disappearing into the night.

Priya watched him go, feeling warmer than she’d ever felt. Quickly she took out her phone, moving towards her calendar app. Eleven days, she thought. I can make it that long. 

Slipping her phone back into her bag, Priya let out a blissful sigh. She glanced down at the books in her hand, stroking a finger over the spines, before she began to make her way back towards the ballroom.

I guess I was right, she thought with a smile. Miracles really do happen all the time.

#the winter fic exchange 2k23 #nhl imagine #nhl fic #nhl fanfiction #nhl writing #nico hischier fic #my writing #hockey fic #hockey fanfiction

[cuentos-del-encanto]

Episode One: Threads

[microphone feedback]

[static]

MIRABEL: Is this thing on? How... how do you— oh. (a beat) Ohh...

[more static]

[dramatic clearing of throat]

MIRABEL: Have you ever looked at the world around you? I mean really looked at it? Everything is connected in some shape or form, with the threads of fate winding together to form complicated braids and tapestries of people's lives.

From where I'm sitting— the roof of the local tailor shop, if you're curious— I can see the threads that bind everyone together shining brightly against the dark streets. Above me, golden threads knit closely together represent the shield that was woven from a selfless sacrifice that protects us to this day. (a pause, then sheepishly) But I'm getting ahead of myself.

[soothing intro instrumental music begins to play]

MIRABEL: I welcome you, lost wanderer, to my lovely little radio show. I am your host, Mirabel Madrigal, and I do hope that you will stay put, at least for a moment. Rest your feet, dust off your clothes, and take a seat by the metaphorical campfire with me. Close your eyes and have a listen to Los Cuentos de la Selva Encantada.

[the music intensifies, transforming into something sweeping and majestic. in the background, leaves rustle in the trees and birds chirp loudly. a river can be faintly heard running in the background. slowly, the noises fade out into static]

MIRABEL: Our story begins inside the very shop I'm currently broadcasting on the roof of. It is a quaint little place, charmingly decorated and well versed in customer foot traffic with the store on the bottom and a small apartment sandwiched at the top, large enough for at least two people to live comfortably or one person to live in luxury if their financial situation afforded them so, but I digress.

[brief, jarring static, reminiscent of an abrupt scene change]

[the same soothing music begins to play softly. it sounds like an early morning sunrise, the calm moments before the bustle of the workday hits in full force and existing is all you need to do at the moment]

MIRABEL: Agustín woke with the sun, provided the sun was actually out and shining. Even if it wasn't, he would still wake at the exact same time because his alarm was set to go off at 6 am on the dot— rain or shine.

Some days, he could convince himself that another five minutes of sleep wouldn't hurt and he could trip his way through his morning routine with time to spare.

However, today was not the day he would succumb to the siren-like lure of 'five more minutes'— he had far too much to do.

With a groan and a stretch, he rose to his feet, grasping blindly for his glasses. His hands grasped the thin, wire frames and he succeeded in poking himself in the eye.

[the music abruptly stops]

[faint crashing is heard]

AGUSTÍN: ¡Miércoles! Pedaso de mier—

MIRABEL (faintly amused): Although he woke with the sun, Agustín was by no means a morning person.

He successfully placed his glasses on after two more tries— third times the charm after all— and carefully made his way to the bathroom.

[music starts up again, cheerfully whimsical and dorky, perfectly suiting Agustín's personality]

MIRABEL: The rest of his morning routine came with little mishap— he only managed to knick himself three times with his razor, instead of the usual five, so he counted the morning as an overwhelming win.

Some people thought Agustín was insane because he got up so early, usually with a smile on his face, but Agustín didn't mind.

There was something magical about getting ready as the sun slowly crested over the horizon. Something special about watching the tail end of the sunrise with a freshly brewed cafecito cupped between his palms.

It did not hurt that across the road from him the apothecary was already opening and the owner could be seen bustling around, rearranging plants and herbs with a gentle smile on her face.

[the music becomes slow, romantic, and wistful. the rustling of herbs and leaves clinking of pots can be faintly heard along with gentle humming.]

MIRABEL (with emphasis): Julieta.

Augstín sighed and propped his chin on his right hand, watching as she flitted from plant to plant. He forgot that he was currently cradling a steaming hot cup of café and only the pain searing through his left thumb and down the back of his hand and wrist alerted him to that fact.

Agustín (frantic and hushed): Ouch, ouch, ouch—

MIRABEL: A man in love, he was.

[the sounds of running water and muttered swears fill the air, blending with the music]

MIRABEL: Agustín swore to himself, as he cleaned up the spilled liquid, that one day he would work up the courage to ask her to dinner.

He went about his day, opening the blinds of his shop, unlocking the door, and greeting the early birds already going about their errands with a cheerful—

AGUSTÍN (with enthusiasm): ¡Hola, hola! ¿Cómo estás?

MIRABEL: The early birds responded in kind and went on their way. Agustín watched them go with a smile before glancing up at the brightening sky. The sun was almost fully up.

He managed one successful wave at Julieta, who happened to look up at the right moment before promptly tripping over his feet and faceplanting onto the wooden floor.

He grunted in pain and clutched his nose. Quick footsteps filled his ears and he shoved himself to his knees as his vision blurred with reflex tears. A familiar teal dress, its pockets bulging with herbs and salves, appeared in the corner of his vision and a musical, familiar voice entered his ears.

[the same slow, romantic music begins to play]

JULIETA (exasperated and amused): Ay, Agustín.

MIRABEL: Hands, strong and callused from endless work perfecting her delicious concoctions and meals, helped him into a sitting position.

JULIETA: We're going to need to wrap you in pillows if you keep up like this.

MIRABEL: Agustín tried to reply but found his mouth full of the cheesy texture of a freshly made arepa.

His nose snapped back into place and the only visible signs of his mishap were the droplets of blood on his shirt and the tears clinging to his lashes.

AGUSTÍN (breathlessly): Gracias, Señora. How can I repay you?

MIRABEL: Julieta smiled in reply and held out her hands to him. Gingerly, Agustín took them and, with a sharp tug courtesy of the healer, practically flew to his feet.

JULIETA (still amused but also slightly breathless): I... ah...

MIRABEL: Agustín looked down and noticed the sleeve of her dress was torn. A singular, surgically straight line from wrist to elbow, exposing the smooth, tan skin underneath.

AGUSTÍN (softly): ¿Que pasó?

JULIETA (sheepishly): My knife slipped and caught my sleeve. Comes with the territory, I guess.

AGUSTÍN: I can mend that for you, if you'd like.

JULIETA: Oh— no, I couldn't impose—

AGUSTÍN: It's no imposition at all. It's an easy fix and the least I can do after you fixed me up.

JULIETA: It was my pleasure. (a pause) I'd hate to see your handsome face remain injured when I can help it.

MIRABEL (in slight disgust): Agustín's heart soared at the healer's admission and he lead her over to one of the spare stools. Julieta sat primly, ankles crossed and cheeks faintly red. Agustín retrieved his travel sewing kit from under the desk and set it on the counter.

Carefully, he examined the threads available and picked the white thread, reasoning with himself that he could blend it in with the embroidered designs on her collar and cuffs.

Agustín expertly threaded the needle and extended a hand and Julieta took it. Their hands fit together perfectly and Agustín bent slightly over her arm, pushing his glasses firmly up his nose, and began to sew.

JULIETA: From what I've seen from you, I wouldn't think you'd be this graceful with a needle and thread.

AGUSTÍN (smiling): All my grace and coordination were poured into this one skill and left me nothing for everyday life.

MIRABEL: Julieta's laugh rang in his ear like an ever playing melody and Agustín knew that he wanted to hear that sound for the rest of his life. At that moment, the courage which usually rested in the far recesses of his chest rushed forward and the question sprang from his lips, unbidden.

AGUSTÍN: Would you, perhaps, like to get dinner with me someday?

[the music grows tense with anticipation, almost as if it is holding its breath along with Agustín]

JULIETA (after a pause): I'd like that very much.

[the music grows triumphant, drowning out the rest of the conversation as it grows louder and louder]

[the music fades out to static]

MIRABEL: Threads, my dear wanderers, hold the world together. They bring warmth and protection. They bind people together, whether willing or unwilling, and act as a lead to an escape when trapped in an impossible maze. They are valuable and underappreciated, the silent, ever-present workers that hold this crazy, destructive, beautiful tapestry of a world together— for better or for worse.

[soothing outro instrumental music begins to play]

MIRABEL: I hope you enjoyed this episode of Los Cuentos de la Selva Encantada and that you find yourself sufficiently rested and warmed by our metaphorical campfire.

As for me? This roof is getting a little uncomfortable and the sun is beginning to peek over the horizon. I'd better leave if I want to remain uncaught.

I hope to see you again, dear wanderer, for I have many more cuentos to share with you.

[outro music fades into static]

[faint laughter can be heard in the background]

[the broadcast abruptly cuts out]

#encanto fanfic #mirabel madrigal #ay agustin #agustin madrigal #julieta madrigal #supernatural pocast au #cuentos del encanto #julieta x agustin

[thessalian]

Thess vs Spoon Budgeting

I have no idea how I got through this week, but I got through this week. Even with the metaphorical kick in the face I got in the last fifteen minutes of my workday today.

But first ... this week. I made a discovery this week. Temp has got so, so much better at taking the long complicated bits of typing once in awhile. Goblin ... has not. In fact, most of the problem has been Goblin all along, which is why I’m kind of glad I only brought it up to Temp once. I’m probably not going to say anything about or to Goblin about it, because ... well, she’s a goblin. After her blowing up at me the other month when she kept insisting on giving me a solution to a problem I told her repeatedly that I did not have (she was giving me grief about not picking up the phone and apparently “I can’t hear it when it rings most of the time” equals “I literally cannot take the call”, even though I explained the whole thing to her in detail three times before I mentioned that she didn’t seem to be listening to me and she took that as an accusation like unto the direst insult), she’s mostly not talking to me beyond “good morning” when I get into the office (and an “Eugh, I won’t have that” the one time I made an effort to offer her some of the tasty treats I brought into the office). Anyway, point is that I don’t really want to awaken that beast even more. I don’t have the spoons.

Mostly I don’t have the spoons because the commute has been varying levels of insane all week. The 168 was hella unreliable for the best part of two weeks, and then yesterday the Stop Oil protesters decided to block off St George’s Circus, which prevents most of the traffic coming out of Elephant and Castle from getting to most of central London. Which means that it prevented most of south London from getting to most of central London. Which included my bus route. Which meant the Tube again, after a massively long diversion. And then of course, the route home was all about the bus driver going, “Hey, we’re throwing you off at Waterloo because reasons”.

Today ... well, I thought today was going to be okay because my usual “gets me to work just early enough to grab something from the corner shop and chill before I go in” bus actually turned up, and hadn’t quite left when my first bus pulled up behind it. Unfortunately, it was crammed to the proverbial rafters with what were pretty clearly secondary school music students, all carrying instruments, and seats were at a premium. I wound up on the outside of one of the two-people seats with a woman a bit larger than I am who was kind of lounging in the seat. I’m not judging for the large; I’m judging for the elbows, which she used to take up as much space as possible and jabbed me with more than a few times. Hell, when I’m sharing a seat with someone, I at least make an attempt to keep myself contained. So, yeah, the strain of trying to stay upright when we went around tight corners was pretty bad and on the whole, this whole week’s commute has been of the suck.

Which brings me to the metaphorical kick in the face. Scruffman knows full well how shitty the commute has been. He knows I wouldn’t be doing this shit if I didn’t have to. And I had a conversation with Temp just yesterday - right behind his seat, I might add - about how the work from home thing seems to have stalled because the person I was told to speak to directly has not responded to either of my emails. But at quarter to four, I get an email from him - an email forward from Head Honcho asking if my Access to Work was sorted and if I still needed anything for the work from home deal.

A note about the Access to Work thing: it’s not a thing I can actually do at this stage. The reasons are stupid, but they exist. I had to reapply because of increase in car fares as a result of ... well... *gestures at economic shambles*. Thing is, one of the things you have to do is ask for three quotes from car firms. So I went on one of those websites and got the quotes and they came up with a sort of budget for the year from that because I am supposed to pay at least as much as I would for a normal commute myself, and they make up the rest. So either I pay for the whole thing out of pocket and they reimburse me on receipt of a claim form, or I set up an account with a car firm and let them pay into that with my making up the difference. The problem is that none of the three car firms whose quotes made up my Access to Work allotment will open an account under those circumstances. As to paying for it myself and getting reimbursement ... it’s about £40 each way. That’s £320 per week, thus approaching £1300 per lunar month, never mind calendar month. I work part time. I can’t afford to pay them a month in advance and wait for reimbursement. And any firm that might open an account on that basis will probably be more expensive ... and y’know what? I don’t have the spoons for this, either. I can’t spend however long doing this kind of secretarial legwork. I already do that shit for my job. I’m already doing that level of chasing for the work from home thing they promised me nearly fifteen months ago. If I’m going to suffer depression, frustration, and a total lack of spoons, I want to know that’s what’s going to happen, instead of keeping getting my hopes up and then having to do the shitty commute anyway while trying to work it all out.

Not to mention ... it’s not just the fucking commute. The commute is bad, yes. However, so is the couple of hundred yard walk to a toilet, and the tea room. It’s the desk chair that’s still shitty despite being the best chair we actually have in the office, and the desk that’s just the wrong height for my personal ergonomic situation. (I have a high waist and my leg-to-torso ratio is a bit off as a result; it’s a thing.) It’s not having any space because Goblin keeps leaving her chair pushed out to smack against mine whenever she leaves her desk, and there’s no desk in the place that would be any better. It’s not being able to do a decent lunch. The office is not good for me. I have made that point to them countless times. Still I get this. Access to Work is not the solution here. Even if the car firms in my area weren’t being understandably leery about opening an account that would be paid by two separate parties.

The national news isn’t any better. Yeah, the chancellor got sacked. Thing is, a) that solves precisely dick because most of the policies that freaked everyone out so badly that it tanked the pound were the PM’s idea, and b) she’s put Jeremy Hunt into the role. Look, he was the health secretary for awhile, and kind of shat the bed at that, and he was the foreign secretary for awhile and didn’t do overly well there either and ... okay, the way in which he ‘did not do well’ is part of why so many people made so much about how Hunt rhymes with a specific bit of genitalia, if you get me. The only good news is that Truss had to scrap the planned cuts to corporation tax (which is why she sacked Kwarteng in the first place - he kept insisting that they weren’t going to do any U-turns on the mini-budget, even when they already did by keeping the rate of tax at 45% for earnings over £150k ... and also he’s being made the scapegoat). But at the moment, Truss still has no mandate, the entire country’s in shambles, most people are desperately calling for a general election because this is just getting stupid now ... and then there’s King Jug-Ears. I’m not much on the monarchy, as you know ... but the fact that she turned up to her second private-ish audience with the sovereign and the response she got from him was, “Back again? Dear oh dear. Anyway...” in the most passive-aggressive sort of way? It just warms my heart just a little. (I still want the whole monarchy to sod off, though.)

So anyway, weekend. I do have plans to start up my next project (flavoured lip balm), but only if I feel a little less like freeze-dried death at any point this weekend. I did stop at the big Tesco on the way home today and picked up some treats - steak, acorn squash, and some more fixings for the refrigerator dill pickles because I seriously did just devour the almighty hell out of the last ones and I require more. It’s nice that the fixings for, like, four jars of the pickles I like better cost less than one regular jar of what they call gherkins over here. And at least it’s not that much work. Boil a thing, let it cool overnight, pour over cucumber spears and dill and garlic, wait. ...As Tom Petty said, the waiting’s the hardest part. Anyway, not money I planned to spend, but things I sorely need.

#Thess has a day job #Thess has a commute #Thess on politics

[andallthatmishigas]

Ready for some lists?✨

1. Top five of your own favorite drabbles (any fandom)

2. Top three of your own favorite fics and why (any fandom)

3. Top three of your go-to writing songs, if you have any

4. Top three fics (that you didn’t write) you’d recommend (any fandom)

5. And lastly, top five treats you give yourself when you’re feeling down (e.g. cup of tea, a bar of chocolate, fuzzy socks …)

Oh lady you spoil me, thank you SO MUCH! I love this so much.

1. So I don't really don't do drabbles in the traditional "100 word" sense, but here's three of my favorite short fics:

Green (Doctor Blake)

Go to Sleep (The West Wing)

Nice Dress (City Homicide)

2. I listed my top 5 favorite fics of mine the other day, so now I'll narrow it down to three:

The Proper Way of Things (Downton Abbey)

Metamorphosis (MI-5/Spooks)

Glances (City Homicide)

3. During work from home times, I wasn't driving so not listening to music, so I made playlists for each of the fics I was working on. I've gotten away from that. And usually the songs themselves have a specific moment they've inspired that I cling to, and I have a TON of music that has inspired whole stories or parts of stories. The ones that have strong connections in my head, I'll list here (and I'm happy to explain any of them if you're interested):

Daylight (Taylor Swift)

Sky Full of Song (Florence + the Machine)

Help Me Make It Through The Night (Michael Bublé and Loren Allred)

4. Okay so I uhhhh cannot pick three. So here's 10 oops. Because I have had the pleasure and honor of reading some incredible stories written by magnificent writers:

Heartlines by ladycobert (Downton Abbey) -- I read this during work from home and I wasted a full workday just reading it and I immediately went and started from the beginning and read it again.

Come Away with Me by ladycobert (Downton Abbey) -- I've read this two or three times and it just delights me every time, I love it so much.

One Fine Day by @rahleeyah (MI-5/Spooks) -- Leah wrote this for me can you believe??? She took an idea and perfected it and it makes me SO HAPPY.

The Broken Road by @rahleeyah (Doctor Blake) -- This story compelled me second only to...

A Messy Kind of Love by @rahleeyah (Doctor Blake) -- This is the reason Leah and I are friends and nothing I've ever read before or since has affected me like this.

Galway Girl by @rahleeyah (MI-5/Spooks) -- I think about this story about once a week. I've read it twice at least and I may reread it again soon.

A Will and a Way by @rahleeyah (MI-5/Spooks) -- Sorry not sorry my best friend is like half of this list, she's brilliant and this story is PERFECT. Definitely time for a reread.

Lessons of Love by warmwoollenmittens (The Sound of Music) -- This concept inspired a story of my own for a different fandom but god the way this is executed is just everything.

The Frog and Nightgown Inn by @whatsabriard (Downton Abbey) -- Kris is a genius and does angst better than anyone I've ever encountered. This story I read early in my Downton journey and it's stuck with me. It's brilliant and deep and intense and perfect.

Resolving a Misunderstanding by MMADfan (Harry Potter) -- This literally changed my life. This was one of the first chapter fics I ever read. It lives in my soul like nothing I can explain. It is everything to me.

5. I am great at rewarding myself with:

macaroni and cheese

cocktails and/or wine

bath bomb

early night lying in bed reading fic

candy

#hey y'all come ask me stuff

[energybitsblog]

Stay Focused During a Busy Workday: 3 Ways to Do It

Some days at work require more focus than others. You may be working on an intense project or you may have a lot on your plate with a deadline looming. You need to be focused, but it’s not there. Or maybe it’s one of those “brain fog” days. Or heck, maybe you simply didn’t get enough sleep.

So, when you want to feel more focused at work, what can you do? There are a variety of strategies you can explore, and one of them is to take spirulina and chlorella tablets that will not only improve your focus, they’ll help reset and improve your sleep. Here’s how these strategies, and others, can help you reclaim your workday focus.

Keep Your Mind and Body Nourished

Do you start the day with a cup of coffee? A lot of people do, and for a lot of people, it’s a cherished routine and their form of morning “nourishment.” While caffeine can play a role in helping you feel focused, it’s not a source of nourishment. So, why not add spirulina supplements to the mix?

Spirulina algae is so nutrient-dense it can serve as real nourishment for your brain and body. These nutrients include Omega-3s, amino acids, and a long list of antioxidants. In fact, think of spirulina as “brain food.” When you have a busy day ahead, spirulina may help you regain your focus so you can confidently breeze through the day.

Rethink Your Sleep

Let’s take a step out of the workplace for a moment. Sleep impacts all aspects of your waking life—including your workday. When you don’t get enough sleep or you get poor sleep, it can be hard to stay focused at work. When you’re working on that crucial client report, you don’t want to be at half-mast.

You’ve probably heard advice like putting away electronics an hour before bed, blocking sources of blue light, and cutting off your caffeine in the early afternoon. These can all be helpful (along with going to bed at a reasonable hour!).

Here’s a tip you might not have heard: chlorella. Yes, another algae! And for good reason. Chlorella supplements taken before bed may help improve your sleep. Their high concentration of tryptophan is the precursor to melatonin, which helps you sleep. So to get a great night's sleep, just take a handful of chlorella tablets, and you’ll probably wake up fresh as a daisy the next morning.

Bring Meditation to Your Desk

Coming back into the office, let’s say you’re powering through a crazy-busy day and you’re struggling to find the focus you need. Desk meditation can be another strategy to regroup and feel refocused. For some, meditation can take the form of breathing exercises. If you need assistance, there are a variety of meditation apps that may help you find a rhythm.

For others, it might be taking a few moments to close your eyes and listen to music. Or you might need to let your mind wander for five minutes with a puzzle or desk toy—something tactile. It could even be a blend of all of the above. It can be worth exploring different meditation methods to find one that works for you so that when you need that extra ounce of focus, you can get it right at your desk. This is why you probably want to be sure you have some spirulina tablets in your desk drawer so they can help your brain zone in or out as needed.

About ENERGYbits Inc.®

Who knew algae had so much potential as a food? ENERGYbits® did. The company was started 10 years ago by Catharine Arnston to help her younger sister, who had been advised by her oncologist that an alkaline diet would improve her chances of healing from breast cancer. Catharine left her corporate career to help her sister and read thousands of scientific papers on alkaline, plant-based nutrition. As she did, she found references to spirulina and chlorella algae as the most alkaline, nutrient-dense plant in the world. Catharine discovered that algae was a multibillion-dollar crop consumed in Asia for 50 years. Dazzled by algae’s impressive pedigree and how easy the tablets were to take, Catharine realized that algae was only known in Asia because that’s where it was grown, and its benefits were virtually unknown elsewhere in the world. ENERGYbits® was born out of her desire to change this. ENERGYbits® is now a much-loved national brand, providing consumers, families, and their pets with pure, safe, nutrient-dense, protein-rich “bits” of nutrition. Even better: Catharine’s sister made a full recovery.

Unlock your focus at work with https://energybits.com/

Original Source: https://bit.ly/3J0tJEX

#chlorella benefits

[strywoven]

@stellarisen has requested a story : ❝ there is a reason one’s duty as a soldier ends only in death . it changes you . ❞ // roche to Verona?

𝑷𝒓𝒐𝒎𝒑𝒕𝒆𝒅.

A common scene ( one increasingly so ) , in truth , to catch Verona throughout the day at the piano when there is a l u l l in the workday.  Perhaps , this is merely her way of staying busy , to keep herself preoccupied ; but the wiser of her company knows the real reason ( she plays to distract herself from her own mind , from the way it fractures & frays ) .  Some have said the MAD are the most articulate in their creative endeavors , Verona seems to be no exception.  There's a certain WELL-PRACTICED SWAGGER in the way she plays ; ringed claws are graceful , fluent in every chord , the force of the melody asking her body to s w a y to and fro , music swelling to fill the place with a somber ambiance ( after all , the choice in composition oft’ reflects her heart & sorrow is a language most universal ) .  It’s no wonder she ENTERTAINS for her investors , hardly a consideration to believe they never fail to ask her to PUT ON A SHOW ( & who is she to refuse the demands of the adoring public ? ) .

Roche has returned … Her mind realizes , if only in-between keystrokes.

The SOLDIER’s scent is the first thing to come to her … Then , the way it bleeds down the back of her throat and drips onto her tongue , reminding her of his t a s t e ( the memory of a favorite meal , a thought which causes the chimera to smile ) .  She hears him pull up a chair beside her , settling casually there next to her on her RIGHT so she may be able to see him ( as always , careful of remaining on her good side ) .  Verona , however briefly , lifts her head and offers him a slight nod before returning to her craft.  At least n o w she has someone to play for , it’s always more fun with an audience.  And she appreciates that Roche tries to indulge her when he can ( when he isn’t off doing her bidding , at least ) .

Preamble to his words comes with an intake of breath , as if preparing for something IMPORTANT to say , Verona goes on with her own course.  When he speaks , pointed ear tips t o w a r d s the sound of his voice ; the indication she’s listening.  Though , she doesn’t respond.  At least , not immediately.  As is always the case.  It is rather hard to speak to her when she’s at the piano.  She always seems to … LEAVE HERSELF whilst she plays , being privy to ignoring the world.  But , such as it is , she cannot f o r e v e r ignore such a pressing topic now can she ?

At last , Verona stops , the final chord ringing out through the large room.  With eyes closed , she listens to the resonance of it , to the way it slowly dissipates before , finally , turning and regarding her companion seated next to her.  ❝ And do you at all suppose giving your loyalty to m e will find you any better a Fate ? ❞  Asks as if it might yield a SIMPLE ANSWER , though she knows how h e a v y the question might be.  ❝ Being my hound , Roche , you ought to know the consequences. ❞  She reaches out , gently taking up one of his hands , lifting it to press painted lips to his knuckles.  This , she realizes , is the tragedy in their affair : she cares , she cares all too much ... and that could very well get him killed.  ❝ Given that , ❞ Her gaze is fixed on his hand in hers , a subtle reminder of their UNION ( & does he regret coming to her ? she wonders ) .  ❝ I will do anything in my power to see you live to tell of it.  Even if at my own expense. ❞  The Chimera means what she says , each word comes off alarmingly sincere despite her ever-stoic expression.

#❧ ⸺ how can ( queue ) say there is no story here ? ❞ #❧ ⸺ ch. verona | answered ❞ #❧ ⸺ ch. verona | verse iv.i: ff7r ❞ #stellarisen #stellarisen | roche #SIGHS #i've missed these two tbh

[watching-pictures-move]

Movie Review | Blown Away (Hopkins, 1994)

When we first meet Jeff Bridges, he seems like a pretty cool dude. His girlfriend and her daughter love him. He brings a great present. He has a cute dog. He wears a Hawaiian shirt. And he's great at his day job of defusing bombs. But what if he's not actually so cool? What if he's hiding something? What if he's secretly... Irish? In contrast, Tommy Lee Jones gives us bad vibes right away. He's got greasy long prison hair from being in prison for a long time. He also kills a guy in his first scene. And he's unambiguously Irish. No doubt about it.

Before anyone accuses me of bigotry, I am merely articulating the central dynamic of this movie. I do not know if director Stephen Hopkins has hate in his heart. But this is the second movie of his I've seen that has a bizarre hatred of a very specific ethnic group. First Predator 2 offered an inexplicably hateful portrayal of Jamaicans, playing up some pretty ugly stereotypes. (I am not being entirely sarcastic. It's a pretty gross element in a movie I mostly enjoy.) And now this turns its crosshairs against the Irish, positing that they're a crazy, bloodthirsty lot, and only by completely denying their ethnic identity can they overcome their violent nature. (I am not being entirely sarcastic. That the movie hinges on a Fourth of July musical performance for its climax tips the movie into some pretty weird "They hate our freedoms" assimilationist territory.)

There are ways to merge this kind of political and ethnic context into a thriller successfully. Those ways are not evident in this film. Instead we get Bridges attempting an Irish accent in exactly two scenes before giving up, so that one could argue that he's successfully assimilated and hidden his identity except in moments of stress. You know, if we're talking out of our asses. We also get Jones grooving to U2 while making bombs. Because they're Irish. I assume Bridges listens to nothing but James Brown's "Living in America" to blend in as an American. I know it can be done because I once spent an entire workday listening to it on repeat. If the song is around six minutes long and I took approximately one six minute bathroom break each hour, that's nine listens an hour. If I worked nine hours that day (I've excluded the lunch hour but added the overtime I no doubt did at the time) and had maybe two hours of meetings, I would have listened to the song sixty-three times. Let's take off a few listens for breaks and human interaction and put it at fifty listens. Now, if the song were "Gravity" from the same album, I likely would have bailed much earlier. Not nearly as good a song, sorry.

Anyway, the movie is sporadically entertaining due to the specificity of the premise. The villain is a mad bomber, so we get lots of contrived bomb-related scenarios. Bomb in a computer. Bomb in headphones. Lethal Weapon 2 already did bomb under a toilet, otherwise we definitely would have gotten that here too. But the movie struggles with its cat and mouse structure because it doesn't provide enough opportunities for the stars to interact. Bridges has some fun scenes with his real-life father Lloyd, and with a cocky new bomb expert played by Forest Whitaker, the two treating their comparative expertise as a dick-measuring contest, wildly swinging their manhoods as they go about their work. Schlong. Johnson. Yankee doodle. Okay, enough euphemisms. Anyway, both of them disappear for much of the movie, and while the movie attempts to have Bridges match Jones' derangement in a scene where the former drunkenly fires a gun in a hot tub, the latter spends most of his scenes alone, so that his mad bomber shtick is placed in a void and becomes totally inert. But as I alluded to earlier, the scenes where he grooves to U2 are pretty funny.

#film #movie review #blown away #stephen hopkins

[criticallyacclaimedstranger]

Alrighty, here are some questions for you too :) I'll go backwards hehe 38, 26, 19, 7 💖

Thank you, @rambling-in-purple, for the ask! I'll put everything under a cut because it got long-ish.

38. What is something about your writing process YOU think is Really Weird? If you are comfortable, please share. If you’re not comfortable, what do you think cats say about us?

I don't know if I think anything is Really Weird? I open the document, and I write? Sometimes I listen to music while working, sometimes not - it depends on the current work, and on my mood. I do a lot of brain writing when cleaning, walking, gardening, driving. I dare to think that these are really "normal" (whatever that means) writing processes? I've even become better at re-reading and revising before I post (thank you, doctoral studies!).

26. How do you get into your character’s head? How do you get out? Do you ever regret going in there in the first place?

If it's an original character, I watch whatever media they're in and try to understand their motives. With some it's easy, with others not. I also get a lot of insight through osmosis on here. I don't really read other people's fic, mainly because I don't want to accidentally plagiarize them, or build my characters on their analyses. I also don't have much time or interest in reading right now (my reading interest has been off and on since 2020)

I don't know if I do anything special to get out of their heads? I just switch off, I guess? I think I got a lot of practice in doing that when I worked on my dissertation. When I finished my workday and went home, I left my text at the office and didn't think much about it until next workday.

With OFCs, it's a lot more complicated. At some point, they really begin to do their own thing, and I don't always know what or why. A lot is based on my own personal preferences and experiences, so that makes it harder to switch off. I can live in an OFC's head for days, especially the ones I've worked with for a long time, like Jay and Eva.

But I also think that in order for me to write well, I need to step back. First I need to feel everything they're feeling, really put myself in their shoes, see things from their perspective. But I can't write that, because it's too messy. So I need to step back a little, look over the situation, and then write. Then I have a clear overview over what's happening, but I'm also still connected to the character and their struggle.

So far, I haven't regretted it, not even when it keeps making me Feel stuff. And I'm not afraid of going to the dark places. (Frankie having a vivid nightmare about little baby Alma being dead and stuffed with a body bomb, anyone?)

19. Tell me a story about your writing journey. When did you start? Why did you start? Were there bumps along the way? Where are you now and where are you going?

I already answered this here, and quite extensively!

Although I realize I didn't actually answer the last question, of where I'm now and where I'm going. I'm in a place where I enjoy writing. I know I won't be in this fandom forever, I know I won't write fics like this forever, and that's fine. When the day comes, it comes. Right now I'm enjoying it.

I still hope that one day, I'll get a decent enough original idea and maybe write a novel. But I don't have any ambitions to do it, really. I can sometimes find it frustrating that I suck so much at plots because I do characters and emotions really well. If I only had an idea that wasn't set in a movie or TV show universe, I could've written novels already. But publishing isn't an end in itself for me, at least not now. I write fic because I enjoy it and it's easy. I enjoy the feedback I get, I enjoy knowing that I make someone's day better with my fics.

7. What is your deepest joy about writing?

This one was also answered in the previous ask, link in my above answer!

#asks #writing asks #rambling-in-purple #now if you excuse me #i have some writing to do

[casuallyimagining]

Official

Min Yoongi x reader

Summary: Yoongi insists on going on a proper first date. Unfortunately, it doesn't go to plan. Word Count: 1,244 Notes: Many thanks to @jeonnhera for the beautiful banner!

This fic is a part of @bangtanwritingbingo’s spring bingo event and fills the square first date.

Part of the Long Term Couples series. Read more here.

The restaurant was warm and inviting, and the smells that were wafting out of the kitchen were absolutely divine. You stood in the foyer in silence, waiting for the hostess to return. She had scuttled away as soon as Yoongi had spoken to her, promising to prepare a table quickly for you. Yoongi stood beside you silently, pressed close enough that if you were to move, you would elbow him in the chest, but far enough away that he wasn’t crowding you.

“Wait… is that?” You heard a young woman whisper, her hand covering her mouth. When you glanced in her direction out of the corner of your eye, she was sat waiting for a table with her friend.

They both were staring at Yoongi.

You felt him sigh beside you, but he did nothing. Not until her friend responded. You couldn’t quite hear what was said, but you felt a hand on your back, guiding you to turn around and out the door.

This was the second restaurant you’d been shuffled out of. Outside, you pulled your coat tighter around you.

“Sorry.” Yoongi sounded sheepish, and you could hear a hint of real sadness in his apology.

He had been excited to go to this restaurant.

“Not your fault.”

And you meant it. It wasn’t his fault. A side effect of his career, maybe, but certainly not of him. He gave you a small grimace like he didn’t believe you, but didn’t say anything as you walked back to his car in the parking garage around the corner.

“Where next?” you asked softly, buckling your seatbelt.

Briefly, Yoongi frowned, but it was gone in an instant. “Want to go to the park?”

“It’s February.”

He hummed. “Right.”

It was quiet in the car. Neither of you had even plugged in your phones yet, so the only sound was the heater on max strength. The silence was oppressive, but not awkward, which was one of the things that had drawn you to him in the first place. The silence was never awkward with Yoongi.

“Do you want to go see a movie?” he asked tentatively.

“Do you?”

“Not really.” He frowned, the back of his head hitting against his seat.

You snapped your fingers. “I have an idea.” Yoongi’s eyes widened, but you hummed. “It’s a secret. Just drive. I’ll give you directions.”

And so he did, listening dutifully as you directed him left and right through the city. The sun had set a few hours ago, so the city was alight with a neon and fluorescent glow. It was beautiful, in its own way. The drive wasn’t long, and soon enough, you were telling him to pull into the parking garage under your building.

“If you wanted me to take you home, you could have just said,” he told you softly. You could hear a hint of hurt in his voice.

“Come upstairs with me.” Cautiously, you took his hand from where he clutched the steering wheel. “Let’s just hang out.”

“I-are you sure?”

“Of course!” You squeezed his hand. “Come on. We can get something delivered.”

When you opened the door to your apartment, you cringed. Had you been expecting to invite Yoongi over, you would have cleaned up a bit. But instead, your living room was a mess, everything from your workday strewn pretty much everywhere. Sheet music covered your coffee table, and your laptop, iPad, and mini keyboard took up your couch.

“Sorry,” you apologized, unplugging your keyboard and gingerly moving it out of the way. “I uh… I was working on some stuff for my students before you picked me up.”

He chuckled, moving your laptop off the couch so he could sit.

You ordered dinner from the barbecue place a few blocks away and chatted casually as he helped you organize your sheet music so you had room on the coffee table. For a while, you thought he’d moved on from the issues you’d experienced earlier in the night. You noticed him pause on a stack of sheet music, examining it with a look on his face that you couldn’t quite place. When he sighed, you approached him gently.

“You okay?”

Yoongi hummed, thumbing the corner of one of the pages. “Tonight hasn’t exactly gone to plan, has it?”

You shrugged, approaching him slowly. “Maybe not-”

“I’m sorry. This… sooner or later it always happens.”

“What do you mean?”

“There’s a reason Jungkook’s the only one of us who’s had success with a long-term relationship.” He sighed, lowering himself gently onto your couch. “It doesn’t really work with… well, who we are. I don’t normally do this.” He gestured between the two of you. “What’s the point? It always ends the same.”

“Yoongi-”

“I don’t blame them. We don’t have a lot of time to foster good relationships, and when we do…” He glanced up at you, then, his dark eyes sad. “You saw what happens.” His gaze fell back to the papers clutched in his hands. “I don’t blame anyone for not wanting to deal with it. What self-respecting person wants a partner who can’t devote the time and energy to them that they deserve?”

“I can only speak for myself, obviously, but…” Gently, you took the sheet music from him before grasping one of his hands. “I had fun tonight.” Yoongi scoffed, a noise of disbelief. “I did! And I…” You sighed.

It was too early to dump your entire life history on him, but really…

“I just want you to like me,” you admitted sheepishly. “As much as I like you.”

And it was the truth. You wanted him to like you. Because god, you liked him. You’d only known him for a few months–less than a year, really–and all you wanted to do was know him more. He was comforting, and kind, and really, really attractive, and you couldn’t help that you were drawn to him.

Yoongi looked away, and if it weren’t for the bright pink tinging his ears, you would have thought you’d said something wrong. But he squeezed your hand tightly, and after a moment of shy, yet comfortable silence, you continued.

“I don’t need much. I don’t mind just hanging out.” You traced the tip of your index finger along the side of his hand, following the contours around his fingers to the small handful of thin bracelets around his wrist. “I just want to get to know you, okay? I wouldn’t have agreed to this silly official first date if I didn’t.”

“Valentine’s Day is too cliche for a first date.” He held your gaze for a moment before continuing. “But okay.” His voice was soft, and for a moment, you thought that maybe he still didn’t believe you. But he flashed you a convincing enough smile. “I just don’t want it to end with us hating each other.”

You hummed, leaning into him. “I appreciate your concern, but I don’t think I could ever really hate you. Unless you turn out to be some sort of serial killer. Or someone who eats limburger cheese or something.”

He snorted. “Good thing I don’t really know what that is.”

You laughed. He probably still didn’t believe you. You knew it took more than a reassurance one time to overcome what you assumed was years of struggles. But you hoped that, maybe someday, he could look back on your relationship–wherever it ended up going–fondly.

#btsbingo2022 #yoongi #min yoongi #yoongi x reader #min yoongi x reader #yoongi fluff #suga #suga x reader #bts yoongi #bts yoongi x reader #bts x reader #bts suga #bts suga x reader #bts

[sirthisisa-wendys]

Repeat Offender: Rindou Haitani x Fem!Reader

synopsis: Bonten!Rindou knows exactly how to get your heart: Money, booze, and a lot of flattery.

wc: 1.6k

tw: NSFW

masterlist

song recommendation:

"Why won't you just let me have you?"

The question is posed as Rindou Haitani has you (willingly) pinned against the wall of the private office, your hands fiddling with the edge of your skirt.

"You're always in my dreams, and--"

"I don't mix business and pleasure, Mr. Haitani."

"I can't sleep anymore," the man whispers, leaning into you and pressing his erection against your thigh. "Don't you want me?" You look away, partially denying yourself, and partially revealing your attraction. "You smell so good, too. Is that Dior?"

"I have to go," you whisper, pushing off of the wall and out of Rindou's grasp before gathering your files and leaving the office in a rush. Rindou straightens his tie, his eyes following you as you hurry back to your office down the hallway.

And at that moment, Rindou determined that he wouldn't let you slip away a second time.

Even if he had to break a few necks or spend thousands of dollars to have you.

_____________________________________________________________

You're walking out of your apartment when you see the flashy two-seater pull up, the familiar face of your colleague flashing through the window. But it's not a workday.

"Y/n!"

You try to reach for your car keys, but you find you can't quite move, and Rindou is already getting out of his vehicle. "Get in," he breathes, but you stand your ground, looking at Rindou in the eye with a straight face. "Listen, I wanted to apologize for yesterday."

"Don't worry about it." Your fingers suddenly work as you try to fish your keys out, and you touch your key fob as Rindou walks up to you, eyes serious.

"Come on. We're going shopping." When he grabs your wrist, you let out a soft gasp, but follow him to his car anyway. When you're safely inside, he drives off, humming along with the classical music playing in the car. You try to keep your eyes on the road, but you feel something pooling in your stomach at the thought of one of your flashier co-workers taking you shopping.

"Do you do this with every girl you find attractive?" The question slips out without prompting, and Rindou looks over at you curiously.

"No. Just you." When you arrive at the upscale shopping center, you bite your lip, looking at all of the signs for labels you can't afford. Rindou seems to notice your hesitation and places a hand on your waist, smiling at you with his violet eyes. "Where do you want to start?"

_____________________________________________________________

"You know all of this won't buy my affection."

"I know," Rindou murmurs, looking down at his watch and sighing as the valet takes his time fetching the car. "But it can sway it, right?" The assistant holding your items behind you is panting with the exertion, and for a moment, you feel bad for them. Rindou had encouraged you to buy whatever you wanted, waving his hand and having the shops charge it to his invisible account. He even encouraged you to try on lingerie, but you'd declined to do so, alternately purchasing an expensive robe and calling it good.

When the car arrives to take you away, you reach over to grab your bags. "Uh-uh." Rindou swats your hand away and you shrink back, watching as he opens the trunk and then your door. You slide into the seat, watching him hand the valet and assistant a hundred-dollar bill each, then getting into the car himself.

"Where to next?"

"My place." You swallow hard as Rindou weaves through the lanes of traffic, wondering if you'd really make it to his undoubtedly fancy residence in one piece. Should you really be going to your co-worker's home? Especially after he's bought you thousands of dollars worth of custom clothing, accessories, and Williams Sonoma items? "Don't worry, I won't try anything." Rindou whispers as he pulls up to the gated community, flashing a small smile in the guard's direction.

The metal gate squeals open, revealing houses you could only imagine in your wildest dreams, and Rindou drives on, chuckling at your shocked expression. If you thought that he lived in a fancy house, you were wrong.

He lives in a mansion.

"I live here with my older brother, but he's out of town for the week." The comment is accompanied by the opening of another gate, and Rindou drives through it, clearing his throat. "We have a few rooms to choose from should you want to stay the night."

Stay the night?

"Is there anything you want to eat?" He wonders innocently, parking the car. "I can let the chef know."

"Um..." You stare at the white stucco mansion in awe, blinking a few times before you hear Rindou laugh, getting out of the car.

"I'll let you think about it, sweetheart." Your stomach leaps at the nickname, and you exit the car before he can open the door for you.

"Mr. Haitani, welcome back." A maid greets Rindou at the door, her eyes roaming over your appearance with interest. "Should I prepare a room for Ms...?"

"Ms. Y/n. Yes, thank you." You walk past the marble foyer and statues of famous figures around the staircase, following Rindou up the red-carpeted steps and to the second floor. "There's an infinity pool out back if you want to take a dip and a steam room as well. If you get hungry, the kitchen is on the first floo--" Rindou's phone rings suddenly, and you stand akimbo as he picks it up, frowning. "Talk to me."

Your eyes look out of the windows overlooking the backyard - which is filled with a koi pond, the infinity pool, and a few lounge chairs placed around the edge of it. You question how much he and his brother paid for this monstrosity, just as Rindou finishes up his phone call.

"I have to go for a little bit. I should be back within an hour, so make yourself comfortable. I apologize for the intrusion." Rindou takes your hand and gives it a quick kiss before walking down the stairs and leaving you alone.

You find yourself at the edge of the infinity pool an hour later, full of pasta cooked by the chef and dressed in the one-piece black swimsuit you bought earlier. You unwrap the towel from around your waist and dip a foot into the semi-cold water before immersing yourself in it and paddling to the edge of the pool in the evening light.

There's a steep drop-off at the edge, shielding your fall only with a thick border of glass. You suddenly imagine Rindou making business partners who displease him walk over the edge and fall down into the nothingness below. Well, there is something. But the marble slab looks quite far down, and really uncomfortable to drop onto.

"You're going for a swim, huh." You turn to see Rindou walking toward you, a smile on his normally serious face. "Mind if I join you?"

"But you're in a suit." Rindou raises a brow, taking off his jacket and tossing it onto the ground before undoing the buttons on his shirt. And you can't help but watch him undress, revealing the massive tattoo scrolling down his left side. You look away as he takes off his pants, and you don't look back at him until you hear him splash into the water, swimming to you under the water. "Rindou!" He resurfaces just before he reaches your legs, grabbing your shoulders and laughing without restraint.

"Come here, pretty girl," he chuckles, pulling you close and pressing his lips against yours. The kiss is tender, almost too tender for Rindou Haitani, but you lace your arms around his neck and his hands slide down to your waist. When he breaks the kiss, you whimper softly, and he leans forward again, cupping your face and kissing you over and over again. "Is this okay?" Rindou finally asks, his violet eyes searching yours.

"Yes," you exhale, eyes fluttering open. "Yes."

Water splashes around your hips as Rindou grinds into you, holding you close as his erection grows, again, rubbing against your thigh. You tangle your tongue with his, releasing all doubts and inhibitions before lean back, letting him kiss down your neck.

"We should take this to the shower," you whisper, and Rindou hums.

"Anything you want, baby."

Your moans fill the bathroom as Rindou slides against you, breath hot on your neck as you lean against the tile with his hands roaming over your backside.

"Should probably fuck you before we clean up."

He presses the head of his cock into you, groaning as your slick lubricates him enough so he can slide past your lips before pulling out and pushing back in. "So tight..." You bounce back on his dick, taking control of the interaction as he grunts and moans, holding your neck in his strong hand. His other hand creeps down to your folds and parts them, fingers hurriedly searching for your clit. When he finds it - you jerk in his palm and that lets him know - he rubs it with two fingers, making small, quick circles. "You're so wet for me."

"I want it so bad," you keen, and Rindou nods.

"I know. You've wanted this for a while, haven't you?" His voice in your ear is sinful, but you nod, closing your eyes. "Yeah, I know you have." You gasp as his hips drive into yours, making a slapping sound in the shower.

"Rin... ah, I'm..."

"Gonna cum for me? You gonna cum, beautiful?"

"Yes, yes, yes..." you pant, gripping the wrist that's attached to the hand rubbing your clit faster. "I--" You inhale deeply, pulsing around Rindou's cock as he continues his motions, leaving you a shaking, moaning mess.

"That's a good girl," Rindou hisses, kissing your jawline. "Now give me a few minutes to draw one more out of you before I cum, okay? Think you can handle that?"

"Anything you want, babe. Anything you want."

#rindou haitani #rindou smut #tokyorev smut #tokyo revengers x reader #tokyo revengers smut #rindou haitani x reader #Spotify

[wonwoosthetic]

hi!!! I’m already in love with minnie and with everything you’re posting.

So… I was reading her relantionship with the members and saw that she’s not afraid to talk back, can you write something about a time she did it? their reaction to her talking back

(I hope it made sense, english is not my first language)

Heyy, it truly makes me so happy reading comments like this, it's extremely heart-warming, knowing that people enjoy my writing, so thank you so much!! <3

Thanks a lot for this request!! I really enjoyed writing it and I hope you enjoy reading it (everyone else please do to!) :)

I mostly focused on Minnie and Seungcheol in this one since he is sort of like her authority figure, but some of the other members make an appearance :)

More requests (not only for this series, I write for a lot of groups) and taglist requests are very welcome! :) <3

Sometimes “No” Is Not In Her Vocabulary

Word Count: around 3.9k words

Sometimes “No” Is Not In Her Vocabulary

The workday had been long and exhausting. It started by waking up at 7 am to go practice and ended at 8 pm. Now, all of the members were in multiple cars on the way back to the dorm. Some were sleeping, some were listening to music, others were just looking out the window, watching the passing scenery. Minnie was sharing a car with Mingyu, Seungkwan, Jun, and Dino - she was on her phone like most of the others. Throughout the entire day, she and Hanbin had been texting each other, waiting for the other to answer, which sometimes took over an hour since both of them were working, but right now was the time she had been looking forward to: they were planning a date night. It was supposed to happen that night, but they stumbled upon a few problems: Seventeen had a tight schedule the next day, meaning that they were supposed to go to bed as early as possible to be well-rested and to be able to endure multiple performances for their "Home" comeback. Therefore, Minnie knew that if she didn't go to bed early, Seungcheol would somehow make her.

Chat (M=Minnie, H=Hanbin)

M: Hanbin...

H: ??

M: ...

H: What is it? Are you ok?

M: I'm scared that... tonight might not work out :(

H: Why not?

M: I totally forgot that we have kinda a packed schedule for tomorrow and Seungcheol will make me go to bed early :(((

H: Oh... well, then we just have to reschedule it :)

Minnie was so thankful for her boyfriend's patience, but she hadn't seen him in two weeks, and a girl has needs. Also, she really just wants to see him in person again and be able to kiss him, all of their talks over facetime cannot make up for that.

M: Noooooo, we've rescheduled it before, I really want to see you again!!!

H: Someone sounds whiny ;)

M: How can I not?! I haven't seen my boyfriend in weeks and have to deal with 13 other guys every week, but can't see the one I love even just for a few hours :(

H: That's cute, I love you too, love

But, I mean, if you have a schedule then you should rest well.

M: I'll see what I can come up with. I'm not waiting for another day or even week for our date.

H: Alright alright haha

As soon as she put her phone down, a loud sigh escaped from her lips, making Jun, who was sitting next to her, turn his head,

"What's with you? You okay?", he asked the younger girl.

She debated whether or not to tell him about what was bothering her, but decided to not keep any secrets, "Hanbin and I have been planning to meet up again for about a week now. And we were supposed to have a date tonight, but I forgot about our performances tomorrow...", she sighed again, "Now we'll have to reschedule it again."

"Oh", he patted her shoulder, "I'm sorry. But I'm sure he understands, he's very nice."

His comment made her chuckle, she knew how much some of the guys like her boyfriend, "Yeah, I know, but I hate that sometimes." This made both of them laugh, "Like I just hate how understanding he is. I don't want to wait longer, I want to see him tonight like we've planned it."

"It's okay, Minnie. I mean, what do you wanna do about it? There's not really any other possibility."

Then a thought popped into her head, "I might as well just sneak out."

Not her best idea, yes, but it was an idea.

Dino, who had been listening to their conversation from his seat in the row behind the two, spoke up and laughed, "Yeah right, just so you can get caught like the other times that you've tried."

She quickly turned around and pointed a finger at her younger brother, "You shut your mouth alright?! I didn't get caught every time." This made the other guys in the car turn towards her with raised eyebrows, making her shut her mouth and turn back to the front.

"Get that idea out of your head", Mingyu tapped her head gently as he was sitting right behind her, "you know Seungcheol's going to be pissed if he catches you."

"That's only if he does, if I'm smart and don't get caught, I get to spend at least a few hours with my boyfriend", the young girl crossed her arms and pouted slightly. She knew none of the members she was currently sharing a car with would rat her out to their leader or any of the '95 liners but she also knew that Mingyu and Jun weren't fond of her idea, while Seungkwan full-on supported her in his head, and Dino just thought/hoped she wouldn't even try it - he was wrong.

After arriving at the dorm, the group split into their usual living arrangements and went inside the building after saying goodnight, knowing that most of the members were too exhausted and would try to go to bed as soon as possible. Minnie and her roommates entered their flat: Woozi, Mingyu, Wonwoo, and S.Coups immediately crashed on the couch, DK went to the kitchen to find something quick to eat, Joshua got to shower first, and Minnie went into her and Joshua's shared room, to think about her plan.

Chat

M: I'll sneak out tonight.

H: Baaabe, Seungcheol Hyung just started to like me, I don't want to mess it up by you having to sneak out to see me.

M: He won't find out, I'll be careful... and he tolerates you, is what he said

H: Same thing. Alright... when should I be there?

M: 11 pm? They're all about to pass out, they should for sure be asleep within the next two hours

H: Okay, I'll be in the parking garage, hopefully same spot I picked you up last time

M: Yep! I Love you!!!

H: Love you too <3

She went back out into the living room to join the others watching whatever was playing on TV. As soon as she sat down, the leader spoke up,

"As soon as Joshua's done showering, we'll go in age order. We should be in bed by ten, ten-thirty at the latest. We have a long day tomorrow."

Everyone on the couch nodded, "Seokmin, you heard that?", the '97 liner let out a sound that should represent "yes" while having his mouth stuffed with Ramen noodles.

-- Time Skip --

It was 10:30 pm, everyone was in bed by 10 - which came very surprisingly, but it just showed how exhausted everyone was and just wanted to go to sleep. Minnie had been listening to Joshua's breathing very closely, and she was 80% sure that he was asleep by now, or at least she hoped that he was.

Hanbin had just texted her that he would make his way over to her at 10:40 and possibly arriving a little bit earlier, but it was fine for her and just made her more excited. After showering before, she put on a comfortable pair of pants and a nice top and threw a big pyjama shirt (probably one of Joshua's, but she honestly forgot) over it. Before Joshua entered the room, she quickly got under the covers of her bedding so that he wouldn't catch her non-pyjama pants.

As she was laying down, time seemed to go by slower, as her heartbeat was increasing. She was confident about her plan in the car on the way to the dorm and even while she was in the living room with the other members, but now that time was moving closer, she had started to get more nervous. Minnie was nervous about one: waking up Joshua while getting up, but then also 2: waking up Seungcheol who sometimes kept the door open, if he even was sleeping, god knows - sometimes he stays awake the entire night, thanks to his insomnia. Wonwoo, who was sleeping in the living room could also be an obstacle, but she didn't think he would rat her out or get mad at her.

After being caught up in her thoughts, she looked at her phone and saw that it was already 10:50 pm, meaning her boyfriend should be here within the next five minutes. This meant to Minnie that she was supposed to start getting up now since doing she would have to do every move and action slower as to not cause too much noise.

The girl took a deep but quiet breath, grabbed her blanket and peeled it off her body as silently as she possibly could. She was almost completely free when she suddenly heard Joshua turn around in his bed, but since he didn't say anything, she kept going. As soon as she stood up and took her first step though, a voice behind her spoke to her, "Where are you going?" She froze in her spot and quickly thought of a comeback, "Just going to the toilet", which was very unlike her but Joshua was too tired to question it, so he just nodded and went back to sleep quickly.

She huffed, and started walking towards the door again, a little bit quicker but still trying to stay silent.

As she finally got to the living room, after closing the door silently, she stopped to check if she could hear Wonwoo's even breathing. To her horror, she didn't hear one but two people breathing. They sounded kind of even but she couldn't for sure tell. Hoping for the best, she took all her courage and took a few steps further into the room, towards the hallway that would eventually lead her outside. The wood floor pannels were creaking slightly, making Minnie curse in her head. She reached the entrance of the hallway, when she suddenly heard a deep voice behind her, "Where are you going?"

The younger girl immediately froze and felt her heartbeat quicken, she could tell who's voice it was without even having to think about it - Wonwoo. She knew she couldn't use "the toilet" as another excuse since the bathroom was in the other directions, so she just stood there for a few seconds before whispering whatever she could come up with, "I wanted to go for a walk", and turned around. The older guy knew her pretty well and has been by her side for long enough to know whenever she was lying, "Yeah sure, come on go back to bed before Coups sees you", he wanted to spare her a lecture from their leader and Minnie also knew he wouldn't be the one to tell him about what she wanted to do.

Wonwoo knew where she was trying to go, of course, he kind of knew. He's one of her best friends and one of the first people who found out about the relationship between her and iKon's leader. But was he going to tell Seungcheol about this? No. He had her back for all of the times that she saved his ass as he played his games until way after midnight.

"He won't find out if you just go to bed now and let me leave in silence", she shout-whispered. Wonwoo took a step closer to her,

"He'll find out one way or another, you know that."

"No, I don't, he didn't-", suddenly she got cut off by a third voice in the living room and the lights turning on.

"What are you guys doing up? I told you to go to bed", their leader was standing in the living room and clearly just got out of bed. Minnie looked at Wonwoo with a pissed 'I told you so look', which he just did back.

"Sorry Coups, we'll go back to bed", the '96 liner answered quickly before the girl was able to say anything.

"Why are you up anyways?", 'He couldn't just let it go", Minnie cursed in her head.

Since the other male member didn't want to be a snitch, he just went back to his bed that was placed in the living room. Now the girl didn't have any other possibility than just telling him the truth. She tried coming up with something quickly, but there was nothing that could explain why she was standing at the entrance of the hallway at 11 pm after getting told to go to sleep early.

"I'm going out", she simply stated and looked the leader in the eyes, whose lips left a sigh, "No, you're not, go back to your room." Minnie knew that he was the leader and she should listen to what he was saying but if there's one thing people also know about her, it's that she does not like to be told what to do all the time and talks back when needed to - and this right now, was a situation where she needed to do it.

"No, I'm going out."

"Minnie, I didn't ask you to go to bed, I told you. We have a long day tomorrow and we all know that you get cranky as hell if you don't get enough sleep. Please. Everyone else went to sleep as well. Just go", Seungcheol tried to stay as calm and reasonable as possible, Minnie didn't even try to.

"How do you know the guys downstairs already went to bed?", her stupid question made the leader slightly lose his temper,

"Minnie, don't. Don't even start with shit like that."

"Why? I just want to go out and you're not letting me!" At this point, whispering has been long forgotten.

"Where do you want to go?! It's eleven at night, Jesus Christ", the older male in front of her put his hand on his forehead and rubbed it as an indication of a starting headache.

"I... I...," she looked around the room, trying to fixated them on anything but the leader's glare, but quickly gave in with a deep sigh, "Hanbin asked if I could come over..."

"What the hell, Minnie. What are you, 16? You can see him once promotions are over", Seungcheol didn't want to raise his voice if it wasn't needed to, so he still tried to talk calmly to the girl.

"I've been trying to see him for the past week and every single day something got in the way so, for the love of God, I'm going! Bye!" she shouted before turning around and walking into the hallway.

S.Coups lost every ounce of patience he had for her and just grabbed her wrist to pull her back, "No, you're not. I'm done with this shit", as soon as she was in the living room, he placed himself in the walkthrough between the two rooms.

Suddenly Minnie's phone made a sound, indicating someone had texted her, probably Hanbin wondering where she was.

"Is that him?", Seungcheol asked provocatively, "give me your phone, I'll text him.

"What the hell, no! Who do you think you are?!", she shouted, angered and furious.

"Don't talk to me like that, you know damn well who I am. Right now I'm telling you as the leader of the group you are part of that you're not going out to meet up with some guy just so that you can be tired and annoyed all day long tomorrow.", Minnie was about to interrupt him, but he continued, "There's nothing to discuss here. Don't even try it." As much as he wanted to shout back at her, he knew it wouldn't be the smartest thing to do as most of the others in the dorm were probably already awake from her shouting and he knew that a stern voice should get him further than him shouting.

At this point, the girl obviously knew that he was right and she was supposed to listen to him, no matter what, he only wanted what was best for the group, but things happen in the heat of the moment.

"You're not my parent and I'm an adult, I can very well decide for myself what I should and should not do and how to care for myself!"

"I'M THE ONLY PARENT FIGURE YOU HAVE IN KOREA AND NO, APPARENTLY YOU DON'T KNOW HOW TO TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF! DO I NEED TO REMIND YOU OF THE MULTIPLE TIMES YOU ALMOST FAINTED BECAUSE YOU DIDN'T GET ENOUGH SLEEP OR DIDN'T EAT ENOUGH! SO DON'T YOU DARE COME WITH THAT BULLSHIT NOW! I'M THE ONLY FATHER FIGURE YOU HAVE, SO LISTEN TO ME!" The leaders screams echoed through the entire dorm, the downstairs members probably heard most of it too. His speech made Minnie standstill and her eyes water, "WOW, real mature of you. Playing the father figure card-", "You should not talk about who's the mature one right here, alright?!"

"Jesus, what are you guys doing?? We're trying to sleep", Mingyu and DK exited their rooms, Woozi couldn't care less since he already knew that once the girl really wants something, she'll do anything to get there, even if it meant screaming and fighting.

"Don't ask me, ask the problem child", Seungcheol pointed towards Minnie, who scuffed,

"Oh right, so I'm the problem here?! Not the guy who tries to get in my way instead of just letting me live my fucking life!"

"Minnie, stop. Oh my god, we all listen to Coups, why can't you just to, please", Mingyu sounded clearly annoyed with the youngest of the '97 line. At this point, Joshua had joined the rest in the living room.

"Right, you're playing nice little brother, of course", she laughed sarcastically, "You all have no fucking idea! I just want to be alone with him for two god damn hours. And that seems too much to ask for. I don't listen to Seungcheol ONE TIME and everyone's coming at me!"

"We're not coming at you, we're just trying to make you understand the importance of tomorrow. We care for you and know that you need to get rest", Seokmin tried to calm her down and took a few steps closer, but she held her hand up to show him to not even bother, trying to comfort her.

"Shut up, all of you", the tears she had tried to swallow down, were now falling down her cheeks. At that moment, her phone made another sound, letting everyone know that Hanbin was still waiting. Minnie took her phone out of her pants pocket and dropped it to the floor, before silently disappearing into her room.

"What the hell did just happen?", Joshua asked in shock and confusion.

Seungcheol bent down to pick up her phone, "I don't know but sometimes I get too tired of this shit. That's why I didn't want her to date until she's 30." His comment made Mingyu chuckle,

"Sure, that's the reason."

"I mean... I do understand her-", DK started, but got interrupted by the leader,

I understand her too, but... god, I just want the best for her", he took a seat on the couch and leaned back with a loud sigh.

"Yeah... we get that", the oldest '97 liner stated.

"But Hyung, you also said a few things that... you know", Mingyu silently said, making the older one sigh again,

"I know, fuck I know... when she says 'No' it seems like her favourite word ever, but whenever I say it, it's suddenly not in her vocabulary anymore." The comment made all of the men in the room chuckle at her stubbornness, that they have all come into contact with and as much as they love her, she can be a handful sometimes. Especially for an introvert.

"I'm gonna check on her", Joshua said before going back to their shared room.

"Yep, thanks. The rest of you, get back to bed as well." Without having to be told twice, the other two went back to sleep.

-- In Joshua and Minnie's Room --

As soon as he entered the room, he came to sight with the younger girl burring her face in her pillow and heard her cry. Without saying a word, Joshua sat down on the edge of the bed and started patting her head softly while whispering little things to make her calm down,

"It's okay, Minnie."

"No, it's not. I don't get to see Hanbin now, I screamed at Coups and everyone hates me right now", she sobbed.

"No one hates you right now, they were just... a little bit shocked", she layed on her side, looking at him, making him lie down next to her to face her directly, "and the thing with Seungcheol", he sighed, "you both said bad things but it was in the heat of the moment."

"But I told him that he wasn't my some kind of parent of mine and that he shouldn't play the father figure card even though that's exactly what he is", her sobbing became harder again, "I'm so thankful for everything he did and still does to me, but I just got so frustrated-", she couldn't continue her speech and broke down again, burying her head in Joshua's shoulder.

"It's okay, don't worry. He knows that." And he does, he truly does. Seungcheol has known Minnie for almost half of her life, he knows about her attitude, her emotional self, pretty much everything that goes on in her brain - he and the other '95 liners raised her to be the woman she is, so they knew her very well and can deal with all of her emotional outbursts even though they can hurt.

"We all make mistakes and we learn from them. We know you very well Minnie, we know you'd never want to hurt someone on purpose unless they deserve it", this made her chuckle and pull up her nose, "and relationships are difficult, we told you that... especially within the industry, sadly. I'm sorry."

He knew, he didn't have to be sorry about anything particularly, but he did feel sorry for the young girl experiencing her first real true love and not being able to live it out to the fullest like women her age would.

While he was still calming down the crying girl, making jokes here and there, their bedroom door opened, followed by the leader entering. He threw Minnie's phone on her bed,

"Hanbin's picking you up from every performance tomorrow and driving you to the others. So you can spend the time in between together", and left. The amount of thankfulness the young girl felt at that moment, couldn't be expressed in any way and he closed the door too quickly for her to respond, but Joshua sent him a thankful smile.

"See, he can't really stay mad at you for a long time. Tomorrow everything will be alright", he assured her, "although I do think, that you should apologize to him for talking back like that, just saying."

She knew he was right and the first thing she did that morning was to go to Seungcheol's room to wake him up with a hug and an apology.

⊹ 　 　 　　　 　 ·　 * 　　 ✧　　　 ⋆ 　　 · * . · .

　      　 · ·　 　　　　　..  　  . . 　 　　　 · + 　　　 　 ·　 * ✫ 　　 *                   ⊹ * ˚ 　　　 　. .  　　　 　　· 　 ⋆ 　　　　　　 * 　　 　 　 . 　　 　　 　　 * . 　 　 . ·　 . 　 · 　　　 . 　 　 　 　 　 *　 · 　　

Thank you for reading and sorry for any grammar or spelling mistakes! Hope you have a great night/day :) <3

Taglist: @naviercallisto

#seventeen 14th member #seventeen female addition #seventeen fluff #seventeen x reader #seventeen au #seventeen imagines #seventeen scenarios #seventeen #seventeen masterlist #svt masterlist #svt scenarios #scoups #jeonghan #joshua #jun #hoshi #wonwoo #woozi #dk #mingyu #minghao #seungkwan #vernon #dino #scoups x reader #scoups scenarios #scoups imagine #scoups imagines #ikon bi #kim hanbin imagines

[imaginesxthevamps]

Hey there, a cute picture of Brad telling his insecurities and crying in the reader's lap would be great... can you do one like that?

(I was listening to treading water and I remembered that he talks about his insecurities. And one of them I know is the person he dates being with him for the band and for the fame (something that I particularly think this ex girlfriend of his G*****, did exactly that)

Thank you so much

Word count: 0.5k

Warnings: none

Date: 15/11/2021

Tags: Brad Simpson, The vamps, imagine, fanfiction, fluff + angst, request, one shot

A/N: I know it's a short one but I really like the outcome of it. Thanks for your request! You can always send them in if you want :) I hope you like it! Have a great day!❤

_________________________

Insecurities | Brad Simpson

Music is softly playing in the bedroom. The voices of Arctic Monkeys are echoing through the room. Only some little lights on the wall are on to create a cosy atmosphere. You and Brad are laying in bed. While you are reading a book Brad is laying with his head in your lap. He is lightly strumming on his guitar. This is how you like to spend every evening, just being close to Brad and enjoying his presence while reading a book. It gives you both peace after a hard workday.

"Babe?", Brad asks.

"Hmm", you hum drawing your attention away from your book.

"What do you like about me?", he asks suddenly getting you off guard.

"What do you mean?", you ask while laying your book to the side.

"Like why did you fall in love with me? What are the things you like about me?", Brad asks with a sad frown on his face.

"Well I like how kind you are and the humor you have. I like how you just go for your goals.", you say.

"Hmm", Brad hums but you sense a certain sadness in his voice.

"Brad, what's going on? Why are you asking this?", you ask concerned.

He gives no answer, his eyes are focused on the ceiling. You can see he is holding back his tears and it's breaking you. It's breaking you that he does not want to tell you.

"Baby, please tell me, I'm worried", you say.

Brad closes his eyes and takes a deap breath. He is preparing to say what's bothering him.

"Lately I feel so insecure about things. It never bothered me to be always in the spotlight. I like to entertain people you know, to make them happy with music."

He stops and takes a breath again to find the words to continue his story.

"Lately it feels like I have to put up an act, that I have to act to be always happy and enthusiastic while there are days I just would prefer to cry. People expect so much from me and it's hitting me"

A tear slips from his eye but he wipes it away quickly. You run your hand through his chocolate brown curls to comfort him.

"I don't know what's wrong with me lately. I feel so emotional and insecure about everything. My writing is also a mess, I can't come up with something original"

Brad sighs and puts his hands over his eyes. You feel that it's hard for him to tell this, even to you while he is your boyfriend.

"It feels like the world is out before me, that I have all the chances but something is missing"

More tears are streaming down his cheeks. You pull him up and wrap your arms around him for a comforting hug.

"You're going to be fine Brad, you are amazing, okay. Everyone has these days where we feel like shit. Always remember that your family and friends take you like you are", you try to comfort him.

"I know, and that's why I love them so much. That's why I love you so much", Brad sobs.

"I love you too", you say and give him a comforting kiss on his forehead.

"Maybe you should write a song about this, about your feelings. Maybe it makes you feel better", you suggest.

"Hmm I might have an idea", Brad says.

"You're a mastermind B, how is it gonna call?"

"Treading water"

_________________________

The Vamps requests are open

New Hope Club requests are closed

#brad simpson #bradley simpson #bradley will simpson #the vamps #connor ball #tristan evans #james mcvey #imagine #imagines #one shot #fanfiction #fanfic #request #brad simpson imagine #brad simpson fanfiction #brad simpson angst #brad simpson fluff #sari writes #sari blogs

[pjoveteran]

I Never Thought You Would Be Like This

Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter

Harry realizes on a perfectly good workday that Draco Malfoy's wand is still sitting somewhere in Grimmauld Place. He vows to give it back; a series of events unfold.

A story of forgiveness and finding love.

Words: 16,433 Chapters: 5/5

“Did you see him again?” Harry heard a voice behind him say. He didn’t grace Ron with a reply this time. Ron snickered.

“You know,” he said, taking a seat at his desk opposite Harry's. “You run into him an awful lot these days.”

“Shut up, Ron,” he said. But he’s right, Harry thought. He did run into him an awful lot these days, and something told him it was not a coincidence. Maybe he was up to something. Maybe it was fucked up fate.

Not that he could be up to much, working in the Intra-Ministry Communications Department, sending memos all day, and occasionally filing paperwork. It was just another coincidence that Harry had run into him on the elevator again. Right?

“You should talk to him,” Ron said.

“And why the fuck would I do that?”

He shrugged. “You know ‘Mione’s been telling me about how not all of them are bad. Zabini even helped her with some of his connections the other day.” He waved his arm around. “Politics.”

“I'm not having this conversation anymore.”

“Whatever you say, mate.”

Harry focused intently on his task at hand, which was not much. His day, much like Malfoys he assumed, was full of paperwork. A punishment of sorts from Robards, to teach him the importance of paperwork. It is not up to Ministry standard, Harry, I'll be pushing more into your pile so you can learn how to do it properly. Or something like that, Harry had stopped listening after the I'll be pushing more into your pile, his mind already filled with dread.

Maybe that’s why he was crossing paths with Malfoy so much, he always crossed paths with Malfoy when things in his life were dicey.

It was only the next morning that Harry ran into Malfoy again. This time it was seven in the morning, too early even by Hermione's standards. And Malfoy was buried behind a pile of paperwork so high one could only see a sliver of blond hair. He was walking briskly towards the elevator door; the same door Harry was currently holding open. Well, shit I can't close it fast enough now, he thought.

“Thank you,” Malfoy said stepping in, presumably before he caught sight of Harry.

Harry risked a glance at him. The Ministry had added elevator music after the war, the kind you would find in a muggle place, sickly sweet and unbearable.

“Hi, Malfoy,” he said, seeing him stiffen out of the corner of his eye. A few seconds passed; he didn’t get off at his usual level.

The elevator chimed ‘Department of Magical Law Enforcement.’

Both Malfoy and Harry tried to step out at the same time. Harry knocked his shoulder into his, accidentally, and watched in slow motion as the mountain of paperwork went tumbling down.

“Shit, shit, shit,” he muttered, Malfoy was already crouching down, picking up each file.

He found it odd Malfoy didn’t complain, no snide remarks, didn’t even look at him with thinly veiled disdain. Harry helped him pick up the rest of the files. Not that Malfoy had been anything but polite in the few interactions they had had.

“I’m sorry,” he said, handing him a file and locking eyes with him. He returned the gaze steadily.

When the last of the errant papers were picked up, some five minutes or an eternity later. Malfoy turned to Harry and said, “it’s my own fault for being in such a hurry,” he said, smiling tightly.

“That’s okay,” Harry found himself saying, “No harm done.” Malfoy nodded.

“Are you dropping these off at the front desk?” he found himself asking again. This must be the longest conversation they’ve had in years.

“Yes,” he said. Then sighed. Harry didn’t know what to make of it.

“I'll be happy to take them the rest of the way,” Harry said, already taking his wand out, far easier to levitate them.

“Thank you.” Malfoy turned back to the elevator.

He was still thinking about this new version of Malfoy when he dropped off the stack of paperwork. There wasn’t even anyone at the desk.

Wand, Harry realized, as he put his own back into the holster. He still had his hawthorn wand, stashed away in some drawer at Grimmauld, forgotten for the past three years. I need to return it, he thought suddenly. He wondered why the thought hadn't occurred to him sooner, and why it did now. But he pushed them aside and busied himself with work for the day.

full work on A03

#harry x draco #drarry ship #drarry fanfic #drarry #drarry fanfiction #draco malfoy #draco is gay #draco lucius malfoy #draco fic #harry potter fic #harry potter x draco malfoy #hpdm #drarry squad #draco x harry #draco fluff #drarry fic #drarry ficlet

[ghost-party]

Not sure if I’m doing this right, but here’s my request for your Valentine’s Day event! I read your previous ones and they’re so great 😍

Can I please request the “smiling into a kiss” for Nanami, adding that Gojou and Yuuji/the other kids walk in and sees?

Female reader please 🥰

Thanks for requesting! 😊💕 I hope you enjoy!

Warnings: some suggestive comments and memories

• • •

Nanami + “smiling into a kiss” + others walk in

When you see Nanami’s text, you wave at Gojo to get his attention. He’s currently holding court on a nearby couch, bragging to the first years about how much chocolate he receives each year on Valentine’s Day. Only Yuuji seems to be paying attention, while Nobara scrolls on her phone and Megumi looks painfully bored.

“I need to step out for a minute. Feel free to start the lesson without me.”

Gojo lazily shoos you away. “Don’t worry, I’ll keep your kiddos out of trouble.”

The “kiddos” in question, the Jujutsu Tech second years, turn in eerie unison to give him a collectively-disparaging look.

“Oi,” Maki grumbles. “Are you actually going to teach today, or just talk about your imaginary girlfriends?”

You miss Gojo’s affronted response as you slip outside and find Nanami waiting for you on the front steps, a carefully-wrapped bento box in his hand.

“You forgot your lunch this morning,” he chides, but his words are soft.

“I can’t feel too bad,” you say, offering him a bright smile, “because now I get to see you. Working late today?”

“Not if I can help it.” His voice is serious as he readjusts his glasses. “I’ve made very important plans.”

You raise your eyebrows. “Is that so?”

Nanami’s free hand tenses at his side, resisting the urge to touch you. He generally avoids public displays of affection, even now, after you’ve managed to somewhat weaken his resolve over these past six months. Private ones, however, are an entirely different story...

“You said you didn’t want to go out for Valentine’s Day. So, we’ll cook dinner together at my place. I’ll buy groceries on the way home. We can listen to some music —”

“Your smooth jazz playlist?” you tease.

“— open a bottle of wine...” He keeps talking, ignoring your jest with a wry smile. “You could probably use a back massage.”

You sigh happily at the prospect of his deft hands kneading the tension from your muscles. “You’re too good to me.”

“No such thing.” He reaches up and tucks a loose strand of hair behind your ear. “And after that...”

You know that look in his eyes. It reminds you of things you definitely should not be thinking about during the workday.

“We can sleep in tomorrow,” you murmur. “Wake up late...”

“You’re terrible.”

“For suggesting that we relax?”

Nanami looks mildly exasperated. “You know exactly what you’re doing.”

“I know, I know... I’m a foul temptress.”

“Among other things.”

You laugh. “But don’t lie to me, Nanami Kento. I know you were thinking the same thing.”

He reaches out, fingers sweeping across your cheek, tracing the line of your jaw down to your mouth. “I used to have rules, you know.”

“Don’t worry. You still do.” You tilt your head down just enough for your lips to brush against his fingertips. “You just bend them a little more these days.”

“How unfortunate,” he murmurs, grasping your chin before kissing you. It’s soft and tender, a hint of more to come later this evening.

“Senseeeei, we need your — WHOA!”

Nanami flinches at the sound of Yuuji’s voice and quickly pulls away. The look on his face is a priceless combination of shock, embarrassment, and annoyance, and you try — and fail — to hold back a laugh.

When you turn around, you see that Yuuji, Nobara, and Gojo are crowding around one another in the doorway. While Yuuji looks astounded, Nobara looks smug, and Gojo is clapping his hands together.

“Do it again!” he cheers, and you can feel Nanami bristling behind you.

Nobara vanishes, shouting, “Panda! You owe me 1,000 yen!”

And Yuuji, having shaken off the initial surprise, looks back and forth between you and Nanami with a wide, bright smile. “I didn’t know you were together! So cute! Nanamin has a girlfriend!”

But then his expression abruptly shifts to one of fear, and Gojo grabs his shoulders, pulling him back toward safety. “We’ll just... leave you two lovebirds alone! Nothing to see here...” 

You wonder just how terrifying Nanami looks, looming behind you. But by the time you turn around, he merely looks tired, pinching the bridge of his nose with a long sigh.

“Has your reputation been ruined?”

He shakes his head. “This is why —”

“— you keep your work and personal life separate, I know. It makes sense.” You take the bento box from him, allowing your fingers to slide over his in a small, comforting gesture.

“That being said,” he continues, gazing at you fondly, “I’d be lying if I said I completely regretted it. What have you done to me?”

“Stolen your heart. No big deal.” You wink at him, inspiring a huff of laughter in response.

“You’re impossible.”

And you know he means it in the best way — that you’re the one thing in his life he never could have expected, an impossible wish that somehow came true, taking him by complete surprise.

When he first explained it to you, the two of you were tangled in your bedsheets, his face pressed into the crook of your neck, your fingers threaded through his soft hair, which smelled like your shampoo. It was so late it was early, and his lips had been loosened by exhaustion and contentment, mumbling pure poetry into your ear as sleep slowly overtook you.

Now, you reach out and squeeze his hand. “I love you, too, Kento.”

#valentine's day event #jujutsu kaisen #jjk #nanami kento #nanami x reader #nanami kento x reader

[vidalinav]

Because You’re an Asshole (One-shot)

Contains ACOSF Spoilers. 

Look, Cassian needs to drink some respect Nesta Archeron juice (as they all do). I hope to god he gains some perspective in this book, and he doesn’t continue this stupidity of reducing Nesta to butchery status. (Raises glass) Here’s hoping this lug nut starts making an effort. But this fic is purely self-indulgent because well... I’m the fic writer. So I can do what I want. 

Summary: Nesta rejects Cassian in front of the Inner Circle (Takes place in my head a couple of months after first 6 chapters)

Nesta wouldn’t say she had changed much, but to her sister and their group of friends she’d say she might as well have been a different person. For they pretended not to stare as she arrived with Cassian in tow. Some extraterrestrial creature in the middle of a restaurant.

She greeted the owner, Sevenda, lifting her lips into a polite smile and nodding when she caught Nesta’s gaze.

“Hello, sweet girl,” The female gushed, “I didn’t think you were helping out today... please don’t tell me one of the others conned you into taking their shift.”

Nesta shook her head shyly as Cassian told the female they were meeting the rest of them for a late dinner. Sevenda kissed him on the cheek, and Nesta wondered how one person could show so much affection when she could barely muster a proper laugh.

Truthfully, the only reason she made it to this dinner at all was because Bryaxis had asked her to. He’d been in the middle of telling her how the stars moved on an axis, and how the shadows were often wandering souls. He had so many stories to tell in that dark place in the library, but he’d wanted stories too. He was persistent, pushy…persuasive and Nesta could not let down her new friend when all he wanted to do was know about the outside world.

Nesta knew enough about being ostracized. She felt for the monster for she was a monster too. Cast away to the darkened ends of the library.  

But, Nesta wanted this night to be over. She’d promised Bryaxis ten minutes and ten minutes only. She could survive that long on fake grins.  

She tried not to sigh audibly as Sevenda showed them to the table, where the others already sat. Laughing loudly... then quieting to silence as they neared.

Nesta should have felt offended. But she couldn’t find it in herself to care too much.

The night would be over soon enough anyways.

True, Amren had visited her in the library just last week and they’d been cordial. She saw Mor on a regular basis to winnow to Windhaven, and Azriel was always there. It seemed odd to her now that they stared as if she were someone new. Someone they didn’t know at all.

Perhaps, though, it was because she’d agreed to come in the first place and when she did, she’d allowed Cassian to accompany her there. Though she suspected the offer was more because they were all still wary of her change, her calmness.

Nesta wouldn’t have called it that herself.

She hadn’t stopped being angry, she’d been born angry. Raged and kicked her way to this world.

Nesta just merely stopped... fighting back.

There was a peace in that, she supposed. Even if the thought sometimes made her want to hurt something and then herself for letting it happen.

Most of the time she was just detached enough to smile when someone called her name and when they left she’d go back to staring off into space, the dust like hidden galaxies floating through the filtered sunlight. It was what Nesta liked about the library in truth. That most didn’t bother her when she’d looked out the array of windows, up on those tall ladders, ready to see Velaris in a tiny frame.

In this way, the world was a lot smaller than she’d realized.

Less frightening.

And because the world was less frightening, the people in it, too, were less mean. She’d wandered after her workday, tired, but with a furious curiosity for more, like a hunger she couldn’t satisfy, and she’d ended up here. At Sevenda’s--the female greeting her and offering her a meal, even when Nesta told her she didn’t have the money to pay.

On the house then, the female said.

It was the best meal she’d ever had and Nesta had come back every time she could. Helping with the books, with inventory, while the owner patted her on the shoulder, her cheek, and brought her something new to try. Like a doting grandmother.

It felt odd, she thought seeing the rest in a large booth to the wall. This place, too, did not belong to her...

“No need to order,” the female proclaimed, “I know what you all like.”

Nesta waited for Cassian to scooch into the booth before she sat on the outskirts. Easy access to the door. Easy to leave.

But the others didn’t bother her much. Distantly, as if Nesta was not in the room, she could hear their voices begin again. To each other of course. Never to her. Though she’d accepted it long ago that she would never be what they wanted. They would never be what she needed.  

Cassian laughed. The sound hurting her ears. He never laughed like that with her. Nesta supposed she wasn’t that funny… and she wasn’t really his friend.

Instead, Nesta looked to the restaurant. Alive in all it’s glory. Loud and bright. She looked to the waitstaff. Most of them she’d met already, worked with some of them, and they smiled or waved when they saw her. Nesta lifted her hand to greet them, too.

One of the girls, Amina, brought out waters for the table.

Amina grinned when she saw her there.

But she did not leave when the cups had been set. Instead, she lingered, lowering her voice and leaning  towards her. “We’re going to the symphony tomorrow if you want to come.”

“And you must come,” Sevenda said, coming from behind with a plate of appetizers in her hand. Something to tide them over.  

Nesta blinked at the two females, unsure of what to say—what to do.

“I’ve never been to symphony before,” Nesta answered.

Sevenda set the bread in the middle of the table, and then raised a hand to her chest dramatically. “You’ll just adore it. Grand tales, handsome males, intriguing music all around. Perhaps, I’ll gather more of the staff and we’ll make a whole day of it.”

Nesta shook her head, waving her hands slightly. “You’re pretty busy, you don’t have to—”

“Nonsense, sweet girl,” She said, raising a hand to Nesta’s cheek. She could feel the warmth on her face. “Nobody would be too busy for you.”

Nesta smiled at that, a testament to how much she had changed that she’d allowed the touch and a triumph at how Nesta felt something other than nothing at all.

“I’ll be right back,” Sevenda noted chipperly. “Eat some bread.”

As the female left, Nesta didn’t want to look at the rest of the group, didn’t want to see how they would judge her, didn’t want to see if she cared or not. They’d meant to heal her. Did they think they were successful?

Cassian gazed down at her, his eyes uncommonly fond. All Nesta thought was that she was probably not embarrassing any longer.

She wondered if seeing her tolerated by others made him realize that she was tolerable.

Because, Nesta had not been tolerable to him this morning.

“You know, we can go to the symphony,” Cassian suggested, the apples of his cheeks blooming a dust of red. Nesta’s brows furrowed at the words. Her lips tilting down into an expression that might have been quizzical. "Some time... together I mean.”

Nesta looked at the others, but it seemed they were trying not to snicker, or they were too curious at what she would do. Rhysand tried to hide his smirk, Azriel held onto the bridge of his nose, Mor raised a brow as if she couldn’t believe what she was hearing, Amren took a sip of wine, rolling her eyes, and Feyre... well Feyre looked to her.

Say something, her eyes seemed to say.

But Nesta went to gaze at the people around her, happy and conversing at their own tables. The noise a rum drum lur of heartbeats and shouts and quiet whispers of some things she’d never be able to listen to even if she tried to read their lips.

This was... life, she thought. A cacophony of angry yells and laughter.

She’d almost forgotten what it sounded like...

But it wasn’t because of him that she could now recognize the notes. A song Nesta desperately wanted to hear. It wasn’t because of them at this table... and Nesta wondered what made Cassian suggest this. In front of his friends.

Did he think she would not easily reject him?

Didn’t he know she was a private person?

“Cassian, what’s my favorite color?”

He simply blinked, surprised by her words. She waited for his answer, but it never came.  

Nesta continued.

“What’s my favorite drink?” She asked.

Still Cassian said nothing.

“What time do I usually get up in the morning? It’s certainly not the time I’m forced to train with you.”

Cassian didn’t answer and instead of it making her angry, it just made her irrevocably sad.

“How about... my favorite book?”

“You’ve read so many how could you choose,” he said. Nesta huffed a laugh.

She’d read the same book for the past three months because she couldn’t stand to open a new one. There was something about the familiarity that comforted her and the thought of meeting new characters, entering new worlds scared her for reasons she was only beginning to understand. That book had been sitting in the living room every morning. Every night.

Nesta leaned forward, her cheek resting on her palm. The action made her breasts push up in her dress and she noticed the way his eyes lingered on them.

“No?” She asked, somberly, shaking her head. “How about the food I hate. The thing I’m most scared of.  Excited about... Nothing?”

Nesta waved her hand, her voice growing louder, “I mean I know you know how little I eat, how bad I fight, how much weight I’ve lost. You’re very good about reminding me. But do you know... where I even go in the evenings?”

She looked down wrinkling her nose as she huffed a laugh, “You know I get nightmares every night... you must hear them in that room above mine.” She pointed to Azriel. “He does. He asked me about them once. I think I told him some lie or another... but have you ever asked? Have you even asked how I’ve been doing? How I feel? You certainly didn’t ask whether I wanted to train with you but of course that was settled fairly quickly.”  

She took a deep breath, waiting for him to speak but he didn’t. Nesta fiddled with her napkin, unfolding it and then looked to the ceiling. She could see the dust float around the rounded lights.

“You know I hate to do this in front of your friends,” She lifted a hand in their direction, looking to Cassian once more. “I’m sure they have such high opinions of you. Their opinions of me, of course, are already very low. A bitch, I’m assuming is what I’ll be called today. Probably, to make your pride feel a little bit better. A little less wounded... Maybe they’ll believe it themselves too, because well,” Nesta shrugged, “the evidence is already there. It’s the nature of the circumstances I suppose.”

“It’s rather funny I think,” though Nesta didn’t laugh. “You don’t know anything about me. You want to go on a date?”

She lifted her hands up. Innocence personified. “I mean I’m assuming that what’s you meant by us going together to the symphony. We’re clearly not close enough to presume a casual friendly outing and everyone in this room and their mothers know we have some sort of history or they wouldn’t ask about it every time they see me or whisper it when they see us together.”

She smiled, her cheeks straining from the pull. “But for all that history... you know nothing about me. Instead, you have confused your emotions for ‘I’m sure she’s such a good fuck.’ Was it the boobs, the ass? The face maybe? I get that all the time.” Nesta gestured to the room around them, aware that she was making a scene, “Ask anyone of these males who’ve slept with me, I’m sure you’ll find one at any given moment...”

She clasped her hands together, crossing her legs as if she were holding a business meeting. Nesta raised a shoulder. “But at least they didn’t pretend. When they wanted to sleep with me, well... they just said they wanted to sleep with me. Unfortunately, if that’s what you want, you’ll have to buy me a drink first because I’ll have to be much drunker than this.”

Nesta leaned back in her seat. She couldn’t stop fidgeting, like the adrenaline had made her want to fight. She inhaled audibly, a low sound, exhaling lightly.

Cassian looked ashamed.

She tilted her head at that expression, feeling much calmer already.

“Look. As much I hate to admit this, a strict routine has done me some good. Maybe that’s why I can speak these words so truthfully,” Nesta said, her voice casual. “But do not ever think I have forgotten that I am as much a prisoner in my own body that I am in the House of Wind. I have little choice in anything regarding my life, even before this war. But this... I can choose this.”

Nesta refused to look at the rest of them as she lifted a hand to her neck, rubbing the muscle, suddenly tired and achy. “Not only have you bombarded my life in ways I didn’t expect nor ask for, you consistently touch me without my permission, get into my space when I am uncomfortable, push me when I am irritated. Why would I want to go out with you—A male who does not respect me?”

“I hope you didn’t think that me healing or whatever you called it,” She gestured away, “meant we’d be together... Time has already changed, unfortunately. Without us knowing it has slipped us by. Drifted right through our fingers...” She took a breath, staring at the lights on the ceiling. “We’re different people now...”

Nesta looked him straight in the eyes. Willed him to listen to her, really listen. “I won’t wait 500 years for you. I want more.” She shrugged, the light of Cassian’s eyes dimming. “I want better.”

She picked up her things, piling the plates and cup on top of each other. Making sure the napkin was neatly folded. Nesta swallowed, the heaviness setting in. She peered up at Cassian, his hair wild, stray pieces falling out from the leather band. His eyes bright and a hollow amber. “I want you to know that it isn’t because you’re a bastard. I’m sure you’ll think that when you go over this conversation later. But I’m not rejecting you because you’re a bastard... It’s because you’re an asshole.”

Nesta stood up to leave, but Cassian grabbed her hand. She peered down at him. He’d always been taller than her. It seemed odd to see him so small.

“What about me? You don’t know anything about me either.”

Nesta laughed, a small, short sound. “Your favorite color is red.”

Mor’s favorite color, too.

“Your favorite food? Stew, because it reminds you of Illyria. You’re scared of thunder, because it makes you think of your wings being shredded, or at least that’s what you told Azriel when you didn’t think I was paying attention. You like to drink whiskey when something bad happens, but rum when you're celebrating, and you have nightmares too. I suspect they’re probably the same as mine.”

She smiled at him, a melancholic tilt of her lips for those bittersweet memories—for those bittersweet dreams. Cassian looked dejected and she wanted to smooth away the lines with her fingers, but she’d been hurt for far too long from far too many people who’d promised they protect her, so Nesta clenched her fists instead.

“I’m glad we had this chat today.” She looked around the table, grimacing as she tried to smile. The others looked to her as if they were seeing her for the first time. This girl who’d calmy told the commander to go fuck himself. “Please don’t invite me to anymore of these.”

And with that Nesta left, nodding a farewell to Sevenda, coming out with a large tray of food. Two minutes and she was already making her way out the door.  

~

You know these really make me feel better about everything I have to process. But I am so tired, because I can’t sleep waiting for this book. So is this fic good? I don’t know. I can barely read it through.  

But I keep ranting, like everyday. 

So, one rant=one mini fic 

lol so now I have to go write the Nesta sticks up for Cassian fic (which is different than I think you’ll think it is) My work performance is really going to go down this week. But at least this one is uwu status (i.e. fluff--mostly)

Bye.

#acosf spoilers #nessian #nesta archeron #cassian #acosf #nessian fanfiction